Dinosaur Stories on Etsy

Happy National Comic Book Day!  DINOSAUR STORIES is now up for sale on my Etsy site.  In addition to my three dinosaur comics originally published in THE MESOZINE #1-3, it also contains pin-up illustrations, including the Ankylosaurus below.  

Dinosaur Stories + Come see me at Queen City Zine Fest

Here is the cover image for my new comic book DINOSAUR STORIES, which debuted at AVL Zine Fest 2024. I will begin sales on my Etsy site in the near future. DINOSAUR STORIES collects the three comics that I originally authored for THE MESOZINE dinosaur anthology series (issues #1-3) in 2020-2024. In addition to dinosaurs, my stories co-star other Mesozoic wildlife, such as the giant frog Beelzebufo and the giant crocodylian Deinosuchus. (The cover image depicts Beelzebufo and Masiakasaurus, a small theropod, sizing each other up.) If you missed me at the AVL Zine Fest, you can still find me at the Queen City Zine Fest in Charlotte, North Carolina, 11-5 on September 28 at Blumenthal Arts Knight Theater (oh wait, most of you live a long way from AVL or Charlotte :) On another front, issue #3 of THE MESOZINE, edited by Denis St. John, dropped at the SF Zine Fest.

 

Come see me at AVL Zine Fest 2024

 

I and my Comics from the Wood table will be at Asheville Zine Fest TOMORROW! I will debut a NEW comic book. Stay tuned for more information about it. I'll also sell my classics. Poster artwork by  ©Matt Panuska - IG @panuskastudio.

 

Of Helicopters and Baby Turtles

Here is a post I authored (and some colleagues edited) for the official Everglades National Park social media channels.  (So it's NPS public domain work.)

 

"Rangers take the skies 🚁

 

Today was Ranger Ross’ first ride in a park helicopter. He and wildlife biologist, Mark Parry, were headed out to survey alligator nests. As they dug into their first nest of the day to assess the status of the gator eggs, they were surprised to also find baby Florida redbelly turtles!

 

(If Ranger Ross were the superstitious type, he would call this a sign. He likes turtles.)

 

Florida redbelly turtles lay their eggs in gator nests to benefit from the nest material piled high and the maternal care of gators who defend their nests and deter predators.

 

While alligators have exceptionally strong bites, Florida redbelly turtles have exceptionally thick shells. This helps to protect an adult female turtle from the adult female gator. The mother gator may take a break from nest guard duty in the daytime when predators are less active. This gives the mother turtle an opportunity to amble over and deposit her eggs.

 

In this nest, the baby turtles hatched first. They are too small to dig their own way out so they will wait for the alligators to hatch and call out for their mother. The mother gator will excavate her babies, carry them to the water in her mouth, and sometimes do the same for the baby turtles. Perhaps maternal instincts drive this behavior of not eating the baby turtles.

 

This nesting arrangement benefits the turtle at no cost to the gator, though perhaps a few of the young turtles will later become food for gators.

 

Swipe for cute turtle pic! 

 

NPS Photos

Image 1 and 2 by Mark Parry

Image 3 by Ross Studlar

 

#Everglades #EvergladesNationalPark #Helicopter #AlligatorNestSurvey #RedBellyTurtles"

 

 

 

 

The Song For Our Times

In the 1950s and 60s (and beyond), we had Pete Seeger.

In the 1990s, we had Rage Against The Machine.

In 2024, Macklemore steps up with "Hind's Hall": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgDQyFeBBIo

 

Tell President Biden to change course on Gaza.

 

 

Another trip around the Sun

 

I survived another trip around the Sun! I competed in a fencing tournament on my birthday (this time against opponents in my own age bracket) and took home another third place medal. And I’m going kayaking in the Everglades tomorrow. So I’m trying to stay vigorous, despite that my age keeps ticking in only one direction, that being upward. Then again, it would be pretty weird if one’s age ticked downward (like Benjamin Button). Here are some pictures from adventures in South Florida from winter 2023-spring 2024. 

 

Photo #4 by Susan Studlar, fencing photos by Sophie D., all other photos by me, with only the first one being an NPS photo.

The Fire Lizard

 

Fire-breathing lizard!  I based this drawing on a photo of a goldenscale anole, a South American species that I’m not too familiar with.  I kept green anoles as pets as a kid.  Therefore, I know from direct observation  that this is how a lizard feels after he wins a dominance contest with a rival.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!