But we’re here today to talk specifically about the new exhibit I’m curating at the Marjorie Barrick Museum at UNLV, “Spinning Tales from Fremont Street.” Like the last show I assembled there, “Seduction of the Innocent,” it’s an awareness-builder for the Comic Book Festival. However, this show actually is all about the art, specifically the original art from the stories featured in the new anthology I edited and published to benefit the festival this year, Tales from Fremont Street. Beyond just comic pages, sketches, notes and scripts, the gallery space has also been transformed into a reasonable facsimile of a run-down Fremont Street motel. Most of the credit for artificially decaying the space goes to my co-conspirator, F. Andrew Taylor. Here’s some of his handiwork on the wall behind this lovely art:

Mighty convincing, no?

If you’re so inclined and available, you should attend the opening reception for this exhibit tomorrow, Nov. 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. It’s free, most of the contributors to Tales from Fremont Street will be there, and it’s also your first opportunity in-person to buy the comic (only $5!), from which all proceeds benefit the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District‘s support of the Comic Book Festival. (And if you don’t live near Vegas and want a copy, you can order one here.) And we can hug! You know you love Pj hugs!

I’ll be back with a post about other stuff you can do and/or buy soon. So keep your eyes peeled, and hope to see you tomorrow night!

The exhibit is a visual exploration of comic book censorship throughout the medium’s 80 or so years, timed to launch during Banned Books Week. I’ve effectively created a shorthand timeline of major events and issues in the history of banned and censored comics (and it’s a rich history — we’re barely scraping the surface here) using reproductions of classic comic strips, covers, photos and other visual cues. And this is the first gallery show I’m curating all by myself, so … hopefully it doesn’t suck. I don’t think it does.

“Seduction of the Innocent” will be up through Oct. 29, so you can visit the Barrick basically anytime in October to see the show, but the opening reception this Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. is kind of a big production. In addition to being a satellite event for the Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival, it’s also the final event of September’s Yelp Geeks Out promotion, so in addition to comic book retailers, a caricature artist and tours of the exhibit, there will also be live entertainment and free food and drink sampling. And a 100 percent chance of seeing me. So make sure you RSVP now to get on the guest list!

Hope to see you there. I’ll probably look tired, but your support will make it worth it.

You guys know I use these “desktop snapshot” posts just as an excuse to blog, right? Right.

I’ve been mostly head-down for the last week, working simultaneously on three projects. One, as seen above, the final chapter of “Omega,” my action-espionage serial which has been running through the Omega Comics Presents anthology over the last year. The fourth issue (featuring the final chapter) is now available for pre-order and should be shipping the first week of April, so if you’ve read the first three chapters, you might want to order a copy NOW. It got delayed a bit by a variety of factors, including me having to switch inkers in the middle unexpectedly. But as you can see above, the man (well, I presume he’s a man. We’ve only spoken via e-mail!) has a way of actually making my poor excuse for comic art look almost pro!

The other project I showed you last time, but kind of talked around the specifics. It’s doing a comic book adaptation of “War of the Ghosts,” a story which has been used for memory research for almost a century, but this professor at UNLV had the novel idea to conduct the same research with a visual presentation, not just prose. I have two pages fully inked, but seven still to go, and a loose deadline at the end of this month, so most of my time is being spent drawing rivers, canoes and trees.

The third thing I’m not sure I want to talk about right now, at least not until I physically start the work. But it’s basically been approved and all the design work for it is done. You’ll just have to stay tuned for an announcement next week. Hopefully.

So, yeah, I’ve been doing a lot of artwork, and not as much writing. At least, not as much that you’re seeing in the usual places. I’ve been squeezing in time when I can to force progress on two screenplays and a potential novel, and once these art deadlines are met, I’ll be diving back into those full speed. It would also be helpful if I could obtain a new laptop soon. My lappy finally gave out last week, after barely holding on for the last year. To be fair, I’ve had it since 2004, so it was really waaaay past its prime. But I’m not the type to buy a new device when the one I have is usable in any way. However, I’m holding out for a MacBook Air, because, well, if I’m going to buy a new laptop, it’s going to be a good one. And the Air is the perfect middle ground between an iPad and a Macbook Pro — just enough power without the bells & whistles — and no moving parts!

All right, back to the Wacom tablet for me.

I’m still kind of in radio silence, but just wanted to drop in to kind-of share what I’m working on currently. I’ve been hired to produce a comic book-style set of illustrations for a psychological study being conducted by some very cool researchers at UNLV (very cool because they commissioned me, right?). Thing is, I’m not sure how much I can talk about it or share behind-the-scenes looks at it, so I still have to be kind of vague. So here’s digital inks for a panel I’m currently working on (backgrounds come next). I need to have nine pages drawn, toned and lettered by the end of the month, which doesn’t seem too bad, but there are a lot of forests and battlefields to draw, so it’s fairly challenging.

There are some other new projects that have come up in the last week, but again, I’m not sure I can talk about them yet, but I promise, you’ll see the fruits of at least some of these labors by March. If you do need a Pj fix, I have a new piece of art hanging inside Studio 8 Ten in downtown Las Vegas through the end of February. It’s part of a group art show called “Project MUSE,” in which the public votes on its favorite artwork, and the most popular selection will become the basis for future lines of merchandise from Studio 8 Ten. If you want to check out all the pieces (and maybe vote on mine?), visit the show’s Facebook event page, which includes a gallery of all artwork being featured (you can vote by “liking” a photo).

I walked out spending about $40 on two prepared meals, a smoothie and a bag of  spicy “krispys” (basically, raw tortilla chips). I know that sounds like a lot of money, and believe me, it is. That’s the reason I only go to Go Raw on special occasions. A typical lunch for two would cost about $20, and while that’s not actually much more than even going to a sandwich shop (once you factor in sides and drinks), it’s probably more than most people want to, or should, spend on a normal basis. But the quality of the items Go Raw creates is so good (and the process going into making some of these items is so involved) and tasty, it’s worth it.

After getting my hair cleaned up by the always-adorable Kimberli Lopez at Tease Boutique Salon (a long drive for me, but she does such good work), I headed to the opening reception for “Drawn in the Dust,” the comic book art exhibit at UNLV’s Barrick Museum in which I have a few pages hanging. The turnout was surprisingly good. It may have helped that this was a dual reception — another show of art by UNLV faculty and students was opening just on the other side of the wall from our show — but there were definitely a bulk of people over the two hours who came specifically to see our silly little comic drawings. I had a great time seeing new and old faces and comparing notes with other artists about our respective processes. It’s still a little weird for an industry veteran like Deryl Skelton (who’s worked on dozens of titles over the last few decades, including a great 1990s run on Star Trek: The Next Generation for DC) to consider me a peer — and an honor to be his editor on Tales from the Boneyard — but it’s also a nice feeling. I shot some video of the event last night, but I’m not sure how the audio came out, so we’ll see if something actually turns up.

After that, I headed downtown to the El Cortez for Vegas Seven‘s “The Tell.” When I was talking to host Dayvid Figler a few nights ago at another event, he described the ballroom space in the El Cortez to me, explaining that it used to be a buffet, so there were still buffet bars lining one side of the room. He noted there was seating for only about 80 or 90, between the fixed booths and the portable chairs. Well, it turns out about 200 people turned out last night. It was pretty amazing. Two hundred people on a Friday night for a storytelling event. Admittedly, it was free, and it was being heavily promoted by both Seven and the Vegas Valley Book Festival, and among the Vegas culturati, it was one of those “must-attend” events. But still, impressive. And it was great. Seven storytellers from or connected to Las Vegas sharing their experiences with cheating — whether romantically, professionally, academically or otherwise. Many drinks were purchased and consumed (none here of course!), the room was standing-room only, and most everyone seemed to really enjoy the loose, fun atmosphere. This is apparently the first in a series of such events, so look for more installments of “The Tell” in the near future.

I called it a night right after that, however. It was 11:30 p.m. by the time everything wrapped up at the El Cortez, and while my friends were very insistently asking me to go to the after-party at Downtown Cocktail Room, I just wanted to head home and sleep. I had been up since about 6:30 a.m., as I did manage to go for a run in the morning as planned — about 2.6 miles total running and walking — and I didn’t really want to be around a lot of smoke and stuff during my “detox” week. But it did bring me back to my straightedge days, when I’d hang out in bars all night drinking only Sprite and still had a good time (for the most part, when I wasn’t soberly aware of people getting obnoxiously drunk) without defiling my body as much. I was genuinely enjoying myself last night without libations, but I was still pooped nonetheless.

Geez, give me a schedule to blog, and I’ll just ramble about nothing for a while, huh? Ack.

Anyway, you came here for yesterday’s menu, didn’t you? FINE:

• Pre-run/post-run snack: Coconut creme pie Larabar
• Breakfast: One apple, one cup Dynamo juice blend
• Lunch: Caro-bana smoothie from Go Raw (carob, tahini, banana, dates)
• Supper: Two veggie wraps from Go Raw (pesto, “almond cheese,” tomato, avocado, sprouts, onions, cucumbers and carrots wrapped in collard greens)
• Dinner: Lentil and vegetable soup with three spicy “krispys” (buckwheat, chia seeds, flax seeds, oranges, yams, sunflower seeds, garlic, olive oil, basil, rosemary, Himalayan Crystal Salt, jalapeño)
• Late-night snack: Three slices pineapple
• Beverages: Water all day, plus the above-listed, and a few sips of Kombucha tea

Have to get this article for David magazine done today. For real. Tomorrow I have band practice and other nonsense, and the rest of the week will be insane prep for Long Beach Comic Con, so … yeah. See you kids later.

Yep. I’ve got art in another group show, this one a showing of original comic book art by Las Vegas-based creators (not to be confused with the other original art show I’ll be in next month as well at Blackbird Studios; more on that to come) called “Drawn in the Dust.” Curated by my man Dustin Wax at the UNLV Barrick Museum, it features all of the fine people listed above, which is a pretty diverse crew. I’ll be showing two pages of original art from my story in Omega Comics Presents #3. Which you should have pre-ordered by now, right? RIGHT?

It would be lovely to see all your faces at the opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday. I’m sure there will be refreshments, and I believe most of the artists should be in attendance to bask in your admiration and worship. As I am in the midst of Detox Week 2010, I will not be drinking, and I will probably be starved, so if I sniff your hair or bite your arm, well, sorry in advance.

Oh, and after that, you should head downtown to the El Cortez, where Vegas Seven is presenting “The Tell,” a Vegas Valley Book Festival pre-event featuring an evening of seven true, unscripted stories about cheating. It features a number of friends including host Dayvid Figler, Cindi Reed, and a number of other respected storytellers. The thing starts at 8 p.m. for cocktails (none for me) and 9 p.m. for, um, talking. Here’s a Facebook event!

So, yes, that is your faithful narrator getting whacked in the kisser by Hernan Valencia, illustrator supreme. Except that it was five years ago. And it was a play. We were ACTING. You can’t even tell, can you? That is because we are thespians. THESPIANS I tell you.

The play was called “With The Band.” I wrote it. And directed it. And inadvertently played a role in it after an actor or two dropped out. It was produced for the Men Rebelling Against Violence expo in 2004 at UNLV, where I was like a student or something at the time. The play was a little ham-handed, designed to bring awareness of sexual violence and other happy topics like that to the fore. I think 20 people showed up to watch it, 80 percent of which were family/boyfriends/girlfriends of the actors. But that’s OK. It was a fun little thing, and now I can say I wrote and directed a play. Can you say that? I didn’t think so.

But seriously, I ran across these photos while cleaning house this week and I almost forgot how involved I was during my five-year stretch at UNLV. Which is funny, considering I’ve never been much of a joiner, especially not in academic situations. I mean, I barely graduated high school. But I guess going to college when you’re in your mid-20s and doing so by desire and choice, not obligation, changes your perspective. Also, I was married at the time to someone very highly involved in activism, so it was sort-of unavoidable. But I’m glad I stepped up to the plate and at least tried to make an impact. I actually was honored with some sort of recognition from UNLV for my involvement in extracurricular activities.

I got to do some cool stuff though, throughout the course of my time there. In addition to the play above, I stage-managed two productions of The Vagina Monologues (and wrote an original monologue for one of them), designed all the marketing materials for a couple of Take Back the Night events (as well as the first Men Rebelling Against Violence expo), did lighting design and visual effects for a charity production of The Laramie Project, acted in another one-off play (I played a jock, of all things), and alternately served as a board member of and edited The Rebel Yell (UNLV’s student newspaper). And somehow I graduated Cum Laude with a dual major.

I’m not spilling all this to boast (though it is awesome, right?), but rather to remind myself that, as full as my plate is now, I managed to do all this while working full-time and writing freelance for multiple publications. And I look at how quickly I threw in the towel on my graduate work in sociology (despite acing my first two courses) and wonder: Why am I not doing more? I know, I know, I’m focused right now on not only the usual journalism-comics-marketing stuff, but also  launching a new publishing company, something that not only requires a ton of attention, time and even money, but also has new creators depending on me, but it still seems a bit … selfish and insular.

I miss the community feeling of being on a college campus. Of being forced to think critically in ways I’m not used to. Of being involved with things that are bigger than me, and yet of which I can still make an impact. Plus, I just plain like school. What can I say? The first thing I did upon graduation a few years ago was write a syllabus and curriculum outline for a new journalism course I wanted to pitch to UNLV, with the intent to teach it, of course. I never followed through with that. I mean, I still have the cover letter to the dean of that college and the drafts in my Google Docs somewhere, just sadly sitting in neglect.

One day, I will find the time and/or will to return to academia somehow. I’m not sure if it will be finishing that Master’s in sociology or fulfilling my not-so-secret ambition to study and practice architecture and urban design. Or maybe I’ll actually become actively involved with the Alumni Association or another advisory board. Or maybe I’ll set up a scholarship fund to help kids avoid the massive student loan debt I’ll be repaying the rest of my life (that’s a discussion for another time). We’ll see. I doubt the hallowed halls of academia can keep me away for too long.

In the meantime, if you’re on Facebook, you can view the rest of those “With The Band” photos there.

This one comes courtesy of a crappy scanner. This artifact is from the year 1995, on the day Jason Feinberg and I moved into our first apartment near UNLV. Jason was attending the university at the time, while I merely hung out around the campus and, more specifically, its adjacent coffee shops. We had almost no furniture; I had a bed in my bedroom and a drafting table in the “dining room” that became a computer desk. Jason had bedroom furniture, but also only a computer desk in the “living room.” At some point, a TV appeared, and it may have been located on the floor or a crate. Not sure.

That was the life back then, though. I mean, it’s not like we did a lot of entertaining (that is a lie), but when we did, it was like 20 goth kids at once, and half of them were smoking on the balcony (as was I, above) anyway. Actually, the apartment was nonsmoking until after we started holding weekly meetings of our music collective/record label at the apartment that fall/winter, and eventually frustrated that everyone kept leaving in the middle of the meetings to smoke outside, Jason just said “f*ck it” and declared smoking inside was OK. Which, for me at the time, was just fine.

We paid $600 a month for a two-bedroom, two-bath, 1,000-square-foot apartment back then. Split between two people. Hoo-boy. Try finding a deal like that now.