Kids and Controversy

All my kids classes at ECC are over for the moment. I have about two weeks of peace before it starts anew. Here are some pictures from a few of my classes from the past year. Not all my classes are there, I'll add them in a little bit.





My PSA Panda illustrations have caused quite a stir at ECC Web School! Enjoyed by staff and teachers alike, the drawings have naturally come under a bit of scrutiny from the top dogs. During the process of getting permission from the boss, who in turn has to get permission from his boss, and then the boss' boss, and so on some questions have arisen.

1. Is the harming of a panda who obviously feels no pain going to offend the Chinese instructors?
A fair question as I do not wish to offend anyone. Though I wonder if anyone has asked the Chinese instructors about it - I certainly haven't as of yet. The story of Tom Henderson, the Panda, has also not been introduced, so far, to a wider public, as I am still developing my new characters. This allows some doubt as to the intentions I have in harming office pandas. I also have to wonder if the Japanese have noticed that the Chinese Instructors are not, in fact, pandas themselves.

2. Will these pictures make the public question whether or not these are an ECC creation?
Also a fair question. A valid point being made as to ECC being a public company, and in so being, all images being shown must bear the ECC logo - as ownership in advertising applies. However, being a project that I have undertaken for Web School, I'm pretty sure that the public will not see these at all anyway...Customers do no vist us. We are closed off from the world. Trapped within mundane walls and a sliding door. This was the whole reason why I started doing these. It's BORING in there; SOUL SUCKING in there; LIFE DRAINING in there. A little color and humor is all many of us ask for. We cannot personalize the booths in any other way because others have to use the same booths. Something is needed. We give a lot of energy to our classes and these boxes we work in give nothing back.
So...does these works need to be owned by ECC? Other schools are interested in having these little warning signs posted in their schools, schools that are more public. Here I would see a more reasonable argument for them not to be placed. But, in our cages? I say, let freedom be displayed by taping it to the walls!

In the end, I think that I'm going to tell them to stop this inquiry. I give up. The Japanese-business ability to ruin even the basic of fun things has won. I don't even find them funny anymore. I'm putting distance between me and my creations in order for life to come back to them. I have a full fledged meeting with them today. We"ll see what happens.

Anyway, check out one of the posters below! Peace out!
Laterz...Mike, the Daunted RocketRat...

Welcome Back, Me!

Well, it's been a month since I've put up anything here, and not because I've been away on some exotic adventure. No, it's because I'm really, really lazy. Shamefully lazy. I truly hate myself. Indeed. Well, since I'm back, I guess I should explain my whereabouts...

I've been working on illustrations for more characters for this site, and I've got three new to debut in time. The first is Tom Henderson, the Panda. You can see him above. At first, this little cartoon started out as a take on the train door cartoons warning people not to stick their various body parts in between them as they close. It was also inspired by the new sliding doors at the web school I teach for, where they will hang pretty soon.

I then went a little farther. There are seven in total, and in as many weeks, I will show them to you, my cute little audience. Yes, you, ooboogie boodie boo boo...Ahem...

Meg's having some issues with her stomach, so she gets to go to the hospital to get a camera put into her stomach. The procedure is adorable, as described by this pamphlet:


When the Japanese grow up and stop using cute cartoons on everything, serious or not, is anyone's guess. (Said the man with a rocket rat and a haphazard panda as friends.)

On the morning of the Monday of last week, a rainy day, a dark day, the brakes on my bike decided that they were on their coffee break, so when attempting to stop for a red light, I continued on, head first into car. The car stopped, and the driver, for the next ten minutes, repeatedly explained what it means when the light turns red. Then, upon explaining to him that I understand and am fully aware of the uses of the lights, and that it was not at all my intention to plow into his car, he would re-explain how the lights worked and that I should stop when it's red. He offered money for any damages - which were a stiffened neck, two leg bruises, a slightly twisted-up bike and a thumb with a hole in it - and I refused it. Seeing as it was my fault and not at all his, I couldn't possibly take his money. A quality that has had some friends question whether I am truly American.

And lastly, the other big news...my cousin was on TV....heh-heh-heh HEH-heh-heh... and it was in a cush piece, not in some random - "In other news, teenager rages over recieving a nickle less in change at a local convenience store and destroys an entire school district. Video at eleven." See it here peeps: Athlete of the Week: Mariya Redden

Well, until next week...
Mike, the truly inspirational RocketRat