WHAT THIS IS

i can say with certainty that these are the most uncertain times I’ve ever experienced. I’m sure i don’t have to explain that to anyone.

getting old(er) can be a real bear, but it can have its perks, if you know where to look. For me, it‘s looking in the mirror and trying to be honest about what I do (and don’t) have to contribute. for the entirety of my life, it’s been this:

I write stuff and draw stuff: sometimes I do that simultaneously (comics), other times separately. Or maybe I write and record some music, or make a poster, print, zine, painting, or fuck knows what. If, for some unknown reason, I feel like other people beyond myself might get something out of it, I’ll print them up or release it somehow, and it makes it out in the world. Usually it’s in some small way.

And that’s what I can contribute (aside from just trying not to be an asshole, on a daily basis). There’s a lot more to say on this subject, but I’ll leave it there for now.

So I decided to put it all in one place. Posting once a week (maybe more, but committing to weekly). It’ll most likely be a piece of writing, but it could honestly be anything. But here’s what it will probably be, for a while:

I was writing a follow-up novel to FOLRATH (about having a nervous breakdown, which was not fun) that (for various reasons) no longer makes sense in that context. But might, here. I’ll post new art and comics (including process stuff, when and if it’s of interest), as well as things coming through my print shop— both by myself and other friends/ folks— that I think is worth sharing. I’ve been keeping a comic book journal since Jan 1 2024, there will be some excerpts from there, and it’s my intention to post a piece of sound/ music once a month. Maybe some interviews with friends, we’ll see.

Here’s what i know: it’s a dark, dark world right now. Existentially dark. I don’t have answers, and just about everyone that says they do are full of shit.

But i do have questions, and art is where and how you ask them.

And the other thing about getting old? “some small way” is just the way I like it, and what I value.

—zak