He became an active participant in the Gilman Street Project and was a founding member of Crimpshrine, a highly influential East Bay punk rock band which also featured Jeff Ott.
[2] In a September 2016 interview Cometbus described how his personal life is not necessarily reflected in his zines stating, "Growing up, I was just really, really restless.
"[3] After the demise of Crimpshrine, Cometbus formed Pinhead Gunpowder with a handful of people from the East Bay punk scene, including Sarah Kirsch (later replaced by Jason White), Bill Schneider and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day.
[4] He toured as a roadie with Green Day for many years and played drums for a few shows after the departure of John Kiffmeyer; he was subsequently replaced by another temporary drummer, Dave "E.C."
Cometbus consisted of band interviews, personal diaries, artwork, and observations on the punk subculture in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
[9] Cometbus says in his blurb: "It all starts with the story I've told so many times it's turned stale and tired from overuse.
I didn't know a soul or have a hope, and so on..." Both issue #52 of Cometbus and the novel I Wish There Was Something That I Could Quit are rumored to be about his stay and relationships in Pensacola, Florida.
Cometbus #53 features contributions from Maddalena Poletta and a cover by Eisner Award winner Nate Powell.
[11] Cometbus #57, 35th Anniversary Issue: Cartoonists (2016) interviews with comics creators Kim Deitch, Gary Panter, Al Jaffee, Drew Friedman, Ben Katchor, Paul Levitz, et al. Cometbus #58, Zimmerwald (2017), is a novella about a teenager who "finds solace in a diner full of grumpy seniors during the heyday of San Francisco punk.
Add Toner (Last Gasp Publishing 2011, ISBN 978-0-86719-753-2) compiles issues 44, 45, 46, 46 1/2, 47 & 48 in full, along with a collection of stories entitled "8 out of 10 days" .
A French version of Cometbus issue 54, titled En Chine avec Green Day, has also been published by Editions Chat Chuffit in 2013.