Today’s Geek of the Week column features Brad Guigar, local graphic artist and web comic cartoonist.

Some of you might know this talented local guy from a number of his projects, including Greystone Inn and Evil Inc. Brad was kind enough to chat with me about his background in comic drawing, his inspirations, and how he creates such fabulous pieces of art.

Tell me a little bit about your history with comic drawing. How did you get started?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a cartoonist. I remember getting How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way when I was about eight years old and carrying it with me everywhere. In college, I subscribed to the Detroit Free Press for one reason and one reason alone: Bloom County.

Without giving too many trade secrets away, what’s your usual process? What traditional or digital tools do you use?

I work in traditional pen-and-ink on a heavy Bristol board. I scan in the illustrations, doing touch-ups in Photoshop, add the lettering in InDesign, and send the master files to Ed Ryzowski, who has been coloring Evil Inc for several years now. He returns two versions, a high-res file for print and a low res file for Web. Typically, I have between two and six weeks of buffer – comics that are completely prepped and ready to be updated on the site.

The high-res files are then forwarded to the newspapers that I self-syndicate the strip to. (The Philadelphia Daily News for one) and reformatted into graphic novels, which I sell on my site.

How long have you been publishing your comics on the web?

I started in 2000 with Greystone Inn and switched to Evil Inc. in June 2005.

I’m a huge proponent of what self-publishing on the Web can do for creative professionals. In 2008, I co-wrote How to Make Webcomics which described the “webcomics business model” of making money by giving away your content for free. The book was extremely successful (it’s currently in its third printing) and it launched Webcomics.com, a site I run to offer advice and tutorials to other webcartoonists. (more…)

Anyone in the Philly area knows that heading into the Big Apple to see the sights is usually a maddening experience around the holidays. This year, however, the folks at Neiman decided to use their digital powers for good by trying to reduce sightseeing stress.

After the success of Philly SteakOut (check out Mikey’s coverage of that, here) the folks involved with Neiman’s R&D unit, Neiman Labs decided to take Foursquare data a step further, and today launched their latest project: Go Crowdless.

I had a chance to chat briefly with George Ward and Chris Reif, two of the brains behind the operation. Go Crowdless focuses on 20 of NYC’s most popular holiday attractions (like Radio City and Rockefeller Center), and attempts to predict the most crowded and least crowded times based on when users “check in” on Foursquare.

“Foursquare data isn’t a perfect snapshot of the overall visiting population, but it’s still helpful. The more visitors check into these venues, the more accurate ‘Go Crowdless’ will be as December rolls on,” George said.

“There’s so much potential to use this check-in data to create useful tools for people,” Chris added. “That’s why we wanted to make something like this. Plus, I really can’t stand crowds, so this one was personally a favorite of mine.”

While Go Crowdless is currently only monitoring venues in Manhattan for the holidays, Neiman Labs plans to adapt it for future uses in other cities. I personally hope it comes to Philly so I’ll know when not to walk past the Liberty Bell.  No matter what city it pops up in next, Go Crowdless is a clean, smart way to use social media for good. Be sure to check it out if you’re heading into NYC this holiday season.

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CSI: The Experience is a hands-on exhibit that showcases the scientific techniques and disciplines used to solve crimes. Visitors interact with multimedia displays that explain different forensic science fields such as DNA identification, toxicology, and blood splatter analysis. Add in a high dosage of the CBS hit TV show and you have a fun way to learn about science.

I walked into CSI: The Experience at the Franklin Institute jaded. These types of experience exhibits always seemed cheesy. I expected a half assed exhibit that used the popularity of the CSI television program to get people to buy tickets. But by the end of my visit, I felt strangely proud that I had solved a pretend crime.

You could say CSI: The Experience needs to be experienced. YEAAAAAAAAAAAH! (more…)

For all you comic book geeks and film fiends, head on over to National Mechanics on Sunday Dec 4th to catch an exclusive screening of the documentary Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts.

Geekadelphia’s fave comic shop Brave New Worlds has teamed up with Sequart and Respect Films to present this documentary which captures the cult fame that Ellis has achieved as a comic book writer and “internet Jesus”.

Captured Ghosts will begin at National Mechanics in Old City starting at 7pm. Tickets for this one-time Philly viewing are $7 at the door, or better yet stop by Brave New Worlds ahead of time to pick up your ticket and pick up Transmetropolitan, my recommended reading for this event. This event is not to be missed!

Captured Ghosts @ National Mechanics
Sunday, December 4th, 7pm
www.nationalmechanics.com

While some people yearn to climb Mount Everest or find the Higgs boson particle, my inherent loathing of nature and lack of the mathematical acumen required to be a physicist resulted in my dreams being a bit less grandiose. The upside to this realization of my own shortcomings is that some of my life’s ambitions are incredibly easy to fulfill. So for the past couple of years, one of my pet obsessions was to be a Spider-Man balloon handler in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

An unremarkable dream yes, but one that I was shocked to want to make come true. You see, along with a hatred of the outdoors and counting stuff, my mental laundry list of various dislikes also includes crowds and parades. So this desire of mine made no sense. Did I want to do something out of character as a way of exploring my personal growth, or did I merely think it would be neat to guide a vinyl doppelganger of Spidey through the streets of New York City?

Grappling with these questions was ultimately futile, as seemingly the only way to be a balloon handler is to be a Macy’s employee or an invited guest of the company.

But instead of letting my dream die, I just did what everyone else seems to be doing these days and lowered my expectations. Thusly, instead of handling Spider-Man in New York City I decided to pursue the much more easily obtainable goal of carrying a balloon in Philly’s parade. This was one of the best decisions I ever made. After looking over the list of balloon possibilities, there was one that seemed like a no-brainer for me: Kermit the Frog.

As a life-long Muppet freak who has contemplated buying The Onion’s “I Appreciate the Muppets on a Much Deeper Level than You” shirt on several occasions, it felt right that Kermit and I finally meet. So within minutes of sending my request to the parade’s Volunteer Coordinator I received my response with my assignment. Kermit was a go. It would soon be time to play the music, time to light the lights…

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My profile on Date My School

Last month, some Philadelphia universities and schools were invited to DateMySchool.com, a dating website designed to connect single students. Any ladies looking for someone tall, dark, and handsome? You can throw in “law student” too.

The main draw of the site was the exclusivity. Only elite schools were invited to the beta test, ensuring the pool of dating candidates was top notch. Users can even make their profiles visible to certain programs and schools. Looking to connect with a future doctor? No problem, just change your privacy settings so only those in the local medical schools can view your profile.

DateMySchool is following in the early footsteps of Facebook by slowly rolling out the service to build excitement. At first, only Columbia University and New York University could use the service. Last month, I received an email to my drexel.edu address to beta test the site. Lucky me! I signed up to see what the big deal was, maybe mack on some post baccalaureate hotties.

The website offers the usual dating profile staples such as photos, interests, and questions. But DateMySchool offers a different dimension since users need a .edu email address. In addition to age and body type, users can filter matches by universities and schools. While that may sound pompous, in practice the user’s preferences determine the search results. Users can also filter out their own program to save themselves the embarrassment of being matched up with someone they know. After trying out a few searches, DateMySchool appears like a run of the mill dating website with an extra way to refine the search for your perfect match.

Based on a handful of searches, there aren’t too many people on the site from Philadelphia schools. This could be a good thing for the single guy looking to connect with an ambitious psychology major studying at Temple University. Given the exclusive nature of the site, there’s probably less competition for female attention. Compared to OKCupid.com, a free dating site with over 7 million active members, a more exclusive dating website may have its place.

It’s all about “New” in today’s Comic Roundup as I review the latest issues of Astonishing X-Men and Haunt, which both feature new creative teams, and the new issue of The Mighty Thor which features a whole new direction for everyone’s favorite Asgardian.

The Mighty Thor #8
By Matt Fraction and Pasqual Ferry

While Fear Itself may have limped to a rather lackluster ending, you just knew it was going to have big ramifications for the monthly Thor title. I mean, Odin’s gone and sealed up the way to Asgard-Space with him. Thor, the star of the book, is dead and there are now a ton of Asgardians trapped on Earth. (more…)

You know, just because we call it a “Weekly Kickstarter” doesn’t mean we can’t mix things up from time to time. There are tons of Kickstarter-esque sites out there full of amazing, creative work. Sites like SellaBand and IndieGoGo also allow creative folks to showcase their talents and give you the chance to show your support in the best possible way – with cold, hard cash. This week, Pat Fay and the gang over at Zowee Productions gives us a glimpse at their upcoming project Anhedonia – The Most Amazing Independent Puppet Sitcom Ever. Talk about mixing things up.

Jef Connectorkit is an everyday Joe. He works for his dad, lives with his three life long best friends, and in his spare time is looking for love….it’s just that his dad is a furry blue monster billionaire who married a human woman (making Jef part human, part furry blue monster), then divorced his mother and banished her from the city he runs. Jef’s best friends are maniacal puppets with no sense of right or wrong, (or for that matter, reason), and every woman he meets doesn’t see the appeal in dating a guy who isn’t an autotrophic cyclops, talking broom, or a cloud of pure insecurity.

We’re taking inspiration from PeeWees Playhouse to 70s Punk Rock to the Muppet Show to French New Wave to anywhere where the craft and dedication to the production is just as important as the finished product. We’re building the puppets, writing and recording the music, creating the sets, and making miniatures for all the exterior shots from found objects. Our goal is to make a truly unique show with a protagonist just trying to do the right thing in an exaggerated version of our world.

Zowee Productions is a loving group of artists, musicians, actors, writers and directors working to make fun, unique products.

You may recognize the Zowee folks from their show with State Radio earlier this month at Union Transfer, but the Anhedonia project is sure to be unique. Funding closes soon, so don’t hesitate.

The Project: Anhedonia – The Most Amazing Independent Puppet Sitcom Ever

Creator: Zowee Productions

The Sweet Spot: $50 will get you a a sweet package known as the Fist Bump + Blow Up: a thank you credit in the first episode, a sticker, Zowee’s rock album, an autographed poster, and a DVD of the first episode. The $350 package (the Shimmy Shimmy Coco Puff) gets you all of that plus a tshirt, a puppet of one of the characters, a custom signed sketch, and a pair of non-descript white socks. You know you want it.

Funding Deadline: December 2nd, 2011

More Info: In addition to the main IndieGoGo page you can also find Zowee on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, as well as their own site.

Every Monday Geekadelphia features a Kickstarter (or IndieGOGO!) created by locals. Check ‘em out and support our local geek scene. If you have a project that you’d like featured on site, contact geekadelphia@gmail.com

If you read Geekadelphia, chances are you’ve fooled around in Photoshop once in your lifetime. Weather it be your actual profession, or if you just like to Photoshop yourself into photos with Joseph Gordon Levitt (aka Friday nights) there is a Photoshop event in Philly for you! On December 1st the Adobe Photoshop Philadelphia User Group is holding an event designed to get you in the middle of the Philadelphia Design community.

The event begins 7:15 on the campus of Philadelphia University. Nathaniel Dodson and Tony Profeta will provide a presentation featuring Adobe’s brand new Touch Apps with demonstrations of the applications on an Android tablet. You can check out some of the Adobe touch apps ahead of time at the following links:

• Adobe Touch Apps
• Adobe Touch App Video Demonstrations
• Adobe Creative Cloud Overview
• Adobe Photoshop Touch Overview

The event will also include a presentation from Michele McKeone M. Ed. from the Autism Expressed project. She is an exciting social entrepreneur and recent graduate of the UArts Corzo Center program, and will present the challenges in creating and delivering the unique vision of Autism Expressed. The project aims to help students with autism learn to effectively use various social media platforms and digital software like Photoshop.

And finally, to close out the event Robert M. Hall from Feasible Impossibilities and the Official Adobe User Group manager for the Philadelphia Flash Platform Group will deliver a presentation summarizing Adobe’s recent announcements regarding Flash and Flex.

For more information visit Photoshopphilly.com

As most of you know, we’re huge fans of Chipocrite here on Geekadelphia. You might have caught him performing at Lebowskifest at the TLA earlier this year, and back in the Summer, he wrote the theme song for the Philly Geek Awards, which you can absolutely still download from us.

Well, he was recently nominated for the Deli Philadelphia’s Featured Artist poll, and we sure would love to see him on there. Just head over to the site and look for the voting column on the right hand side there. Select Chipocrite and vote. Note, if you select anyone else, YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG.

Voting ends December 1st, so share the link. Let’s get him up there.

Hugo, based on the on the Brian Selznick novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, is young adult historical fiction at its finest. The film directed by Martin Scorsese is probably some of the best 3D you will see this year, and once again proves that in the right hands the technology can be more than simply a gimmick for raising a ticket price.

Hugo tells the tale of a young orphan boy in the 1930s who spends his days winding the clocks of the train station and his nights restoring a mysterious automaton his deceased father found in a museum. Everything changes for the boy one day when he meets a strange old man that runs a windup toy stand in and the station, who also shares his love for all things mechanical.

Hugo is an excellent film and Martin Scorsese’s love letter to the child-like wonder that the movies can bring. Hugo also has some local ties as well. The automaton Hugo restores in the film is inspired by the Maillardet Automaton, which resides at our very own Franklin Institute.

Geek Score 4.75 out of 5

Check out a video of the Maillardet Automaton.

The Maillardet Automaton will be uncased and demonstrated December 3-4 during regular museum hours.

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Ah, Thanksgiving. A time for friends, family, reflection and devouring an unseemly amount of food. A lot of us have had a pretty stellar year and have got a lot to be grateful for. Below, we’ve all sounded off about what we’re thankful for this year.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Geekadelphia. And for those of you prepping to go Black Friday shopping, please be safe, and remember, there is always Cyber Monday. No sense in getting yourself trampled for television at Target, people.

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@ericsmithrocks: this year, I’m thankful for the guys and gals at the Academy of Natural Sciences, especially Carolyn, Dan and Jill, who helped make the Philadelphia Geek Awards such an epic success. It couldn’t have happened without them, and I’m quite grateful to have such an amazing partnership.

I’m also thankful for @technicallyphl launching Philly Tech Week. They continue to be a brave and stalwart enemy. They are the Stark to my Lannister. Chris, Sean, Brian… Winter is coming.

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@bigredtim is thankful for bacon

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@mikeyil: Despite the stunned looks that I drive all the way out to the ‘burbs, I’m thankful for working at SAP. It’s a great place to work and honestly one of the best commutes I’ve ever had.

Overall, I’m thankful for all the vibrant communities (PhillyCHI, PhilaMade, PANMA) we’ve got in Philly that inspire me to keep up with creative work. It also goes without saying that I appreciate all the geeky foodies in town for all the meet[eat]-ups: Yelp Elite Events, Foodspotting meet-ups, Food and Drink writer meet-ups. I never have any doubts that Philly is a great place to appreciate design, whether it be elegant code or delicious dishes.

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@DantheFan: Philadelphia’s great film community for keeping me entertained for another year and @ericsmithrocks for not firing me for another year.

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@DGoodman_NBD: Not to be all sappy, but I am honesty thankful this year for Geekadelphia. This last year has been a wonderful experience of rediscovering why I love being creative and embracing the joy of writing. It has lead to me meeting and talking to a ton of interesting people, rejuvenated the work I do on my webcomic and taken my mind off all the garbage that makes life difficult. They all have my deepest thanks and admiration.

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@JoPincushion First and foremost, I am very thankful for the opportunities that Geekadelphia has given me.  From the great local music to dressing up like the TARDIS–I’ve had a great first year with the blog.  I can’t wait to do more and watch our readers grow!

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@PhillyGeekMary: I am thankful for Philly’s thriving theater scene particularly the Live Arts / Fringe festival this year. Also the ongoing theater scene, especially Plays and Players Theater and Saves the Day Productions with their ongoing Superheroes Who Are Super series: keeping theater geeky, humorous and viable!

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@BiancaCevoli: I’m thankful for Philadelphia’s amazing Geek community. Without you guys, cool things would never happen in this city. I’m also thankful for my kitten, Clawed Monet. He’s the furry, adorable garbage disposal I’ve never had.

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@bionicbigfoot: I’m thankful that the employees at Brave New Worlds don’t openly mock me about all the Archie comics I buy there, Barcade, that’s given me the chance to get soused and play Popeye at the same time, and the cult movie series at Landmark Theatres.

And I know it constantly teeters on the precipice of being overtaken by Jersey Shore refugees, but I’m genuinely thankful for Old City. Where else in Philly can you find pumpkin ice cream (Franklin Fountain), pick up dirt cheap CDs (AKA Music), fuel your passion for old movie novelizations (The Book Trader) and enjoy craft beers/Belgian fries all within walking distance of each other?

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@CollinFlatt: I’m thankful for our thriving local craft beer scene, which has given Philly a sense of national pride we haven’t felt since the authoring of the Constitution. Also John’s Roast Pork, Santucci’s Meatball Pizza, and Tahina Donuts @FederalDonuts.

And all of my geeky colleagues on this site.

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@hey_daniel: I’m thankful for Barcade opening in Philly and proving that arcades (and good beer!) still matter.

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@chrisurie: I’m thankful for being the Marketing Intern at Quirk Books under supreme marketing overlord Eric and for everyone else here at Geekadelphia. I’ve fallen into the best group of friends I could imagine.

I’m also thankful for Tattoo Mom being 50 feet away from my apartment and having dollar tacos on Tuesday.