Biff the Vampire - RSS-Tastic!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:51:31 -0700

I figured I'd give folks a little warning on the strip being a little late. I'm putting the finishing touches on my art book so I can have it ready for ConnectiCon at the end of this month. I also want to drop a link here to the Biff Fanpage on Facebook. Yeah... I did one up so folks would actually have a place to get in contact with myself and other fans. Three years in and I'm just now starting to build a community. = P

Also, have a happy and safe July 4th. Watch some fireworks, grab some grub with your family and friends and enjoy yourselves. = )

'Till next time!

*Poof*

WWPhilly Wrap-up - Now in Audio Form!

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:37:10 -0700

For those who don't know yet, I've been a regular on the Moviehaus LIVE! podcast for a bit now. Ryan and I recently did an audio version of the massive write-up I did last week. It has stories and extras I left out of the write-up so I wasn't hitting folks with a three page wall of text.

You can check that particular episode out right here or by adding Moviehaus LIVE! to your weekly listening schedule. = )

Time for me to get back to the drawing board. 'Till next time!

*Poof*

"Rockhard Abs" - Sunday, June 28, 2009

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:37:10 -0700

Massive WWPhilly '09 Wrap-up!

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:55:12 -0700

Ah yes, this weekend was the first con of the season for me - Wizard World Philly. My friends and I pack up the car and head to the city of Brotherly Love to eat, game and read comics. This year was a little different but I'll get to all that soon enough. I'm going to try and break things down a bit and go by days this time. Yes, I've got that much to say so grab a coffee or other beverage of your choosing, maybe find a snack and get comfortable. Uncle Prophet's 'bout to tell some stories. = P

Friday:

First day of the con was interesting. We woke up kinda' late because we got in kinda' late. Oddly enough, the one known for keeping almost vampiric hours (Me) was the first one up. After a very long and confusing trip around downtown Philly looking for a place to park on the cheap, we headed toward Reading Terminal Market for some grub. The place was nice though I'm still tempted to bring extra cash and a decent cooler and go food shopping there next year. Many places to both buy food and supplies. We dropped in on 12th Street Cantina for some Mexican food (which was awesome). From there, we headed to the convention center.

We got inside, rolled up to the registration booths and paid for a three day pass. Unlike year's past, we didn't get badges. Instead we got these little bracelet thingies like what you get if you went to a carnival or some such event. Being the guy I am and used to stuff like this, I made mine just wide enough to slide off when I needed to. I've never been one to try and shower with something that could fall off/be ruined on my wrist. The place itself was oddly quiet but I didn't think anything of it. We went up to the second floor expecting the usual first day commotion over the Big Three comic publishers and folks up front... yeah. No. They didn't show this year. Apparently, they were over in North Carolina at Heroes-Con. I was bummed but thankful that I wouldn't be fishing around for headache medicine after each day.

I decided Friday was my day to save cash and make a plan of attack for Saturday. It was hard to walk over to folks in Artist Ally saying "I've got cash but I'm holding off until tomorrow. I'll be back then, I swear!" Anyone who has been on the other side of the table knows that's usually the last time you'll ever see them again. From there, my friends and I took in a couple of panels: How to Self Publish and Writing for Comics. The self publishing was essentially saying don't be afraid to do a web version of your comic and dropping enough helpful links for various printing and distro places to choke a horse! The writing panel was similar in that they were basically saying "If you want to write, you must write!" They were great and it was funny seeing folks just hanging out dropping knowledge about what they do and how they do it.

I did stop to talk with Brad Guigar of Evil Inc./Phables/Courting Disaster/Webcomics Weekly fame (Titles galore!). If you ever get the chance to talk with him for a bit without eating up his table time, do it. The guy is nice and funny and really made my day.

After the con, we all headed out for cheesestakes and gelato with my friend's cousin. Even got a chance to talk comics on the way there - Batman vs. Superman and why Bats always wins out against the Big Blue Boy Scout.

Saturday:

It started off like Friday - the Vamp woke up first again. After finding the parking place from before, we went back to Reading for some pre-con grub. I didn't think such a large place could be packed so tightly with people but it was. Wall to wall folks while my friends and I winded our way through the crowd RPG style. I almost bumped into Edward James Olmos while trying to make my my through the throng of hungry shoppers. We finally found the place we wanted to eat at - DiNic's Roast Pork and Beef. I grabbed myself a roast beef sandwich, swung around to Old City Coffee for a double mint hot chocolate and tried to find a place to sit. After a great sandwich and some good hot chocolate, it was time to make good on my promise and hit up Artist Alley!

Here's a quick tip for folks who go to a con: Bring a pencil and paper with you, make a plan and by Kirby's Ghost don't make a liar out of yourself! I hit up just about every table I said I would Friday because I wrote them down and kept track of everything. Nothing makes an artist feel better than someone actually coming back when they say they will. I've never been thanked by folks at a con so much before in my life!

I got most of my shopping done on Saturday. I picked up the latest issues of Lazerman and the Underburbs, grabbed a nice little horror anthology called Nightmares and Demons, snagged myself a copy of Evil Inc. Annual Report Vol. 4 and Lackadaisy Vol. 1 (Both with insanely cool sketches inside) and a small poster/sketch from the guys of Bunnies on Fire. Also scooped was a new Lantern shirt - a black t-shirt with the half of the Blue and Green Lantern Corp symbols on it. = )

After the con, we stopped in at a pizza shop to relax, eat and get some work done for ConnectiCon. My friend and I started talking about who we would like to see at CtCon and Franchesco's name came up. No sooner had we been speaking about him he walked through the door with some friends. It made for a quick and interesting conversation before we headed to the hotel to pack up a bit and get some sleep.

Sunday:

Reading Terminal was really quiet, we were late again and I was running on a coffee and another double mint hot chocolate.

I got back to the last person on my list of tables to hit up and had a very interesting conversation about old 50's scifi, ink washes and other such artist-type ramblings. I also grabbed myself a sticker from the very talented Jay Brant. After saying our goodbyes to folks, we headed out of Philly and back home.

Normally, the story stops there. This one has an interesting side note to it. My friend Christian was sporting his Blue Lantern shirt while I wore my new Blue/Green split one. We stopped to grab a little something at a Wawa's n Jersey. A trooper entered the store along with us. This trooper had a bead on us, more so on my friend. As we entered he place he asks my friend why he sporting a Blue Lantern shirt 'cause, as anyone following DC's "Blackest Night" story knows, Blue Lanterns can't do anything without a GL close by. That's right... random comic conversation with a NJ State Trooper on the way back. Hands down the oddest yet funniest thing to happen while coming back from a convention. = )

The Break-Down

Days Spent: 4

Cash Spent: $264

Posters/Pics: 3

T-Shirts: 1

Books: 2

Stickers: 1

Comics: 7

Sandwiches Eaten: 3

Area Used to Describe Distance Walked: "All of Christendom"

Professional Artists/Actors/Writers Chatted Up: Numerous

Professional Wrestlers Chatted Up: Just 1 (I'm lookin' at you Virgil)

Needless to say, WWPhilly rocked. Now to prep for Connecticon! = D

'Till next time!

*Poof*

WizardWorld Philly: This Week!

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:18:49 -0700

That it is, my friends! = )

My friends and I will be heading down to Philly for what marks the beginning to my convention season. Though I won't have a table, I will be walking around and taking in the sights. It's like a little vacation for me before ConnectiCon later in the year.

I'll drop info and a write-up when I get back (Monday or Tuesday) along with next week's strip. For now, I'm about to get some more stuff done and get to packing. = )

'Till next time!

*Poof*

"Glitterfang" - Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:18:49 -0700

Working on Designs

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 06:34:39 -0700

I'm going to do some design work live at around 4pm Eastern today (06-11-2009) so drop by if you like. You'll get to catch a glimpse at the Biff-related business cards I'll have on had when I hit up the conventions (and possibly carry on hand). = )

If you want to se the voodoo that I do when it comes to hard and fast design, check it out Live (possibly)! >.<

Live Broadcasting by Ustream

*Poof*

Comments?! O.O

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:45:39 -0700

Comments, indeed. Thanks to a suggestion via Twitter and a little code tweaking here and there, I have finally put into play a system that'll let folks comment directly on the strips. = )

All I ask is folks take the time and drop a comment every now and again on the strips. I love hearing from folks and I feel this is a better solution than starting a forum or something like that - great for the comunity yet far too large for a single person to patrol.

I hope you dig the addition as much as I do. Don't be a stranger and show some love! = D

*Poof*

"The 'In' Thing" - Sunday, June 7, 2009

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:45:39 -0700

My Persona

Wed, 27 May 2009 03:30:09 -0700

While checking my site's stats through Google Analytics, I came across something I had made but completely forgot about.

Being someone who builds and maintains a webpage (or pages, in my case), I have a couple different browsers I use on a daily basis. I'm a fan of FireFox and I noticed they have this new thing to skin the browser pretty much on the fly called Persona. Well, I built one for Biff that I could use on my own systems and sent it up for review. I guess it got accepted recently as I've gotten a couple hits from it. = )

It's now up on the Persona site for you to check out and maybe even dress your own browser up with. You can get it here.

Check it out, rock it if you like and tell all your friends. If folks like it enough, I may make some more. 'Till next time! = )

*Poof*

Almost based on a True Story

Sun, 24 May 2009 01:16:23 -0700

I have a bit of a love affair with old media. Not as old as Biff's, mind you, but old enough in this age of the Internet Music and Lossless Digital Audio formats. = P

I love records and have a bit of a collection built up, though almost all of it was gathered and belongs to my folks. I also have something like 200+ VHS tapes with about three films on each tape. Needless to say, that's a lot of movies. Unlike the movies, I'm still on the look-out for records both old and new.

I guess you could say the thing I love most about records is the thing people who download audio hate: I love the pops and crackles that come from a physical needle bouncing around in the groove of a giant piece of plastic. The sound isn't constant for each play, it's alive. Slight changes happen with each play from dust on the needle or simple wear, tear and subtle imperfections on the disc itself. It may be old and maybe even a little nostalgic sounding but it's how I feel 'bout them. What can I say? I'm a sucker for those old depereciated bits of vinyl. = )

Now go and find yourself some old records and give 'em a listen. Maybe you'll dig it more than you think. 'Till next time!

*Poof*

"Pops and Crackles" - Sunday, May 24, 2009

Sat, 23 May 2009 21:01:29 -0700

Speaking of systems...

Wed, 20 May 2009 14:17:35 -0700

I just finished a total refresh of my laptop. I do this every year or so but I've put it off recently due to procrastination and the lack of will to deal with it. It can become a bit of an ordeal prepping for it - finding all the program disks, making all your backups, finding anything that could toss a monkey wrench into the works before you start - but this one went fairly smoothly.

As a tech guy, I think people really should do clean reinstalls of their OS every now and again, regardless of system. It lets you go through old files and toss old things out... like a Digital Spring Cleaning of sorts. = )

I know, a vamp comic is probably the last place you would expect to find computer advice but there you go. It's back into the Art Mines for me. I have pencils to finish and inks to start. 'Till next time!

*Poof*

Audio, Video and Random Linkage

Mon, 18 May 2009 16:49:41 -0700

It's been an interesting weekend for me. = )

- I was on the Moviehaus podcast. Ryan Karl of Moviehaus, Bryan Young of Farnot, artist Jose Rodriguez-Ramos and I discussed everything from new/old Star Trek to webcomics for a good 2+ hours. Caution: Some spoilers and swearing abound but it's still funny as hell. = )

Check it out at http://www.moviehauscomic.com/

- While I spent some time fixing a system or two this weekend, I dropped by Hulu for some cartoons. I came across an interesting 'toon called Mushi-Shi. It's like an old Japan-style version of Black Jack with a supernatural twist. I really dug it and figured I should drop a link for folks to scope it out.

Check it out at http://www.hulu.com/mushi-shi

- I spend a lot of time with my systems on. They are my jam boxes, my information portals and the place I turn for interesting work. That said, every now and again some of my favorite artists draw via UStream. One such artist is J. Scott Campbell. If you're an old fan of his work or you want to see a comics pro do their thing, drop by his Ustream page every so often and see if he's working. It's an interesting glimpse into the creation of some amazing artwork. = )

Check it out at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/j.-scott-campbell-draws!

That's it for now. Time to start copying my info off my system and prep for a long overdo clean install of WinXP. Wish me luck!

*Poof*

"When Pigs Fly" - Monday, May 18, 2009

Mon, 18 May 2009 16:49:41 -0700