First in what I hope will become a series of experiments in comics + metalwork hybrids. Deliberately kept the figures simple (wayward bolts) to focus on the sequential narrative, a SQUID GAME-inspired tug of war between the last two standing, and the unlikely victory taking place. In addition to the wayward bolts, this experiment was made from jack stand remnants, a strand of chainlink fence, a slow moving vehicle sign, and $12 worth of weldable steel.
Only six weeks into the year and we've been gifted 2025's first Great comics work: by turns beautiful, informative, poetic, mouthwatering, and heartbreaking, Sohini manages to make me miss cities even more than I do all the time. Her true gift here, though – thanks to her impeccable eye for the beauty of the smallest detail – is that she makes me feel as at home in her NYC as I felt when I made my first treks to that magical city all too long ago. She has found her home’s beating heart and is in perfect synchrony with it; highly, highly recommended.
Conversation with a good friend the other week made me realize what's going on with my move towards metalwork: I'm redisovering my love for and need of tactile creation. Suppose this love makes sense, given that my entrance into the arts was playing drums (hit stuff and that makes cool sounds) and that my downfall(s) began when I shifted more into the internal, less tactile arts (music composition, especially, though writing can't be absolved of its complicity in my descent into creative schizophrenia). Filmmaking was far more tactile than writing – though since I've also started drawing and cartooning, I'm bringing more tactile sensation to my storytelling (should it survive). And I can't forget that I've long considered accepting the Executive Director position at the NPO to be the biggest mistake of my career: I missed getting my hands dirty too much. Alas, live and learn. Eventually.
Finding my bliss inside The Shed by moving back and forth between seeding a comics story on one end and tearing apart a reel mower on the other – I have designs for / on that reel – which has, from all the bits and bobs I've found as I dig towards the reel, spawned potentially two-three other metalwork pieces. While words remain elusive, the desire / need to transform the woodscrap leanto out back into my outdoor metalshop is anything but.
… and strong contender for favorite Hulk story.
