Cartoonistas kicked it at GEEKS Live Art event last night!

The Cartoonistas' Live Art event, RECESSION EXPRESSIONS, was a big hit last night at GEEKS comic shop in Whittier!



GEEKS is a great store, and they've hosted us before for the Cartoonistas Gallery Show, as well as hosting my Q&A for the EL MUERTO film screening held at the Whittier Independent Film Festival earlier in the year.

The Cartoonistas inducted a new member to the group: Roxanna:
Here's Roxy drawing two of her friends in their underwear holding large loafs of bread! (WTF?!) Welcome aboard, Roxy!

Cartoonistas Co-founder and all around Super Patriot Jim Lujan crafting another page of yummy goodness:


GEEKS went all-out with the wild and far-out promotion! Here's our plan to inspire comic shops across the nation, 'A Cartoonista in Every Front Window Display'!:

Before any human rights activists get alarmed, we did indeed rotate the artists. So every 'Toonista got their turn to be put on display!

When comics geeks read that President-to-Be Barrack Obama is a collector (probably past-tense) of Spider-Man and Conan, well..I hadda address that!:
This got a lot of amused responses. Good thing Whittier is a 'Blue' city!!!

Speaking of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, here's a guy who debuted in issue #129: Frank Castle, a.k.a. The Punisher!!:


In addition to our window easel, and our board leaning on the wall, we even had a sit-down Cartoonista Corner. We had that place covered!:


Me and Grasiela basking in our Cartoonista Awesomeness!:


In our continued effort to promote Green Cartooning, Ted and Steve save a tree by sharing a sheet of paper! Who says this isn't the Eco-friendly Age of Cartooning?!:



"I rock!" applies to Jimmy, that's for sure.

After we finished a piece, we'd hang it on a wall and folks would pick the pieces they wanted and pay at the register:




Sal from GEEKS asked me to draw him El Muerto as the GEEKS logo (if you see my hand-lettered Geeks logo, you'll see why I computer letter my comics!):


This was a great event, for everyone. GEEKS had pretty good business that evening, the patrons enjoyed seeing the artwork and bought up a lot of the pieces, and us Cartoonistas had a fantastic time drawing and yakking it up. Thanks to my friends the Cartoonistas, everyone who stopped by and showed support, and of course to Sal and GEEKS for hosting us yet again!

Check out The Cartoonistas blog for more pics!

SALABRATION celebration this past weekend at GEEKS

This past Saturday night at GEEKS Comics I was part of the Cartoonista contingent participating in SALABRATION.

This may have been the event that's had the most Cartoonistas in attendance (9 total). The usual camaraderie and happy hijinx were on full display! Here's the proof:

Jose Cabrera, creator of the CRYING MACHO MAN webcomic, demonstrates the upcoming Olympic sport, power cartooning!


Lounging around and talking shop (or are they planning to break away and form a rival Cartoonista group??) are Mr. Geo Brawn (top left), Luis Escobar (top right), Grasiela Rodriguez (bottom left) and Jose.


From left to right: Michael Aushenker, Jose, me and Jim Lujan. Michael and Jose will be having a two-man art show/book signing at GEEKS in the Fall, to coincide with a revamped CARTOON FLOPHOUSE brand.

Michael and me throwing out some Dr. Fate-style mystic energy. Michael and I were discussing Dr. Fate's recent appearance on SMALLVILLE, and browsed some Dr. Fate comics at the shop.


Grasiela Rodriguez, the Queen of the Cartoonistas, and the equally royal Hortencia Aguirre, wife of Cartoonista Raul Aguirre. Hortencia is an artist in her own right, and she's been nice enough to feed our hungry maws numerous times with her exquisite cooking.

Luis Escobar doodles inside the front window display at GEEKS. Think of Amsterdam's Red Light District, but with cartoonists and sanitized!

And sure to be a valuable artifact one day, Jimmy sparked the idea for a group jam session. Besides a plethora of Cartoonistas, we had some special guests contribute to the drawing, such as Steve Sievers and my ol' pal Lalo Alcaraz (LA CUCARACHA).


A long-time fan of mine happened to be walking past Geeks with his girlfriend when he noticed all the commotion inside. His name's Jason and I first met him back in 1998 when he made a beeline to my table in the Small Press area of the San Diego Comic-Con. He pulled his backpack off his back, pulling out a comic book and told me "I was hoping you'd be here!" and asked me to sign my then-recent EL MUERTO comic book, the photo-copied first edition. That moment had always meant a lot to me as a creator, because as a fan myself I had attended plenty of conventions where I was always hoping that one of my favorite artists would be in attendance.

At the time we met back in 19989, Jason was a teenaged kid, and to think all these years later, he's all grown-up and I'm still making comics! He picked up all my latest books and the DVD, and I even gave him one of the live art pieces I did that night.

He's had his Muerto skull tattoo for about 10 years now! Back in 2006, I had invited Jason and his girlfriend to an early screening of the EL MUERTO movie, and I was glad to be able to do that for them. It's so great to have long-time fans like that!

As the SALABRATION was in fact a little celebratory event to commemorate GEEKS owner Sal's birthday, Raul generously created this wonderful painting as an unexpected but supremely appreciated gift:

To say that Sal was impressed and flabbergasted to accept it would be a corker of an understatement! Raul really put a lot into this, and it really summed up the evening for everyone.



By 12:30am, everyone had left. Sal couldn't have been happier. All of us Cartoonistas had a wonderful time, and so did the folks who stopped by to join in the fun. Over the last several years, either solo or with the Cartoonistas, I have done some truly memorable events with Sal. He hosted the Q&A for the EL MUERTO screening during the Whittier Film Festival, my nephew and I had a two-man art show, I've conducted my "DIY Comics:The Secrets of Self-Publishing" seminar there (and in fact will be doing another one this coming Saturday). It's so nice to be able to have a 'home' store that you can partner with for events like this, and make a good friend in the process.

Thanks Sal, and Happy Birthday!

The great line-up of talent that night: (Top row, left to right) John Narcomey, Geo Brawn, Javier Hernandez, Luis Escobar,(Middle row, left to right) Raul Aguirre, Grasiela Rodriguez, Rene (guest for the evening), Jose Cabrera, (Bottom row, left to right) Michael Aushenker and Jim Lujan.

All photos courtesy Jim Lujan Photography, LLC!

CARTOONISTAS back at GEEKS:The Report!

Last night's CARTOONISTAS Live Art event at GEEKS was a true celebration of art and liveliness! This is the second time we've performed there and we were glad to have GEEKS ask us back. I was the first Cartoonista to arrive, and there were already folks waiting for the show!



We had arranged to have some press there for the evening. A photographer from a local paper came to get some pix for an interview we did the previous week at our Cartoonistas meeting. And we also had a crew from the local Time Warner cable network come down for a story. I had met the producer when he interviewed me last year at my radio show, PLANET COMIC BOOK RADIO, and kept in touch with him to promote the Cartoonistas.

The photographer from the paper was pressed for time, so he asked some of us to start drawing before we finished setting up! For some reason, I kind of locked-up..I literally could not think of what to draw. Strangely, having to draw 'on t he spot' froze me up for a second. But, I dived into my own stable of characters and drew a quick sketch of Demolition Dove. Afterwards, I was adequately warmed up (I guess!).

Co-founder Jim Lujan and Grasiela Rodriguez quickly moved into Cartoonista mode. Jim took the coveted place in the front window display (which always draws a crowd of curious pedestrians).



Jim even busted out some acrylics later and between his witty banter and dazzling display of art, he packs in a full house!



Ms. Bernyce Talley made it all the way from across town to set up an easel and work her magic:


Ted Seko and Will Caulfield set up at a table and created their works:




I'm glad we had some good traffic throughout the night, despite some periodic deluges of rain that evening. I was also very happy with the media coverage we got, because that always guarantees we at least get our name and brand out there. For me, personally, I had a great time. I mean, how can you not like meeting complete strangers for the first time and just connect?




An artist attending the Live Art show read the latest El Muerto comic while in the shop and ended up drawing me a pin-up in the store! Thanks to the very talented Joe Torres for the speedy art:



I actually sold some pieces to kids that evening. I hope a photo turns up, but I drew an octopus character of mine (fancy that!) on a bright pink posterboard, and a little girl had her parents buy it! And her brother commissioned me to draw Blade (from the Wesley Snipes films). BLADE!



That evening must have been Kid's Night for me. Another boy, probably around 9 or 10, came up to me and remembered me from the last time we were at GEEKS in November. He had previously bought my Muerto comics, and this time he picked up the Muerto DVD. I was really happy to see a young El Muerto fan. Not just for the obvious reason of having a 'True Fan', but it told me a couple of important things.

One: I've created some comics that, while I would never label them 'Kid's Comics', appeal to a wide range of ages. I've always thought my comics would appeal to High School and up. Maybe not filled to wall-to-wall action, but a compelling enough hero and story to keep people's interest. And while I don't necessarily pepper the El Muerto stories with profanity, sex and violence, I feel comfortable with PG-13-style visuals. I mean, the main character had his heart ripped out of his chest in the origin story! But the content is what you would find in, say, and Indiana Jones flick.
So it's really fullfilling to see a 10 year old read the comics and go along for the ride. The fact that I know he will be able to watch the film, as a fan of the comic, just makes me feel everything I've done has been once again validated.

The other thing I learned, or at least had re-affirmed, is that El Muerto has broad appeal. Not just between men and women, or Latino readers and non-Latino readers, but also young and old. A real connection as a character that people can care about, or at least feel a strong compulsion to follow. The visual elements I've always known have been a strong suit. I unashamedly say that: I know it's an extremely well designed visual, simple in it's execution, heavily based on looks that people adopt for Day of the Dead festivals. But I'm glad I'm the one who took that look and made a comic book character out of it. It helps promote the Day of the Dead culture, and helps me build a character.

I'll expand on this subject of 'Signature Characters' in an upcoming post, but thanks to Aleksi for being such a great El Muerto fan! I even gave him an El Muerto button I was wearing (which he pinned on his jacket later in the evening!). I guess kids ARE reading comics....!

Let me leave off with one last piece I did that night: Rom, SpaceKnight! Yep, that beloved comic book from Marvel Comics back in the early 1980s.



Thanks to everyone who came out and checked out the show. The next Cartoonistas Live Art show is this Valentine's Day at the West Covina Library!

CARTOONISTAS Opening Night-wrap up

Last night's opening night for the month-long CARTOONISTAS art show was a rollickin' good time! The show is hosted by GEEKS comic shop, located in the historic Uptown Whittier section of my fair city.

GEEKS hosted the Q&A for the Uptown Whittier Film Festival screening of EL MUERTO earlier this year. Saturday evening's festivities brought it's own type of fun. All but one of the exhibiting CARTOONISTA's attended (Jose Cabrera was out of town). As usual with these type of events, my picture-taking moments were sporadic at best. But here are some shots:

GRASIELA RODRIGUEZ with her Punisher painting!



WILL CAULFIELD with a digital print of his one and only BAT-BAT!



Me an' JIM LUJAN, fun-lovin' and multi-tasking animator/cartoonist.



Jim had several pieces in the show, all from his classic 'Security Man' toon. Jim's other claim to fame is that he came to me with the dream of uniting area artists into a league that would rival, well, the Mafia, in terms of impact on American culture! I was honored to co-found the Cartoonistas with him. ( Check out the Cartoonistas blog Jimmy maintains for more pix and a cool little video he made...)

Me and Steve Romo, another Whittier artist. Steve actually colored Jim's 'Security Man' pieces, using a real nice application of watercolor. You can see a couple of the pieces above us.



I created three new paintings for the show. One being the first-ever Demolition Dove painting. Appropriate to create it for an Independence Day weekend opening. And in an egg-shaped (well, okay...oval) canvas!



And in honor of their new movies, or perhaps in homage to their classic tv shows I grew up on, Speed Racer and The Incredible Hulk!



A few years ago I had the good fortune to have been contacted by an old friend of mine from my High School days. Raul teaches at a local elementary school in the area, and I've been visiting his class every June for the last three years. Last week he and his wife hosted a little get together at their home. Among the attendees was myself and a mutual friend of ours I had not seen since 1984! My best friend from Jr. High School and into High School, Elias Hernandez! Well, both Raul and Elias came to the opening. The Whittier High School Class of 1984!




Elias, (on the right) and I seemed to have seamlessly picked up where we left off 24 years ago! He still has a box of comic books he collected when I got him into comics. THE HUMAN FLY, Jack Kirby's ETERNALS, SHE-HULk, etc. Wow, the memories are crystal clear and they come flooding back. Very nice to be able to have the three of us long-time Whittier residents finally hook up at the same time again! See guys, all them comics and drawing led me to something cool!

This was a very special night for me personally, no doubt. Sure, I'm always glad to have a chance to exhibit my artwork. And to share the space with so many great artists, especially in our first Cartoonistas group show, that was really gratifying. And having friends dating back to 1980, well, it makes one glad to be alive.





By 10:30pm, everyone had finally cleared out! Here are the final five, starting from the left: Tony Saxon (a friend I met back in college, which would be about....sheesh, 1989/90!), Jennifer and Sal (Sal is another friend from High School that I ran into about 2 years ago. He and I, and a few other artists, formed an art/discussion group called Cesos!), and on the far right, Bernyce Talley (an artist herself, and a best friend to me for several years now....)

Thanks to all the artists and friends for coming out that night. And thanks to GEEKS for hosting the show. The exhibit will be up until August 3rd, so please visit the store if you can!

Live Art at Whittier Library and Art show at GEEKS!

It's a double-whammy for me and my hometown of Whittier, CA! I've got two consecutive art gigs coming up the next two weekends. One is with the Cartoonistas and the other is an two-man art show I'm doing with my nephew Christian. The art show will be held at GEEKS comics shop, and we'll both be exhibiting new paintings!



Coming up first is a Live Art event May 16 at the Whittier Public Library. The same library where about 30 years ago I used to spend a couple of saturday's in row reading books on Norse mythology! At the time I was going through a big kick on Thor, the Marvel Comics hero whose based on the Norse god of thunder. I was fascinated by all the mythology presented in the comics and so I wanted to learn more about the Norse legends from the source.

I approached the library some months ago regarding an appearance for myself, but I also mentioned that I was a member of the Cartoonistas and they ended up booking the group as well. The library gigs are my favorite of all the events the Cartoonistas do. The kids are always responsive and the staffs are very attentive. If you're in the area on May 16, pleaese come by and watch us do our magic!

On May 23 GEEKS will be hosting 'Making Believe' the two-man art show for my nephew Christian Silva and myself. Christian will be out of high school a few weeks later, but he's really excited to be doing his debut art show.





I'll write (and show!) more about this exhibit as we get nearer to the date, but mark this one on your calendar as well! I'd love to see any fans at either of these events!