A Few Pics from the Cincinnati Comic Expo 2012

Mike Royer, Disney artist supreme and Jack Kirby's most faithful inker. 100 fans were in line to meet him when the show began.

Cartoonist Sterling Clark and I with the rockin' '70s Kirby tribute poster we created.

P. Craig Russell (standing) getting ready for his presentation on adapting opera and literary works to comics.

The Cincinnati Comic Expo is now officially huge. This is one shot of a section of it.

I loved these gorgeous, leather-bound, hand-made books.

Steve Bissette, John Totleben, Rick Veitch and Tom Yeates on a Swamp Thing panel.

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Max Ink's "Blink - The Sketchbook Comic Strip"

Check out the excellent Blink strip cartoonist Max Ink is drawing for his blog in addition to maintaining his self-imposed schedule for the creation of Chapter 2 of Blink: So It Goes: http://maxinkcomix.squarespace.com/

Buy his books there while you're at it!

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Mike Royer and the First Jack Kirby Comic Book I Bought New Off the Spinner Rack

For a small donation for cancer research, inker/illustrator Mike Royer signed the very first Jack Kirby comic book I bought new off the spinner rack (at a Gray Drug store at the Great Southern Shopping Center - Gray Drug no longer exists, having been sold to Rite Aid in 1987).

You can see by the condition of the book above that it's been well loved during the past forty years. What an incredible introduction to comic book collecting for twenty cents!

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The Signifiers #2 Is On Its Way to the Printer!

Specifically, it's on its way to IC Geeks Publishing. Updates will be posted here often!

IC Geeks' site: http://www.icgeeks.com/

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Recently Read: Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire is suspenseful and entertaining, but not as tight or engrossing as the first book in the trilogy.

The world created has several flaws that keep the series from being entirely convincing, such as: why isn't a society as totalitarian as Panem using the same technology used in the Hunger Games (tracking, cameras, etc.) in the Districts, so as to squelch the rebellion they're so afraid of? I also found Katniss' continuing ignorance and skepticism of the rebellion (both in the Districts and at top Panem levels) unbelievable and eventually annoying. Lastly, I think Collin's writing in the last fourth of the book is very sloppy and rushed, leaving out many details that could coherently describe what's happening.

Still, I have to read the next one.

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Jack Davis Art for the Cincinnati Comic Expo 2012 Program Book

Jack's still got it. This work is gorgeous.

88 years old and still going strong!

Pics from the show coming soon.

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Ideal Sight Restorer

I wonder what the Ideal Sight Restorer was.

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Stylin' Baby Huey

In the "What were they thinking?" department, clothing designer Mishka is promoting a new clothing line as sported by Harvey characters.

As someone pointed out on the Cartoon Brew site, why would The Ghostly Trio need to wear camouflage?

Check out the entire line of clothes here: http://mishkanyc.com/harvey-for-mishka

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Spencerian Steel Pens

I still use pens quite like this every day, for writing, drawing and signing books and artwork.

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The Signifiers #2 Final Cover

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The Red Skull Watches the World Burn

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Anyone for Taxidermy?

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A Few Pics from Independents' Day 2012

Hafrica, performing on the Lynn Alley Stage. Fast, flowing rhymes! Deserved a bigger crowd.

Old school Hafrica turntable sound.

Cartoonists James Moore and Katie Valeska at the 2 Headed Monster Comics tent.

The friendly Nick Dekker, author of the book Breakfast With Nick, all about C-Bus breakfast joints. Recommended!

Talcott Starr, cartooner of dinosaurs, chats with fans.

Cartoonist Victor Dandridge gets some help setting up the Indie Cartoonists table. Mary and I had taken the first shift.

Mike and Lora brought a tableful of Dreamer goodies to the show. Fans of Lora Innes were in heaven!

It was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect!

Another used record store opens up downtown on October 1st. I'm there!

The new Nix Comics banner. Nice!!

Nix publisher Ken Eppstein stands tall.

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The Banana Splits LP

This Decca LP unfortunately doesn't contain their best song (IMHO), "I Enjoy Being a Boy". That song was only available on the second of two extended-play 45s released as cereal box premiums. It's also on the We're The Banana Splits/Here Come The Beagles CD comp (1995) and was also covered by They Might Be Giants.

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Nix Comics 2012 Wholesale Catalog

Comic shop owners, record shop owners and retailers: contact Nix Comics Quarterly maestro Ken Eppstein to get a copy of the new Nix Comics 2012 Wholesale Catalog.

Buy cool indie and music-informed comics from Nix at retailer discount prices. You know your customers want the good stuff!

http://www.nixcomics.com/

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The History Boys

Detail from the pencil preliminary for my poster promoting The Available Light Theatre's upcoming performance of Alan Bennett's The History Boys.

I'll post the finished poster here when printed.

http://avltheatre.com/1011/

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Independents' Day Festival Less Than 24 Hours Away!

36 bands, Artists. Films. Writers. Cartoonists. Free!

Do come to the corner of Gay and Pearl Alley tomorrow and check out this increasingly amazing annual festival.

A list of the scheduled bands: http://www.columbusalive.com/content/blogs/sensory-overload/2012/08/independents-day-lineup.html

In addition to a Nix Comics booth in the Craft Alley on Gay Street, the following artists'll be set up at the Indie Comics table:

11:00-12:00: Me!

12:00-1:00: Victor Dandridge; The driving force behind Columbus' innovative Vantage Inhouse Productions.

1:00-2:00: Brenda Kirk; Mini Comics creator, painter, t-Shirt Designer. blogger... Basically awesome DIY everything!

2:00-3:00: Jeff Smith; The Big Babboo of self publishing in Columbus! Creator of the terrific Bone and RASL comics!

3:00-4:00: Tony Goins; Writer for the Lovecraftian detective series Downs, and contributor to the local Panel Comix collaborative anthologies.

4:00-5:00: Max Ink; artist, writer and creator for the Columbus-centric Blink series of minis and graphic novels.

5:00-6:00: Will Tooker; Terror-ific writer of such ghastly tales as Spirits In the Well and Grandfather Bones for Creephouse Comics.

I'll be signing copies of The Signifiers, Reactionary Tales, Deathwalker and more, plus have on hand buttons and my new line of Underwater Cats greeting cards. Check it out!

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VendArt Machine at Wild Goose Creative

The VendArt machine at Wild Goose Creative is up and running again, accepting your quarters for hand-made, C-Bus art.

Snag a copy of my MicroComic, The Toy Box, from the VendART machine!

All art is only $3.00. Check out WGC here: http://www.wildgoosecreative.com/

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Comics I've Read Recently, September 13th, 2012

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