Tommy wrote a comic book....

This is a photo of me, Tom Valdespino,  inking the last page on "My Hero vs. His Mind", my very first comic!! ( photo credit: Ashley G)

I love comic books. Always have and, I suspect, always will. 

For most, when you hear " comic book " you think superheroes in costumes fighting bad guys. BOOM!! POW!! However, this is not the case as, just like with novels, there is literally something out there for everyone. 

Stories of love, loss and family. Stories that will make you laugh, stories that will break your heart. Stories, told in sequential art, that I dare say, at times. top their prose counterparts. 

My love of comics goes back as far as I can remember...

Starting when I was four years old with "Transformers #3", the first comic I ever remember owning, comic books helped teach me how to read. 

And if you know nothing else about me, know this: Reading is as important to me as breathing. I need to do both each day to survive.

When I was a teenager, I stopped buying comics. I wish I had a better excuse than because it "wasn't cool". Still, every now and again I'd pick up a Wizard magazine " just to see what was happening".

As I got older, cared less ( than eventually didn't care at all) of what others thought I reignited my love of comics. I realized there was more than capes and cowls, jokers and madmen, there were personal stories and autobiographical comics of everyday people. They weren't like me neccisarily but they were good stories to read.

Around this time, in my late teens and early twenties, I started writing more and more. I hesitated to show this to anyone.

When I was 22 I wrote a 250 page novel. It took me 4 months.  I showed it to a few people ( people I knew, friends and family) who seemed to like it. It's called "kaleidoscope" and is about a guy in his 20s raising his young nephew. It remains unpublished. Though, in writing about it now I may one day revisit it.

In the fall of 2012 I decided to go back to college. In addition to all the classes I HAD to take, I took an English class "just for fun". That class was called "The Graphic Novel as Literature" and for our final project we had to write and draw our very own comic.

For my final I decided to write about my Uncle Bobby... And his lifelong battle with schizophrenia. 

And though I'm no artist (I can hardly draw a straight line) the story, both true and heartbreaking, was universal. Nobody wants to see someone they love suffer.

I entered this final project in a comic contest that year at DVC. And, to my surprise, it won an award. I was given art supplies at an award ceremony and everything !!

But the best part of that award ceremony was several of the judges (teachers in English and Art at DVC) telling me I should continue to work on the story. "You've really got something here, Tom."

There were many starts and stops, times work and school got in the way, an entire summer where I didn't know what to draw next... Two years have gone by... But last week, ironically on National Comic Book Day, I finally finished.

"My Hero vs. His Mind" is about my Uncle Bobby and his battles with schizophrenia. Though he's struggled with the voices in his head my whole life it's only in the last few years that they've gotten too loud to ignore.

Not many people, outside of my family, know about this. And it wasn't/isn't easy to write or talk about. It's not easy to write this now.

But his story is an incredible one, everyday he fights to not listen to the voices... And this story was one I felt needed to be shared.

And because you're my peeps... You can read the first few pages here...

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/94493972@N08/sets/72157633106908328/

I've loved comics my entire life... But never did I think in them I'd find a new medium in which to tell stories of my own.

Where I'm at now:

With principle drawing and writing done I'm researching where to submit it for publication... Or, more likely, where to dip my toes into the seemingly scary world of self publishing .

One way or another,  " My Hero vs. His Mind" will come out one day. I will see to it.

When it does cone out , I will let you know... Bring money !! Haha.

In the meantime, working on this has broken open the creative floodgates... There may be more stories coming hopefully sooner than later... And I'm incredibly happy that I have a new way in which to tell them.

Thank you for reading , thank you for believing in me...

Tommy.

Beat LA

Gmen going into prob the most important series of the season this weekend. I had a feeling the season would wind down like this... September baseball, homie... Where the SF Giants #beatLA 

Smile

Food that has a smiley face freaks me the F out.

" I'm okay with the fact your about to slaughter me, Tommy. Look how happy I am to be your food", it seems to say .

If it has to have a face, I'd rather it'd look all shocked and terrified ( I've seen a cake like that before) so that just before I bite in I can whisper to that doughnut, "you picked the wrong snacker. Your about to die , bitch !!"

Comics

Saw a video ( and when I say video, I mean it. An old VHS tape recently converted to DVD) of my cousins 3rd birthday.

She had a clown for the party and at one point the clown asked the kids at the party what, if anything, they collected.

My answer was comic books.

The year was 1991, I was 11 years old...

More than 20 years later I still love reading comics ...

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think, in my old(er) age I'd be working on one of my own.

That the first chapter would win an award. 

And people that I'd never met previous would want to read more. 

And despite the artwork not being great, and a over a year gap since the award... People are STILL asking and encouraging me to finish this story.

I'm getting close... It takes time... 

#CHUBcon : Blue Moon Horchata Ale

If you've been following me on Instagram or twitter or elsewhere you've probably seen this at some point: 

#CHUBcon 

And maybe you've wondered, " what is that?" 

I once joked with friends that I was going to start a convention for plus sized people (others were welcome too) and call it CHUBcon. A convention for people who are tired of hearing, "You do you know those mcNuggets are bad for you" or "You like Pringles potato chips? I only buy organic farmers market oranges", etc... I said my convention would be for fans who, like myself, enjoyed getting their snack on!! 

If you've ever thought to yourself, "I have to try that bacon flavored..." Or, "they have HOW MANY flavors of kit-kats?!? I wanna try ..." Then CHUBcon is for you. 

I talked about how I'd get all the snack companies to sponsor it and there would be panels revealing all the new stuff coming out... It would blow up and eventually be a comic con for the snack crowd. I also hoped John Goodman would show up that first year as an honored guest.

 In the end, or I should say SO FAR, CHUBcon is just the hashtag I use for food pictures I post.

However, not long ago, my buddy Joe ( SHOUTOUT ) suggested I take CHUBcon to the next level and actually start writing about the stuff I'm trying. 

So, periodically, that's what I'm going to do..,

And it all starts with the item that sparked this idea:

Blue Moon Horchata Ale.

I'd heard they were making an horchata flavored beer several months back and, not seeing it on the shelves soon after , I assumed like the unicorn it was a mythical creature that would only be the stuff of legend.

That was, dear readers, until this week...

Found in a sampler pack, Blue Moon Horchata Ale was billed as "ale with a subtly sweet yet spiced taste ".

My Mexican taste buds were looking to put this to the test.

The first sip didn't taste like much... The second sip was where the cinnamon taste was hiding. And that's where it ended. I did not get any of the "spice" or anything else the beer promised me.

If you took a regular blue moon and put a dash of cinnamon in it, you could make your own.

That said, did not hate this. 

In fact, I would have it again. Though I don't see this as a regular go to drink I will say that it was fun and did taste interesting enough that I wouldn't mind having another.

Happy Uncle Day

Father's Day isn't just about fathers. For those of us, like myself , who for one reason or another didn't grow up with a dad it's more a day to say thank you for all the dudes who made a difference in your life. 

And for me, no man has made a bigger impact on my life than my uncle Bobby.

My dad passed away in March of 1990, when I was 9. A few months later, in June, would be my first Fathers Day without a Dad. But my Uncle Bobby made sure I didn't spend it alone. 

I wish I could recall what we did, or if he and my mom and I even did anything. All I do remember is that they were both there. And looking back on it now, though I didn't realize it as a kid, that was enough. 

My Uncle Bobby taught me a great many things. He taught me almost everything I know about the music that came before me. He  (and my Papo and my cousin Michael .. Who took me to my first game...) taught me about the great game of baseball.  But most of all Uncle Bobby taught me, just by being himself, what a great man should be like. He's the best uncle in the world and my role model. Everyday I strive to be more like him. 

For some reason there aren't a great many cards for uncles on Father's Day.... And this year, like so many since I was 9, I made him a card of my own... 

Love you, Uncle Bobby, more than these words can express ...

Tommy

Happy free comic book day 2014

Happy free comic book day, nerds.

And for non nerds, WHAT is free comic book day?

It's the first Saturday in May in which, each year, participating comic book stores will give out free comic books made by all the major companies. For new and old readers alike, this is great.... Who doesn't like free stuff. 

For people with kids, this is a great way to introduce them to comics and promote reading in general. 

If you have never read comics or read them as a kid (and watch the movies that come out now) and your looking for something to do today, I strongly recommend checking it out. It costs nothing and maybe you will find something new to read.

No matter what type of genre you dig, there literally is a comic for everyone out there... One simply has to take the time to look and discover that next great read is out there...

http://www.freecomicbookday.com/Home/1/1/27/992