BLUR Vol. 1 Has Arrived!

Still a bit bleary-eyed, unable to deal with computers or even watch TV due to the lingering blur of pinkeye (see my Wednesday post, below), after Marj headed out to work yesterday at 7 AM I drove myself down to our remaining two rented storage spaces. Determined to complete the final heavy task of summer, and knowing the cool temperatures and overcast skies of this week were coming to an end, I shouldered myself (and my car) into the four-hour chore of consolidating two storage spaces into one -- the smaller (and cheaper monthly rental) of the two. I worked up a solid sweat and got it done, feeling better for the physical exercise and duty done.

With my car carrying the second of two loads of boxes of books and comics I shuttled home, and greatly relieved that it would be the last such haul for this month, I was instantly rewarded with some goodies in the mailbox -- and a surprise delivery from UPS propping open our front screen door.

My first batch of copies of Blur Volume 1 had arrived!

It looks mighty fine, and orders are now being filled --

-- so order without further ado from Black Coat Press, pronto!

(Black Coat Press has a number of new releases available now, so take a moment to explore the site.)

There's nothing like holding a new book you've had a hand in, much less holding it for the first time. It felt -- feels -- good.

I spent a couple of hours scouring the text and wincing over the few things I wish I'd done differently, but it's still a cool little book and an accomplishment. As noted before, this is the first of four volumes of Blur, collecting all my weekly newspaper "Video Views" columns written and published 1999-2001; the second volume is about done, and CCS alumni and cover designer Jon-Mikel Gates is showing me Volume 2's cover this weekend, so there's already more on the way.

Here's the full cover spread, designed by Jon-Mikel Gates;

Jon-Mikel's website, bio, specs, blog and more awaits you here!

All this does is whet my appetite for the archival projects ahead. After completing Blur's four volumes, I'll plunge into Gooseflesh, an illustrated book series collecting all my genre articles, essays and interviews from the past two decades. With the winter months, I'll also be forging ahead with the final draft of We Are Going to Eat You! for FAB Press, and other projects, all the while savoring the third year teaching at The Center for Cartoon Studies.

More news later; I'm catching up on the two days+ of pinkeye aversion to the computer, including pressing workloads, so I'll be back here later today. I'm doing much better, thanks, though the eye drop treatment continues and I'm not sleeping much as yet.

Have a great Friday, and check in later today and this weekend for more on Blur... the books, not the infection.