One Hundred Tiny Moments From My Past, Present and Future

100 Tiny Moments Book - Available for Pre-Order.

2010-10-12T10:04:00.003+01:00

"There is imaginative and poetic potential in the small details of life that surround us, and very small details can encapsulate the most important things about life"

- Josie Long, in her introduction.

Almost a year after I began work on the 100 Tiny Moments project, and finally the comic is ready for print. I have brought together all 100 strips from the project, with an introduction by comedian and '100 Days' project leader Josie Long.

I am selling 100 copies of the book: each one is hand numbered and comes with a different 100 Tiny Moments badge. You can pre-order your copy now through paypal and I will pop your copy in the post when the book is released at the end of October. Just order your copy from the 'Shop' section of my main blog: www.edwardmaross.blogspot.com

'100 Tiny Moments From My Past, Present and Future' - 116 pages, black and white. Available for pre-order now. The book will also be available to buy from me in person at MCM London (29th - 31st October).

Day One Hundred and One: Final Thoughts.

2010-03-11T23:23:00.000Z

So this has been the first day in 100 days where I haven't drawn anything, haven't opened myself up to other people and talked about my life in comic book form. It's been an amazing process and I've met so many lovely people and seen so much great work with such depth and variety. Although it would have been nice to continue this project for a while, I'm certain it would only have been a matter of time before I missed a day or ran out of good ideas, or started to repeat myself. I'd rather it was short and sweet than over-long and increasingly tenuous and flawed.

Perhaps in ten years, I'll come back for another 100 Tiny Moments, from what will be an entirely different persective. We'll have to wait and see how my past will be viewed, and how my current experiences will be reinterpreted. And what will my hopes and fears for the future be?

I would like to thank Josie Long for leading us all through this project, and my friends and family for supporting me throughout the process. And of course, thanks to Mary for her inspiration, for putting up with me for 100 days, and for pushing me to produce the best work I could.

Finally, if anyone is interested in keeping up with what I do next, including me publishing my 100 Tiny Moments as a comic, as well as other projects in the works, please give me an email at:
edward.m.a.ross[AT]btinternet.com
Or follow me on twitter.

One-Hundredth Tiny Moment.

2010-03-10T10:28:00.000Z

Ninety-Ninth Tiny Moment.

2010-03-09T10:05:00.000Z

I should hopefully be at Josie Long's Lost Treasures of the Black Heart tonight. Hopefully see some folk there.

Ninety-Eighth Tiny Moment.

2010-03-08T21:54:00.001Z

Ninety-Seventh Tiny Moment.

2010-03-07T21:03:00.000Z

Ninety-Sixth Tiny Moment.

2010-03-06T23:26:00.002Z

If you checked this strip before 10am today you might have noticed in the last three panels I was saying rather than thinking my comments. Now corrected!

Ninety-Fifth Tiny Moment.

2010-03-05T23:09:00.000Z

Ninety-Fourth Tiny Moment.

2010-03-05T00:49:00.001Z

Josie has asked us to push our projects to the MAX in the last few days. Erm... I'll try my best, though since they're currently taking around two to three hours to complete as it is, I'm not sure how more I can max out! I've got something special in the works for the last few days, plus I'm putting together a wee exhibition of some of my favourite tiny moments for the London event on the 10th (come along, if you're in the area!). Double plus, I've got a super special set of 100 unique tiny moments badges that you'll be able to grab one of at that event. They're super cool, and have been made for me by the wonderful Heidi Kuisma A.K.A mybitofsky.

Photo © Heidi Kuisma 2010

Ninety-Third Tiny Moment.

2010-03-04T00:43:00.000Z

Ninety-Second Moment.

2010-03-02T22:23:00.000Z

Ninety-First Tiny Moment.

2010-03-01T22:49:00.002Z

Ninetieth Tiny Moment.

2010-02-28T21:35:00.001Z

I was in two minds about using photographs as part of this comic. In the end I opted not to try and illustrate the images of my aunt Mary and for the first time used unaltered photographs as part of the strip. To me Mary exists only as photographs and stories and other people's memories and because of that, an illustration seems insufficient.

Eighty-Ninth Tiny Moment.

2010-02-27T22:43:00.000Z

Eighty-Eighth Tiny Moment.

2010-02-27T00:02:00.000Z

Eighty-Seventh Tiny Moment.

2010-02-26T01:21:00.002Z

Eighty-Sixth Tiny Moment.

2010-02-24T22:56:00.000Z

A continuation of yesterday's strip... kind of. Only two weeks left to go! I can't believe it.

Eighty-Fifth Tiny Moment.

2010-02-23T22:11:00.000Z

Eighty-Fourth Tiny Moment.

2010-02-22T23:54:00.000Z

Eighty-Third Tiny Moment.

2010-02-21T21:31:00.000Z

Eighty-Second Tiny Moment.

2010-02-20T22:14:00.000Z

Eighty-First Tiny Moment.

2010-02-20T02:31:00.000Z

Eightieth Tiny Moment.

2010-02-18T23:35:00.000Z

Seventy-Ninth Tiny Moment.

2010-02-17T21:26:00.001Z

I'm fascinated by the idea that one day I might just be so out of the loop, so old fashioned that I won't really understand the world around me anymore. Previous generations who didn't understand racial or sexual equality weren't bad people, just informed by their own upbringings and confused by new social mores. I worry and I wonder what's going to confuse me and shock me when I'm older. In what ways could the world change that would leave me a bigot? Or will I cope just fine: will I roll with the changes?

Seventy-Eighth Tiny Moment.

2010-02-16T22:12:00.002Z

Seventy-Seventh Tiny Moment.

2010-02-15T20:10:00.000Z

Seventy-Sixth Tiny Moment

2010-02-14T19:34:00.000Z

Seventy-Fifth Tiny Moment.

2010-02-13T15:21:00.000Z

Seventy-Fourth Tiny Moment.

2010-02-13T00:32:00.001Z

Apologies for the lateness of this completed strip. That's my first slip-up though!

Seventy-Third Tiny Moment.

2010-02-11T21:58:00.000Z

Seventy-Second Tiny Moment.

2010-02-10T22:14:00.000Z

Seventy-First Tiny Moment.

2010-02-09T20:48:00.000Z

Seventieth Tiny Moment.

2010-02-08T21:55:00.000Z

This is a true story from today. After I spotted the cat I ran off to find the poster and get the owner's number, but by the time I came back, the cat had escaped. I called the cat's owner once I was home and found out that the cat may have actually been another local Siamese cat. I guess I'll never know...

Best of luck to the owner in finding her cat!

Sixty-Ninth Tiny Moment.

2010-02-07T21:49:00.001Z

Sixty-Eighth Tiny Moment.

2010-02-06T22:01:00.002Z

Sixty Seventh Tiny Moment.

2010-02-06T00:58:00.002Z

Sixty-Sixth Tiny Moment.

2010-02-04T23:09:00.002Z

Sixty-Fifth Tiny Moment.

2010-02-03T21:24:00.000Z

R.I.P. Mole.

Sixty-Fourth Tiny Moment.

2010-02-02T20:54:00.001Z

Sixty-Third Tiny Moment.

2010-02-01T23:55:00.000Z

Sixty-Second Tiny Moment.

2010-01-31T21:28:00.002Z

Thanks to Gosia for her help today!

Sixty-First Tiny Moment.

2010-01-31T00:07:00.000Z

Sixtieth Tiny Moment.

2010-01-29T23:17:00.001Z

Fifty-Ninth Tiny Moment.

2010-01-29T00:39:00.002Z

Fifty-Eighth Tiny Moment

2010-01-28T09:20:00.001Z

Sorry for the lateness of this one, but my internet went down last night. Better late than never!

Intermission 5: Comics.

2010-01-27T13:37:00.013Z

It occurs to me that for a number of people reading this blog, this'll be one of their first experiences of reading comics as an adult. I was a fairly late starter to comics myself. I'd enjoyed The Beano and Calvin and Hobbes as a child (you're never too young or too old to enjoy Calvin and Hobbes), but never appreciated what comics could be until I was almost 17.

The first thing you realise when you actually look at comics is that they aren't a genre as so many misconceive, but a whole medium. That much should really be obvious, but it isn't, for far too many people. In the murk of cultural snobbery comics have either been dismissed as kid-lit and macho, violent escapism, or in the case of some works (Art Spiegelman's 'Maus', Marjane Satrapi's 'Persepolis' for example) have been elevated in an almost exaggerated fashion by cultural commentators, who it feels to me, see these works as flowers that have grown out of the muck of the rest of the medium. It's a start at least that some comics are getting mainstream attention, and the works of both Spiegelman and Satrapi deserve their stature, but my question is why this polarity has to exist at all? Why can't we learn to pick up comics off the shelf the same way we pick up novels? Why is there shame associated with a medium that can juxtapose all the power of prose with that of illustration? Why is this exciting young medium invisible to most, a mere flirtation for some, and an obsession for the rest?
It's always considered safe to start with something that's been critically lauded in the mainstream press. That's how you hear about excellent stuff like 'Maus' and 'Persepolis' and 'Epileptic'. It's definitely a good place to start... if you're playing it safe. But my favourite comics aren't safe, and for every person they've convinced to rethink comics they've put off another. Not the best tactic if you're wanting to persuade people I guess, but I love the comics I love.

I'd start with Chris Ware. If I could re-read his work again for the first time, I would... I'm jealous of you if you decide to pick up his work. He's got a clean, fresh style, influenced by classic kids' comics and 50s aesthetics. He's also got one of the most exciting minds in comics, creating books that are beautiful to look at, dense and involving to read, and formally challenging. He creates pages that knock you back when you first see their tiny panels and precise details, and then draw you in and make you weep as you work your way through. In Quimby Mouse an old woman's wound bleeds through the page and soaks into the next few sheets, a tiny, sad moment that echoes down the line, disrupting the frivolity of those future pages with memories of the past. He's an artist who truly uses the medium to its fullest, creating something that could only be told as a printed comic work.

"Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth" by Chris Ware. © Chris Ware.

I've come to really love autobiographical comics over the last few years. Many have heard of Robert Crumb and Harvey Pekar, inspiration for endless iterations on the same self-obsessed autobiographical work. But that's not what inspires me. We owe a lot to that bunch, but you can now see a new generation of work emerging that is funnier, more real and oh so much more tender than Crumb's nihilistic, scratchy world. At the top of my list is Jeffrey Brown, whose comics are some of the greatest autobiographical comics ever created. His linework is charming, disarming and evocative of so much more than you expect when you first lay your eyes on it. His stories are lovely and heartbreaking, so real and so, so honest. You must read his work, starting with his first book 'Clumsy'.

"Miniature Sulk" by Jeffrey Brown. © Jeffrey Brown.

And I don't just want to recommend accessible stuff, the work that's the comic book equivalent of stuff you might have already read. There's nothing to be ashamed of in reading sci-fi, superheroes, fantasy. In fact some of the most beautiful, evocative and challenging work created in the comics medium is being done in these genres. Start gently with the breathtakingly gorgeous 'Mouse Guard' by David Petersen, the chronicles of a band of armed mice fighting off snakes, crabs and owls in one of the most fully realised and tangible fantasy worlds I have seen.

"Mouse Guard" by David Petersen. © David Petersen.

And if you dare stick your nose in the 'muck' of superhero comics, there's a lot of amazing work. Play it safe and mainstream with 'Batman: Year One' by Frank Miller, one of the greatest Batman stories, rendered like a modern noir, and full of so much that you'll end up loving. If you're a bit cynical to all those capes and pants worn on the outside, at least give 'Powers' by Brian Michael Bendis a go. It's a deconstruction of the superhero myth perhaps even better than 'Watchmen', drawn like a Saturday morning cartoon, only with blood, sex and swearing.

I could keep on recommending comics forever, I really could. If you're interested now, or still unconvinced, I'd say pick up a comics anthology at the nearest opportunity. It's how I found Jeffrey Brown, James Kochalka and dozens more artists I'd never heard of before. And you're bound to find something that'll make your eyes feel good. I recommend 'America's Best Comics 2008' for U.S. comics work. It's a fantastic collection, the best in the series so far. I'd also strongly recommend grabbing a copy of 'Solipsistic Pop', a new bi-annual collection of U.K. artists.

For those who want to take that step forward, who want to open their eyes to a whole new undiscovered medium... start now.

Fifty-Seventh Tiny Moment.

2010-01-26T23:23:00.003Z

A second comic on the love theme. Love is reading gory descriptions from a true crime classic before bed.

Fifty-Sixth Tiny Moment.

2010-01-25T19:48:00.001Z

Josie Long has set the task of love week this week for 100days. Well, here's my take on it. Love is eating someone's tears.

Fifty-fifth Tiny Moment.

2010-01-24T22:04:00.001Z

Fifty-Fourth Tiny Moment

2010-01-24T01:11:00.001Z

Fifty-Third Tiny Moment.

2010-01-23T01:54:00.001Z

Fifty-Second Tiny Moment

2010-01-21T23:45:00.001Z

Fifty-First Tiny Moment

2010-01-20T21:01:00.005Z

I recommend grabbing yourself some Lovecraft at some point in your life. I just don't recommend hallucinating after reading any of his work...

Fiftieth Tiny Moment

2010-01-19T23:20:00.002Z

Half way through! No special celebratory strip I'm afraid. Just another tiny moment. I hope everyone is enjoying the moments so far. It's been a strange process for this first half. For every day where it's been fun and exciting, there's been one that's been draining and a bit demoralising. I've certainly learned a lot in these first 50 days, and just wonder what the next 50 will bring.

Forty-Ninth Tiny Moment

2010-01-19T00:22:00.003Z

What an unbelievably frustrating day. I even gave up on an entirely different strip and flopped about in despair. And then I remembered this old habit...

Forty-Eighth Tiny Moment

2010-01-17T19:53:00.001Z

Forty-Seventh Tiny Moment

2010-01-16T23:37:00.002Z

Forty-Sixth Tiny Moment

2010-01-15T23:21:00.003Z

Healthy eating... inspired by a very unhealthy dinner.

Sincere apologies to Tom Humberstone, who I may have ripped the idea for the last panel off of: his 100days comics are fantastic, and a recent one featured a conversation between his present self and his childhood self. It's wonderful.

Forty-Fifth Tiny Moment

2010-01-15T00:36:00.003Z

Woah... tired tonight. Kind of petered out on the last panel there. Hazards of a daily strip I guess.

Intermission 4: Twitter

2010-01-14T16:20:00.003Z

Hello! I've signed up to Twitter now, if anyone is interested. I'll be posting links to the daily comic there, and maybe tweeting a little about the 100days process.

Forty-fourth Tiny Moment

2010-01-13T18:28:00.001Z

Forty-Third Tiny Moment

2010-01-12T21:41:00.002Z

Sorry, a bit bleak today. Click on the image to see the full face melting glory!

Forty-Second Tiny Moment

2010-01-11T22:39:00.001Z

Forty-First Tiny Moment

2010-01-10T20:54:00.002Z

Fortieth Tiny Moment

2010-01-09T22:16:00.001Z

Thirty-Ninth Tiny Moment

2010-01-08T22:37:00.002Z

Intermission 3: The Lost Treasures of The Black Heart

2010-01-08T10:22:00.001Z

Hi all! Josie Long's "Lost Treasures of the Black Heart" is rearing its lovely head on Tuesday January 12th down London way.

Flyer by Anna Saunders.

The Lost Treasures of the Black heart
A night dedicated to unsung heroes and hidden gems.

12th January

Upstairs at the Black Heart pub, Camden Town

Doors 7pm
£5 on the door (£3 if you come dressed as the story behind a National Trust property)

Not only that, but the lovely people at We Are Words + Pictures will be setting up a stall to sell comics and zines, including my current pride & joy "Filmish: Comic Book Essays on Film Theory", which'll be on sale for a mere £3!

They'll also be selling work by Geof 'Fetishman' and Mark Ellerby, as well as copies of Solipsistic Pop.

If you're in the area, please pop in, meet some fellow hundred-dayers, buy some comics and generally have fun! And let me know how it went, since I won't be there :(

Thirty-Eighth Tiny Moment

2010-01-08T00:10:00.001Z

Thirty-Seventh Tiny Moment

2010-01-06T16:11:00.002Z

Thirty-Sixth Tiny Moment

2010-01-05T13:15:00.003Z

A little sequel to yesterday's strip. Those are the two 'near' death experiences I've had. By the way, I've posted a 'best of so far' on my other blog, with some minuscule wee snippets of information about each one.

Thirty-Fifth Tiny Moment

2010-01-04T19:24:00.000Z

Thirty-Fourth Tiny Moment

2010-01-03T17:55:00.002Z

*The song "Circle My Demise" is the property of King Creosote. I recommend you check out his work. It's very, very good.

Thirty-Third Tiny Moment

2010-01-03T00:48:00.002Z

Mary has a bit of a sleep walking problem. She just got up and took all the covers and sat down in the chair in the window. She may kill me one day in her sleep, in which case I feel she should be allowed to walk free...

Thirty-Second Tiny Moment

2010-01-01T23:33:00.000Z

The first tiny moment of the decade.

Thirty-First Tiny Moment

2009-12-31T14:42:00.002Z

Where will we all be in ten years?

Thirtieth Tiny Moment

2009-12-30T19:27:00.000Z

Twenty-Ninth Tiny Moment

2009-12-30T00:58:00.000Z

Twenty-Eighth Tiny Moment.

2009-12-28T16:16:00.002Z

Twenty-Seventh Tiny Moment

2009-12-27T20:44:00.002Z

Twenty-Sixth Tiny Moment

2009-12-27T00:56:00.001Z

Twenty-Fifth Tiny Moment

2009-12-25T19:16:00.001Z

Merry Christmas one and all!

Twenty-Fourth Tiny Moment

2009-12-24T14:44:00.001Z

Twenty-Third Tiny Moment

2009-12-24T01:00:00.003Z

Twenty-Second Tiny Moment

2009-12-22T17:27:00.005Z

Apologies again about the poor quality uploads this week. In the next two days they should be fixed.

Twenty-First Tiny Moment

2009-12-21T21:56:00.002Z

Twentieth Tiny Moment

2009-12-20T22:53:00.003Z

No access to a scanner today, so you'll have to make do with this photographed version. This'll probably be the case in the run up to Christmas, but I'll replace them soon with lovely sparkly scans!

Nineteeth Tiny Moment

2009-12-19T22:23:00.002Z

Eighteenth Tiny Moment

2009-12-18T21:16:00.004Z

I also fell off my bike today. Maybe that would have been more interesting to hear about?

Seventeenth Tiny Moment

2009-12-18T01:06:00.003Z

I must apologise for today's tiny moment. Drawn after midnight, in the bar, after a long day. Will try harder tomorrow!

Sixteenth Tiny Moment

2009-12-16T22:54:00.003Z

A little rest from seeing my stupid face.

Fifteenth Tiny Moment

2009-12-15T19:51:00.003Z

Mary loves a little Star Trek. She even guest illustrated the doodle!

Fourteenth Tiny Moment

2009-12-14T22:04:00.001Z

A superhero moment from my early years. Is hysterical terror heroic?

Intermission Two.

2009-12-14T12:07:00.004Z

Hi all,
Fourteen days in. Yes! Power to the 100dayers! Just a little note to say that I have a wee comic on sale at the moment for those who are interested.

It's a short collection of comic book essays on Film Theory, exploring some odd little film ideas that I like. It's black and white and 24 pages long and if you buy it soon it *might* arrive in the post before Christmas, which would be nice!

You can buy it from my other blog:

www.edwardmaross.blogspot.com

It costs a measly £4 (that's including p+p), but if you're a little poor and live in Edinburgh, it's also available from a number of fine establishments for £3:

Filmhouse, Avalanche, Deadhead Comics, Wordpower Books and Elvis Shakespeare.

Thirteenth Tiny Moment

2009-12-13T23:02:00.002Z

Twelfth Tiny Moment

2009-12-12T21:29:00.002Z

I'm fascinated by what I'll get to see in my lifetime, so long as I survive long enough. And how different will the lives of our children be to ours, just a generation apart, but separated by a chasm of progress. Either that, or things actually won't change that much, and I'll be sorely disappointed.

Still, no matter the march of progress for technology, I guess we'll all wind up the same way.

Eleventh Tiny Moment

2009-12-11T22:23:00.001Z

Tenth Tiny Moment

2009-12-10T23:31:00.003Z

Ten days in... my patricidal past revealed.

Ninth Tiny Moment

2009-12-09T20:13:00.002Z

A different approach today. This one was entirely digitally painted over a photograph I was given after my Grandpa passed away.

Eighth Tiny moment.

2009-12-08T21:25:00.003Z

Just minutes before this happened I was telling Mary how nothing had happened today to put on paper. And suddenly, a realisation...

Seventh Tiny Moment

2009-12-07T19:16:00.001Z