Weekly Dose of Mark

Wednesday, June 24th 2025 • 06/24/2026

Fandango rolled around again before I knew it. The topics of conversation this week were varied. I gave a report on how well Lilac City went for me, which was better than last year, with a small net profit of $750. Not bad for a weekend where I spent my off time hanging out with friends. Penny had news for us. Last year, she applied but did not receive a residency in Georgia, the country, but not the state. Over the weekend, the residency’s organizers reached out to her. She came so close to getting in last year that she’s being offered the residency this year. Nearly everything is handled by the hosts. The visa, meals, accommodation, and tickets are all covered. The only thing not covered is the within-country transportation. She’s planning on renting a car. How does this mesh with her planned excursion to Arizona? Perfectly! She is traveling and will be there for several months.to assist a friend and will be gone for a few weeks to take part in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

A non-art topic that arose was rodent-related. Apparently, Penny’s allergy scan revealed that she’s allergic to rats. This was startling news to her because he had a pet rat when she was a kid. I mentioned my morning rodent encounter. As I stepped outside my yard’s gate to wait for Larry Lewis to pick me up, I nearly stepped onto an already flattened squirrel. I’m no forensic scientist, but I’m theorizing that this creature was run over multiple times as it baked on the pavement before being jostled by a tire in such a manner that it was thrown onto my gate’s stoop. I then asked if anyone in the group had heard of sail-rabbits. I explained that along dessert roads, rabbits would be flattened and baked to such an extent that they would peel up and get caught in the draft of large semis. I went on a road trip in the summer of ’79 with several Boy Scouts, and we witnessed half a dozen sail rabbits fluttering behind semis on the highways.

Summer Con was a blast this year. Thankfully, the only major errors occurred on Thursday when I went to set up. The Puyallup Fairgrounds is only twenty minutes from where I live, a short backstreet drive. I’m extremely familiar with the roads and layout, so setting up is a breeze. Well, it would have been a breeze had I not brought along the Weird Cabal storage bin instead of one of my setup bins. So I did a trip home to exchange bins. Upon reflection, that trip wasn’t necessary, as the bin with the main part of my setup made it on the first trip, but for some reason, I was convinced that was the bin I left behind. I’m still getting used to the new setup, which has me reconfiguring the Tetris to get everything in the bins. That said, I was very pleased to find myself next to Ti, Rose, Travis Bundy, and Kevin Glover, all artists I’ve tabled next to before. I’ve emulated my setup on Travis’s so much that folks might think we’re the same outfit.

Friday was a surprisingly busy day. Perhaps it was because it was Juneteenth, a federal holiday, and lots of folks had the day off. I can report that the line to the show went all the way down the street on which the fairgrounds sit. I know this because I met Steve Dunkelberg outside the Blue Gate to hand him a Vendor’s Pass so he could assist me in providing food and bio breaks. When the fans were let in, they did not trickle in as they often do on a Friday. No. I looked up, and suddenly the room was filled with attendees. Friday’s hours ran until seven oclock, and you would think there would be a lull towards the end, but it wasn’t until the last five minutes before the end when folks flowed out of the building. I should also mention that nearly all of my regulars dropped by my table on Friday. This made me feel very loved. A quick tally showed I made “table,” convention slang for all the expenses involved in attending a show. I was even well into the black. The rest of the weekend would be gravy. Thank you, Steve Dunkelberg, for the delicious and mammoth Earthquake Burger with Cheese and Onions. I’ve not eaten one of those in years, and it was just as good as I remembered.

Saturday, Allen Gladfelter and I ate breakfast at Little Jerry’s. Little Jerry’s is a Seinfeld-themed café. I ordered “The Understudy” two eggs – over easy, hashbrowns, toast - wheat, and this time I chose sausage patties. Allen ordered the pilot, sausage patties, two eggs – over easy, English muffin, topped with gravy, and he chose house potatoes. We enjoyed our breakfast before hopping into Allen’s Porsche and zipping down the highway. I’d brought along replacements for the prints I sold the day before. Allen brought along prints as well. He added them to the bottom of my display. The location didn’t hamper his sales at all, as his posters are very good and folks like them.

My life is filled with friends named Kevin. Kevin McCoy is a designer and was also tabling at the convention. I wasn’t able to go to Friday Night Frights, as I was too tired, but I found that he left me a copy of his Frankenhooker poster. Thanks, Kevin! Another Kevin stopped by. This Kevin usually buys a VIP pass as he’s an autograph collector. A couple of years back, he learned I like collecting autographs too, but had a hard time getting away from my table to stand in line. So he keeps an eye on the crowd, and when he spots a lull, he escorts me from my table to the VIP line, and I save a huge amount of time. I only allow myself to get one autograph at each event. I have to work on keeping rather than spending those profits. This year, I had the pleasure of sharing my book with Henry Winkler. He was very gracious, but I couldn’t take more than a minute of his time, as there were hundreds of fans behind me waiting their turn to meet The Fonz. Thank you, Kevin, for the escort!

Allen and I ate Turkey sandwiches I packed from home. There wasn’t any sliced cheese in the fridge, so I grated some hard cheese into the sandwich. Allen is not a fan of sliced pickles, so I left those out this time. It was a brisk day of sales, but both Allen and I took turns at the table so that the other could check out the rest of the convention. And while I didn’t attend any of the panels, I was able to check out Artist Alley, the main vendor hall, and a quick look at celebrity row (nearly everyone was in a panel when I was there except for Anthony Michael Hall, who was sizing a girl up for a t-shirt, and Steve Burns from Blue Clues, who was still being mobbed at his table. I also got to check out some fifty tents outside featuring weird snacks, artists, and vendors. I was so happy for them that the weather was perfect for outside shopping, warm with only the lightest of breezes. Two years ago, it was raining and strong side winds. I took a lot of photos of cosplayers. I think the best was a family doing Ghostbusters, complete with Slimer hovering over a dining room table. I also got myself photographed with a lineup of slasher killers, a perfect fit for my table.

Amongst my many visitors are friends I only see in cosplay. I might not recognize them if I saw them on the street. I also have friends who, like Brandon Pierce, I know from drawing groups and see at conventions. I love having so many interesting people in my life

.What really made my sales take a leap at the convention was the combo deal on the Killer Klown pins. I’d start by mentioning that the pen set came with another pin, but I was also going to add my two Killer Klown posters and all of my Killer Klown stickers. And just as they were pulling out their wallets, Allen would say he’d add his Killer Klown print for another $10. We did that twice, the second time within the last ten minutes of the show. The young man laughed as we signed the prints, “Oh! My dad is going to kill me!”

I didn’t have any assistance on Sunday, just Travis and Rose keeping an eye peeled when I took a bio break. Sales matched Friday, which was good, but the day’s pace was slower. The tide of attendees kept rolling in and out. The weather allowed the outdoor stage to be used, so hundreds of folks could attend the celebrity panels. Other familiar faces were also at the convention. Chad Scheres and the Palmers had space in the other building. Both reported in that this was one of their best conventions.

I caught up with Chad while he was digging through the long boxes in the morning. He’d located a favorite comic of his titled “Weird Wars.” Chad has some crazy Rat Fink influenced tastes, so I asked him what the comic was about. The story is about a planet inhabited by Indians. Aliens come along and poison the planet to take it for their own. Somehow the Indians reanimate, use their own spilt blood as warpaint, and lead an undead resurrection of revenge against the aliens. I had him repeat that basic plot to me because I thought there’s no way I’m not going to include that in the Weekly Dose.

This Summer Con was definitely the best one yet. And I didn’t even make it over to the Star Wars pavilion. Corey Macourek and his kiddo made that their first stop. It was their way of celebrating Father’s Day. There was a lot of father-son geekdom happening on Sunday. My love for horror movies began with cherished moments I spent with my father watching old B-movies. I clearly remember hiding behind a couch while watching Vincent Price in “The Fly.” Every time I stuck my head out, something scary would happen, and I would scream. My mom yelled into the room, asking what he was subjecting me to. Friday Night, channel seven would show Nightmare Theater, a double feature showing horror and scary science fiction. I would later learn that these TV-horror-hosted offerings were the result of movies being licensed in bulk under the moniker “Shock Theater.” I’d also learned that channel seven was better, and lasted longer than the other channel’s horror shows, because they picked up a bunch of Mexican horror movies like “Santos and the Aztec Mummy.” When we weren’t going camping or fishing the next day, my father would stay up with my brothers and enjoy those B-movies. It was often the best time of the week. And while I wasn’t able to spend Father’s Day with Dad this year (brother Cliff and family took the parents out), I did enjoy that pop culture vibe with thousands of others. It was the best Summer Con yet, and my best con of the season so far. My friends reported that they all had a good time at the convention.

I also have more than one Allen in my life. Allen Freeman is a cartoonist and publisher of “SlamBang,” an anthology comic book, into which a few of my submissions made it. Allen stopped by my table, and we caught up. Allen has been taking the dreams I post on Facebook and using them as prompts to create short stories. He’s planning on doing a book. I promised to send him some of my favorites from this year. I also told him how I was finally getting around to making them into cartoons.

Travis Bundy did particularly well this weekend. He, too, had a couple of large sales that made his convention. The largest was a fan who was going to make a bulk purchase on Etsy but, upon hearing of the convention, decided to come to the show. Travis sold sixteen or seventeen prints to the guy. And then later that day, there was another big sale. Travis is a great guy, and I’m glad that the last couple of weekends of conventions have been good to him.

Larry Lewis gave me a ride to Freelance Fandango. Penny Firehorse, Tasia, and her boyfriend joined us at Manifesto. We looked at The Volcano’s new cartoon page. It was the debut of my “IDreamt” series. I’ve opted to accumulate advertising credit instead of cash for the time being. The group got a sneak peek at my next strip. This will be Penny’s last visit for a while. She’s going to be doing a lot of traveling, but should be back in time for an art festival later this summer. Her husband is holding the fort while she visits a friend and then does a two-week residency in Georgia (the country, not the state). Tasia and her boyfriend had to take off early because a deadline was looming. Corey Macourek stopped by and dropped off the Weird Cabal binders. He wasn’t able to sell his prints the second night because the Grand Cinema received a threat. And while it could have been nothing, the management decided to exercise caution and called the police. The Grand was very apologetic and refunded pre-purchased tickets. The Grand Cinema shows odd, avant-garde, and unique films and documentaries. Tacoma is lucky to have a theater that’s so in touch with its populace. It’s to the Grand’s credit that they ask folks to restrain their speculation, avoid spreading false rumors, and await an update for their reopening.

I had some dreams this week:

June 9. #idreamt I was at a combo work-and-recreation drawing session. Two illustrators were on a deadline for a Batman project, but their pencils walked off. #dreams

June 10. #idreamt I was taking care of someone’s dog they left at my door until they got back. I didn’t want the dog and worried they weren’t coming back.

June 11. #idreamt I was playing cards on a riverboat, but had to fold my first hand as I declared I’d been dealt ten cards.

June 12. #IDreamt a staff member at a foster home signaled a teenager they were willing to help in an escape by leaving a spoon at the bottom of a bowl of soup.

June 14. #dreamt it was the ’50s inside an automat. Two women were having pie when a man surprised them at their table, also with a piece of pie.

June 15. #idreamt. While waiting for a large gecko to lay eggs, I watched as a dark snake laid two green spotted eggs and three blue spotted eggs.

June 16. #idreamt my art grant submission was meant to load a computer virus into the alien’s overlord system. It was a distraction from the real objective.

June 17. #IDreamt of a society where indentured service forced a witch to lose spells through exchange, a forgotten loophole freed them with only two spells left.

June 18. #idreamt I was a university student bicycling home from campus. I barely left the ground when I noticed a flat tire and pulled into a gas station.

June 21. #idreamt a hawk’s nest was discovered by predators. The hatchlings were being eaten by eagles, crows, buzzards, and a seal.

June 22. #idreamt when a golem fell into hell, it caused panic amongst the demons. Cannibalism was commonplace, but the golem was not of God’s creation, and if eaten would foul the Divine ecosystem. #dreams

June 23. #idreamt I kept getting an error tone each time I entered the entry code to my uncle’s and aunts ranch house. It was actually my nose whistling as I snored.

June 24. #idreamt I was at the airport, waiting to take a flight to France with her, when I realized I didn’t have my passport and hadn’t renewed it. #dreams

Krista and I finished off some anime this week:

Kami no Niwatsuki Kusunoki-tei, aka: Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods, (2026) 12 episodes, Rating: 7

Genre: Adult Cast, Iyashikei, Mythology, Lice of Life, Supernatural, Juvenage
This anime is somewhat fluffy, but it is more entertaining as it explores refreshments and morality through courtesy. It’s not a sappy handholding exorcist here, just a man living peacefully.

Fangkai Nage Nuwu, aka:Release that Witch (2026) 8 episodes, Rating:8
Genre: Fantasy, Isekai

Isekai into an undistinguished noble at an outlier town, you find that you need to save and use immediate resources, such as witches, to strengthen your town’s capabilities. A little technological knowledge helps. We are hoping to see this series continue.

Here are some movies I’ve watched.

70. June 9th. The Professionals (1966) Rating: 7

It’s been a few decades since I watched this movie, enough time for some of the details to have grown fuzzy. I just wanted to see old familiar faces and hear their voices again. It did well at the box office, including overseas. It got some awards and received some Oscar nominations, but did not win. This movie first aired on television in 1972, which is when I might have seen it for the first time.

71. June 10th. News of the World (2020) Rating: 7
I’m a big Tom Hanks fan. I also love a good western that doesn’t skimp on the costumes, props, and sets. A good cinematic experience will have other animals besides horses wandering around in the background. I love how you feel the dust, mud, and dirt shown on the screen. And I enjoyed the story as it is told. I watched this wonderful film on Peacock.

72. June 11th. Asteroid City (2023) Rating: 7
I’m a huge Wes Anderson fan. I missed seeing this film in the theater. I was very pleased to find it streaming on Peacock. The pace is more sedate, the story a bit meta, the social commentary on the late ‘50s early ‘60s comically intended. If you’re looking for a movie that offers cosmic answers but raises more questions, and then you remember you need to mow the lawn, then this is the film for you.

73. The Thicket (2024) Rating: 7
I watched this western on Amazon Prime. I’m a fan of Peter Dinklage, but the other actors in this film hold up their parts just as well. I became attached to the characters more than I anticipated. The story is one of a grim abduction, at the whim of a band of spoilers leaving mayhem in their wake, led by a tortured madwoman. A point for its depth and texture, another point for the genre storytelling.

74. The Trip (2021) Rating: 7
I watched this rather violent movie on Netflix. I give it one point for the fishhooks. I take away one point for the damn-flashlight trope. I give one point for the old man who is a Boss. There’s some rather dark humor along the way. A fun watch.

75. They Will Kill You (2026) Rating:8

I watched this chaotic, violent action movie on HBO Max. I’ve been excited to see this movie ever since I saw the trailer. I missed it in the theater and have been eagerly awaiting its arrival on one of my streaming platforms. I literally exclaimed, “Oh, Hell Yeah!” when I opened the app and saw it there. I immediately started to watch it, got confused by the kill count (you’ll see why), and kept exclaiming, “Oh, Hell Yeah!” all the way through the movie.

More next week,
Mark