2012 RAMBLINGS

June 2nd, 2012

Hi there! Welcome to Plightsite.com, your place to see artwork from myself, Anthony Larson and others on a biannual basis!
I shouldn't joke about it but after so long the only thing you can do is laugh. Like Lemony Snicket this site has experienced a series of unfortunate events. My car broke down so I wound up having to walk home from work every day which took a lot of energy out of me to draw. When I did have the energy to draw, all of my pens were dry so I wound up having to high-tail it to the Michaels two cities away. Unfortunately they no longer carried those types of pens so I needed to order them online. The pens took nearly two months to arrive at my doorstep (they were still a different brand) but at least I was able to illustrate again. I was all ready to post my artwork online but as soon as I logged in, I was notified the web domain was up for renewal. It took five weeks for the renewal to be processed due to a change in policy but I was finally given the green light.... which brings us to the here and now. I have pens, I have a up-to-date contract which won't expire for two years now, and while I'm a hair's length at purchasing a car, the summer weather outside (not to mention being able to see sunlight during parts of my day) has made it possible for there to finally be an update!
Halle-(BLEEPING)-lujah!
Ironically the only thing that doesn't feel like it's been affected by this trial of errors is the Summer Blockbuster Gallery which has seen delays for as long as its conception. However I think this is the first time that Tony and I are starting a new season exactly one month late. But that's exactly what we're doing. Either that or we just wait until a film has amassed $1 billion in the Hollywood box office before we debut our homage/parody of it. In either case today we present our take on "Marvel's The Avengers", the culmination of four years of superhero movies which, if you haven't seen it yet, you owe it to yourself. And if you have seen it, see it again. The film is easily one of the best of the year so far and exceeded all my expectations.
Getting back to the Summer Blockbuster Gallery itself, this year is going to be a little different. Instead of devoting ourselves to produce an entry (or two) on a weekly basis, we're just going to cover films we have a desire to illustrate and have an idea for; meaning if there comes a week where no movies opening in the theaters interest us, we're just going to move on to the next week. We think not only will that give us a chance to catch up but perhaps prevent us from burning out. Plus any excuse not to do another "Sex and the City" pic is fine by me. However that's not to say we don't have plenty of interesting movies to choose from, which leads me to our second piece of news...
While it's been a blast to do, this could very well be our final season of the Summer Blockbuster Gallery. We've toyed with the idea for the last couple of years, but this time it just feels right given the selection we have to choose from. I mean, not only do we have new Batman, Men in Black, Step Up, Piranha sequels to look forward to but we've also got new Ridley Scott and Wes Anderson films, a remake to Total Recall, and past presidents killing the undead. If there was ever a season to take the final bow, this could very well be it. So while we heed the words of Sean Connery to never say never, as it stands we can't think of a better time to end on a high note.
So now that we have all the apologies and formalities out of the way, next week we can just come back and hang loose. And we will return next week with our take on "Dark Shadows". So until then, thanks for stopping by! - Jake

June 9th, 2012

Hey everyone! Things have been screwy in internet land this weekend so I'm going to have to keep this short. As promised we have an illustration loosely based on Tim Burton's re-imagining of the cult soap opera "Dark Shadows". When you take a look at it, you'll understand why I say 'loosely based'. And if that wasn't bad enough, I'm afraid my rambling doesn't steer the subject back on course. Anyhow, check it out and see what you think.
Hopefully when we come back in seven days everything will be running smoothly again so we can tackle our next film: the third entry in the "Men in Black" franchise. So until then try to keep cool. It's hot out there! - Jake

June 30th, 2012

Hola amigos! It is your long time friend Jake, here to check in, say a few words, and introduce our latest picture. But I'm afraid I won't be very chatty. Unlike the computer troubles we experienced last time, today's short rambling is solely on account of me being an idiot and walking five miles home from work in 95 degree temperatures. It almost did me in and if the condition I'm in at the moment is any indication, it probably did. Never has an ice cold shower felt so good! But as I sit here chugging down water like there's no tomorrow and trying to clear up my head, I keep reminding myself I need to get a car as soon as frickin' possible. But I'm off a tangent here and need to focus on the matter at hand.
In today's update we take the idea of "Men in Black 3", the latest pairing of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in black suits and use it to help ourselves out. Honestly, I think this is the first time in which I'm glad a picture came out looking so terrible. But you'll see what we mean when you click on the link sending you to our main Summer Blockbuster Gallery page.
When we come back next time we'll be tackling "Prometheus" and quite possibly "Snow White and the Huntsman". I'll make sure our rambling is longer (for a change) and hey, why haven't I been posting sketches and other miscellaneous pictures like I used to? See, I think the heat has fried my brain. So until then we hope you're enjoying the summer. Try to stay cool! - Jake

September 18th, 2012

Dear Friends,
On September 16th, after eight long years of battling cancer, Tony passed away.
Those are words I've never wanted to write. Deep down I believed if anyone could beat the odds, it would be him. It was easy to imagine growing old with him; seeing him witness all the dreams he had. Sure, he went through kemo treatment after kemo treatment, but he always managed to go into remission. And when he'd get sick again, it wasn't hard to put your faith into him coming out on top and hopefully, God willing this time, not having to suffer through such a horrible ordeal anymore.
Yes, he's no longer in pain and I'm grateful for that; just as I'm grateful for all the doctors and medical professionals who gave Tony's loved ones and I eight more wonderful years with him. But I'm also sadden there was so much more he still wanted to do. There was still that incredible story idea rambling in his mind he wanted to capture on paper; that illustration which would be his best one yet; that video game he was determined to complete so he can move on to the next one in his ever-growing pile.
But more importantly, above all else, there was so much more he wanted to celebrate with his family. It didn't matter how he was feeling, Tony always wanted to give more to his children. Every memorable experience he had at their age, he wanted to top it. Ever mistake he made, he'd practically throw himself in front of them to avoid it. He was the very definition of a remarkable father just as he was equally remarkable as a husband. Tony and his wife Jammie were made for each other. It didn't need to be said; you could just see the two of them together and instantly know. Because with everything they both had to endure, she was always there to give him strength and he was always striving to ease her burden.
He always said Plightsite.com was my website. "They're your characters. You're footing the bill. I'm just fooling around in your universe". But it wasn't just "my website". It stopped being just "my website" a long time ago. The reason our Summer Blockbuster Gallery was so fun to work on was because the majority of the entries were collaborations between the two of us. We'd spend hours just tossing around crazy ideas and laughing until something clicked. Then one of us would pencil; the other would ink and color. We came up with a few clunkers, but most of the time it was far better than either of us would have expected.
He had his own creations too: the Generic Funkin Cartoons which every so often would show up in here. Based loosely on his cousins, the GFC starred in several comic books Tony made as a teenager; comics which sadly got misplaced and lost throughout the years. Out of all his creative endeavors, those comics were his holy grail. He always held out hope one day they'd turn up so that his family and I could see with our own eyes how awesome they were. Now more than ever I hope they do as well. As for new Generic Funkin Cartoon stories, he tried a few times but unfortunately the ongoing rounds of kemo treatments always put those plans to the sidelines.
Tony was my best friend for 17 years. There's no way I can list all the amazing things we did together, or all the fond memories I have. He welcomed me into his family, enthusiastically shared his geeky passions with me, always had my back, and made me become a better person and try to tackle any obstacle fearlessly. He was a true friend and by God I'm going to miss him so much.

For anyone who would like to attend his service, it will be held between 5 and 8:30 PM on September 24th at:
First Memorial of Minnesota
7110 France Ave South
Edina, MN 55435

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at: jake@plightsite.com. Thank you.

October 30th, 2012

Hey everyone! I'm sorry there hasn't been any updates this past month but I think you can understand why I needed to take some time off. While we're on the subject, some of you have wondered with Tony moving on if I'll be continuing with this website. The answer is of course I am. Mind you, it's going to be very rough not having him around anymore. Even though Plight is my creation, Tony was always generous with throwing out ideas and suggestions when he wasn't slumped over a desk drawing as well. He knew exactly where I was coming from and his input was always invaluable. Plus like I said earlier, our collaborations are what I enjoyed the most about this little endeavor. So while it won't be the same without him, I don't see a time when I would ever stop doing this completely. He and I had dreams of publishing a comic book someday and frankly I think I owe it to him, now more than ever, to do just that.
Also I think he'd kick my ass if we wasted all this time and had nothing to show for it.
There's a few things I want to finish before I tackle that project though; things I'm sure all of you will understand. First, I'm determined to finish this year of Summer Blockbuster Gallery pictures. He and I both decided this was going to be our final season and fortunately we spoke at great lengths about it enough that even though I'll be handling all the art by myself, a few of the entries will be based on his ideas. While that is going on I'm going to working on setting up a Generic Funkin Cartoon page which will be composed of Tony's GFC artwork, some ramblings he posted way back during the Crimsonpug.com days, as well as some other things I hope to uncover.
I'm sure you've caught on by now that even though I'm trying to be upbeat and funny, I'm still mourning. All of Tony's loved ones are and we probably will be for a very long time. That's why I've got to admit something to you guys: I wasn't ready to update this website yet. As stupid as it sounds, I actually had to force myself to pick up a pencil and draw again. But I did it because today Tony would have turned 38. When I broke the terrible news last month, it was on my birthday. So I can't think of a better way to get back into the habit and celebrate my friend's life and his artistic gift than to debut a new picture on his date of birth.
So without further ado we give you our take on the Kristen Stewart/Chris Hemsworth adaption of the fairy tale of "Snow White and the Huntsman" which ironically came out on DVD and Blu-Ray this week. Unlike most of the movies this past summer, this is one we actually did catch in the theater and was pleasantly surprised we enjoyed. Of course there was one small gripe about the film, but I address that in the illustration's rambling. So click on the link and let us know what you think!
Next time I'll be back with our homage to Ridley Scott's attempt to spin-off the Alien franchise with "Prometheus". So until then, try to stay warm. Unfortunately it looks like winter will be here any day now. - Jake