Twinkie Ads for the Next Generation
This thing called Comic-Con is coming up, and I feel like I should have something new for it. I mean, it's not like the complete run of Love and Capes isn't enough, right? Not to mention the chance to meet me. But yeah, I think we need something new, too.
Today, all you get to see is this preview image. On Wednesday, head over to justJenn's site and see even more details. We'll both have them for sale at our booths at Comic-Con, so drop on by!
Comicpalooza 2013 Wrap-up
This past weekend I had the pleasure of being a guest at Comicpalooza in Houston, Texas. Comicpalooza, and patron of the arts Alex Johnson, know how to treat a guy. I was met at the airport by four lovely volunteers and had a limo ride to the airport. Okay, maaaaaybe that had something to do with a quirk of timing and a lot of luggage. Still, the bar has been raised for other conventions.
I was a guest last year, and had a lot of fun. This year was no different. My friend Jesse Jackson made it up from Dallas, and Bill Williams of Lone Star Press was there for the show, too. Being able to hang out with friends I don’t see is one of the big joys of this event.
I got to meet Avery Brooks, which was a personal joy. He, for my money, is the best captain of the modern Treks, and Deep Space Nine is the best of the modern franchise. A large part of that was his portrayal of Captain Benjamin Sisko.
His line had a break in it, and I went over to him and told him how much I appreciated his work. I may have even mentioned his awesome “Where are my flying cars?” commercial from years back. He shook my hand, asked my name, and said “thank you.”
I’ve hit the point where I need very few photos with actors and less autographs. I just want that where, for one brief moment, the actors who have been so much a part of my world know that I exist. It’s not always possible. Patrick Stewart’s line was completely impenetrable. But every once in a while, I’d like to have the gush line, where you don’t have to pay anything, you just get 60 seconds to say something to the actor. Not practical, I know, but it’d be cool.
My friend Jesse had me do a new commission for his Doctor Who sketchbook. He wanted Winston Churchill as portrayed by Ian McNeice, who was at the show. I drew a picture of Winston with a sonic screwdriver in place of a cigar. Jesse went to get it signed.
When he came back, he informed me that Ian loved the drawing and wanted to meet me. Well, who am I to refuse an audience with the Holy Roman Emperor Winston Churchill? I spent a few delightful moments talking to him. That was pretty cool.
I also met Tabitha St. Germaine who was wandering the show floor. Tabitha is the voice of Rarity on My Little Pony, a show and a franchise with which I have a passing familiarity. She was incredibly sweet, and we even got a picture together.
I did a couple panels, a digital comics panel and a diversity in comics panel (I represented people of height, I suppose). Both had some pretty good discussions. And I did a piece for the charity auction. The piece was a little rushed, as I had to get to that diversity panel, but I think the speed helped give a nice sense of energy to the piece, too.
Commissions were way up at this show, too. It’s one of the very few times I’ve had to take artwork back to the room at night. It was just Friday night, but I was still up until almost three keeping current on my commission list.
It also showed a definite progression in my career. There was a point, years ago, when I could tell you everything that was on TV from 11:00pm to 2:00am. I knew which channels had what reruns, who hosted what late night show, and the names of all the late night news newscasters.
Now, I don’t.
I don’t want more work, I want better paying work. And I want to manage my time well enough that I can keep a decent sleep schedule and even take a couple hours off here and there. And if I don’t know when Fraiser reruns late at night anymore, I’m making progress.
Below are a bunch of photos from the show. Click and embiggen any (or all) of them. It was a good time, and I hope I can come back next year. But there’s no time to sit and bask in the memories… I’m at the Denver Comic Con at booth F-22 this weekend! And HeroesCon after that.
Maybe I should rethink that sleep thing.
Comicpalooza 2013 Wrap-Up
This past weekend I had the pleasure of being a guest at Comicpalooza in Houston, Texas. Comicpalooza, and patron of the arts Alex Johnson, know how to treat a guy. I was met at the airport by four lovely volunteers and had a limo ride to the airport. Okay, maaaaaybe that had something to do with a quirk of timing and a lot of luggage. Still, the bar has been raised for other conventions.
I was a guest last year, and had a lot of fun. This year was no different. My friend Jesse Jackson made it up from Dallas, and Bill Williams of Lone Star Press was there for the show, too. Being able to hang out with friends I don’t see is one of the big joys of this event.
I got to meet Avery Brooks, which was a personal joy. He, for my money, is the best captain of the modern Treks, and Deep Space Nine is the best of the modern franchise. A large part of that was his portrayal of Captain Benjamin Sisko.
His line had a break in it, and I went over to him and told him how much I appreciated his work. I may have even mentioned his awesome “Where are my flying cars?” commercial from years back. He shook my hand, asked my name, and said “thank you.”
I’ve hit the point where I need very few photos with actors and less autographs. I just want that where, for one brief moment, the actors who have been so much a part of my world know that I exist. It’s not always possible. Patrick Stewart’s line was completely impenetrable. But every once in a while, I’d like to have the gush line, where you don’t have to pay anything, you just get 60 seconds to say something to the actor. Not practical, I know, but it’d be cool.
My friend Jesse had me do a new commission for his Doctor Who sketchbook. He wanted Winston Churchill as portrayed by Ian McNeice, who was at the show. I drew a picture of Winston with a sonic screwdriver in place of a cigar. Jesse went to get it signed.
When he came back, he informed me that Ian loved the drawing and wanted to meet me. Well, who am I to refuse an audience with the Holy Roman Emperor Winston Churchill? I spent a few delightful moments talking to him. That was pretty cool.
I also met Tabitha St. Germaine who was wandering the show floor. Tabitha is the voice of Rarity on My Little Pony, a show and a franchise with which I have a passing familiarity. She was incredibly sweet, and we even got a picture together.
I did a couple panels, a digital comics panel and a diversity in comics panel (I represented people of height, I suppose). Both had some pretty good discussions. And I did a piece for the charity auction. The piece was a little rushed, as I had to get to that diversity panel, but I think the speed helped give a nice sense of energy to the piece, too.
Commissions were way up at this show, too. It’s one of the very few times I’ve had to take artwork back to the room at night. It was just Friday night, but I was still up until almost three keeping current on my commission list.
It also showed a definite progression in my career. There was a point, years ago, when I could tell you everything that was on TV from 11:00pm to 2:00am. I knew which channels had what reruns, who hosted what late night show, and the names of all the late night news newscasters.
Now, I don’t.
I don’t want more work, I want better paying work. And I want to manage my time well enough that I can keep a decent sleep schedule and even take a couple hours off here and there. And if I don’t know when Fraiser reruns late at night anymore, I’m making progress.
Below are a bunch of photos from the show. Click and embiggen any (or all) of them. It was a good time, and I hope I can come back next year. But there’s no time to sit and bask in the memories… I’m at the Denver Comic Con at booth F-22 this weekend! And HeroesCon after that.
Maybe I should rethink that sleep thing.
Free Comic Book Day 2013… Finally!
I've been promising to recap my Free Comic Book Day for a little while now, but the busyness of business got in my way. But, for a brief time, I'm caught up. Having gone into darkness on Twitter and Facebook so that when I go see Star Trek: Into Darkness tonight without being spoiled as to who Benedict Cumberbatch's character is (my money is on Keyzer Soze, though), I'm a little less distracted. This year I returned to Newark, Delaware for Joe Murray's Captain Blue Hen event. Joe runs a great event, and he met every rider on my contract of services. Thankfully, my contract of services is a lot less intense than Beyonce's. Mostly it's "I like Pepsi and take me to see Iron Man 3." I flew into Baltimore on Friday, drove up to Newark, and then set up at the shop. The next day was Free Comic Book Day, and there the fun began.
The difference between this year and every other is that now I'm a Pony Artist™. I wrote and drew an issue of My Little Pony and that changes everything. Since Free Comic Book Day is such a kid heavy event where they can pick up such kid-friendly titles as Spongebob Squarepants, NFL Rush Zone and The Walking Dead (wait, what?), I become a lot more interesting to those kids having worked on Pony.
So the coolest thing was drawing for the young kids, the kids whose faces light up with a quick head sketch of Rainbow Dash. A couple of them even drew pictures for me. It's just awesome. I have a great job on a bad day, and on a good day it's magical.
I also taught a drawing class over at the next door art center, too. I love that Joe is able to turn the event into an experience like that. It's not just free books, but a whole experience.
I also pre-drew a bunch of MLP sketch cards thanks to some sage counsel from Joe and his staff. That gave me a new saleable item and helped keep things hopping at my table.
Afterwards, we all went out to dinner. I got to hang out with the crew, and especially my friends Jamar Nicholas and Dan Parent. It's so great talking shop and business theory and life philosophy with them. Truly some of the best times!
I'm definitely looking forward to next year!
1977 Star Trek Coloring Book Review, Part Two
1977 Star Trek Coloring Book Review. No, seriously.
Free Comic Book Day 2013
It's Free Comic Book Day again, one of my favorite days of the year. I'll be back at Captain Blue Hen in Delaware. Last year was an absolute blast, and I'm looking forward to this year. I'll be taking commissions, selling artwork, including a smattering of My Little Pony sketchcards. And, of course, I'll have all four collections of Love and Capes available, too. Not only is tomorrow the big holiday for comics, but it's also the big Star Wars Day, May the Fourth (be with you). My fantastic fianceé has a blog about celebrating the day up at the Star Wars Insider blog.
Hope you have a good FCBD/Star Wars Day/Man of Steel trailer watchin' day, whatever you do!
I'll Be at the LA Times Festival of Books on Sunday
This Sunday, I'll be at the LA Times Festival of Books, signing at the Hi De Ho Comics booth. It's booth # 928, and I'll be signing from 10-3.
I'll have a bunch of copies of my My Little Pony: Twilight Sparkle issue, as well as some copies of the Love and Capes trades. I'll also be taking commissions and selling art, including this little piece…
Hope to see you there!
On the Occasion of Superman's 75th Anniversary
I don't remember the first time I read Superman. As far back as I can remember, he was always there. I've always been a fan. and he's always been an influence.
I had Superman comics, and the toys and the t-shirts and, of course, Superman From the Thirties to the Seventies. I won second place in the Superman Movie contest and, years later, a Superman trivia contest in the local newspaper. I helped celebrate his Fiftieth Anniversary in Cleveland. If Ohio does issue the Superman license plate, I'll have that, too.
I love the character. I loved his powers, his adventures, his cast, his history. Some people relate to Batman more, because in the abstract he's attainable. Not me, I loved the fantastic. Besides, there's plenty of things to relate to Superman, too. Who hasn't looked through their clumsiness and glasses at someone and said "If only they knew who I really am, what I'm really like…" There's a solitude and a purpose to the character that I think we all feel at some point.
He created the industry I work in and that I love so much. Comics existed before, but they were never the same afterward. Much like his constant presence in my life, I've always known that I wanted to be a cartoonist. The first character I learned to draw was Superman. The first comic book artist whose style I could recognize was a Superman artist. (Kurt Schaffenberger, though Curt Swan came soon after that.)
He was created by kids from my hometown, which made my dream of becoming a cartoonist seem that much more attainable. They were a lesson in persistence and in so many other things. The reason creators know to be concerned about the rights to their characters is because of the path Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster walked.
I love the message of the character, too. One of the best descriptions I've read of the character is: "He isn't Superman because he has incredible powers. He's Superman because, with all those powers, he always does what's right." He calls us all to do the same. In a famous story where he believes he is dying, Superman carves a message to humanity: Do good unto others and every man can be a Superman.
The Man of Steel seventy-five today, and he shows no sign of stopping. It seems that, much like his battle, Superman is never-ending. I couldn't be happier.
The Man of Steel
If breaking news hasn't changed things, I should be on WTAM-1100 radio in Cleveland on the Wills and Snyder show talking about Superman. if any of you have met me in person, you know that's a topic that's hard to get me to shut up on.
Inspired by the new trailer, I decided to do a Superman and Lois piece. Click the below image to enlarge it, or "biggimized" as the kids say.