Monster By Mail kicks off the summertime fun with a brand new theme!
As I mentioned on a previous post and on ExtraLife Radio, the new theme for MBM will be everyone's favorite - ZOMBIES!
It's the same principle as before - send me a Zombie name and I'll draw it. Twenty bucks gets you the original art. Thirty adds the video of the creation of your zombie. And for $45, you get the Mondo Monster Package which includes the art, the video a four pack of monster buttons (while supplies last) and a the infamous "See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Eat Brains" T-shirt.
It's a great way to celebrate zombism in general and a great way to kick off the Summer of The Undead, as it will come to be known from here on in.
Oh, and don't forget to sign up for the MBM mailing list while you're there. It will give you the heads up on new themes, new promotions, and other special surprises I have in store. Mwuhahahah!
So grab a shovel and let's start busting some zombie skulls open -- er, I mean, get some original zombie art! Go! NOW!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Say Hello To Our Daughter

In other news, the baby's due date was changed to be on my birthday. What a great birthday gift, eh? This means that both my daughters will be born right around my birthday. There is something poetic about that, I'm just not talented enough to express it.
ELR Appearance

Anyway, check out the show and hear my silky voice here. And thanks to Daryl for this really cool zombie photo from a recent Canadian street fair.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The Vader Project
Dovetailing off GuitarMania, here is another totally cool art project called "The Vader Project".
"Walking through The Vader Project exhibit at Celebration IV is like taking a stroll through a Darth Vader tribute done by the coolest lowbrow and urban artists on the planet. As fans walk through the exhibit they can see the artist’s own unique style featured on each helmet. Whether it’s a Tiki-inspired design from Shag or a girlie 1940’s style pinup from Marc Ecko — it’s apparent each artist took time to pay special tribute to the headwear of the Sith."
I found out about this project from one of my Flickr contacts, Bonniegrrl, who is a Lucas employee. Man, I wish I had her job. Check out the full set of photos here.
And check out more about the Vader Project (including a video) here.
"Walking through The Vader Project exhibit at Celebration IV is like taking a stroll through a Darth Vader tribute done by the coolest lowbrow and urban artists on the planet. As fans walk through the exhibit they can see the artist’s own unique style featured on each helmet. Whether it’s a Tiki-inspired design from Shag or a girlie 1940’s style pinup from Marc Ecko — it’s apparent each artist took time to pay special tribute to the headwear of the Sith."
I found out about this project from one of my Flickr contacts, Bonniegrrl, who is a Lucas employee. Man, I wish I had her job. Check out the full set of photos here.
And check out more about the Vader Project (including a video) here.
Totally Awesome Pirate Ninja Monkey Bot

Just so you all know, the Crytozoology phase of Monster By Mail will be ending this week and I'll have a new theme up next week along with some new surprises. It should prove to be a very exciting theme -- think braaaains. :)
Monday, May 28, 2007
Silver Surfer Promotional Coins Illegal

"They’ve put the Surfer on quarters. Twentieth Century Fox and The Franklin Mint collaborated to alter 40,000 U.S. quarters. The problem with this is that the U.S. Mint was not aware of the plan. They issued a news release on Friday to inform both the studio and the mint that it is against the law to alter these coins. The law prohibits the use of coins as advertising vehicles, and fines are applicable to violators. "Oops! I doubt these will see the light of day. But count yourself lucky if you find one. See more here.
Len TV: Guitarmania
Happy Memorial Day everyone! On this special episode of Len TV, I document the hard work done by my nephew Trevor on our Guitarmania 2007 guitar entitled "Octopus' Garden". To see the backstory on this guitar and the art project, see this post. Our design was chosen by the committee and the guitar was sponsored by Time Warner Cable. Also, our guitar was one of seven that were brought into the Rock Hall, which we feel is pretty darn good and an indictaion of something. Also, it will be on display pretty prominently here in town, so all is good. Watch the video and enjoy your holiday!
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Walk The Walk

Mystery Question 5-28-07

"Emperor Akbar once ruled over India. He was a wise and intelligent ruler, and he had in his court the Nine Gems, his nine advisors, who were each known for a particular skill. One of these Gems was Birbal, known for his wit and wisdom. The story below is one of the examples of his wit. Do you have it in you to find out the answer?Congrats to former Clevelander, Jen! She was the only answer and the correct one from last week and she gets a four pack of Monster By Mail buttons. Send me your address Jen and I will get them out ASAP.
Once Emperor Akbar ordered a horse to be delivered to Birbal so that he could easily move about the kingdom.
The stable-keeper however, was extremely jealous of Birbal, and decided to deliver a sick and weak horse to him. The horse was delivered to Birbal's stable. The next morning, when Birbal went to proudly leave his house on a horse, he found the horse was dead. Looking at the weak and frail horse, he understood what must have happened. However he could not insult the Emperor or his gift, so he kept silent.
Unfortunately for him, the Emperor observed him entering the palace grounds on foot and, when he entered the court, the Emperor immediately questioned him about the horse.
What was Birbal's diplomatic and accurate reply?"
Heroes Set On Flickr
For those of you who are interested, I have started a Heroes (and possibly villian set) on Flickr. It will become a repository for my interpretations of different comic book heroes. There are only a few in there now, but I'm sure over time I will add more. I was inspired to a small painting of the Hulk last night and that's what prompted me to start it. Check it out.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
GuitarMania Hits Cleveland

A few months ago, my nephew Trevor asked me if I would like to work with him on some designs for GuitarMania , a public art project where artists are invited to create scuplture and art out of these huge oversized guitars. It's been a pretty popular project here in town and it certainly is very prestigious, as each guitar is auctioned off at the end of the summer and also displayed all over town. Many artists from across the country, and even some celebrities, have desigend guitars for the project. I agreed to help Trevor design the guitar and lo and behold, our design, Octopus' Garden, was accepted into the project. Moreover, it got sponsored by Time Warner Cable.
Now, I must confess, my major contribution to the project was my design. Trevor did all the hard work and back-breaking labor of sculpting and painting , lugging this heavy piece to various locations and essentially bringing my artwork to life. He's an incredible artist, a very talented painter and not surpisingly, his guitar is getting a lot of attention. In fact, the sculpture will be displayed rather prominently across from Tower City, a major hub here in town.
Anywho, I was pretty excited about it's big unveiling this weekend. From what I understand, our design is in the upper eschelon of designs for the project. I have to make a trek downtown to see it in person and when I do, photos and video will be forthcoming. But in the meantime, you can see more about our guitar and the other guitars in the project here.
UPDATE: I met the guitar in person and have uploaded the photos to prove it.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
The Evil Lakewood Landord
I got this link a few days ago from Michael, who was surprised to see a story on Digg out of Lakewood, Ohio. Apparently, a landlord has been forced to live in his apartment building with no heat, stove or water. The story has been all over the news here in Cleveland. But the interesting thing is that I just found out tonight that this guy used to be Neil's landlord. (Neil, occassional Jawbone guest and blogger of Fishbrick, of course). He says the guy was a pretty nice guy, but never did anything in his apartment building. Anyway, talk about a brush with fame!
Thats One Big Pig!

This has been all over the place and several people have sent me the link, but it's too good not to show.
"Jamison Stone, 11 years old, shot the wild boar that weighed in at a “staggering 1,051 pounds and measured 9-feet-4 from the tip of its snout to the base of its tail"At first, I thought it looked fake, but the offical website tells a different story. Check it.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Happy Star Wars Day!
Tank Girl Returns!

I was a big fan of this comic back in my college heydays. So this comes as great news:
Coming in May of 2007, Ash will work with Tank Girl co-creator/writer Alan Martin on an all-new, four-part Tank Girl adventure, Tank Girl: The Gifting. While Ash will be handling the character for the first time, Scotland-based Alan Martin is returning to the character he originated with artist Jamie Hewlett (also of Gorillaz fame). The Gifting will feature a series of non-linear stories (as you'd expect in a proper Tank Girl adventure) with such titles as "The Dogsh*t in Barney's Handbag," "Kill Jumbo," and "The Innocent Die First."Great news for those lovers of Tank Girl. Read the whole story.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
LEN TV: A Trip To The Real Zoo
Len TV returns with a brand new episode!
I decided to take a break from monsters and cryptids for a bit and go see the real fake dinosaurs at our local zoo. With my trusty companion in tow, we get a one-on-one meeting with some of the coolest pieces of mechanized rubber that Cleveland has ever seen. Enjoy!
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And What About The Batman?
I picked up this tonight and it made me want to draw Batman. What the hey. I love black and white art and who else would look better in B and W than the Bat?
I also grabbed a bunch of dollar comics, once again, just for the art.
I also grabbed a bunch of dollar comics, once again, just for the art.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Season Finale Wrap Up
Here's my take:
24 -sucked. Hard.
Heroes - Interesting. But still sucked.
American Idol - should have been only 5 minutes long.
Lost - Really, really really awesome.
Your thoughts?
24 -sucked. Hard.
Heroes - Interesting. But still sucked.
American Idol - should have been only 5 minutes long.
Lost - Really, really really awesome.
Your thoughts?
Coleman's Cryptozoo
Last night, Loren Coleman (of the site Cryptomundo) and I traded e-mails back and forth about Monster By Mail. In order to get featured, he threw down the gauntlet for me to draw a "zoo" of a bunch of cryptid creatures, including Nessie, Bigfoot, The Yeti, and the lesser known Dover Demon and Mothman.
Within a few hours, and much to his delight, he had the image in his inbox. You can read more at his site.
Here's a pretty cool excerpt:
Within a few hours, and much to his delight, he had the image in his inbox. You can read more at his site.
Here's a pretty cool excerpt:
"Called “Speedy” at his former mainstream illustrator job, the guy is rapid in his response. Last night, within an hour in email time, Len sent me his black and white graphic art version of my one line request. What he produced, actually, was superb, in my view, as he made “my art” more nonfictional than cryptofictional, as compared to his other pieces. It is almost as if he read my mind, combining my serious but open-minded take on cryptids with his graphic art vision of how he does his illustrations."On another note, I think I was channeling a little bit of Jim Lee with this piece. I've been reading Batman Hush and it's taking me forever because I am poring over the incredible art. The ink style was definitely Lee-influenced.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Like Drum Solos?
I'm a sucker for drum solos. So of course, I had to post this. Thanks to Nephew Mark for this cool find.
Pac Man's Skeleton Found!
Personally I think this is a fake. No way did Pac Man have all those teeth. Check it. And thanks Michael!
Monday, May 21, 2007
Blood Puddle Pillows

Animated Calvin and Hobbes

"We may never see a Bill Watterson-approved animated version of Calvin and Hobbes but the following student film from Italy is a nice unofficial attempt. The animation was done by Donato Di Carlo at the CFP Milano film school."Check it out.
Caption This: 5-21-07

Images of the Joker from the next Batman film have leaked and in my opinion, the jury is out on this...but the image does make for a nice Caption This image. Have fun!
UPDATE: The internets controversy rages on. Is it fake? Or some viral studio trickery? You decide.
Mystery Question 5-21-07

Find a short hidden message in the list of words below.Congratulations to Xadrian, who got the answer right first! He gets a four pack of Monster By Mail buttons. The answer:
carrot fiasco nephew spring rabbit
sonata tailor bureau legacy corona
travel bikini object happen soften
picnic option waited effigy adverb
report accuse animal shriek esteem
oyster
The first man couldn't have filed away the bars, because if it actually was a diamond palace as he said, quartz wouldn't even leave a scratch.
The second man was closest of all, but still lying. Fingernails are very close to, but not as hard as, copper, so he couldn't get out, no matter how desperate he was.
The third man had lied most of all. First of all there is no such thing as natural black topaz (it was probably obsidian). Also he made the same mistake as all the others, for a steel file is not as hard as topaz, and would not do anything to the topaz.
Insanely Big Monster

If you have any other cool shots of the monsters in the wild, please keep sending em along and I'll keep posting them.
Friday, May 18, 2007
CryptoMonsters In Full Swing
Things are hopping at old MBM. I think this round is a little tougher because of the subject matter, but that's ok by me. I'm trying to spend a little more time with each drawing, which is turning out nicely. For those who aren't checking the site daily, here is one of my recent faves, The Cigar Smoking Desert Yeti.
JoCo's Secret Chili Recipe
There's a great (long) post by Coulton today at his site about how he conquered the interents with his songwriting prowess. It's a great read and cool to see how the stars aligned for him to become the internet superstar he is today. Required reading, indeed.
Happy Birthday to The Whiz Kid
Leave your messages for Mr. Dan Coulter (the programming genius behind e-hobo, Monster By Mail, E-Zombie and more) right here.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Jawbone #160: I Brought The Kringle, Dear

RUNNING TIME: 48:47
MUSIC: Burn Back | Make the Logo Bigger
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More. Monsters. Wild.


How can I forget this little ditty called "She Cthulus of the SS".
And finally, ImpalerElGato poses with his monster.
Keep em coming! I love seeing them!
Monday, May 14, 2007
I Wrote A Comic Today

Monster By Mail: Phase 3 - NOW OPEN

Mystery Question 5-14-07

Four men met in a bar, and they soon found that all four of them had been to the Amazon Jungle. After a few more beers, they also realized that they had all been captured at least once, by fierce natives who ruled amazing fortresses. They soon got around to talking about their experiences, and their escapes. The first man said, "Well, I was once caught by natives who ruled a diamond palace. They caught me and took me to their king. He decreed that I was to die in one month. They threw me into a cell. Thank God that they didn't take my equipment. I had stolen a quartz file from one of the natives. I filed away the bars (it had curtains so they couldn't see) and escaped mere hours before I was to die."Last week, Spiff got the answer right. When cockroaches die naturally, they roll over on their back. Yet, the cockroach was laying right side up as Bobby saw "the shiny back of the creature". Jacob must have killed the cockroach, then flipped it over to cover himself, not knowing the bit of science that Bobby knew. Congrats, Spiff!
The second man said, "I was also captured, but they took me to a simple copper structure. I did not have any such luxury of a month to escape, instead, a single day. Luckily they did not count on my desperation, and I was able to claw my way out of there using only my fingernails and pure adrenalin."
The third man said, "I was taken to the most amazing fortress of all. It was made out of black topaz. I was also the smartest of all of you," he bragged, "for I had brought with me a steel file. I was out in a jiff, and I was able to steal some of the topaz as well," he said as he showed everyone a piece of topaz hanging from a string around his neck.
The fourth man had been looking amused at the first and second men's stories, but as the third man finished he threw up his head and laughed. The other three men were looking slightly peeved, and asked him what he found so funny. He declared that they were all liars, and he could prove it.
How could he prove it, and when did each of the three men lie?
Gwen Vs. Mary Jane
Brush With Greatness
I can't hope to be as talented as Jonathan Coulton. But what I can hope for is a wonderful unnamed mention of me and my work in the New York Times Magazine today. The article talks about Coulton's success on the internets and his devoted fan interaction and mentions me and my contribution to the Coulton madness:
"Other followers have volunteered hours of their time to help further his career: a professional graphic artist in Cleveland has drawn an illustration for each of the weekly songs, free."Woot! I made it into the NY Times and I didn't kill anyone. To read the whole incredible article, check it out here.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Why I Love Weird Al

Friday, May 11, 2007
Jawbone #159: The Perfect Podcast --Listener
The Microsoft oFone
Wow...I think MS is going to blow Apple out of the water with this design. Who woulda thunk it?
Best. Headline. Ever.
I'm sure this was done on purpose. But if it wasn't, it could the coolest accidental geek headline ever. See it.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
More and More Monsters In The Wild

The photo to the left comes from Annie, who told me today that after watching some of the videos, her nine year old son went to grab his own crayons and markers to make up his own monster. I think that's one of the coolest residual parts os this project -- that I am inspiring people, and lots of kids, to draw, be creative and come up with their own creations. I love getting e-mails like that. They never fail to make my day.


And finally, I got this tonight from a big supporter of MBM, who ordered a Monster Pugdog for his sister's birthday. Did I mention these make great gifts? Hmmm...anyway, enjoy!
Keep the Monsters In The Wild coming folks. I love seeing them!
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Schooch is In!
And thank the heavens! Eurovision would not be complete without this flamboyant entry from the UK. Thanks to Dan for the heads up and seems to know way too much about this competition.
Zombie Mods On Killer Vespas
I gotta tell you, I've been drawing a lot of zombies lately. But for some reason, I've been looking forward to drawing these zombies. I had a mental picture of what I wanted the finished drawing to look like and damn, if it didn't come out almost exactly as I envisioned it. I'll file this one again in the "wish I didn't have to give these away" category.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Looks Like Someone Took My Advice...
Mystery Question 5-7-07

"Bobby Bigelow was an average sixth grader. That is, except for the fact that he had the mind of Sherlock Holmes himself. One day, while walking around the block, he noticed two of the students at school arguing over something.Dan got the answer last week. The answer was a candle.
The two boys were Jeremy and Jacob. Jeremy was accusing Jacob of killing his pet cockroach! As Bobby looked at the shiny back of the creature, Jacob explained his story.
"Jeremy let me take care of his cockroach for the day," began Jacob, "I kept it with me the whole day. About half an hour ago, I noticed that the cockroach had not moved for a long time. When I found that it didn't move when I tapped the cage, I called Jeremy. I left the cockroach exactly as it was, and here we are. Jeremy accusing me of killing his cockroach."
After a few moments, Bobby concluded that Jacob had indeed killed the cockroach.
Why was he so sure?"
Help Me Find The Funniest Video I Have Ever Seen
So, a few years ago, before Tivo, my family and I were watching AFV (or Amercia's Funniest Home Video). This one episode featured one of the funnieist videos i have ever seen. There were so many layers of funny to it, I just had to see it again. But to this day, I haven't seen it since, in a repeat or even on YouTube.
The video It took place in a backyard. There was a guy with a mullet standing next to his girlfriend. Now, that alone is comic gold enough, but like I said, layers of funny. He is tossing a football around and his trusty dog is standing next to him. He tosses the football to his buddy. The cameraman follows the ball a few times. On one throw back, the ball hits the girlfriend in the nose. This startles the dog who then runs frantically away from mullet boy and girlfriend. There is a leash wrapped around mullet boys leg and when the dog runs, he pulls the rug out from under mullet boy and he slips and falls on his back to the ground.
Now, I know what you're thinking. What was so funny about that? Some mullet guy slips and falls and that's it? Well, the kicker is that when the camera pans over to the dog, we see that the reason mullet boy fell was because the leash was wrapped around his fake leg. The dog is running around dragging mullet boy's fake leg and mullet boy is hopping after him.
When I saw this for the first time, I almost couldn't catch my breath, I was laughing so hard. And I have not been able to find the video since.
So here is the task: If you can find me this video online somewhere on YouTube or Google, I will draw you your own personal Monster By Mail Or if you prefer, another little drawing if you're not into monsters.
So there ya go. Good luck and happy hunting!
The video It took place in a backyard. There was a guy with a mullet standing next to his girlfriend. Now, that alone is comic gold enough, but like I said, layers of funny. He is tossing a football around and his trusty dog is standing next to him. He tosses the football to his buddy. The cameraman follows the ball a few times. On one throw back, the ball hits the girlfriend in the nose. This startles the dog who then runs frantically away from mullet boy and girlfriend. There is a leash wrapped around mullet boys leg and when the dog runs, he pulls the rug out from under mullet boy and he slips and falls on his back to the ground.
Now, I know what you're thinking. What was so funny about that? Some mullet guy slips and falls and that's it? Well, the kicker is that when the camera pans over to the dog, we see that the reason mullet boy fell was because the leash was wrapped around his fake leg. The dog is running around dragging mullet boy's fake leg and mullet boy is hopping after him.
When I saw this for the first time, I almost couldn't catch my breath, I was laughing so hard. And I have not been able to find the video since.
So here is the task: If you can find me this video online somewhere on YouTube or Google, I will draw you your own personal Monster By Mail Or if you prefer, another little drawing if you're not into monsters.
So there ya go. Good luck and happy hunting!
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Hassling The Hoff
By now, I'm sure everyone has seen this video that is making it's way through the tubes of David Hasselhoff drunk and shirtless, eating a sandwich off the floor and being reprimanded by his daughter. But what I want to know is, does anyone else think he sounds like Chewbacca in this video?
UPDATE: Here is the link to the full version.
Should I Be Excited Or Feel Sorry For Her?

Friday, May 04, 2007
Heroes Speculation

WARNING FOR SPOILERS, for those who care about that kind of stuff...
Since Peter Petrelli can absorb powers of people around him, he can heal himself right? So why, on the last episode, did he have a huge scar across his face? Why did everything heal on him except for that?
Discuss.
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