GEEKS CON 2 coming to GEEKS Comics June 16

GEEKS Comics will be hosting their second installment of their micro-comic convention.....

Yes, GEEKS CON 2: COMIC BOOK BOOGALOO! Saturday, June 16, from 12 Noon thru 5pm. Pick up some comics for your Father's Day gift-giving! I'll be there with lots of other local independent comic book creators. I'll have all my books and Poster Comics and prints and stuff....

Check out the Facebook invite, and make plans to visit your friendly neighborhood comics show. It's FREE to attend, and it's held inside GEEKS, the fashionable comic shop located in Uptown Whittier.

GEEKS
6747 Greenleaf Ave. Suite A
Whittier CA 90601

Last night's comic book release parties for FOREVER FRESHMAN and USMZ

So last night I attended two release parties for two, new different comic books.

"USMZ" by Roman Montes de Oca.

 

"Forever Freshman", Issue #1, by Ray Mendivil & Neil Segura. 

Roman's event was held in the Art District in Downtown Pomona, a lively neighborhood featuring many art studios and galleries. The release party was held at the Foggy Windowz Gallery, and Roman's artwork was on display, as well as his brand new comic book.

 

Roman's book deals with a Marine squadron pulling back into port after months overseas and landing right in the middle of a zombie infestation! Roman's story has that air of authenticity about it due to his tenure as a Marine years previously. The zombie stuff....well, we'll have to ask him what his experiences are there!

I visited his home studio some time ago and he showed me the progress of his book. He also gave me a mechanical pencil, the kind you can use with replaceable leads. Since then, I bought another one and use them with non-photo blue leads for drawing my layouts as well as using graphite leads for drawing with. He got me hooked on mechanical pencils and now my Ticonderoga #2 HB pencils sit unused in a cup by my desk......

It was very cool to see Roman debuting his book there amongst the many art galleries that were open that evening. The great thing about comics is that they don't have to only be confined to comic book stores and conventions. They're art, so anywhere were art is displayed and sold is a potential market for a book. I got there at about 6, but when I eventually left the area the streets were streaming with people walking from gallery to gallery. Roman got the word out, as he had plenty of people stopping by to pick up the book.

I left the Pomona area around 8pm and headed back to Whittier, as there was another comic book release party going on with another friend of mine.

GEEKS Comics was packed with people when I arrived. Everyone was there for the release of FOREVER FRESHMAN. 

Good ol' Neil Segura. He and his friend Ray Medivil created this comic as a way to relive, and greatly embellish, many of their High School antics they had together. 

Ray and Neil had actually debuted the comic at San Diego Comic Con a month prior, but this was a chance for all their local fans, friends and family to pick up a copy of the book. They put on a really good show, with raffles, food, artwork and general fun being had by all.

If you read my blog on Friday, you'll remember that both Roman and Neil had taken my DIY COMICS CRASH COURSE right there in GEEKS itself exactly one year and one day ago! So it was nice to come back to the scene of the crime, where it all began....

Congrats to all three of these creators, Ray, Neil and Roman, for completing their books. We all have a myriad of different reasons for creating our stories and self-publishing our work. But that evening was real fun to experience. Comics, like most art, takes a lot of work. So it's great to see people spending the time, making the sacrifices necessary, to make their dreams a reality.

Two release parties for two new comic books!

This Saturday night is a big weekend for new comic book creators. There are two comic book release parties going on in the Whittier and Pomona areas. I'll be attending both, showing my support and having some free food and fun.

Roman Montes de Oca is releasing his new comic book, USMZ, at the Foggy Windowz Gallery in Pomona. 

 

Meanwhile, an hour later, Ray Mendivil and Neil Segura will be throwing a release party for their new comic book, FOREVER FRESHMAN, at GEEKS in Whittier.

I'm really glad for these guys, as they're all hardworking artists and slugged away at finishing their comic book projects. And I must say, I'm particularly keen on the fact that two of them, Neil and Roman, actually attended my DIY COMICS CRASH COURSE last year at GEEKS comic shop. It was back on August 12, 2010, almost exactly one year ago from their release parties! 

Roman and Neil are the 2nd & 3rd from the Left. Me, I'm the Prof. Xavier of the group, sitting down and thinking "Hmmm...So who's going to be the first to put out a comic book..."

I guess I should open up an institution called Professor Javier's School for Gifted Cartoonists. Or I could go the Magneto route and form The Brotherhood of Evil Comic Creators!

Granted, they were already working on their projects at the time, and would no doubt have self-published their work. But they were still interested enough in taking the course, and there was plenty of discussion in the class about the do's and dont's of creating one's own comics.

Congrats to Ray, Neil and Roman for publishing their books. I'll be at both releases, and will be the first to ask "So, when's the next issue coming out?".

A question, mind you, that people never stop asking! (Trust me, I'm speaking from personal experience!).

Agimat Sweet + Evil art show

GEEKS Comics in Whittier last night was the host to the 'Sweet + Evil' art show from Agimat Entertainment. Agimat is the endeavor of Adonna and Arvie Villanueva,  a couple whose products range from web comics to video games.

The art show was also a launch party for their newest video game release, E-VILLE, which is available via iTunes for play on the iPad and iPhone. E-VILLE is the follow-up to their first video game, SHADOWCANDY.

I realized once I got home I didn't take any photos of Arvie's paintings! But, Adonna and Arvie have done such a brilliant job in branding, their character were seen everywhere during the show. Paper dolls or custom cupcakes, they had their creations everywhere!

They also DJ Todd Tochiokaz (who doubles as a comic creator himself!) spinning tunes all night, as well as J-pop singer Stephanie Yanez:

CRYING MACHO MAN web comic creator Jose Cabrera actually voiced the main character in E-VILLE, Jim Bob! Here's Jose getting himself killed over and over again....

 

In addition to all this fun stuff, Agimat also had an open call to artists to customize DEEGO figures, a new line of blank vinyl dolls from Spanish toy maker DEEGO TOYS. The dolls had to be designed as one of Agimat's many characters, but the materials were open to whatever the artist wanted to use.

 My own contribution was to take their MUMMY character from the new E-VILLE game and dress him up in with the accessories from their ninja character HIRO from their first video game, SHADOWCANDY.

I

The show was a real event, and believe, I've been involved in plenty myself at GEEKS over the last 2 years or so, and I have to say that this one is one for the record books! Tons of great art, music, food, video games.... And lots of very friendly people to talk to. 

Dia de Los Muertos in Whittier, and memories of Greenleaf

Yesterday, Sunday the 24, I spent the day at the Uptown Whittier Dia de Los Muertos festival. They've been running this for a few years now, and this is the first time I've signed here in a couple of years. They closed off two blocks of the main street, Greenleaf Ave., and had artist booths, food vendors and music to help celebrate the occasion.

I was stationed in front of GEEKS Comics, right on the sidewalk, courtesy of my good friend Sal Felix. 

A couple of the kids from my current comic book workshops came by to visit, including Matthew, a talented artist and fashionable dresser:

One thing that became clear to me, not just this day but at Saturday's Dia de Los Muertos event in nearby Rose Hills, was the amount of saturation the film EL MUERTO has made in the general public by now. First released on DVD in 2007, the film, always an independent underdog, has had an extremely long life on cable. I had various people stop by my tables both days and mention that they had seen the film on television, some had even caught one of the local screenings we had played at a few years ago.


Obviously your standard Hollywood film gets a wide release and usually is known by a certain percentage of the public. But our independent film EL MUERTO seems to have built up a slow but gradual audience in it's time. While I always assumed this would be the case, to have these encounters with people still catches me by surprise.

I had one guy stop by and recognize me immediately. Apparently, he had interviewed me back in 2003 for his college newspaper (or it may have been High School). He mentioned that at the time I had talked about getting a movie option, and now years later he sees me selling the DVD of the film. I'll often meet up with people who had met me years before at an event, and then years later we catch up once again. Things like that don't make me feel necessarily older, but they do remind me that what I do, my life as an artist, is such an integral part of my existence, like getting up in the morning and brushing my teeth. 


The view of Greenleaf from my table:

Ah yes, good ol' Greenleaf. When I look at this photograph, I look at those trees and realize they must be the exact same trees that were there back in the 70s, when my parents would take me and my siblings to Ambrose Pizza, the 'best pizza in the world' I would proclaim with all the authority of a 10 year old. When I was in my early teens, I would ride my bike to Greenleaf and spend a day visiting the numerous books stores, both for new books and used books (mostly comics, actually). Bookland, just a few doors up from where GEEKS is now, has been closed for probably 10 years or so. But I used to go there and buy my new comics when I wanted to see what was available beyond the spinner racks at the supermarkets and 7-11 stores I'd normally buy my books at.


It was at Bookland that I used to sometimes buy the trade paperback
collections that Stan Lee (Marvel Comics creator) would write, such as ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS and BRING ON THE BAD GUYS. Those books, which offered the behind-the-scenes stories of the early Marvel classics, were so instrumental in my realizing that I also wanted to create my own comics. I'll have to post about those particular books at a later date.....

Besides Bookland, there were about 3 used bookstores on Greenleaf and the surrounding streets. The Little Old Bookshop, Ames Used Books and one other store. All of them had small sections set aside for used comic books, dating back about 5 or 10 years. Just digging through those little piles of comics was such a treat, never knowing what you would find by flipping through the issues. That was my Ebay back then, without the Paypal fees! Sometimes I'd find some books from the 60s (the ancient stuff!), and slowly build up my collection and knowledge, of the characters and equally important to me, the creators.


In the 1984, one afternoon after High School, I discovered that an actual comic book store had opened..in Whittier, on Greenleaf. The Fortune Bookie, owned by John Franco (who later on became a good friend of mine). To have finally been able to walk into an honest to gosh comic book store as a High Schooler was just a milestone! Plus John also carried movie memorabilia, which worked out well for me (and him too!) as I was becoming a huge James Bond film fan and picked up a cool A VIEW TO A KILL teaser poster at the shop.

There was a time in the late 80s that Hollywood came to visit Greenleaf. They actually filmed several scenes of MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE there, and me and my friend Rick O'Neil would hang around the evenings and watch the proceedings. Skeletor's spaceship was hovering over the streets of Whittier those evenings, and it was a total trip to have been there when it happened!



(The trailer for MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE. Check out Greenleaf in it's moment of glory! And for those reading this blog post via Facebook, here's the Youtube link)

Flash forward years later, to about 2004 or so, and I find myself working for John Franco at the latest incarnation of his store, The Hobby Connection. I was between jobs, and for about 8 months or so I worked as a salesclerk in the comic shop. I actually enjoyed the experience, as it gave me an insight into the comic book world I hadn't yet experienced, the comics retailer angle. By now I was already publishing my own comics books, and having been a fan, and buyer of comics, working as a retailer was another rung on the ladder to being a total comic book junkie!


In 2008, I even had the chance to screen EL MUERTO at the Whittier Independent Film Festival, for which we actually won Best Feature! After the screening, we held a Q&A at GEEKS Comics with myself, director Brian Cox and Co-producer Susan Rodgers.

In the last two years or so, either on my own or with other artists, I've had numerous events here at GEEKS. Art shows, live art, seminars, classes. These and all the various experiences I've had along Greenleaf or the surrounding streets adds up to a lifetime of memories. Greenleaf, and the city of Whittier, is named after poet John Greenleaf Whittier, who never set foot in our street or town. But I'm glad to have a well-traveled journey along these streets, and expect to have lots more stories to tell about Greenleaf.

Didn't plan to turn this Dia de Los Muertos event review into an 'Ode to Greenleaf', but there you go. The muse called and I answered.

How I spent my birthday weekend.

Photo courtesy Jim Lujan Photographic Services, Ltd.

Over this past weekend, starting Friday April 23, I celebrated my birthday with a zest and vigor reserved for kid's birthday parties!

Why?

WHY NOT!? What's not to appreciate about life, and ourselves, as we get older? Some people don't try to acknowledge their own birthdays. I'm not saying you have to run around the neighborhood screaming "It's my birthday!" at the top of your lungs, but don't bury it in a fatalistic fit of denial. Getting older is just a natural step.

I'm glad, considering what can happen to any of us at any moment of our lives, to have been able to mark another year on this big, blue marble. As you can read from my blog, I have had a tremendous amount of fun and fulfillment in the past year, much of it stemming from being an artist. And like everyone else, I have to face the same things common to us all. Living issues, health concerns, family dynamics, relationships, struggles, setbacks, dreams and accomplishments. But unless you really learn to deal with it all, and learn from them all, how can you appreciate the great things you experience?

On Friday, I went with some friends to the Getty Villa, located on the coast in Malibu. They had an exhibit called 'AZTEC PANTHEON', featuring art from pre-Colombian Mexico. As my comic book EL MUERTO deals with Aztec mythology, I had read many books on the subject, but to see some truly amazing examples in person was quite an inspiring event. The exhibit runs till July 5, and I wholeheartedly recommend a visit. The Getty Villa is itself a beautiful treasure to behold, and if you go during perfect weather like I did, you'll double the enjoyment.

A sketch I drew while standing before this statue of the goddess 'Cihuacoatl'

Later that evening, I went with my friend Irma to see THE LOSERS. The film was extremely fun, not too heavy on taking itself serious, for sure! Two of it's charismatic actors, Chris Evans (The Human Torch & now Captain America) and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Comedian from THE WATCHMEN), really made the film that much more enjoyable.

Saturday evening my good friend Jim Lujan (Ghettomation filmmaker) took me out for some classic burgers at Bob's Big Boy and some comic shop hopping! Our bar hopping days are way behind us now (if we even ever had them!), but we managed to make it to HOUSE OF SECRETS in Burbank, MELTDOWN COMICS in Los Angeles and GEEKS in Whittier. Picked up an eclectic stack of books myself, including Gilbert Hernandez's new THE TROUBLEMAKERS, Dave Sim's JUDENHASS and Bosch Fawstin's TABLE FOR ONE.

But the big catch for that day was this fabulous piece of art made for me by Jim:

He included a bunch of my characters from my current sketchbook, THE COMIC POP SKETCHBOOK. I was completely flabbergasted by this gift. Jim's often given me some really nice drawings, and this one has to top them all! It's always a great feeling as a cartoonist when someone draws one of your characters, but to see this whole family of Hernandez cartoon offspring was mind-boggling! A truly priceless gift, for sure. Thanks again, Jim. You're a true keeper!

Sunday found me at Trump National Golf Club in Palos Verde. Nope, I wasn't there to golf, but me and my friend Ted Seko (cartoonist extraoridnaire) went for a hike along the rocky coast at Trump National. The view of the Pacific Ocean is always stunning, and the talks Ted and I had about life and art were as monumental as the majestic cliffs we were walking across. Nothing like surveying your life right there where the mighty, expansive ocean is gently crashing into the rocky coastline. A dinner afterwards at an Asian seafood buffet led to talk about new artistic opportunities, and some geek speak on favorite comics and manga.

A pretty solid weekend, for sure. In between had some lunch with my parents and older sister, and a visit by my older brother. Family and friend, Life and Art, food and comics. A great birthday weekend, for sure. And I made sure to make it so. It makes getting older a real pleasure.

DIY COMICS CRASH COURSE coming to GEEKS comics in Whittier!

If you've wanted to self-publish your own comic books but weren't sure where to begin, consider taking my new class, "DIY COMICS CRASH COURSE", at GEEKS comic shop this coming March.

This 3-part class is an expanded series taken from my "DIY COMICS: The Secrets of Self-Publishing" seminars (which I've given previously at GEEKS and the Portland Comic Convention). In the CRASH COURSE, you'll learn about strategies to prepare you for self-publishing your comic book, as well as learning about the many available resources you should use to promote and build your brand name.

I started publishing my own comics in 1998, and since then I've learned quite a lot about branding my art, and myself as an artist, that I had not even imagined before I started publishing. My goal for the class is to share these insights with you and educate you on the many pitfalls of the difficult road to self-published comics. We're not going to be drawing or writing a comic book in the class, but we will discuss elements of storytelling, particularly how, ultimately, it's your personal voice that you're really selling to people.

My overriding theme in doing my own comics over the years has been the complete freedom in following my own ambitions. Since starting in 1998, I've sold my comics through comic shops, specialty bookstores, comic conventions, book festivals, art galleries, the internet and other venues. We'll discuss how to do that by working with others, as well as relying on yourself.

DIY COMICS CRASH COURSE 3-day class
Dates:
MARCH 8, 9 & 10

Time:
8:15 pm - 9:15 pm daily

Place:
GEEKS
6747 Greenleaf Ave
Suite A
Whittier CA 90601
Ph. 562.696.9393

Cost:
$50 per attendee (includes the DIY COMICS CRASH COURSE Handbook)

Download the Registration Form, fill it out and mail (or drop off) to GEEKS with your payment. If you have any questions about the class, email me at misterjav@gmail.com 

DIY COMICS CRASH COURSE coming to GEEKS comics in Whittier!

This Saturday, Feb. 13, at GEEKS Comics in Whittier, I'll be conducting my free seminar, DIY COMICS: THE SECRETS OF SELF-PUBLISHING. The talk starts at 2 pm. During the seminar, we'll be announcing the brand new DIY COMICS CRASH COURSE I'll be teaching there in March!

I've conducted my free DIY COMICS: THE SECRETS OF SELF-PUBLISHING previously at GEEKS as well as at the 2009 PORTLAND COMIC BOOK SHOW, each time receiving an enthusiastic response. Folks want to make their own comics, and that's great. I'll be sharing things I've learned over my 12 years since publishing my first comics.

GEEKS, 6747 Greenleaf Ave. Suite #A, Whittier, CA 90601 (click for map)

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!

My DIY comics seminar I taught this past weekend

On Saturday, I conducted a seminar on self-publishing comics at GEEKS, our friendly, neighborhood, upscale comic book shop nestled in Uptown Whittier.

The seminar was suggested to my by Sal, our man at GEEKS. Many of his customers had asked him for advice on self-publishing, so he thought I would be a good candidate to approach. I thought it was a great idea, as I like sharing my insights and experience with others, and I was actually curious to see what type of turnout we would have on a Labor Day weekend.

At one point, we had filled all 30 seats, with several folks standing for the nearly 2-hour seminar. It was scheduled for 1 hour, and some folks has to leave at the hour mark, but most stayed, asking questions on everything from copyrights to how much time it takes to finish a book.



There were a few people in attendance who are already creating their own books/web comics, but most seemed interested in learning just how to go about getting started. The one thing I tried to get across is the amount of work, time and passion you have to put into publishing your own comics. And of course to always think of expressing your own voice first, rather than primarily looking at this as a way to make tons of money. Making money is a perfectly legit goal (I know I pursue every time I print a book, but the basis of my comics are creating unique, personal expressions of art).

One of my four talking points was 'DON'T CREATE IN A VACUUM'. Which is a shortened way of saying don't create 32 completed pages of a comic book, and then try to find out about printers, conventions, networking, etc. Think of your comic from every aspect before you decide to self-publish (because obviously, 'self' means you are going to it on your own, and 'publishing' means printing the books, arranging distribution, marketing, selling, etc). Learn from others how to go about getting your book in people's hands, making contacts with retail outlets, internet marketing and more. With the same passion and commitment that you use in creating your stories, writing your scripts and drawing your pages.

The first reward you're going to get is that you created something on your own, and produced a physical manifestation of it with your own money. The second half of the equation is that you have to get the word out about you and your work (because branding yourself and your work as one inseparable entity is your brand!).

These are all my own thoughts on self-publishing. Everyone will have different ways to approach the subject. But my experiences and successes and setbacks all come from my personal way of doing things, and by sharing those with others, it gives them examples of how things can be done. For me, sharing ways to make comics, and encouraging others to do so, doesn't create more competition for me. It just makes more people aware of the possibility to have their own voice in comics.



In my 11 years of self-publishing, I've met every type of creator: some of the miserable, self-loathing variety, others full of pompous hype, the ever present wannabe-Hollywood player, and worse. But I've also seen far more creators who are having fun with their work, working hard to get better and build their audience, and innovative, creatively inspiring artists just trying 'to make an honest buck'.

You can't teach or guide people to fall in any group, but you can do your best to inspire them positively by your example. That's what I hope I do for others.

The photos I used to illustrate this blog were taken by a wonderfully nice couple who attended my workshop. Adonna & Arvie from Agimat Comics (shown below), which features their debut web comic SHADOW CANDY. Looks like they hit the ground running in launching their web comic. I wasn't aware of their work before, but I'm really glad I got the chance to meet them. Check out their site and subscribe to their comic! And don't forget to follow em on TWITTER!



And thanks also to Sal at GEEKS for suggesting and hosting this event. Everyone tells him how much they love his clean, attractive, friendly store, and you should too! And
thanks as well to everyone who attended. The pleasure was all mine!

Now I guess I better get started on my long-gestating handbook I've been meaning to write on D.I.Y. comics publishing, right?!