"Aaargh!" Denis Kitchen Speaks Out!

Below are some select correspondence from my collection concerning the history of Megaton Man, particularly issues surrounding Megaton Man #11, a crucial turning point in the series and narrative. Scholars are encouraged to explore the Kitchen Sink Papers at Columbia University (which I have not consulted) for a fuller context.

Does this Bach Cadence have a name?

Does this Bach cadence have a name? It is from J.S. Bach, the 3rd violin partita, BWV 1006, measures 25-27 (you can download the complete score on IMSLP):

X-Amount of Reader Mail!!

Letters, oh, we get letters … this one from no less a personage than former major domo at Cartoon Books and Monroeville manager of Half-Price Books (and splitting image of X-Ray Boy) Andries Mulder!

2018 Don Simpson Interview

Don Simpson interview from Comic Book Cartoonist, volume 1, number 1 (Comic Art Press, summer 2018), conducted by “Ski” Suharski. © 2018; used without permission.

New Megaton Man Logos and the Stories They Will Tell

Recently, I have been working on several new vector art logo designs for upcoming Megaton Man projects; preliminary concepts appear below. Since fans almost immediately ask, "When can I order this? When is this coming out?" I thought this would be as good a time as any to discuss what I plan for 2024 and beyond (if all goes according to plan!).

Print and Podcast Interview Requests

I will no longer be granting print or podcast interviews indiscriminately. If you are interested in an interview, please be advised of the following:

The Uneducation of J.K. Rowling

 In late December, 2019, I became aware of J.K. Rowling's bizarre "Sleep with any consenting adult who'll have you" Tweet, which marked, for me at least, the beginning of the Harry Potter author's rebranding as an irrational transphobe and hatemonger. In the annals of fandom, there had never been a case of an author so completely contradicting the core ethos and popular appeal of her work (i.e., don't listen to the grown-ups who want you to conform and tell you that you are a freak and should be ashamed; what is special about you is the source of your power, a power that just might save the world) in such few words.

A J.K. Rowling Transphobia Primer (A Good, Old-Fashioned Link List!)

Originally posted April 6, 2021; last updated August 12, 2023.

Below is a good, old-fashioned link list of the J.K. Rowling transgender controversy. I initially built this list for my college students who were reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999) as part of a "Coming-of-Age" literature class (they've also read Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Alice Walker's The Color Purple, and Steven Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower, fyi). When I first started posting on the controversy, it seemed to many like only an intercene fandom happening, but the story has continued to have ramifications for the business prospects of the Harry Potter franchise, to say nothing of the real-world impact on the trans community. For my views, see other posts on this blog. - Donald E. Simpson, PhD.

Megaton Man and the Doom Defiers: This Is the New Stuff!

This seems as good a time as any to explain what I’m up to with the current work-in-progress. The working title is Megaton Man and the Doom Defiers; to date, I’ve completely drawn and lettered some fourteen pages which you can read (below). Although Megaton Man himself has yet to appear (soon!), it concerns all of his supporting cast and particularly Clarissa (Ms. Megaton Man), Simon (his son), and the teams of megaheroes that are now arrayed around New York City a.k.a. Megatropolis.

The Banal Ballad of Mick Mischief: A Recent Retrofitted Retread!

Mick Mischief came about as a commission from a third party that fell through. The story, which I wrote and drew entirely on my own, was a humorous take on the source material, which was little more than a pastiche of adventure and supernatural pulp hero elements, thrown against a wall rather artlessly, I might add (apart from the contributions of several talented illustrators, who I hope got paid in full, unlike me).

DandyDonTV: Dr. Don Simpson Comics and Stories on YouTube

Here is a partial but growing list of YouTube videos featuring interviews with me or responses to my comics, me and other artists inking my drawings, and more, in apparent order. Hopefully I will add to this list and put it into some coherent order. (Please add videos I've overlooked in the comments below! Thanks.) Listen at your own discretion:

Unsolicited Submissions and Inappropriate Suggestions

 Please Don't Pester the Cartoonist (unless you’ve got the cash up front)!

As an artist since the age of five and later as a published cartoonist, I’ve always gotten suggestions from fans and friends. Many are thoughtful and well-meaning, and every once in a while, some comment or remark will spark a useful idea somewhere down the road. But rarely are they directly inspirational.