This week's caption

Sad day in Tennessee

Tarra the elephant at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee just lost her best friend Bella, the dog. It looks like the work of coyotes. It appears that Tarra picked up her lifeless body and carried it back to the sanctuary headquarters. A while back when Bella was ill and cooped up in the office for two weeks Tarra stood nearby at the fence and refused to go anywhere without her buddy.

In addition to all the pro bono cartooning I've done for the sanctuary over the years whenever there was a problem, I was thrilled and honored a few years ago when Carol Buckley, the founder, commissioned me to do a special color illustration of Tarra and Bella together. Though I never got to meet them in person I've always felt a special bond with this devoted pair.

This week's caption

I started submitting captions in the local paper's contest several months ago. This week's winner is number eight for me....and, it totally surprised me in the paper on my birthday. A double whammie.

My THINKAFEELADOO comic, a mental health primer for young children is now available online. http://www.thinkafeeladoo.blogspot.com/  My hope is to find a publisher and/or backing to create a whole series of comic/workbooks for therapists, parents and teachers to use with kids. Volume One is already in use by top therapists working with abused kids.

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE ONLINE

Caption Contest

While I have never penetrated the hallowed halls of the New Yorker, I have scored six times in the local paper's Cartoon Caption Contest. My lastest....

Temple Grandin

I met Temple Grandin today and got to thank her for inspiring me to train KT, a rambunctious golden who's greetings could knock you over. I taught KT to go between my legs where I would put the squeeze on her with my knees, which calmed her down immediately. After a short scratch on the butt I give her a tap and she runs off to keep playing. I told Temple that without what I've learned from her I would have been knocked over a hundred times by now.

Time to vote!

It's time to vote in the Union of Concerned Scientist's political cartoon. Click on the link above to view all twelve candidates. Mine is number one. (That is both literally true and a semi-subliminal plug). This could be the year I earn the coveted cover position. It's all up to you. No pressure.....

               CLICK HERE TO VIEW CARTOONS AND VOTE

Living In Vertical Time goes digital

CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT IN THE iTUNES STORE

I'm still reading books by turning paper pages of like a troglodyte. For those of you actually living in the 21st Century I am pleased to report that my book is now available paperlessly through the iTunes iBookstore. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go rub a few sticks together and make a fire.

Choked up

Going to my first horror film festival in Kentucky proved to be a very moving experience as you can see by how choked up I got.

I even met some relatively normal people there such as young Addy Miller who played the younger version of Dakota Fanning in The Secret Life of Bees. Addy is a sweetie.

Photo credits: James R. Zorn  jameszorn@gmail.com

Grandma

Every now and then a family treasure pops up. This poster of my grandmother, the Queen of Irish Song, is one of them. She's wearing the Brooch of Tara given to her by the mayor of Dublin around 1902. Being born long after she was gone it is sweet to collect bits of history such as this.

The horror...the horror

Robin and I survived the crippling heat and humidity of Kentucky as well as the Fright Night Film Fest where I was a celebrity guest, signing Dark Star posters and the like.

Along the way I got to show off my nine year old student Dawson's mummy shirt. I fit right in.

Robin's coming along on this adventure adding to everyone's enjoyment, including her own. When we watched a skinny kid in a Darth Vader outfit shuffling through the lobby dejectedly we nearly wet our pants laughing. Just one of a thousand unique moments.

I drew a lot of cartoons for folks over the course of the three day festival. Eventually I realized I needed to draw one for myself. After all, a journey this long deserves documentation....From Sesame Street to Elm Street...

San Diego Comic Con

With the San Diego Comic Con getting under way I pause to appreciate the cartoon Sergio Aragones did for me in 1976 down there. It hangs over my desk, chastising me daily.

Last year's logo

I attended the county fair recently and came across a logo I created last year for their Wine Garden. It was designed for buttons and stickers. I was surprised to find it so big.

Upside down

I was teaching young Dawson about the anatomy of the eye today and how images are initially flipped upside down on the retina after passing through the lens and then rectified within the brain. He began staring at my head intently in order to invert it. You gotta be careful what you tell kids these days.

APPREHENDED!

View this photo at your own legal risk. I have just been apprehended by the Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising Legal Department for violation of intellectual property. The owners of the dogs pictured already have their t-shirts. I hope they won't be hunted down as well. The irony in all this is that years ago when I was Supervising Animator and Sequence Director on TWICE UPON A TIME we brought a 19 year old on board as a camera assistant by the name of David Fincher. Now if I can only talk David into autographing my friend's t-shirts they'll be worth a fortune.

That fateful day

I think I just discovered a photo of the day I decided to be a cartoonist. I don't think I've worn a suit and tie since then.

Caption Contest

Last week I learned of a local cartoon caption contest. I entered. I won. What did I win? The right say I won. A quick victory lap and then back to work.

So that's where I am!

Empire, the British film magazine, answers the question WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The answer is, "right here typing this blog entry". This page is from the April 2011 issue and reviews the recently released DVD version of Dark Star that contains a massive amount of extras. Thanks to Volker Engel, Oscar winning FX genius behind Independence Day, for scanning this and sending it to me. (The April issue of Empire has yet to make it out here in the hinterlands yet)

My mummy shirt

Now I'm sporting my very own Dawson mummy shirt. This kid will probably have his own clothing empire by the time he's 10.

Deposed

Tyrannical cartoonist deposed by angry young mob. Okay. A mob of one. One nine year old. Okay, so my student Dawson is taking over my studio. I was forced to bow to international pressure.

 

 

Dawson's mummy

No matter what drawing task I give nine-year-old Dawson every week it always turns into some sort of zombie. He just can't help himself. This week's anatomy exercise emerged as a mummy. Just another day at the office.

The Blue Ball Caper

KT (in the background) seems to have lost track of her two favorite blue balls. She's apparently spotted a red one but knows damn well it's not hers. Where in the world could her balls have gone? Meanwhile Cassie seems to have abandoned her customary mouthful of four tennis balls in favor of....."Your Honor, I submit this photograph as Exhibit A for the prosecution."

So long Jack.

In the early 70s I worked for Computer Image in Los Angeles where I created a kids TV series pilot with Jack LaLanne called Fit & Fun Time. It combined live action (I directed Jack in front of blue screen at an LA TV station) combined with some of the first computer animation (which I directed in Denver, using a room full of enormous Honeywell tape bank computers).

Jack would come to meetings and give me a thump in the chest with the back of his hand and ask, "How ya doin, Boy Genius?" I rarely had enough wind left in me to answer.

Jack was the real deal. The guy was fit. One day at his house he had his maid give me a tour of his basement gym. She told me he worked out down there from 4AM to 6AM every morning. On some mornings she told me his pal Clint Eastwood would come over and they'd work out together.

Jack died today. He almost seemed immortal. He was a role model who never fell off his pedestal. It just gave out underneath him. So long Jack. Happy trails.

Latest book cover

This is my latest book cover for Steve Bhaerman (AKA Swami Beyondananda). For more Tomfoolery you can visit his website at www.wakeuplaughing.com (At your own risk!)

Havana cemetery

After seeing cousin Evin's recent photo tour of a Parisian cemetery I wanted to share some of my photos from last year's trip to Havana. I believe their cemetery is the seventh largest in the world. I found this first photo to be one of the most touching I've ever seen at a grave. One could wander this cemetery for hours. The photo with me in it is at the grave site of Ibrahim Ferrer (of Buena Vista Social Club fame). This full size Pieta is one of two to be found there.

Happy Moo Year

We ushered in the new year at  the home of the great-great-granddaughter of Mrs. O'Leary, whose cow is purported to have burned down Chicago. (I hate it when that happens) This cartoon is now part of their family legacy.