SHOCK AND AWE

Preview panels from upcoming latest chapter in my graphic novel, THE CLIFF, Book 4: "Heart of Brightness"... page 92.

... IN A WORLD FULL OF HUMANS

Preview panels from THE CLIFF, Book 4: "Heart of Brightness" - pgs. 90 & 91!  The Pig and the Penguin have a talk by the River...

WITH MAGNANIMOUS...

More preview panels from the big showdown at the climax of THE CLIFF, Book 4: "Heart of Brightness," on which I have been using a lot of ink (pages 88 & 89... only 10 more to go!)

"School's in Session" - an interview with Matthew Brown on the website, SUITLESS PURSUITS.

"In our latest interview, we had the opportunity to catch up with Matthew Brown, high school principal and comic book artist, who schooled us on the finer points of backseat fist fights, artistic inspiration and the value of tenacity."

THANKS TO JOE TICAR FOR HIS GREAT INTERVIEW ON SUITLESS PURSUITS .

http://suitlesspursuits.com/articles/schools-in-session-an-interview-with-m

BRAVO, DETECTIVE!

Preview panels from pages 86 & 87 of THE CLIFF, Book 4: "Heart of Brightness." This is the climax... I've had to cut out some of the word balloons to preserve suspense!

 

... NOTHING.

Here are some preview panels from THE CLIFF Book 4, "Heart of Brightness", on the ghats by the Ganga River at night...

THE CLIFF Book 4, "Heart of Brightness" - preview panel, pg. 84

THE CLIFF Book 4, "Heart of Brightness" - preview panel, pg. 85

Matthew Brown interview - Why Make Comics?

In a strange turn of events during the Toronto Annex Patio Art Show I was approached by a couple who do the website Suitless Pursuits... they were interested that my day job, being a high school principal, was quite different from my habit of writing and drawing comic books.  They asked to interview me, and I said, "Why not?"  Their journalistic piece will soon be posted to their site as a short, pithy written piece...

However, for those who would like to hear the full unadulterated 27 minutes of me fueled up on caffeine and extemporizing about comics, art and life with two kind people egging me on as I stray further and further from the questions and into some occasionally vulgar, occasionally insightful territory, THIS VIDEO IS FOR YOU!  I have matched it with a wide range of my art through the ages, high school all the way to yesterday.

Hope you enjoy!  (Especially my publisher from Montreal days Marc Tessier, who has encouraged me so much in my comics through the years...)

FREEDOM. FREEDOM.

Here are some preview panels from THE CLIFF, Book 4: "Heart of Brightness," taken from a night-time conversation by the side of the Ganges...

Preview panels from "Heart of Brightness," pg.82

Preview panel from "Heart of Brightness," pg.83

WELCOME TO VARANASI. Please don't die.

Here are some preview panels from pages 78-81 of THE CLIFF, Book 4: "Heart of Brightness"... I would love to show more, but that would spoil the climax!  And nobody wants that.

(Preview panel - pg. 78)

(Preview panels - pg. 79)

(Preview panels - pg. 80)

(Preview panel - pg. 81)

RED EYE EXHIBITION - Moronto / Varanasi

The exhibition contrasts the city of Moronto, Canada in the first two pages, and the city of Varanasi, India in the last two pages.  Moronto shows Mutt Blue and his guide, Poopsie the Penguin embraced in black and shadows, wrapped in relationship and organic trappings.  Varanasi shows Mutt Blue alone, surrounded by light and space, navigating the void of inner awareness.  The pages can be read as a search from human confusion to divine insight.

These pages from a larger graphic novel (more than 250 pages when completed) trace the footsteps of self-discovery for exiled mafia prince Mutt Blue and uncover some of the mystery surrounding his portly guide, Poopsie the Penguin… while raising yet other questions, and introducing a host of charming and confounding characters.

For those of you in Toronto--if you like great coffee, delicious pastries and surreal black-and-white comix, please drop by to see some original pages of THE CLIFF framed and hung at Red Eye Espresso, 29 McCaul St. ... (south of OCAD University on the east side of McCaul, just north of Queen St. West...)
They look quite handsome framed, if I may say so myself!

One week only - Mon. July 28 - Sat. Aug.2, 2014     --     Open Mon.-Sat., 8am-6pm

THE CLIFF has been ANNEXED

So, it came and went... with sunshine, rain, butterflies, pigeons, passersby, and an assortment of wild and wonderful visitors to the Annex Patio Art Show, July 12-13, 2014.  Please find some photos, and for those with intestinal fortitude, a video documentary collaboration between my father Richard and me!

Ready for business.

Mr. Mikhail Gurarie, who helped with setup, take-down and maintenance throughout the show...

an essential mainstay of the Ambient Zero effort!  THANKS MIKE!!

A lovely lady peruses the pages...

Mystery visitor.

My lovely wife Quyen... she visited Varanasi with me on our honeymoon (her idea,) so

she knows the scenes behind us from firsthand experience!

Youngest and most advanced Cliff fan, our niece Evelyn Elizabeth

graced us with her rainbow presence.

Passersby, evincing zero interest in Ambient Zero.

What the... ?

There were pages on the inside, too... although few realized it.

Rain on the second day morning... really reminded me of traveling in

India, how you have to keep on going no matter what as if it's

no big deal.

My Mom, who first made us draw when we otherwise would have been punching

each other on long car trips.  She's holding the Annex Art Show catalog, open

to a drawing I did for Mackenzie's Pub, Annex.

Moving product.  (I.e., moving coffee into my guts.)

Me, Nettie and my Dad, who first taught me to draw a penguin.

Me, facing a picture of me, facing the Ganges River.

Om.

In addition, Brian Labelle has a project of photographing artists with their work, and came by to shoot the Annex Patio Art Show... check out these beautiful shots of all the artists who participated, on Brian's Flickr site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/reflex6002/14458425219/in/photostream/

And now, for those of you who made it to the end, a special treat!  

Click here for a video documentary made by my father, Mr. Richard Brown - "Penguin and Pigeons."

ANNEX PATIO ART SHOW TOMORROW!

Hope you can drop by and see original pages from THE CLIFF, Book 4: "Heart of Brightness" hanging in the window of Menchella's Gourmet Pizza, 454 Bloor St. West... (across from Ginger Vietnamese Restaurant, north side, between Spadina and Bathurst!)  I'll be there all day, 10am-7pm on Sat. July 12 and Sun. July 13.  Wish us good weather!  :)

Meanwhile, here's some more preview panels, from the upcoming graphic novel pgs 76 & 77...

ANNEX PATIO ART SHOW NEXT WEEKEND! (Sat.July 12- Sun. July 13)

I'll be showing original comic book pages from my upcoming graphic novel, THE CLIFF -- Book 4, "Heart of Brightness" in the window of Menchella’s Gourmet Pizza -- 454 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M5S 1X8.  Hope to see you there!

THE CLIFF AT THE ANNEX PATIO ART SHOW!

I am happy to say that I've been accepted to display my original comic book pages in the window of Menchella's Pizzeria (roughly across Bloor St. West from Lee's Palace) during the Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival weekend of Sat. July 12 and Sun. July 13... hope you can drop by to have a look at the forthcoming graphic novel!
As of today we have 45 Artists booked into the show, (our capacity is 65). Please see attached a copy of our Call for Artists... the organizer Robin is a great guy and a dreamer who wants artists to succeed.  Come join us!

MORE PREVIEW PANELS - THE CLIFF, Book 4 "Heart of Brightness", pgs. 74-75

PREVIEW PANELS - THE CLIFF, Book 4 "Heart of Brightness", pgs. 68-73

Enjoying the use of a new scanner, I've decided to share these peek-a-boo "preview panels" from the raw, unadjusted scans of pages 68-73... hope you like them!