Dave Roman's Blog, page 6
September 8, 2014
International Literacy Day
Today is #InternationalLiteracyDay & I designed the official poster! Check out the International Reading Association’s twitter @IRAToday & website www.reading.org/ild for more info about this great initiative.
There are downloadable bookmarks and more!
September 5, 2014
Politics & Prose Graphic Novel Afternoon
Sepember 6th 2014 3:30pm at Politics & Prose in Washington, DC.
Jimmy Gownley – The Dumbest Idea Ever!
Dave Roman – Astronaut Academy: Re-entry
Raina Telgemeier – Sisters
Three graphic novels for younger teens focus on the struggles and relationships of school and family. The long-awaited companion to Telgemeier’s perpetually bestselling, Eisner Award winning graphic memoir Smile focuses on Raina’s relationship with her sister. The kids (and cyborgs) are back for another school year at Roman’s Astronaut Academy, playing fireball (go Chibi Sesame Seeds!) and giving their hearts away to their crushes (although sometimes the hearts get eaten). Gownley, creator of the Amelia Rules series, shares the tensions and triumphs of his own teen years, when he began self-publishing comics and met with a brief flush of fame, in his graphic memoir. Ages 11 – 14
Politics and Prose
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20008
August 26, 2014
San Diego Comic-Con photos 2014
Here’s a slightly belated posting of photos and memories from the insanely fun times we had at the San Diego Comic-Con this year!
Thursday night, Gene Yang (American Born Chinese) and I drove out to the Barnes and Noble in Mira Mesa for a Get Pop Cultured event.
Huge thanks to everyone who came by to see Gene and I speak, draw & perform scenes from our books!
Afterwards Gene and I dashed off to Islands Burger, one of my favorite burger places on the mainland.
Gene then dropped me off at the Scholastic Party, which is always a fun and fancy affair!
I got to catch up with a lot of friends including Kiersten White, the author of the hilarious & spooky Paranormalcy series.
On the way back to my hotel I saw the cast of Game of Thrones just hanging out! The street-level patio was protected by glass shielding, so it was like the actors were actually animals in a zoo. Especially with all of us drooling spectators stopping to gawk at Jamie Lannister and the rest of the beefcakes.
Here I am with publicists extraordinaire, Gina Gagliano, signing copies of Astronaut Academy at the First Second booth.
This awesome kid cosplaying as a TNG Starfleet officer picked up a copy of Astronaut Academy last year and was super excited to pick up volume 2.
Raina and I got to explore the exhibit floor a bit more than usual this year, and delightedly encountered some of our favorite things!
Animal Crossing!
More Animal Crossing!
Pepe the King Prawn!
Luna Lovegood!
Lone Starr & Barf from Spaceballs!
Korra, the Avatar!
The 11th Doctor & Amy Pond hanging out with Thor & Loki!
Gadget from Rescue Rangers!
Bannister!
Jack Mendelsohn, the legendary creator of Jacky’s Diary.
I finally got to attend one of the Quick Draw panels featuring Sergio Aragonés (Mad Magazine), Mark Evanier (Groo The Wanderer), Scott Shaw! (Captain Carrot), Mark Evanier, and Floyd Norman (Disney legend). I’d heard tales of how amazing this panel was, and it completely lived up to the hype. I was seriously in awe of the quick-witted brilliance of these guys. Drawing as the ultimate form of entertainment. So hilarious!
My good friend Johane Matte accompanied me to the Avatar Legacy fan panel. Even though we no longer work at Nickelodeon, we’re still the biggest enthusiasts for all things Avatar: The Last Airbender. The panel featured Jessie Flower (the voice of Toph), Josh Hamilton (one of the amazing writers from both Avatar and Legend of Korra), Gene Yang (writer of the Avatar comics), and both Sifu Kisu and Sifu Manny, (the martial arts experts on both shows!).
Had dinner with the lovely illustrator, Nidhi Chanani!
We bought so much stuff from Rhode Montijo’s booth. But sadly he was all out these “Draw While You Sleep” elixirs. Would be so useful!
We got to congratulate our good friend Faith Erin Hicks on her much-deserved Eisner Award win!
Went to see the graphic novel panel with Lucy Knisley, Jenn Wang, Faith Erin Hicks, & Gene Yang (who clearly has a time-turner necklace because he was EVERYWHERE!!) It was hosted by Lev Grossman (The Magicians).
Had breakfast with Teen Boat colorist, Wes Dzioba and his wife Heather at Buster’s Beach House. I love their Down-Island French Toast with Pog (Passion Organge Guava)!
I spoke on a panel about Heros in comics hosted by Meryle Jaffe with Frank Cammuso, Mark Tyler Nobleman, Matthew Holm, Jennifer Holm and Alexis Fajardo. We made crazy drawings at the end.
Ate delicious cornbread waffles at Cafe 222 at an ungodly early hour.
Saturday night was a KidLit meet up, which was a great way to catch with up so many wonderful people.
Chillaxin’ with Chris Duffy and Jim Higgins!
Sunday was our annual Kids Draw panel! This variation on the Comics Quickfire saw Elsa from Frozen going head to head against the 10th Doctor! Also participating in the fun were Dav Pilkey, Dan Santat, Kirk Scroggs, Jennifer Holm, & Matthew Holm!
This kid got the drawing I did for the panel.
We waited in line for over an hour for the Jack McBrayer & Triumph the Insult Comic Dog panel before we passed out from heat exhaustion & had to give up.
Check out the cool sights and sounds outside the convention center. Trembled before this giant Homer Simpson head.
One of our favorite sanctuaries in San Diego is the Seaport Village. It’s an oasis away from the hustle and crowds and zombie crawls surrounding the convention center.
Taco time…again!
It’s also an annual tradition to have dinner Sunday night with my California cousins, who fill me in on all the pop-culture craziness I missed!
At the end of Sunday night they threw us in Comics Jail for not wanting the fun to end!
July 21, 2014
San Diego Comic Con schedule
Here is where to find me at Comic Con International: San Diego from July 24th-27th.
Thursday July 24th
4pm: Kids’ Heroes, Capes and Journeys: Does One Size Fit All? (Room 29A)
Graphic novel authors and educators discuss how kids’ heroes have grown and changed over the years. Discussing “Hero” templates, they’ll explore old and new hero favorites and whether a mold helps or hinders the development of future heroes. Panelists will then ask the audience to help create an SDCC 2014 hero as artist panelists draw/design/experiment with hero templates. Implications for fans, educators, students, and aspiring writers, and critics will be discussed. Panelist include Jennifer Holm (Babymouse, Squish), Matthew Holm (Babymouse, Squish),, Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy) , Frank Cammuso (The Misadventures of Salem Hyde), TedNaifeh (Courtney Crumrin) , Marc Tyler Nobleman (Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman, Bill the Boy Wonder), and Alexis Fajardo (Kid Beowulf).
THURSDAY NIGHT OFF SITE EVENT:
7pm: Dave Roman & Gene Yang presentation, live drawing & book signing
Barnes & Noble Mira Mesa
10775 Westview Parkway
San Diego, CA 92126
More info & store locator
Sunday July 27th
10am Kids Draw! Interactive panel. (Room 30CDE)
This fun-filled draw-off pits cartoonist against cartoonist as kids help tell the story-with Kelley Jones (Space Mountain), Dav Pilkey (Captain Underpants), Dave Roman(Astronaut Academy), Dan Santat (Comics Squad: Recess), and Kirk Scroggs (Snoop Troop) and as many monsters, aliens, princesses, and plot twists as they can fit into a single panel! Moderated by Matt and Jenni Holm (Babymouse, Squish).
11:30am Dave Roman signing all books at Sails Pavilion, AA09
12pm Dave Roman signing copies of Astronaut Academy at :01 First Second booth #1323
1pm – 2pm All-Ages Comics Have Arrived! (Room 24ABC)
Quality all-ages comics are back and better than ever! We’re not just talking about “kids” comics, we’re talking about amazing comics that can be enjoyed by young, old, and everyone in between. Join KaBOOM! editor Shannon Watters as she has a lively and fun conversation with several all-ages creators, including David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity), Gene Yang (American Born Chinese, Boxers and Saints), and Ian McGinty (Bravest Warriors, Adventure Time: Candy Capers).
July 8, 2014
Comic Squad Release Party!
Drawing Party + Book Signing at Astoria Bookshop!
Celebrate the new graphic novel anthology COMIC SQUAD: Recess and support Astoria’s awesome independent bookstore! There will be snacks!
All ages welcome!
July 9th, 6:30PM at Astoria Bookshop
31-29 31st St, New York, NY 11106
(718) 278-2665
June 25, 2014
ALA, T-shirts, Buttons & more!
ALA, the American Library Association Annual Conference in Las Vegas is this upcoming weekend, June 27th-June 30th! I will be sharing a table with Raina Telgemeier in Artist Alley Booth #2120
I’ll be debuting my brand new Astronaut Academy T-shirts…
Giving away free Teen Boat buttons…
And of course I’ll have most of my other books with me as well. Plus, I’ll be giving away bonus swag to anyone who can name more than 3 songs that have appeared in episodes of my Kids’ Comics Revolution Podcast.
Here is some of the cool programming I’ll be a part of at ALA this year:
Friday, June 27th, 6-7pm
Comics Quickfire!
Interactive drawing game show where two volunteers will team up with artists Jake Parker (Missile Mouse), Raina Telegemeier (Smile) and Nathan Hale (Hazardous Tales). Hosted by Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy) and Gregg Schigiel (Pix).
Saturday June 28th, 4-5pm
Comic Squad signing at Random House booth #543 with Jarrett Krosoczka, Jennifer L. Holm, Dan Santat, Raina Telgemeier and Dave Roman.
Monday, June 30th 12-1pm
Comics Bakery Reader’s Theater
A live performance graphic novel theater involving lots of audience participation and silliness. Raina Telgemeier (Drama), Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy), and Jerzy Drozd (Cap’n Cat) will perform chapters from some of their latest comics.
June 9, 2014
My new webcomic! Starbunny, Inc.
I just launched a new full-color webcomic called Starbunny, Inc. that I’m super excited to share with you!
I’ll be updating new pages every Wednesday and Friday over the summer.
June 4, 2014
School & Library Visits
I updated the Author Visits page of my website. I love getting kids excited about writing & drawing! Definitely reach out if you are interested!
Here’s a writeup and a bunch of great photos from my recent visit to Strawberry Knoll Elementary, which was hosted by An Open Book!
Dave Roman at Strawberry Knoll Elementary
May 31, 2014
Read Cupcake Helicopter!
Just uploaded my first Cupcake Helicopter mini-comic for you to read in color!
May 26, 2014
Gaithersburg Book Fest Photos
As expected, Raina & I had an amazing time at Gaithersburg Book Festival!
I even appear briefly in this video about the festival…
Our drawing games had a great turn out with super creative volunteers!
Thanks to everyone who came by to get their books signed and share anecdotes about reading and drawing with us!
I also got to share the stage with my good friend, Ben Hate (creator of Zita the Spacegirl) for some fun talk about space heroes.
And of course you can’t get two cartoonists on stage without some competitive drawing!
An evil banana driving a dinosaur mech, per the audience suggestion!
*Some of these photos were borrowed from Tom Angleberger & Eden Miller! A few more are posted at Comicsgirl.Tumblr.com
