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(6/7/08)

What bears your self-esteem?

Where did the Self-Esteem go? Some people tend to treat me like I hate myself.  For example, I went to a class recently in which the instructor said, "You need to have more confidence in yourself."  That's just not the case!  I'm just hard on myself... in a good way. I'm not as much of a self-deprecating person as I first seem.  I just have a well-rounded view of myself and a realistic view of my capabilities. So if you're one of the people who talks to me in person, try not to beat me up for being too self-deprecating.  I don't want how I treat myself to have anything to do with alienating people.

(6/1/08)

Here's one I got from my dad:

Small-minded people try to suppress big dreams.  Be really careful to whom you tell your dreams!

(5/31/08)

Prayer is hope vocalized.

(5/19/08)

All sorrow derives from a real or perceived disunion from God.

(4/29/08)

Salt River Rafting trip album is now posted in the Photos section also.


(4/25/08)

San Diego Photo Album posted

I have finally posted my San Diego Easter 2008 Vacation photo album!  Please go to the "Photos" page to view.


(4/24/08)

From the creator who brought you Bubba the Redneck Werewolf...

Nocturnal beasts unite in Willow Creek #1 from Zenescope Entertainment!  Deputy sheriff Deacon McKay finds dismembered bodies in his home town of Willow Creek and looks for Bigfoot-like creatures as the perpetrator.  Issue #1 is now out in stores.  I haven't personally read this issue yet, but I have read issue #0 and am getting #1 by mail soon.  The NYC ComicCon exclusive cover is fabulous!



(4/10/08)


(4/4/08)

The struggle is still here.  I want life to stop tearing me in two different directions.  I eventually plan to do more cartoons, but I just can't right now.  I know I should be doing something else besides spending nights cooking and watching TV.  When I know what that is, I'll do it.
Will my real talent please stand up?

Luckily, my parents are taking me to one of my favorite restaurants this weekend and also mini-golfing.  That should ease my mind a bit.


(2/23/08)

Among Wolves is on hiatus.

Why would that be?  To be honest, I'm going through a bit of a struggle.  With the way things have been, 12 hours a week goes into cartooning.  It has been a long time since I allowed myself to open up to adventure, but it's time to make a bit of a change.  My decadent life has been making me feel really bad about myself lately, so just let me explore all my options a little bit further.  Thank you.


(1/15/08)

Hope your new year is going well.

I have finally reupdated the page.  The reason for the lack of updates is because I've had a lot going on in my life.  I moved, for one, plus there was the running around at Christmas and family issues.  Plus, I had been without the Internet at home for 3 full weeks!

I hope to get back into the swing of things soon though, so please forgive me for the overuse of reruns lately.


(12/16/07)

My Dislodgment from Video Games When I was a boy, I was told video games do three things: prevent you from getting your work done, mess up your brain, and make you more antisocial. Now there’s certainly nothing wrong with using your imagination and building your kingdoms and saving the world. Nevertheless, gone are the days when video games were an innocent, whimsical amusement. People are now trying to live their life through these games, spending endless hour after hour on them. Today’s video games are not even close to being as fun as the old ones were. Overall, I harbor mixed feelings for video games. I need games I can get into and out of quickly. Today’s games are so complex and difficult; today’s market is not friendly to casual gamers. I hate Final Fantasy... games in which high difficulty is seen as a good thing is a nightmare for casual gamers. Maybe it’s just me, but I spend enough time each week trying to fix computers as it is.  I’m putting away those games forever. Shooting games where you shoot everyone and there are no consequences for your actions are contemptible. There is a difference between edgy gameplay and mindless violence. Grand Theft Auto: I detest the proliferation of these morally bankrupt games! Have you ever thought that if you stopped playing Second Life for a while that you could make your first life more interesting?? It doesn’t matter how great the graphics or realistic the sounds are... it matters what kind of ideas you are devoting your heart and mind to today. You will never create a digital utopia because the problem isn’t social reality; the problem is within the human soul. An XBox 360 is $300, but what is the value of a human soul???

Are you living just a Half-life?

(12/1/07)


When I say religion is a poetic way of looking at the world, I don't mean just the books of Psalms and Song of Solomon, even though they are good examples of religious poetry.  Many other verses and axioms have a poetic element as well.  I'll give an example:


In this case, "People who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear" is a poetic stanza because the words require an artistic interpretation, not a scientific one.   It does not mean they (the Judeans) literally cannot see or hear objects in the physical world; it means that they cannot understand or accept deep spiritual truths.  There are many people like that.  It's a beautiful verse because it uses irony, a figure of speech.  Figurative language is a touchstone of poetry.

So poetry is an important tool in understanding our beliefs.  Saying things in a symbolic, metaphorical way can sometimes get the point across better than just using a literal meaning.  Therefore, you can't get too far in determining spiritual truths using only inductive reasoning.  You have to look at the big picture.

It's impossible to have religion without self-awareness.


(11/17/07)


I'm going on vacation to Santa Cruz, CA for the next week to my aunt and uncle's place.  Please enjoy old Among Wolves reruns this week until I get back on Nov. 25th and have a chance to upload new ones starting on Nov. 27th.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!


(11/4/07)

Has the missing link been found?

For many people, evolution is more than just a scientific argument about origins: they use it as their philosophy of living, and it impacts every area of their life. Those who want to reject the Creator are always looking for evidence to support their belief system of evolution.  That way, they can keep living in darkness and continue destructive behavior.

Christians should be aware that every so-called “missing” link between man and ape has been rejected by scientists. Even many evolutionists throw out Neanderthal man and “Lucy” as our ape-like ancestors. But we shouldn’t even have to turn to science to know that these “ape-men” are false. The Bible clearly tells us that God created humans and animals reproducing after their own kind.

What’s the real missing link? It’s humankind’s relationship to the Creator. He made them, and He’s never been missing. We’re made in the image of God and are meant to worship and obey Him.

For more information, see The Neandertals: Our Worthy Ancestors, Part I and Part II.

Source: Answers in Genesis


(10/22/07)


It's now been about a month since I divorced from Silver Bullet Comics and their comic subscription plan.  I'm liking Comics Infinity's comic subscription plan so far.  The only thing is-- you can't peek into your pull list to see what's in there!  You only find out at the end of the month, when you are billed.  I think that's okay.  I'm not the kind of person who obsessively monitors anything.  Things happen when they happen.


I'm going to be moving to a new condo over the next few weeks, so I may use more Among Wolves reruns than usual during that time.  My new home is at a great location.  Less than two miles off the highway, it's a great location for accessing downtown Phoenix, and anywhere in Gilbert or the east Phoenix metro area, plus it's a great location for traveling up to our weekend cabin up in the country.  I'm getting granite counters and brand new brushed nickel appliances, so I think it'll be fine.  It's not an extremely far move; it's only four miles away from my current home.


(9/26/07)

Wolf out with Grimm Fairy Tales issue #15 featuring the Big Bad Wolf. The tale of Little Red Riding Hood was already done in GFT #1 and issue #15 has the exact same description as #1 on the Zenescope website. However, obviously the cover has something to do with the Three Little Pigs (except in the Philly Wizard World variant cover). Am I the only one confused?

Also from Zenescope, Chris Beranek and Denny Williams are co-writing a new 5-part comic miniseries called Willow Creek, which will feature a terrifying werewolf-type character. The artist is Josh Medors. Zenescope has said that Willow Creek teaser issue #0 will be available in their online store soon, with issue #1 coming out around January 2008. Comic Monsters has posted an article by Medors called Art of the Werewolf.

(9/18/07)

My Canadian Vacation photo album is now up!


Had a great time on the trip, and saw a lot of my family that I don't get to see too often.  Things in Alberta sure are expensive these days!

(9/7/07)

Note: I'm on vacation to Canada from Sept. 8 - 16.  COLOR AW reruns will be running until I get back.

The latest issue of International Wolf couldn’t help but feature Emily Travaglini-Wright, the 14-year-old girl who fearlessly fought a wolf last year, defending her family. Wolves that attack humans are rare; this wolf’s behavior was not normal. It started on Bathtub Island beach in Lake Superior National Park near Wawa, Ontario on September 4, 2006. First, Emily’s brother Casey, 12, noticed a black wolf running toward them. Next, the terrifying wolf bit her cousin Jake on the ankle and then Casey on the behind. Emily’s mom Brenda shouted for everyone to get out of the way. Brenda got bit on her hands and legs. Here’s is International Wolf ’s rendition of what happened next: “Fourteen-year-old Emily Travaglini-Wright made a courageous decision. Running toward the wolf, she distracted it away from her mother. The wolf chased her when Emily retreated into the lake, biting her arm and face. When it pushed Emily underwater, she thought she would die. Instead, Emily gave the wolf more fight than it could handle. Holding the animal’s neck with one hand, she hammered the wolf’s head with the other. Then she jammed her fist all the way in the wolf’s mouth, striking the back of its throat.” She made the wolf run away with its tail between his legs. At some point later, a park official shot the wolf. Emily has become a bit of a legend in Lake Superior Provincial Park. Forevermore, she’ll be honored as the Spectacular Wolf-Fighter Girl, and she has the battle scars to prove it. Nasty wolves run in fear at the mention of her name. Who would ever think of sticking your fist down a wolf’s throat to gag it?? Her fighting moves are top-notch; worry not about safety if Emily is near.

(9/3/07)

Happy Labor Day, folks!
I'm going to Canada from Sept. 8 - 16, so Among Wolves will be running reruns during that week.  Thank you.



(8/19/07)

(Sorry for those of you using a work computer.)  Things are looking steamy in the Garden of Eden in the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY.  At the heart of it are lifelike models of Adam and Eve, our earliest ancestors and the first man and woman on Earth.  Holding up a flower to Adam, Eve solicits an obvious artistic interpretation.


(8/5/07)

My Pittsburgh vacation photo album is now posted!  Go to the Photos page or click here to view them.  There is also a separate album for the Pittsburgh Zoo.

(8/4/07)

Welcome, folks.  You may have noticed Among Wolves has been getting a little bit more experimental... and abstract lately.  That's definitely the direction I'm going right now.

I went on vacation to Pittsburgh from July 18-26, so that's why there have been no updates during that time.  I plan to post photos shortly.

I'm listening to new Bose In-Ear headphones right now and I'm loving them.  I use them on my Bose computer speakers, so the quality sound really comes through great.

(7/19/07)

My good friend Michael Witmer, cartoonist of 44 Union Avenue, is in the process of developing a new comic strip starring animals called Pinkerton.  http://www.pinkertonpark.com/
If you get a chance, check it out.  I’ve added this link to my Links page.

I was pleasantly surprised at how good The Secret #1 was. No, I’m not talking about the popular self-help book called ‘The Secret’! I’m referring to the comic book by Dark Horse. The story is by Mike Richardson and the art by Jason Shawn Alexander.


Everyone has their secrets. Here’s the premise: A bunch of bored high school students get together and do some prank calls. They call an unsuspecting dupe and just say, “I know your secret” just to freak them out. Then the kids tell them to meet at Washington Park at midnight. Can a harmless prank turn dangerous? Well, they’re in for a little more than they bargained for when a mysterious robed figure appears in Washington Park. The Secret #1 is a great read, highly recommended.


(7/10/07)

I went on an ATV expedition last weekend.  I'm in the foreground in the white shirt.  I can't believe I forgot to fasten my chin strap!





I had a completely great time.  It was actually my first time riding an ATV (quad), but I took to it like a fish to water.  It was most extraordinary.

No comic book reviews still.  You can blame that on the world-renowned poor customer service of Silver Bullet Comics.  Even though they lost some equipment in a lightning strike, the real reason their orders are so slow seem to be that they are supremely understaffed.  I'm pretty sure that they are a trying to be a large comic book enterprise with the staff of a small comic book store.
Silver Bullet Comics... you are a rancorous, melancholy snowstorm in my life.


(6/24/07)


This evening I was watching Fox News Channel with the closed captioning on.  They were talking about Lindsay Lohan-- they described her as a "starlet."  Unfortunately, the real-time closed captioning made a mistake and called her a "tartlet."  I lauged out loud at this Freudian slip blunder.


(6/12/07)

If you look at the Among Wolves strip from June 7 (the one about the 11-in-1 flashlight), on the left side of the billboard in panel 1 it says "Be happy now!"  I wrote that as a joke because the book "The Secret" says the summary of their philosophy is to "Be happy now."

Recently, I've also come up with a new saying: "I will not be harmed by the future world."
This saying came about in response to needing an affirmation to deal with both the worries of tomorrow and the apocalypse and to accept eternal salvation.

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This is definitely the year of vacations for me.

In late April/early May, I went to Maui (my second Maui photo album is online).
In July, I'm going to Pittsburgh to see my grandparents.
In September, I'm going to Canada to see my mom's family.
In November, I'm going to California to spend Thanksgiving with my uncle, aunt, and cousins.

And each of these vacations are one week apiece.  Not to mention the vacation visitors we've had so far this year.

Moreover, this is definitely my year for vacations!

I just ordered a few new comic books, so more comic book reviews are coming... eventually.


(6/2/07)

Once I actually get what I want, what am I going to do with it??!


For past News Log entries, please visit News Log Archive.

Among Wolves © 2006 Joseph Ward.  Other comics © their respective companies/creators.