Thoughts of Bob Burden and Renewed High Hopes

A couple of things happened tonight and I get the feeling that they were both plants laid about my path by the seedy, insistent conductor of the Inspiration Train. You know the one. The guy with his hand in his left breast pocket who spends hours tracking the meter of discourse on Bazooka Joe bubble gum comics. If you seek him out he'll look at you with a shriveled sneer and...

Well, my point with this post was to deliver some exciting news and talk about a hero of mine. First, the news. Grand Rapids is going to have its first official Comic and Toy Expo in some time (actually, the Toy portion of that Expo has been going on for years and has now decided to add on comics). There will be an artist alley where folks like yours truly sit behind long tables, chat idly with inquisitive folks, and try to sell creations a local print shop busily ran off their fleet of buzzing ink and carbon monstrosities the night before. What I'm getting at is that I hope to have such a table at this event and indeed be yours truly doing just those things. If you're in the Grand Rapids, MI area Saturday, December 3rd do yourself and myself a favor and visit the Grand Rapids Toy and Comic Expo (http://grtoycomicexpo.com/).

There is a man out there who I have had the pleasure of meeting just once on a semi-sweltering Chicago afternoon years ago. Bob Burden (middle initials irrelevant) has been for many years a comic icon and a real hero of mine. I've looked to his work, turned to look at the world, and looked back at his work only to see that some things just are. Flaming Carrot, Mystery Men, and his random surrealist, McCay-like cartoons have been like a fine, electrifying lineament to my obligation-wearied mind. Flipping through his pages always centers my focus and reminds me why I draw and why I want to draw comics.

This very night I chose to pick up a sketchbook of his that has been camping on my local comic shop's shelves since I first started visiting the place. Dangerous Visions volume one cried out to me tonight, more closely than any other night I stopped to listen to its siren croon, and my Burden-appreciating heart cried back. I snatched it up and ran out to my car feeling like I'd somehow managed to sneak the Rhinegold out from under the nose of every Germanic/Norse epic figure involved in the whole Nibelungen-mess. The pages were as amazing as I would expect them to be, and the oddities of Bob Burden spoke from the print. In a way it felt like the book was saying, "Took you long enough. Welcome to this side of the cover."

So that about wraps it up for this bizarre little post. I hope to use the steam garnered from the inspirations I've found in Thrilling Visions and the promise of a table at a local comic event to put the final touches on my little comic book/zine. I may even have some Primates and Strings t-shirts printed and ready for sale. Again, if you're in Grand Rapids come December come find me at the Expo!