The Waking Life Postcard~ March 2000

The Kinglake And I Bonus Illustration Letter ~ Circa Spring 1999

Occasionally, Mike would toss in some bonus illustration in his mailing packages. 

Sometimes former school assignments, sometimes re-worked freelance cast-offs-- 

sometimes just random fun stuff. 

This particular piece-- among my own personal favorites-- is a goof on my long delayed/gestating/never seen the light of day Prisoner Of Progress mini series.

The Camel Lights/Lucky Stryke Letter - Date Unknown

Because Charlton Heston.

The Double Oscar Letter ~ Circa 1999

Sometime during our Prisoners Of Progress collaboration, this MObre Letter appeared in the mail shortly after a rambling late-night phone call wherein I suggested an alternate version of The Odd Couple starring Walter Matthau and Jack Klugman as the Two Oscars-- which would pretty much amount to both of them throwing spaghetti at the wall for two hours.

Using characters from P.O.P., Mike made my wish come true...

The Lee Highvalley Letter - 2004

The Lucky Stryke Press Sample Letter - 1996

The Brick Stevens Letter - Early 2000's

The Fanboy Flyswatter - The Kubert School 1989

This is officially the very first drawing I ever saw Mike Obre do. 

It was September 1989, the first week of classes at The Joe Kubert School 

and it was, for me, the first step towards the realization that not only was Mike quick and talented-- but he was also completely ridiculous and funny as hell.

The Pickle Letter 1990

The infamous Pickle Letter arrive during the first trip I made to Connecticut to visit Mike Obre for a single late summer weekend, accompanied by my friend E.M.Strohl, a future Baseball Hall Of Fame curator.

All during the weird, adventure-packed visit Mike would make humorously oblique references to a mysterious mailing he had sent just prior to our arrival, refusing to describe what was waiting for me back home but brimming with twisted, manic delight over his central role as its architect.

When I finally returned home a sealed, official-looking plastic bag was there with warnings and assurances printed on its side by the Untied States Postal Service

 Inside what I took for an FBI evidence bag
was a damp and tattered greenish envelope
that smelled of old, turned pickle juice.
The note inside the envelope had fallen out
and rested on top of the three layer pile inside the bag.

Mobre had sent a sliced pickle to me through the US Mail. 

There was no sign of the raisins or vitamins.

MOBRE Wuz Here ( The Hand Puppet Ballet) - 1997

This was originally a pencil drawing, 

surreptitiously drafted behind a page from a proposed series I'd been working on with Mike's help. 

When I finally stumbled on it the first thing I could do, immediately after falling on the floor with apoplectic laughter, was to ink it. 

Dated - 1997

The Poor Kevin Letter 1999

The Robyn Holiday Letter - Late '90's

This full-size comic book page illustration features one of the main characters 

from Dan O'Connor's years-in-the-making Spy-Fi Noir epic "Prisoners Of Progress", 

of which Mike was nice enough to take on lettering duties. 

The unpublished series has recently started being unearthed, restored, and has been mentioned in 

DanO's regularly depressing comics blog. 

Mobre's take on Dano's stuff is always super-cool. 

The page is undated-- circa 1996-1999