APE 2011: My mini comic haul!

This was was my first time attending APE (Alternative Press Expo) and it was a blast! For first day of the show I primarily spent my time soaking everything in. I'll be honest, for the first couple hours I was a little overwhelmed. Unlike San Diego, where I have a plan of who and what I want to see, at APE I really had no idea what to expect. The hall was filled cool looking books and great artists, almost none of which I had heard about before! Everything was new and exciting. I didn't wind up buying much on the first day, but on the second day I really took my time browsing through tables. By the end of the weekend I had a stack of books I couldn't wait to read!

Now, over a week later, I still haven't read everything but some of my favorites so far are:

Zebratron: A weird, stream of consciousness mini-comic that is hilariously bizarre. Almost every panel contains a little comedic gem.
Pope Hats: A neurotic main character who gets visits from an imaginary talking cheese stick.... it's really funny.
Crime World: A dry, dark comedy about a man who does bad things. It's like a cutesy version of "In Cold Blood"
Malaise Trap: A well told, first person narrative about an obsessive collector.
Danger Country: The first chapter of an epic fantasy adventure.
Tales of Good Ol' Snoop Doggy Dogg: A small collection of comic strips about dreams the cartoonist had containing Snoop Dogg.

I still have a lot more to read, but overall the books have been great. They're full of unique points of view, interesting stories, and cool art; they're definitely not your average comics. Go check 'em out!

Wednesday

Ever had a conversation with a friend or stranger where they ask you, Where were you on this day? I have a very selective memory. Which reminds me of that time of I had to get a tutor for history class--I'm that bad with dates. But this particular blog entry is to etch this day of a specific memory. And yes it relates to comics.

Last weekend I went to APE (Alternative Press Expo) in San Fran. I crammed a bunch of my freshly printed mini-comics into my bag, hoping to trade with others like me, and jumped onto a plane.

LAX--->SFO


I got to the Concourse and felt right at home. The whole vibe was welcoming and not at all earnest, as I thought it would be. Creators were enthusiastic about their work and I talked to them, genuinely interested in what they wanted to share.

The space was pretty big so Rob, our friend Jared and I took a break out on the steps. I was eating my banana when I heard my name. Who else knows me here? I looked up and saw Mary. She was in my class at Meltdown Comics. She had finished her comic about her battle with cancer. I remembered reading panels from her story and thinking, wow, she's got guts to publish something so personal. As a survivor, she was able to convey the heartbreaking and sometimes hilarious moments of therapy.

We exchanged comics and she tells me, "Giulie, we have a table. Jim was able to get a table for the Meltdown students. Go and put your comic there to sell." So I did.

Later that night I went to a party/mini-comic award show at Isotope. I actually got face time with The Mad Scientist, aka the larger-than-life owner, James. I asked him if I can sell my mini-comic in his store. He agreed, asking for ten copies. Dammit, I only had four left in my bag. He laughed and paid me nonetheless. It went under the New Arrivals sign. Ego boost for me!


After schmoozing and grabbing a celebratory drink, I passed out at the hotel. Come Sunday morning er afternoon, we went back to the Concourse. I went to the Meltdown booth to help out. I made a few sales. Getting money from strangers is awesome! It's completely different than getting it from friends. I think the highlight was when a guy was interested in a copy of mine and asked me to sign it. Cool!


SFO ---> LAX

I got on the plane headed back to LA, feeling great. A few days later I heard news from home.

Today will be remembered for two things. The day that Steve Jobs died of cancer. And the day I found out my dad has cancer.

The way I see it, success no matter how small, is very personal. It is further defined by the people you love. My dad hasn't seen me this type of happy, yet. But he will though. And I just sealed an envelope containing copies of By The Slice.

Next stop:
LAX -----> MIA

Bone Bound Set

I just finished reading my four volume bound set of Bone by Jeff Smith. This probably doesn't come as a surprise to those who have read the series, but here it is anyways, I LOVED IT! An incredibly well crafted, epic story filled with rich characters and masterful cartooning.

My first experience with Bone was about 5-6 years when on a whim I bought the first trade paperback (containing the initial 6 issues of the 55 issues series). As far as I can remember, the great looking art was really the only reason I picked it up. Even though at the time the series had already concluded, I had no knowledge of it's popularity. To me, it just looked cool. Shortly after reading the first trade my local comic store had a back issue sale where I picked up a lot of the issues. They were mostly non-consectutive, so I never actually read any of the issues. But like most binding projects, I slowly collected the remainder of the issues over a period of a few years, until I completed the run. I even found one issue from a dollar bin that had been signed by Jeff Smith!

The binding was done by Bindery 59 through David Banks at Single Bound Studios. I've worked with David on most of my binds during the last couple of years and I've never been disappointed. He represents a number of different binderies, all catering to various needs. The two binderies I've used are Bindery 59 for this set (and similar basic binding projects) and Capitol Bindery for more complex, extras-laden binds. Both companies provide a great, quality product and I'll continue to use them for the foreseeable future.

The first three volume contain the main series. I made a fourth volume for the Rose mini series, the Rat Tails trade paperback, Bone Holiday Special and Bone Sourcebook. I figured if I was going to bind the series I might as well be a completist and add all the extras.

This was my first bind where I decided to add my own title page. It's a simple design, but it just adds to the fun of making a custom book.

Another cool aspect of have the original issues as opposed to the trades, is reading through the great letter columns. Even though I'm reading the series years after its conclusion, the letters make it possible to see fan's opinions as it was ongoing. It's the closest I'll ever get to joining the fan community at that time. I found one letter from a future Eisner winning artist!

Bone is a great series, it's one of my all time favorites! I'm beyond pleased to have this set and I plan on enjoying it for many, many years to come.

My Mini Comic - By The Slice

So I finally finished my mini-comic, By The Slice. Cecilia Latella did a great job and I couldn't be happier. But let's start from the beginning.

I took a class at Meltdown Comics on Sunset Blvd on how to create your first comic. Yes, I'm a newbie comicbook writer. So I knew I needed to learn the basics (paneling, captions, word balloons etc.) before getting in touch with an artist to execute the story. As soon as I finished the script I went on Deviantart, posted on a forum looking for a penciller/inker and received many responses. It came down to two artists, both showing interest and talent, but I liked Cecilia's style and storytelling. She signed onto the project and we finally starting the creative process. She living in Italy, while I in California, meant emailing back and forth almost everyday.

I had written a fourteen page script about a post college girl working at a pizza place. It's a slice of life story between employee and employer. Her liberal views are challenged by her un-PC boss' business practices. When the job becomes more of a headache than a paycheck, she becomes bitter--much like her boss.


The working relationship between Cecilia and I went smooth. This has our names on it so we both wanted it to look good. After months of collaboration, it was ready to print. I took it to a local copy shop and now I have a box full of mini-comics. But it doesn't stop there.

I called Meltdown to see if I can sell it for cheap in their store and they were very accommodating. I walked up to the counter, they paid me for 5 copies and put it on the "new" shelf in the middle of the store. That was really nice of them! He complimented the comic and said, "Tweet away! Tell everyone it's here."

I know I still have a lot of ground to cover but for me who has a tall stack of unpublished/unoptioned/rejected stories...today was a good day.

SDCC 2011: Finding Artists

So here's my deal. I want to be a comicbook writer. That's it. Plain and simple I want to write comicbooks. I love the medium, I enjoy storytelling, and I have a blast meeting people involved with the industry (creators and fans alike). So a couple of years ago I decided that I would make a go at writing comics. The first year/year and a half was me just trying to get a grasp of how to actually write a comic script. I don't want to say "a good comic script" because that's not for me to determine. I just wanted to complete a script I was happy with and confident in. After countless rewrites and discovering that writing funny books wasn't one of my natural born abilities (who knew!), I have finally finished a few scripts. Yep, I said "scripts," plural. Now don't get me wrong, these aren't 300 page graphic novels, they're mostly of the short story variety. In fact, all three of the scripts are 12 page short stories. Baby steps.

My first story starts with a clown walking down a busy city street, who then passes another clown. Both clowns stop, engage in a tense standoff, and then fight for the next 11 pages. It's a little bit Highlander (there can be only one.... clown?), a pinch of Spy vs. Spy, and a healthy dose of a Tex Avery cartoon. After finishing the script, I scoured the internet for an artist. The majority of my time was spent following links on deviantart, artist message boards, and personal blogs. Eventually, I contacted an artist from Argentina who agreed to do it. As of right now he's only been able to pencil 8 out of the 12 pages but I've been beyond stoked with how it's come out so far. Though the finished comic is still a ways off, I've enjoyed making it and have learned quite a bit in the process.

"Clown Fight" character sketches (Artist: Ger Curti)

To find an artist for one of my other stories, I decided to participate in the Comic Creator Connection at this year's San Diego Comic Con. The way the meet up worked was that there were a series of long tables in the room where all the artists would sit on one side and writers would sit on the opposite side facing them. Each writer and artist would be paired up for 5 minutes, in which time they would share artwork and scripts. After the time limit, the artist would stay seated while the writer would move over one spot to the next artist. It's essentially comic creator speed dating; five minutes to find your comicbook soulmate.

My results were quite varied. First of all, there were more artists who showed up than there were writers. This left me with a few times where I'd be in-between artists and have to kill the 5 minutes before my next one-on-one. It's wasn't a big deal, but swimming through a sea of other aspiring writers to find an artist can be a little frustrating.

The work I saw from the artists, for the most part, was pretty much a letdown. The most glaring problem with their portfolios was the lack of sequential art. Come on people! The room is full of new, inexperienced writers and if an artist can't show them that he/she can sequentially tell a story why would someone want to collaborate with them? I think an artist looking to work on a comic should only be showing comic samples. When I'd talk to an artist who only had pin-up samples, it felt like a waste of my time and of their's. Five minutes goes fast and if they don't have something on paper to show their storytelling ability it's pretty much game over, especially after two hours of meeting a couple dozen different artists.

This is not to say that it was all bad. I met a few artists with some good sequential art and a lot of potential. Unfortunately none of their styles were anywhere near what I was looking for. Hell, even if it was in the same ballpark of what I'm envisioning I would have been all over it. Oh well, c'est la vie. Despite all this I just signed up for the Comic Creator Connection at next month's APE in San Francisco. By improving your odds, your improving your luck.... right?..... hopefully......please!

Midnight at Meltdown- DC ReLaunch

This is an exciting time for the Comic world. DC's relaunching a new version of superheroes and there's been a lot of debate. To calm everyone's mind, the old version is still around. They haven't been deleted or burned in effigy. You can still enjoy them and pass it on to the younger generations. But for now, I think it's about time to do a revamp. Get some fresh perspectives, new ideas, new writers, take a chance on new artists. It's only going to help.


According to my twitter feed, people were headed out to their local comic book shops to support. And that's a good thing! There was a really big turnout at Meltdown with a few creator/artists stopping by. A few notables included Josh Fialkov, Kyle Higgins, and Scott Lobdell.

There's a lot to look forward to in the coming months. Personally I can't wait to read Batgirl by Gail Simone, Wonder Woman or even Catwoman (of course). Knowing Rob, he will get first issues of pretty much everything. I'm glad I'm not the only one who does the shopping.

SDCC 2011: Yummy Fur Collected

A couple years ago while diving through back issues bins at my local comic shop, I happened upon a full run of Yummy Fur by Chester Brown. I had read a few of the Ed the Happy Clown stories before (one of the serialized stories in Yummy Fur) and really enjoyed them, so finding a complete run priced at a dollar an issue was a no brainer. I read through the series over the next couple weeks and thought it was great. A while later, when I got into the binding hobby, Yummy Fur was one of the first books I wanted to have done. The book turned out well and it has since became one of my favorite binds.

 

One of the previous owners of these issues had Chester Brown sign many of them at the top of the first page. It's pretty cool knowing the books have some history to them and to think that they had actually passed through the creator's hands once before.

 

When I heard that Chester Brown was going to be at the San Diego Comic Con, I thought it would be a perfect chance to have him sign the book. So I tossed it into backpack and when I got to the con, I tracked down Mr. Brown at the Drawn & Quarterly booth. Here he is holding the book:

Instead just signing the blank end sheet, Chester decided to drawn up a new title page. He even found a fun way to personalize it to me.

I'm incredibly happy with the book! It's something I will cherish and keep in my collection for a long time. It's only the book I've had signed by a creator (the other being Frank Quitely on All-Star Superman) but after the great responses I've gotten, I can't wait to do it again!

Here's a link to the Drawn & Quarterly Blog where they posted a few photos my book. Very cool!

San Diego Comic Con 2011

Yes, Comic Con has ended. And only now do I do a recap. It was fun, exciting, and exhausting. With so many panels, screenings, artists, and parties (yes, geeks convene) it's hard to remember it all. Rob and I took some blurry pictures, to coincide with blurry memories.

Although Wednesday was preview night, they opened the flood gates to the masses on Thursday. The Exhibition hall was teeming with cosplayers. Some were very funny, like this dude, Magneto. I can't imagine anyone not wearing sneakers. It's a lot of standing and walking around, especially if your hotel is more than a few blocks away.

On Friday, the Lock and Key panel had the creators Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, along with the screenwriter, producer, actors, and director Mark Romanek of the TV pilot, talk about the process of converting the graphic novel to a TV show.

This followed a special screening of the pilot. From what I heard, it was really good. Will it ever become a series? Right now, no. But I'm still crossing my fingers.

So until then, I'll keep reading the trades. I just finished the third volume and I can't get enough of it. All I do is gasp when I turn the page. We even got the fourth volume at SDCC signed by Joe and Gabriel. Yes, we are on a first name basis with them. At least on this blog.


Later Friday night we attended the Tr!ckster event at the San Diego Wine and Culinary Center. They featured a gallery of original art based on Kurosawa films. Proceeds went to the Japanese Relief fund. Lots of talented artists contributed pieces, like this one inspired by the film Throne of Blood.
On Saturday we headed to a Comics Creator panel featuring Robert Kirkman, Brian K. Vaughn, Jonathan Ross, Frank Cho, Jonathan Hickman, and Fiona Staples. They talked about past projects and what they're working on now. Judging by the photo they don't seem excited but they are. Trust!

And yes, finally BKV is returning to comics. His next series is called Saga. We received a poster just for sitting in the first few rows. I got him and Fiona to sign it. Truth be told, it's already framed. He seems really committed to Saga, and hopes it continues for a long time.

I asked Robert Kirkman about the Walking Dead show and how the second season is panning out. He's all about the creator's voice and really encourages people wanting to break in, to keep working towards their goal.

Thanks Bob!



Now the following photos are in no particular order. But I have to say meeting the creators (writers and artists) is such a treat. You can see that they really appreciate their fans, especially when you approach them with your favorite book.


Like for instance, having Eric Powell sign my favorite Goon book, Chinatown. He made it out to me and did a quick sketch of Goon's ugly/cute mug. I was about to remind him that I was the girl who asked for a quick sketch of Danger Mouse last year, but who would remember that? Besides me.



Here's Bill Willingham (Fables) signing at a video game booth.

Artist Dave Gibbons was signing Watchmen.

Craig Thompson was signing at the Top Shelf booth. I'm sure he gets this a lot but Blankets made me cry. Like actual sobbing.

His new book comes out later this year.

Rob had the pleasure of meeting Jerry Robinson, the creator of the Joker, one of the most famous villains in comic book history.

Filmmakers are always around, too.
Edgar Wright was promoting Scott Pilgrim last year. Joss Whedon is always going from panel to panel. This year, Guillermo del Toro was at the Legendary Pictures booth for his next film, Pacific Rim.

Then we get this weird photo op with Billy Zane holding someone's baby. He's one of the few people wearing a suit at a con. Bold move, sir. Bold.

Cute kid, too.

Finally Sunday, we bought some merch and decided to head to the train station early. Well not early enough. There was a mega line and the train oversold seats, as usually for this time of year. Rob and I had a great weekend, met up with friends, and made some new ones. Also, I got compliments on my shirt. The only time I found Luke attractive was when he trained with Master Yoda at the swamp. Thanks, Her Universe.