Stuff You May Have Missed...That I Hope You Didn't - Part One

This week at work I'm working a few extra hours and traveling a few extra miles. I'm NOT complaining (yet), I know I have nothing to whine about with the economy still floundering. And after all, it's not like I have to haul 16 tons of #9 coal to get may daily rations...I owe my soul to the company store without that much sweat. But it is crimping my blogging time more than I'm used to of late.

I've been lucky enough to garner a few new readers here of late, both Google followers AND lurkers, and it occurred to me that I've done a few things here that I'm fairly proud of that they probably will never see unless I re post them. Anyone doing a Google search on "John Prine" or "The Fleischer Brothers" has a chance of finding my rambling posts on them (I always invite folks to scroll through my "label" list in the right hand column to find points of interest as well) but no one would ever find some of the stuff I've done if they never knew they existed.

Therefor, with your kind indulgence, I'd like to spend the next few days re-posting some of my favorites that you would most likely not seek out, but that I'd like for you to see. :)

"TURF LOG" #1: "Cradle of a Comic Book Civilization!":

Back in 1994 I was an off-set press operator and had delusions of self-publishing a comic book. It was to be produced in black & white (budget considerations, you know) and I actually ran off a few copies of the first issue. The color cover was produced by making 6 single color passes (there's yellow on the back) on a one-color press, but the interior was all glorious black and white. Last year (June-July) as I began working on this blog, I decided to color it in Photo-shop.

Enjoy:




















Wayyyyyyyyy back there in the early 1990's at the age of about 31, I had also taught myself guitar. I was a fan of the comic book "Neil the Horse" and was intrigued by the notion of music in comic book form. Back then of course there was no technology that would properly get this across. Lo, came the multimedia platform that you sit before now! Here's the back-up feature to the comic book and me singing the song.

I'd suggest opening this in two windows so you can hear the song while you cruise through the comic book. Um...that's what I do anyway (he said embarrassed).








It's a little rough around some edges, but there's still things I like about it. I hope you do to.

See y'all tomorrow!

For Gene, Roy and Tex

Ah, what the heck! I am a completeist after all. Here's the song which accompanies "Turf Log #1".

I wrote the song in 1993, grew past it in 1994 and haven't played it since 1995...but it's starting to grow on me.

And besides, who am I to judge?

See ya tomorrow.

Jeff Overturf who? part 3: "Singin' Cowboy"

These 5 pages of "Turf Log" were a supplement in the back pages of issue #1, that I posted here on June 20. When I first did this comic book back in 1994, I wanted each issue to have a song to go with it. How odd that a song should be in a comic with no music? Oh well, I was ahead of my time. Nowadays it can easily be done in a web comic with an accompanying mp3 loaded next to it. And I may just try that out as I post new stuff.
You'll probably not be hearing a file with this song though. I like the sentiment behind the song (I do wish there were still singing cowboys like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers and I wish I was one), and I like the end-cap of the song to the quick black out joke referenced in the story (Flint Limpus and I on a sleepover discussing what we'd like to be when we grew up), but it has it's shortcomings.

I was still new to stringing together words in a song, and the song is unintentionally derivative of a pop-country song that came out around that time called "I Want to Be A Cowboy". I was slightly aware of that at the time I think, but I was trying to point out that there was a difference between a cowboy, a "Singing Cowboy" and a country music singer. That point never quite came across in my song, so it's better left behind me.

I wanted to post it though because I do like the cartoons I drew for it...all except the horse. Never got the hang of cartooning a horse. I'm Equine Challenged.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little out-take. Remember, just click the smaller thumbnails to view them full size. See you tomorrow.