Updates have been a little infrequent around here lately. Some might think it’s because of the holidays, but it’s not. Well, not completely. I’ve been fixing a bunch of issues around the website (some news feed problems and some behind-the-scenes stuff that’s supposed to automatically update on its own). I’ve also been working on a major update to the site–there will be some minor tweaks seen on your end, but there will be a lot of changes on the inside (to make it easier for me to add sections and content as well as adjust the look of the place). I’ve also been working on the layouts/designs for a website for someone else. And working on a series for a comic publsiher… and still writing and lettering the two weekly webcomics (Brat-halla hit its 2-year anniversary recenly and Spook’d hit its 1-year)… and I’m also writing up some requested horror prose for an editor I know (among other things… finishing up another screenplay and already plotting out the next and also outlining a novel).

Busy, busy, busy.

But I’ve let this blog slide too much on my list, so I’m putting in a little effort to get some more ramblings out there. So here’s some quick pieces to start off with:

• Mission statements and the big blue. Looks like the Air Force has a new mission statement.

The mission of the United States Air Force is to deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States of America and its global interests–to fly and fight in Air, Space, and Cyberspace.

Having worked in the computer arena at the tail end of my Air Force career (worked at the headquarters level for both the Air Education and Training Command and Air Combat Command), I can definitely vouch for there being some top notch computer people in the Air Force. But I always saw one major issue with computers in the military… the organizational structure. How many Fortune 500 companies would hire a computer programmer straight out of college with no practical experience in programming (and sometimes not even an IT related degree) and put them in charge of a mission critical team of developers, network admins or sysads (most with at least 2-4 years of experience in the field)?

Every once in a while you get lucky (“Hey, you guys know what you’re doing. Get the job done and keep me up to date on what’s going on, and I’ll keep everyone else off your back.”), but most of the time, you’d run into the kind of conflict you’d expect from that kind of situation. Yes, I encountered those kinds of situations, but I’m not gonna hold a grudge… one of those people forced me to go see the military doctors about my knee, which resulted in me getting out early as a disabled vet and leaving an already undermanned (and somewhat overworked) shop. It helps my perspective on the situation that I had a much, much better paying job in the civilian sector lined up before I even finished my outprocessing.

• Shadowline. What is it? It’s an imprint that’s part of Image Comics (Todd McFarlane has TMP, Marc Silvestri has Top Cow, and Shadowline is Jim Valentino’s line of comics). Current line-up for Shadowline is Shadowhawk, Intimidators, Runes of Ragnan, and Bomb Queen. All fun stuff, and there are some more titles on the way from them next year (and definitely some good people working on the books over there).

• Steampunk Faeries. We have copies of the books, but they still haven’t released it for online sales over at comiXpress yet. Need to drop them a line to see what’s up with that (they said it’d be in this month’s listings).

• Ted Noodleman rides again. From my buddies, Kep and WyA. And of course… a few backup stories from me (like “Geektopia” with art by Pirate Club creator Derek Hunter) and some other talented creators. One of the things I really enjoyed about this was getting to do a backup story featuring a concept I’d left on the backburner for a long time (kind of gave up on it after I found out about Fables)… “The Detectives Grimm” (the Grimm brothers as hard-boiled detectives investigating “unusual” crimes.

Okay, that’s it for now…