2022 is a very special year for me!
One, I just turned 65 on the 5th and I’m officially retired, and two, it’s the fifteenth anniversary of “1977 the Comic!” Banner year indeed! Let’s catch up a little for those of you late to the party. (This may be too long for some, so skip to the paragraph where the first sentence is in a bold, red font)
Bud Design V1 in February of 2007
In 2007, at the age of 50, I switched careers from running my own corporate video production company to becoming a comic artist. The very first thing I drew was Bud, shown here on the left. He was not the Bud we know today, but it’s still Bud. In 2008, I launched the comic’s official website at its own domain name. But life was not easy behind the scenes as I was in deep financial trouble (for reasons I won’t get into as it’s messy) and nearly lost my home. As a result of years of stress, right around the beginning of 2014 I fell into a deep depression. I carried on the comic for a couple more years but never with any consistency. In 2018, I made another life change and moved to North Carolina kissing the cold winters in Illinois goodbye forever. But my depression was never put in check by any of the medications I was prescribed.
Well, that change in 2021. This past July my doctor put me on yet another different set of depression and ADHD medications. Much to my surprise, these worked. My outlook on life changed in a matter of weeks. I took control of my life and immediately built my home office, which had been put on the back burner since we moved to North Carolina. And the biggest change was that I was able to draw again. For years my depression had made it nearly impossible for me to draw anything. If I did, it was painful mentally and most of the time I failed to complete any project I started.
I’ve been drawing consistently since July of 2021.
I have not stopped drawing since then and I’m actually enjoying it now! So even though I had announced that 1977 was retired, I decided to bring the comic back to life! My goal is to post a comic or related new material twice a month on the first and third Mondays of every month. If I have the energy, and it does not push any stress levels with me, I will see if I can increase that output. I am going to do this the right way as I don’t want to start and stop like I have for the past five years. I really love drawing these characters and have many stories and fun stuff to do with them.
To welcome you all back, here’s some REO Speedwagon from their 1979 album “Nine Lives” which was essentially their last rock ‘n’ roll album before Kevin Cronin ruined the group by recording all of those sappy ballads. Not only is the title of the song appropriate for today, but the song was also composed and sung by their bassist Bruce Hall! All power to the bass players of the world! We rock your world! It’s great to be back on the road again and I hope to not run out of gas this time! Let’s rock this thing.
Welcome back, you and the gang have been missed.
YES! Welcome back, can’t wait to see what the gang is now up too.
Welcome back! Looking forward to some great stories! Glad you’re feeling better!
Look forward to seeing things here again…keep at it until it becomes a horrible burden, at least…keep well.
Awesome. Glad to see you back and doing better man. I’ve missed this.
Nice to see you back! Good job cleaning that fourth wall, boys. *waves from the far future year of 2022*
I’m so excited to see Bud and the gang back in action. So thankful you are doing well dear cousin. XOXOXO
Rock On!
Congrats on the comeback. So glad you’re doing better!
The past week has been the most difficult in all my 42 years. That I even missed the re-launch of the Greatest Comic of All Time!
Welcome back 1977 gang! We all missed you guys too. <3
I hope DEA agents aren’t out to catch them thanks to tricky Dicks 1970 war on drugs or the comprehensive drug abuse and prevention act. Or tricky Dick says I’ll get those pinko commie bums mohahahaha you put put Abba’s Waterloo instead of Richard Wagner’s Flight of the Valkyries saw that in the Simpsons. At least they won’t get the RICO laws so no gigolo named Gerardo from Ecuador will dance with them as they wear black and pink dresses then arrest them to Rico Suave. They are spared of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer the books made into a TV show 1958 Darren Mc Gavin remade in 1989 with Stacy Keech. Famous quote those commie son’s of b-t-hes wished they’d were never born armed with a colt 1911 45ACP. In my story teen frat mom set in the 1950s a Mike Hammer styled cop uses Colonel Sam Flagg Quote from the TV show MASH every kid in America will wish he was me. Charging the ladies of the confederacy and their visiting relatives from the south. The ladies based on the daughters of the confederacy for distributing illegal liquor moonshine, then under Marihuana tax law of 1937, for drug possession and both the national and federal firearms act of 1934 and 1938 possession of revolvers and shotguns. So you can only imagine what those rednecks must think as they get arrested. The ladies tricked by a Southern dean who moved them up north since he can’t stand them and his football has a ten year winning streak. They in turn dislike Susan the teenage frat mom even though she baked them cookies and cake. Susan is only one of two girls who takes differential calculus is flat chested handles bats and snakes creeps them out and drive a Curtiss Wright motorcycle in “dresses way too short”
Glad to have you back!
Glad to hear that the future’s so bright …
…ya gotta wear shades!
Yaaaaay! Welcome back!