Great feeling for a great cause...

So I don't know what the heck Garfield is talking about. Mondays are fast becoming my favorite day of the week. I tend to feel renewed from the weekend and rarin' to go. Not to mention that in the last couple weeks, Monday has been the bearer of cool news for me. Such was the case with THIS Monday...

Perhaps you've heard of the comic strip, "Cul DeSac", by Richard Thompson. It's one of the greatest comics to hit newspapers in the last 17 years (I say 17 because a mighty blow was struck against newspaper pages in 1995, when "The Far Side", "Outland" (aka "Bloom County part 2"), and "Calvin and Hobbes" simultaneously retired from publication). For his efforts, Richard has won the accolades of  his peers, and the prestigious Reuben award for Outstanding cartoonist of the Year from The National Cartoonists Society in 2010. Recently, Richard was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. It can result in physical tremors that can totally incapacitate the bearer. You can imagine the effect it would have on someone who draws for a living. But Richard continues producing incredible cartoons, and along with Chris Sparks, has parlayed "Cul De Sac's" popularity into a worthwhile cause.  

"Team Cul De Sac" put out the call to professional cartoonists last summer, asking them to create "Cul De Sac" themed artwork that would be auctioned off, with the proceeds going towards Parkinson's research. I was one of the cartoonists who contributed, and it was a joy to draw Richard's characters for such a worthwhile cause. It was known to us contributors that some of the donated artwork would be featured in a "Team Cul De Sac" book, whose proceeds would also go towards the cure. On Monday, "Team Cul De Sac" posted the list of artists whose work would be featured in the book. And I was thrilled to no end that my work was selected alongside so many of my cartooning heroes.

You can visit the "Team Cul De Sac" website hereto pre-order the book, and check here to see the complete list of participating artists. I encourage you to purchase this one of a kind collection that will greatly benefit Parkinson's research. And please, help spread the word to others about it, too.

And in other news:

SKETCH CARDS:

So I can officially announce now that I'm contributing to Rittenhouse Archives' "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" (aka "Avengers") sketch card set. Rittenhouse posted some samples of my cards on Facebook on Monday, but you can view the selection below:

I've had the best working relationship with Rittenhouse, and I'm pleased to report that I'll be participating in other Marvel Comics sets for them throughout 2012 and possibly beyond.

TEAM-UP:

I recently became online pen pals with cartoonist Tom Bancroft. Tom is a former Disney animator, and was the designer of the dragon Mushu from the film, "Mulan". Being fans of each other's work, Tom and I decided to collaborate on a couple Marvel-themed pieces, where he'd draw one character, and I'd draw the other. While these pieces are still in development, I can show you Tom's half of the piece that I get to keep, which will feature The Inhumans' Medusa (drawn by Tom), and eventually, her cousin Gorgon (to be drawn by me)...

I also started a second piece that he'll complete, where I drew Captain America, and he'll draw Ms. Marvel...

I'll be sure to post these when they're both complete.

RECENT COMMISSIONS:

Here's a piece I was commissioned to draw of Marvel Comics' She-Hulk. For those unaware, in her secret identity, she's a lawyer. So I decided to mix up her two identities a bit...

And this was a commission where I was asked to draw the Marvel Comics' villain, The Enchantress, turning SHIELD agent Maria Hill into a yak. Weird sounding perhaps, but a heckuva lotta fun to draw...

That's it for this week. Check back next Wednesday for more news!

--Jay