Old Comics - the high school newspaper

At the end of my freshman year at Holy Name Central Catholic High School in Worcester, MA, I won a contest with The Worcester Telegram & Gazette and saw one of my editorial cartoons in the paper. It was thrilling! Later, as a sophomore, I was appointed the cartoonist for the school newspaper, The Napoleon (Don't ask, it was our mascot.) I held on to that post for the rest of my high school career. I loved sharing my ideas with my peers and seeing my work in print. The first two years were spent drawing editorial cartoons and making social commentary. My last year was spent telling the story of a senior named Wesley's quest for love.

I have an old high school friend who still asks if Wesley ever got the girl . . .

a surprise package

Ralph Macchio was just barking at the front porch. That could mean a few things. A cat was on the porch, someone drove by on a bicycle or . . . OR there was a package delivery.

Lucky for me it was a package. Receiving your first author copies ROCKS! I was taken completely by surprise.




Two weeks to go . . .

Old Comics - classes at the Worcester Art Museum

When I was in the 6th grade and the school arts budgets got slashed, my grandfather enrolled me in classes at the Worcester Art Museum. There, I took a ton of comic book classes, throughout my high school years. In two classes, we had our work bound and printed. It was so, so cool to see your work in print. Here are my two comics from those classes.

They are from my teenage years, so they're a bit more violent than anything I do now. (Blame it on the teen-angst.)


10th grade:

11th grade:



On a side note, my instructor for these classes, was none other than Mark Lynch, host of WICN's Inquiry.

Old Comics - 9th grade

When I was in the 9th grade, I wrote and illustrated a comic strip called "The Freshman" and actually submitted it to a national syndicate. Of course, it was nowhere near ready for publication. I would attempt once more to write and draw a daily strip before realizing just how difficult that format is.

Recess Monkey

Yesterday, Recess Monkey was in town. They're the ones who put together the killer song for Lunch Lady.


In the morning, they stopped by the studio. (Look for my cameo in their next DVD.) And in the afternoon, they performed at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

If Recess Monkey is playing in a town near you, you should definitely check them out. Your kids would love them. Head over to www.recessmonkeytown.com to look up their schedule and while you're there, pick up a CD or two.

Sketchbook Saturday

Old Comics - 7th grade

Here is a comic that I wrote and illustrated in the 7th grade. I don't remember too much about these characters, other than the fact that they were a bunch of animals who fought crime. Throughout my junior high years, I would write and draw my own super-hero comics. I even sometimes teamed up with friends who would write the stories and I would draw them.

Old Comics - what I read (and drew)

As a kid, I read a lot of comics. I wish I had all of the great graphic novels that are now available to the kids of today. I would write and draw my own adventures for some of my favorite characters. Those original comics don't exist anymore, but these renderings do.

Optimus Prime, 2nd grade

Snoopy, 4th grade

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 7th grade

X-Men, 10th grade

WJJK

My buddy Erich is on a road trip right now. While driving through Indianapolis, he came across a classic rock station called WJJK.

Signing off from Studio JJK, where we play all the hits, all the time . . .

Comic Con San Diego

Will you be at Comic Con at the end of the month? If so, come by the panel I am speaking on. It goes down on Sunday, July 26th at 10 AM. Here's what I was able to pull from the Internets on the session:

10:00-11:00 Kids’ Graphic Novels- What’s new and wonderful in the world of comics and graphic novels for kids in 2009? Moderator Robin Brenner, creator and editor-in-chief of NoFlyingNoTights.com highlights the works of panelists Lewis Trondheim (Tiny Tyrant), Gene Yang (American Born Chinese), Derek Kirk Kim (The Eternal Smile), Eric Wight (Frankie Pickle and The Closet of Doom), Chris Schweizer (Crogan’s Vengeance), Jennifer Holm (Babymouse), and Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Lunch Lady), who all recommend other great titles. Room 3

The Very Hungry Caterpillar and the Very Sleepy Pug

7 Impossible Things Before Lunch

The fine folks over at the 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast blog had me by to talk about the LUNCH LADY series. It's fun to hear their take on the books. I'm so eager for everyone to read them, but for now you can hear their reactions over at their very fine blog. Read all about it here.

Old Comics - 5th grade

While the Lunch Lady series of books will mark a new professional endeavor for me, the comic book format is something that I've been working in since I was a kid. So really, I am reconnecting with an art form I have long worked in. In the month of July, leading up to the publication of the first two Lunch Lady books, I am going to be posting some old comics. Some will be from my childhood years, some from my teen years and some from my college years. Most will be embarrassing for me. As an artist, it can be like sharing your awkward 7th grade school picture.

I will start with Lightning Man. I created this comic in 5th grade. Eventually these posts will come full circle back to this comic.

Winner of the Lunch Lady gear contest

Joyce from Avon, CT posted this picture of the lovely lunch ladies at her school:


They all win the Lunch Lady Gear Facebook contest. Look for an exciting weekly contest this fall. If you have some hammy lunch ladies, you too will be able to win some exciting prizes. Stay tuned . . .

And get your Lunch Lady gear here.

Birdsall and Obama

Birdsall and Obama. I knew there was something going on there . . . Copies of my buddy Jeanne Birdsall's book, The Penderwicks, were stuffed into backpacks for children of military personal by none other than the U.S. first family. How cool is that? Read all about it here.