Don’t Make Me Sing

February 17th, 2020

Every time I see a show, I’m reminded that I used to make music, and that I miss it sometimes.


If you don’t know, I started making music as The Next Step back in 2003. I started with EPs and sporadic song releases, until I released my first full-length, “Something Old, Something New,” in 2005. I released two more albums each subsequent year, in 2006 and 2007; “Love & Fear” and “Honesty & Happiness,” respectfully. I had concrete plans for another album (or two), but they sank.


Writing has always been my life. I found an outlet to write with music, but when doing music became too much, I withdrew.


Which is why I think I have such a complicated, intense relationship with music; this isn’t the point of my post, but I digress.


We saw Motion City Soundtrack on Saturday, and they’re a band that always remind me of my own. I was watching interviews with Justin Pierre the next morning, and he talked about looking back at the songs he wrote; he could differentiate the times in his life when he wrote them, especially in relation to when he was drunk or sober. Looking back at my own work, I see exactly what he’s talking about.


This song from 2007 particularly hurts. It’s called “Second Drink,” and the lyrics break my heart, and it is the closest thing I have seen from myself as an open cry for help if there ever was one. It goes like this.


I have a heartache
But you have my drug
A twelve-pack or bouquet of forget-me-nots
Our memories are so overrated
Our enemies are so underestimated


Sometimes those nights are a little more apparent
Sometimes I wish I didn’t feel so alone
Sometimes at night you’re a little more transparent
But sometimes you make me feel a little less alone


I have a heartache
But you have my drug
A liter we can sweep under the rug
Our memories are so frustrated
Our enemies are so overestimated


Sometimes those nights are a little more apparent
Sometimes I wish I didn’t feel so alone
Sometimes at night you’re a little more transparent
But sometimes you make me feel a little less alone


I can’t look at these without being transported and trapped inside that boy. It’s awful.


And I feel like I need to get back on a stage and take these words back.

Care Bears

February 10th, 2020

There are those who care more about sharing their opinions than they care about the people who read them.

I know this isn’t a revelation, but it is for me.

My heart has been broken by people as of late (see: my post last week about removing unkind folks from my internet life), but I couldn’t define the thing that was bothering me, in simple terms, with words.

Until I was driving to work today, and this phrase hit me like a bag of ice.

There are those who care more about sharing their opinions than they care about the people who read them.

This is a definition of toxic behavior.

And as I began to whittle my tree of online social contacts down to just those who display higher levels of kindness, smarts and courage, I started to breathe easier. I started to feel more comfortable with who I was regularly seeing and interacting with.

And I remembered what it was like to be around a whole bunch of people who just care about other people.

And my ❤ feels a whole lot better.

This is a photo of my dog and I just absolutely loving each other. Because this is the kind of content we need to share sometimes.

Happy Monday, and have a expectation-busting week. Keep ’em low, and watch how amazing everything goes.

Waterwatereverywhere

January 31st, 2020

I see clouds.

A lot of them. I see them literally; people keep telling me the reason January has felt so long is because we haven’t seen the sun. And I see other kinds of clouds, too; a news story on the rise of suicides last night, more and more people in our communities, that we personally know, that we intimately love, taking their own lives and leaving us with black holes and heavier questions.

I think about death a lot. Not necessarily with a self-suicidal bent, but I often imagine what this world would be like without me in it.

I don’t like it.

I had a good conversation with my good friend earlier today, and I told him that our self-worth shouldn’t rely on our contributions to others. We feel worthless if we don’t feel like we’re giving enough, when in fact we are all invaluable and priceless, just by our continued existence alone. We don’t give ourselves enough credit. When we have something to give, it is amazing to share. When we don’t, it just means we’re human.

I see a lot of clouds, but when I really open my eyes, I see water.

I see it everywhere.

Last night, in my favorite scene of the remarkable finale of The Good Place, Chidi shared a Buddist view of existence:

“Picture a wave in the ocean. You can see it; measure it, its height, the way the sunlight refracts when it passes through, and it’s there, and you can see it, you know what it is. It’s a wave. And then it crashes on the shore, and it’s gone. But the water is still there. The wave was just a different way for the water to be for a little while.”

And earlier today, I saw a quote:

“Every storm runs out of rain.”

And I realized something: water is everything. Yeah, scientifically, blah blah blah, drink eight glasses a day and don’t die. But just like the exact same water cycles through lifetime after lifetime on this planet, so do we through our days.

We exist as waves. We’re all unique, but a part of something, the same thing, and we both start and end in it the same way. And as water, we all go through clouds. And just like anything else, like waves and rain and storms, clouds end, too.

If you’re in a cloud today, I promise you, it will end. And you will still be water on the other side.

I heard one last quote I wanted to share: “Sometimes, being a hero to someone is just about sharing who you really are.”

So many of you are heroes to me. And if you ever need help getting through a cloud, I hope you know where you can turn and find some sun.

Kickstart Me Up

January 28th, 2020

Hello, my fabulous Squirrels.

So: you see these everyday. A digital suitcase placed out to raise funds for a work or a person. If you decide to keep on scrolling, I 100% understand and have been that person many times, too.

But.

But, if you believe in me, or the work I do, this is your chance to help me finish it. Because, from the very beginning, I could never do this alone.

If you believe in unadulterated and adult self-expression and inner-exploration, if you believe in people and characters as flawed as you are, if you believe in the normalization of all the things that are wrong with us, if you believe in the sharing of the dark parts we all keep, if you believe in real-life superheroes who just can’t keep their shit together on their own, again, if you just believe in me: please consider donating.

This is the most important thing I have done and I truly believe in every inked line and colored pixel I’ve willingly bled for it.

You have until the Ides of March, and I put together some pretty neat reward packages, as well.

Sharing this link is also so helpful — the most helpful. Put your own words on it and share the secret.

If this doesn’t get funded: the book is still released. But it will be a very small first printing, it will be expensive for you to buy, and it will be very hard to get.

If this does get funded: Big first order. Reasonably priced books. The happiest me possible.

To recap: I need you. I trust you. I love you. Please help? I have full confidence in all my Squirrels. That means you.

Let’s Bring The Weirdos To Life!, via @Kickstarter

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dennisvogen/lets-bring-the-weirdos-to-life

Don’t Be a Kelsey

January 22nd, 2020

This is a post on bullying. And it’s inspired by The Bachelor. And it actually makes a good point. I promise.

I love a lot of things, and I especially love a lot of pop culture things. And my entertainment adoration causes me to think too much about them, but the end result is I can find deep, meaningful truths in places where you would assume there were none.

Like The Bachelor.

There’s this girl on the show, named Hannah Ann. From the moment she appeared, in a funnel of smoke and reeking of sulfur, I did not trust her.

Then there’s this other girl on the show, named Kelsey. She, like most everybody else, also does not trust Hannah Ann.

This post immediately leads you to believe that I am going to write about how Hannah Ann is a bully.

What I’m about to write is that, more often than not, you and I often make ourselves the bullies without even realizing it.

So, Kelsey brought a special bottle of champagne with her from Iowa (and, yes, I see the inconsistencies in that sentence already). Hannah Ann, whether she knew it was Kelsey’s bottle or not, opened it for herself and the Bachelor to share. Kelsey was, rightfully, mad. Kelsey felt wronged, and she has the right to her feelings, and she felt like Hannah Ann was a bad person.

So what did she do?

She called her out, and called her names, and did everything she could in her power to make Hannah Ann feel small.

Now, if Hannah Ann IS a bad person, then what’s wrong with that?

The answer is everything.

There are people in your life that you do not like, period. How do you treat them? Because if it’s any less than you would treat a stranger or regular acquaintance, then I am sorry to say: you are the bully.

“But they’re mean to me!” “But they’re lazy!” “But they’re stupid!” “But I JUST. DON’T. LIKE. THEM.”

Regardless of who they are, how you treat them defines who you are.

If this hits close to home — good. It did for me.

Hannah Ann might be a not-so-great person. But Kelsey’s treatment of her makes her a bully.

Don’t be a Kelsey.

Watch The Bachelor.

While Supplies Last

January 18th, 2020

So, I had to make a tough decision yesterday, which is both bittersweet and exciting: I will not be doing any further printings of any individual issues of The Weirdos.

What does this mean?

If you already own a copy or copies: congratulations! You own a relatively rare piece of my work! You can relax, and rest on the fact that it will always at least be worth the paper it was printed on.

If you don’t: well, there’s still a chance you can find them somewhere. How?

1. I will carry them to conventions until they’re gone.

2. There are four stores in the metro area that still have stock: Issues Needed Comics (pictured) in Apple Valley, Hot Comics in Richfield (I stopped by today!), Comic Book College in Minneapolis and Source Comics & Games in Roseville/St. Paul.

And when they’re out, they’re out. There will be no restock.

Because… the release of the graphic novel collection of The Weirdos is getting close, and this will be the next stage of experiencing my work. I will make an announcement soon on the date (it’s a big one for me), but until then: happy hunting! There are about 500 issues TOTAL of Weirdos material out there (about 200 The Flying Squirrel, 200 The Sketch/The Blue-Ringer and just 100 copies of The Weirdos/The Wait).

So if you have one: THANK YOU. Thank you for picking me up, for your support so far, and I think you’re going to love what’s coming next.

Have a rad weekend and see you soon.

❤

Be You

January 16th, 2020

My dog is a naughty dog. She isn’t trained, she’s very excitable and she just loves everybody too much. But when I think of how I would feel about her if she was someone else’s dog, I know I would absolutely adore seeing her every time. I would miss her if she wasn’t my dog.

I am a naughty human. I talk too much while watching TV shows and movies and I get too emotional during them, and I think and talk about them way too long after. It’s too much for most people. But when I think about the kind of human I would want to experience pop culture with, it would absolutely be another me. Someone who is too excitable and can’t be trained.

This is just another reminder to not be what you think other people want you to be. Be the person (or puppy) that you would want to be around. Because that’s how you remain true to yourself, guilt-free, and hopefully attract the same kind of whatever-the-heck-you-are to you.

Be the kind of person you would miss.

Be Here

January 14th, 2020

If there is any good in my life right now, any light coming from the holes I have poked in my jar, I have to accept that exactly everything that has happened so far had to happen for that good to exist.

And this is how I can relax my regret and temper my guilt and make the decision to stay on this planet.

Because don’t think for a second that it’s not a decision. I never take for granted that I get to make it and that the choice, ultimately, is an easy and clear one.

Me being here is better than me not being here.

Just like — and I truly, always believe this — you being here is better than you not being here.

I don’t know if anyone has told you that lately, so let me: if you’re a part of my ecosystem, if you’re a planet or moon or distant star in my solar system, then I am happy to tell you that you make my universe a better place.

In fact, my universe would be a different place without you in it.

And the good things I can find in my life — the light drops pooling on the edges of my dark umbrella — they wouldn’t be the same, or possibly even exist without you.

Because everything that has happened had to happen to get us this far. And I would have never have gotten this far without you.

Despite what you did, it doesn’t affect what you do — only where you are now. And you are one second away from the future. Keep — or start — doing the next right thing.

Keep making the choice to be here.

I need you, and I know I’m not the only one.

❤

Toothpicks

January 8th, 2020

When I was a kid, I didn’t know how to use a toothpick.

I thought you scraped the wooden sliver across the surface of the teeth that people could see. It was a job I thought my tongue could do acceptably well, but adults used toothpicks so, hey, it was probably something I needed to use, too.

When I got older, I figured out what toothpicks were actually for. In my spaces, things would get caught that were uncomfortable, or even painful. I used to try to wait them out, or use my finger, but I realized toothpicks were designed to dig in deep. To both acknowledge and confront my discomfort, and the accompanying agony, and to do something about it.

Just your daily reminder that even though you may be aware of the tools at your disposal, it doesn’t mean you’re using them right or even at all.

At the very least, the things you think are useless might not be, and the useful things you have might be even more so.

My Top Ten Comics of the Decade

January 3rd, 2020

In a previous post about my favorite television series of the 2010’s, I mentioned that I don’t think I’m very qualified to be creating most or any of these best-of lists.

But if there is just one list in the multiverse that I AM qualified for: this is it.

In alphabetical order, with short summaries why, here are my picks for the ten best comics of the 2010’s.

American Vampire

On paper, this was a home run. I love vampires, and what they can represent. I love Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque. But I was not ready to commit to another long-running series. So I checked out the first volume from the library; by the end of that very same weekend, I had consumed all eight books. A masterclass in serial storytelling; it showed me a lot of what I want (and don’t want) to do with my own forthcoming vampiric series, Maple Island.

Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles

Yes, this is the same Snagglepuss from the cartoons. No, this is not the Snagglepuss you remember. Reimagined as a bold playwright during a turbulent time in our country, this book will open and then break your damn heart. The supporting cast shines, even when shadows are cast everywhere.

Hawkeye (by Matt Fraction)

This is the series that marked the beginning of a new era of superhero comic. Fresh, original, hilarious and violent; plus, it features the beautiful realization of the other Hawkeye, Kate Bishop.

Mister Miracle

The most lauded mini-series of the decade deserves every accolade launched its way. An intimate, brutal, paranoid look at the wars we fight; an enlightening tale of being a parent illuminates the darkness of battle.

Monstress

Welcome to a land where nobody is going to hold your hand or explain shit to you. You either pay attention, or you get left behind. A lot has been said about the brilliant world-building and exquisite illustrations, but for me, this is a tale about a girl and her demon, and that is what resonates with me.

Paper Girls

Brian K. Vaughn + a rad 80’s aesthetic + time travel + astounding lines & colors + the best girls you’ve ever met = absolute joy.

Saga

The best series of all time. Period. A tale of star-crossed lovers that promises you no universal answers and delivers on it. This, and Sandman, are what define graphic literature for me; they tell stories and create characters of every shape, kind and form. They celebrate love and loss and everything in-between. They are, quite simply, masterpieces.

The Sculptor

Scott McCloud delivers on this emotional examination of art and what we do with our unspecified time on this Earth. If you’re not sobbing as the last pages turn into none, then you’ve never felt alive. He uses the wealth of knowledge he’s shared with his non-fiction work to flawless effect.

Silver Surfer (by Dan Slott)

Mr. Slott was the first writer to turn me on to Norrin Radd, the Surfer, and I am forever in his debt for that. Combining what I love about Doctor Who with the pathos of a man who is filled with well-deserved guilt and regret and just wants to do the next right thing, this series takes you to the highest highs and skims right above the lows.

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl

The most underrated series of the decade. Ryan North truly made Doreen Green a fabulous force to be reckoned with, introducing such radical ideas as: what if we didn’t believe in “bad guys”? What if instead of trying to beat our opponents, we tried to dig in and find the root of why we were fighting in the first place? North, with impeccable art by Erica Henderson and Derek Charm, crafted a pitch-perfect series that ended its song far too soon.