Ultra Mega Super Post (CAUTION: contains He-Man related content)

Very quickly, for those of you who can’t get enough of me: Karen was kind enough to ask me eleven questions, and post my answers on the Paper Lotus Blog. I hesitate to call it an interview, because that would imply that people have any idea who I am or have any interest in what I have to say, but nevertheless you can read the post HERE.

Make sure you check out the rest of the Paper Lotus blog and Karen‘s own blog too! And in case you want to know what kind of a person Karen is, she gave me some cheeseless (vegan, I think?) macaroni and cheese today, and it was delicious.

Today’s post is another He-Man piece. Actually, it’s multiple He-Man related pieces combined into one giant montage for a re-design challenge at the He-Man.org fan-art forums. The subject is the Talon Fighter and Point Dread. The thread is here, my post is here. The voting thread is here–my entry landed first place!

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Woof, there’s a lot to cover here, so I’m going bullet-point:

  • The Talon Fighter is very close to the design of the original toy, but I gave it room for four (the toy seated two, but I seem to recall that it could carry more passengers in the classic cartoon–I may be wrong).
  • General notes on all Talon Fighters shown–the original toy had a handle, like a gun, so that kids could hold the Talon Fighter… um… like a gun, I guess. I replaced this “handle” with a tail section to make the fighter even more bird-like. I gave the legs, feet, and claws a more mechanized design, as I imagined them being used in combat, almost like a real bird of prey, thus making the name Talon Fighter even more appropriate. The clawed limbs can also be used to let the vehicles walk or climb. And I added racing stripes, which I feel are pretty sharp.
  • The Point Dread playset was a single tower, and source material from the era indicated that it was located on an island. I decided to portray Point dread as an entire outpost, used as a base of operations for the Talon Fighter (more on that below, in my in-fiction background material).
  • The Prototype XTF-1’s are based on the Monogram model kit version of the Talon Fighter. The box depicted the Talon Fighter in yellow and scarlet, but photos I’ve seen of the model itself have the colors reversed, hence the two versions shown. As far as changes, I added visible engine units, with air intakes, and gave the cockpit a two-seat configuration like something you might see in a military helicopter.
  • The TF-2 variations are all pretty self-explanatory. The standard version of the TF-2 has a small radar dish, not so different from the original Talon Fighter, while the Long Range Scout (TF-2LR) has a large dish, inspired by real life AWAC systems. Extrapolating from the colors of Man-At-Arms‘s uniform and the Wind Raider, I deducted that green/yellow/orange must be Eternian military colors–thus the coloring of the basic TF-2 model depicts “standard issue” coloration. The other TF-2 variations are depicted in colors from specific squadrons. Of particular note–the XTF-2E is colored to resemble either Zoar or the Sorceress.

Now, how about some in-depth, in-fiction info?

* * *

Point Dread: In the distant days of King Grayskull, the children of Zoar the falcon god flew freely in the sky. These giant birds of prey were friends to good, and enemies of evil. Point Dread, was originally a meeting place for the children of Zoar and their humanoid allies, an outpost against the forces of evil. Today, Point Dread has been reclaimed by a small force commanded by Man-At-Arms, once again establishing an outpost against the many dangers that threaten Eternia. The giant perches where Zoar’s brood once roosted are now occupied by squadrons of Talon Fighters.

Talon Fighter: Talon, Zoar’s youngest child, was an ally and close friend of King Grayskull. He was widely known for his bravery, but also for his stubborn recklessness. Disobeying his father’s warnings of caution, Talon fell in battle, mortally wounded. Zoar would not heal his foolhardy and arrogant son, so King Grayskull ordered his followers to rebuild Talon’s body from sacred metal that had fallen from the skies. Even in his new form as the Talon Fighter, the son of Zoar was willful and reckless–only his good friend King Grayskull could calm him and fly him into battle. In the modern age, only He-Man can pilot the Talon Fighter, due to his genetic lineage to King Grayskull.

Talon, the Son of Zoar Reborn: With He-Man missing, and Eternia in dire need of heroes, Zoar has decided to give his brash son another chance to prove himself. Talon’s consciousness has been fully restored, and he can shapeshift freely between the the shape of the Talon Fighter and his new humanoid form.

Prototype XTF-1 (Experimental Twin-Seat Fighter): Charged with fortifying Eternian defenses in the face of invasion, Man-At-Arms has been researching new technologies from Point Dread. Seeking to duplicate the awesome power of the Talon Fighter in a more controllable form, Man-At-Arms and his team of scientists and engineers created the XTF-1. Mass-production of the XTF-1 was scrapped, but its creation did eventually lead to the development of the TF-2 series. Only two XTF-1’s are in existence, and are still used on a limited basis. The XTF-1 has speed and firepower comparable to the original Talon Fighter, but has slightly weaker armor, reduced maneuverability, and poor fuel efficiency.

TF-2 Series (Mass Production Single-Seat Fighters): With the help of newly discovered partial blueprints from the original Talon Fighter, and the Sorceress’s arcane knowledge, Man-At-Arms has successfully perfected a Talon Fighter design suitable for mass production. Faster, and drastically smaller, the TF-2 series are invaluable in the aerial defense of Eternia against the forces of evil. Several variations have arisen for specific uses, including the TF-2LR (Long Range Scout Fighter), and the TF-2H (Heavy Assault Fighter).

XTF-2E (Elite Space Fighter): Still considered to be somewhat experimental, though already approved for field use and eventual mass-production, the XTF-2E is the crowning achievement of Man-At-Arms’s Talon Fighter program. Capable of space flight, and equipped with the latest in hi-tech armaments, only 15 XTF-2E’s are in existence. Talon Fighter pilots are already regarded as elite amongst the Eternian military, and the pilots of the XTF-2E are regarded as the elite among the elite. Historians may also note that while Man-At-Arms and the Sorceress had begun to slowly rebuild their personal relationship during the development of the TF-2, it was during the development of the Elite Space Fighter that the two finally rekindled their long dormant romance.

* * *

If you picked up the Simpsons reference in here, you get a gold star. Two gold stars if you know which episode it’s from.

Something for the Season…

I’m very excited–Dear Dracula, a 48-page hardcover children’s book, published by Image Comics, and created by my dear friends, Josh and Vinny, will be available for purchase this Wednesday (October 15, 2008)! If you can’t find it at your local comic book shop or book store, you might try Amazon.com.

The book tells the story of a funny kid named Sam, who’s obsessed with Dracula, and decides to write him a letter–honestly folks, a fantastic all-ages book, especially for the Halloween season.

In honor of this momentous occasion, I was inspired to cook up a little Dear Dracula fan art:

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I promised something more substantial today, and I delivered, right? I mean, come on, background, multiple characters, what more could you ask for? A better composition you say? Yeah, okay, this composition is a little weird. Bah, forget my fan art, just go buy the real thing. Seriously.

Shameless Plugs! Comic-Con Edition!

This is a little last minute, but for those of you who are heading to Comic-Con, please allow me to suggest the following points of interest:

  • Josh and Vinny will be at the Big Boss table in the small press area, promoting their upcoming hardcover, Dear Dracula, as well as Necessary Evil and its recently released trade paperback. Table N9
  • The ever-crafty Karen, Jodi, and Sherri will be at the Tired Girl Collective table in small press, selling pins, pendants, prints, poetry, and probably more. Go here for hamster, pony, cupcake, or bird related paraphenelia. Table L5
  • Last, but not least, rockstar, and artist of Detective Comics, Dustin Nguyen, will be rockin a table in Artist’s Alley. He’s got sketchbooks, some amazing (and super-reasonably priced) prints, and if you’re lucky you might be able to buy a sketch! Table EE-13

That is all.

Summer Reading!

Josh is at it again–this time it’s the Necessary Evil trade paperback, collecting the first five issues, and clocking in at 128 pages. Written by Josh, with art by Marcus L. Harris, Vinny Navarrete, and J.C. Grande. And it also happens to have a three pager that I might have mentioned before. Here’s a look at the cover, by Marcus and Vinny:

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It’s out today (Wednesday, July 9), so go support your local comic book store and buy a copy! Right now! Or order it online! Right now!

"Dear Dracula" is creeping your way this Halloween!

Josh and Vinny have got an all-ages book coming out from Shadowline and Image Comics later this year, and there’s an interview about it at Newsarama, along with some great preview art. The book is titled Dear Dracula, and tells the story of a weird kid who decides to write a letter to Dracula instead of Santa Claus. I had the opportunity to read Dear Dracula in advance of its release, and now I’m really looking forward to seeing it in stores. But, in the words of Levar Burton, don’t take my word for it–check out the interview and the preview art!

Dear Dracula is available in the July edition of Previews catalog from Diamond Comics (you can find it on page 160 of Previews and the order code is jul08 2222). It’ll hit stores in September, just in time for the Halloween season–ask your local comic book store to order it. And after you do that, be sure to check out Dear Dracula on Myspace!

Long Overdue Post: My Friends Are Talented

Those of you who read my blog regularly are well aware that I am a terrible procrastinator. Hopefully, you’re also aware of the fact that I have talented friends. With both those things in mind, I’ve been meaning to mention a few things for several weeks (months)–

Sherri‘s most recent young adult novel was released not too long ago (in February), titled Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet. Using a middle school graduation day as a backdrop, Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet tells the story of a young girl struggling with her bi-racial heritage, and her transition into adulthood. Great reading for young adults, as the last days of school give way to the summer. And if you haven’t already, please give Sherri’s other books a look as well. Sherri’s stories tend to deal with young women finding their way in life, and while the books are never “too girly” for a general audience, I particularly recommend them for girls and young women looking for role models who aren’t vapid starlets.

Danielle has recently stocked her Etsy store with a series of elegantly hand-made greeting cards and bookmarks. Each piece is one-of-a-kind, and Danielle’s prices are ridiculously affordable, so if you see something you like, buy it fast!

And, for the buccaneer in your life–Ren just added some charming Pirate Grrl greeting cards to the Paper Lotus Etsy store. I caught glimpses of this set in progress, and I’m stoked to finally see them available for purchase. Buy these so that Ren will make more!

Things I ate, and an awesome bonus illustration from a SUPERSTAR artist

Food consumed this weekend was as follows (in chronological order):

FRIDAY:

  • 1 large turkey hoagie cross-section, approximately 4 x 4 x 3″
  • 1 plate full of barbecue chips, kettle-cooked
  • 2 Snapple ice teas
  • 1 slice of chocolate cheesecake
  • 1 pear

SATURDAY:

SUNDAY:

  • 1/2 order of sliced chicken with garlic sauce (Chinese take-out)
  • 1/2 order of mixed vegetables in light sauce (Chinese take-out)
  • approximately 3 glasses of Fresca
  • 1 foot-long Subway tuna sub (with American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, black olives, cilantro, and mustard)

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY:

My pal, Dustin took some time out of his crazy rockstar schedule to draw an awesome piece for me:

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The l’il robot on the left is my character Cog and the super-hott dame on the right is Big Barda, my favorite character from DC’s New Gods.

YOU’RE THE MAN, DUSTIN! Be sure to check out his Deviant Art gallery, and go buy all his issues of Detective Comics, available in finer comic book stores now!

Daddy’s Little Girl

Josh asked me to draw a three-page story to help promote his comic, Necessary Evil which is published by Desperado. After much procrastination, I pencilled the sucker off of Josh’s script (and colored it too). The story gives you a bit of insight into Stacy‘s background–here’s one of my favorite panels:


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The full three pages are available to read for free (that’s right, free) on Josh’s blog, the Necessary Evil MySpace page, or on Desperado’s forum. Check it out at any of those sites, and let me know what you think! (EDIT: also posted on Newsarama and CBR)

The first two issues of Necessary Evil are available in comic book stores now, and Issue #3 should be on the stands in early January. Ask your local comic shop to order Necessary Evil–it’s available in Previews. And after you’ve done that, add Necessary Evil as your friend on MySpace.

Previous Necessary Evil posts:

Some plugs and an O.G. (Original Goodguy)

This is long overdue, but I ought to mention that a couple of my friends have Etsy shops with quality products in stock…

Ren is part of the Paper Lotus Design Group, and she has cool and quirky greeting cards, stationary, apparel, and tote bags available:


Annie, founder and proprietor of Ape Kabuki, has beautiful block prints (hand-carved and pressed) for sale at her shop:

Last but not least, October may almost be over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy Cat-tober at the Nathan Hamill gallery/blog/store (click on NEH gallery). After you’re done checking out his bleakly terrifying (yet strangely fascinating) kitty-cats, be sure to check out the greeting cards for sale at his non-Etsy store. CAT-TOBER!!!


Visit my friends, support independent artists, and do all your Christmas shopping early! We now return you to your regularly scheduled dorkiness–

My brain has been made of an inert slime lately, so when I needed a sketch subject, Josh suggested Superman:

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I sketched this up really quickly (probably less than 15 minutes), but then ended up agonizing over it in Photoshop for 2 hours, tweaking the lines, and noodling with the colors. Superman seems basic, but if the slightest thing is off, it screws up everything. I’m not completely happy with this one, but I don’t hate it either. The proportions of the face and somewhat youthful appearance are influenced by the late great Mike Wieringo‘s version of the big blue boyscout.

Necessary Evil Character Files (Part 7 of 7): Mother Knows Best

(Posting early)

The conclusion to my series of character designs for Josh‘s comic Necessary Evil, today’s character is the Matriarch, late super-villainess supreme, and mother to Jacob and Miller:

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Although she’s already dead when the series begins, the Matriarch’s presence is felt strongly. Her death serves as Jacob and Miller’s motivation, and each of the twins must decide whether her infamous career as a super-villain will serve as an ideal to strive for or a cautionary tale.

Don’t forget, Necessary Evil #1 is available now!

Ask your local comic shop to order Necessary Evil–it’s available in Previews. And after you’ve done that, add Necessary Evil as your friend on MySpace.

Previous Necessary Evil posts:

Necessary Evil Character Files (Part 6 of 7): A Principal Player

(Posting early again–it’s been a busy week and time’s a-wastin’!)

As expected, the first issue of Necessary Evil was on shelves this past Wednesday! The printing is gorgeous and I want to extend my congratulations to Josh, Marcus, and Vinny for a job well done.

The signing at Comic Bug went well, and there’s already talk of another signing for issue #2–I’ll keep you posted. Whether or not there’s another signing, if you live in the Los Angeles area, or happen to be passing through, definitely check the store out–it’s in a great location, street parking is no problem, and most importantly they’re well-stocked. Directions to the store are available on the web site.

Continuing my series of character designs for Necessary Evil, today’s character is Headmaster of the Necessary Evil Academy, the Marquee de Antihause, AKA Anti:

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Anti is Jacob and Miller‘s Headmaster. But perhaps more importantly, he was the best friend and ally of the Matriarch, Jacob and Miller’s deceased super-villain mother. Can Anti provide the twins with answers about their mother’s death?

Ask your local comic shop to order Necessary Evil–it’s available in Previews. And after you’ve done that, add Necessary Evil as your friend on MySpace.

Previous Necessary Evil posts:

Necessary Evil Character Files (Part 5 of 7): Second Generation Henchman

(Posting a bit early, as is my habit… )

Before I go on with today’s post: Necessary Evil #1 is in fact coming out this week! For those of you in the Southern California area, Josh (the writer), Marcus (the penciller), and Vinny (the inker) will be on-hand for a signing at The Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach on Wednesday October 10th–for all the details, please check out the The Comic Bug web site.

Continuing my series of character designs for Josh‘s upcoming comic Necessary Evil. Today’s character is another student at the Necessary Evil Academy, Thug Junior:

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Thug Junior’s father never amounted to anything more than hired muscle, and that’s why Thug Junior is determined to be more. For now, Thug Junior does provide the muscle for Jacob and Miller‘s group, but they treat him as an equal.

Ask your local comic shop to order Necessary Evil–it’s available in Previews. And after you’ve done that, add Necessary Evil as your friend on MySpace.

Previous Necessary Evil posts:

Necessary Evil Character Files (Part 4 of 7): There’s No Blocking This Guy

(Busy couple of days coming up, posting early, etcetera… )

Resuming my series of character designs for Josh‘s upcoming comic Necessary Evil. Today’s character is another student at the Necessary Evil Academy, Pop-Up:

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Like an annoying internet avertisement, Pop-Up uses his powers of teleportation to appear at the most inconvenient times. He becomes sort of a little brother figure in Jacob and Miller‘s group of friends.

Supposedly Necessary Evil #1 will be out next Wednesday (we are trying to get confirmation on this). At any rate, I will, of course, mention it if that is the case. There will also probably be a signing in the Los Angeles area–check back for details.

Ask your local comic shop to order Necessary Evil–it’s available in Previews. And after you’ve done that, add Necessary Evil as your friend on MySpace.

Previous Necessary Evil posts:

SLAYER (Also, another rare mention of the day job!)

(Posting early so I can get moving on some other stuff…) 

 

Today’s sketch has been drawn and scanned for several months. I finally slapped some colors in it to commemorate the release of Halo 3 earlier this week:

Halo Kitty’s battlefield pragmatism shows through in her army-green Meowjolnir Mark IV armor, but her favorite color is actually pink–that’s why her weapon of choice is the Needler with its razor-sharp crystalline pink ammunition.

So yeah, I’m far from an expert on Halo, but we play Halo 2 (Slayer or Team Slayer) at the day job sometimes (a lot). This week one of my co-workers brought in Halo 3 which we played a few rounds of. The controls are amazingly smooth, to the point that I felt like my mediocre playing ability was embiggened by the controls. In reference to my in-game squirrely-ness and how difficult it was to kill me, my co-worker said, “you’re like a monkey from hell.” That’s probably just true about me in general.

(EDIT: I am not the originator of the concept for Halo Kitty, please read THIS.)

Speaking of the day job–it somehow slipped by me that Bart Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror #13 was unleashed in comic book stores this past Wednesday. It features a seven-page story written by Comedian of Comedy Patton Oswalt, pencilled by yours truly, inked by the steady neuro-surgeon-like hands of Mike Rote, and colored by Hammers. The story is called They Draw and is a parody of the excellent cult classic They Live. Check it out in stores now, and if you’re in the Los Angeles area, there’s going to be a signing for the book on October 13th at Golden Apple:

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Necessary Evil Character Files (Part 3 of 7): Asian American Ninja

Another entry in my series of character designs for Josh‘s upcoming comic Necessary Evil. Today’s character is another student at the Necessary Evil Academy, Sol:

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On the surface, she seems like a typical teenager, maybe a little shy. Get on her bad side, and you’ll quickly discover that you’re dealing with one of the deadliest assasins around. As Jacob and Miller begin carving out out a niche for themselves at the Necessary Evil Academy, Sol quickly becomes an integral part of their group of friends and allies.

Ask your local comic shop to order Necessary Evil #1. It’s on page 265 of August’s Previews catalog, and the Diamond order number is aug07 3547. And after you’ve done that, add Necessary Evil as your friend on MySpace.

Previous Necessary Evil posts:

I’ll be taking a brief break from the Necessary Evil Character Files, and resuming when the book’s release date is closer. Stay tuned!

Necessary Evil Character Files (Part 2 of 7): Mean Girl

(Posted early cause I gots too much to do, and time’s a wastin’!)

Another entry in my series of character designs for Josh‘s upcoming comic Necessary Evil. Today’s character is Stacy Trax:

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Stacy is a student who attends the Necessary Evil Academy. She’s the archetypical spoiled rich girl–vain, manipulative, cruel, and selfish–and she’s set her sights on one of the twins. What will the brothers do when she tries to come between them? Stacy is featured on the cover of Necessary Evil #2, drawn by the excellent Todd Nauck:

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Ask your local comic shop to order Necessary Evil #1. It’s on page 265 of August’s Previews catalog, and the Diamond order number is aug07 3547. And after you’ve done that, add Necessary Evil as your friend on MySpace.

Previous Necessary Evil posts:

Necessary Evil Character Files (Part 1 of 7): WE’RE TWINS!!!

(Posted slightly early, because I feel like it.)

Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned my buddy Josh‘s upcoming comic Necessary Evil? Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting the character designs that I did for Josh, talking a little bit about the characters and plot of Necessary Evil, and reminding you ever so subtly to ask your local comic shop to order Necessary Evil #1 (which just so happens to be in this month’s Previews catalog). Oh, and before I start plugging the comic, in the interest of full disclosure, I ought to mention that Josh is crediting me as editor. But I don’t get any money from Necessary Evil, so I hope you’ll take my recommendation of the book sincerely.

First up, the main characters–twin brothers, Jacob and Miller.

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Jacob and Miller are the sons of the Matriarch, a woman widely regarded as the world’s greatest super-villain until her untimely death at the hands of a super-hero. Years after the death of their mother, the twins receive an invitation to attend the Necessary Evil Academy, a school for super villains. This school becomes Jacob and Miller’s introduction into the world of heroes and villains and serves as the keystone of the series. The twins are polar opposites–where Jacob is cautious, reluctant, and unsure of fulfilling his villainous heritage, Miller is wreckless, bloodthirsty, and eager to prove himself. In spite of their differences, the boys are fiercely loyal to each other, and over the course of their stay at the Necessary Evil Academy, that loyalty will be tested again and again.

Necessary Evil is published by Desperado, and the first issue ships in October. You can read an article about Desperado right here on Newsarama. It includes a brief mention of Necessary Evil!

Pssst… go ask your local comic shop to order Necessary Evil #1. It’s on page 265 of August’s Previews, and the Diamond order number is aug07 3547.

See, real subtle like.

Unrelated Topics: Comic-Con and comic Conan

As promised, here is a post rife with complete sentences, as well as a Comic-Con wrap-up. First up, the last illustration from the commisioned project where I was asked to depict a few distinct TV characters–my favorite talk show host, Conan O’Brien:

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Same technique on this one as the previous few–inked with Tombo brush pen and Sakura microns, followed by obsessive Photoshop touch-up and coloring. The colors on this piece don’t quite gel. They get the idea across well enough, but there’s something subtley lacking. In that respect this piece shows its age–I think I’d do a better job on the colors today. Incidentally, this and the Mr. T sketch from tuesday, were both drawn years before Mr. T became a semi-regular on Conan. MY DRAWRINS’ PREDICTED THE FUTURE!

So, Comic-Con. It was a decent show–crowded, but manageable (unlike last year). For me, Comic-Con is always a very surreal event–every fifteen minutes I’m running into someone I know, very often someone who I haven’t seen for years. For example, literally, within five minutes of stepping into the convention hall to pick up my badge, I ended up talking to someone who I haven’t seen since college (closing in on 8-9 years). It’s nice running in to some familiar faces, and its always cool to meet new creative people too, and get excited about drawing and writing. However, talking too much and being in a dry air-conditioned environment for four and a half days straight left my throat pretty messed up. Enough about my ridiculously frail constitution! The highlights:

  • Vinny drew me an awesome sketch of Skeletor–I will post it in the near future.
  • The Tired Girl Collective was joined by the very lovely Anna Woltz. Anna had a button that read “Frodo” but looked like the Ford logo, so naturally, I bought one.
  • “Hand-wrestling” featuring super-posable cardboard robot action figure thingees. It basically amounted to videos of a person’s hands making two cardboard robots “wrestle.” It’s ridiculous, I don’t understand the point of it, but the robots are awesome. Check out Kami-Robo.
  • Samurai cats in the style of traditional Japanese ukiyo-e prints. Verbal description doesn’t do it justice–good sense requires you to visit the website of Moira Hahn.
  • Martin Hsu‘s art really caught my eye, as did Seth Reek‘s. Let your eyes soak in their talent.
  • I bought the volume of Dungeon that I was missing, King City (review on its way), and an advance copy of Comic Foundry.
  • Jacob, who is both a Prince, and a Scholar, picked up this Transformers exclusive for me, so I didn’t even have to wait in line!

Phew. Enough of that! Comic-Con 2008 will be upon us before we know it. Onward, to the future, dear reader!

(Next Post: Harry Potter!)

LIKE A FORCE OF NATURE, COMIC-CON IS UPON US AND NOTHING CAN WITHSTAND ITS UNHOLY MIGHT

Here it is, a giant post plugging all the projects that my friends and I are involved with for Comic-Con. To start, the most basic information for those who dislike reading long posts:

I will be at Comic-Con International in San Diego from July 25-29, You will be able to find me at the Big Boss Comics table in the small press area. Our table number is N10. And please visit our friends, the Tired Girls at table N4.

As promised, I have two illustrations to cover the week’s posts, which simultaneously act as plugs for my convention projects. Convenient and diabolical, yes? Click images for larger view.

The first up is the cover of the sketchbook that I’ll be selling. The lovingly rendered characters on that cover are (from left to right) Mer-Man astride Panthor, Whiplash, and Beastman, as rendered by me when I was about 9-years-old. The guts of the sketchbook, however, contain my modern day work–including a lot of uncolored line art from the sketches that go up on this blog, but also debuting a number of pieces that have yet to appear. The sketchbook, titled Action Figures I Wanted as a Child, & Other Assorted Drawings, is 40 pages, with color cover and black and white interiors, and sells for a mere $5. FYI, the real version of the cover doesn’t have the watermark with the blog URL across the cover.

Next up, is art from both the front and back of a free promotional postcard for my comic-in-progress, The Legend of Cog. For more on the progress and status of Cog, please check out the website (and you can read the first 8 pages for free). I will also be selling copies of the first “issue” of The Legend of Cog, which is basically a black and white ashcan preview that gives you the first 24 pages of the story. The ashcan goes for the neglible price of $1.

In addition to the Cog postcard, I also put together a free promotional postcard to promote this very blog. The art, of course, is taken from this post, which I spruced up with some type and background elements.

Beyond my personal projects, I’ve got some stuff going on with the day job, as well. One of the give-aways at the Bongo Comics booth will be a mini-comic promoting the return of Futurama. I penciled the comic over Bill Morrison’s layouts.

Also, I will be speaking on a panel. Actually, I will probably do everything in my power to not speak, but I will be sitting on the stage, with the other people on the panel. The reason I’m on the panel is that I’m pencilling a 6-page story for this year’s Treehouse of Horror comic, written by none other than the uber-funny Patton Oswalt himself. Patton Oswalt couldn’t make it to the panel, but I’ll be there, and I’m just as funny and talented. BWAHAHAHAHAHA… well, we all had a good laugh about that. Anyways, here’s the info about the panel from Comic-Con’s website:

Thursday, July 26, 2:00-3:00 Bongo Comics Sneak Peek— Bongo Comics offers a mouth-watering preview of upcoming projects featuring The Simpsons and Futurama. Managing editor Terry Delegeane and creative director Bill Morrison host a panel featuring the writers and artists who create the comics and books based on Matt Groening’s phenomenal TV shows. Find out what’s in the future for Futurama Comics and what to expect in Simpsons Comics and Simpsons Super Spectacular. Plus, Thomas Lennon (Reno 911), Tone Rodriguez (Violent Messiahs), and Gerry Duggan (The Last Christmas) will be on hand to talk about their terrifying contributions to this fall’s star-studded issue of Bart Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror! This is a ”must-attend” panel for all fans of The Simpsons and Futurama—and anyone looking for a place to sit down! Room 3

My tablemates from Big Boss Comics have got plenty of goods too. First up is the Big Boss Comics Was Here anthology. For a measly $10, you get 100 whopping pages in black and white, with a gorgeous color cover by Andrew Tunney. The Kid Justice story I mentioned a few posts ago is in there, with a humble “cover” by yours truly, and awesome interior art by Vinny.

Speaking of Vinny, he’ll be selling the latest issue of It’s Ninja Time, a quirky action-packed comic that I dearly love. Vinny will also be selling color sketches, many of which you can see on his blog.

Big Boss is also promoting Josh’s new comic Necessary Evil, which is in the August Issue of Previews, and will be on sale in October, published by Desperado Comics. The cover for issue #1 (as seen in the flyer to the right) is by the superb Dustin Nguyen, who’s a pretty big deal over at a little company you might have heard of called… DC comics. O_O

And don’t forget about the Tired Girl Collective. They were quite a hit last year, and they’re back for more. Jodi will be packing buttons and various hamster-related paraphenelia. Sherri will have a book called Johnny Popcorn and a book called Momfight! (Surely, your interest must be piqued by now!) And Ren will be there with clever and surreal cards, nerdcore totebags (see below), shrinky dinks (yes really), and more!

So, in summary. If you are in San Diego this week, go to the convention and visit:

  • Big Boss Comics (table N10 in small press)
  • Tired Girl Collective (table N4 in small press)

If you are not in San Diego this week, or when you get back from San Diego, visit:

Phew–I’m off to the convention! Back to the normal hi-jinx next Tuesday. Have a great week everyone!