INCIDENTAL COMICS

Iconic Houses

2012-01-25T05:38:00.000-08:00

In an earlier draft of this comic, it appeared the Farnsworth house was being gnawed by ordinary beavers. My architect brother informed me that Mies van der Rohe was known for his innovations in steel and glass, not wood. So just to clarify: those are MUTANT beavers.

By popular demand, you can order a poster of this comic here. If you'd like, I'll include a footnote about the beavers.

Check out some past Incidental Comics about architecture:
The New Building. The World-Famous Architect.

Meet the Numbers

2012-01-19T06:08:00.000-08:00

The Ellipse

2012-01-16T06:09:00.000-08:00

This week on Incidental Comics: math humor. Because education should at least attempt to be funnier.

Learn more about eccentricity.

Daydream

2012-01-12T05:54:00.000-08:00

One of the most fascinating books I read last year was Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino. It's a strange combination of novel, poetry, and pure imagination. When I finished it, I wanted to draw every city in the book and make up a few of my own.

Order a poster here.

Music for a Ridiculous Ensemble

2012-01-08T16:03:00.000-08:00

See if you can spot Dylan, Daft Punk, and a digeridoo. I recently did an interview with a great blog called Illustration Concentration - check it out for some intimate secrets about how Incidental Comics are made and a couple previously unreleased sketchbook pages. For an extended musing on the above cartoon, keep reading.

The recent death of Ronald Searle and the 100th birthday of the late Charles Addams got me thinking about how much The New Yorker has influenced me as a cartoonist. During my sophomore year of college my brother brought a stack of back issues to our apartment. I'd never opened the magazine before, but I quickly became obsessed with it - especially the cartoons. To someone raised almost exclusively on newspaper comic strips, the humor was understated and often weird. The drawings were especially appealing - the best cartoonists had a unique style that couldn't be mistaken for anyone else. I remember puzzling over a full-page spread drawn by Roz Chast, probably in the yearly cartoon issue. At first I couldn't decide whether I hated it or was just mildly annoyed by it. It grew on me, though. A few months later, she was my favorite cartoonist.

The comic I posted above is from mid 2010, but it was directly inspired by old New Yorker cartoon collections. I loved the highly-detailed drawings of full orchestras, rendered in gray ink washes. I was also listening to a lot of Steve Reich at the time, and I wanted to merge the lush experimental sound of a Reich piece with the visual gags of a New Yorker panel. I'm still happy with the way it turned out.

Famous Chairs

2012-01-03T20:16:00.000-08:00

Further reading: Chair Blog and How to Design a Chair. Get a poster here.

New Year's Resolutions

2011-12-28T21:26:00.001-08:00

Ultimate Sledding

2011-12-21T06:41:00.000-08:00

Design Like Nobody's Watching

2011-12-14T21:00:00.000-08:00

Function World

2011-12-11T15:15:00.001-08:00

This comic is the product of my former life as an engineering student and math tutor. Since I burned all my old college notes, I had to dust off my TI-83 graphing calculator for reference material. I also consulted Wolfram Alpha - that website is amazing.

Also: there is still time to order Incidental Comics posters before the holidays! Follow this link or visit the "Poster Shop" tab at the top of the page.

The World-Famous Architect

2011-12-07T20:05:00.001-08:00

Works of Fiction

2011-11-30T20:03:00.001-08:00

Map of Thanksgiving Dinner

2011-11-23T06:03:00.001-08:00

Literary Devices

2011-11-16T21:03:00.001-08:00

If you would like to nominate Incidental Comics as a "Best Webcomic of 2011," you can go here to voice your support. No pressure!

Thanks to all my high school English teachers for providing the deeply ingrained knowledge behind this comic. And a very special thanks to my proofreaders at the Kansas City Star, who put up with my three consecutive misspellings of "Onomatopoeia."

And finally: English teachers and students, past and current - you can get a poster of this comic for your classroom or reading nook here.

Posters for Sale

2011-11-14T19:35:00.001-08:00

The problem with webcomics is that you can't cut them out and tape them to your wall. You can't hang them from your refrigerator. You can't even use them as last minute wrapping paper.

In response to this problem, I'm selling posters of many of the comics featured on this blog. They're perfect for the book fiend or jazz fan in your life. They'll help proclaim your status as a reluctant grown-up or frustrated creative person. You can even put them on your refrigerator!

Details can be found here or by clicking on the "Poster Shop" tab at the top of the page. All posters will be shipped in indestructible cardboard tubing in time for whatever holiday you choose. Below are a couple samples - plastic frame, gallery lighting, and bird photographs not included.

Escape from the digital world.

2011-11-10T06:14:00.000-08:00

I have a complicated relationship with technology. It's given me access to endless information, increased my music collection exponentially, and allowed my comic to be read by real people who are not myself (at least I think they're real people). If I don't pay attention, however, I waste countless hours searching for things like "Prince song + karaoke + epic fail" and "cute toy poodles." So I drew this comic to remind me to get outside more often.

Also: I've added a Poster Shop page to my blog! You can purchase an 11"x17" poster of this comic and many others for a very modest price. Click on the "Poster Shop" tab at the top of the screen, or go here:
http://thoughtballoonhelium.blogspot.com/p/poster-shop.html

All You Need

2011-11-03T06:11:00.000-07:00

Axes of Evil

2011-10-31T06:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Beware of sinister graphs.

Know Your Ghosts

2011-10-27T06:11:00.000-07:00

Fellow ghost hunters! You can order a print of this comic to help you in your spirit identification. Email gsnider11@gmail.com for details.

The Modern School for Gifted Youth

2011-10-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Lately, one my default cartooning methods has been to squeeze an entire children's book into a single comic page. Instead of stretching an idea to 32 pages, I distill it to 8 panels. Due to space constraints, some couplets I write don't make the final cut. Like this highly personal rhyme:

If OCD is off the charts

We train them in the Dental Arts.

Who Needs Art?

2011-10-13T06:01:00.000-07:00

What's the solution to being fed up with art? I'm not sure, but looking at the paintings and sculptures of Joan Miro will help immensely.

You can get a poster of this comic here.

An Old Family Portrait

2011-10-10T06:07:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the somewhat outdated music references - I drew this comic way back in 2008. It still holds true, although my parents have a few more gray hairs and my little brothers are now taller than I am.

Superpower

2011-10-06T06:15:00.001-07:00

Strange Animals

2011-09-29T06:01:00.000-07:00

The Post-College Arcade

2011-09-22T05:59:00.000-07:00

There will be no encore.

2011-09-19T06:32:00.000-07:00

Color Therapy

2011-09-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

On the Beach

2011-09-08T06:06:00.000-07:00

Warrior Poets

2011-09-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

Incidental Comics is now on Tumblr! You can follow me at http://incidentalcomics.tumblr.com/. My plan is to post a brand new comic every Thursday, with some sketchbook outtakes, process posts, and other projects thrown in the mix.

I've been reposting some comics from my archives (like the Roz-Chastian attempt above) on this blog every Monday, but for now these won't appear on my Tumblr. I want to track the progress of my work, rather than looking back at when I had a rougher drawing style and better sense of humor.

The Other Side

2011-09-01T05:30:00.000-07:00

Museum Rules

2011-08-29T05:41:00.000-07:00

This week on Incidental Comics: chaos and exploration in the art museum. For today's comic and Thursday's comic, I used rough sketches (pencil only, please) and photos (turn off the flash, sir) from visits to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Walker Art Center, Denver Art Museum, Milwaukee Art Museum, and Art Institute of Chicago.

Back to School

2011-08-25T05:47:00.000-07:00

As I prepare to enter the twenty-first grade, I still have wildly idealized notions of what each coming school year will bring. For the sake of authenticity, I drew this comic in a college-ruled spiral notebook with a neon highlighter and glitter pens.

Last Night's Show

2011-08-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

This fictional venue is modeled after The Granada and The Bottleneck in the idyllic college town of Lawrence, Kansas. But it could be any other bar where sweaty fans and loud bands congregate. Maybe I saw you there?

The Diabolical Botanical Garden

2011-08-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

If you're a fan of horror and/or horticulture, you can order an 11"x17" print of this drawing. Email me at gsnider11@gmail.com or visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/incidentalcomics for details.

Like most of my work, I can't quite pinpoint where the idea for this one came from. I remember taking a trip to Botanica, The Wichita Gardens as a kid, then drawing one of its fountains the moment I got home. But instead of sketching a regular fountain, I turned it into an fountain-shaped alien! Another possibility: my grandfather was a retired landscape architect for the National Park Service, and he had a backyard that was a forest of Ponderosa Pines. He told us that the piles of rocks scattered throughout the forest were old Indian graveyards. The idea fascinated and terrified me. I didn't quite believe him, but I was still afraid to peek out the window into the dark forest at night.

The Feuding Death Metal Band

2011-08-15T07:25:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite songs of the past decade is "The Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton" by The Mountain Goats. This cartoon is nowhere near as good as that song. But then, not much is. Someday I hope to draw a comic that approaches the pure manic energy and disarming wit of a John Darnielle song lyric. Someday!

Notes on Poetry

2011-08-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

Art History

2011-08-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

Morning

2011-08-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

Order a poster of this comic at http://www.flickr.com/incidentalcomics.

Sustainability

2011-08-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

The Pool

2011-07-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

This comic is now available as a print at http://www.flickr.com/photos/incidentalcomics for purposes of refreshment and self-improvement. Guaranteed to smell like chlorine and sunscreen!

The New Building

2011-07-21T05:40:00.000-07:00

The new building, for non-local readers, is the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. It's scheduled to open this September. If you're a fan of architect Moshe Safdie or the Kansas City skyline (or if you just like buildings with personality), you can order a print at http://www.flickr.com/photos/incidentalcomics.

When Water Towers Dream

2011-07-18T05:59:00.000-07:00

I'm a strong proponent of the personification of buildings and man-made structures, a theme I'll return to in a drawing later this week. If the dreams of the first two water towers are reminiscent of scenes from the movie Super 8, it's likely because director J.J. Abrams read this comic when it first appeared in the newspaper or on the blog last year. So yeah, just a coincidence.

Finally: if you ever decide to make an Incidental Comics-inspired pilgrimage, you can actually visit the last two water towers. They sit just a few miles down the road from each other in Derby and Mulvane, Kansas. Though I'm pretty sure the cornfield is now a big box store or strip mall.

Summer Vision

2011-07-14T04:41:00.000-07:00

Island

2011-07-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

Château for a Cartoonist

2011-07-05T06:04:00.000-07:00

When I've drawn my millionth cartoon, published my memoirs, and sold the movie rights, I should have the financial resources to make the blueprints for this home a reality. I'll have to find an architect equally versed in escalators and observatories. I'll need a landscaper with a thorough knowledge of truffula trees. And a decent zookeeper or ex-lion tamer for my collection of exotic pets.

The murals and sculptures will all be created by the original artists. This will require some scientific advances in order bring back the late George Herriman (1880-1944). It won't be cheap to fund research in the long-neglected field of corpse reanimation, but the result will be worth it. If you can name all the artists I reference in this drawing, I will give you a job tending the koi ponds.

Jazz

2011-06-30T05:56:00.000-07:00

This comic is brought to you in part by John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, McCoy Tyner, Miles Davis, Charles Lloyd, Charles Mingus, and Charlie Haden.

Want a poster of this comic for your smoke-filled jazz listening lounge? Get it here.

Un Fanzine Muy Bonito

2011-06-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

An exciting package arrived in the mail yesterday from Barcelona. Apa Apa Comics, a Spanish comics publisher, just released Colibri #3, a fanzine featuring short works by 25 great cartoonists. And me. It's a thrill to see my drawings in a book that looks awesome, smells like paper, and can occupy space on my shelf or coffee table if I ever get tired of staring at it. Big thanks to the folks at Apa Apa for including my work. Here's the cover and credits page, masterfully drawn by Sergi Puyol:

My contribution was an adaptation of my Gorey-esque single page comic originally found here. This the zine version:

The Portland Oregon Trail

2011-06-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

I drew this comic in 2009, a time when I was still concerned with depicting and satirizing "indie" culture. It has new relevance, however. Like the star-crossed band in this drawing, I am embarking on a voyage west. In a month, I'll be moving from Kansas City (near the city in the first panel), navigating I-70 (passing through the college town in the second panel), and setting up camp for two and a half years just outside Denver, Colorado (not far from the location of the third panel). So please understand if the comics I draw over the next couple months keep repeating this theme of transition, travel, and new beginnings. And the frustrations that inevitably follow.

The Algorithm

2011-06-23T06:05:00.000-07:00

Checklist for an Epic Summer

2011-06-20T05:52:00.000-07:00

One box I forgot to add: draw a comic influenced by the legendary Bill Watterson. Check!

The Shakespearean Heckler

2011-06-16T06:22:00.000-07:00

This week marks the beginning of Kansas City's Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, a free professional production held yearly at a park next to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. It's always spectacularly done, and you have to marvel at the actors for braving the Missouri heat and humidity in full costume. A couple years ago, my wife and I were kicked out of "Othello". Not for drunken heckling, but for smuggling in a small poodle. We were escorted out of the park during intermission, four-pound dog in hand.

Meet the Band

2011-06-13T06:03:00.000-07:00

Public Displays of Unselfconsciousness

2011-06-09T06:04:00.000-07:00

You can order a print of this drawing (and many other Incidental Comics) here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/incidentalcomics

Drawing Hands

2011-06-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

"Drawing hands is hell."

-Picasso or somebody

I try to avoid rendering anatomically correct hands whenever possible. You'll see one of my rare attempts at hand drawing in last week's "Career Path Generator." Which is probably why I decided to repost this exercise in evasion.

Also: you can now follow me on Twitter @grantdraws.

Career Path Generator

2011-06-02T05:14:00.000-07:00

Ode to an Aging Rock Critic

2011-05-31T06:01:00.000-07:00

Not so long ago, I wrote a number of freelance concert reviews for a local music blog. It was a pretty sweet gig: see a show for free, take a few blurry photos, and scribble notes during the set like a true music expert. After returning home from the bar/club/hipster lair, I would transcribe my scribblings into an overly-detailed account of the performance.

The review was due at 8 AM the morning after the concert. Sometimes I wouldn't finish writing until after 4 AM. Then I'd lay awake in bed, physically exhausted, my mind still lit up with journalistic prose. This was the closest I came in school to pulling an all-nighter. Weeks later, a small paycheck would arrive in the mail. I have no idea if anyone besides my editor ever read the reviews. I did get to see some great bands for free, though. And some terrible bands.

How to Get Ideas

2011-05-26T06:27:00.000-07:00

This is a problem that any self-proclaimed creative person without a daily regimen of psychotropic drugs has experienced. The search for a great idea can be incredibly frustrating, like trying to force two unlike species to breed.

Suburban Anarchy

2011-05-23T05:56:00.000-07:00

The Road Taken

2011-05-19T06:01:00.000-07:00

Email gsnider11@gmail.com if you'd like to order an 11"x17" poster of this comic (for $15 plus shipping).

Love & Fonts

2011-05-16T05:08:00.000-07:00

In combining the best elements of romance novels and typographic criticism, I could have made this comic much, much racier: "She felt the oblique, sinuous curves of his letterform. Their passion was legible. But could it ever be justified?" At least I didn't stoop to making fun of Comic Sans.

The Memoir

2011-05-11T05:58:00.000-07:00

Drawing Teeth

2011-05-09T07:24:00.000-07:00

Teeth are fun to draw. They are shaped like tiny aliens, tentacled underwater creatures, or controversial modern sculpture. Using Kilgore dental study models as reference, I designed a number of t-shirts for my class over four years of dental school. To celebrate graduation and our shiny new DDS degrees, here all the designs in one extensive blog post.

This would be a great game for an arcade or dental office waiting room. I just have to clear up a few copyright issues:

Though it looks like your typical set of wind-up teeth, this is actually a functional complete denture:

The little guy in the background is jumping on a rheostat pedal, which is used to control the RPMs of the high-speed handpiece ("the drill," for those not up on proper dental terminology):

I had the cover of "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" by the Flaming Lips in mind when I drew this:

Unfortunately, this last design was never printed on a shirt. Apparently the rapper Lil' John has limited commercial appeal:

Dance of the Tipsy Parents

2011-05-05T03:25:00.000-07:00

An Education

2011-05-03T05:54:00.000-07:00

Two years ago this month, I began drawing a weekly comic strip for my outstanding local newspaper, the Kansas City Star. I called the strip "Delayed Karma" - this was an obscure fusion of a John Lennon song and my mother's maiden name, and by no means an attempt to sound "all metaphysical." I'm not going to attempt to repost all of the early strips I drew. Most are painful for me to look at. The text is incoherent, the characters' heads are poorly proportioned, and I can't read them without finding dozens of things I would do differently if forced to redraw them. But I still enjoy a handful of these comics, so I'm going to start posting one a week in addition to my new work. In doing so, I may save a few brave souls the trouble of wading through the Incidental Comics archives in search of sketchy sustenance, or I may just boost my creative ego. Either way, enjoy the new old drawings, at least until the decent ones run out.

An Instant Bestseller

2011-04-28T06:02:00.000-07:00

Diploma

2011-04-21T05:39:00.000-07:00

Graduation is fast approaching, a day that will bring this cartoonist much joy and this blog many commencement-related posts.

Follow this link if you'd like to order a print for your own Class of 2011 warrior-poet.

Track and Field

2011-04-14T05:17:00.000-07:00

It's been seven years since I last competed in the 400 meter dash, but even today the thought of the event sends pangs of anxiety through me. Still, I miss that unique combination of euphoria and physical pain that can only be achieved by 50.7 seconds of all-out sprinting.

Why I Draw

2011-04-07T06:05:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to sculptor Tom Otterness (a fellow Wichita, KS native), Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, and anyone who's managed to snap a photo of the elusive Bigfoot.

Is this why you draw? You can pick up a print in my new and improved poster shop.

Twinning

2011-03-31T08:13:00.000-07:00

Your Beard Madness Champion

2011-03-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

The bets have been made. The games have been played. The facial hair has been displayed. And the Beard Madness champion is...Dad in the Early '80s! It was a riveting tournament, with many hairy moments. Here are some of the highlights.

Round one: Dumbledore and Gandalf go into overtime. Gandalf is cheered on by more fervently nerdy fans, but Dumbledore is victorious when his beard sells more books. Meanwhile, Kenny Rogers forfeits after testing positive for beard-enhancing drugs. Round Two: Jesus defeats Darwin. This should not be seen as a triumph of religion over science. Instead, it's a victory for proper beard maintenance. Darwin was just so unkempt. Semifinals: Dad defeats Fidel Castro, as Castro's cigar explodes in the final seconds, causing extensive facial hair damage. A massive upset! The finals: J.K. Rowling got it wrong. Snape did not defeat Dumbledore - Dad in the Early '80s defeated Dumbledore. Here's the final bracket:

Burning the Midnight Caffeine

2011-03-24T06:27:00.000-07:00

I sketched this comic away from the comfort of my subterranean apartment, working instead at my parents' house in my youngest brother's room. This was a good excuse to draw the objects that litter the living space of a high school freshman: cheap keyboard, out-of-tune ukulele, assorted athletic gear, Skype equipment, and sweet band posters. I think the comic captures this environment of disorder - maybe at its own expense. Local shout out: the poster with the flaming orange spectacled head is by Kansas City's storied Vahalla Studios for one of my favorite bands, The Hold Steady.

Fake Irish Blessing

2011-03-17T06:08:00.000-07:00

Beard Madness!

2011-03-14T04:39:00.000-07:00

The selection committee has chosen the best beards from this year's highly competitive field. The last four out were Leo Tolstoy, Zach Galifianakis, Ben Bernanke, and the dude from Iron & Wine. As this blog's resident bracketologist, I forsee some intriguing second-round matchups: Jesus battles Darwin over who has more convincing bumper stickers, Shel Silverstein challenges Dumbledore to see who brings more magic to the hearts of young readers, and Abe Lincoln and Kenny Rogers duke it out for control of The South.

To order as a poster, email gsnider11@gmail.com. More details here.

Literal Concert Flyers

2011-03-09T07:20:00.000-08:00

Caution: do not try to attend any of these shows. The venues are real (some of the finest drinking establishments in Kansas City, MO and Lawrence, KS), but the dates are fictional. As for the bands, well... I think you may have seen many of them in concert yourself.

Soundtrack for Living

2011-03-03T05:12:00.000-08:00

Want to purchase this as a poster? Details here, or email gsnider11@gmail.com. I will include the actual soundtrack in CD-R form. Tracklist still to-be-determined, but it will likely include John Coltrane, Keith Sweat, The Beatles, and The Wu-Tang Clan.

Monsters!

2011-02-28T05:49:00.000-08:00

This Friday, I'll be drawing ferociously (alongside a formidable group of local artists, architects, and designers) for a great cause: The 2nd Annual Monster Drawing Rally, sponsored by Women in Design-Kansas City. All proceeds from the sale of drawings will benefit Synergy Services, a non-profit violence-prevention program. Here are the details, straight from the Facebook event posting:

Location:

360 Architecture
300 West 22nd Street in the Crossroads
Kansas City, MO

Schedule:
6:30pm happy hour
7:00pm live drawing session begins
8:00pm drawing session ends; silent auction begins
9:00pm silent auction closes; winners are announced (bidders must be present to win!)

Parade of Horrors

2011-02-24T05:24:00.000-08:00

Have a Rockin' Presidents Day

2011-02-21T06:35:00.000-08:00

In celebration of Presidents Day, that often-ignored semi-holiday, here are a couple of drawings from a simpler time (college) when I had faint aspirations of becoming a political cartoonist. Aside from a handful of greats, most political cartoonists have been victims of the declining newspaper industry that no longer values their contributions. This is unfortunate - I think it's still a noble and essential profession. It may just be in need of a few new ideas, a new publishing platform, and better self-promotion.

I've drawn a few cartoons that I think put forth some well-reasoned political stances. However, I'm not going to bore you with them here. I realized early on that my strengths lied not in biting partisan commentary, but in the obscure fusion of political caricature and pop culture reference...

Seize the Coloring Book

2011-02-17T05:15:00.000-08:00

My New Yorker Cartoon Phase

2011-02-15T06:31:00.000-08:00

Just as most teenage boys go through a Led Zeppelin phase, most young cartoonists go through a New Yorker cartoon phase. This was an early attempt at drawing in that trademark style. I've mostly recovered from my Led Zeppelin phase, but I still have visions of my drawings appearing in the same hallowed pages as a Roz Chast or Charles Barsotti cartoon - ideally in the middle of some impenetrable article on Mideast foreign policy.

The Insecure Chess Set

2011-02-10T04:31:00.000-08:00

Productive Snow Day

2011-02-07T07:09:00.000-08:00

Inspiration: The Great Midwestern Blizzard of 2011, Calvin & Hobbes, High School English, and The Mighty Quinn.

Details on ordering a print.

The Library

2011-02-03T07:05:00.000-08:00

I spend an inordinate amount of time browsing the shelves of Kansas City's downtown public library. To the staff there, I'm probably known as the weird guy in scrubs who lurks about the children's section and always leaves with more novels and compact discs than any one person could hope to consume. I've accepted the fact that I have a book problem.

In deference to you online readers, I expanded the width of my blog to accommodate the format of this drawing. The unfortunate people who saw it in the newspaper had to turn their head sideways to read it, resulting in numerous complaints of strained necks. If you'd like to view it without squinting, order as a poster here.

Childhood is Like a Punk Rock Song

2011-01-31T05:55:00.000-08:00

When I drew this comic last year, I ditched my trusty Rapidograph for more expressive brush pen lines and pencil scratches. I recently went back and colored it. Hopefully the results are somewhere between a Xeroxed punk zine and a coloring book. Or like a guest appearance by The Clash on Sesame Street.

Would you like an 11"x17" print of this or any other comic on the blog? Click here for details on ordering.

A Cure for Social Anxiety

2011-01-27T05:19:00.001-08:00

Twin Blog

2011-01-26T06:37:00.000-08:00

My twin brother Gavin also fashions himself an artist/blogger. This makes sense: we've been copying each other our entire lives. He draws concert posters for his own band, South Sea Island Magic, which can be found at revolutiongetsindustrial.blogspot.com. If that wasn't enough, he blogs for his architecture firm, el dorado architects. Here's his latest:

Kansas: Land of Zen

2011-01-21T16:58:00.000-08:00

This comic was drawn in anticipation of a long drive I made this week from Kansas City to Denver. I think Kansas was mad at me, because I had to navigate my Honda through a snow and ice storm that spanned the entire state. However, the terrible weather did make the trip anything but boring.

Discography of Your Favorite Band

2011-01-17T10:59:00.000-08:00

Album artwork offers a glimpse of the great, mediocre, and ill-advised moments of a band's career. Click here for details on ordering as a poster, or email gsnider11@gmail.com. Because comics, like album artwork, should be viewed in large, printed form. If you want, I'll throw in a complimentary mixtape of what this fictional band would sound like, had they actually existed.

Public Art

2011-01-13T05:31:00.000-08:00

Inspired by some of the fine public art in Kansas City, MO. Except the last panel. I just wanted to draw some Yuko Shimizu-esque mushrooms.

The University of Awesome

2011-01-07T05:34:00.000-08:00

This is just like where I went to college, only more awesome. As always, I'm selling prints of this drawing to put up in your seedy dorm room or give to your wayward college-age son/daughter/hippie. Click here for details or email me at gsnider11@gmail.com.

Enormous Glasses

2011-01-02T09:59:00.000-08:00

Special thanks to my elementary school classmates who unknowingly lent their yearbook pictures for the first set of panels in this comic. Here's some of the painful reference material...

New Year's Resolutions

2010-12-30T14:24:00.000-08:00

I drew this comic at the dawn of 2010. Here's how the somewhat autobiographical resolutions in the first panel turned out: I've failed miserably at getting organized. I still floss every night, as any non-hypocritical dental student should. I've written poetry, but it's been mostly goofy light verse. I've enjoyed ethnic food, smiled, practiced yoga, worked out, and volunteered, but only sporadically. I've enjoyed literary fiction (as pretentious as that sounds), especially the novels of Haruki Murakami. I can't bike to work - I'm not employed. And finally, I never actually quote bad movies - I only quote great movies that other people think are bad. My resolution for 2011: to keep going back and coloring old comics so I can repost them on my blog and make them available as posters.

Scenes from the Dinner Table

2010-12-26T10:54:00.000-08:00

In the name of awkward self-promotion...

2010-12-22T12:44:00.000-08:00

The nice folks at NBC Action(!) News here in Kansas City asked me to be on their show today. My reaction to seeing myself on TV: "Can they tell I'm nervous?" and "Does my voice really sound like that in real life?" But really, being on television was no sweat - I just pretended I was Jonathan Franzen being interviewed by Oprah.

Leaf Wars

2010-12-19T07:12:00.000-08:00

The Treehouse of Adulthood

2010-12-12T07:05:00.000-08:00

This comic originally ran about a year ago and can be found on this blog in its original form. I decided to update it with color, mainly because I thought the pond creature should have green tentacles and the in-laws lurking inside the tree should have yellow eyes. Incidentally, my mother-in-law is visiting this weekend. As usual, this is available for purchase as an 11"x17" poster (email me at gsnider11@gmail.com) so you can put it up in your cubicle of employment or useless hobby zone and eventually stash it in some closet with your exercise equipment.

How to Ace the Interview

2010-12-05T06:26:00.000-08:00

Calendar Illustration

2010-12-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

This is my contribution to a 2011 calendar featuring the work of twelve Kansas City illustrators and cartoonists. For the month of April, I imagined some intrepid oral surgeons hunting the great white maxillary molar. For fellow dental nerds, they're wielding a Molt 9 periosteal elevator, 150 forceps, and 301 elevator. Anatomically correct teeth lurk just below the surface. Cartoonist Bryan Stalder was responsible for corralling and motivating the featured artists in the calendar, which is available for purchase here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/63426488/2011-calendar.

Posters For Sale

2010-11-30T12:47:00.000-08:00

In order to duplicate the experience of the concert merch table online, I'm selling 11"x17" color prints of any comic on this blog. All posters are $15 plus shipping, payable by check or paypal. Orders will ship promptly. Contact me at gsnider11@gmail.com to order. Shipping is $3 for domestic orders, more in Canada (I've always wanted to say that). I do international shipping as well, but rates vary.

The Thing

2010-11-28T06:22:00.000-08:00