falling rock book 5 HAS ARRIVED

It's the best day of the year! Today I picked up 500 freshly-printed copies of Scenic Byways, the fifth collection of Falling Rock comics. You've seen the cover before, but here it is once more:

Front

Back

Here, for the first time ever, is a photo of the actual book itself.

Like Welcome to Falling Rock National Park (the self-titled third book) and See America First, Scenic Byways was printed with care by the fine folks at Pinball Press using only the naturalest of materials.  Post-consumer recycled paper, recycled chipboard covers, and soy-based ink.  This book is not only black and white, it is green.

You don't have to waste your precious time reading about Scenic Byways; you can purchase a copy and actually read it.  Right here!

Scenic Byways is the culmination of the 2010-2011 year, with 65 hand-picked comics that touch on all the hot button issues of today.  Yes, Falling Rock is not afraid of controversy, if by "controversy" you mean an owl who fancies himself an art critic or a lizard who wears the same ratty old baseball jersey every day.

If you happen to be in either New York or Portland, I will be at MoCCA on April 9-10 and Stumptown on April 16-17, selling Scenic Byways as well as the rest of the Falling Rock book collection.

scott adsit, why won't you accept my friend request?

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falling rock book 5: scenic byways

Now it is time to reveal the final covers of Falling Rock book five.  The title of this year's collection is Scenic Byways.

Ernesto and Carver are going on a grand adventure.  Where are they headed?  You'll have to buy the book to find out.  (HINT: It's a twist ending.  They were dead the whole time.)

The back cover plays off the joke on the front cover. 

Scenic Byways will be available by the beginning of April.  I'll have copies when I'm at MoCCA on April 9-10 and Stumptown on April 16-17, and I'll update my online order form as soon as they get back from the printer.

friday robots

book 5 covers continued

I knew that I wanted this year's collection of Falling Rock comics to be a companion of sorts to last year's:

I was at a disadvantage this year because Ken Burns has not put out any new National Parks documentaries since my last book.  I could not steal any of Mr. Burns' good ideas.  This thought put me into a severe depression only a glass of Scotch could cure.

In my last post, I decided to go a little less historical and a little more spacey.  Basically, this meant putting Ernesto and Carver in a rocket.  Here are two early sketches for the cover, which I drew at the size it would be printed:

Although the detail was better for the latter sketch, which might indicate I was happier with it, I actually preferred the dynamic composition of the former sketch.  What's a man to do?  I combined the best parts of both sketches!  I'm positive I was the first artist to conceive of this technique.

This was the final sketch before I put brush to Bristol board paper.  Yeah, that's right!  I used a brush to ink the cover!  But you'll have to wait a little while longer to see the final cover.  I gotta save something for future posts.

You might also notice the title for book 5 will be Scenic Byways.  The best way to see America's beautiful wilderness areas is by rocket.

Here are some sketches for the back cover:

 

The sign reads "WILDLIFE REFUGE and ROCKET TESTING GROUND," which is just a joke.  There are no rockets allowed in Falling Rock National Park.

friday robots: white house edition

I imagine this is the robots' version of the White House.  This is the seat of Robot power, where the Robot leader lives (if a robot can be said to "live"). 

Be wary if you should happen upon this strange and formidable house.  And for goodness' sake, don't send your kids trick-or-treating there.

falling rock book 5 cover sketch

Falling Rock book 5 is currently in production!  As with all my Falling Rock comic collections except OWL, book 5 is being printed by the good people at Pinball Press right here in Portland.

The most challenging part of putting these collections together is coming up with a cover that will blow people's minds.  After all, what's the use of picking the very best comics I've drawn over the last year if they aren't presented as essential reading?  Problem is, when I say to myself "think essential," my mind becomes as blank as a brand new sheet of Bristol board (300 series pad, 2-for-1 sale at Columbia Art Supplies).

I made a series of sketches and asked my wife/art critic Isis for her opinion.  I'm not sure why, but Isis preferred this sketch (on the right):

Didn't she see that I clearly wrote "BAD IDEAS" at the top?  Oh well, let's see if it works out.

I made a few more sketches and then went to the NASA photo archives to see how real capsules look.  At least, capsules in the 1960's. Because everything looked cooler in the 60's.

More to come!

from the sketchbook

Some plants and stink bugs I drew.

These are for a Falling Rock episode I call "The Great American Series."

I've got a number of reference books specific to desert flora and fauna.  Sometimes I'll flip through them for ideas.  It's a great way to pass an hour or so.

friday robots: tree of life edition

The weather is warming and the trees are beginning to bud.  Here are two robots that celebrate the beginning of renewed life this year.

And, because I love you so, these are the original sketches for today's robots.  I kind of like the "wooden robot" in the sketch better than the second time around.  These were drawn with a ball-point pen on scrap paper; somehow fitting for treelike robots.

Happy Friday everybody!

friday robots

Hey, remember those robots from last Friday?  Well, here they are again!

 

 This time they've been covered in paint.  Has this altered their meaning, their purpose?  I don't know.  Robots are mysterious.  Will Rashida Jones read this post and think, "Hey, that paint really ties the picture together"?  Women are mysterious, too.

cursing cursive

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