{"id":3285,"date":"2025-07-01T04:22:26","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T08:22:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/?p=3285"},"modified":"2025-07-01T04:22:26","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T08:22:26","slug":"52-pickup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/2025\/07\/01\/52-pickup\/","title":{"rendered":"52 Pickup"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey, who’s fifty-two years old, underemployed, flat broke and gazing bald-eyed into an existential abyss? This guy!!!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Holy shit everybody. I know that it’s difficult to explain my inability to distinguish life outside of my own sensorium of perception, but as far as milestone headtrips go, fifty-two is a major<\/em>\u00a0one. At 52, every year of your life now corresponds to a week in a year. (Or if you like, a card in a full deck.) We often instinctively understand the number 52 on a subconscious level, because of how early in life we understand seasons. At this age, a new clarity of hindsight automatically installs in the brain’s hard drive. <\/p>\n

Here’s where, if I’d been able to keep up the schedule ceaselessly<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0over the last couple of years, I’d be crowing about my whole “do a comic page a week” thing, but let’s be real, I’ve barely even managed a page every two<\/em>\u00a0weeks. So I’ve been pretty hard on myself for some time now. I literally lose sleep over not being able to produce enough real work, because my time is consumed by taking odd jobs to get by. Ironically, this is a productive struggle creatively, because it offers a lot of raw material for stuff like, say, One Hundred Percent American<\/em>. As long as I can get the ideas down in a sketchbook, I can refine them later, but I still need more time<\/strong>\u00a0to render the finished work. If I get it planned out in advance, then I can take a day and ink my brains out. <\/p>\n

This is exactly what I’m doing on my birthday. Even though the only success story I can recall is Chris Ware and his Acme Novelty Library<\/em>\u00a0(which I presume is still an ongoing animus, I could be wrong, which might obscure my point here), I decided at the tender age of 18 to become a human publishing imprint, a lifelong creator of comic strips and comic books that inferred the existence of a tangible creative universe<\/em>, inhabited by characters whom readers carry with them over decades of their lives, or return to after long periods of malaise for a nostalgic refresher. Once I got my hands on the necessary software, I decided to add animation to my roster, a field that is widely known to tear souls and lives asunder and turn regular people into ravenous monsters (myself included). As Evan Dorkin once told me in an email, probably 20 years ago, “a hard road, that [animation].” I don’t know why I flagellate myself for getting by on donations, when there are no examples I’m aware of independent\/underground cartoonists doing any better right now. A lot of the cartoonists I revere are now dead. Some didn’t even make it to 52. In most cases I’m still grappling with their passing. <\/p>\n

I’m glad and grateful to be alive and for you to be alive reading this twaddle which I have based my life around, much in the satire-art method of Zappa but with comics instead of music. I am especially grateful to those of you who have supported me for years, whether just here on Patreon or independently donating, no matter how small, you’d be surprised how far it goes with me. Even the Bands I Useta Like<\/a>\u00a0website is now ten years old, but “2014” doesn’t feel<\/em>\u00a0that long ago. That’s how long some of you have been on board. That means a lot.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hell, some of you have been supporting me since my movie was screened, and that was fifteen years ago folks!<\/strong>\u00a0That’s a long time! Some of you are POGs from The Before Times of ’91, and that’s thirty-three years!<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0That’s the length of the life of Christ!!! Do you know how humbling<\/em>\u00a0that is? Wouldn’t you continue creating work, given that there is precedent of monetary validation that goes back over thirty years?<\/em>\u00a0The definition of “vintage” on eBay is twenty-five!<\/em><\/p>\n

I will probably check in on social media later because my birthday falls on Memorial Day this year, and I expect most folks will be busy with that, plus there will probably be a lot of happy birthday wishes, more than I can read, so I get really ashamed about it and go offline for a brief period. I feel bad that someone thought of me and I might not get to see or know about it. My mind has developed over the past 25 years in ways that are both ascendant and occupationally hazardous, simply due to the compulsory obligation to be a content-producing presence on the internet (initially as a means of promoting and selling my work on a global and digital basis). When you draw even a paltry income from a website or channel, you come to realize that there is always some way to sell your work online.<\/strong>\u00a0Hell, you could go one farther and say there’s always a way to make money<\/em>\u00a0online, which is true, but despite appearances I am more interested in selling and promoting my work<\/strong>\u00a0than simply “making money”. This is both good and bad. But I always, from day one,<\/em>\u00a0established a web presence for the purpose of selling my comics.<\/strong>\u00a0That is almost always the reason I am talking. <\/p>\n

I am fighting a massive internal battle regarding my place in the world, and my artistic compulsion to continue creating work of increasing quality until physically unable to do so, which in truth I consider to be an obligation. Not to get all hoity-toity on everyone, but if you possess God-given talents, you are obligated<\/em>\u00a0to use them as you see fit to enlighten the world.<\/strong>\u00a0Am I wrong? You draw out of aesthetic improvement, at least in some small way, right? It’s a positive<\/em>\u00a0obligation. <\/p>\n

Thank you sincerely for being there as I cross into the New 52. Let’s get weird.<\/p>\n

These projects are in varying stages of production as of 2024:
<\/u><\/em>-issue #6 of Bands I Useta Like<\/em>\u00a0magazine
–Made In Georgia<\/em>, a series of portraits of notable people born in Ga.\/ATL
–Midnight Special<\/em>, the first episode of the animation anthology
-more What’s The Deal?<\/em>\u00a0segments, not necessarily focused on John’s Arm<\/em>\u00a0mythos
–Curse of the Death Stallion<\/em>, the second current-era Ceaseless Fables<\/em>\u00a0volume
-“Ceaseless: The Legend of Matty Boy Anderson” documentary serial
–Five Fingers of Fate<\/em><\/p>\n

All of the above productions will be viewable or free to Patrons in the future. Also I put stuff on my Patreon that would be unsuitable for sharing on social media (typically boobs). <\/p>\n

If you made it this far, and just feel like tossing me a few bucks, I literally can always use it. I frequent food pantries at this point. And hey, it’s my birthday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The quickest way to get money into the Mike The Pod coffers is via PayPal<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0It goes directly onto a card I can use. <\/p>\n

My Venmo is @Matty-Anderson-1. Please note that Venmo takes longer because it has to go through my bank, but do not let this discourage you from donating if it is convenient. I have had no luck with Zelle or Apple Pay. When I do I’ll just add those links here. <\/p>\n

Much obliged for putting up with me all these years and supporting what I do. It means the world to me. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hey, who’s fifty-two years old, underemployed, flat broke and gazing bald-eyed into an existential abyss? This guy!!! Holy shit everybody. I know that it’s difficult to explain my inability to distinguish life outside of my own sensorium of perception, but as far as milestone headtrips go, fifty-two is a major\u00a0one. At 52, every year of … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “52 Pickup”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Bl7P-QZ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3257,"url":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/2025\/07\/01\/you-made-this-possible\/","url_meta":{"origin":3285,"position":0},"title":"You Made This Possible","author":"Matty Boy","date":"July 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks to your support, combined with donations and a paycheck from a regular artist job, plus an organic element I won't mention in mixed company, something miraculous happened last Monday.The picture above (which is visible to Patron Saints only) is the proof of said miracle; the first Ceaseless Fables material\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3298,"url":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/2025\/07\/01\/the-canary-in-the-coalmine\/","url_meta":{"origin":3285,"position":1},"title":"The Canary in the Coalmine","author":"Matty Boy","date":"July 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I have some good news and some bad news. First, the good news. At present, I am alive and relatively healthy. I have a very fluffy hamster named Otto who is a total sweetheart but can often be a handful. Also, my extremities are all in working order. Hands, legs,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3244,"url":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/2025\/07\/01\/whats-new\/","url_meta":{"origin":3285,"position":2},"title":"What’s New?","author":"Matty Boy","date":"July 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I invite everyone to check out the new banner. All systems are go for a new independent animated film production. Now what?Well, my focus now is directed towards raising the necessary funds, on top of what I need for living expenses et cetera. I have been relieved of my lucrative\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2561,"url":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/2021\/05\/17\/2s-52\/","url_meta":{"origin":3285,"position":3},"title":"2S #52","author":"Matty Boy","date":"May 17, 2021","format":"image","excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Pages"","block_context":{"text":"Pages","link":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/category\/pages\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/SS_052-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/SS_052-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/SS_052-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/SS_052-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/SS_052-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/SS_052-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3271,"url":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/2025\/07\/01\/the-importance-of-being-independent\/","url_meta":{"origin":3285,"position":4},"title":"The Importance of Being Independent","author":"Matty Boy","date":"July 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello friends. I'll cut to the chase. I need help. Very badly. Like, I'm about to be out on the street in a week. That's how badly. \u00a0For over a year I've been essentially living off of my friend\/roommate, and it's literally killing him. I work with him doing carpentry\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1392,"url":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/2018\/02\/21\/52\/","url_meta":{"origin":3285,"position":5},"title":"#52","author":"Matty Boy","date":"February 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"NOTES Insanus' island and the twin moons of Yotaton are both visible in panel one The tent is lit with small lampstones, which radiate light and heat when placed together","rel":"","context":"In "Notations"","block_context":{"text":"Notations","link":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/category\/pages\/notations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/cfb_52.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/cfb_52.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/cfb_52.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/cfb_52.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3285"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3490,"href":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3285\/revisions\/3490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceaselessfables.com\/cfb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}