Harts Pass no. 776

 It's been a little while since my last haiku comic, but here you go for the end of 2025 and the always wide-open threshold of the new year ahead! 

Harts Pass no. 775

Fun as always to play with language and to try an adapt this traditional Christmas lyric into something that works for the wolverines and for the current state of the world. School is out as of Friday the 19th and I am looking forward to a little break and hopefully a little more snow :) 

Merry Christmas to all!

Harts Pass no. 774

Kit, like my daughter, is always pretty great at putting a positive spin on things. Hard to do when the last few days of rain should have been 4+ feet of snow and you are a wolverine that relies on late-season snowpack (and thusly any season snowfall) but here she goes again. And the mud puddle snowman drawing worked pretty well :)

Harts Pass no. 773

A few years ago I tried the "Walk in the Woods Wednesday" on for size here at Harts Pass Comics. I love the idea. I don't always put it into practice. That being said, I also DO feel Thor's pain when it comes to that rush of emotion over the last few weeks before the giving of gifts, etc.. I love making things for people. I don't always find myself with enough time to pull it off. The end result is stress and a little more worry than necessary about getting something that seems right. Excited to have family coming to visit and a change in the ebb and flow of the weeks and days regardless. It will all work out in the end :)

Spike's Zagtastic Day!

A little while back, author friend of mine (and New York Times Best-Seller!) Dan Gemeinhart and his Gonzaga University classmate Jabez LaBret, had the idea to publish a kid's book specifically for their  alma matter alumni. Potentially... this could even grow to an audience of other colleges and universities, but the idea was to create a book with a targeted appeal and also to leverage a percentage proceeds going back to the university or the university alumni association(s). Bright Dog Studio was born and I signed on to illustrate their first book! 

After a false start or two and working out a few of the kinks in any new venture, we are excited to say that Spike's Zagtastic Day is off to print and ready for holiday orders :) 

The full-spread cover wrap is shown above and a little bit of Gonzaga marketing should be heading out soon. While this little project was slightly unconventional in its origins, it is a full-fledged hard-cover picture book and the 28th of my career!

Missing my xc coaching days (2011-2023) for sure, but the last two seasons of free weekends and just a little less "scramble" to practices and meets and all of the stuff have enabled some additional art time that I was also craving. This book marks my second "return" effort to the kids book world (see If I Were a Fox)  and I look forward to getting more stories and artwork out n' about in the years to come!

With much gratitude to all involved... and a few more Spike preview images below.

- Erik

Harts Pass no. 667

For quite a few falls I pretty much missed the hunting season because I was coaching. And by that I mean I was never overly concerned with recreating out n' about in the woods when the hunters were out. I was gone every weekend at races with the team and the overlap just didn't factor into thinking. The last two falls... I definitely gave it some thought. No disparaging of the hunting crew here, just an awareness of shared use. But with "homecoming" upon us, the woods are a little less active. Onward and upward!

Harts Pass no. 766

Alas, this one had to happen quickly. I like the haiku of it, but I'm less enamored of the darker value scheme and the relative plain-ness of the backgrounds. Days like this...

 

Harts Pass no. 765

More wildfire smoke - a constant source of "inspiration" for this strip. That and my ever-positive kit. The later - AMAZING! - for former I could do without. Selfishly, at least I'm no longer coaching XC in the fall and no longer bear the responsibility for devising creative solutions to indoor athletic restrictions for days at a time. Thank you, Liam and co., for all of the excellent work that you have taken on in coaching those kids!!!

Harts Pass no. 764

More haiku. More juxtaposition of the calming sentimentality of these comics plus their wilderness inhabitants and the world at large. Day by day. Bird by bird. Faith in the greater good is one thing, but I probably need to find a way to act out loud. 

Harts Pass no. 763

Apparently I had some sort of brain glitch where I forgot to change the month on these comic dates. The first weeks of school. So it goes :) 

And on another note, there is an awful LOT of "nasty" coming from our president right now - further evidence of the irony or the "I'm rubber, you're glue..." juvenile attitudes that seem to "guide" him through most of his actions. 

Be nice! GRRR!!!