And So It Begins...

Today I officially launch and start posting comic book pages on my web-comic site www.oilcandrive.com.

The site still has a few glitches here and there and a few pages like the store and vault are still being worked on but, for better or worse, the pages start going up today.

The plan is to post three pages a week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. For the first year I'll be digging into the OilCan Drive vault and showing off every story and even some concept art I've done for the project over the past ten years.

I did a lot of books for these guys for no real reason other than to make myself happy. There was never a real plan to get published or be the next big thing in comics. I just really enjoyed drawing pages and telling stories this way. And I still do. Even after becoming a successful freelance artist working for big name children's books, magazines, and advertising agencies I would always carve out some time to do my own projects. I just couldn't stop.

And I still can't.

So, while the first year on the site will feature old stories, rest assured that while you are reading the old stuff I am working away on new pages and new adventures for my favorite rock and roll band.

But, back to the archives.

First up is the first OilCan Drive story I ever did. I came up with the idea for OilCan Drive sometime in 2001 and in early 2002 I was knee deep in drawing my first comic book featuring their adventures. I gave myself a self imposed deadline to get the book done and printed in time for the first ever Free Comic Book Day in May. It was also the first time I was really using Photoshop to color anything digitally and the first time I was attempting to letter a comic book by myself.

It was a lot to do in a short time but I was determined.

Even when they tried to kick me out of my apartment for a week to do some repairs to my kitchen I refused to leave and worked on this first story while walls were being torn down all around me. It was really a crazy time.

But, I got it done just in time to debut the book for Free Comic Book Day. What is great now is that I can share with the world the stories I did that were only seen locally by a very few people.

And while it's sometimes hard to go back and see some of the drawing mistakes I now wince at I hope you enjoy a peek into my past, warts and all. As an artist I continue to learn and always strive to do better than I did before. Over the next year you'll see some growth, a few stumbles, and a search to always get better at what I love doing.

Thanks for coming along for the ride and I hope you enjoy!