A Visit From St. Nicholas: JURASCALS STYLE!

Coming exclusively to the daily comics page of the great Auburn Citizen, Jurascals proudly presents our version of Clement Clarke Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas" in our own Jurascals way! From 12/12 through 12/24, this beloved classic in a slightly abridged form is given new life in a rather silly and fun way! Merry Christmas from your pals at Jurascals!

Jurascals World Edition 10/13/2011 (free one for the web i did just to support friends in Nebraska)

Jurascals World 10/12 (free one for the web i did just to support friends in Nebraska)

10/11/2011 The Phone Call (free one for the web i did just to support friends in Nebraska)

Jurascals World 10/10/2011 (free one for the web i did just to support friends in Nebraska)

9/30 Jurascals World Edition (free one for the web i did just to support friends in Nebraska)

9/29 post Jurascals World Edition At Atkinson (free one for the web i did just to support friends in Nebraska)

9/28 jurascals world comic strip (3rd in series-(free one for the web i did just to support friends in Nebraska)

Proud of the good folks wearing red (including my inlaws) who spoke from their hearts and with knowledge and unafraid to speak their mind in Lincoln yesterday. They were not paid. They were not bused in and it is clear that a compromise (moving the route of the pipeline) solves both the environmental issue and the jobs issue.

9/27/2011 On the Road to Atkinson, NE (free one for the web i did just to support friends in Nebraska)

This takes place somewhere outside Stapleton, NE on the road to Atkinson. Tomorrow they'll make it to Broken Bow!

Jurascals World Edition 9/26/2011 (free one for the web i did just to support friends in Nebraska)

JURASCALS WORLD EDITION: ONE DAY AWAY

This is super short notice but given the timeliness of the Nebraska meetings with the state department on the XL pipeline, I would be remiss if I didn't start a story in Nebraska that didn't address that topic, so although I was going to put a lot of lead time to beginning a JURASCALS WORLD EDITION venture, instead I'm putting it out there RIGHT AWAY (starting TOMORROW!!!)

JURASCALS WORLD EDITION: PART ONE: Information!

JURASCALS WORLD EDITION: IT WILL BEGIN 10/3/2011! Read below: 

Jurascals is a black and white daily adventure comic strip printed exclusively in the comics page of the print and e-subcription service of the Auburn Citizen, the newspaper of record in Auburn, New York. It's really a superb newspaper with excellent writers and photographers and it is my privilege to continue a wonderful Jurascals story on their comics page. What's fun about the Jurascals comic strip is that the characters live IN Auburn and the storyline revolves around the happenings there in the Fingerlakes region! Now as the Jurascals comic strip is only available in the print edition and e-subscription, readers outside the area may not have seen the work.

As it so  happens within the Jurascals storyline, a skunk showed up, wreaked a little havoc and then created a steampunk "airship" without bothering to learn how to fly or land it! So Skunk is winding up flying where he had not planned and will wind up in NEBRASKA landing his ship on what appears to be the rock formation called Jailhouse rock! What happens next? Well, the storyline in Auburn continues as Lina and Dinosaur get ready for Halloween and go trick or treating (I can't wait to share Dinosaur's costume with you!)

But what about Skunk? What happens to him?

Skunk will begin his own adventure in the Great Plains and meet new friends (including a large, somewhat grumpy stegasaurus-remember JURASCALS are rascally dinosaurs, so of course there had to be more than just one DINOSAUR!)

As the reader can see in the promo picture above, Skunk going to jump into a hot topic of debate-a pipeline across the Sandhills and aquifer. This concept will be featured prominently as he learns to love the Great Plains and yearns to protect it! Warning: Skunk isn't an environmentalist....at least not yet, what do you think would make him become one?  I think it will be an interesting story as we find out!

(the above is the twitter profile pic for @JURASCALSWORLD)
I hope you like the story. If you do, please follow it on twitter at @jurascalsworld or like it on facebook/jurascals and PLEASE share it with friends.  This is MEANT to be shared across social media-please do so! It is a very special hope that readers in the Great Plains (especially Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, South Dakota, Wyoming area for now) will enjoy this story that celebrates the wonderful area of the country where you live!

And now all readers outside the Auburn area can read their fill of a jurascals line while those who are in the Auburn, NY area can enhance their Jurascals experience with DOUBLE the Jurascals per day!

More information to follow!
(next post: my connection to the region!)

Jurascals first book review; Isaiah Washington's A Man from Another Land

**The comic strips will be posted after they print in the newspaper** But here's the sneak peak:

I finished reading Isaiah Washington’s book last week but as I am still thinking about the book today, I guess it has earned the phrase “thought provoking”.  Clearly this work resonated with me enough to warrant a few Jurascals comic strips and this blog book review right now, so here’s why:

The essence of the story for me is that it is a memoir of self discovery told in a very interesting voice with something new to say. While there is the narrative of the DNA that provides a link to Sierra Leone, I think there is a real discovery in how the reader perceives the author through his account of events.  Mr. Washington is a man who knows what it is like to live in relative anonymity (as he starts out), to live in a world of approbation, and to live in a world of public disapproval, somewhat overblown media-hyped disapproval. The discovery is to be true to one’s self through it all. 

There are vignettes of joy and of pain, of history and forgiveness. There is a celebration of knowledge, of understanding DNA and that it has "memory".  The author is on a journey that is truly fascinating because he does not know where it will lead when it begins. I found the situations in Sierra Leone compelling and the narrative places that country squarely “on the radar”.  Like all things in the book, Mr. Washington finds some situations in Sierra Leone exhilarating and some situations truly heartbreaking. There is a story on page 141 of a water pipe which I won't relate here-you can read it. But as a father, my heart breaks reading that story as his does while he is witnessing it.  

There is a greater historical context to the narrative. Isaiah Washington does achieve history and this makes the book have many layers. There is not only a personal history, there is a history of a country (ours built in part on the backs of those who came through Bunce Island and the country from whence many came).   I firmly believe that if the message to the reader that is the actual subtext of the story is heeded (namely "find out more about yourself because THAT knowledge is indeed power"), this book might actually revolutionize more than one nation. And as I said near the beginning of my review, I dont believe Mr. Washington knew that was the intent at the beginning of his journey and it makes his self discovery a discovery for the reader. And this is why A Man from Another Land is a story I felt so strongly about that I was inspired in my own, albeit non-historical but somewhat fun, way.


As I read A Man from Another Land, it seemed to me like a shoo-in for an audio book. You feel like the account is truly Mr. Washington’s personal journey that he is telling.  Personally I think the voice is so strong that when the sequel is done, and I’d like to see it released as an audio book and printed at the same time, maybe with a podcast supplementing it.

Why do I think there’s a compelling second book there?

Mr. Washington read in the newspaper that Bausch and Lomb suffered a bad “media liability” moment. Their stock plummeted and he took that moment to buy stock, making enough to finance some of his Sierra Leone work. I think that’s where Mr. Washington was after suffering a simple bad media moment blown way out of proportion. The public also loves Act Two, The Comeback, and that’s clearly going to happen. Mr. Washington had a ten year plan to work with Spike Lee. He had a 365 day plan to build a school, and did it. I think any reader who reads A Man from Another Land to the end will want to see his three or four year plan for his career and for Sierra Leone. If he achieves success, as I believe he will, that will be the unbeatable story. We will want to watch it, hear it and read it and we’re going to learn how it’s done.

If the synopsis intrigues you, read the book and if after the book you want to read more check out:

http://www.gondobaymangafoundation.org
http://www.reachonemillion.org

Harriet Tubman house visited by Jurascals in July

At the end of July within the comic strip story, Aunt Z took Lina to visit the Harriet Tubman house in Auburn, NY .  I was inspired because I had the extreme pleasure of visiting the Tubman home in April of this year and I encourage all who can get there to do so as well.

Clearly this location should be a national park and it is baffling to me that it is not already. This is a home of national historical signficance that deserves an honored place in the park service that befits the extraordinary legacy of Harriet Tubman's courage and faith.

One of the key elements of a national park is to preserve and to teach. I learned many things I did not already know about Harriet Tubman and her life in Auburn while going to the site and taking the tour.

The official site for the harriet Tubman home is:

http://www.harriethouse.org/

To learn more about the site from a short historical perpective here is another link:

http://www.nyhistory.com/harriettubman/

Harriet Tubman lived in Auburn and eventually founded the home for the aged at this location. In two years (2013) the Founders Day celebration in Auburn will celebrate Harriet Tubman for the 100th anniversary since she passed away.  However we do not have to wait unitl then to recognize the historical significance of the Tubman home. We can visit again.

Aunt "Z"

Aunt Z is a new character to the Jurascals line up. When Daddy (and now we know his first name is "Rob") has to go out on a job interview, he calls in a favor from his estranged sister to watch Lina. We get a small glimpse into the daily life of this family through the  eyes of Z who is experiencing it all for the first time. Dinosaur is intimidated and flees before she enters the house and after a quick inspection of the contents of the kitchen pantry, decides it's time to go out to eat. With that, the two will embark for their day trip to Skaneateles, NY!

Lina has a new figure in her life and it's not a dinosaur-it's her motorcycle ridin' Aunt Z. And as Aunt Z says, She didnt promise to "watch no dinosaur"! What happens next? Read about it in the daily Auburn Citizen!

I am postive about Auburn

There's this great group called "Positively Auburn" that created a website www.positivelyauburn.com and I like their mission and message. So for this week, Lina will be wearing a Positively Auburn T shirt as a shout out to the group.

Positively Auburn can also be found on facebook as well!

The pastel painting "A Walk in Cape May"

This is a colorful pastel that has somewhat of a 3D effect as I separately drew the characters and cut them out and then put them on top of the pastel background of the Cape May park and gazebo.

The main character in this piece is a red panda by the name of Ned who lives in New Jersey so he goes by the name "Ned Jersey". His best friend is a Shorebird who doesn't migrate away from the NJ shore.

a closeup of Ned

This has already had somewhat of a "showing" of sorts as it has been hung in the office where I work.  I like the character a lot and I'm going to incorporate him as a small component of the Jurascals comic strip (for instance when the little girl in the Jurascals comic strip is fixated about getting a particular brand of Mac and Cheese, it's because it's Ned's Mac and Cheese or if she reads a children's book, she might read about Ned's adventures).  So Ned will definitely have a life outside this painting and I expect to do even more with the character in the years to come. 

I want to thank the Margolis family for holding such a memorable tribute to their son with the Benjamin Margolis 5th Annual Memorial Fundraiser. It was an honor to have this painting be contributed to such a worthy cause and I am looking forward to next year's event.

Jurascals wants to celebrate "Anything Goes!" at Auburn's Merry Go Round Theater!

Auburn, NY is set to really experience something quite fantastic: their very own Musical Theater Festival. I think this is going to be A BIG DEAL! So I reworked one of my comic strip panels (that was still referencing Anything Goes, mind you) and made it more of a promotion for the actual production.  I hope it sells out every night!

Last Chance to see April's Jurascals!

I love newspapers, the smell of the newsprint, the feel of the paper, the ritual of being able to read it while having a good cup of coffee. And my favorite aspect of a newspaper by far is the comics page. Now I created Jurascals first as a series of small easy to read books for my children. I will continue to work on those as they really still serve a good purpose. But I created the comic strip for Jurascals to be specifically put in print in the Auburn, New York newspaper.

In April I was just starting out this odyssey and I felt it wouldn't do the entire premise justice if I didn't set the place specifically and squarely in Auburn, New York. It really is a fantastic place and, on a side note, I think once the Musical Festival takes off ( it begins in 2012) this is going to be an amazing destination for travelers across the country. When read together, the first three weeks set the stage for the later stories to come but I can also see that on a day by day basis, I recognize this first section was not the fastest pace that I could have presented the material. However I am happy with the work because over time the rest of the stories can harken back to this exact point so it was crucial that the story and place was set.

What happens in May is the first actual story but it will take many detours along the way. The story begins by bringing up William Seward and Lina's learning about young Mr. Seward. Auburn is the home of the Seward House, an amazing repository of American History so I start there. But things start picking up at a much faster pace in June and there will be a recurring subplot that happens in June which I hope the readers will find interesting and it is certainly relevant in the present times.

So with that in mind, this is the last chance (for a while) to see the very first Jurascals comic strips on the www.jurascals.com website as my blog with April's comic strips will be removed at the end of May. If there's good feedback I'll post the month of May at some point in June. Of course, the best way to see the comic strip is in print in the Auburn Citizen every day! Call 'em if you're interested in subscribing today!

June Approaches!

In June, Lina and her dinosaur celebrate Auburn Musicals in the first week...

...before heading off to the Seymour library to learn more about William Seward!

There's so much more to learn!I hope you enjoy the June installment of Jurascals found exclusively in the printed pages of the comics section of the Auburn Citizen.

www.auburnpub.com

Jurascals collage in art gallery

Jurascals is in an art gallery again. The Jurascals comic strip collage includes a number of the earlier versions of the comic strip and a few felt representations of the characters-something I worked on when I was first creating the characters).

APRIL JURASCALS!

UPDATED 6/1/2011. For a limited time, the entire beginning of the Jurascals daily comic strip-April 2011 was placed online here in this blog entry for folks to catch up.  However this posting was meant to be for a limited time only and now that May is over, it has been removed. Jurascals is found in the print edition of the Auburn Citizen, usually in section B and is located right above Peanuts! I am considering placing May's work on a blog similar to the April one. Feel free to provide some feedback and let me know your thoughts on that-email me at RASCALS@JURASCALS.COM

Jurascals Looking Forward

The marquee of the Auburn Schines theater says Jurascals the Movie in this Jurascals postcard.  Who knows what may happen in the next ten, twenty years or so. But for now May approaches  (amazing it is May so soon!) May begins the actual first "story" as Lina and Dinosaur will learn about young Mr. Seward. My thanks goes out again to the Seward House and to Paul McDonald who provided an amazing tour for us while we were there!

Beginning to really blog

This promotional item was in the Wednesday 4/20 issue. Even though it references 4/11/2011, it's still a nice piece of work and it fits exactly within the ad space so I'm glad it was printed.
I made three other promotional items which I gave to the Citizen by hand and I hope they get printed as well-they don't reference a date but they do reference getting a subscription to the Citizen.


I referenced in an earlier blog how we had an amazing tour of the Seward House. This is an article about Paul McDonald who is retiring after a lifetime of service to this institution. Paul gave us an experience that we will cherish. Thank you Paul! http://auburnpub.com/lifestyles/article_4e91e2a2-6df5-11e0-9e7b-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=story

Jurascals  begins its third week today. With that in mind, I have created the ability for folks to add comments to this blog. I thought I had done so before but I finally resolved the technical issue. As long as a reader clicks on the specific title of the blog, that reader can add a comment.  I would love to receive your comments in the blog, or, if so you're so inclined, via my email: rascals@jurascals.com.
If you are a reader of the Auburn Citizen and have read the comic strip, please let me know what you think! I would enjoy hearing your thoughts, comments and suggestions.

Finally, I have been asked whether folks will be able to read Jurascals without getting the newspaper. I created Jurascals to be read in print or in the subscription based E-edition however I recognize some readers might not be in Auburn. So I will come up with a way that retains the integrity of the idea along with an ability for folks to read some of the already printed Jurascals. So keep posted!

Many Wonderful Places in Auburn

Among the many wonderful locations my wife and I visited in Auburn, New York, we had the opportunity to see the Seward House, The Tubman Home, The Cayuga Museum of History (which includes the Ted Case laboratory) and the Seymour Library (which although is not a museum-it's a great building and wonderful folks there). Each location deserves its own blog entry and I'll do that over the course of the next week.  But overall let me just say "wow".

Just going to these buildings is a treat visually. When you actually stand there in front of a structure with such significance, as an artist I feel compelled to capture it-first via photo, then I want to draw it. But more importantly, INSIDE the building, when taking the tours of the museums, listening to the stories and information from the directors of the tour, I was constantly amazed and in awe of the history. For these museums, Paul, Christine and Eileen are truly passionate and knowledgeable-they are clearly experts in their field of knowledge and we were priviledged to have them guide us in our understanding of Auburn history.

With each visit I came away with a very sobering thought:

I must do this right.

I resolve to make the Jurascals comic strip, which takes place in Auburn and celebrates Auburn, not just worthy of print, but worthy of Auburn. This has always been my intention but even more so now, I will redouble my efforts to get it right for you. For the art, I resolve to make May's work even better than April's (they are already drawn, I will ink it even better than I inked the April's work). But for June's I will solve the lettering issue (make it better-more consistent with the other comic strips on the page). However as I continue the story, I have one focus in mind: the reader of the Auburn Citizen who lives in and around Auburn- you deserve to have your story told in an exceptional fashion. You will get nothing short of exceptional.

In the first week, the reader has met two of the three main characters-Lina and Dinosaur. In the second week, they will discuss their plan for promoting the new nickname for the city and head home. In the third week, you'll meet the  third main character-the Dad and the end of the third week sets the stage for the story that begins in May.

First thoughts!

Although I have a subscription to the Auburn Citizen, we have been away from the house so my first look at the Jurascals comic strip in print was today. I went to a newspaper vending machine a few blocks from Hoopes Park and grabbed the last newspaper in the rack. Turning to B6, I saw it on the top of the page just above Peanuts. What an honor!

I loved seeing it in print. As a special moment, I also saw on page A5 a promo for Jurascals that I had drawn specifically for the paper and that looked fantastic-it fit the space perfectly!

Seeing the comic strip in print, I noted that it is the only non-editorial daily comic strip that is clearly made for the Auburn community. Over the course of the story, I will be celebrating Auburn in what I believe will be a special way. Consider the first three weeks to be the "preface" to the entire rest of the comic strip, with a unique story beginning 5/2. These first three weeks set the stage for that and for all other stories so even though there is banter between Lina and the Dinosaur, the banter will have a larger context later on in the strip.

For the art, I recognize certain things of the comic strip that appear different than the originals. For one thing, it is always  better to draw DARKER. More solid dark ink (such as on Lina's shirt) will make the comic strip pop out more. My background (of the Phoenix building today) has more definition in the original than the print version. For the artwork in May, which I have pencilled but not inked, I will ensure that the ink makes the art stand out even more. So rest assured, I like the way it looks but I know that the art will only get better and better now that I see how it turns out on the page (and this is being drawn specifically for the page!)

Let me know what you think!

As always you can email rascals@jurascals.com with any thoughts and comments on Jurascals!

Thank you Auburn!

I will make a full post later on in the week with photos of Auburn and drawings etc but I wanted to make a quick post just to thank the good folks in Auburn who are giving this new comic strip, Jurascals, a chance!
This is a unique opportunity. Madeline may live in an old house in Paris and Spiderman may swing through the city skyline of New York city but Jurascals are specifically from Auburn, NY. Lina and Dinosaur will learn all about what makes Auburn a pleasant city. I look forward to developing this story and celebrating the history and people of Auburn, New York!

-J Timothy Quirk

Jurascals had already made the newspaper on 3/31 with a mention!

On 3/31/2011, Jeremy Boyer, the editor of the Auburn Citizen, documents all of the new and exciting features occurring in the Auburn Citizen and one of them is JURASCALS!

http://auburnpub.com/news/opinion/columnists/article_af170b3e-5b30-11e0-87e1-001cc4c03286.html


Here is a promo I made for the first week!

ONE WEEK BEFORE JURASCALS BEGINS!

Jurascals will begin on 4/11/2011 in the Auburn Citizen, a wonderful newspaper in Auburn, New York!

Looking forward to the premiere of the comic strip, just one week away! I want to thank the Cayuga County Office of Tourism and the Seward House for their assistance and permissions that have allowed me to do the story I want to tell! In the pages of the Auburn Citizen, Lina and Dinosaur will learn why Auburn is History's hometown. If the reader collects the comic strip over the course of the year (or more), they can read the story of William Seward as Lina and Dinosaur learn about him!
Remember: William Seward's birthday is just around the corner! (May 16th)

The Cayuga County Office of Tourism's website is:
http://www.tourcayuga.com/
And the Auburn specific website is:
www.historyshometown.com

The Seward House museum's website is:
http://www.sewardhouse.org/

As always, my email is rascals@jurascals.com. I look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions!

It's Official! Daily Comic Strip begins 4/11/2011!

Jurascals begins as a daily comic strip on 4/11/2011 in the Auburn Citizen. The Auburn Citizen is a wonderful newspaper focusing on the information and entertainment pertinent to their readers in Cayuga county! I am excited to be able to share stories I believe will be of interest to this community.
Jurascals will be specifically daily comic strips for now (no Sunday edition for the comic strip at this time). Since there will be no Sunday edition, you can read this sample Sunday page I created as a rough draft to give a flavor for the comic strip.

Big Jurascals News Coming Soon!

Lina and her dinosaur have a very special HOME in a very special city! There will be some big news released shortly ! 

Postcards featuring the Jurascals

Here is the first postcard (which I'm doing for the Happy CNY (Central New York) facebook page challenge) that features the Jurascals. The two are in Alaska.

New Watercolor

As I build the Jurascals daily comic strip and the current Happy Central New York weekly cartoon, I decided to do a watercolor of the Jurascals characters. In front of the Waterbury city hall there is a planter with the image of a smiling Dionyssus on the bottom. As it is sculpted, it's not really a happy smile. I imagined what would this character say if he given the chance, what sort of advice would he give. So I have Lina and her dinosaur talking to the planter and hearing what he has to say

Here's a closeup