Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The Colorblind Art Teacher, #1 & #2 Still Available



As my first month of summer break comes to a close...

*sigh*

I'll pause for a moment to take stock of what's going on in the world of mini-comic publishing. Well my world. I can't really speak for anybody else.

The first two issues of The Colorblind Art Teacher are in their second printings and will be available this week. To anybody who placed an order who hasn't received theirs yet, I apologize for the delay. I'd hoped to have them ready last week, but the printer that I use has been, apparently, pretty busy lately. But I promise you, they will be in the mail by week's end. If you're interested in placing an order, please select the issue number that you would like (at the top right), and then the "add to cart" button. If you'd like to order both issues, select the "continue shopping" button and then select the other issue. Some people have been confused by this, so I wanted to clarify.

I am currently at work on issue #3 (the penciling is almost finished) and I hope to have it ready in time for fall (if not before). In the meantime, I'm also working on exclusive web-only comics to be posted here.

In other "news," I had hoped to take the book to the Museam of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival, in New York, earlier in the summer. This would have been a good opportunity to promote The Colorblind Art Teacher, as well as do some networking and meet some new people. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get anything together in time. Still, I'll be more prepared next year when the time rolls around again.

Also, Audrey got me a Yankees cap for Father's Day. It was a nice gesture, although I would have preferred a white one with pin stripes, like what Short Round had. But this is fine too.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Clip From Unaired TV Pilot

My friend, Lawrence, was cruising You Tube recently and sent me this clip. I had forgotten all about the TV pilot that was shot a few years back for a possible Colorblind Art Teacher television series. What's included here is only a 53 second clip from that one, stand alone episode. I seem to remember the pilot being rejected by the executives at FOX Television for being "too disturbing." Although it's based on a true story that obviously took place in the early eighties, before the country was sensitive to such issues as race.

Until now, I had forgotten about the actors that were chosen to play my parents. Here, my mom is portrayed by a brunette actress, while the Eliminator looks nothing like the large, menacing entity that is shown in the comic book (as well as in real life). My personal opinion is that the series was not picked up due to the underwhelming response toward my mulleted female friend. Also, another inconsistency is when the mother mentions that Mark has a perm, and how it'll grow back. This is simply not true to the canon of The Colorblind Art Teacher.
 

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Bubble Gum Butt

I will begin to upload mini web comics to this site. These are not regular issues of The Colorblind Art Teacher. Rather, they're exclusive to the internet and, for this reason, are not numbered. 

The first is titled "Bubble Gum Butt" and, as always, it's based on a true story. Use the buttons on the bottom (which will appear after placing your cursor there) to scroll through the "book." In order to read at your own pace, click on the arrow to start the slideshow and then click on the pause button in the middle bottom. Enjoy!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Review Of The Colorblind Art Teacher #2 On The Daily Crosshatch


I finally got around to sending some copies of The Colorblind Art Teacher #2 to some blogs for review. Here's the first one, courtesy of Sarah Morean at The Daily Crosshatch:

It doesn’t matter what your anxieties or weaknesses are when you’re a parent.  Because once you have kids, you’re the grown-up.  By default.

The Colorblind Art Teacher #2 appears to be an autobiographical story about Mark Teeland his daughter Audrey as he takes her to her first swimming lessons.  The book is mostly straight-forward, but makes a few non-linear escapes to reflect on literature or the past.  Not in the expected, fictional-realism sort of way that some autobio comics skew towards — more like stream-of-consciousness narrative that offers perspective and pleasantly strengthens the conflict.

Mark has the summer off from teaching, but it’s not really a break.  The time it affords him to take his daughter to swimming classes isn’t exactly relaxing.  She has trouble with the water, which Mark attributes this to a lack of trust between the two of them.  Comically, she screams and shouts and refuses to behave for him in the water.  It hardly seems like a lack of trust, more like a typical child reacting fearfully to a new thing, but Mark’s anxiety about the situation seems to be rooted in his childhood experience with learning to swim.

Teel’s artwork has a lovely shakiness to the line that expresses both the youthful innocence of the story and Mark’s own misgivings about the situation.  The art spreads across the page, panels butting up against each other.  It’s black and white with no grayscale and minimal crosshatching.  I really liked the word bubbles, which are kind of square and occasionally fit together in a tetris-like manner.  The cover weight is the same as the interior pages, but it does use color.  The book is 32 pages long and measures 5″x5″.  The Colorblind Art Teacher #2 is available for $4 through Teel’s website.

- Sarah Morean


Thanks again, Sarah.

Also, there's a link to Sarah's review on Journalista, which is the official weblog for The Comics Journal.  It's listed under "small press/mini comics," near the bottom. 

If you're interested in purchasing the book, I've had some problems with my Paypal link, so be sure and email me with your info and whatever else at mwteel@hotmail.com.

Friday, June 05, 2009

A New Season

Today--Friday, June 5--marks the end of my first week of freedom. The 2008-2009 school year was a hectic one at Fairfax Campus, but I've finally gotten a chance to slow down and catch my breath. Several people have touched base with me, concerning the status of this blog. No, I haven't quit updating it. It's just been on temporary hiatus.

Every summer with Audrey tends to get a little easier. As her cognitive skills progress, there is more for us to do together. Also, Lisa's honey-do list gets longer. Throughout the fall, winter and early spring months, I watch as my list of summer duties grows to the height of this toddler that stands near me as I write this.  Just as the toddler has grown more with every passing summer, so has the list. 

Audrey, Lisa and my friends and family around me--as well as ghosts of my past--continue to inspire me as I forge ahead with issue three of The Colorblind Art Teacher. Now that teaching has halted for a couple of months, I can focus more on this daily process. I've also gotten quite a few emails regarding the problems with my Paypal link on this very blog. I don't understand the Paypal process too much, other than when I'm playing the roll of  "consumer." Whatever the problem, I intend to have it fixed as soon as I can. Between this blog, some of the online forums I frequent and some of the networking I've done on Facebook, general interest in my mini comic has been sparked and I'd hate for anybody to miss out on the genius that is my life. 

Between errands, duties around the house, and catching up on The Wire during Audrey's naps (currently in the middle of season three), I also prepare for the 2009-2010 school year. And while I do this, Audrey spends time playing with her friends, Emaline and Thomas, practicing her jump shot and, of course, drawing. See the posted picture for her latest masterpiece.