Evan Dorkin's Blog, page 4
February 2, 2016
New BEASTS OF BURDEN being scheduled. Looking to assemble a letters page.
Hey, folks – the good news is that we're putting the next issue of BEASTS OF BURDEN together.
Jill's all done with the art for the story, which is called What The Cat Dragged In. It's an all-cat (and one raccoon) issue which answers the question about where Dymphna disappears to at night.
Dark Horse is mapping out the issue, and if all goes well we're looking at a Spring release. However, we have some blank pages to fill in the back of the comic, and we're trying to see if anyone has any questions or comments for us to print in a letters page for the issue. Even if we only fill a page, that's one less ad in the issue and a little something extra to read. Right now we only have one letter. Eep.
So, if anyone would like to toss us some questions or thoughts about the book or what have you, they can write to us and DHC at - beasts@darkhorse.com
Thanks! And either way, please be on the lookout for the new story.
January 27, 2016
Out Today: BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT COMIC BOOK ARCHIVE
In shops today: BILL AND TED’S EXCELLENT COMIC BOOK ARCHIVE from BOOM! studios. The book collects the Bogus Journey movie adaptation and all 11 issues of the series that I wrote and penciled for Marvel in the early 90′s. Inkers on the series were Marie Severin, Stephen DeSefano and, for one page, David Mazzucchelli. There was one issue that had multiple inkers lending a hand, including Jimmy Palmiotti. I inked the final two pages. That's all the inking trivia I can remember offhand. Robbie Busch handled almost all of the coloring, lettering was by Kurt Hathaway and Tom Orzechowski. The book's extras include penciled and inked pages, pin-ups, and some other art related to the run. They've also included the covers from the Marvel run as well as the original letters pages. 368 pgs in total, all in color, and in hardcover. Non-heinous.
December 7, 2015
So, This Exists Now
Advance copy of The Eltingville Club hardcover collection, taken by project editor Daniel Chabon at the Dark Horse compound.
I wasn't expecting printed copies until mid-to-late January, so this took me by complete surprise. Fingers crossed I get a copy tomorrow, or at least by Wednesday. Can't believe this is really going to be over and done with at last. All that's left is nailing the longbox coffin shut and salting the earth around the grave. Huzzah.
In other news, our BEN 10 script was finalized and apporved, we are offocially signed on to do a new comic-related project, and we're working on the fourth chapter script for our Stela app series.
November 23, 2015
Things We Can Say
So, the cat's out of the bag in rgeards to the "new digital platform" we've been mentioning as of late, and so we can discuss it. To a degree.
The app is called Stela, and it is going to be publishing digital-only original comics content, and you can read more about it here (and here, here, and here), follow them on Twitter here, and expect an announcement in January about the creator-owned series that Sarah and I are writing for them. We're pretty excited about this opportunity as we haven't done steady, serialized writing in a long time, and getting paid decently for it certainly helps sweeten the deal. We can't talk about the title or contents of our series yet, but soon, soon, we'll be bothering you with details on it, the artist, and how much we'd love you folks to support the app and the comic if you're willing and able.
Otherwise, there's been a solicitation for the DC Comics reprinting of WORLD'S FUNNEST, the superhero humor comic I wrote in 2000 which was illustrated by a murderer's row of cartoonists, including Dave Gibbons, David Mazzucchelli, Jaime Hernandez, Jim Woodring, Stuart Immonen, Shelly Moldoff, Ty Templeton, Stephen DeStefano, Bruce Timm, Glen Murikami, Jay Stevens, Frank Miller, Alex Ross and brian Bolland (providing the cover art). WORLD'S FUNNEST will anchor a collection of Bat-Mite-centric stories, including the ones Kevin O'Neill drew, and I belive the first story featuring the little imp. It's coming out in March, in paperback, and it'll be nice to see a new generation of comics fans ignore a bunch of Bat-Mite comics all over again.
The app is called Stela, and it is going to be publishing digital-only original comics content, and you can read more about it here (and here, here, and here), follow them on Twitter here, and expect an announcement in January about the creator-owned series that Sarah and I are writing for them. We're pretty excited about this opportunity as we haven't done steady, serialized writing in a long time, and getting paid decently for it certainly helps sweeten the deal. We can't talk about the title or contents of our series yet, but soon, soon, we'll be bothering you with details on it, the artist, and how much we'd love you folks to support the app and the comic if you're willing and able.
Otherwise, there's been a solicitation for the DC Comics reprinting of WORLD'S FUNNEST, the superhero humor comic I wrote in 2000 which was illustrated by a murderer's row of cartoonists, including Dave Gibbons, David Mazzucchelli, Jaime Hernandez, Jim Woodring, Stuart Immonen, Shelly Moldoff, Ty Templeton, Stephen DeStefano, Bruce Timm, Glen Murikami, Jay Stevens, Frank Miller, Alex Ross and brian Bolland (providing the cover art). WORLD'S FUNNEST will anchor a collection of Bat-Mite-centric stories, including the ones Kevin O'Neill drew, and I belive the first story featuring the little imp. It's coming out in March, in paperback, and it'll be nice to see a new generation of comics fans ignore a bunch of Bat-Mite comics all over again.
November 12, 2015
Nosing Along
Things have been going along pretty well here, busy enough to be neglecting the LJ, but, then again, I tend to neglect it even if nothing's happening. Anyway, for those still paying attention, here's an update on what we're up to and where things stand:
The Bill and Ted collection from BOOM! is set for December release.
The Eltingville collection from Dark Horse is set for February.
The World's Funnest reprint hasn't been solicited yet from DC, I still don't know anything about it other than it's slated for March.
The creator-owned series we're writing for a new digital platform (soon to be announced) is moving along. The art's finished for the first chapter, we've scripted the second, and are working on the next two installments. Hopefully we'll be able to talk more about this soon.
The 12-page Mermaid Man story I wrote for the Spongebob Squarepants comic has been penciled and looks really nice. The penciler's name is under wraps for now. I'm very happy to be working with this person.
Jill Thompson has finished up six new pages for a new Beasts of Burden one-shot and they look terrific. She's working on the last third or so of the issue. I am beyond excited to see the series back in production.
I'm slowly reworking a pitch for a continuing creator-owned project I'm developing with artist Veronica Fish, who is currently drawing two issues of the new Archie series as well as a fill-in on Howard the Duck. I have high hopes for this series.
The BEN 10 episode script that Sarah and I wrote is waiting for final approval from the Cartoon Network.
I have been made an offer I can't refuse from a publisher. And I won't. More later.
I've been asked to contribute material to a themed anthology book, as well as an overseas anthology magazine (although that would involve a reprinted piece, but still, it's pretty cool to be asked by this publisher for anything). Sarah and I have been asked to write a short story for an anthology comic, as well. Nothing signed and sealed on those, yet.
We had an offer to publish the Beasts of Burden book in a new market overseas.
I think that's everything going on right now. Things are pretty hectic. Mostly in a good way. Even I have to notice how many times I've written positive words here such as "happy" and "excited". Yes, it scares me as well. I have not been taken over by a pod person. It's still me.
The only really negative thing going on these days is that my arm and drawing hand are not in good shape. I'm in constant pain, with my fingers going numb and sharp pains below my shoulder blade. I work on commissions a little each day but after a while I have to put the pencil or pen down. Typing is also a problem right now. Sleeping can be difficult. Clearly my work habits and posture et al have been the wrong way to do things and left unchecked things will get worse rather than better. I've got an approval for a neurology appointment and have put in a call there and am waiting to hear back to set something up. Hopefully something will come of it that will help.
All for now. Hope everyone out there is well.
The Bill and Ted collection from BOOM! is set for December release.
The Eltingville collection from Dark Horse is set for February.
The World's Funnest reprint hasn't been solicited yet from DC, I still don't know anything about it other than it's slated for March.
The creator-owned series we're writing for a new digital platform (soon to be announced) is moving along. The art's finished for the first chapter, we've scripted the second, and are working on the next two installments. Hopefully we'll be able to talk more about this soon.
The 12-page Mermaid Man story I wrote for the Spongebob Squarepants comic has been penciled and looks really nice. The penciler's name is under wraps for now. I'm very happy to be working with this person.
Jill Thompson has finished up six new pages for a new Beasts of Burden one-shot and they look terrific. She's working on the last third or so of the issue. I am beyond excited to see the series back in production.
I'm slowly reworking a pitch for a continuing creator-owned project I'm developing with artist Veronica Fish, who is currently drawing two issues of the new Archie series as well as a fill-in on Howard the Duck. I have high hopes for this series.
The BEN 10 episode script that Sarah and I wrote is waiting for final approval from the Cartoon Network.
I have been made an offer I can't refuse from a publisher. And I won't. More later.
I've been asked to contribute material to a themed anthology book, as well as an overseas anthology magazine (although that would involve a reprinted piece, but still, it's pretty cool to be asked by this publisher for anything). Sarah and I have been asked to write a short story for an anthology comic, as well. Nothing signed and sealed on those, yet.
We had an offer to publish the Beasts of Burden book in a new market overseas.
I think that's everything going on right now. Things are pretty hectic. Mostly in a good way. Even I have to notice how many times I've written positive words here such as "happy" and "excited". Yes, it scares me as well. I have not been taken over by a pod person. It's still me.
The only really negative thing going on these days is that my arm and drawing hand are not in good shape. I'm in constant pain, with my fingers going numb and sharp pains below my shoulder blade. I work on commissions a little each day but after a while I have to put the pencil or pen down. Typing is also a problem right now. Sleeping can be difficult. Clearly my work habits and posture et al have been the wrong way to do things and left unchecked things will get worse rather than better. I've got an approval for a neurology appointment and have put in a call there and am waiting to hear back to set something up. Hopefully something will come of it that will help.
All for now. Hope everyone out there is well.
October 20, 2015
Post-NYCC Drip
NYCC was super-productive and super-ridiculous and super-exhausting. And I was only there two days, one with the family, one with the industry. My signing went better than expected, we sold some books, talked to some people, hopefully set some things in motion.
It was great meeting our Eltingville Club editor, Daniel Chabon, in person, and seeing all the folks from Dark Horse. We also got to meet some fo the folks from the digital app project we're involved with, and say hello to a bunch of folks we've met before, and hang out at a few tables in artists alley and all that kind of thing. On Saturday I had a long (and unexpected) talk with Jill Thompson. It was a good talk, and we're continuing to talk, and she was working on new Beasts pages before we ran into one another. Since the show I've seen new art, beautiful as ever, and I'm really hoping we might be back on track and have new stories out next year. I think we will.
The only real downside of the convention was that I came down with the con crud after Saturday, which turned into the con plague (as some are referring to it), which landed me in bed for several days. I then transmitted the plague to the family, because I'm the gift that keeps on giving. I'm still sick, almost ten days later, with a head full of rot and a nose full of snot. Today's the first day since the show I've been able to be semi-productive. Sarah's wrecked and Em's losing her mind from cabin fever, not to mention getting over her actual fever. This was the worst post-con illness we've ever had,. Work has piled up badly and we spent Sarah's birthday conked out. sick and useless. Hopefully we'll all recover soon, and get things in some sort of order.
Before I knock off, let me mention that last week the Peanuts Tribute book came out from BOOM! Studios, with a slew of creators and a 12-page Schulz/Lovecraft mash-up by me and artist Derek Charm. End of plug. End of post.
It was great meeting our Eltingville Club editor, Daniel Chabon, in person, and seeing all the folks from Dark Horse. We also got to meet some fo the folks from the digital app project we're involved with, and say hello to a bunch of folks we've met before, and hang out at a few tables in artists alley and all that kind of thing. On Saturday I had a long (and unexpected) talk with Jill Thompson. It was a good talk, and we're continuing to talk, and she was working on new Beasts pages before we ran into one another. Since the show I've seen new art, beautiful as ever, and I'm really hoping we might be back on track and have new stories out next year. I think we will.
The only real downside of the convention was that I came down with the con crud after Saturday, which turned into the con plague (as some are referring to it), which landed me in bed for several days. I then transmitted the plague to the family, because I'm the gift that keeps on giving. I'm still sick, almost ten days later, with a head full of rot and a nose full of snot. Today's the first day since the show I've been able to be semi-productive. Sarah's wrecked and Em's losing her mind from cabin fever, not to mention getting over her actual fever. This was the worst post-con illness we've ever had,. Work has piled up badly and we spent Sarah's birthday conked out. sick and useless. Hopefully we'll all recover soon, and get things in some sort of order.
Before I knock off, let me mention that last week the Peanuts Tribute book came out from BOOM! Studios, with a slew of creators and a 12-page Schulz/Lovecraft mash-up by me and artist Derek Charm. End of plug. End of post.
October 6, 2015
NYCC 2015
I'll be signing copies of THE ELTINGVILLE CLUB at the Dark Horse Comics booth (#1636) on Saturday, Oct. 10th from 12 -12:45. I'll be happy to sign anything anyone brings, there's no purchase necessary, but FYI I understand DHC will have copies of ELTINGVILLE #1-2, and it's likely they'll have the MILK & CHEESE/BEASTS OF BURDEN collections available, as well. There will be free signing cards featuring the cover art from the upcoming ELTINGVILLE hardcover.
It's not a ticketed event, but you must bring ANIMAL CROSSING Amiibo cards to get in. Ha ha. I wish.
I might have to hand out dollar bills.
Full details on the Dark Horse panels and signings can be found here.
That's my full schedule for NYCC this time around, I'm not on any panels or anything, I think they got wise to me. I'll be spending a day at the show with the family and on Saturday when I'm not twiddling my thumbs all alone and abandoned by the fans at the DH table and wishing for a cyanide milkshake I'll be meeting up with a few folks for informal meetings, checking in with friends, avoiding a bunch of chumps, and manning a pop-up shop in Artists Alley to sell mace and body cameras to cosplayers and professionals who are sick of dealing with creeps. Sad to say, I should make a killing.
Might sell soap, too.
See you, maybe.
It's not a ticketed event, but you must bring ANIMAL CROSSING Amiibo cards to get in. Ha ha. I wish.
I might have to hand out dollar bills.
Full details on the Dark Horse panels and signings can be found here.
That's my full schedule for NYCC this time around, I'm not on any panels or anything, I think they got wise to me. I'll be spending a day at the show with the family and on Saturday when I'm not twiddling my thumbs all alone and abandoned by the fans at the DH table and wishing for a cyanide milkshake I'll be meeting up with a few folks for informal meetings, checking in with friends, avoiding a bunch of chumps, and manning a pop-up shop in Artists Alley to sell mace and body cameras to cosplayers and professionals who are sick of dealing with creeps. Sad to say, I should make a killing.
Might sell soap, too.
See you, maybe.
September 22, 2015
Post Cincy-Con Wrap-Up/ General Update (long)
So, we had a blast at the Cincy Comicon, everyone was super-nice, we signed a lot of books, we even had a line going a couple of times. We did really well at the table and sold out of almost everything, 22 Milk and Cheese HCs went the first day and we could have sold a bunch more. That's not an astounding number for a lot of folks doing shows, but for us, it's healthy -- we're still not sure what to bring to shows we haven't done before, we underestimate the MILK & CHEESE book a lot because the material's so old and the collection's been around a few years. Anyway, a book that's three years old or so still doing okay at shows is a good thing. And we sold 10 copies of BEASTS OF BURDEN, which is now five years old. I still have no idea what to bring wherever we go next.
Art sales were healthier than since our first Heroes Con, which is going a ways back, con-wise. Unexpected, but welcome. I treated myself to a Wolfman Funko Pop!, which I've been hunting down at shows this year. I always buy a gift if we do okay. Emily sold three hairclips, and won a Lego set in the cosplay contest on Sunday, in her really nice homemade (via mom) Hatsune Miku costume. I met Bruce Chrislip, who gave me a copy of his new book about mini-comics, THE MINICOMIX REVOLUTION: 1969-1989. We saw friends (old and new, industry and otherwise), had a swell dinner Saturday night with fellow comic book workers and heard a lot of jaw-dropping stories about horsehockey behavior in our beloved profession (I told a few, too). I got to hang out with people afterward for con bar talk, which is like dinner talk, only louder and with more alcohol and meaner stories. It was great seeing people at the show, talking to our readers, signing books, catching up with friends.
We were on a panel about Indy Comics on Saturday with Ryan Browne (GOD HATES ASTRONAUTS) and Jeremy Bastien (CURSED PIRATE GIRL, a book Em's a big fan of). The moderator was John Siuntres, of the Word Balloon Podcast. John's a radio professional as well as a fan of old radio shows, so he and I had a lot to talk about later on (and may talk more about comics and old radio on his podcast in the future). John's uploaded the panel on his podcast site, and I think it's worth checking out. It ran long, two hours (!) and not just because of me and my big mouth for once. A lot of information, a lot of real talk. Ryan talked about his experiences at Image and doing Kickstarters and the economics of creating comics, it was good stuff. Sarah and I had a lot of folks coming over to us afterward to thank us for the panel. That's not to flatter myself but to say the panel recording might be something young creators out there will find interesting, maybe even valuable.
So, yeah, swell time. Maybe we should do more shows in places we've never been to. We'll see. Anyway, thanks to everyone at the Cincy Comicon and the folks who came by the table. We had a swell time.
Oh, yeah, we also ended up with a gigantic stuffed bear. I don't know exactly what the backstory was, but it involved Tony and Kara Moore and Steve Lieber and Jeff Parker and I think these two monstrous plush bears from Costco were dumped on the Portlanders as a return prank from a con prank they pulled --? Something like that --? Anyway, there were these two Snorlax-sized plush bears sitting at Lieber and Parker's tables. And we ended up with monstrous bear #2. Fortunately our rental car was upgraded to a GMC Terrain (the car we rented wasn't available), otherwise he never would have made it back to NYC, where he is now taking up a ton of space in Em's room. She's grown attached to him. So, giant plush bear is staying. Oy.
Before heading home we took a trip to Columbus for a few days of hanging out and relaxing and seing what there was to see. We took Em to see the LOVE LIVE anime movie. I got a trivia question right before the movie and won a box of Pocky. A cute thing happened during that pre-film hangout event, a young woman with the anime club hosting the event asked a trivia question about the manga that Sarah did the localization rewrite for, KODOCHA (Sarah's first gig for Tokyopop). We started laughing and I made Sarah blurt it out, which made the woman really happy because it turned out KODOCHA was the first manga she ever read and it meant a lot to her. She was happy to talk manga and stuff with Sarah afterward. Emily got to eat a lot of Pocky, she loved the movie, and she got three exclusive codes for her LOVE LIVE app game and there was just a hell of a lot of rejoicing and stuff over that.
We were crashing with the mighty Tom Spurgeon and as you might expect there was much talk about comics, cartoonists, creeps and CXC. CXC looks amazing, I wish I was going (I hope some of you are). Sarah and I did a little work while there, not a ton, mainly going over art that was coming in on a project, making notes, etc. Em read a stack of comics while we were staying over, including the IDW BLONDIE collection, a good run of MOUSEGUARD, and a bunch of others. We had a super time in Columbus. We got to say hi to Jeff Smith for about ten minutes before he had to run for CXC business, so we didn't get to eat pizza with him. The pizza was great, it wasn't NYC grease triangles but it was really good. The food was good everywhere we went. I ate a lot. Cripes I ate. I ate everything on my plate every time and finished some on Sarah's plate at almost every meal. It was like I just got out of prison (comic con as prison experience, maybe an essay there?). Columbus was all right. Even if they have two-way streets there that are only the width of one-way streets. Ridiculous. Apparently they have this thing called "politeness" which people use to navigate and negotiate while driving on these roads. Ridiculous!
We met Caitlin McGurk, who had invited us to take a private tour back in the stacks of the amazing Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, which was basically a dream come true for me. I have ached to enter this temple ever since they re-opened in their refurbished space. It exceeded expectations. It is cartooning heaven on Earth.
If I had a dollar for every time I said "oh, my god" I'd be able to retire. Oh my god. We goggled while handling originals by Frank King, Segar (color Sunday, a good one we remembered), Tezuka (!), Soglow, Richard Thompson (a huge stack being processed, first thing we saw, including one of the paperback collection covers), Schulz, Charles Addams, Jack Kent, McCay, Chester Gould, Foster (everyone needs to see original Fosters, even if they aren't fans), Watterson, John Cullen Murphy (et al), as well as Disney storyboards and pencil animation sequences from PETER PAN and ALICE IN WONDERLAND (I had to flip them). We saw the painted backgrounds used in the original TRON, which are postcard-tiny and bizarre. We saw Caniff's death mask and hand casts. Sculptures by Rube Goldberg. Photos of Bill Blackbeard's home and collection (which looked like I thought it would), and stacks upon stacks upon stacks of his collected tear sheets of dailies which are being organized (a miniscule portion of the collection). NCS awards and trinkets. A monstrous NANCY head from a parade costume (inknerd me tagged it as a Jerry Scott-based suit. Something to be proud of or --?). I kept tossing out names of cartoonists or strips, trying to see stuff we don't see regularly at cons, things we all like, things we thought would look great as originals, it was like a spot quiz, like having five minutes in a toy shop spree, only more time, and more choices, and more awesome.
We walked past endless stacks of manga, comics, graphic novels and ephemera. This doesn't include the on-display collection (Kirby, Caniff, Lynda Barry, Gould, Schulz, etc, etc,etc, plus chapbooks, comics, sketchbooks, awards, props, toys and novelties and Chester Gould's ink-and-match-streaked drawing board). Or the PUCK and World War exhibit. While we were in town Jessica Abel was at the Ireland for her lecture/book signing tour, it was packed so I sat on the floor to watch. I haven't packed so much cartoon living into a week in my life ever. It must be what going to a European festival is like, to a degree, running into cartoonists, looking at cartooning, talking cartooning, and eating a lot and talking a lot. It was fun. Emily enjoyed the tour a lot, we took pictures while we there.
It was insane. If the temperature in the "vaults" wasn't kept cool to maintain the collection I'd have been sweating like a Johnny Craig murderer the entire time I was in there. It was overwhelming. It was incredible. I want to live there. I want to sleep there. I want to work as a security guard and stay inside forever. I want to see everything. I want to have my ashes sent there. And I want to see those, too. I want to have a singular relationship with the library similar to Sally Brown had with her school. Only with a happier ending. No building suicide. I want to marry the OSU Billy Ireland Library.
I will go there again someday. You should go, now, soon, someday. You really should. You can request materials in the reading room which will be brought to you to read or marvel at. Bring friends. Take your class there. There was a class going through while we did our tour. Use this incredible resource and support it. It is marvelous and wonderful and too good to be real. Thanks you, Caitlin McGurk, everyone we met at OSU, Tom, Lauren, Jeff, whoever made the food we ate, whoever made the ice cream at that that amazing ice cream place, etc etc. A very nice week.
Glad to be home, though. We have a ton of work to catch up on. Which is good. We started working on a creator-owned gig (Sarah and I co-writing), I signed off on the BILL AND TED collection, we're just about signed off on the ELTINGVILLE CLUB collection, a non-comics project we did earlier this year is coming close to fruition, we're considering a new WFH writing gig, still waiting for notes on the BEN 10 script, and I'm still slowly revising a creator-owned pitch with a very talented artist.
Which leaves BEASTS OF BURDEN. Yeah. From what I understand Jill Thompson's actually actually finally started really actually maybe working on maybe finally finishing the art for the second issue of the long-delayed mini-series. Finally. Again. Supposedly. Maybe. I don't know. I give up. I saw two new panels the other day. That makes seven pages from early last year, and two panels painted last week. Maybe there's more, I don't know. I have no idea. I give up. As the BIG NUMBERS tribute schedule might suggest, things kind of suck with BEASTS OF BURDEN. The second issue was written in October of 2013. There's two more scripts gathering dust. If they were magically finished tomorrow the collection would still not see print until 2017. Seven years between volumes. That's kinda nuts. I goof up my own work, I delayed ELTINGVILLE CLUB #2 over a year, but when I crash and burn, I tend to do it in a single passenger plane. I don't know when these three issues will appear, or if they ever will appear. I don't know what will happen after that. Kids: always sign a collaborator agreement, even with friends. You never know what might happen. Or not happen. Yeah.
Hey, let's end on a happier note -- the temporary medication for my arm and hand and neck has helped a lot. I feel better. My hand hasn't been going dead, the pain's calmed down a lot. Seeing a neurologist soon for the mitt, hopefully something can be done to fix it or make a real difference. My mood's also better these days. I'm getting more done, getting better at making decisions, trying to stay positive, ride through bad stuff with less anxiety. Things are better. Hope they stay that way. Hope they're good for you folks, as well.
More soon later! Maybe!
Art sales were healthier than since our first Heroes Con, which is going a ways back, con-wise. Unexpected, but welcome. I treated myself to a Wolfman Funko Pop!, which I've been hunting down at shows this year. I always buy a gift if we do okay. Emily sold three hairclips, and won a Lego set in the cosplay contest on Sunday, in her really nice homemade (via mom) Hatsune Miku costume. I met Bruce Chrislip, who gave me a copy of his new book about mini-comics, THE MINICOMIX REVOLUTION: 1969-1989. We saw friends (old and new, industry and otherwise), had a swell dinner Saturday night with fellow comic book workers and heard a lot of jaw-dropping stories about horsehockey behavior in our beloved profession (I told a few, too). I got to hang out with people afterward for con bar talk, which is like dinner talk, only louder and with more alcohol and meaner stories. It was great seeing people at the show, talking to our readers, signing books, catching up with friends.
We were on a panel about Indy Comics on Saturday with Ryan Browne (GOD HATES ASTRONAUTS) and Jeremy Bastien (CURSED PIRATE GIRL, a book Em's a big fan of). The moderator was John Siuntres, of the Word Balloon Podcast. John's a radio professional as well as a fan of old radio shows, so he and I had a lot to talk about later on (and may talk more about comics and old radio on his podcast in the future). John's uploaded the panel on his podcast site, and I think it's worth checking out. It ran long, two hours (!) and not just because of me and my big mouth for once. A lot of information, a lot of real talk. Ryan talked about his experiences at Image and doing Kickstarters and the economics of creating comics, it was good stuff. Sarah and I had a lot of folks coming over to us afterward to thank us for the panel. That's not to flatter myself but to say the panel recording might be something young creators out there will find interesting, maybe even valuable.
So, yeah, swell time. Maybe we should do more shows in places we've never been to. We'll see. Anyway, thanks to everyone at the Cincy Comicon and the folks who came by the table. We had a swell time.
Oh, yeah, we also ended up with a gigantic stuffed bear. I don't know exactly what the backstory was, but it involved Tony and Kara Moore and Steve Lieber and Jeff Parker and I think these two monstrous plush bears from Costco were dumped on the Portlanders as a return prank from a con prank they pulled --? Something like that --? Anyway, there were these two Snorlax-sized plush bears sitting at Lieber and Parker's tables. And we ended up with monstrous bear #2. Fortunately our rental car was upgraded to a GMC Terrain (the car we rented wasn't available), otherwise he never would have made it back to NYC, where he is now taking up a ton of space in Em's room. She's grown attached to him. So, giant plush bear is staying. Oy.
Before heading home we took a trip to Columbus for a few days of hanging out and relaxing and seing what there was to see. We took Em to see the LOVE LIVE anime movie. I got a trivia question right before the movie and won a box of Pocky. A cute thing happened during that pre-film hangout event, a young woman with the anime club hosting the event asked a trivia question about the manga that Sarah did the localization rewrite for, KODOCHA (Sarah's first gig for Tokyopop). We started laughing and I made Sarah blurt it out, which made the woman really happy because it turned out KODOCHA was the first manga she ever read and it meant a lot to her. She was happy to talk manga and stuff with Sarah afterward. Emily got to eat a lot of Pocky, she loved the movie, and she got three exclusive codes for her LOVE LIVE app game and there was just a hell of a lot of rejoicing and stuff over that.
We were crashing with the mighty Tom Spurgeon and as you might expect there was much talk about comics, cartoonists, creeps and CXC. CXC looks amazing, I wish I was going (I hope some of you are). Sarah and I did a little work while there, not a ton, mainly going over art that was coming in on a project, making notes, etc. Em read a stack of comics while we were staying over, including the IDW BLONDIE collection, a good run of MOUSEGUARD, and a bunch of others. We had a super time in Columbus. We got to say hi to Jeff Smith for about ten minutes before he had to run for CXC business, so we didn't get to eat pizza with him. The pizza was great, it wasn't NYC grease triangles but it was really good. The food was good everywhere we went. I ate a lot. Cripes I ate. I ate everything on my plate every time and finished some on Sarah's plate at almost every meal. It was like I just got out of prison (comic con as prison experience, maybe an essay there?). Columbus was all right. Even if they have two-way streets there that are only the width of one-way streets. Ridiculous. Apparently they have this thing called "politeness" which people use to navigate and negotiate while driving on these roads. Ridiculous!
We met Caitlin McGurk, who had invited us to take a private tour back in the stacks of the amazing Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, which was basically a dream come true for me. I have ached to enter this temple ever since they re-opened in their refurbished space. It exceeded expectations. It is cartooning heaven on Earth.
If I had a dollar for every time I said "oh, my god" I'd be able to retire. Oh my god. We goggled while handling originals by Frank King, Segar (color Sunday, a good one we remembered), Tezuka (!), Soglow, Richard Thompson (a huge stack being processed, first thing we saw, including one of the paperback collection covers), Schulz, Charles Addams, Jack Kent, McCay, Chester Gould, Foster (everyone needs to see original Fosters, even if they aren't fans), Watterson, John Cullen Murphy (et al), as well as Disney storyboards and pencil animation sequences from PETER PAN and ALICE IN WONDERLAND (I had to flip them). We saw the painted backgrounds used in the original TRON, which are postcard-tiny and bizarre. We saw Caniff's death mask and hand casts. Sculptures by Rube Goldberg. Photos of Bill Blackbeard's home and collection (which looked like I thought it would), and stacks upon stacks upon stacks of his collected tear sheets of dailies which are being organized (a miniscule portion of the collection). NCS awards and trinkets. A monstrous NANCY head from a parade costume (inknerd me tagged it as a Jerry Scott-based suit. Something to be proud of or --?). I kept tossing out names of cartoonists or strips, trying to see stuff we don't see regularly at cons, things we all like, things we thought would look great as originals, it was like a spot quiz, like having five minutes in a toy shop spree, only more time, and more choices, and more awesome.
We walked past endless stacks of manga, comics, graphic novels and ephemera. This doesn't include the on-display collection (Kirby, Caniff, Lynda Barry, Gould, Schulz, etc, etc,etc, plus chapbooks, comics, sketchbooks, awards, props, toys and novelties and Chester Gould's ink-and-match-streaked drawing board). Or the PUCK and World War exhibit. While we were in town Jessica Abel was at the Ireland for her lecture/book signing tour, it was packed so I sat on the floor to watch. I haven't packed so much cartoon living into a week in my life ever. It must be what going to a European festival is like, to a degree, running into cartoonists, looking at cartooning, talking cartooning, and eating a lot and talking a lot. It was fun. Emily enjoyed the tour a lot, we took pictures while we there.
It was insane. If the temperature in the "vaults" wasn't kept cool to maintain the collection I'd have been sweating like a Johnny Craig murderer the entire time I was in there. It was overwhelming. It was incredible. I want to live there. I want to sleep there. I want to work as a security guard and stay inside forever. I want to see everything. I want to have my ashes sent there. And I want to see those, too. I want to have a singular relationship with the library similar to Sally Brown had with her school. Only with a happier ending. No building suicide. I want to marry the OSU Billy Ireland Library.
I will go there again someday. You should go, now, soon, someday. You really should. You can request materials in the reading room which will be brought to you to read or marvel at. Bring friends. Take your class there. There was a class going through while we did our tour. Use this incredible resource and support it. It is marvelous and wonderful and too good to be real. Thanks you, Caitlin McGurk, everyone we met at OSU, Tom, Lauren, Jeff, whoever made the food we ate, whoever made the ice cream at that that amazing ice cream place, etc etc. A very nice week.
Glad to be home, though. We have a ton of work to catch up on. Which is good. We started working on a creator-owned gig (Sarah and I co-writing), I signed off on the BILL AND TED collection, we're just about signed off on the ELTINGVILLE CLUB collection, a non-comics project we did earlier this year is coming close to fruition, we're considering a new WFH writing gig, still waiting for notes on the BEN 10 script, and I'm still slowly revising a creator-owned pitch with a very talented artist.
Which leaves BEASTS OF BURDEN. Yeah. From what I understand Jill Thompson's actually actually finally started really actually maybe working on maybe finally finishing the art for the second issue of the long-delayed mini-series. Finally. Again. Supposedly. Maybe. I don't know. I give up. I saw two new panels the other day. That makes seven pages from early last year, and two panels painted last week. Maybe there's more, I don't know. I have no idea. I give up. As the BIG NUMBERS tribute schedule might suggest, things kind of suck with BEASTS OF BURDEN. The second issue was written in October of 2013. There's two more scripts gathering dust. If they were magically finished tomorrow the collection would still not see print until 2017. Seven years between volumes. That's kinda nuts. I goof up my own work, I delayed ELTINGVILLE CLUB #2 over a year, but when I crash and burn, I tend to do it in a single passenger plane. I don't know when these three issues will appear, or if they ever will appear. I don't know what will happen after that. Kids: always sign a collaborator agreement, even with friends. You never know what might happen. Or not happen. Yeah.
Hey, let's end on a happier note -- the temporary medication for my arm and hand and neck has helped a lot. I feel better. My hand hasn't been going dead, the pain's calmed down a lot. Seeing a neurologist soon for the mitt, hopefully something can be done to fix it or make a real difference. My mood's also better these days. I'm getting more done, getting better at making decisions, trying to stay positive, ride through bad stuff with less anxiety. Things are better. Hope they stay that way. Hope they're good for you folks, as well.
More soon later! Maybe!
September 17, 2015
Bill & Ted's Excellent Comic Book collection set for December release
BOOM! Studios is collecting my Marvel Comics' Bill and Ted run from the early 1990s in a single volume, under the title BILL & TED'S MOST EXCELLENT COMIC ARCHIVE.
Unlike the SLG two-volume set it's a single 368-page volume, in hardcover, and in color rather than gray toned black and white. The interiors were scanned from the original run and enhanced on computer, I would have loved it to be recolored (the 90's were a rough time for mainstream funnybook color) but I obviously don't get to call the shots on this. Even so, I think it will look a hell of a lot better than either the original Marvel run or the SLG volumes.
The series inkers were Stephen DeStefano and Marie Severin, lettering was done by Kurt Hathaway, colors by Robbie Busch. A few others folks chipped in when deadlines got rough on the BOGUS JOURNEY movie adaptation and issue #11.
I provided a new introduction to the book, as well as a timeline (expanded from the second SLG collection), and a batch of extras including pin-ups, penciled page xeroxes, and scans of original art featuring inks by Marie Severin and (single-page secret guest inker) David Mazzucchelli. I also consulted with BOOM! on the project, going over the PDFs for corrections and making suggestions and the like.
Sarah and I did a new cover for the project, but BOOM! decided to not go with it. Instead, it will be used as an interior page. It ran as the solicitation cover on at least one comics site so I'm posting it here for folks to see.
Anyway, there you go.
Unlike the SLG two-volume set it's a single 368-page volume, in hardcover, and in color rather than gray toned black and white. The interiors were scanned from the original run and enhanced on computer, I would have loved it to be recolored (the 90's were a rough time for mainstream funnybook color) but I obviously don't get to call the shots on this. Even so, I think it will look a hell of a lot better than either the original Marvel run or the SLG volumes.
The series inkers were Stephen DeStefano and Marie Severin, lettering was done by Kurt Hathaway, colors by Robbie Busch. A few others folks chipped in when deadlines got rough on the BOGUS JOURNEY movie adaptation and issue #11.
I provided a new introduction to the book, as well as a timeline (expanded from the second SLG collection), and a batch of extras including pin-ups, penciled page xeroxes, and scans of original art featuring inks by Marie Severin and (single-page secret guest inker) David Mazzucchelli. I also consulted with BOOM! on the project, going over the PDFs for corrections and making suggestions and the like.
Sarah and I did a new cover for the project, but BOOM! decided to not go with it. Instead, it will be used as an interior page. It ran as the solicitation cover on at least one comics site so I'm posting it here for folks to see.
Anyway, there you go.
September 9, 2015
Us at Cincy Comicon This Weekend
Our first appearance in Ohio, although the con is physically being held in Kentucky. Whatever!
Please think about seeing us if you are attending the convention, okay? Okay!
THis is the last show we're setting up at this year, if that matters to anyone. We may be at NYCC, as usual, and as usual, if I'm there it's to do a penl and/or a signing only.
Whatever!
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