Back from THE EDGE OF LA (COMIC CON)!

Saturday, during the great So Cal Heatwave, me and some fellow Cartoonistas set up some tables of merch and busted out the Live Art at THE EDGE OF LA COMIC CON in Claremont, CA.

This show's been around for a few months, so they're still building the audience for it, but we really liked the venue and wanted to try it out. Me, Raul Aguirre, Grasiela Rodriguez and Cartoonista Co-founder Jim Lujan braved the mileage and heat and made our presence known (or made spectacle of ourselves!)



When I first set-up, I was safely in the shade, but by high noon the sun was unavoidable! Memo to us: save up for a canopy!





When confronted by this Imperial Stormtrooper as to why the EL MUERTO film was originally released on DVD under the name THE DEAD ONE, I tried a time-tested trick on him, I told him, "You don't need to know why the film was called THE DEAD ONE". An old Javi Mind Trick! (Besides, I didn't wanna relive the whole 'drama' myself!!)

S'funny, but often at a show I'm reminded of the amount of history/mileage I've accumulated over the years 'on the road'. Two fellow DIY cartoonist/artists I've known for awhile were both exhibiting. And I ran into a photographer who shot me for a local newspaper article about 5 years ago! He was happily surprised to see the EL MUERTO DVDs because at the time he met me I was being interviewed about the then recently signed EL MUERTO movie deal, but no filming had yet started. So he was glad to see the movie had been made and released (something else he and I had in common!).

Everyone was doing there best to continue working as the day got hotter and hotter.


(Raul's green and orange Spider-Man isn't proof he's colorblind! When I asked he politely reminded me about the concept of underpainting with complimentary colors. Somehow, with the passage of time, that part of my college painting classes had faded from my shoddy memory!!)


The ever-resourceful Gras took a page out of her own book (or portfolio!). She got one of her Life Drawing studies and added costumes on them!! Well, for her DR. MANHATTAN all she had to do was color him blue!!


Jim proved once again that with a few lines here and there, he can create a character that tells his own story just by looking at the image!

We were joined outside by several other vendors. The actual convention itself is held inside this cool building:




It's a former packing warehouse, converted to a shopping mall of sorts. No chain stores, just independent shops and galleries. I guess while we were all inside checking out the vendors, somehow this photo was taken:


Um, if you were there, and you stole something while we left our tables unattended, and your reading this....Um... Shame on you!

Here's a piece that I did that I enjoyed drawing (well, I usually enjoy drawing what I draw!):

Dedicated to Eric Esquivel, the Last Son of Arizona!

Despite the scorching sun, I had a great time with my fellow Cartoonistas, meeting some new fans, catching up with old friends. Afterwards we gathered for a decadent meal of pastrami and chili fries and cherry coke at THE HAT! Proof that if God had wanted us to be vegetarians, he wouldn't have invented pastrami sandwiches!!!!