Record_Death

This spit right here, homie? This spit right here, homie? Right here, this spit homie? This spit here, homie?

This spit's called Death, homie.

For the Yale Record, which should be out soon.

Easter Eggs: The Old Owl, skull cloud, Harkness looks like he's giving me the finger Haha!

Fun Facts: The costuming was inspired by the great Jinjin.

Baa: It's Reading Week, so if you need Monster before Saturday's weekly Monster Dump (ideally for working, not partying...) they're readily available.

Got to finish a comic for a class now, been working on it all day, every day (Spring Fling was a mediocre soundtrack post-Caesar).

No sleep till Brooklyn,

Reuxben

Fun_TheThoseGuys

To break from drawing, I drew this guy I met in Japan. Turns out he's not just a music enthusiast, but is also in a band called Rifle!

Baa: Someone once mentioned that they recognized my style, which makes me laugh because I don't feel I really have a "style" yet, just a collection of methods for different occasions. So for kicks, I like to sniff out my style by consciously applying "style" to warp a subject, like this guy.

I suspended my Ex!t boycott for their senior show to check out these two Ex!t seniors, fellow and former Recordians. I always wanted to draw this guy because he has such a distinct look, and he looks so easy to draw, but I have never been able to really get him. He's graduating, so no more chances, dangit.

Fun Facts: After I paid him my entrance fee, he said, "Thank you, sir," in a way that says, "I vaguely remember you, but I think you may clearly remember me, so this could--wait, yes, yes, it did just get uncomfortable in here."

Entrance fees're the main reason I loathe Ex!t. Benji could have owned their entire gang single-handedly, but the Crayon only charges on parents' weekend (logical).

Anyway, I actually worked directly with this guy last year on the Record. He's quite funny, has mad geek cred (Mana burn and d20s?!! Yes!), and he is actually a hecka underrated artist!

He really shoulda drawn more for the Record; I can think of several art pieces that should have been assigned to him.

Fun Facts: I exaggerated with the hair, but he's quite fun to draw (flashback).

The other reason I dislike Ex!t is the names! What is up with the "wacky" stage names?!

Cough,

Reuxben

Herald_mc.GoingHome

Last Crash: Smalltown girl Bee Farnam throws down.

In conclusion, never assume.

Monsta Crash #13: GoingHome
Next Comic: THE END
Previous Comic: Here
First Comic: Here

Easter Eggs: Crash XIII bottom left panel. "JE"-shaped Monsta legs. Frasier's skyline. ZLM in the last panel's forest.

Fun Facts: I was so deliriously tired while drawing this one (hallucinations and shaking!), but after leaving the Herald office, I felt like jumping around; I couldn't stop smiling at the very fact that it's all over--I even let out an idiotic scream. Of course I still had a paper to finish in a few hours.

Thanks: JE, Variante, Invader Zim, Endling, Miyazaki, Joe & Andrew.

Baa: I don't drink, but I'm basically "drunk" every Friday morning after Heralding--I'm so exhausted (likely coming off of an energy drink), and giddy for finishing a comic, that I drop my guard and loosen up as I head over to Commons for my pre-nap/wrap-party breakfast.

So this series was alternatively fun and dreadfully boring to write and draw, but if I Herald regularly next year, I've got an idea that will rock, guaranteed. After two years doing this--FIFTY FIVE Herald comics later (82 total proper YDN/Herald pieces!)--I think I've finally cracked it. As much as I want to push for fuller narrative in the Herald, episodic is the way to go. I'm thinking of calling the next series Fishcarrots.

Well, thanks for visiting. I hope you'll check back over the summer. Also, check the JE basement stairway this Saturday for another Monster giveaway, just in time for reading week.

Reuxben

YDN_zlm.Love&Death

Prospective Yale 2013: Yale is the best thing that can ever happen to you. It rocks cracking a moronic smile, contemplating the very fact that you go to Yale.

Prospective Yale 2013: Yale is the worst thing that can ever happen to you. It sucks dreading the future, contemplating the very fact that you'll have to leave Yale.

Zero Like Me #20: Love & Death
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic ->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: "Yale" on sleeves; the date in panel 2. Nyao's speech bubbles are Yin Yang halves, complete with corresponding dots, as is the entire comic.

Fun Facts: Nyao is the comedy/tragedy masks, while Zero is expressionless--although this is his first time smiling (creepy).

Baa: I cringe whenever I see comicsers insert their own, naked voices into comics, but I always sign, "Thanks!" in each semester's final comic, despite my severe discomfort in talking straight to the reader in a comic (and even on this website).

But as I do every semester, here are some specific thank yous.

Thanks: JE admins and students, Reed, Cullen, Claire, Takeshi Obata, Garry Trudeau, rock.

Special Thanks: Ruth, Charles, Bonner.

Anyway, thank you for tuning in, I hope you will check back next semester, and maybe even over the summer.

Thanks for visiting,

Reuxben

Penny_CrazyTrain

The latest Penny Dreadful is out now.

Easter Eggs: A bunny and a gunny cuz the character is supposed to sport straight, dark hair, and mid 90s fashion.

Fun Facts: I drew most of the rough lines on the train to New York to see an awful Richard Foreman "play" for a class. I drew my second on-train piece a couple of weekends ago to go watch a heart wrenching play with the great former JE Master.

Baa: My last Culture Draw was for The American Plan, which closed with, "Happiness exists, but it's for other people." That's kind of my philosophy, except I'd say I'm a tad bit more optimistic.

Reuxben

Herald_mc.UltraPeepi

Last Crash: Smalltown girl Bee Farnam watches her only friend die.

Some weeks, especially this, really make me want to quit everything.

Monsta Crash #12: UltraPeepi
Next Comic: Here
Previous Comic: Here
First Comic: Here

Easter Eggs: Crash 12 in panel 4. SK fail in panel 5, callback to Crash 2.

Fun Facts: Ultra Peepi is a mix of the original form, Totoro, and a Laputian sentry. While drawing this comic, I also wrote another comic I will draw in exactly 365 days.

In addition, that generic-insult jack kelly spews forth "secret" and "confessions."

Baa: I'll never forget when my high school Spanish teacher said to me, "Doesn't it feel great to be wanted?" referencing my incoming college acceptance letters. He meant to emphasize being in-demand, not that nobody wanted me otherwise (true, though--strange how people start talking to you after you get accepted to Yale...), but I agreed, it felt great to have people actually vying for me for the first time in my life.

And for the first time since getting into colleges, I finally felt truly validated, legitimated, accepted; like all the suffering leading up till then was finally, finally worth it: I got accepted into Garry Trudeau's society, the ultimate seal of approval for someone trying so hard to match him (taped on the inside of my door is a YDN clipping: my ZLM debut, which has Doonesbury printed right above it; I see it every day). Like Yale, I got in without friends, connections, or anything; pure merit--you can imagine how amazing I felt.

And then it was all a joke. At first I thought, "well, at least I felt great for a day," but then it really went south as midnight ticked closer and I knew the real deal wasn't coming either. I've never felt so profound a loss as Thursday.

I mean, what do I have to do to prove myself? It's like losing a footrace: you do the absolute most your body can physically do, and you still failed, powerless to do any bit more. But I feel like this is what I get for betting everything on art.

It wasn't about power or prestige or elitism or anything, it was about feeling validated and I failed. I don't care about anything else at Yale but art, and now the one thing I care about feels meaningless.

Reuxben

YDN_zlm.Vanilla

[Update: Final Art]

If anyone ever pulls this on you, you're obligated by law to sing along or forever be deemed a sucka.

Zero Like Me #19: Vanilla
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic ->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: "Yale" in panel 3, Calvin and Hobbes' dance moves in panel 4, callback to the series premiere as we wind down for the year. TSGA, GCGG, RM.

Fun Facts: Nyao can speak perfect English if she's quoting something, and she's not really angry unless her top ears pull back. Quite rare, I drew this in just one day (homework + a takehome screwed up my schedule) and had to cut corners to make the deadline, so the final version will appear soon.

And now I know what happens when I draw from rap instead of rock. In a related story, I cannot wait for SPRING FLING! It's going to be incredible, but for some reason they've decided to host it at Stiles...

Also, in an effort to be more social, please enjoy the new segment called "Baa."

Baa: I will again be dumping my stash of Monster at the JE Dining Hall's nagging table this Saturday, so pick one up if you need it.

Final draft soon,

Reuxben

YDN_sls.Lullaby

 

Tonight don't make the nice girls cry.

Grab your favorite household cleaning products, it's time for Sick Little Suicide #7 - "Lullaby," in which I deal with old, ongoing, and upcoming stories.

Easter Eggs: "Y-A-L-E" above statues, 3:22pm, a shirt, a smile/tie/hairdo, a trumpet, T-shirt and tie combination.

Fun Facts: Harkness Tower in fact has "IIII" rather than "IV." This is my second time drawing something on a train for print.

From personal experience on at least two occasions, I've had some incredibly negative interactions with one of those guys. I get that people perceive me as rude, but I have great excuses: I'm not well practiced in talking to people, and I freely admit I'm socially inept. But this guy's supposed to be Mr. Gregarious!

However, I also know from personal experience that if the guy says he's going to do something, he does it, and does it well. So you're probably alright voting for him. I'm not up for letting him speak for me if I can avoid it*, but he'll probably do a great job doing whatever it is they do, and if not, I get to draw things about him! Be Bush if you want, I'll be Trudeau.

*The poll says I have to be more social, so I'll give it a try if you go first. I assure you, I'm more scared of you than you are of me, especially offline. And please don't ask other people about me, I guarantee you they don't know me. I'm the only person who knows where I will be playing the trumpet next year, for example. Anyway, I don't know how to go about being more social, but for starters, I can always draw stuff for people or give them free Monster--and am I supposed to reply to comments in the comments section rather than in future posts? Bottom line: help me out here; I want to try, but I really don't know what I'm doing.

Reuxben

Herald_mc.MonstaCrasher

Last Crash: Smalltown girl Bee Farnam meets a belligerent doppelganger.

Ooooh, so a Monsta Crasher is some sorta vampire slayer that slays creatures called "monstas," alluding to pocket monsters--now I get it.

Monsta Crash #11: MonstaCrasher
Next Comic: Here
Previous Comic: Here
First Comic: Here

Easter Eggs: Crash 11 in the last panel.

Fun Facts: I've now updated this week's comics and it only took until summer.

And that so-and-so jack kelly also has some stuff.

First is jack kelly's "human"

And then jack kelly's "hetero" next:

Ok, off I go.

Reuxben

YDN_zlm.Taboocco

He didn't inhale.

Zero Like Me #18: Taboocco
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic ->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: Pretty clouds blowing brains out, "Yale" in clouds, LGFUAD, TFFMO.

Fun Facts: This was scripted a hecka long time ago, but it's pretty appropriate now. Happy room draw, everybuddy!

This one goes out to JE, without which this series would not be possible. Haha. This one also goes out to all you smokers, of course. Please quit.

Words can't express how much I hate smoking. Ugh...I'm getting all tense just thinking about it...ugh, I need a smoke.

Reuxben

Record_RA

This is a piece for the Yale Record's "Please Your Man Issue," just released.

Man, the Record's so much better now; used to be brutal. And how about that cover?!

Easter Eggs: Old Owl in Link's arm guard (not the Owl from Zelda).

Fun Facts: Superman sucks, Link only speaks in ellipses, and I have a joke about Alcoholics Anonymous that was too hot for the YDN...Also, my very first Record piece featured Spider-Man!

Pick up the issue before it rapidly disappears, as is often the case.

Update: Hey, there's now photographic proof I actually go to Yale. Today's YDN shows me at a VQ show...I hate myself.

Reuxben

Herald_mc.FightinWords

Last Crash: Smalltown girl Bee Farnam and Peepi the Sprite pwn a rooftop monsta.

Sometimes these are really fun to draw.

Monsta Crash #10: FightinWords
Next Comic: Here
Previous Comic: Here
First Comic: Here

Easter Eggs: Crash 10 in the countdown. Originally simply named Edwards, Gari's got Radical Edward's cheek things.

Fun Facts: This series is JE-centric, so Gari's named for the great JE Master, and her sprite is based on the Australian Emu. I couldn't find Gari's design sheet, so I improv'd new designs hours before deadline!

Even though Gari is the villain, the people referenced are both wonderful.

Example 1: I went to New York last Saturday to see a play for a class and all I learned was never to go to New York for a play unless it's with the Master.

Example 2: The second reference helped me clean up my spilled cup Freshmen Year and wouldn't let me flee after the formalities.

Anyways, the imbecilic jack kelly first brings us "derogatorial."

Originally called "rinasfs," jack kelly forgot that "derogatorial" isn't a word, so I generously corrected it for him here but the world will always remember his printed typo.

In any case, he concludes with "oink."

Yeah.

Final thought: I noticed I frequently draw people pointing dramatically.

Reuxben

YDN_zlm.CrazyWeird

Being scared in pairs is better than being scared and alone. Haha.

Zero Like Me #17: Crazy Weird
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic ->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: James' uniform (Pokemon), Nami's first outfit (One Piece) "Yale" in panel 2. Each big die totals 5 or 8. The other dice are my birthday and my first Herald Comic's date (roughly).

Fun Facts: I orchestrated a Jumanji spoof for April Fools week at YDN comics, and the saga, spanning each Yale comic series, concludes Thursday.

And that is all the April Fools for this year.

Reuxben

Fun_NoWay

Check out YDN comics all week! I planned something special for us and you.

So this is an old drawing plus a fashion study.

Easter Eggs: "Way" on coffee.

Fun Facts: I want to do incredibly violent things to people who smoke in front of me, but I can't deny it looks cool.

I don't always drink JE, but when I do, I prefer Dos Temptations.

I bumped into my dean while hurrying to eat at JE and split (I'm self-conscious like that) and he complimented me on my Temptations cover. I instinctively said, "Thank you," and started to scuttle away, but then stopped and was like, "Wait, what?" thinking, Did I draw a cover for Temptations...?!

He told me my sig's on the cover and thought I'd drawn it. I was completely weirded out, but noted they've "stolen" art before. Anyway, I found the issue, and man, that is funny!

Pretty clear who actually drew it, but just for fun, like last year's mystery Swing Space vomitist, here's why it's not me:

I HATE writing in caps and RARELY ever use THEM, especially WHEN drawing. I don't color (much). I don't draw such...creative t-shirts. The best part is the freakishly good signature: it's dated in ink as 3/24/09, a Tuesday, but I only ever ink ZLM then, and I always embed my signature when I ink comics. And what's with the R? I love the letter R and would never write it so not-cool.

Anyway, this was really fun. Good job, Temptations.

Fun Fact: My FroCo-reverence dwindles every year as I realize, Wow, these people are who freshmen are supposed to look up to? It really makes me wonder what my FroCos were like in other peoples' eyes.

I see like two, maybe three people I'd trust and one who'd make me want to transfer to freaking Morse or something. Haha.

Reuxben

Herald_mc.PocketMonsta

Last Crash: Smalltown girl Bee Farnam encounters a rooftop monsta.

It's the April Fools Special 2009, kid.

Monsta Crash #9: PocketMonsta
Next Comic: Here
Previous Comic: Here
First Comic: Here

Easter Eggs: Dan's squareman, Crash 9 in center debris, Ash, Pokemon encounter text and scroll arrow.

Fun Facts: This year I went with an Un- set theme, where art pops out of the very page, and I got to use heavier Pokemon influence.

That fool jack kelly showed up, too. He got a teammate, but his half of the equation, "the giant," looks like this:

He weighs 1 gram.

I'm really happy with how the section came out, although we lost a bunch of the border's mini-comics in the 11th hour, but it definitely topped last year. I'm eager to see next year's edition.

Reuxben

YDN_zlm.MinorityReport

This place is actually lonelier when people are here, but rocks during breaks.
[Update: Final art up top]
Zero Like Me #16: Minority Report
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic ->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: Starbucks in panel 2, "Yale" in panel 4, Ruemore's duds, Zero Ethos.

Fun Facts: Zero's Mexican-y. Today's sets are Skull and Bones, the High Street overpass, and Dwight Hall.

I'm not a Photoshop sellout yet, but I did want to blur the flashbacks...which led to some coloring (in JE's new [tiny] computer lab[!]). Ah, JE, you're almost redeemed haha.

Anyway, these rare, colored comics will likely be exclusively online affairs.

Reuxben

Fun_GossipGilda

Gilda was to star in "Darling Find 2: Ruemore" this semester, but I figured a sequel's the easy way out...

Well, I entered an editorial cartoon contest over break with:

Pooping
Supernauguration
Kuro
Fiona
Every now and then I meet someone who likes what I do, and that really makes this downward spiral worth it.

While deciding on and re-scanning contest candidates, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dude just staring at me. Having spotted this near my pick pile, he confirmed I was me, told me he liked my series, and even got the name right (my editor forgets sometimes)!

When I started "Zero Like Me," I thought it's win-win: if no one likes it, then the title's true; if even one person likes it, it's ironic. So, yeah, thank you so much, man, I really appreciate the support. In fact, thank you to all supporters, I truly appreciate you guys. I don't care if you read this stupid stuff (I wouldn't), thanks for just checking out the artwork.

Oh, and I also applied for a DreamWorks internship. How insane would it be to have this guy as a reference? Haha.

Skg ftw lol,

Reuxben

Fun_MovieNight

I didn't go home for Spring Break, and this has been the best Spring Break ever...coincidence?

Easter Eggs: Z(ero) E(thos) Boy.

At school, I've got full access to a scanner, tons of deskspace, and best of all, a computer lab with Photoshop! So I finally got to just sit down and go with it:

The COLORS, Duke, the colors!
Fun Facts: I used the Joker and Harley's color schemes.

Man, I was so excited to finally try out colors over break! I know it's rough, but I can now move around Photoshop much better than before. Pretty neat! I never want to abandon traditional techniques, but I do plan on using some light Photoshopping here and there on some upcoming stuff.

Reuxben

Fun_ExtraTobacco

I started drawing this up New Year's Day, and after a hiatus, completed it just a few minutes ago.

So I couldn't decide what to write for this piece, but I will say that every time I let my mind get to ambling, I just start cracking up like an idiot.

Anyways, I suuuure wish the Yale Herald had a scanner. If only there was someone on staff who could help...

Reuxben

Fun_HeartSora

This took five or six years to complete. My first, likely last, truly best friend asked me to draw him Sora back in high school in Northern California. After many meh efforts I finally gave up, he understood. That's the only clear memory I can think of us interacting during high school; our friendship had been fizzling since fifth grade.

Cut to my final summer before Yale. I was back in NorCal and thought, if I see him again, I'll surprise him with the drawing for old time's sake. Well, I draw in waves (rough shapes; then super light pencils; then darker, cleaner pencils; inks; clean-up and re-inks/colors) so I lightly drew this up before chickening out of pursuing a reunion.

A few months ago, I found this guy in a binder and set him to be completed. Cut to a few days ago, I decide to darken the pencils without warming up and without the reference art; if that's how I drew it years ago, that's what I wanted. After darkening, I thought I might as well shade it. 5+ years' work done.

So this goes out to you, the only one I could really call my best friend. I haven't seen you in years, have only heard from you now and then, but you've never been replaced. I guess we're still friends like old rock stars are "legends;" the title sticks out of respect, but its only ever greatest hits albums now.

And sorry for that kindergarten thing; I still hate to think about it.

Thanks for everything,

Reuxben

Penny_Rex

I drew this Penny Dreadful cover a while ago. They also used it for interiors.

Easter Eggs: The upturned earth indicates a bottomless pit.

Fun Facts: This was drawn to accompany art for a canceled story I had illustrated the previous semester; the revived story had not been merely tweaked but rather completely redone, so now both pieces are now only loosely related to the story, unfortunately.

The dog, the boy, and the pit have nearly nothing to do with the story now, but you should have read the original story, it rocked.

Also, this could be one of the pieces that caught that publisher's interest! We'll see what happens there.

Reuxben

Record_Babies

The Yale Record's Old Blue issue finally came out...so much for that monthly release schedule. And why did they release it right before Spring Break? The stack at JE is basically untouched and gathering dust, and I'm sure the same is true at other colleges.

Anyway, here's babies. I even got a written piece in as a caption, although they changed all but the spirit of it, like going from "women and minorities" to "womenfolk." Is that funnier? I dunno.

I was weirded out for a while because the Record was funny and the Crayon wasn't, but they may both be settling back to normal. On the plus side to the Crayon, since Benji graduated, the talent is now distributed amongst several strong players, with only one real outstanding Crayon in the Silliman freshman, but the JE sophomores play excellently together.

Also: while working at CT Hall last night, I met a Zero Like Me fan! Freaking yeah, man, IRONY ACHIEVED! That's got to be my favorite title I've ever come up with, I love it. Can you even count how many meanings are packed into those three little words? I love it, man.

Reuxben