reruns: comics featuring maria!

I thought it might be fun/interesting to spotlight the handful of comics in which Maria, the student I talked about in yesterday’s comic, appeared.

This one was posted all the way back in September of 2009. It’s one of my favorites from the beginning of the comic.

This was was, I believe, posted somewhere around December of ’09. It resonated with a lot of people- I’ve gotten more e-mails about this strip than almost any of my others (although the one about my prejudice against vampire novels runs a close second as of this date).

I have some commissioned comics to show you for Wednesday, Thursday, and probably Friday. More teacher-related comics next week, I promise.

it gets better, part four

…and that’s it. I don’t know if these are good comics or not. I don’t know if I properly addressed the concerns I have or if I’ve just come off as lionizing myself. I’m collecting the first three comics behind this cut, if you’ve missed them or if you’re interested in readin’ them without scrolling back a week or so.

I’m not posting any teacher comics this week. I don’t have any saved up and I don’t want to crank out garbage comics… or at least, more garbage-y than usual.

chalkboard post 2010 – #12 & #13

This one came out good. I suck at drawing motion but I didn’t completely ruin it here.

Thursday was kinda boring, as it was also parent-teacher conferences and I wanted to go with a “standard” version of myself for all the moms and dads. One Mom completely schooled me in grammar, which I’ll be sure to write about in the upcoming week. Easily one of my most embarrassing moments as a teacher ever.

No drawing for Friday because we were in the computer lab… just for the heck of it, here are last Monday and Tuesday’s drawing. They were the same on both days because we had a VERY short week due to Thanksgiving.

my black friday finds

I mentioned yesterday that my one and only Black Friday destination is Half-Price Books. I’ve always loved used bookstores and living within a five-minute drive from one has been one of the perks of moving to Ohio. When I lived in New York, I frequented dozens of used bookstores a month, from destination stores like The Strand to tiny hole-in-the-wall establishments.

The problem with being a NYC book snob was that there are SO MANY that finding those diamonds in the rough was a most formidable challenge. A guy I used to know who turned scouring thrift stores and used bookstores into a sizable source of income once told me that there were New York City collectors who literally pay people to “cover” certain used bookstores, keeping their eyes out for certain books. I’ve never been sure whether to believe that or not, but the idea of it always tinged my enjoyment of digging through the shelves and stacks.

No such problem here in Southern Ohio, at least to my knowledge. Again, I’m not finding literary treasures beyond compare; usually they’re just comic book collections or used paperbacks I like.

Anyhow, I do a lot of “stocking” shopping at HPB on Black Friday, but I always make sure to pick up a book or three for myself. This is what I grabbed today. Keep in mind, I only spent around $10 bucks.

odds and ends

Happy Black Friday, if you care about that sort of thing! In general, I don’t. One of the luxuries of being poor is that you don’t have to worry about camping out at 3 AM to spend money you don’t have on things you don’t need. I will admit that in recent years, I have ventured out on the day after Thanksgiving, but entirely motivated by having small children who wake up at the crack of dawn regardless of what day of the month it is.

Befitting my financial stature, Elliot and I usually go and wait outside Half Price Books on Black Friday. We have a HPB within five minutes of our house so getting there is no hardship. Elliot’s an early riser, so there’s no problem there. Half Price Books Black Friday sale isn’t a crazy doorbuster (20% off and a $5 dollar gift card to the first 100 shoppers) but you can shop secure in the comfort that people who wake up early to go to a used bookstore aren’t usually the type of folks who will trample you to death over a DVD player or riot over a GPS.

———————-

Ellen and I have been enjoying AMC’s The Walking Dead in the past few weeks. If you know my wife, you know how remarkable that statement is. I’m a fan of a good zombie apocalypse, but they are not Ellen’s cuppa. When we started dating, I made her watch Dawn of the Dead (the Romero version, duh!), and she submitted to it with style and aplomb, despite her tastes running more toward Merchant Ivory productions. The Walking Dead has been fun for the both of us.

I’m a fan of the comic on which the show is based and have been reading it since 2003, I think. I have a copy of the first trade in my classroom’s lending library (on the restricted shelf, naturally) and it’s easily one of the most popular graphic novel collections I own. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: If someone can figure out how to write a YOUNG ADULT zombie book, they’d be millionaires. Kids love the inherent creepiness of the genre. I think the bloody trappings may preclude acceptance as a part of the YA ouevere, but I swear man… if you can run with it, it’s money on the table.

———————

Believe it or not, I may get to go to the movies this weekend! When you have two young children in your care, organizing a trip to the movies is something akin to planning a military operation… but it seems as if we have a babysitter lined up and the wife and I (and some other friends) will be going to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 sometime this weekend.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the HP movie series in the past few weeks. I’m a fan of the books and the movies and I’m looking forward to seeing the series out in grand style. For Potter-philes more hardcore than myself, they must be looking at these two movies as one of the last great gasps of Harry Potter fandom, in a global sense. No more waiting in lines at midnight to get some sort of Harry Potter fix, the story’s been told in print and on film.

Of course, there will be more Harry Potter. At some point, Hollywood is going to realize that there’s still gold in them thar hills and go about “remaking” and “reimagining” Hogwarts for new generations, no matter your opinion of how good these flicks are. I also have every faith that author J.K. Rowling will at some point return to her best-loved creations; she’s alluded to it enough times with reporters (and Oprah, a few months ago). For the time being however, Deathly Hallows closes the door on the whole world and I’m excited to get to see it on the big screen.

—————-

For those of you who have been waiting, I’m going to post Part Four of my “It Gets Better” comic on Monday. Being a holiday weekend, I thought it was better to post the comic on a day when people are near their computers than over the weekend when most are either (a) passed out from overeating, (b)watching football, or (c) shopping. It’s coming though.

pearce family holiday drawings: thanksgiving 2010

This year’s Thanksgiving drawing came out a little muddier than usual- I’m a total idiot when it comes to Photoshop, so I’m not very sure why. Our dog Roxanne is actually that cracked out and ugly.

Anyhow, Thanksgiving! Hope you have a happy one, if you’re celebrating. Ellen and I are hosting our first for some friends this afternoon and it should be a good time. I’ve already had to make three “emergency” runs to the grocery store, so I know there’ll be a lot of food.

it gets better, part three

I should modify that first panel to say “Most kids that I observe aren’t trying to be hurtful.”

Part 4 will likely be posted on Friday, due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Hey, I’ve got to pass my hat around again: With only 19 days and $82 dollars to go, please consider donating to this DonorsChoose project. I’m trying to get a bunch of scary books for my classroom. A couple of dollars here or there really makes a difference.

it gets better, part two

it gets better, part one

The “It Gets Better” project can be found here. I’ve been mulling it a lot lately, being that I work with a few of the young people for whom this cool project should reach. I decided I want to address one of the root problems that make LGBT teens life so hellish in high school. I have no idea if what I have to say will be at all valuable, but I like how the comics turned out and I’m excited to share them.

I’d be lying if I didn’t mention taking a little inspiration from cartoonist Lucy Knisley’s lovely “It Gets Better” comic strip, which is well-worth checking out.

chalkboard post 2010 – #11

I already posted this one.

 

I was trying to remember why I didn’t have a chalkboard drawing for Friday the 12th, and then I remembered, “I spend all Thursday night praying to the porcelain god!”

I was sick.