Sketching away in New Zealand at 11:15 am...after just arriving from an international flight at 5 am! I was so excited to be there and the fans were all so happy to see us,  I was immune to jetlag.



The ALLBLACKS are New Zealand's premiere rugby team with the coolest tribal anthem before games called the HAKA...and their store makes a great backdrop for studiomate JJ(why does everyone out here stare at me)Kirby.



Here's most of the Wildstorm gang (those who fit in the pic) enjoying some actually very tasty Korean food on our first night in Auckland, New Zealand



Jeremy Bishop from New Zealand's Gotham Comics and Jason Rand writer of Image Comics Small Gods hangin' with Eddy, Eddie, and Livio...who would  come to be know on this trip as team E.E.L.



Here's the Wildstorm crew...we were bunched up with these annoying Polish peeps who kept spoiling the glowworm experience by turning on the little lights on their helmets...and they were going commando in their wetsuits(ewww).



MMMM...delicious beer! Me and Eddie Nunez..enjoying beer at an Irish pub...in New Zealand? JJ and Livio are pansies who can't be bothered with beer!



Hey, here's me with stupid hair hangin' in front of New Zealand's SkyTower...which Beth would later jump from with Eddy Choi!



Beth getting gearedup for her crazy jump from the SkyTower!



Beth high-fiving Sandra Hope right after said jump!



The whole Wildstorm crew hanging out at Minus 5 icebar.



Once we left New Zealand we happened upon this really cool train station by our hotel in Melbourne



Here's most of the gang  just after arriving in Melbourne!



Sigh...here's me in a casino in Melbourne at 5am Monday morning...watching a Sunday 1pm(pacific time) Packers at Tennessee Titans game...I only got to watch 3 quarters of American Footie(as they say) before we had to fly out...I was pretty hammered headed to the airport...good thing ,too-cause when Jim told me the final score , I was bummed!



When we arrived in Cairns this was the view from our upgraded room...sweet!Near the end of the pier is the boat that actually took us out for our dive certification.



On a tour of a rainforest nearby they had these crazy green-assed ants that were pretty mean...I almost got bit .



Yup thats me and Beth hangin with a Koala who seems drunk...or maybe I'm just holding him wrong.



I thought it was pretty interesting to see the people in Cairns show such interest and excitement for the U.S. Presidential election...maybe it was my first time realizing how exciting change and history could be!



At a small zoo in Cairns we came across these birds that would lay sideways, almost as if dead ,to let water from a nearby sprinkler cool them off



Beth petting a  frog-mouth bird



At the same small zoo Beth and I saw Goliath...a huge 12 foot croc! We were told to come back at 6pm to watch him feed...



...and I gotta say, I never thought something so big could move so fast! Props to you Goliath! Eat that chicken wing!



I found this crazy lookin electric-green beetle!



It was this super bright candy-apple green...I had to get a pic...it looked like a toy!



This is what a fig tree looks like in Cairns...and we soon found out what like to live in the fig trees...



...you can barely make them out in this picture...but they were quite abundant once you were able to make out the shapes...



Wild fruitbats!! Or as the locals lovingly referred to them 'flying foxes!



There were tons of them...a guide at the small zoo from earlier said the group that resided in Cairns was up to 30,000! and at dusk they would make their way across town landing on all the fruit trees to feast  on their way to the jungles  for more eats!...I guess with those kinda numbers it'll take a while for everyone to eat their fill.



Me and Beth on our way to Franklin Island via a river jungle cruise out to the open ocean.



The jungle was so green and dense...I almost expected to see the Predator's yellow eyes glowing at me from the foliage!



Beth and myself find an interesting place on Franklin Island to look for interesting critters.



We saw a huge number of  Brittle-Star Starfish.



Then we saw a Seaslug battling  a BrittleStar Starfish!



Thats me looking for more sea critters on Franklin Island.



Mmmm...Seaslug!



ahhh...scuba...Beth and I were certified scubadivers at the end of our trip...



...and considering all the problems I had with my ears and 30 ft of seawater pressure...I couldn't be happier!



All in all a good trip that I will never forget...and with people I'm glad to say I've come to know a little better, and am proud  to share these awesome memories with- forever!
JOEL