Almost a year after I started, Arcanopocrypha is in a form to be downloaded (40megs) for all to view and whine about. So far, I’m getting really good responses from people and I’m excited to see what doors this will or wont open.

I blame Warren Ellis for this story. And Johnathan Hickman. And Brian Michael Bendis. And I thank them. In the last two years, they’ve been laying down some words that finally triggered in my mind to stop wishing and start doing. Specifically it’s been a combination of “now you tell ME a story” and “get off your ass and do it” and “commitment.” Since I started, and really committing to these scripts, I’ve never been nicer. Since I saw people read my stories and say, “you know, this doesn’t completely SUCK, Bob,” I’ve given myself the benefit of the doubt that I can pull this off.

I don’t think this story, Arcanopocrypha: the Journey Box, is the best. Of course, it’s not the new Watchmen, or anything other that a story that meets my emotional needs. Strangely, I don’t care if you like it… scratch that… I don’t care if you dislike it. Either it’s going to speak to you the way it does me, or it’s not. I hope it does but I’m ok if it doesn’t.

Since my work has become visible, I’m seeing a transformation - of how I see the world, how I see others, how I view myself versus what the world is, how others behave, what I truly am. I’ve always been bitter about the fact that we - humanity - could be so much more. Nicer in every way, but we deliberately choose not to. It’s very similar to the way people say things, “Like that may be so, but I believe in God so it must be wrong.” We COULD be a society that works towards the benefit of all. But we deliberately choose not it because something… else… something in OUR MINDS tells us to stop. Something in our minds is telling us to FAIL, but it’s our choice to listen.

It’s our choice to become authors and artists and creators of our future. Or we can choose to let others create the future for us, which isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s definitely less than optimal. But I’m no longer on the fence about this, and you’re welcome to come with me on this journey, but I’m going to expect you do deliver. And I want you to hold me to the same high standard.

Bob Kelly, April 2009

Yes, this is one of those cool “ooo, look at the stats with nice visuals and excellent music.” (Fatboy Slim rocks) But it’s a great example that we must adapt, and we must adapt at a faster rate than ever before. Everyone is going to suffer from being “too old” or “not up to date” - which is very similar to being within the proximity of a black hole - time slows, and we can’t perceive changes.

Time isn’t slowing or speeding with the Singularity/Posthuman Rise/Rapture of the Nerd - we’re just unable to adapt to the rate of change.

We’re knowingly obsolete.

And that’s ok.

Here’s the world wide premier of the first page of my first comic.

Click to view in Detail

Nuff said on this one.

Art shows are always entertaining. Especially the Phoenix Artwalk, which is to say, the digging for semi-precious gems in mountain of used shit-stained underwear. Sturgeon’s law is a total underachiever when it comes to the first friday artwalk. But I wouldn’t be mentioning this if I didn’t stumble on to Alexander Scott Hughes‘ Put a Tiger in Your Tank, which I’ll get to presently.

Honestly, I’m almost ready to shell out some money for some of these works. His work is emotional and he’s got some images that makes him stand out. And a lot of it smells of great potential.

He loves the scary ookie pop culture stuff (Nightmare Before Christmas, Invader Zim) which seems to be real popular with the crowd - it’s probably his bread and butter as an artist. And his work of young boys with bare chests are excellently rendered to my uneducated eyes - and if that phrase sorta creeps you out, I’d say he does a good job of keeping the innocence without making it creepy which is pretty cool actually.

But the gem in my [heathen] eyes is Put a Tiger in Your Tank, depicting the Exxon logo and 50’s slogan Tiger leaping with an Imperial Stormtrooper in the foreground. As I write this, it’s about 10 feet away and it’s got some fun energy with a bizarre pop-culture invade-the-world overtone to it.

Very enjoyable.