Herald_QC.Beginning

Last change: Ben loses everything.
Now change 13!

That's it.

Easter Eggs: Change 13 in panel 1, thanks in final panel.

Fun Facts: Ben's shirt logo means irony, the series theme (nothing actually happens).

THANKS: ロト６で３億２千万円当てた男, JAPN S-275: Japanese Cinema and Culture, Eiichiro Oda, Toshihiro Ono, LeSean Thomas, Chamba, J, LITR439: Graphic Forms.

I'm sure people simply picture-view here, which is fine, but I would sincerely appreciate feedback via any method; I really need to know how I'm doing.

Also, WRITERS: I'd love to collaborate on a comic over break; please contact me if you'd be interested in working on a comic.

..So this comic basically defined my semester week to week, a key memento from Japan, but I don't really cling to it, which makes me think it's sort of like MCR's Black Parade: admirably high concept but not as enjoyable as prior work; I didn't even feel anything after finishing inks. Next semester's a return to punk rock.

Here's jack kelly's season ender, "monopoly."

So again, Quarters Crisis feedback would be wonderful, email or whatever; everyone's a stranger to me, so I already don't know you and won't look you up.

Reuxben

Record_PokemonHunter

"The Pokemon Hunter," for the Yale Record's Sustainability Issue.

I haven't really felt too happy with my Record work lately, but this one's an improvement.

Easter Eggs: Pushing the owl on screen 1, "Wah" on screen 2.

Fun Facts: This is my second Record piece involving pokemon (Charizard was a boring choice made only for readability's sake), and only my second actual Record comic.

Reuxben

YDN_ZLM.ArtMan

No, Jack Wills, I will not buy your clothes.

<- Previous Comic...Next Comic ->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: "Yale" in panel 1, end of semester "Thanks" in panel 2, and jack kelly everywhere.

Fun Facts: I want to make a j< THIS?

Ok, that's it for the YDN for now.

Until next semester,

Reuxben

Fun_トラブルメイカーGirl

Here's another drawing of a girl to wrap up "girl week." What began as hair practice, became a costuming exercise, then a full drawing.

Fun Fact: I bought Weezer's Red Album in Japan and the opening track is called トラブルメイカー, or as I would infer, a phonetic approximation of "Troublemaker."

So most of Yale is deserted during Thanksgiving break, but of course BOTH scanners at Connecticut Hall are taken (and neither person is actually using the scanner, naturally). Thus is Yale. So I'll scan later.

Being alone at Yale all week has been...kinda ok. But scary.

Reuxben

Fun_RumpusGirl

While I was selling shirts, Rumpus set up shop across the hall to sell theirs. So a Rumpus-er came over, checked out our designs, then asked me for a sketch. She was wearing a really cool hat so I drew her throughout her shift. She checked in a little later but we agreed to let it be a surprise.

I started this new angle before she left. There's also a little bulldog which didn't come out so well. Anyway, she forgot to pick up the sketches afterward, so this sketchpage is currently homeless.

If you're out there somewhere, Rumpus Girl, these are your sketches.

In related news, my last post actually made a dent.

Probably just due to the two buzz words, "Harvard," and "Girl."

The above is from the college.alltop display page.

And to the left and below are from TCBN, which was pretty neat.

The site feels pretty inactive, but then it just springs to life sometimes.

I don't think I'll ever stack that high again, so it was cool when it happened.

Reuxben

Fun_HarvardGirl

Harvard (plus Yale's coach) embarrassed us at The Game, but I did get some nice drawings out of it.

I felt too insecure amongst jovial JEers at our sister house, Eliot House, so I retreated upstairs, sitting in the stairwell generally feeling lonely. My defense mechanism is drawing, so I just started drawing until the party ended. "Harvard Girl" is obviously a Yalie.

Many passing Cantabs dropped compliments, regularly pausing their trips downstairs. One guy even just stood there watching, then--gasp!--talked to me! Ironically, I felt more welcomed from that Harvard guy than by the JEers. I kinda wanted to give him this URL, but figured it bad form. He did ask if I drew for Yale, so maybe it was fair.

One Harvard girl passing by complimented the work then asked me if I went to Yale (I was wearing my Yale sweater and scarf...). Then as she headed on down, she yelled back, "Sorry you go to Yale." I felt sad because a part of me agreed.

A Yalie stopped by since she was waiting for someone from a nearby room, but I was just her time killer, so I didn't know how to respond.

It was freezing in the Eliot Junior Common Room, so I slept in every single thread I had. The next morning, waiting for a herd to follow to the stadium, I began drawing. Some JE girl checked these drawings and some of my sketchpad out, but it felt like I was her toy, so it was a bittersweet art show. I did see someone wearing my bulldog shirt in the JCR, though, which was nice. Too bad coats covered shirts at the icy tailgate.

So most humans have left Yale for break by now, but that's ok, I guess.

Reuxben

Herald_QC.Ending

Last change: Ben discovers Ipu, the artificer genie behind the bill.
Now change 12!

Real men cry...at least I hope that's true.

Easter Eggs: Change 12 in blood!

Fun Facts: The final scream was one of the first "audition" sketches I ever drew while designing Ben.

I'm not sure I'm happy with the ending.

And here's jack kelly's "hahvid." Meh.

Update: these are officially SOLD OUT!! I cackle thinking that people paid money to wear something I drew!!

See you at The Game,

[UPDATE: my, that was embarrassing...the coach is so fired. --11/23/08]

Reuxben

Record_Medusa

My piece for the Yale Record's latest, the Philosophy Issue.

Dare I say it...The Record's...funny...!

I'm scared, too.

Reuxben

Fun_GoingPro_Preview

I just got an email from my Penny Dreadful EIC saying a publisher is interested in seeing my portfolio!!!!!!!

If this leads to a real job (some day), it would be a dream come true!

Now to construct a portfolio...!

Also: this piece (pictured pre-ink) or this piece (used for a new story) may be what caught their eye.

ALSO: the Catalyst shirts are in, and our first day of sales was incredible!

PEEP. GAME. -->

[UPDATE: SOLD OUT!!]

Yeah!

Reuxben

YDN_ZLM.Boom

Boourns goes the dynamite.

<- Previous Comic...Next Comic ->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: "Yale" in panel 3, Ben Roku's undershirt, Clifton Dawson and Max Newton cuz I'm pretty sure one would likely tackle and one would be tackled in a real game (I don't know much about football).

Fun Facts: Tons of research for one comic (three websites on helmets alone). Mr. Newton talked to me once. I think he was drunk. Only drunk people talk to me.

Don't forget to BUY SHIRTS for THE GAME! Buy at Commons all day Tuesday.

Reuxben

Herald_QC.Ipu

Last change: While Frankie handles the Ka'Orum duo, Ben discovers an odd fortune-teller machine.
Now change 11!

If you want this to mean anything, read up on what's happened so far (easier browsing at deviantART).

Easter Eggs: Change 11 in panel 3.

Fun Facts: The currency of India is the rupee; Ipu's original name was Bill up until yesterday. Last minute rewrites thanks to the Herald's "DK."

Next, jack kelly appropriately tears into one pathetic excuse for a comedian in, "dat sham."

I never tire of noting how pathetic this idiot is (Dat Phan, that is, although jack kelly sickens me, too).

And it's (unintentionally) funny how he mentions people not being to tell different kinds of Asians apart and one of the first things out of his mouth is a remark, after an "Indian" fellow in the audience snapped a photo with the flash on, to please turn flash off all cameras. Well that perceived fan was actually taking a photo of Dat Moron in the same way one takes a photo of a car crash or a zeppelin aflame: proof that you witnessed such a disaster.

How do I know what that "Indian guy" was thinking? Because Mexican-me was that Indian guy.

And here I thought this would be the year I didn't get confused for an Indian...Unrelatedly, I didn't give Ipu an Indian-theme until a little over 24 hours ago.

Reuxben

YDN_ZLM.Cheekies

Jingoism is the first half.

<- Previous Comic...Next Comic ->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: "Yale" in first panel, a plug for Catalyst Apparel, (preorder T shirts for The Game today!).

Fun Facts: I honestly don't care about Princeton; it never even occurred to me to apply there. And I didn't even know it was an Ivy, let alone our pseudo-rival, until I got here.

Also: I just did the math...this is post 200. Hooray for me. It all started a little over one year ago, back when I could still smile about it all.

Reuxben

Catalyst_PlayItLoud

This is my second design (colors pending) for Catalyst Apparel, where you can now preorder all the new designs before prices go up starting Wednesday. Book early to avoid disappointment.

Also, you can now preorder this fellow, which is a redesign of this. Note: we redesigned it yet again to now read, "Bring It".

Finally, as a Catalyst Designer, I am available to design shirts for interested parties, groups, and peoples; just use the site or send an email.

Reuxben

Herald_QC.Split

Last change: The Acolyte's interruption prompts Frankie and Ben to split up.
Now change 10!

I tried to experiment with a couple of techniques.

Easter Eggs: Change 10 in panel 4, and secret message in panel 2.

Fun Facts: Having lines from different objects match up confusingly in comics is called "parallax." Estonian currency is called "krooni," so "Koonik" is pronounced KOO-neek.

Not to be outdone, jack kelly offers some stylistic experimentation himself in "peepoo."

Yeah. He should be fired.

So I think jack kelly's my date to The Game again. In a related story, I got a haircut today (from someone new, too) and the first and only adjective I can think of to describe my hairdo is this: "lumberjackal."

Reuxben

YDN_ZLM.Huggles

...and exposition over; regular adventures to come.

<- Previous Comic...Next Comic ->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: "Yale" in last panel.

Fun Facts: I overheard someone say "banana" outside Commons and thought it a funny name for a planet--its inhabitants are Banananians!

And I know I can't be the only McCain-voter who is actually quite relieved to see Obama win. I honestly feared for what could have happened if anything were to happen to Mr. McCain.

So here's a rough salute to our new President.

Cue uninspired Harvard half-time show.

Reuxben

Fun_ZLM.McCain

I hate the idea of "blogging," especially "blogging" for the sake of "blogging," as if people actually give a flub what you think, but in any case, this is a bonus comic about the election, in a non-"blogging," sketch format. Also: I dislike the word "blog."

<- Previous Comic...Next Comic ->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: "Yale" in Panel 3.

Fun Facts: I drew this at 1am before bed...panel 1 contains a snippet of my usual prayer.

And the YDN messed up my title today--it's Zero Like Me, not "Less than Zero."

UPDATE: jack kelly wants in. So here's his response entitled, "obama." Who knew he actually had sketch versions, too?


Well, gl hf, John McCain, from all of us at Yale!

Reuxben

Catalyst_HeyHarvard

This is a front design for Catalyst Apparel's The Game 2008 line (our media blitz starts Wednesday).

And if there's a front...

...There must also be a back!

I'm revamping my second Catalyst design, but it'll be ready this weekend.

And if you buy from Catalyst they'll even deliver straight to your dorm! Full details HERE soon.

Also: eat it, JE...check out 2:31.

Reuxben

Herald_QC.Beast

Last change: Frankie and Ben enjoy a quiet moment together.
Now change 9!

This one's our annual "scary" comic.

Easter Eggs: Change 9 in dust cloud.

Fun Facts: I panicked on creature design, which I scrambled through before my sitcom feedback meeting yesterday. While lettering the page, I thought, "Man, it's pretty lucky how in my 1.5 years comicsing, I haven't typo'd." Just as I thought that, I typo'd. So the printed version has a typo.

And back in black...it's jack kelly with "birthday."

It's kinda Oct. 31ish, I guess.

Reuxben

YDN_ZLM.Kiss

First kisses are strange things...

<- Previous Comic...Next Comic ->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: "Yale" in second panel.

Fun Facts: She was drunk. So was my roommate. They wanted our room for a while. I wanted to continue writing my paper in peace, as I had before they stumbled in. He tried to appeal to me to leave--"She isn't an athlete; she got in on brains." He sensed the statement was inappropriate. She tried to appeal to me to leave, offering at first to help me with my paper later. Then another offer. She and I were both shocked at the latter. The room stifled us with discomfort for a silent minute or two.

I focused on my writing and then felt something firm on my left cheek; I couldn't even tell you who she was, what she looked like--but that was it; I couldn't believe it. I wanted to cry, scream, disappear. Even she looked plagued over what just happened. My roommate realized the moment's gravity on me. They sobered up instantly and left. No one said a word.

They probably don't remember any of it. But I do.

Reuxben

Fun_SpoonyWill

This is a development sketch of Will Cutler.

I'm in this great class on writing half hour comedies for TV, where we'll pitch an original show and develop it to a full pilot script. So this is the main character from my show, "Blue Type: Society."

Fun facts: Admission to the class was based on a writing sample, and I used THIS as mine!

Reuxben

Herald_QC.Date

Last change: Frankie and Ben escape via subway and chat.
Now change 8!

So much mushier originally.

Easter Eggs: Yokohama-inspired carnival, Change 8 on the clock, Calvin and Hobbes' pose, Guile, shout out.

Fun Facts: I managed this after little sleep all week, on the same day as a math midterm and finishing a paper, leaving me 1 hour's sleep before a Spanish test this morning! Haven't sipped Monster in a while, so I'm all shaky.

And jack kelly got the week off. Goodness knows he works way too hard...

Reuxben

Record_Let'sGetWasted

This is my piece for the Yale Record for their political or "Vote Early, Vote Often Issue."

This is an important issue because it unveils our new 1913-inspired format. I couldn't say much about it in the planning stages since we were only dealing with the hypothetical, but now that we can look at a new issue in the new format, I guess it works, but there are a bunch of minor ticks that really get distracting. And as I feared, there is a stench in the air of "ripping off" the Harvard Lampoon. Yes we're older, and yes we're both based on the same magazine, Punch, but the Lampoon has retained its old-time feel for a long time, including during the Record's void years. As a result it feels as if the Lampoon owns these sorts of things. And it feels like we're ripping them off.

A minor complaint is the way too obvious parallel layouts of pages 7, 9, 11, and 19. They're the same exact layout! Did nobody notice this? Feels soooo bland. And the name thing...it's just stupid and pointless. Let's be real. It achieves nothing.

A bigger complaint is the use of photography. In our initial discussions over this, I remarked specifically that art is our trademark. Photos look cheap (see Temptations) and feel pedestrian since just anybody can take a picture, and most other college humor magazines do just this. The main issue is that, let's be frank the Record isn't too funny. So what's going to save a lame joke? Beautiful artwork. But if even that is removed, what is left? A sad waste of space. See page 8, 14, and 19 (especially). Lame, ugly stuff.

One chief complaint I have is the cover. I feel like we're supposed to automatically love it just because it's painted, but really, it's the colors that are blinding us. Why not have top notch lines with top notch colors? It is not illegal to have a penciler, and inker, and a colorist be three or more different people, believe it or not. I even teamed with a colorist for my cover last year and it came out great! Why couldn't we have gotten a more refined penciler with these excellent colors? This cover could have been excellent, but as is, it's just good. And it feels waaaay too close to a Lampoon cover. I loathe the Lampoon's ugly paintings; we can easily beat them by doing what they don't: mix excellent lines with excellent colors. But instead we get a needlessly sketchy base clogging beautiful colors.

In a related note, I find I'm not satisfied with the work I do for the Record, both in my quality, but also in the content itself. Thankfully there's the Penny Dreadful, new issue coming soon.

And in an unrelated note, I was grazed on the butt twice today...what's up with that? The first time was by the son of someone famous! Hahaha! I don't know if I want to use this for a comic...it's so incredibly tempting, man.

[UPDATE: THREE TIMES!! I was in Commons and this guy swiped passed me. Yeah, they've all been dudes, actually...Oh gosh, I don't need this.]

Reuxben

YDN_ZLM.Swing

Swing Space: great to visit, hate to live there.

<- Previous Comic...Next Comic ->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: "Yale" in last panel.

Fun Facts: Swing is my favorite place to scan, and was incredibly convenient last year. Also, I almost made Morse the punchline, but darn that Brian Williams for making people and me flock over there yesterday.

Reuxben

Herald_QC.Safety

Last change: Frankie rescues Ben from the Acolyte.
Now change 7!

Eat it, Stanford! ...kidding.

Easter Eggs: FB01, Dan + squareman, Change 7 on the train, Great Caesar and the Go Getters, the Sandy Gill Affair, and ZLM.

Fun Facts: This mall subway scene is based on photos and memories from Japan, including the Marunouchi Line homage. These 5 panels ended up taking just as long as any other page...!

And jack kelly lays another stinker: "concentration."

Ok, seriously? How old is this guy? ...moron.

Reuxben

YDN_ZLM.Friends

"This town deserves a better class of criminal, and I'm gonna give it to 'em." --The Joker
Here it is, my YDN comics section debut. The series is called Zero Like Me and it'll run Tuesdays. These are our two main characters, Zero and Nyao.

Easter Eggs: "Yale" and Nyao in panel 4.

Fun Facts: I auditioned these pieces for the job, so it'll get so much better once the exposition's through. I've never felt so nervous and scared about seeing my stuff published as when I saw this printed yesterday.

I'll be frank: I want to rectify the misrepresentation Yale comics have received, since the Herald is largely ignored, sadly. Maybe it won't always rock, but I'll try my hardest to make YDN Comics palatable. Let's see if I don't fail.

Next Comic ->
Reuxben

Fun_FranSpan

An old drawing of Frankie from Quarters Crisis, from some Spanish reading.

This week is going to be exhausting...I can tell.

[Update: And we're clear--Zero Like Me premieres Tuesday in the YDN! Let's GO!]

Reuxben

Herald_QC.Frankie

Last change: The Acolyte interrupts Dracht and Ben's reunion.
Now change 6!

And so begins adventure.

Easter Eggs: Change 6 in the plants.

Fun Facts: Frankie was my first QC design, drawn at a lonely Tokyo University social. Used my new 005. Panels 1, 2, and 5 took forever. The final right hand translated weirdly to ink.

So that curr, jack kelly, is stirring up all kinds of trouble. He didn't get his first stab at anorexia published, so why did he think "purge," another socially conscious cartoon would fly?

Here's the deal: jack kelly's trying to tap into the insanity of this whole eating disorder issue. He even got an appreciative comment from an actual anorexic person for his efforts last time. Revolutionary, I know, using dark humor to highlight an issue.

Didn't the YDN--and me, actually (printed on the same page, even)--just recently cover the relevancy of eating disorders? Clearly the issue is present at Yale; Master Haller even had to call out a purger last year who forgot to clean up afterward.

I'm usually fine with censorship, but even I think banning the above cartoon is a little much.

So instead, you get "naked."

I hope this hack gets his way.

Some day.

Reuxben