Wizard World Chicago--Saturday

Meet great people, had a great meeting with potential new work on the way and saw some unusual people in the oddest of costumes. Got to buy a few cool things and even sell a few. Had a crappy lunch but a good dinner in the company of good people. It would have been a just about perfect day except one of my favorite artists, Micheal Turner, passed away after a long bout with cancer. I don't easily impress but his was work that truly impressed me. I will miss seeing his talent and I hope that his company can carry on in a way that is respectful of the man and his work.

Wizard World Chicago--Friday

After some vechicular drama this morning and an incredibly long drive, we made it just in time to hit the first day of WWC. Finally got to put a face to people I have only known as Psychomud, Flairbrusher, Superman79 and MTopolski. Great guys all who are full to brimming with anticipation to sell some of their original art. I personally am dealing with give aways and selling my compilation convention tips in book form. Sold 5 and I'm pretty happy about that. Hope to clean them out tomorrow and Sunday. All and all, a lot of fun and met a lot of folks. Also hit all the art schools to have them send me stuff to IHS for the kiddos. Surreal run in today: Saw Louisville's Kent and Vyxin and they actually recognized me. And later they stopped by the table. Kinda cool, all in all.

The Road to Wizard World part 2--Thursday

Well, I'm all packed and ready to go. 4 bags total with stuff for the table and all. I'm looking forward to the con but not that 7 hour total drive I have in front of me. I'll try to sleep most of the day away and at 1:00 a.m., I'm off and driving so we can make Chicago in time to check in, eat and be con ready by 9:00 a.m. And then the fun truly begins. More on that tomorrow!

The road to Wizard World, part 1--Wednesday

Two days left (or one if you count that I am leaving at Midnight Thursday/Friday). I have a surprising amount of stuff to do today. I need to pack all the stuff for the table and pack all my clothes for the weekend. I also need to touch base with a variety of people and make absolutely sure that my wife has everything she needs before I leave out of here. Its a lot to do. But I think it will all be worth it. I think this year is going to be very beneficial to my comics career.

Another icon gone...

George Carlin dies yesterday of heart failure. Not often does the death of a celebrity elicit an "aw...how sad" from me but Carlin is one of the few people that actually touched my life. Long before Comedy Central made every comic known, Carlin was one of the greats. His yearly HBO specials were the true must-see TV and there was a time in my life where I would quote "A Place for My Stuff" from beginning to end. Unlike much of the comedy that has arisen in the last few decades, Carlin was intelligent, his words made you think, his opinions made you question and while doing all that he still made you laugh.

I don't get easily swayed by celebrities...for the most part I am unimpressed by them or their work. But Carlin was one that worked his way in...about him I truly cared. In comics we talk a lot about heroes, the sad thing is that in reality, all my heroes are slipping away. Lennon was one, Belushi was one and now Carlin. Another icon is gone and the world is a little bit darker without him.

Vexxing about Vixen part 2

A while back I expressed concern for the directing that was being taken with the Vixen character. For those unfamiliar, rather than accessing the abilities of animals, she now mimics and perhaps siphons the abilities of humans. This all came to a head in issue 22 of Justice League of America, where Vixen came clean to her teammates and was promptly kicked off the team by chairwoman Black Canary ( who I must credit Dwayne McDuffie in writing as a strong character not afraid to put the "Big Guns" in their place.). Why this is a positive and a payoff to me is that within minutes of "firing" Vixen, Black Canary enlisted the help of Zatanna to help fix her problem. In a story that had a lot going on ( Red Tornado gets a new body only to have it stolen again by Amazo, and asks Kathy to marry him, Red Arrow gets relationship advice from Superman and Green Lantern and Bronze Tiger and Vixen make the hottest African American couple since Black Panther and Storm), this was definitely the part that stood out most for me.

Rolling the dice on myself.

I have compiled my Convention tips along with some clip art into an 8 page ashcan that I will be selling at the Chicago con.

A waste of time and money? Maybe...Who can say?
Complete ego stroking on my part? Quite possibly.
An attempt to get others to appreciate my writing? Hmmm...maybe.
The first of many upcoming attempts to quit waiting for help from others and take the reins of my own career in comics? HELL, YEAH!

Things I Regret:: Father's Day

Like the song says, regrets...I've had a few. And today makes me think of one especially...I've never had a father. Oh there were a few male "influences", of course there was someone biologically and there was someone else there betting the hell out out me until age 11, but I have never had a dad, so I guess I never missed it because I never really hung out with people who did. But now, recently, I have met people with really positive "Dad" memories, really great fathers and now I kinda miss it. It gets me thinking of how different my life would have been, how much personal disaster could I have avoided if I would have had a father. And being a person of some imagination and a brain that just won't shut up, I have thought of it in more than a little detail. And it makes me sad. Which, in turn, leads me to the fact that it is highly unlikely that I ever become a father myself, which I have come to grips with but which also makes me sad when I really think about it. I'd like to think I'd be good at it. Zeus knows that I seen a bad one first hand. I know what not to do.

So I guess what I'm saying is...if you have a father and he is a good one, let him know how much you appreciate him everyday, not just today. Not everyone has one.

Holding my tongue to spite my brain

Suffice it to say...I'm a professional. I know how to act like a professional, speak like a professional and present myself as a professional. I can separate myself from situations and look at them dispassionately, I can be analytical, I am Batman (sorry, it just popped into my head and forced its way onto the page:) ). Having said that, I do find it hard to smile in the face of a hypocrite or someone who is acting/speaking unprofessionally. Especially when they are maligning the integrity, and by extension the work and abilities of; my friends. On two occasions now, people hiding behind Internet names have slung barbs at my friends. The first time, I spoke my mind, defended my friend (rightly so when all the information came out) and was shunned for it, this time I am (so far) holding my tongue but I will say that I do so unwillingly. I much prefer to pop a windbag than to allow him to fly free.

Isn't being a professional, by definition, the act of defending the profession and those in it? Is it really necessary to be nice to everyone just so they don't get their feelings hurt? That isn't being a professional unless that profession is childcare.

Cool People I Know: Daniel Thompson

Dan is not only the owner of my favorite comic store :The Zone, he is a writer who recently won the Devil's Due How-To Publish your Own Comics Helping Hand Contest. With that , he has created The Dominus. Check out his Myspace page http://www.myspace.com/dantho and click on links to the Dominus and his company, Actionverse Entertainment.

Cool People I know: Anthony Hochrein

Tony is a former airbrush phenom turned illustrator. He does incredible work and I have been fortunate enough to secure him to pencil the first issue of MY comic: Brushstrokes. I know it is only a matter of time before I lose him to the big boys but his work is too great to keep a secret. Check out his work at http://www.anthonyhochrein.com/ or look for him at this year's Chicago Wizard Magazine Con from June 26th-29th. He'll be at the Art Unleashed forum table. And buy a piece of his art work. You'll be able to sell it in a few years and send your kid's to college.

Cool People I know: Gary Barker

When I grow weary of talking about me (which is often), I have figured that I can turn you on to some of the cool people I have gotten to know over the years. One of those is Gary Barker. He is an illustrator, comic book penciler, and all around cool guy. And you may have seen his work many times and not even realized it...he has been drawing the Garfield daily strip for years now. Check out his website at http://www.garybarker.com/.

Icara: A Poem

Here is a poem based on my comic book story :Icara


Icara was a teenaged girl
with a busy teenaged world
But one day she woke up with wings
large white feathery things.
She screamed for Mom,
she screamed for Dad
(and this next part is really sad)
But they were gone, without a trace
As if they had never lived in this place.
And when men crashed in,
she didn't know what to do
So Icara jumped out the window
and flew...
and flew...
and flew...