-----------JOURNAL--------------

Hey all
I'm off to Wizard World Texas (very) early tomorrow morning. I've been rabidly trying to finish this week's episode of Freakangels before I leave up until about an hour ago, so what with the stress of that, the excitement and apprehension of the trip, and the giant coffee I had earlier, I'm a bit highly strung! OO

I hope to see a few familiar faces at Wizard World (Liz, you still interested in popping down?), or if you just happen to live near by, I'll there be signing copies of Freakangels (or anything else) and doing sketches, as well as running a few Q&A based workshops. I think there'll be a panel at some point too.

Today, Freakangels Vol 1 is now officially out to buy in trade paperback and hardback. The release is only in America so far, but other countries will follow, and you can already pre-order on Amazon UK.

More random thoughts...

Photoshop CS4 is all in all a big disappointment. After persevering with the trail for 15 or so days, then reverting to CS3 to compare, the differences really leap out.
CS4 Pros:
Real-time elements (zooming, panning & rotating) work very smoothly.
Tablet support has been greatly improved.
The 32bit version seems much more stable than CS3 was.
Tabbed browsing is a fantastic and well needed addition.
CS4 Cons:
Whilst the real-time processing is smooth, most other processes have taken a bit hit, so standard operations like resizing, merging layers, copying and pasting etc are slower than in CS3, and this means work-flow in general is actually slower overall.
Tabbed browsing is fantatically organised and integrated, but in working reality is slow and clunky to operate, with changes between files and layouts taking a long time, often with graphical glitches during the switch.
64bit version is just broken. Unusable.

If it wasn't for the fact that the speed of most operations the program performs have been sacrificed (presumably to make way for the new browsing features and GPU support), this would be a great upgrade. For now, I'm not sure if it's even worth the upgrade money, since CS3 is ultimately faster at getting the work done.

Plus, election over! I'm not sure if it's just me or a bias in the media I follow, but there seems to be a palpable feeling of relief from the vast majority of the non-American world today. Russia's positive response as well as the instant boost in international shares both forecast a positive opening to his term in office.

On the other hand, America seems to contain plenty of people worrying about the onset of socialism. To those I'd suggest considering the idea that the "redistribution of wealth" is just an extreme and emotionally charged phrase for the purpose of tax in general, which everyone already pays. It's easy to cheer a tax cut and boo at a tax raise when you already earn enough or live in a well-off family... but would it be easy to get to that stage from a family in debt or a completely new career, without the benefits from taxes or some other (currently non-existent) support system?

With the change Obama's described (which is a far cry from pure socialism), many people seem worried that the taxes of the better-off will be going mostly to deadbeats who don't work for their money.
In fact, these taxes will mostly be going to people at the start of their careers and lives, who are at the stage that most people who aren't born into wealth go through: working hard and earning less.

Personally being at that stage myself, I appreciate this from experience. I'm working myself stressed, I'm self-employed and self-dependent. I earn just enough to live a comfortable life with modern conveniences, but not enough to put down savings or guarantee that next year I'll be comfortable. If I can't find work later or the industry I'm in crashes with the economy, that's it... I'll be job hunting for anything that will pay me and the skills I've spent a lifetime acquiring will go to waste. Every time someone asserts that their money will go to people who don't deserve it, I and many like me are part of the group they're referring to.

So, a tax break for me now could potentially mean the difference between my career continuing to grow and my career crashing. If my career grows, I'll eventually earn enough to enter a higher tax bracket, which will dock my wages above and beyond a high point... but before that point I'll also have hit a salary with which I can secure the future of my career with savings I can depend on if work is ever scarce.

I know I'd prefer the opportunity for support right now when it really matters if I had a choice.

Back on topic, having watched McCain's closing speech, I'm also left wondering what would have happened if he'd spoken as fairly and considerately all the way throughout his actual campaign. This is the first time that I've heard him speak and consequently walked with a feeling of genuine respect for the man. But boy, the crowd freaked me out more than a little! American crowds are always a little odd to me, but where Obama's crowd gave a hearty cheer for McCain, McCain's honourable mentions of Obama were met with nothing but boos and jeers. What that says about the sorts of support that both senators have gathered along the way is questionable, since loser's resentment and winner's pride will be factors, but even so it seemed extreme!

So, here's hoping that Obama balances his intelligence and rationale against his idealism once in office, and some positive results for both America and the rest of the world follow! I think McCain said it right when he asserted that differences of opinion should now be set aside, since regardless of the individual president, America's goals of liberty and justice for all remain the same.

Well, onto the British elections. I doubt charisma, public fever or world interest will touch these with a barge pole, but I'll be following them as well as I can, since this time I get to actually vote!

-----------MY ARTWORK-------------
Visit my online store for Artbooks, Prints and DVDs of my work: Click Here
My 2008 Artbook (including Sojourn in full colour) is also available on Lulu: Click Here
A manga adaptation of The Tempest illustrated by me is available on Amazon: Click Here
Best New Manga 2 includes my short manga, Sojourn and is also available on Amazon: Click Here
Alternatively, read my current work, Freakangels every week for free! Click Here
Also feel free to Email me or send me a note if you're interested in buying originals or commissioning me