I actually had the idea for this strip months ago, but I wasn’t sure I could pull it off. Finally, I just decided, what the hell, I want to do this gag. And I’m glad I did.

All remains the same in the world. I saw Inception for the second time (Matt’s birthday party) and it was still the same movie. Me and all the cartoonists I know are still following Wil Wheaton on Twitter. Kevin is still not sure what to do about anything. Mimi refuses to stay still for 5 seconds to receive the petting she so desperately wants.

I think I’d feel at a loss if much was out of place.

For about a second.

For the first time in my life, I submitted a short story  to a literary magazine. Fun-fun! (But, no expectations)

From all I heard about San Diego Comic Con, it was a blast this year. I hope I get to go next year, I’ve been wanting to. I hope everyone who went had a great time.

Evan Dahm just finished his comic Order of the Tales two weeks ago (the story of Koark, the last member of a society of storytellers), and not one to rest long, Evan’s new comic, Vattu begins today! Check it out as well as all his other great stories at rice-boy.com

And thanks to Xerexes at Comixpedia for the nice mention today!

Strips continue to sell. Thank you all! And I hope you enjoy today’s installment. Story, character, humor, and multiple settings. The only thing I wish for daily after “more time in the day” is “more space in my panels.”

I just realized, I’ve been wanting to do editing. And you know what, I GOT THAT WISH. I’ve been discussing scripts and comedy with Tom of Marooned, exchanging stories with Dan Wolff of Cookrookery and Wild Life, and in this writing group I’ve joined — we all provide editorial assistance to each other, which I am looking forward to.

I just like it. I like to tear stuff apart and bring out its strengths. I like helping people see their work in new ways. It’s fun.

And lastly, for those of you who may still be confused as to what Twitter is, this short exchange (reformatted for easy reading top to bottom) between Alotron (Alan Ryan of “Faraday the Blob“) and myself clears up its full potential…

Alotron: Snacks on a Plane
chris__baldwin: Snakes on the Plains, a western.
Alotron: ‘Get these Mo’Fucken snakes OFF my Mo’Fucken plains”: Marshall L. Jackson
Alotron: Steaks on a Plane #livingthedream
chris__baldwin: Stains in the Peaks, a bloody climber tragedy.
Alotron: Stoats on a Boat
chris__baldwin: Toads on a boot, a tale of longing for the lost boot with no toads on it.
Alotron: Snorks on a Plane
chris__baldwin: Sporks en le Pain, a tale of the American French cultural clash, with a bread suffering the collateral damage.
Alotron: Magnifique!
chris__baldwin: In France they’re called Freedom sporks.
Alotron: Snakes on a Higher Plane #hallelujah
chris__baldwin: Teenage Snake Drivers in a hydroplane, a tale of insufficient drivers ed. #hydroplane
Alotron: Viva Les Sporks de Liberté!
Alotron: Snorks on a Spork
chris__baldwin: Sparks on a Snert, the story of savagery aimed at Hagar’s dog. What was the topic again?

I’ve switched Spacetrawler over to East Coast (NYC) time, rather than Pacific (Seattle). That means on the west coast, it’ll update at 9:00. If I find I’m having difficulty meeting that deadline, i might switch it back, but I think it’ll be good.

It’s been a week of writing. On Wednesday I saw the musical “Man of La Mancha” in Greenwood, and I instantly started plotting out my own musical, which I solidified on a car ride to Olympia Friday night. I also joined a writing group, and wrote a short sci-fi story for that on Thursday. Also on Thursday, I wrote a short detective story. And this week’s Spacetrawler strips. And I plotted out Spacetrawler for the remainder of 2010.

Thursday is writing day.

Good times. As long as I don’t let those horses out of the pen, and have them take eat up ALL the grass — which is my life. That’s always the threat. I just like making things SO much. :)

But it was a good week socially too. The writing group :cough: as well as Man of La Mancha, both which I mentioned. Dan and I hung out, got some Mexican food (and :cough: :cough: talked about writing). Friday night I went to an Australian Wake*, my friend Nick is moving away. And Sunday went to a Bar-B-Q at Naomi’s.

Good times.

*When in ireland in 2001, Some new friends were going on a very long trip, and so they had a party to celebrate their going and called it an “Australian Wake.” When I asked about this, they explained that when emigrants would leave Ireland for Australia (way back when), that it was expected that you’d never see them again. And so you’d hold an Australian Wake. Sick! Nice! Adventurous! Amusing! Tainted with sadness! No wonder I like the expression.

For those who looked through the archive on Monday only to find all the strips “SOLD,” that was a glitch. Plenty are still for sale. My apologies.

And thank you for those who purchased! I’m glad that ball is rolling.

So they’re leaving Tornitus 6. Funny how for months I was planning that out, and then it took about 2 months to play it out. But I’m very happy, as well as excited for all that’s next.

If you want to read their visit to Tornitus 6 all together, it starts here in the archive, or read it via the TAGS here.

I haven’t had the time to keep up on news or anything the past couple weeks. Been writing short stories and spending time with friends. For some reason I’ve had suspense/horror audiobooks on rather than sci-fi. Then I suddenly switched over to Burroughs’s “Tarzan,” which is amazing, except on occasion when it gets too far into stereotypes. Having recently read “The Moon Maid” I am surprised how much he manages to rein himself in.

All is well in my world. I need some tea.

Strips are now priced at $80 (plus $6 s&h)

The majority of you (from my poll) said that the price of $120 was fair, but some asked for a lower price, and many said that in the current economy that they couldn’t afford $120. For that reason, and after much deliberation, FOR NOW, they are being sold at $80.

So, go. Peruse. Purchase. Follow the big blue square. There is also links to the original artwork so that you can see what you’re purchasing.

If not, I highly recommend donating, or linking to me from your favorite site.

Regarding today’s strip, if you feel at all lost, THIS LINK will bring you the the strip where Dimitri goes to Gahhrt’s bakery (and then meets her daughter), and immediately after Gahhrt’s bakery is the strip where Pierrot sees the Furryite Sandwich Shop. Or you can click on the Dimitri or Pierrot tags below.

For those who don’t recognize it, Emily is using a laserblade. Nogg mentions the device once and then is shown using it once (view the laserblade tag).

Summer has arrived in Seattle. It’s been damp and chill here all year, so this means very nice summer temperatures (and not boiling like the east coast, sorry guys!) I modified the bird feeder to keep the sparrows from tossing the seeds around willy nilly. We planted more tomatoes, I was chosen to wield the shovel. Why? WHY?!

I spoke on the phone with my friend, Kevin Moore, who is examining the greater questions of comics: what, how, why, why bother, etc. To me it’s always come down to “what.” I love creating things, it’s almost a compulsion. My energies are constantly like an arrow pulled back in the bow, the only question ever is what target this time.

I generally pose the question to myself as this: if I was wealthy and didn’t have to do another day’s work in my life, would I still create? Yes. Okay, so if that is the case, what would I create under those circumstances? And that is kinda how I determine my projects.

Anyhow. Ramble ramble ramble.

Enjoy your lemonade. You can’t make it back into the lemons life gave ya.

Had a lovely week, and it’s 11:45 and I’m just uploading the strip, 15 minutes to go.

A good week. On Thursday I wrote a 5,200 word sci-fi/horror short story, which was very exciting. I love playing with ideas. Discussed scripts with Tom over at Marooned. Started work on a new MAD Magazine assignment I got. Good times.

Beth and I saw a very silly 4th of July parade from a bar window with Dan and Leslie. Later, I went to potluck and made an apply pie with granny smiths (oh, and a few days ago I made both pizza and Southern Red Velvet cake from scratch). Beth and I then watched the fireworks from a half dozen towns, including the Seattle finale, on our drive home (nice timing!)

And then today’s strip (and Wednesday’s) have just kicked me up and down the street. Building the bikes and backgrounds and piecing it all together. A grueling pleasure, but a very very good grueling pleasure. :)

Thanks for the link last week from Sunset Grill!

Not a lot of blog in me today, no doubt I’m resting after Monday’s generous supply.

I like today’s strip. The action of Tornitus 6 is finally coming to head. And I’d like to think that it’s possibly up there in the “pretty zone” with two of my favorite comics, Dicebox and Family Man.

In February, I took a trip to Houston to visit my good friend, Trail. While there, he and I went to see a conspiracy theory movie regarding 9-11. About that movie: I don’t know what to believe, although I admit I’m uncomfortable with the number of unanswered questions.

But, the main reason we went was to watch people who are entrenched in conspiracies as a lifestyle. This strip is inspired by that evening.

Oh, and I realized after drawing Brekt, that she no doubt (subconsciously) was inspired by the finger puppets my dentist used to give me.

Either that or a french tickler.

In other news. You should visit the Sci-Fi Air Show. Or watch an At-At Day Afternoon. And if you haven’t heard, there is now a bionic cat in the world (unfortunately, he can’t run 60 mph and doesn’t have infrared capabilities). And…. I have another book review!

This past week I listened to the audiobook Bellwether by Connie Willis. And I have to say that i found it quite good.

I thought the book was solid all the way through. I’ve read “To Say Nothing of the Dog” and “Doomsday Book,” and I would highly recommend those as well, but at times they were a bit dry and confusing. In this one, it kept my attention and focus, it was scattered in an intriguing way I did not find confusing, the characters were interesting and funny and likable, the topic (fads and chaos theory) were enjoyable and interesting, and it felt just the right length.

The basic story is that of a quiet scientist as she tries to find the fad origin for hair bobs. An incompetent assistant, the intervention of an increasingly bureaucratic management, a sheep/ostrich rancher, and a professor studying chaos theory all contribute to her world becoming a lot less quiet. The story is told with humor and social commentary, and is told through the protagonist’s eyes, who filters most things in terms of fads: present and bygone.

I also REALLY enjoyed the woman who read it, Kate Reading. I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and think a lot about what a reader contributes. In general I am able to enjoy a book regardless the reader, but some definitely enhance a book, and a few have made listening intolerable. Jim Dale does an excellent job with the Harry Potter books, in fact he won awards for it, but I’ve listened to other books read by him and they were a bit less impressive, and have the theory that a significant part of his strength in reading HP was the fact that he did a good job imitating the voices from the movie (especially Maggie Smith) and we were all already familiar and possibly fond of those voices.

Anyhow. I digress. Bellwether: I highly recommend it. Solid & fun.

And I’ll end on a final related digression: three years ago at the Portland Comic Fest I was part of the epic art battle, during which we were given two words to draw, I believe the words were “Knids” and “slippage.” I forgot what the other guy drew, but it was simple, easily digestible, understandable, and he DEFINITELY won the contest.

Anyhow, slippage, of course, made me think of Connie Willis’s novel “To Say Nothing of the Dog,” inspired by (and featuring characters from) Jerome K Jerome’s “Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog).” In her book, “slippage” (if I remember correctly) is the time space continuum adjusting itself so that you can’t go back in time and create an incongruity. It often occured when you were going to a very important time (which really shouldn’t be tampered with) and you kinda ended up near it, but not close enough to mess with it. Which is why in my drawing I featured 3 men in a boat, and a sore bottomed knid, the great glass elevator, and to top it off I drew the Oompa Loompas in the chocolate factory. And as you can see, I gave them a song.

slip and slide
you cannot hide
in time, 3 men in a boat
I hate to get your goat
but your hurt ass is extra wide

I definitely LOST the contest. But a few people (who I presume knew the book) applauded very loudly. :)