Long Beach Comic Con wrap-up

Last weekend was the inaugural Long Beach Comic Con and Ryan and I shared a table there in Artist Alley. It was a lot of fun and a really good show! Sadly, we didn't make it to a single panel discussion or even get an autograph from Corin Nemec (for reals!), but the reason was good: the table was popular!

Firstly, I have to give credit where credit is due: LBCC made this an 'artist centric' convention, so the bulk (and literal center) of the expo hall was the artist area. Lots of big-name and well-loved creators came out, so the fans were in an extremely good mood (imagine getting to see your favorite artist, up close and personal, AND the show was less busy than, say, SDCC, so you actually got to chat and get sketches and stuff) PLUS the attendees walked every aisle, making sure they didn't miss anyone. Which meant, of course, that they strolled past our table too. So, thanks to the LBCC planners for a great job on focusing traffic.

My side of the table, as usual, had the benefit of bright colors. In a sea of comic book portfolios and sketches (mostly black and white), my giddy crafts stand out. So they caught a lot of eyeballs. This show, I had 2 offers: my dot paintings and my peg people. Both were very well received, I am grateful to announce! By Sunday afternoon, I was packing up nearly empty houses and had sold almost everything that I brought (sorry to everyone who asked, the houses aren't for sale).It was amazing -- THANK YOU to all the good people who came by and took some of this stuff home for me!!

Friday had a much higher attendance than we'd anticipated (seeing as how it was a 'work and school' day for most people, I figured if 50 people came, we'd be in good shape) and I sold several things right out the gate, which was surprising to say the least! Literally, as soon as I set some things on the table, they found new homes. I was blown away. By early Saturday, I was running low on several things and had to start painting Saturday night to replenish!

One of my display techniques was to use this cupcake, to demonstrate what-in-the-world-would-I-do-with-a-peg-person (hint: a cake topper!). This was a store-bought cupcake that had gone stale and then I coated it with acrylic gloss, so it was shiny and solid. Unfortunately, it was lost/stolen after the show closed on Friday night. My table neighbors were more upset than I was -- I just hope no one tried to eat it! But no matter, I have a more permanent version coming soon. This was just a quick-and-dirty way to show how the peg people could be used. And it served its purpose, so... bon voyage little cupcake!

One of the fan-favorite items was the tiny mailbox with tiny business cards. I have to admit, I'm pretty fond of it too. :)

I also sold some of the blank peg people (seen in the above pictures in a bowl and on the table) so that convention-goers could try their own hand at creating a masterpiece. I figured that the kids would think it was a great idea, but I was surprised at how many adults were buying them -- inspired by what they saw and chock-full of ideas of their own! The kids mostly wanted what was already painted, although there were a few kids who were determined that they could (and would!) do better than what I had. Every one of them said they'd email me a picture - and I hope they do!

I accepted only one commission during the show, which was from 2 fun gals who had recently learned of the meme to find out your stripper name (name of your first pet + first street you lived on) and they were collecting sketches and caricatures of themselves as strippers, so they asked me to paint them that way too. Strippers have relatively little to paint, so I said yes. I always love it when someone has a good, solid, silly idea!

I also was honored to be asked to contribute to someone's sketch book (full of awesome art from all the Cool People there) and I felt terrible that I CANNOT DRAW so I scribbled a peg-person form of me and Ryan (dorky) and the girl asked if maybe I could add something with dots. Well, markers don't really give the same effect, so I painted an artist trading card (ATC) made of canvas with Spider-Man for her to stick in her book instead.

Along the way, my table was photographed several times, including by the OC Weekly, the LA Weekly, a handful of blogs, and I did a video interview with the Daily 49er (Cal State Long Beach's news). So that was all really cool!

Plus, I'm waiting for the photos to roll in. I'm having a contest over yonder on ye olde craft blog, asking folks to submit pictures of their giddy girlie art to win $20! I've gotten a few so far, but there is still time to submit!

Oh! And we also saw a skateboarding shrimp!



And then were driving behind this... a sentinel from X Men. You're welcome.

Ryan's Birthday Week - part 1

Somehow I managed not to update this space for a week and left it on a depressing note. Sorry everybody! Really, my life isn't so tragic. I try and stay positive -- even in light of Monkey's passing, I have to give thanks for having known him at all. To have loved and lost and all that...

ANYWAY.

Last weekend marked the start of Ryan's Birthday Week! Yay! And it also happened to coincide with Brian visiting from New York, Pete visiting from New Jersey, and Trevor & Jordie visiting from Berkeley so it was a weekend chock-full of friends too.

On Friday, I met up with Pete and the gang for an avalanche of sushi, which was great but sent me directly into a coma. Luckily, I was able to recover by lazing around the house that night and finishing up some commission pieces and sent Ryan out to Art Dork Club with the boys. Since I hadn't seen Joe or Dave on their birthdays, I whipped up some custom peg people just for them [details coming soon to my Giddy Crafts blog http://giddycrafts.blogspot.com/] and had Ryan deliver them at Art Dork Club, where they were well-received.

On Saturday, Ryan and I met Kate and Brian at the Skirball Cultural Center & Museum in LA to see their Golden Age of Comic Books exhibit (now closed, so the link has disappeared from their site), which was really neat. Photography was only allowed in select areas, so I don't have much to show from that part of the day except...

Super Kate

Super Punch-Out Ryan

Super Cheesy Valentine

"I'm not a bit like Superman. Can't hear through walls made of brick, so if you like me Valentine, come out and say so quick!"

The exhibit had original artwork from all the Golden Age masters, which made Ryan and Brian drool with excitement. The two of them were like kids in a candy shop and Kate and I did our best to keep up. "Ooh, yes, I do see that linework. Uh huh, how nice!"

After having more fun than was technically legal (surprisingly strict!), we headed over to see the Noah's Ark exhibit. Ok, so I was totally unprepared for this and had NO idea what it was. So it was completely mind-blowing when I got in there. Firstly, you start in a small room with a 'guide' who gives an extremely brief overview of the Flood Story and how it exists in nearly every culture around the world in some form or another and how the Noah story centers on the saving of the animals, via a giant boat. After this explanation, you're lead into a giant exhibit with all of these animals that were made from recycled materials and nearly all of them were kinetic sculptures. They were simply amazing. I was totally agog.

Further into the exhibit were interactive stations where kids (or adults!) could pump water into a display to show the rising waters of the flood

Or crank up an electric charge to create lightning or pull a rope that activated piano wires to create the sound of thunder. There was also a giant giraffe that could be manipulated by a mechanism on the ground, so that he was looking back and forth.

And then there was the Ark. In every available space were more re-purposed structure animals and also lots of ones that were made for playing and touching (like puppets and dolls) and giant crates, showing the necessary provisions for the journey, like vegetables and beans. (that sounds really dull, but they were cool, because you could crawl inside them and each had interactive portions) To get the full effect, check out the Noah's Ark page on the museum's website.

Inside the Ark, in addition to the toys and interactive bits, were display cabinets with crafted versions of the Ark Story from countries and cultures around the world. My favorite was the "American" version, featuring "Old McNoah" on a tractor, towing his animals to safety - talk about cheesy! I love it!!

At the end of the exhibit is the Dove of Peace, which is made from a harpsichord (?) and guitar picks.

Outside is the Rainbow Arc, where there is a constant fine mist (which is perfect on a hot day!) that creates a rainbow effect. We all thought the mist would be very light and subtle and so the boys walked through it - and came out soaked to the bone. Still, very refreshing, even if it was surprising!

After all the excitement of comic books and animals lined up two-by-two, we headed off to get some lunch/dinner/linner, during which Kate gave Ryan his present: a Pistol Pedro belt buckle!! Ryan and I are in love with Michele Valigura's art (plug for my Peter Pan statue!) and this belt buckle is awesome in SO many ways. Firstly, it's a Valigura piece. 'Nuff said. THEN it's a belt buckle, which he just happens to need. And THEN it's got a spinning moustache!!!! Which is perfect for Ryan, who happens to be enamoured with spinning belt buckles, ever since Christy & The S Squad brought him back a skull & crossbones spinning buckle from Thailand.

I happened to have a necklace chain in my purse (why not?) so Ryan was able to wear the buckle during dinner and repeatedly spin his 'stache.

Although we SWORE that we wouldn't, we ate too much. So after we sat and digested a bit, we headed out to Griffith Observatory. It was surprisingly busy! I hadn't expected that big of a crowd... but I guess we're not the only science nerds (yes we were, but that's ok). We watched the new Planetarium show which was AMAZING. I'd go see it again in a heartbeat (anyone? anyone?). Although there was one minor hiccup, which was that there was a young girl behind us who cried and moaned through the entire show because she wanted to leave (the poor thing was in the middle of a panic attack) but her parents -- to say they were 'icky' doesn't nearly do it justice -- didn't want to take her out, so she wailed through the entire show. Which was distracting and rude and... did I mention how icky those people were? Buh.

ANYWAY. We came out of the theater feeling the majesty of the universe and the insignificance of us all and then we saw this, sitting right outside...

It was entrancing, to say the least. It reminded me of Kevin Kidney's recent post about the giant moon model at the Observatory and we set out to find it. Eventually, we did, although it was nearing closing time (15 minutes left!) and the guard wouldn't let us go over see it. I asked nicely and even pleaded our case, that we'd driven all the way up here and just wanted to see it and he was kind of jerky and said "Well, we have to close sometime! Come back another day!" That kind of put me into a pout and I apologize to my friends, because I was really irked. We were the ONLY people over there and we're respectful people and not some crazy gang bangers looking for an opportunity to tag up the museum. It wouldn't have hurt for him to let a couple little ladies peek at the giant moon. But no. Stupid stinkypants.

But the night did end on a high note. Ryan used the uni-sex bathrooms and came out laughing because the lady (an obviously foreign visitor) had used the urinal as a toilet. I guess she was expecting a public bidet? So she used the one that she thought was meant for #1. Which was funny and it kept us giggling the whole way home.

yeah, he's cool like that

You probably already saw my tweets and my spamtastic emails BUT what kind of wife would I be if I didn't blog about this too?*

My husband, hereafter shall be known as "Harvey Award Nominated Ryan" and he should be addressed as such in all correspondence, personal or professional. Thank you for your adherance to these new rules.

Why? Well duuuuuuuuh! He's been nominated for a Harvey Award for Best Inker for his work on The Darkness last year! WOOOOOO!!**



The Harvey Awards are kind of special, because they're industry awards, which means that your own peers have to nominate you (and it is also your peers who will vote for you). Which is super sweet! They like him, they really like him!

SO: if you're at all affiliated with the comic industry -- that means web comic folks, writers, editors, colorists, copy boys, etc. -- you can vote! Here is the link to the form which needs to be returned by August 28th. Please do take the 2 minutes required to complete the form and send it back by email or postal mail. It means a lot to everyone involved.



*don't answer
** congratulations to everyone else nominated in this category as well! And yes, we are aware that Jamie Grant uses a lot of 'digital inking' processes, but it is still an art form and though we're pen-and-brush people ourselves, we can still respect that Jamie creates some beautiful pieces (it's about the end-product, not the tools).

Benefit Auction Starts May 23

Just a friendly reminder to anyone who may be interested in browsing the gallery of some of the items that will be available for the Josh Medors benefit auction, starting this Saturday! If you know any collectors of original comic book art, be sure to let 'em know about this... there are several one-of-a-kind pieces and commissions from well-known artists that are very valuable, but hard to find.

Plus: I am working on several pieces to be listed in my etsy shop that are part of my charitable contribution. So feel free to buy/commission something from there too!

benefit auction

Last year, I had the great misfortune of telling you that one of our friends, Josh Medors, was afflicted with cancer and needed your help. The fine folks at the Hero Initiative pulled out all the stops and were able to host a fantastic fundraiser that helped Josh and his family cope with the ever-mounting medical bills.

And now it is with an even heavier heart that I ask for your help again. Josh's cancer has progressed to an untreatable level. He has, however, found some 'alternative' (meaning not western medicine) treatments that may help extend his life and will surely improve the quality of it. Like everything else in America, this treatment comes at a steep price and once again all of us comic book geeks are banding together to help a brother out.

Dave Kopecki and Andrew Mangum are hosting an eBay benefit auction starting on May 23rd, which I will be donating to (Ryan will as well), so tell your friends! There's a preview of a few items that will be sold here. And if you're not an art collector, maybe you'd just like to send a few dollars -- remember, every $1 helps! -- or use your birthday candle wish or pitch a penny in a wishing fountain. We need all the good energy we can get!

Send donations (of any size!) via PayPal to: jmedors3@columbus.rr.com
Read the full article on Comic Book Resources.

I will also be making an ongoing series of arts and crafts and I will donate 100% of the proceeds to Josh and his family. Stay tuned!

read more comics!

Last year at Wizard World Los Angeles (comic book convention, for those who don't hang out in places with "wizard" in the title), I found these 2 tables for online comics that caught my eye. I added them both to my Google Reader RSS feed and have been laughing ever since. Both are expertly executed by real people who really like their job and really love their fans. (Remember how I totally rocked that Wondermark contest?)

The economy is tough all over, and these fine artists make their living by providing free comics to you on the interweb. To keep them afloat, Dave from Sheldon Comics has asked for a very special birthday present: that all of his readers introduce the world of Sheldon to at least one of their friends.

Now I just have to hope that one person reads this post!

The comic is free (and funny!) and now is actually a great time to start following it on your own RSS feed. Many of the strips are a one-shot (seen above) although a few come in a sequence, but lately all of them have been stand-alones -- which means it's easier for a new reader to get acclimated. If you prefer, there is even a designated starting point for new readers.

So go forth! Support the arts! Add it to your RSS feed! Tell a friend!

Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con

So we've been saying "Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con" over the past couple of weeks not realizing that there are people like Kate who are not total nerds and haven't, in fact, seen every episode of the Simpsons. In case you are one of those "people who has a life," the Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con is what the bi-monthly science fiction convention is called on the Simpsons (hear the TV announcer here or even get yourself a t-shirt). The reason that we've been saying it so much is that this past weekend was the local monthly comic and sci-fi convention in LA and Ryan agreed to exhibit with his former boss. When Ryan was a teen (from 12-16, I think it was) he worked in a comic book store and has kept in touch with his old boss, Dave, since then. Dave's shop was shuttered a few years back, so he mostly sells things through conventions and such. Ryan agreed to help him staff the booth as well as promote some of his own work, which means that I had to go too (against my will).

The event is held at the Shrine Auditorium in LA which is this gorgeous old building on the edge of USC that used to be where the Emmys were filmed (along with a lot of other award shows and such that have now outgrown the space and are held at the Kodak Theater). The adjacent Expo Center is where they host various shows, including the bi-mon-sci-fi-con. The same intricate architecture is carried over, although the space isn't very well maintained anymore. Except, I do have to say that the restrooms were roomy and clean and smartly laid out (rare for a convention space).

This show is mostly a "dealer" show -- where various shop owners come to clearance out merchandise on the cheap (think $2 trade paper backs and $4 pornos) and there are a few D-list celebrities who come to sell their autographs (this month, Eric Roberts was the main attraction). Ryan didn't advertise or anything, so he was basically just some dude sitting at the end of a table of Star Wars collectibles. But it actually turned out pretty good.

First of all, Kate - bless her heart - showed up to hang out and scope out the show and provide me with some distraction (and lunch!). We had a lot of fun looking at toys and old comics, such as "I Love You" which have the BEST covers (check one out via the link - classic!) and are so lame at pandering to women that you have to kind of love them. We even made a new friend when we were browsing for old Katy Keene comics. This guy was so sweet and dug through four boxes to find the single Katy issue that they had. He was really funny and nice that when he finally found the book, Kate felt obligated to buy it, even though it cost more than we'd expected. A lot more. But she is so generous, she barely haggled with them and took away her new treasure, still smiling. Along with some $1 Nightmare Before Christmas stuff that we found at another booth that can be used in her fantastic purse-making career. So, it was a mixed bag.

And they were holding an open call for Beauty and the Geek, which was funny and we couldn't decide if everyone should be offended or embrace it. We did overhear one guy who signed up say that if he was chosen "I'm totally going to be the guy who causes all the trouble and starts all the drama." I'm sure he thought he'd be cast as a "beauty" too.

The same was true for Ryan. He got a few cool people and a couple of the... er... strange people who came to talk to him. It always surprises me how many people will ask the professionals to review or critique their work, but they are never sincere. He generally tries to shy away from any of that stuff, because very few people in life can actually handle criticism, but this one guy stood there for an hour to ask him in depth about stuff and so Ryan just kept advising him "practice, practice, practice" and the guy would make a face. Ryan suggests to everyone that you set aside time every day - like 2 hours - to practice basic forms, so that you develop muscle memory. And this guy (of course) just kept getting defensive and pointing to his drawings to explain why he didn't need to practice - see how good it is already? Bleh. BUT then we got a cool group that came over, led by their babyfaced high school teacher (wait, people my age are old enough to teach high school?!) who has recently founded a comic book club at the school for the kids as another way to introduce them to art and storytelling. He asked Ryan if he would mind if the kids (6 of them) observed him doodling - which of course Ryan didn't. So he drew a few things and explained the thought process and how to visually plan it out, etc. The kids were enjoying watching it and Ryan traded business cards with the teacher. He was such a nice guy and trying so hard to introduce these kids to something new (not an easy feat in Downtown LA). We're going to try and put him in touch with a few people and see if we can get the group some swag or something to help keep it going. We were super impressed with that whole idea. And this guy and his comic book club made Ryan's day.

Comic Nerd Party

On Saturday night, we went to celebrate our friends Mike & Luis who both had birthdays this week. The party was hosted by Josh Dysart (who is a pretty famous comic writer, working with Mike Mignola) and Ryan was excited to get to nerd out all over Josh, who was very accommodating (and if I do say myself, pretty enthusiastic about talking shop). Josh has this fantastic little house in Venice, one block from the beach that is super cool and people were shoe-horned into every nook and cranny. It was like something from a movie, where you have to crawl between people's legs to get from one room to the next. Very funny.

I spent most of the night out on his lovely front patio which looks into the giant picture window into the living room, where the band was playing and people were dancing. It was like watching this classic party on TV, only in surround sound. Someone brought their Boston Terrier, whose name was Jack Cheese (!) and he and I became fast friends and played ball a lot.

The group was such an interesting mixed bag. Lots of comic people, both industry types and also just huge fans (Mike co-owns the Comic Bug), lots of actors and artists and so many familiar faces. It was funny because there were people that I started chatting with because I knew them from somewhere, and I assumed it was from a convention or previous comic nerd party, but it turns out that oh, they're on TV. Like Bret McKenzie who we kept whispering ("Where do we know him from? Does he work for Marvel?") about... turns out he's from Flight of the Conchords. I also spent a lot of time chatting with a guy who works for Disney in the archiving department. He works in a top secret location, overseeing the team who is diligently scanning and saving all of the original artwork from the early Disney movies. In fact, he told me that the reason that there is a special edition of Sleeping Beauty coming out is because a bunch of the original artwork (hand-painted backgrounds, etc.) was recently discovered by accident in a back closet of a Japanese museum where it had been loaned decades ago and everyone had forgotten about it. I also met a girl whose father was an Imagineer at Disneyland and a few random drunk people from the street. GOOD TIMES!

We also walked down a couple of blocks to the "Gothic House" which is this hilariously over-done house nestled between all the other beach houses (you know, the kind with sand dollars on the porch). Mine are all night time shots, but some other Flickreenos have daytime pics. Ah, Venice Beach.

Comic Con - Saturday

Bliss stayed over at my (filthy) house on Thursday and Friday night, so she would be conveniently located for me to talk her ear off for 20 hours a day. It was great! On Saturday morning, we took the Amtrak down to San Diego which was convenient but CRAZY. Because of the races, the train was standing room only, although there wasn't even standing room. Bliss ended up huddled at the top of a staircase and I was on the first level, crammed between some people's luggage. Until the racetrack stop, where nearly every single person on board exited.


Ryan had decided to take the earlier train, so he traveled alone but said it was the same situation. Except he had the added bonus of stepping into a mob of people and he sees a head peek out around the half wall, and it was Dave! Yay! So he had a buddy to chat with all the way to SD.


So Bliss and I get to SD and meet up with Kate and Adam who also took an early train that they shared with the cast of The Office and Heroes and even saved a Hero's life. Those two hard-core conventioneers were holding places in line for some panel discussions for us. Yay! And the line? Went around the building and down to the bay. It was like 50 bajillion people long. No joke! But we did get in (YAY!) and we got to see the writers from The Office, moderated by Rainn Wilson and immediately following was "Comics: Across Every Medium" which was actually very interesting. Something that I am really glad to have seen! And then, there was a panel featuring the actors from Pushing Daisies.

These are the panel descriptions (again, for my old-lady brain's reference):

12:45-1:45 Exclusive Q&A with the writers of The Office— Meet the writers of the EmmyAward–winning comedy The Office and hear them talk about their favorite episodes, characters, and fun behind-the-scenes stories. Moderated by cast member Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute), panelists include executive producer/showrunner Greg Daniels (The Simpsons) and writers Jennifer
Celotta (Andy Richter Controls the Universe), Michael Schur (Saturday Night Live), B.J. Novak, Lester Lewis (The Larry Sanders Show), Gene Stupnitsky (Year One), Lee Eisenberg (Year One), Mindy Kaling (Matt and Ben), Justin Spitzer (Scrubs), Ryan Koh (various commercials), and Anthony Ferrell (The Audacity).

2:00-3:00 Comics: Across Every Medium— Paul Feig (creator of Freaks & Geeks), David Goyer (Batman Begins), Chip Kidd (The Learners), Whitney Matheson (USA Today’s Pop Candy blog), and Brad Meltzer (The Book of Lies) are five superstars who make headlines in television, film, the graphic arts, journalism, and novels. But they all have comics in common. This isn’t just a trend. Join them for a discussion on the influence comics play in their work. It’ll be like a 21st century Breakfast Club—but with better references. Moderated by audiobook master Scott Brick (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant).

3:15-4:15 Pushing Daisies Screening and Q&A— The cast and producers of the Golden Globe Award-nominated Pushing Daisies return to Comic-Con for a special screening of exclusive clips from the acclaimed show’s upcoming season, highlights from the first season and a Q&A
with fans. Stars Lee Pace (The Fall), Anna Friel (Land of the Lost), Chi McBride (Boston Public), Ellen Greene (Little Shop of Horrors), Swoosie Kurtz (Superman Doomsday), and Kristin Chenoweth (The West Wing) join executive producer/creator Bryan Fuller (Heroes) and executive producers Dan Jinks (American Beauty) and Peter Ocko (Dead Like Me) for the session, to be moderated by special guest and executive producer Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black). From Living Dead Guy Productions, The Jinks/Cohen Company in association with Warner Bros. Television, Pushing Daisies airs Wednesdays at 8:00 PM on the ABC Television Network.

The panels were really interesting, and I am super glad that I got to hear Chip Kidd pan the upcoming Green Arrow movie, featuring Seth Rogen, as another opportunity to see a "stoned, bloated out pig." Yikes. No love for Seth. And an inside-joke funny for us, because someone we know had to be a stand-in for Seth Rogen's feet recently and now he's wondering if that means his feet are stoned and piggish. I had a really, um... interesting... uh... yeah... situation with the guy sitting next to me during the Pushing Daisies panel (which was a full house) that I don't even know how to adequately describe. Thing halitosis. Bulgy fat guy. Mumbling to himself. Leaning on my shoulder. Eating slim jims. I think... I think I have to draw this one out. It was so horrifyingly funny.

Also during the Pushing Daisies panel, we spotted Kate's friend Tina who just happens to be young Ned's mother on the show. She was without a seat, because the crazed (!!) fans had disregarded all the 'reserved' signs and sat in the chairs that were intended for the studio folks, cast, and writers. But we had an extra that we were holding near us, so she came and sat down. And THEN when the show started, they showed the wrong clip - they showed the pilot, which prominently features Tina! So we were whooping and clapping like maniacs (Tina too) and everyone in the audience just stared because in the scene Tina dies. So we just seemed like some morbid weirdoes cheering for dead moms.


After a whole bunch more convention floor excitement, we needed to go check in to the hotel. It directly conflicted with an evening panel that we wanted to see (Sarah Silverman) but I was toasted and needed to get off my feet and maybe take a nap. Bliss and Ryan felt the same, so we 3 headed off to check in to the hotel. We took the trolley to Old Town and then grabbed a cab to the hotel - very easy! I highly recommend this to any conventioneers! We checked in and scoped out our room and emptied out all of our treasures to peruse... and we get a call from Kate and Adam that they are languishing without us and must come see us NOW! So they joined up at the hotel, where we all relaxed for a bit before heading out to a fancy French dinner with 2 of Adam's friends.

When dinner was done, Ryan was eager to get over to the Hyatt which is the hub of the Saturday night hang-out scene. The entire lobby is jam-packed with people, all mixing and mingling, and he kind of had to be there to rub elbows. Adam and his crew was interested in checking it out and Miss Bliss valiantly agreed to go along. Kate and I were too tired to hang, so we slunk back to the hotel and lazed around talking about zoos (what? You don't discuss zoo stories on Saturday night?!) and propping our feet up. Adam, Bliss, and Ryan didn't get back until pretty late - and even then, they were all so giggly that I thought they'd never sleep. Of course, as soon as they held still, they fell deeply asleep within seconds. I felt so bad for leaving Bliss alone with The Boys -- I have been there/done that for, um, a decade now. And so I know how it's sometimes really fun and then a lot of times really boring. Poor lady was flying solo, while I was laying on the couch talking about monkey poop. Not that she would have wanted to do that either, but at least she wouldn't have to be alone with boys. And nerd boys at that!

Ryan was all excited though and he was glad they went. He had lots of good conversations (and free drinks, apparently) with his team and some other artists so he was buzzed (free drinks!) about the opportunities and super glad that he was there to network. In fact, he was so giddy that I had to finally pull him out of the shower (singing!) at 3:45am and insist he go to sleep right this instant!! Like a child, as soon as he held still, he zonked out like a light.

Comic Con - Friday

Adam and Kate came to join us for the duration of NERD PROM and generously provided transportation to San Diego. Adam brought the production van, which was totally awesome, except if I would have known that there was a VCR I would have brought movies! But there was no time for that anyway -- too much talking to do!

We drive to San Diego with no incidents (except getting lost for breakfast foods, but that was kind of ok, because we ended up with hashbrowns which we wanted) and get them in and registered with no problems (yay!). I really have to give it up to the registration staff. Man, those people are working during this shindig and they had it down so everything was a breeze. I announced my mission to get one of the Big Frakkin Bags that the SciFi Network was giving away, which was successful. I got the last one that they were handing out for the day (yes!) and I bested some very eager nerds to get it too. It was crazy the way people were INSANE about the freebies. Fights broke out, children cried. But not me, because I got one.

So we overwhelmed dear Kate with the convention floor. It's seriously the most frantic scene you will ever witness in your life. And if you know Kate (which I highly recommend) you will know that she is a kindred soul who wants to stop and smell the flowers and shower everyone everywhere with appreciation. Really, the best ally in the world. But Comic Con makes that hard. You have a jillion other people bustling all around you to try and snag free bookmarks and it's kind of draining.

Edit: I totally forgot stuff! Thank goodness people like Miss Bliss have real brains that remember stuff. Like, when Ryan spied Chris Long (his partner in crime for Hiding in Time) and while he was chatting with Chris, we saw the dudes from The Stack (who Ryan has a major man-crush on). Then someone said "there's the Greatest American Hero" and I noticed that The Stack guys were talking to him. So we slowly sidled up to the booth and I hung back, waiting for my turn to pounce. Bliss then told us how she saw William Katt in a production of Pippin that was amazing and that she'd always wanted to tell him so. Now - this is a thing about Miss Bliss. She has a shiny heart of extra gold and she will remember every nice thing you have ever done. If you're ever bargaining at the Pearly Gates and can call-a-friend, call Bliss. She'll totally vouch for you. And also? She has a list of people that she really liked in a certain role or play or song or something and has just always wanted to tell them so. Like William Katt! So we nudged her over into telling him, and let me just say, the man was flattered. He was so darling about it. To be in the middle of Nerd Prom, surrounded by foaming comic fans who only know him from TV - and then suddenly, here is this adorable lady who remembers him from theater, his first love. It was so nice. Bliss has a better write-up on her blog, but I wanted to make sure I added it so that I don't forget.

And during all this, The Stack guys are standing there, so I tap them on the shoulder and tell them that we love the show and they were super nice and I grabbed Ryan and pulled him in and said "but he's the biggest fan" and Ryan takes it from there, gushing about how much he loves the show and then they get into the work he's done, blah blah blah, and he ends up walking away with 2 things: feeling awesome, because he's shirt twins with Alex and they want to interview him. Yay! So we're going to set that up for our next NY trip. NERDS FOR THE WIN!

We failed on getting into any of the panel discussions that day (noooo!!) but we did get to peruse Artist's Alley and made some awesome swag scores. Plus, we bought stuff. Retail therapy! Hooray! And at one point, we kind of lost Adam and then we get a text message "I'm standing in line for an inflatable He-Man sword. I think I need an intervention." We arrived just in time to see him bestowed with his new sword and, of course, made him pose in front of Castle Greyskull. Which, as you might remember, is something that this Prince Adam has in his very own house.


The rest of the afternoon was a blur and at some point in the evening we ended up in the car driving home (how did we get there? Does anyone remember?) and discussing All Time Most Embarrassing Songs You Love, Songs That Make You Cry, and Songs That Could Be Used To Torture State Secrets Out Of You. Which was fun. And everybody laughed that I have mis-labeled secret songs hidden on my iPod (hint: it's not under W for Wilson Philips). I laughed and cried and mostly laughed 'til I cried. It was an awesome day.

oh, and Ryan was on teevee

G4 came by the Top Cow studios recently to film a piece about making comic books that ran during their live Comic Con coverage this past weekend. Ryan got the final word in the video (he's the dude in the green shirt) and EVERYONE this weekend was coming up to him and repeating it back in a snotty voice "now, go make your own comic" - whatta jerk!

Two for Tuesday

How excited was I today to see that not only was there a new Wondermark comic (Tuesdays and Fridays!) but the contest winners were also announced... and I was one of them! TOOT! Oh, sorry. That was just my horn going off again.

As second prize winner I will receive a steady helping of head gigantisizer, the scorn of all my friends, a heaping portion of Feeling Awesome, and general malaise. But those aren't the contest prizes, just what I have earned by being a braggart. From the contest itself, I shall be blessed with a framed print! Linkage on the Wondermark site! A personalized piece of original art!!! An inscribed copy of the book Beards of our Forefathers, and a special MYSTERY BOOK as well!!! If it's not too bold, I am hoping that the mystery book isn't a Sue Grafton. All those alphabetical ways to kill people make me dyslexic. And murderous.

All of the contest entries that were posted were FANTASTIC and I encourage you to visit them all and congratulate all of the winners (toot!) on their excellent work. And THANK YOU to Dave at Wondermark for a fun contest!

support our heroes

Call us nerds, dorks, or geeks, but comic book people take care of their own. The comic book industry is unlike a lot of others. There is no guild, no union, no club. There are no 401ks, pension plans, or vacation days. For most creators, their salaries (which are not as glamorous as most people seem to think) are not the driving force in staying in this field. It's the love of the art, dedication to the medium, preservation of the culture, and the interaction with the fans (who appreciate all of the above) that keep them going. Which is a wonderful and noble thing.

A lot of people are surprised when they learn about how the industry works on the inside. How the majority of creators are freelance artists. Even though some creators may have contracts or steady work with major publishers, they are not privy to the same benefits as the average office worker - no benefits, no over time, pay-per-project work, etc. Which allows many creators incredible flexibility in their careers and personal lives and can be a great opportunity.

That is, until retirement age has approached, and/or passed. Until a tooth aches or a child is sick. Then what? In a largely freelance field, there is no safety net. That's where the Hero Initiative comes in.

Ryan and I were very touched to learn that one of our friends, Josh Medors, who is bravely fighting a rare form of cancer, was recently selected by the Hero Initiative for support. Several auctions have been held - and will continue to be held - to help with the expense of treatment and convalescence.

We hope that you will check out their events and auctions and support all of our Heroes, including Josh.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment. For more information, call 310-909-7809 or visit http://www.heroinitiative.org/

free comics! only 5 days left!

I still need to finish writing up the Boston Extravaganza and uploading all the pictures and videos BUT in the meantime, I want to make sure that everyone knows about Free Comic Book Day. It's happening this coming Saturday, May 3rd at comic book shops around the world. It's a great opportunity to get free stuff! check out what's new and a lot of stores are arranging in-store appearances for artists and other industry professionals, plus you can get free stuff!

Click here to find a participating store near you in:
* the US or Canada
* elsewhere in the world

Ryan will be at The Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach, CA. The Bug is going to have over 30 different artists and writers in the store to sign autographs and do sketches, plus free stuff and lots of other cool surprises. The staff there is an AWESOME bunch of doodz and always show everyone a good time. But if you can't make it to Manhattan Beach - or California - find the shop near you!