Hermit Hill | #122 | 05/29/09

Another Package for Ya!

Poor Walter is having a nightmare here. And that is pretty creepy. A box with legs and a tiny man sitting on top chasing after you is a nightmare I don't want to have. This is what happens when you have limited external stimulus, real elements from your waking life get twisted up into something grotesque. I've known a lot of people who have had nightmares about clowns, but what do clowns have nightmares about? Hmm...

The First Hermit Hill Book in the Making

I am coming up to the first anniversary of putting out Hermit Hill. July marks one year of Walter suffering on top of his earthy tower. I can't believe it's been a year already, but it has been so much fun doing this strip for you guys you just can't know how much satisfaction I get out of it.

I have started putting together a new book. It'll be a trade paperback that collects all Hermit Hill strips from the first year plus some extras like a how to draw Walter page, some sketchbook pages, several Hermit Hill comics that don't appear on the site and more. I have some requests out to people asking if I can use their fan art in the book and I wanted to open up that idea some more. If you'd like to send me some Hermit Hill fan artwork please send it via email and let me know if I have your permission to include it in the book (PSD or TIFF, at least 300 DPI, ZIPped and Greyscale, please).

I will have more details on the book as I get closer to finishing it and will have it up on the site for purchase soon. Right now I'm targeting early August so I can have it on hand to debut at the Dallas Comic Con. Let me know what you guys think!

Hermit Hill | #121 | 05/27/09

Never Underestimate the Enemy.

Ugh, how I hate ants. Every Spring around here they pop up all over my lawn in little towers of defiance. Every year it's a battle. I kill one hill and another pops up. It's a vicious cycle. I remember once I ran over an ant hill with my lawn mower. I knew it wouldn't have much lasting affect, I would have to get out the poison later, but it's such a sense of satisfaction to see them all suddenly exposed and freaking out. Anyway, I ran over the ant hill with the mower and stood and watched the scurrying and what I saw was kind of creepy. Several larger insects seemed to be suddenly set loose. A couple larger spiders, a moth that could no longer fly and a squirming worm thingy all rushed out of the ant hill towards freedom. The vicious little beasts were actually taking prisoners. The war rages on!

Hermit Hill | #120 | 05/25/09

Meditate on Silence.

Getting your laptop wet will completely screw it up, but having that happen as a result of a bird crapping on it just adds insult to injury. Walter's calmness will quickly disappear once he realizes what happened to his computer, but I left him in that moment of content happiness. Even though it won't last he can always remember he had it once.

Hermit Hill | #119 | 05/22/09

Flower Power.

It's been a while since Walter's been digging around in the garden. I guess seeing your own mental illness projected onto a plant might cause you to shy away from horticulture. This idea came to me as I struggled with a bout of writer's block. I was staring at the blank page trying to force something out and this was the result. Pow.

Hermit Hill | #118 | 05/20/09

It's Duncan.

Seriously, what is going on with TV these days? The new concepts I'm hearing about being pitched are such nonsense. What twisted mind thought Dollhouse was a good idea? Find me 5 minutes of plausibility in that series. I admit I like the show Burn Notice on USA, but that show skates by solely on the charms of the lead actors. The entire concept there is totally implausible. I think I saw a character order a drink once and that was the only plausible thing to ever happen in that entire series.

They all rip each other off too. One concept becomes popular and you can bet the next season we'll have twelve wannabes. Remember when Survivor first aired in the US? The next season we're awash with "Reality TV". So this show, Monk, gets popular, now we have a plethora of mentally quirky investigation/mystery shows like Dexter, Psyched and Bones. Where will the madness end? There's got to be a bottom to it all somewhere.

Of course, I'll watch it all. But I won't be proud of it. No sir!

Hermit Hill | #117 | 05/18/09

Splorsh!

I recently installed a new shower head in my own bathroom (inspiration revealed!) and it has made all the difference. If you have a weak flow I highly recommend this upgrade. I really look forward to taking a shower now. Puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day.

In today's strip you'll find a first for me. I believe this is the first nude drawing of Walter I've attempted. Hooray for webcomics, 'cause good luck getting a naked old man butt into the newspapers.

Hermit Hill | #116 | 05/15/09

Relentless.

I've still been toying with the Francis character design. I think he's looking better here, a little more character definition. And the pile of cookie boxes sitting on my desk in my office that I didn't even really want is proof those scouts are, indeed, relentless.

Hermit Hill | #115 | 05/13/09

Worth A Thousand.

I struggled for a long time on the punch-line for this strip. I stared at the last panel so long that it finally occurred to me I didn't need a punch-line. I'm hoping the visual gag carries the conclusion on it's own.

Hermit Hill | #114 | 05/11/09

Healthy Alternative.

Can't blame Walter here, tofu is simply an evil substance. But hey, Francis was at least thinking of the poor old coot. Here you see an updated design for Francis' character. I think it is much better than the rounded look I tried with him last week. The squared off look gives him more definition.

Hermit Hill | #113 | 05/08/09

Worms!

This bird is sort of a sad bird. What kind of bird gets run off by his own food? Walter's right about this one.

Hermit Hill | #112 | 05/06/09

Quit Bugging Me.

Well, here we are. This is the 100th Hermit Hill comic strip I've drawn. It's a totally arbitrary milestone, but still. Sounds cool to say that I've drawn 100 of these things. And there's Walter, still taking to things only he can see. How much torture for the poor guy do I have left in me? Hundreds more strips worth I hope!

Update: After the archive reboot this comic changed it's position to #112. But, rest assured, this was the 100th strip I drew for Hermit Hill.

Hermit Hill | #111 | 05/04/09

The Fly By.

The idea of having an arial photographer try to sell a print of someone's property to them is from a story I heard at work. This actually happened to someone I know and it actually sounded like a pretty good idea. How often do you get to see your property from that angle anyway? I mean, before Google Earth came along.

Comic shop patron buys one of my books at Zeus

Today I was at Zeus Comics in Dallas for Free Comic Book Day. While I was wandering around the store, checking out the scene, I noticed this going on just outside the window of the store. There were several long boxes of comics that were on sale and folks were rummaging through them looking for deals and for books to complete their collections.

This guy was pulling books he wanted to buy and stacking them up next to him. The odds of me looking out at this exact moment must be slim, because right on top of his pile as I looked out was one of my own self published books, Bramble Vine Comics #2. I was able to snap a pick with my phone just before he slapped another comic onto his pile. It was a nice little ego boost to be sure.

Hermit Hill | #110 | 05/01/09

A Little Buggy.

I tried to play around some more with the cartoon slang of indicated motion here. It's tricky but fun. Getting multiple faces onto one head and keep it looking like Francis is shaking his head, not a two headed freak, has a fine line.