My Trek through the Final Frontier

I’m not usually a blogger/ranter but because we are in the midst of this trek renaissance and listening/reading about so many “Fans” bitching about the new shows not being “real” Trek I really wanted to put this out there. I support discourse, discussion and even impassioned arguments, I’ve had plenty of rip roaring discussions about the show, but this straight up vile hatred is getting to me. I hate pickles with every fibre of my being but I don’t go into pickle lovers Facebook groups and rant, rave, call them names and threaten Vlasic employees for ruining cucumbers.  

I was born in 73, I missed watching TOS when it originally aired but in around 79 when i was around 6 my “cool” uncle who was about 14-15 was into this Star Trek show. I had to be cool too so I watched Star Trek. Well I got hooked.

My teen years revolved around Star Trek. The books, the comics, The movies whenever they aired, and of course the reruns. I remember watching TOS every night on CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) at midnight on my 13” black and white TV in my room before bed. I ran around my neighborhood exploring strange new worlds. I had a flip opening lint brush which was my communicator. I poured over Allan Asherman’s Star Trek Compendium and my Starfleet Technical Manuel. 

When I hit junior high there was a science teacher (who’s name has sadly been lost into the deep recesses of my brain) who had started a “Star Trek” fan club. Everyday at lunch a small group of social outcasts ate lunch in a classroom and watched VHS tapes of TOS. Around that time I got into gaming. I started playing the Fasa game and Starfleet battles. Next Generation was a brand new show. Side bar, I’ll admit that when I first heard about TNG I was sceptical, how can you have Star Trek without Kirk, Spock and Bones? It didn’t take me long to be hooked there too. 

By the time I hit high school my love of this show legitimately changed my life, I joined the USS Astra. A local Star Trek fan club. To this day, almost every single friend I have was somebody I met in that group or I met through people in that group.  They were responsible for my very first “Published” artwork in their fanzines. 

I’ve watched and rewatched every single series, DS9, Voyager, Enterprise, I saw every TNG movie opening night. While the franchise has had its ups and downs, as have I. Then there was the dark times after Enterprise. No more Star Trek.

 

For years. Then in 2009 we got a reboot. I eagerly saw it in theatres and was quite pleased. A brilliant reinterpretation that did the one thing I wasn’t expecting. They made a reboot justified in continuity. We got more movies and that took us into the “modern era” Now we have a plethora of Trek again. I was once again hesitant with the fairly massive visual departure from the “canonical” past but as every time before, with quality stories and characters, it revealed itself to me as STAR TREK! Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks are all brilliant and they are all Trek.

 

LLAP

Kyle “Kyohazard” Burles

 

 

I’m redoing the website so please excuse the mess. any issues you come across please please please drop my a line and let me know.

Thank you

So start of the con year means it’s time to retire some prints. I was pretty prolific last year with prints so it’s a hearty amount so i’ll be putting them up in batchs.

I still have some copies of these prints and will be available while supplies last on the website. I will bring personal orders to shows but just gotta streamline what i drag to shows.

I always reserve the right to bring any out of retirement based on requests (and con guests)

So like every year previously it’s been available. I am exhibiting at the Calgary Expo Artist Alley. Nice bonus this year is that if you, the viewer at home, buys their tickets through my person link below, i can save a small amount of money towards next years table. So click away ifin you ain’t bought of your tickets yet.

I’ve never been a particularly political guy. But the other day I was watching the original V miniseries and noticing the eerie similarities to the current US political climate. So I drew this up.

It was based/inspired by the propaganda poster (below) the visitors used in the show. I sadly have been unable to discover who did the original poster but my current belief is was Tom Southwell who was the Production Illustrator on the series.

 

So last friday I was rushed to the hospital with an apparent heart attack. After lots of tests it was determined it wasn’t a “Heart Attack” in the traditional sense. I was diagnosed with a coronary artery spasm. Which as I (an illustrator) understand it, was like a minor heart attack without the plaque build up in the arteries. So a good news style heart attack I guess.

Either way I am off work and not drawing for about a week. That’s hitting me in the financial department fairly significantly. So I am going to use my heart problem to selfishly not lose my ability to pay my bills by having a sale on prints.

Until the end of march all prints are 50% off. AND STILL FREE SHIPPING!!!!!

So last October, writer Michael (TwoGargs) McAdam and I tried to get a kickstarter going for issue 3 of our horror comic Gloaming. We came very close but sadly didn’t quite make it. We are trying again. We’ve changed up some of our rewards and also didn’t time it at christmas time when everybody is much poor. So here we go again.

http://kck.st/2gmkCBg

Welcome to Gloaming: A nice place to visit

Gloaming is the comic series I illustrate with my writer Michael McAdam. We have finished 2 issues so far. They can both be read over at TwoGargs Comics 

But now we have decided to get help to get issue 3 off the ground. Sadly self publishing an indy comic is not a cheap endeavor. Both Michael McAdam and I have a deep and driving love of comics and horror stories and we really want to share this love with you guys.

Help us get the next issue out and going proper.

Gloaming Kickstarter HERE

Maybe a little dramatic in the title but with the loss of Tobe Hooper last week, the recent loss of George A Romero also today being 2 years since Wes Craven’s passing, it’s kinda feeling true.

So yesterday i finished this piece.

I loved the idea that three of the world’s greatest horror directors getting together afterwards and hit the theatre.

This really got me thinking about influence and idols. We i was a kid these guys were some of mine. I vividly VIVIDLY remember when I first saw Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Dawn of the Dead and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Most of the kids I knew growing up had heroes that played sports, action movie stars and rock singers. I was different. On top of illustrator greats like Bernie Wrightson (this is a whole other post), Richard Corben, Frank Frazetta, Mike Ploog and an assortment of other illustrators, Most of my heroes were horror movie directors and writers. Hooper, Romero and Craven were 3 of my top 5. Clive Barker and John Carpenter are the other two.

RIP guys! Enjoy the movie!

Of course before we get into this. I am flat out saying I DO NOT support/condone/believe in Nazi’s, white Supremacy or any of that shit!.
I am a gay man,
a majority of my immediate family are jewish,
and my Granddad was at the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
Now that’s out of the way, let’s move on.

I’ve been having a crisis of conscious of late. A few years ago I drew this.

It’s a parody mashup of Frozen and the fantastically schlocky 70s exploitation movie Ilsa:She Wolf of the SS. It’s always been a popular print for me but now i’m considering pulling it from my roster. This was designed purely as a silly movie mashup and I have yet have anybody get upset with me about the poster (at least nobody has said anything to me). Everybody seemed to get the joke. Even younger people who didn’t know about the original 70s movie laughed and seemed to get the sillyness that was what the intention.

Now certain world events and certain world leaders have taken what was a historical evil back to an acceptable lifestyle choice. Now I find myself questioning my own views about what’s acceptable and what’s not.

I have always been a big fan of dark and inappropriate humour. I’m not gonna lie, I’ve told more than my fair share of horrible tasteless jokes. As an artist I feel the concept of free speech and freedom of expression is one of the most important and vital parts of life. I’ve always believed that joking about horrible things is the best way of taking away the power that those horrible things have. I actively tried to never insult and or offend a person personally. But I’ve never accepted that there are any subjects that were taboo and/or unacceptable to discuss. I’ve always tried to live my life in the footsteps of a greater man. George Carlin!

Now that belief is in question. Because like most things in life, some person or persons have ruined it for everybody.