Nick Davis's Blog, page 45

Next Convention Stop for Tristan and me is LeHigh Valley Fan Fest this Saturday, May 31

This Saturday Tristan the Teddy Bear and I will be at the LeHigh Valley Fan Fest in Allentown, PA. Looks to be an interesting and fun one day show, and has some fun guests like Lita (Amy Dumas), Theodus Crane and Kevin West, not to mention a plethora of Indie Creators.

What you need to know

LeHigh Valley Fan Fest Saturday, May 31 – 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Allentown Brew Works Event Facility, 812 West Hamilton St. Allentown, PA

You can get your tickets here. Look for the Teddy Bear Tales Banner once your inside!

Giving my I can heal you look at the Teddy Bear Tales Awesome Con table.

What I am bringing to my table

The Alt World and Teddy Bear Tales Books

Tristan and the Cuddly Defenders Graphic Novel – Friends
The Teddy Bear Tales Illustrated Adventures One and Two
Tristan the Teddy Bear Goes to the Moon Imagination Adventure Story book.
The Wonder Tales – Archer, the Horse and Other Stories Compilation
The Wonder Tales – The Daughter of Frost Illustrated Edition
Fabula Zero Exposition – the uniquely super-heroic Graphic Novel
Sigmartyr – an unofficial action figure Graphic Novel
The Tether Saga Books – None Good and Accept One

Harley Quinn by Nick Davis

Plus 

The Cuddly Sketch Cards Prints
Exclusive Full Size Prints Deadpool Bear, Harley Quinn Rabbit, Bat Bear, Star Bears, Giant Size Man Thing and much more
Original Cuddly Sketch Art
The Cheap $10 Original Art Bin
T-Shirts – The Teddy Bear Tales And The Teddy Bear Army
The Cuddly Hero Toys – Tristan, Archer, Wilma, Fernando and more


But wait there is more!

Spooky Abigail the comic book I have been writing for PRM Comics will be releasing an exclusive limited edition black and white comic of the first issue. This is  great time to pick up this book and get is signed by the creative team (including me)

Spooky Abigail is about a Witch in Training (WiT) who isn’t really all that good at Witching. We join her story in MacGivens Academy for Magical Beings, the book gives a good grounding of her world, some of the perils and sets up the beginnings of Spooky’s first adventure along with best friend Bella the Girl Werewolf.

See you there!

Look forward to meeting all the Teddy Bear Tales fans in Pennsylvania, LeHigh Valley Fan Fest looks like it will be blast. See you all there.

Another Sneak Peek at Spooky Abigail the all-ages comic book about a Witch and her Rat

Spooky Abigail Limited Edition Comic

Remember Spooky Abigail? It is the all-ages comic book I was recruited by PRM Comics to write for, I posted a preview of some of the pages a couple of months ago. Well, the first book has been released as a Limited Edition Black and White preview, which will prelude the full-color release in a few months. I think this book will be a great collectors item. 

Your first chance to get hold of this limited edition copy of Spooky Abigail will be at the Le High Valley Fan Fest this Saturday!!! I will be on hand to sign copies, as well as my usual Teddy Bear goodness. I think this book is a winner and a slow burner so this is a great chance to get onboard on what will be an Epic ride of a story.

Color Preview

You can also view a full-color preview (illustrated and colored by Veronica Smith) of the first three pages of Spooky Abigail here.

To Honor Memorial Day – An Original Watercolor Charity Auction for the Wounded Warrior Project

Teddy Bear Soldier by Nick Davis

To honor Memorial Day I am launching a Charity Auction for my Original Watercolor of a Teddy Bear Soldier with Poppy Background (see above.) This piece was created on canson watercolor paper and you can bid on it and own the original. All proceeds will be going to the Wounded Warrior Project.

!Click Here to View the Auction and Bid Now!

I first got involved with the Wounded Warrior Project at Awesome Con, they approached my table asking me to draw a piece for a Hospital Charity Auction, they really didn’t have to finish their pitch as I pretty much said shut up and let me draw something for you guys. You can view the piece I drew that weekend for them below.

Rocket Raccoon – Wounded Warrior Project Auction Sketch

Please bid on the auction and help me give a little back this Memorial Day, thank you

Checking the facts, has President Obama signed over 1000 executive orders?

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine, it somehow got into politics as my friend was a Libertarian (a self-defeating political belief that will land you straight into serfdom) and how Obama has signed more Executive Orders than any other USA President in history. I didn’t think this was true, but didn’t want to get into a political argument about it, so I deflected and changed the subject.

Frankly it felt like one of those made-up facts the far-right and those almost too far-gone make up. This ‘executive order fact’ of course niggled at me… So… Today with a little help from Google I did some fact checking, could it be true? Find out after the jump.

The Question

The question is ‘Has President Obama signed more Executive Orders than any other USA President in history?’ The question comes from this Far-Right Chain Mail that has been doing the rounds. So lets use this handy table from Poltifact below to figure it out.

The Answer



President
Executive orders according

to chain email (false)
Actual number of

executive orders




Franklin Roosevelt
11
3,522


Harry Truman
7
907


Dwight Eisenhower
2
484


John F. Kennedy
4
214


Lyndon Johnson
4
325


Richard Nixon
1
346


Gerald Ford
3
169


Jimmy Carter
3
320


Ronald Reagan
5
381


George H.W. Bush
3
166


Bill Clinton
15
364


George W. Bush
62
291


Barack Obama
1000+
168*

*As of Jan. 20, 2014

So… This short answer to the question is… No he has not.

It seems 168 is a bit short of 1000, and 123 short of George W. Bush. Now this is just a small sample based off the BS chain mail that has been going around, you can see the total signed by all USA Presidents here (Roosevelt tops out around 3500). In fact, unless he picks up speed, Obama will likely sign fewer executive orders than any two-term president since the start of the 20th century, and has only beat George Sr by two orders, and George Sr was a one term President!

I hate goddamn misinformation like this, there is enough crap out on either side without making anything up. Making stupid shite up like this and propagating it as a fact just makes the GOP, the Tea Party, the Far Fright, the Libertarians look desperate, which to be frank they are.

And that is sad… You know I hate talking politics on my blog, this is a place for entertainment and for me to talk about my projects, but I am getting sick and tired of misrepresented facts, outright lies, and other uses of propaganda thrown around by the News Media and other groups pretending to be news here in the USA. The left is as guilty as the right, but the right seems to have it down to a science.

I am copy writer with access to the internet and I do a better job than 90% of the Journalists out there. I guess it is easier to have people in fear, it suits their purposes better.

Always check the facts my friends… always!

References

Executive Orders: Washington – Obama 

Chain email claims Barack Obama has signed 1,000 executive orders to grab power from Congress

Administration of Barack Obama (2009-Present)

Google Results – Cause I’m not listing every source

The Koch Brothers and Libertarians

Trailer for Big Hero 6 looks like it is going to be marvel

I don’t know much about Big Hero 6, I know it is a Marvel property and Disney have been developing a movie for it. The two characters in this trailer are Hiro (the human) and Baymax the inflatable robot. The entire look based on the trailer has a nice anime feel to it, and looks like this movie (based on the trailer) could be a lot of fun. Check out the Trailer after the jump.

Post by Big Hero 6.

Batman v Superman Movie Title ‘Dawn of Justice’ and Logo Revealed… Ermm… Well… Yeah…

Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice

I think the graphic sums it up – the Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (official title), ,now has an official logo and principle photography is beginning. I find myself singly unexcited about this movie, and now we have this double-barreled movie title that reads like a direct-to-video animation release. I am questioning does DC know what they are doing anymore?

How can one comic book company so mishandle their icons? We get Marvel releasing the Guardians of the Galaxy movie that has a talking tree and a machine gun wielding Raccoon with a bad attitude, and we saw DC debate if their audiences will get Wonder Woman?

DC is actively demonstrating they are embarrassed about their Superheroes being superheroes in their movies. The depressing Man of Steel outing (how can you make a depressing Superman movie when the character is about hope?) Which was really a disaster movie about super-powerful Aliens using the Earth as a battleground – want to watch a good Superman movie watch Iron Giant.

I honestly don’t think the lead writer David S Goyer is able to understand the joy of Superheroes, and appears to be busy making DC’s characters post-modern ironic shadows of themselves

So much potential wasted…

I have one suggestion for DC, they are kicking ass in the animation department perhaps the movie division should let the ‘cartoon guys’ write and direct the live actions movies as well?

Why are the proposed changes in the FCC Net Neutrality rules bad?

Last week the FCC voted to discuss and vote on proposals to change the way the internet works forever in the USA. The proposal is a two-speed  internet, a paid for fast lane and one for everyone else and already if you can’t see how that is a bad thing then… this blog is not for you.

It concerns you…

It does not matter if your political leanings are left, right, or straight down the middle the first victim of this is real grassroots movements; like Operation American Spring (although you can argue it was a victim of itself). But, without the freedom to spread information and to gather popular support like the internet allows us we would lose an important way to voice our concerns.

The next are start-ups and small business’s that need the open internet to build their brand. Also we the people would not be able to access the internet and the loss of information and progress. Is that how the free market works?

Innovation will stop

It also will push the USA back into the internet stone age, all innovation and one of the few markets this country has a lead in will falter. We need to be smarter in this age not dumber, the USA does not own the internet and if we fall behind the technologies because of profit then we will lose everything.

For the sake of what?

Giving the Gatekeepers even more money?

Remember we already pay to access the internet on an aging broadband infrastructure that is already ten years out of date.

Enough is enough…

The trouble is the FCC is now staffed by the Ex-Employees and Attorneys of the cable companies it is in their special interest to serve their paymasters. But we still have a voice…

The floor is open for public comment on these proposals, click here to learn how to add your voice to the growing movement to keep the internet neutral.

I did my bit… Filed my first public comment.

ECFS Filing Receipt – Confirmation number: 2014519246662

I will do more as the avenues to protest and complain about the new FCC rules increasingly open.

References

How to yell at the FCC

FCC (still) Stinks at Defending the Internet 

Oh yeah! Another cool trailer for The Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel Movie you’re welcome

The Guardians of the Galaxy

Oh yeah…  I have this feeling that The Guardians of the Galaxy is going to be one fun ride of a Marvel movie, check out the new trailer after the jump, and you’re welcome…

Post by Guardians of the Galaxy.

Drawn at Spring Fling, with a watercolor finish its Popeye the Sailor Man…

Popeye the Sailor Man by Nick Davis

To me Popeye was an odd cartoon that popped up on Saturday morning on Swap Shop, I didn’t really start appreciating it until it appeared on Rolf’s Cartoon Club. So, this famous Sailor Man was pretty low on my list of characters to draw.

Art or Swipe?

Until I learned about Jeff Koons Popeye Statue that sold for $28.2 million which turned out to be scaled up lift of a Dark Horse Popeye toy – just scaled up. While we can argue is it art or a swipe until the Cows come home the result is Jeff Koons did nothing more than Andy Warhol did with a can of soup. And just like Andy Warhol, Mr Koons employs artists to do his work for him, as he takes credit. It is an odd… odd world…

Subliminal

I think the article subliminally planted the idea to draw Popeye in my head, so while I counted the time spent at the St Paul’s Spring Fling Show I drew and inked a Popeye. Today I finished the illustration with watercolors. Maybe I will get lucky and pull a Koons size price tag for it?

Work-in-Progress

Penciled on Canson Watercolor paper, inked with Faber-castel pens and rough colored with Faber-castel watercolor pencils. Final coloring was the watercolor pencils blended.

Here is a clue Operation American Spring it is not a revolution when you lie #OAS #OperationAmericanSpring

The Operation American Spring Proof of Crowd Picture – False

I don’t normally get political on my website, this is after all a place of entertainment, nerd talk and for me to showcase my works-in-progress, and general life stuff. But… When something really annoys me I find it hard to stay silent… And Operation American Spring (OAS) has done just that they have lied.

The Lie

OAS intention was to march 10 million people into DC, force the Government to succeed and then appoint People of Principle Tribunals to advocate their type of Government. The picture above was posted on Twitter and a lot of newsgroups as proof of the crowds attending OAS, and that they were being blacked out by the Media (including shock horror – Fox News).

Problem is, the picture above is from the 1968 Dr Martin Luthor King Poor People Campaign, I guess they felt using a 46 year old picture would mean no one would check and they would get validation as a movement.

The Truth

Instead that lie got uncovered within five minutes of internet searching, it didn’t stop them from posting pictures from other gatherings all of which were dated between two to five years ago.

The truth is OAS brought crowds numbering into the dozens, the truth is they are not about freedom, but about control and power. The truth is… They lied.

References

In Search of Operation American Spring

Went Looking for the 10 Million People March

‘Operation American Spring’ Comes to Washington, Was Only Millions Short of Projected Turnout – The Blaze (yep even the Blaze is laughing at OAS)