As of 1/18/2019, DECADES OF (in)EXPERIENCE kicked off year numero 4! I’m amazed by how far this webcomic has progressed and assure you all that Antix Press and I have a lot more in store for our hapless every(person), Luke Carlin. Episode 2 was served up piping hot as of Friday, January 25th and you can catch it now by visiting my publisher’s site here. In the event you haven’t already, be sure to catch up on year 3 which is still online in all its glory at the archive of apathy.
Upcoming Appearance: Latino Comics Expo
I’m also incredibly excited, and immensely honored, to announce I have been invited to exhibit at this year’s Latino Comics Expo in March! A short history: The organizers and I hit it off immediately several years ago while tabling at the Salinas Valley Comic Con and have kept in touch ever since. Spending my formative years in Salinas I have inexhaustible love and respect for Latino culture and art. My boundless gratitude to Theresa Rojas, Javier Hernandez, and Ricardo Padilla for the invite! More info to follow. Hope to see some of you there!
Well, I obviously neglected a few months worth of blogging towards the end of 2018. Going forward I will be using this blog solely for major announcements and appearances. I tend to post far more frequent updates on my Instagramaccount, so be sure to follow me there.
If you’re looking for updates regarding my work with a side of social and political commentary you can follow me on Twitter as well. Anyway, here’s a rundown of the insanity which transpired between August and December of last year. Buckle up, kiddos, it’s quite the missive coming your way…
Marin Comics Fest
For the Marin Comics Fest kickoff, I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon at the new location for the Cartoon Art Museum with my pals Ron Evans (founder of the festival) and Lex Fajardo. Thanks to everyone who stopped by, including my cousins from the North Bay!
L-R: Lex Fajardo, Ron Evans, meWith my cousins Barbara (L) and Anne (L)!
Central Coast Pop Expo
October saw the 2nd annual Central Coast Pop Expo converge on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s Cocoanut Grove. I exhibited alongside comics pals Ray Zepeda, Jr., Matt & Brittany Loisel, and the inimitable Ace Continuado. I was invited to participate as part of the planning committee for 2019’s show, so I’m looking forward to assisting in making 2019’s show bigger and better!
‘Hometown Heroes’ panel
Effective Nerd Review of Decades of (in)Experience
On November 29th the Effective Nerd, run by one Aaron Iara, published a glowing review of DECADES OF (in)EXPERIENCE. Below is one of my favorite excerpts from Aaron. The full write-up can be read here!
Schumacher’s writing is poetic. Every line packs a punch.The dry wit paired with brutal introspection leave Luke with a personality of optimistic hopelessness. I know this is oxymoronic, but cognitive dissonance will do that to a person. The potency of these feelings is a testament to Schumacher’s writing style.
Speaking of DECADES OF (in)EXPERIENCE, year 3 wrapped on December 14th, 2018. Antix Press and I could not have come this far without the unwavering love and support of our readers so a resounding thank you to each and every one of you who takes the time to show up for the comic every Friday! Luke Carlin’s misadventures return next Friday, 01/18/2019.
Comic Con Review
On November 30th, COMICON published my first exposé for their website as a response to the Twitter tirade posted by Erik Larsen (Savage Dragon) early in 2018 in which he asserted that “there are very, very few outstanding talents out there who aren’t already working (in the comics industry).” Thanks to Hannah Means-Shannon for her guidance and allowing me to say my piece. Read the article here!
Last, but certainly not least, to cap off an incredibly busy and productive year I exhibited at the 3rd annual Salinas Valley Comic Con. I also has the distinct privilege of speaking on a panel about querying literary agents with new pal and fantasy/steampunk author Angelique S. Anderson. This show only continues to expand and I can hardly wait to see what the attendance may be in 2019! Thanks to everyone who stopped by the table and picked up some books.
Whew! We made it, folks. Thanks for hanging in there. I have so much in store for 2019 so I do hope you’ll continue to follow my creative exploits and help me spread the word about my work like an artistic venereal disease. Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and I’ll see you at a show (or at least an internet-capable device) near you soon!
Welcome to 2017, fellow denizens and reprobates of the internet!
Thanksgiving has come and gone. The holidays have passed along with impressive amounts of flatulence from the gastronomic onslaught of the season. Now as the streets and dumps are littered with the unnecessary carcasses of turkeys and pine trees we here in America brace ourselves for the fascist regime poised to take office in a mere twelve days. In an effort to avoid sending myself or any of you who may have stumbled upon this site into yet another bout of heavy drinking, allow me to focus on some of the creative goings on you may have missed since my last update.
November 2016:
Mr. Butterchips returned to the pages of Drunk Monkeys Magazine on November 11th, 2016 with a commentary on take-home pay. As you may be able to gather from the teaser panel below, our filthy-mouthed friend is none too pleased with the piddly amount earned from his back-breaking days of customer service. The strip can be read in its entirety here.
December 2016:
The “Get In Line” art exhibit ran for the month of December at the 4Word Gallery in Salinas and featured a dizzying array of work from cartoonists including Bridgett Spicer, Betsy Streeter, Ace Continuado, and myself. The opening reception was held on December 3rd, 2016 and after a few glasses of free wine (and shots from the hooch I smuggled in) I grudgingly agreed to pose for some photo ops with my work.
I was honored to be the featured cartoonist in the December issue of Drunk Monkeys published on 12/1/2016 devoted entirely to first-hand accounts from survivors of sexual abuse, in all its forms. All proceeds from the month, collected through either their Patreon donors or one-time donors, was donated to RAINN, the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network. This harrowing and beautiful collection of essays, short stories, poems, and art can be read here.
The Salinas Valley Comic Con converged on the campus of Hartnell college over the weekend of December 16th-18th, boasting 30+ vendors, cosplay, and a variety of panels with guests speakers ranging from Lalo Alcaraz (La Cucaracha), Andrew Farago (Cartoon Art Museum), and yours truly. If you weren’t able to attend the con, yet have a burning desire (or is that the chlamydia acting up?) to experience the Indie Cartoonists panel you can do so here. Video courtesy of Sean F. Roney.
From left: Bridgett Spicer, some curmudgeon, and Ray Zepeda Jr. during the Indie Cartoonists panel on Sunday 12/18/16
I ended the year in morbid style with a parable featuring the character Drunk Death conceived as an occasional foil for DECADES OF (in)EXPERIENCE. If you missed it you can still read the flash fiction piece here.
January 2017:
DECADES OF (in)EXPERIENCE returned to Antix Press on Friday January 6th, 2017. The second year year chronicling the weekly shenanigans of real American dirtbag Luke Carlin kicked off with a bang and promises to hold plenty of the wildly irresponsible life choices you’ve come to know and love from the series. Read the inaugural episode here.
Be sure to catch up on the archives from the first year of DECADES OF (in)EXPERIENCE as they will be disappearing soon to make way for the new year. A print collection of year one will hopefully be in the works soon and my publisher Antix Press is also in the process of producing some merchandise. Stay tuned for announcements…
My mantra for this year: Bitch less. Rage more. If you’re lucky enough to live in one of the states which has legalized its use, a healthy and frequent dose of weed doesn’t hurt either.
Howdy kids and welcome back to another woefully delayed update on this site’s blog. To be fair I have been fucking crazed these past few weeks wrapping up some projects, beginning others, drinking due to the upcoming horror show of an election, etc. Anyway, before I disappear into veritable artist hibernation to complete the pitch on my new graphic novel for my agent I wanted to update my 3 loyal readers on current goings-on.
October kicked off with a god-damn explosion courtesy of the fantastic folks over at Drunk Monkeys. This month’s issue was dedicated to the current election cycle, spotlighting the absolute absurdity of this nation’s deteriorated political landscape which has allowed a fucking xenophobic, misogynistic buffoon to have a leg in the race. When asked to produce the cover for the collection of essays and poems I scratched out several concepts before settling on an image which I thought summed up the overall lunacy of the campaigns tactical approaches.
The full version, as well as excerpts from the issue, can be viewed on Amazon where you can also purchase the stellar magazine! Amongst impressive missives by my writing cohorts Kim Bailey Deal, Gabriel Richard, Charles Joseph, and Editor-in-Chief Matthew Guerruckey you will also find the latest misadventure of that sick little monkey MR. BUTTERCHIPS. Check out the preview below and find out how it concludes only at Drunk Monkeys!
As of Friday October 21st my weekly DECADES OF (in)EXPERIENCE wrapped it’s first year of publication with Antix Press! An entire year of wrong turns and sharp lefts provided by our fallible anti-hero Luke Carlin. Antix Press and I will be taking the remainder of the year off, but plan to return on January 6th 2017 full of piss and vinegar. Read the final episode here and stay tuned for news and possibly a special feature in the next few weeks.
It was also recently announced that I will be a guest at December’s Salinas Valley Comic Con alongside cartoonists Bridgett Spicer, Betsy Streeter, and the Cartoon Art Museum’s own Andrew Farago. I will be sitting on a panel or two and possibly teaching a workshop on graphic novels… or writing… or how to create whilst drunk. For more details and updates visit the official facebook page here.
Now my dearest degenerates I will be taking my leave and burying my head in a pile of Word docs and artwork drenched in my own blood and entrails. The coffee is hot, the whiskey is on deck for this evening, and I am off to the races on the graphic novel track. I will make a concerted effort to update again before the holidays send the rest of my year into a 90 degree free-fall, but if I don’t quite accomplish said goal I’ll see you all on the other side of 2016. You’ll recognize me as the belligerent drunk covered in ink.
Most importantly… Happy Halloween, y’all! Let your fright flag fly.
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