While the cat's away...

...the cats will sleep.

Mutsumi has been updating me with daily Lotto and Clyde pics while I'm out here in California.

San Diego Pics

I bring my camera to every show I go to but never really use it, so I made a point of trying to take some pics out in San Diego this year...


The Activision/Marvrel booth where they're promoting the Marvel: Ultimate Allinace game I worked on. I cannot tell you how amazing this game looks!! It blows me away every time I see what Raven, Blur and Activision have developed!


Our Thursday signing... me with Power Pack writer Marck Sumerak and PP artists Chifiyu Sasaki and Naoko Kawano of Gurihiru.


"Can you please sign 100 postcards for us, Mr. Cebulski?!" Which I happily did...


We had a wonderfull Runaways Reunion yesterday, where we got as many people who worked on the book together for drinks. From the left, that's inker Craig Yeung, ex-editor MacKenzie Cadenhead, colorist Christina Strain, penciler Takeshi Miyazawa, me and writer Brian K. Vaughan. Adrian Alphona and Jo Chen were sorely missed!


Snales On A Plane... and on the con floor!


And who's that lurking on the left, watching Marvel kick DC's ass 23-10 in softball?!

Me in SDCC

San Diego Comic Con is on and I am here!!

Day-to-day reports and updates to follow...


Thanks to Jonah at CBR for the pic!

Help Support ACTOR

This September, I'll be one of several creators participating in the charity anthology, ACTOR Comics Presents... (I even get my name on the cover!) The proceeds from this 152 page benefit book, featuring original stories by Stan Lee, Paul Dini, Mark Waid, Mike Oeming, Joe Linsner, and tons of other creators, will go directly to ACTOR to help out stuggling comic artists in need. My two contributions will be:

S.A.S.E. (Send Another Submissions Editor), with art by Rob Guillory, a humorous little romp detailing my personal horror stories from portfoilio reviews at conventions over the years.

DANCE, with art by Joao Lemos (artist behind my upcoming Image book SHIKI), which is a globe-spanning silent story that shows how the art of dance can bridge cultures and unite people.

I'll be posting interior art soon. But in the meantime, I kindly ask that you pre-order this book through your local retailer. The order code is JUL062782 and it goes on sale September 13th. And please help spread the word if you can!

Thanks for your support!

Why Do I Open Myself Up Like This? :)

The first issue of my autobiographical comic, WONDERLOST, is fully written and the scripts are in the hands of the artists with pages now slowly rolling in. I've been working on putting together the stories for the second issue, which will be a little more humorous and "adult" than the first issue. Got two great April Fool's stories I remembered thanks to a conversation with an old friend! Anyway... I was just grooving with a little Jesus and Mary Chain when one of the artists e-mailed over to request a better pic of 18 year old me. So as I had my high school yearbook handy, I scanned my senior photo in for him. After sending it over, I figured 'what the heck?' and posted it here as well. So yes, that's me... 17 years and 100 pounds ago!

Short

Just got back from the barber shop. Went in for a quick early summer cut, and I have to say, it may be the only buzz I have to get all summer. I asked the guy to go short, but he went way shorter than I expected. Damn! Usually he goes in and takes one pass and I have to tell him to go a little shorter, but this time he went right for the scalp on the first go-around. It's tough for me to judge in the mirror too as I have to keep my glasses off when he cuts or I would have stopped him. Oh, well... at least I got my 18 bucks worth!

I used to get my hair cut four times a year, my "quarterly cut" as my buddy Chris G. used to say. I've been going bi-monthly these days, trying to keep up the clean cut appearence at conventions and family gatherings. But the way this guy chopped me this time, I may be good all the way through Toronto Con come Memorial Day!

The Magic of Guru eFX

The final version of the Sienkiewicz X-Men Fairy Tales page I posted earlier this month, courtesy of the color cowboy himself, Lee Duhig!

Good Grub in Charlotte, NC?

Alright, time to put the power of the internet to the test!

I'm heading down to Charlotte, North Carolina for Heroes Con this weekend. I hear it's an amazing convention and it should be a lot of fun!! I'm looking forward to seeing anyone else on this list who's heading down there.

Now for me, trips to conventions are about two things... comics and FOOD!! As you can tell by looking at the size of me, I love to eat and there's nothing I like more than chowing down at local eateries wherever I travel. I've gotten pretty good over the years, knowing where to get the best cheesesteaks in Philly, fish tacos in San Diego and hot dogs in Chicago. However, this is my first trip to Heroes Con and I need your help!

Where do I go to get good grub in Charlotte?!

Bear in mind, I'm not a classy guy. I don't need recommendations for five star restaurants. I want to know where the down home, off the beaten path, greasy spoon joints are. I wanna eat where the locals eat. And I eat anything, so don't hold back. Grease, spice and calories do not scare me!

I assume BBQ is gonna be on the menu. I've heard all about these amazing NC mustard based sauces. Which place does it best? What else do you think I would enjoy? What do I have to try before I head back to NYC?

Hook me up, folks!!

It Ain't Tone

I was up at Marvel today and finally got to see Kei Kobayashi's pages for X-Men Fairy Tales 4 that just came in. OH MY GOD! My jaw dropped! They are absolutely amazing!! I can honestly say that there is no artist working in comics today that does what he does, stylistically and/or technically. I have no idea how he gets ink to do what it does on his pages. The line weights and layering are one thing, but he creates these fine textures and gradients that even some of the artists in the office couldn't figure out. If there's one book that ever deserved a black and white version, it's this one.

I'll share pages as soon as we have scans.

Lost in Love

I've been on an Air Supply kick recently. I have no idea why.

Yes, it's acceptable to make fun of me for this.

This Week's Comics

A bunch of people have e-mailed over asking if I still read as many comics as I used to given that I haven't posted about comics here in a bit. The answer is "Yes", I read just as much now as I always have. So before you start asking what I've been digging recently, here's what I picked up today, in no particular order...

Ultimates 2 11
Astonishing X-Men 15
New Avengers 20
Eternals 1
Ex Machina 21
Tag 1
Conan 29
The Portent 3
Star Wars Legacy 1
Star Wars Rebellion 3
Noble Causes 21
Iron Man 9
Nova 3
All Star Superman 4
Shadowpact 2
Flash 1
Superman/Batman 27
Robin 151
Casanova 1
Captain America 19
Uncanny X-Men 474
Uncanny X-Men Annual
Wolverine Origins 3
Justice 6
Haunt of Horror 2
Girls 14
Fear Agent TPB
52 Week 7
BLAME! Vol. 4
Naruto Vol. 10
Monster Vol. 3

Me at MOCCA

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art is proud to announce it's slate of Summer 2006 Courses. This will include a seires of Friday night seminars, the first one being:

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT WORKING IN COMICS
(BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK, UNTIL NOW)
Instructor: C.B. Cebulski
Class Limit: 40
Pre-Requisites: None
Fee: $10
Friday Night, 7:00 9:30
July 28th
One Night Seminar

Join C.B. Cebulski for this no holds barred question and answer session about making it in the field as an artist or writer. Cebulski's work has been featured in New Mangaverse, X-Men Unlimited, Spider-Man Unlimited and the X-Men Fairy Tales series from Marvel. Having worked as a translator, editor, coordinator, consultant, agent, recruiter, licensor and publisher in the Japanese, European and American comic book markets for the past decade, he's finally discovering what life on the other side of the desk is like as he takes on the role of freelance writer. He'll also be launching a few creator-owned comic series through Image this fall. Refreshments will be served prior to and after the session.

All courses take place in the MocCA Gallery, 594 Broadway, Suite 401, New York, NY 10012.

For more info, or to register, either stop by the MoCCA Gallery or, e-mail Matt. Murray at info@moccany.org, with Summer Education in the subject field.

Dragon Watching

Unable to prowl the outdoors like country cats, the extent of Clyde and Lotto's hunting is usually limited to 99 cent toy mice that Mutsumi and I toss around the apartment for them to chase. However, they also spend countless hours perched in the windows, staring outside at all the birds that fly by and taunt them. Chirps, hoots and the flutter of wings often alert them to the birds' presence and they bound into the windows, tails wagging with their full meow on. But today, they both started going crazy staring out the living room window, but as far as we could see there was nothing out there... until closer inspection. As it first caught our eyes, it was like a big black streak that just zoomed by, but then the shape came back and hovered there in place. Both Mutsumi and I had to get up to see what it was as it was clearly not a bird. And just as we did, it landed on our air conditioner... the biggest dragonfly I had ever seen! It was about the size of a pigeon! I shit you not. The thing was enormous! The cats both lunged forward scaring it back into flight, but it continued to hover around the window driving them nuts. I wish I'd gotten a picture of this thing as it was out of control! I didn't know they could get that big! Now I'll keep watching the news for reports of mutant dragonflies terrorizing kids in Central Park.

Finally Feels Like Summer

We have not had to use our air conditioner yet this year. The temperature really hasn't creeped up that high so far. Nights have been comfortable with just the windows open. Until this weekend. Temps and humidity climbed come Friday and it was time to crank up the AC. However, as both Mutsumi and I are sick, her with her throat and me with my chest, sleeping in the cold was not the best idea. So we sweated it out uncomfortably last night. Uggghhh!! :(

In with the New and Old

Since you can't go anywhere these days without hearing "Crazy", Mutsumi had me download the Gnarls Barkley album. After a few listenings, I can't say I'm all that into it, but I'll give it a few more spins. Truth be told, new music and me don't really mix all that well these days. However, I love the fact they do all their promo photos as famous onscreen duos and their MTV Movie Awards appearence decked out as Star Wars characters was awesome!

I did also download a handful of older Bon Jovi tracks I was missing and they still ROCK!!!

Cost Perception

I have no idea why I'm going to share this...

I'm a creature of habit. When I find something I like, I stick with it. This is especially true when it comes to personal hygiene. I use the same brands of deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, shaving cream, razors, whatever... for as long as I can remember. The only time I change is when the product I like is discontinued, and then I just find something similar and use that for as long as can be. Speed Stick and Noxema have been making money off me for decades. But this actually has nothing really to do with my story...

The other day I'm in my local Price Wise and I remember I need shampoo. These days I'm using Herbal Essences. (It used to be Salon Selectives until they stopped making that, then Fructis until they discontinued the kind I liked.) So I walk in, see my shampoo and grab it; $3.49 for their Fruit Fusions blend of mandarin, starfruit and papaya. But as I turn to the register, a bottle of Bed Head's TIGI shampoo catches my eye. You see, Mutsumi bought a bottle of this stuff on sale a while back and I really dug it once she convinced me to try it. The problem is the stuff is like $10.00 for a small bottle and I refuse to pay much that for shampoo.

As we're leaving I turn to Mutsumi and tell her "One day, if we ever get rich, I'm gonna start using TIGI." She turns to me with a confused look on her face and simply asks "You'll pay $20 for a round of beers for you and your buddies that lasts you all of 15 minutes but won't pay $10 for a bottle of shampoo that will last you a month?!" And that got me thinking...

So for the last few days, whenever I've spent money, I've put it in terms of bottles of TIGI. I was late meeting a friend for dinner and took a cab instead of the subway and that cost me about 2 bottles of TIGI. That dinner cost me 5 bottles of TIGI. I went out with the boys on Thursday night and dropped about 6 bottles of TIGI on pints and whiskey. Spent 4 bottles of TIGI at Whole Foods on steaks and swordfish. We went to Cold Stone Creamery and spent a little over one bottle of TIGI on two ice cream cones, fer chrissakes! So as dumb as it sounds, it's made me put a lot of my spending into perspective. One simple question about one bottle of overpriced shampoo has made me look at the way I drop my hard-earned cash. Weird, huh? But what's weirder is that while mentally I can still justify spending the money on fine dining and boozing, I still can't see myself spending it on hair care.

The true test will be next month when my Herbal Essence runs out and I have to go back to Price Wise for shampoo. Will I be able to shell out the cash for the damn TIGI?! Stay tuned, I guess...

Call of the Wild

I feel almost guilty posting these...

We had the camera out and were taking pictures inside the apartment the other day when Lotto and Clyde started "playing". At first it was a little harmless rolling and tumbling, but then Clyde got a little rough. We were able to turn and snap a few quick clicks before I had to jump in and break them up. It was Animal Kingdom right here on the Upper West Side...

Lazy Saturday

I'm home sick today. It sucks as I was supposed to head up to my buddy Mike Marts' house for a little summer BBQ action, but my chest is killing me and I'm coughing up a storm. Mutsumi's sick too with a terrible sore throat and headache, so we're both down for the count. She's been resting in bed while I've parked myself on the couch to watch the World Cup.

First off, I just noticed each World Cup game has its own custom balls. If you look closely, each ball has the names of the two teams playing that specific match. Pretty awesome!

In the first match today, Ghana upset the Czech Republic 2 to 1. It was a great game that Ghana clearly deserved to win as they outplayed the Czechs right from the kick off. This game actually took me back to my old CPM days as I had two friends there, Karel from the Czech Republic and Freddy from Ghana, who were both big soccer fans. Karl's up in Boston these days and Freddy's back in Ghana, but I'm 100% sure they were watching the game. Would have been a blast two watch it with them together. But I'm sure Freddy's partying it up at the moment, celebrating the victory, while Karel's crying in his beer. Sorry, big guy!

Old CPM memories also surfaced in the second match, the USA vs. Italy, as I kept thinking about my old pal Valerio, who's now back in Italy. Depsite all the time he spent in the States, I'm positive Val was rooting for his home team, but shitty officiating kind of ruined that match, which ended in a tie. Oh, well...

Time to go read some comics now...

Phoenix Anime Fest

BLAME! creator Tsutomu Nihei and I will be guests at the Phoenix Anime Fest on December 1-3 later this year.

http://www.phoenixanimefest.com/

Sweden Wins!!

They just beat Paraguay 1-0!!

Soccer was always my sport and I am loving the World Cup!!

The Test of Time

As some of you may know, I'm currently writing an autobiographical anthology about the misspent adventures of my youth. The first issue of Wonderlost, a 64 page tell-all of teenage romance, hits stores in October/November. I'll be talking more about the project and posting art and more details as we get closer to the release date.

To put me in the mood for writing these stories, I've downloaded a lot of old albums I was listening too back in the day, from 1985 to1989, most of which I still own but are on cassette tape down in the basement of my parents home. It's amazing how some albums stand the test of time and others don't.

U2's War and Live At Red Rocks are still musical masterpieces.

Depeche Mode's early singles from 81-85 don't hold up so well. What the hell I was thinking listening to some of these tracks?! Black Celebration still kicks ass though.

Jury's still out on Yaz's Upstairs at Eric's. Some of the songs still make me emtional and bring up lost memories. Others make me cringe!

Newly Inspired!

Well, I'm thinking about getting back into the blogging game again! I had a little crisis of faith (more on that some other day) in mid-April and that's why my blogging kind of slowed to a near halt over the past few months, with only a few random self-promotional posts appearing here and there. However, I feel like I have to get back on the wagon again. And credit where credit is due, I have Tom Brevoort to thank for my newfound inspriation. He just started his Blah Blah Blog over on marvel.com and has been posting like a madman. All his posts have been enjoyable and enlightening and he's encouarged me to start talking again. (But only after I finish my scripts for him!) Thanks, Tom!

So my babbling starts again! Updates on work and life, reviews, quotes, recipes, drunken rants, whatever... it will all be back!

Spread the word!

XFT 2 On The Way!

X-Men Fairy Tales 2, featuring the incredible art of Kyle Baker, goes on sale Wednesday, June 21st. This issue looks at the relationship of Professor X and Magneto as told through the African folktale of "The Friendship of the Tortoise and the Eagle". Issue one sold out, so be sure to reserve your copy today!



Visit http://csls.diamondcomics.com/ to find the shop nearest you.

I just got in Sienkiewicz pages...

...and had to share! This is a scene from X-Men Fairy Tales #4, where our blind "prince" discovers a raven-haired "sleeping beauty"!

MySpace Success Story

MySpace gets a bad rap for supposedly being nothing but perverts trolling for underrage girls. This pisses me off as it's just like saying all Japanese manga and anime is porn, when nothing could be farther from the truth. Manga is now breaking that stigma, and hopefully MySpace will too.

I've only been on MySpace for about a month and I've already found it a very useful tool. Originally, I set out use it as a way to network and promote my upcoming projects. Little did I know that it's also and amazing way to meet and get in touch with an incredible online artsitic community. There are thousands of artists posting here and if you take the time to look a little you can find so many talented people looking for work.

Case in point, I'm doing a short six-page story in an upcoming charity anthology. I wrote S.A.S.E. (Send Another Submissions Editor) which is about true stories of portfolio reviews I've done at cons over the years. I needed to hire an artist who was familiar with cons, could capture the real world aspects of the story, understood the humor of the script, and could bring a slightly skewed style to the project. And along comes MySpace.

I was just clicking around one day looking at different folks friends when I spotted a cool profile pic, hand-drawn in a sweet style. So I clicked it and came across the artworkof Rob Guillory. You can check his stuff out too at http://www.myspace.com/rob_guillory. So I e-mailed Rob and we got to chatting, I checked out his site and loved his artwork. He was just what I was looking for. I sent him the script for S.A.S.E, he dug it, and the rest is history! So there, the power of MySpace used for good!

As I'm the main character in the story, I sent Rob over a few pics of me, and he designed me as you see me above. He nailed me on the first try. And wait until you see what else he's done!! It's been a blast working with him!

Rob and I wil be posting more designs, art and info on the project in the coming months! Stay tuned...

X-Men Fairy Tales 2 Preview

The Broken Frontier has been kind enough to post a preview of the upcoming issue of X-Men Fairy Tales 2, written by yours truly, fully penciled, inked and colored by the truly amazing Kyle Baker!!


Please head over and check it out here: http://www.brokenfrontier.com/headlines/details.php?id=1500

Here's a quick peek...

A CBC Two-Fer Tomorrow

I have two comics hitting shelves tomorrow, May 17th. X-Men Fairy Tales #1 debuts, featuring the beautiful painted art of Sana Takeda. And as one series launches, another ends as New Mangaverse wraps with our fifth issue. The action-packed climax is brilliantly illustrated by Tommy Ohtsuka with colors by the madmen at Guru eFX.

An ending and a beginning, both on the same day...


Thanks in advance for checking them out!

Nobel Prize Lecture

Sometimes you come across a quote you want to share...

"When we look into a mirror we think the image that confronts us is accurate. But move a millimeter and the image changes. We are actually looking at a never-ending range of reflections. But sometimes a writer has to smash the mirror-- for it is on teh other side of that mirror that the truth stares at us." - Harold Pinter

A New Day, A New Notebook

Usually, wherever I go I keep a notebook and pen handy. I write down anything that comes to mind or that I experience; things I think are worth jotting down and keeping. Ideas, imagery, funny stories, memories, things I saw, conversations I overheard, feelings, drunken ramblings, personal confessions, quotes, dreams... whatever. I've been keeping books like this for years. And whenever I'm stuck or need an idea or feel nostalgic, I open up one of the old ones and start reading. A trip down memory lane in some way, shape or form every time...

My last notebook was started in September 2004 and just last week I filled the last page. Black ink to the last line. No more room.

So it was time for a new notebook. Time to start fresh. Blank pages!

Hence, the new profile pic. Me with pen in hand ready to keep the creative process flowing. I never know when inspiration's gonna hit or what's gonna come out of my mind through that pen.

It's this constant uncertainity, this mystery, that makes writing so much fun.

If I was a Nintendo character...

...this is what I would look like!


Created by my friends down under at Torus Games. Thanks, guys!!

Newsarama XFT Interview

Matt, Ben and the fine folks over at Newsarama have posted an interview I did with them about my upcoming X-Men Fairy Tales series for Marvel. They also have some beautiful preview pages showcasing Sana's amazing work from issue one. Please head over and check it out!

http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1913163

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

In the new issue of Game Informer magazine, issue 157 with Red Steel on the cover, there's a six page article debuting the new video game I've been hard at work on with Raven and Activision, MARVEL: Ultimate Alliance. I've been serving as a story consultant and it's been a blast! While it uses the same engine that the X-Men Legends games were based on, Ultimate Alliance stars the entire Marvel Universe cast of characters and takes action/RPG gaming to a level you will not believe! The story's pretty awesome and the graphics are simply incredible. The article features all kinds of concept art, screenshots and designs, so please be sure to check it out. And it even name checks yours truly, although miscredited as an editor still. :)

1up.com has also picked up on the news:

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3149663

Box From Japan

Just got a new box of goodies from Japan thanks to Aki. Lots of AWESOME stuff this month!

The new S Magazine, one of the best issues in a while in my opinion, with a Masamune Shirow interview and an amazing Kei Kobayashi piece. One of his best yet!

Three new comics by Ryusuke Hanamoto, one of my new favorites

The new issue of Champion RED with the first part of the new Witchblade manga

Sho-u Tajima's new artbook, Girls on Light Velocity. Everyone needs a copy of this!

The fifth issue of Robot

The new Ultimate Spider-Man gashapon from Kaiyodo, which are amazing! Mark Bagley's artwork brought to sculpted life!

And the incredible new Range Murata artbook, formcode

A perfect way to spend a rainy day!

Hate My Writing Sometimes

Sometimes your writing comes back and smacks you in the face and I hate when that happens.

I usually hold on to my scripts until the last minute and reread and tweak them endlessly. I want them to be perfect when I turn them in. And once I've handed them in and they're sent to an artist, I like to forget about them for while. But only for a little while. There's a satisfaciton that comes along once you've finished a script; a weight is lifted off your shoulders after hitting send on the e-mail to your editor. It's always such a great feeling.

Then there're days like today where I feel they've come back to haunt me.

I read two of my new books today and I hate some of what I wrote. Specifically, I'm talking about New Mangaverse 4 and X-Men Fairy Tales 1. It all sounds so good in your head when you're envisioning it and typing it. The dialogue flows, the characters move, you hit all the right beats. But it's never the same when it's illustrated and printed. Now don't get me wrong, I could not be happier with the art Tommy and Sana did on these books. They LOOK great! I'm worried I failed in the scripting department though. I think some of the dialogue in Mangaverse falls a bit flat. The jokes don't play as well as they should. And in XFT, I think I wrote it a bit too formally. I tried to make it more of a serious fairy tale, a cautionary tale, but I think I made thr narrative voice too stiff. I went it and did some rewrites today as we had time, but I still don't know if it comes off as naturally as I hoped it would.

Some writers I know could care less about the final product. They turn in the script, cash their check and never worry about it again. I can't do that. I'm more hands on. I want to be a part of every step of the creative process. Everything needs to be perfect. Yes, I'm probably my harshest critic, but I can't help beat myself up month after month when I know I could have done a better job... at least in my mind.

I know, I know... Suck it up, Cebulski!

On Sale 4/19

New Mangaverse 4, the penultimate issue of my five part Marvel mini-series goes on sale this Wednesday. I'm actually pretty happy with this issue, and Tommy's art kicked ass this month! Please check it out.

Now on My Space

Chesterfest is also now on My Space.

http://www.myspace.com/chesterfest

Not sure exactly what I even doing there yet, but I hear it helps for promotion and networking.

I have six friends already. Yay!

Weekend TV

No real reviews to post, but I always enjoy seeing the lovely Lindsay Lohan and thought this week's episode of Saturday Night Live was better than usual. Journey to the Disney Vault cracked me up. I thought Laser Cats could have been fuinnier though.

And the J.J. Abrams produced/Dana Stevens created What About Brian started yesterday as well. And as I'm a sucker for romance stories of any kind, this show was right up my alley! I actually really enjoyed it.

New Otomo Project

And I just mentioned Katsuhiro Otomo yesterday...

Well, it seems he's got a new project coming up, one called Freedom Project actually. It's part of a Nissin CUP NOODLE advertising campaign and the preview is online here: http://freedom-project.jp/

You can get a little info on it, download some wallpaper, check out a 15 second animated commercial, and follow the countdown clock to the launch. The countdown is in seconds, but if my math is right, it looks like Freedom Project will start in about in a little over a week.

Thanks for pinting this out, Aki!

Enjoy, folks!

World Premiere

Marvel has given me the OK to debut some art from X-Men Fairy Tales #3 here online. Thanks, Jimmy Mac!

First off, the cover...

Like most writers, I keep a list of "dream artists" who I would love to work with one day. Renowned French illustrator Claire Wendling's name sits firmly in the my top three. So I could not be happier to announce that Claire will be bringing her artistic grace to our cover this issue:


I believe this might even be her American comics debut...

A heartfelt thanks to my friend Olivier Jalabert for helping make this happen! I owe you, brother!

Katsuhiro Otomo... I'm coming for you next!

And speaking of manga artists, the issue's intertiors will be illustrated by one of the most talented and accliamed artists currently working in Japan, Kei Kobayashi! Kei was my partner-in-crime on the masterful Medusa story in the I (Heart) Marvel special that received rave reviews, and he's going to top himself on this story. See for yourself:


X-Men Fairy Tales #3 is on sale in July and available for pre-order in the upcoming Diamond Previews catalog!

A New Career?

I took apart my Mac this weekend to replace the keyboard. Not much work really, but I'm amazed that their laptop keyboards are one simple removable piece. If this comic writing career ever dries up I guess I can always go work for Apple tech support now. :)

I had to replace it as I wore away over half the letters on the keys, as you can see. I could still type as I've come to instinctively learn where the letters are, which I guess is how most normal people type. No, I never took typing in high school so this is all new to me. Still, there were too many mistakes happening as I couldn't tell 'E' from 'R' as I looked down and it was becoming time-consuming going back and fixing every line of script. So Apple hooked me up with a new one for free and now I'm good to go!

Gotta love Mac!!

On Sale This Week, 4/5

Homebody

I was just on the phone with a tech guy from Apple trying to get a new keyboard and while he was waiting for confirmation on something, he asked me, "So what's the weather been like in New York?" I paused for a second and realized I honestly couldn't tell him... I had not been out of the house since Saturday!! I had to ask Mutsumi what it was like outside!

I need to get out NOW!!!

Fugu Photo

Remember a few months back whern I posted the story about eating fugu and then calling my mom to say goodbye in case I died? We'll I was recently going through stacks of old pictures and found one taken that very night!

Coming soon...

Updates are coming soon. I've just been crazy busy and focusing on scripts rather than posting here. Plenty of news and pics coming soon, including some gems from L.A.

You know what I just realized? I could literally spend my whole day responding to e-mail and never get any work done. I counted. I sent 211 e-mails yesterday and didn't even respond to every one I received. Ugghh!!

As Announced Today...

Kyle Baker is illustrating X-Men Fairy Tales #2 this June!!!


X-MEN FAIRY TALES #2 (OF 4)
Written by C. B. CEBULSKI
Pencils & Cover by KYLE BAKER
A re-imagining of the tragic origin of Professor Xavier and Magneto! In the ancient African tale, "The Friendship of the Tortoise and the Eagle," dangerous circumstances cause two pals to take violently different life paths. This tale of friendship and fate is masterfully illustrated by Eisner Award-winning comics legend Kyle Baker (Why I Hate Saturn, Captain America: The Truth, Plastic Man)!
32 PGS./Rated A ...$2.99

On sale 3/15

New Mangaverse #3, where the story changes direction... in a way you probably did not expect!

I Hate People!

Sometimes I really really hate people!! It's so easy to be nice and polite and cool about things, but some people just have to naturally always be assholes! I can't stand it!! You ask a simple question and expect a civil answer and some folk always feel the need to be a dick when they reply. Arrgghh! Sometimes I wish I could just live in a world where I didn't have to deal with pin-headed pricks! Bendis' Club Cinderella rant in the new issue of Powers makes so much more sense to me right now!

Happy fucking Friday!!

Links of the Day

For some afternoon fun when you're bored at work...

The Muppets meet The Matrix

http://www.break.com/index/muppetmatrix.html

And the Simpsons opening done in live action!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YNTMfb_AGw&search=simpsons

Both brilliant!!

On Sale This Week, 3/8

Me. Finch. Spider-Man. Black Cat. Doom.

I Sound Like An Idiot

I finally just mustered up the courage to listen to my podcast over at Comic Geek Speak. I thought the interview itself turned out really well and I feel said some things I think needed saying. It wasn't perfect and I'd go back and change a few things if I could, but I think for my first ever podcast, it turned out really well. Except for one thing...

I realized I sound like an idiot when I speak!

It's not often that I (or anyone, for that matter) get to listen to myself speak for an extended period of time. And I really don't like it. I was able to pick up on all kinds of ticks and weird little speech patterns I seem to use when I open my mouth and words come out. At first it crossed my mind that maybe I these little verbal foibles are quirks I use when I'm nervous. But truth be told, I wasn't nervous at all during the interview. I know most people stumble with the "Uhhhs..." and "Ummms.." when speaking, but here's what I noticed about myself as I rambled and babbled...

I overly use "You know?". I counted I used it four times in one sentence! Arrgghh!
I think I use "like" in every sentence. What am I, a teenage girl?!
I seem to end every sentence with "so..." as a lead in to the next.
I tend to constantly repeat words and phrases. "Yeah. Yeah" "You got it. You got it." "Without a doubt. Without a doubt." 'Right on. Right on." "Exactly. Exactly."
And "kind of..." is the other phrase I seem to use in every other sentence. I "kind of" this and "kind of" that. Uggh!

So I've decided I'm going to relearn the English language so I sound like a normal educated adult when I speak from now on.

Otherwise, I might, like, you know, not come off kind of too smart, too smart, when, I'm like, you know, trying to, like pitch a project, to people I kind of know, you know, so...

The Biggest Burger in the West

Now I've eaten a lot of burgers in my day. I actually keep a mental list of some of the best and most memorable burger joints I've been to. To name a few...

The aforementioned Mos C in Japan
The Moose Jaw in Breckenridge, Colorado
Bubba's Burgers in Hanalei
Teddy's Bigger Burgers on Waikiki
Nice Matin here in NYC
Any In-N-Out Burger in Cali (The 4x4 "animal style"!)
The Helsinki Airport, of all places

But this takes the cake! My buddy Frankie D'Armata just sent over these pics of the burgers they serve at Mel's Country Kitchen in Tomball, Texas.



That's an actual burger, no Photoshop! Three and half pounds of beef, bacon, cheese, lettuce and onions!! A masterpiece, if you ask me!

I guess I'll be heading to Wizard World Texas after all!!

The Best Part of NYCC

The madhouse that was the New York Comic Con is now over. You can read all about it on hundreds of other blogs, so I won't get into it too much here. I thought it was a great con and had a fantastic time. I really didn't get home before 2AM any night last week as all kinds of friends and guests were in town. But that's the price you pay, right?

The biggest con surprise for me was that Marvel created this huge New Mangaverse banner they hung from the ceiling over their booth! I was blown away!! I asked Marketing Director John Dokes about it, expressing my surprise, and he explained once he looked at the layout of the con floor, he noticed the Marvel booth was across from Viz and Tokyo Pop and thought that image would turn possibly manga fans heads. Smart move!

Podcast!!

So I was invited to do my first ever podcast with the great guys over at Comic Geek Speak. I spent a little over an hour chatting with Kevin, Bryan and the whole CGS crew about everything from my start in comics to Japan and manga to my current projects. They're an awesome bunch of guys who really asked some insightful questions and I think the whole interview turned out really well.

Please feel free to pop over and give it a listen. Here's the link:

http://media.libsyn.com/media/comicgeekspeak/cgs-episode110.mp3

Gotta love the Mos!!

I was just going through some of my Japan pics and found these which I thought I'd share.


My favorite restaurant in Japan is Mos Burger. Basically, it's an upscale Japanese version of McDonalds, but 10 times better! They have this special Mos Sauce they put on their burgers that is out of this world! Mos has been expanding recently too, opening up these select new Green Mos, which have pricer menus with exclusive specialty burgers that have classy toppings and sauces. They only make 40 a day too and people line up for them. Yeah, it's kind of a gimmick, but a good one. And now, in Kichijoji in Tokyo, they've opened Mos C, for Classic, which is a traditional sit-down burger restaurant which offers rather expensive 100% pure Kobe Beef burgers. So knowing my affinity for all thing Mos, my buddy Aki made sure we took a trip there and it was WELL WORTH IT!

Here's my $20.00 Kobe Beef Double Chili Cheeseburger! The picture doesn't do it justice, but I think I can safely say it was one of, if not THE most amazing burger I've ever eaten!!


Aki had the Double Avacado Onion Burger, and I think this pic gives you a better idea as to the size of these big boys.


We also split some sliced Avacado with a soy yuzu sauce and some onion rings. Avacado is kind of the hip food in Japan now, actually.


So from now on, every trip to Japan will find me taking a special trip to Mos C. I still dream of that burger!

9 hours and 22 minutes later...

...and I now have the three GNR Chinese Democracy tracks I was looking for, and even more! You gotta love the internet!!

Thanks to TB and GB for hooking me up!!

Piko!

Yes, work on SHIKI coninues...


Thanks to everyone who wrote in asking for more art!

Chinese Democracy?

Ok, it's time to put the power of this blog to the test.

I just read that three studio tracks off the LONG LONG awaited new Guns N' Roses album Chinese Democracy have been "leaked" to the internet. I've never really downloaded music before except off of iTunes and the quick searches I did for these tracks turned up all kinds of stuff but I don't know what's what.

So, does anyone who reads this have the songs? If so, please let me know. I WANT THEM!!

CBLDF Party

For those of you with no plans in New York City this Saturday night...

The verdict is not in...

I'm still stuck on jury duty. Day two here at the NYC Courthouse. But at least today I was able to bring my laptop and come a little early to get one of these work stations that have high-speed internet hook ups. First come, first serve, with no time limit, so I can work all day as I wait! Getting a lot of evil eyes though from people who didn't get a space.

I really don't mind being here as it's interesting to see the legal/judicial process first hand. I watch a Law and Order all the time, and I'm enjoying seeing the reality of it. What I found funny was that most people think jury duty is a pain in the ass and try to get out of it, so they show you this Diane Sawyer hosted video when you get here that tells you what an honor it is to be selected and your role should be respected and how "powerful" a responsibility it is. (They use the word 'powerful' a lot.) They really try to glamorize it when all you do is sit around and wait to be called.

I was called yesterday. We went down to the courtroom, met the judge and attorneys, and went into jury selection for a felony drug charge. I didn't get picked and was excused, so had to come back today, but it was fascinating to watch them interview and eliminate all the jurors who do get picked. Trying to catch the jurors who were lying just to get out of it was the most fun. One girl raised her hand and said she couldn't serve because she was a Buddhist and the Buddha wouldn't approve of her deciding the future course of someone else's life. That's really what she said! The judge got a real kick out of this and explained all she had to decide was help decide if the plaintiff was "guilty" or "not guilty" and he would decide the guy's future from there. She hemmed and hawed and came up with all kinds of bullshit, and he argued with her, but he eventually excused her. I'm tellin' ya, it takes all kinds!

So maybe I should start thinking about that legal comic now...

Ai Interview

There's an interview up over at the Pulse with yours truly...

http://www.comicon.com/pulse/

And if you scroll down, they interview Tomoko Taniguchi about the project as well!

Yes, My Blog Sucks

I know, I know. I haven't posted in forever, and me and my blog both suck. Thanks for the e-mails letting me know.

So what can I do to make it up to you? Since I seem to have a rather diverse "bloggership", I'll try to include something for everyone...

How about a picture of a gingerbread AT-AT Walker? (Thanks to Heidi for this.)


A glimpse at the new "water" fountain I'm having installed?


Jessica Alba in lingerie?


An Asian high school class picture?


Three cats and a rabbit?


Lindsay Lohan in a bikini?


Me and Finch wasted off our asses?


Our dates from that same evening?


And this last one is for my mom, as even she told me by blog now sucks.... Me and Mutsumi.

More Marvel Ai

Buzzscope now has an extended preview up of my Marvel Ai issue with pages from ALL THREE of the stories.

http://www.buzzscope.com/pcs/gallery.php?g...g2_itemId=13219

"Meld With You" by Tomoko Taniguchi, starring the Vision and the Scarlet Witch.
"Silence of the the Heart" by Kei Kobayashi, starring Medusa and Blackbolt.
"Love is Blindness" by Toga, starring Daredevil, Elektra and the Black Widow.
All beautifully colored by Christina Strain and lettered by Dave Lanphear.

Thanks in advance for checking it out!

Not Cheering Just Yet...

...but if this news is true, I'll be a happy man.

"Former Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin close to beginning work on the band's first studio album since their break up in 2000, Billboard reports."

As long as Iha and D'Arcy as along for the ride as well...