Readers of my blog will recall the various postsI've written previously about the Fly, the real-life, costumed Canadian stuntman who appeared in his own comic book published by Marvel Comics from 1977-1979. The entire 19 issue series was written by Bill Mantlo, one of my favorites.
Well, there's a whole new comic book featuring the return of The Human Fly....
The rights to the character are now owned by Human Fly International Inc., comprised of a filmmaking trio who are making a movie based on the true-life story behind the Human Fly! Screenwriter Tony Babinski, director Steven Goldmann and producer Alan Brewer have commissioned a new series of Human Fly comics, and the first issue is debuting this weekend at San Diego Comic Con.
Producer Alan Brewer (L) and Editor-in-Chief/cartoonist Michael Aushenker at San Deigo Comic Con.
My good friend Michael Aushenker, cartoonist extraordinaire, was contacted by Team Fly to put together the first issue of NEW ADVENTURES OF THE HUMAN FLY and he's pulled off quite a feat. Michael was able to secure new artwork from some of the artists who worked on the original book: Bob Layton, Steve Leialoha, Don Perlin and Al Milgrom, who drew the cover for the first issue of the original series:
In addition to those veteran artists, there are stories and pinups illustrated by independent cartoonists such as Rafael Navarro (who illustrated the cover), Paul Mason, John Heebink, Jim Rugg and others. Michael wrote and drew one of the stories as well. And....I was able to contribute a pin-up myself!
Originally, I was slated to illustrate one of the stories, but unfortunately, due to an extremely busy workload at the time, I had to withdraw. However, I was able to produce this image, which of course I was happy to do.
While I wasn't able to commit to the deadline for drawing a story, my schedule eventually cleared up somewhat and I was able to work on the production of the actual book. That meant getting all the pages the artists had produced and formatting it for the printer. I worked with Michael on designing the cover, as well as the overall layout of the book. The filmmakers collaborated as well, so the final book represents a team effort worthy of the Human Fly.
A fan of the Fly from the first issue back in 1977, it was pretty exciting to work on the new book, some 36 years after the fact. Opening the files as Michael forwarded them to me, seeing new Fly artwork by some classic Marvel veteran artists, was surreal. And of course seeing the new stories as they were completed was fun, too.
It's interesting when you work on a property you were such a fan of as a child...
Earlier this year, I was working on the planning of the San Gabriel Valley Comic Book Expo (which was organized by the Nuvein Foundation), and I had the idea to bring the Fly into the mix. Michael had produced two new paintings of the Human Fly, and I asked him if he'd let me use one of the paintings for the official poster for the Comic Book Expo. He was delighted, so then I secured permission from the Human Fly International group and...Ta-Dah!
Far as I know, it's the only time the Human Fly has ever been used on a comic book convention poster, so this was a cool stunt to pull off! I'll be joining the promotion of the book for an LA signing, so stay tuned to my blog for info on that. In the meantime, check out this vintage promotional video on the real-life Human Fly:
So here's a new type of show I'll be exhibiting at this weekend.
Yep, PANCAKES AND BOOZE! (Or click here if you want to see their Facebook Event listing...). An honest-to-gosh Art Show, with live art and live music, art vendors, drinks and...pancakes!
My friend & fellow cartoonist Michael Aushenker, who I'll be spitting a table with, informed me about this show. As it's a local venue, and a different crowd and vibe than the usual comic conventions, I thought it'd be a great idea to try it.
The show is being held in Downtown LA at LOT 613. Address is 613 Imperial Street, Los Angeles, California 90021. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday, 8pm-2am.
I'll be bringing along my catalog of comic books and Poster Comics. I'll have some original artwork as well. At any rate, I expect to at least expose my work to a new audience.
It's $5 at the door, ages 21 and over. Hope to see some of you there!
This is my second post in my week-long look back at legendary Marvel Comics writer/editor/publisher Stan Lee, and the influence he's had on my own work. For my first post of STAN LEE WEEK, click here.
On one of my bookshelves, I have a collection of books featuring biographies and collections of work by Stan Lee. (Next to a collection of Steve Ditko comics and compilations. More on him later!). Two of those books have had an everlasting impact on me, both as a young fan and more importantly I feel, on the way I would eventually create my own comics.
Back in the middle 1970s, I was already buying my own Marvel Comics at my local 7-11, as well as on trips to the markets with mom. I also started shopping at a local bookstore called BOOKLAND, located on Greenleaf Ave in the heart of Uptown Whittier. What I loved about Bookland was not just that they carried a complete selection of all the newest comics, but behind the front counter (I always assumed it was for the most prestigious books!) they carried the recently-published paperback books from Simon & Schuster written by Stan Lee. And the one my eager eyeballs zeroed in on was ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS!
ORIGINS, which I had read about in Lee's STAN'S SOAPBOX (more on that later) as well as seen numerous times in various ads throughout the comics I bought, was a collection of the first issues and origin tales of the initial wave of Marvel Superheroes. THE FANTASTIC FOUR, THE HULK, SPIDER-MAN, THOR and DR. STRANGE. Not only were there first appearances reprinted, but Stan had written introductions to each title, presenting the reader with the 'behind-the-scenes' secrets on how the characters were created.
What struck me about his collaborations with artists Jack Kirby (Fantastic Four, Hulk and Thor) and Steve Ditko (Spider-man & Dr. Strange) was the "Marvel Method" Stan employed. After coming up with the initial idea for the book, he'd call in one of the artists and either discuss the plot or give them a few lines of what the story was about. The artist would then proceed to basically create the whole story in the form of the artwork, designing all the characters, their visual personalities, the pacing of the stories and environments they lived in. Staring at pages of wordless artwork, Stan would then have to create the dialogue from scratch, using the artwork as the map of the story. It's been shown that Kirby would include his own dialogue and narration, which Stan, as the credited writer and editor, chose to either follow or change to his own liking.
(Over the years, this method of collaboration has led to some differences of opinion between Stan and Kirby & Ditko. I'll be addressing those concerns later as well.)
As a young 'Marvelite' however, the ORIGINS book really opened my eyes to the very idea of creating characters. Forming a character based on a variety of influences and interests, and shaping those into an interesting character with unique traits and personalities. While it was the actual comics themselves that entertained me with their fascinating and far-out characters and artwork, Stan's explanations for the origins of the characters really planted the seeds in my mind about using my imagination to conjure up my own comic book characters.
A few year ago, in 2007, I was invited by my good friend Michael Aushenker to the annual CAPS (Cartoon Art Professional Society) banquet, where they honor a guest from the comics/cartooning field. Stan was the guest for the year, and Michael knew I'd want to be there. I had met Stan several times over the years at various signings, but to meet him now that I was publishing my own comics, and at an industry banquet, was too good an opportunity to pass up.
I had asked Michael if it would be okay if I brought along a book for Stan to sign. Michael was very honest and told me that I could, but suggested we play it by ear if we brought in our books to the building, as this was an industry banquet with a lot of professional cartoonists and bothering the guest of honor for an autograph might be inappropriate.
Well, I brought along my well-worn copy of ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS, hoping I would have a chance to get it signed. When we got to the lobby of the facility, I noticed a cluster of 'professional cartoonists' huddled around the guest of honor, taking photographs with him and getting his autograph! I figured 'to heck with etiquette' and pulled out my book to get signed as well!
Eventually they had Stan sit down, so everyone formed a long line behind the table as Stan freely chatted with every autograph-seeking pro. Standing in line in front of me was veteran, award-winning cartoonist Stan Sakai (USAGI YOJIMBO) and his daughter, getting some Spider-Man action figures autographed.
Stan Sakai and daughter getting a signature, and behind them I prepare to get my lucky Sharpie ready for Stan's magic. To my right is bon vivant/cartoonist Michael Aushenker, and to his right is our pal and fellow DIY comic creator, Rafael Navarro.
When it was my turn to sit and visit with Stan, I told him "Stan, I've been carrying around this copy of ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS for over 30 years. I think I deserve an autograph!". He didn't miss a beat, saying "Oh yeah, sure. Let's have it!"
Score!! Three cartooning True Believers victorious once more!
ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS showed me how heroes were created, and also how heroes of mine created those characters. Some of that insight inspired me later on when I wanted to come up with my own characters. Whatever I paid for that book in the late 70s was money well spent! Next time I'll talk about another book written by Stan that also opened my eyes to the world of creating comics, HOW TO DRAW COMICS THE MARVEL WAY.
Another APE (Alternative Press Expo) has come and gone.....
This was my 13th APE in a row as an exhibitor, and there was a bit of growth going on at the Concourse Convention Center this year. The exhibit hall was actually expanded for the first time in years. Last year there were 325 exhibitors, with this year the floor map shows just over 700 tables!!
I expanded my table's selection by debuting my brand-new book, COMIC POP, as well as a selection of Muerto Sketch Dolls. New product has always been key for me at APE, having practically debuted a new comic book or mini-comic at each and every show.
Another thing you want to have at these shows are decent table neighbors (or a reasonable facsimile thereof!). Fortunately I was sitting next to A.J. Herrera & Justin White:
They're the writer and artist behind ZOMBIE KILL SQUAD, which led to the naming of our corner set-up at APE the Zombie Kill Korner (I just wrote that, we never once called it that the whole weekend!).
Positioned directly in front of me was Audra Furuichi, artist of the NEMU*NEMU webcomic.
Audra came all the way from Hawaii, and even shared with me some genuine Hawaiin candies she brought! How's that for an overcast, drizzly weekend in San Francisco?
Me and long-time pal Rafael Navarro. (Notice Rafael and I are holding our favorite purchases from APE. Me with the brand-new issue of LOVE & ROCKETS by the Hernandez Bros., Raf with a copy of his sketchbook!!)
Raf and I actually scouted out our first APE together back in 1996, when we had both decided to try out this whole self-publishing thing. We drove up North to meet other artists and exhibitors, find out about table prices and printing costs, etc. Nowadays I guess you'd just Google 'self-publishing', but back in the old days...!!
Jim Lujan, the founder of the whole Ghettomation cartoon art form that's sweeping the planet, was actually debuting as a first-time APE exhibitor!
My friend Ricardo Padilla (after I called him out for manufacturing and flagrantly wearing a bootleg El Muerto T-shirt!):
Ricardo's a great friend though (outside of his morally questionable act of piracy!), and was kind enough to host me at his home. He actually curated my solo art show earlier this year, "COMIC POP: Art by Javier Hernandez". His whole family is very supportive of my work, and his wife and daughter are true gems. Plus they always take me to the most mouth-watering food places in the city!
The always vivacious Bernyce Talley, comic book creator and illustrator:
Erik Arreaga, the infamous Phour Nyne Guy, who I've met a few years ago on the convention circuit:
Met up with several other artist friends on the floor, which always leads to some great talk about catching up with the latest goings on, as well as some neat discussions on art and craft. Nothing like talking to people in person, in this age of blogs, social networks and podcasting.
I actually expected that my sales would have reflected the growth in size of the show itself. But in retrospect, judging by the amount of actual visitors to my table, it seems that the audience may not have grown as quick as the number of new exhibitors. Mind you, I don't have the figures for attendance versus last year, so it could be that mysterious variable at play here, the one where sometimes you just do better or worse one year than the other. By the time I tallied up my sales for this weekend, this definitely wasn't my weakest showing. I know I still have some room to improve in terms of making APE my most consistently profitable show year after year.
Sunday was slow for me the first part of the day, which picked up in the afternoon. There was a flurry of sales near the very end of the show (among them, artist Brent Anderson and his family actually stopped by and bought some comics!). Talking to some of the other exhibitors, there definitely seemed to be somewhat of a softening of sales this year. Seems that the more inexpensive items sold better, which considering the still flatlined economy, is expected.
I'll be curious to see at next year's APE if the amount of exhibitors increases or contracts (I'm guessing increases, judging by the number of conventions that are experiencing a growth in table sales). But I really want to see if overall there is a marked surge in attendees.
But I will be back. This is still my favorite show to do. There are always new fans buying the books, the friendships I reconnect with once a year are always rewarding, the meals and times outside the convention hall are memorable. And the challenge to make new work, find the right mix of products to carry, will always draw me to the show.
After a great meal at Taqueria El Farolito (where I had me a humoungous Shrimp burrito) we converged at Mitchell's Ice Cream, the only place for ice cream I wait outside in the cold, late night drizzle for, year after year.
Michael Aushenker, Raul Aguirre and me. Raul, cartoonist and host of the MAN VS. ART podcast, was attending his first APE as an exhibitor. Michael was actually my carpool buddy for this trip. I think I've probably shared more rides with him to APE than anyone else. It's always a non-stop gab fest on the ride to and from LA, and the great times we have at the show always produce great memories, and great blog material!
Since 'sneak peeks' are quite popular at comic book conventions, I'd like to give you a preview of my upcoming comic book project:
COMIC POP is a really special anthology. Besides having a brand new autobiographic story from me, 'DOS MIL DIEZ' (Spanish for 2010), I'll also be reprinting 5 short stories I've worked on that many of my readers may not be aware of. The cover is pretty much the final version, but once I'm done putting the whole book together I'll most likely tinker with some of the text and add the price.
Let me start with the reprints. Over the years I've worked on various comics with some good friends of mine. I work with them on a project, they work with me on a project. That's what friends do. Or at least the ones I have! When I got the idea for these, I asked each artist for permission to reprint the story. These comics, for the most part, appeared in their own titles, so I just wanted to make sure they would be okay with this. In each case, of course, permission was granted!
Here's the rundown of the stories:
WEAPON TEX-MEX in "DESTROY ALL MEXICANS":
This is actually my first-ever published comic, a year before the first El Muerto comic debuted. I was invited by the publishers of HOT MEXICAN LOVE COMICS to contribute a story to the latest book, and at the time I was already working on the first El Muerto story. I didn't want to knock out a quickie Muerto comic, so I came up with Weapon Tex-Mex, kinda in the vein of the Thing (Fantastic Four): A big lug with a heart of gold. So in 1997, when HOT MEXICAN LOVE was published, I had my debut as a published cartoonist. The original comic was in black and white, I added the gray tones this year when I published the WANTED:WEAPON TEX-MEX mini-comic for the Phoenix Comic Con. (A few copies remain in the JAVZILLA WEB SHOP)
EL GATO CRIME MANGLER
Left, one of my pages, on the right, Michael Aushenker's cover
My friend Michael Aushenker's CRIME MANGLER series is filled with gonzo comedy featuring an oaf of a masked mexican wrestler and his misadventures in 1930s Los Angeles. For his NINE LOVES OF EL GATO (2003) romance comic, he had 9 artists each illustrate a chapter, dealing with an ex-girlfriend. He asked me to draw one of the stories, for which he provided a script. That was actually the first time I ever drew from a script, but the story was heavy on wrestling action so I had a ball with it. I even snuck in a cameo with the legendary WWE commentator team of Jesse 'The Body Ventura' and Gorilla Monsoon! This is one of the early comics I did where I used Sharpie markers. They can be cumbersome for detailed drawings, but I liked the chunky look it gave the story.
MASKS OF SONAMBULO
Left, a page of art drawn by Ted Seko, script by me, on the right, Rafael Navarro's painted cover.
This was an interesting collaboration. Rafael Navarro, creator of the Xeric Award-winning SONAMBULO comic, was putting together his own anthology, featuring stories written and drawn by others. He asked me to contribute to MASKS OF SONAMBULO (2003), and I immediately thought to ask Ted Seko if he'd be willing to illustrate a story I would write. Ted and I had previously worked together on "SKYMAN AND MANGA MUERTO Vs THE MONSTER MEKS", so we had already established a routine for working together. For this Sonambulo tale, I wanted to do a story with Sonambulo as a young kid, where he meets an old witch who foretells the future he will grow into. It wasn't an origin story, but it was nice for Rafael to let me delve into Sonambulo's early life.
EL MUERTO:MARK OF MICLANTEHCUHTLI
This mini-comic was created for the 2007 DVD release of EL MUERTO. When it came time to working with the distributor for ideas about what to include in the DVD, I suggested we include a comic book. After giving them a budget, I set out on what turned out to be an amazing final product. I wrote the script and provided loose pencil layouts and hired Mort Toddfor the finished artwork, inks, gray tones and lettering. He's been working in cartoons and comics since his teenage years, becoming Editor-in-Chief of CRACKED Magazine in 1985 at the age of 23. We actually met some years previously via an Ebay transaction, believe it or not! Mort's tremendously talented and prolific, and his production values, as evident in the above image, really made this story sing!
EL MUERTO MEETS BALDO
In 2008, El Muerto made his foray into the newspaper funnies! I had met the creators of the BALDO newspaper strip, writer Hector Cantu and artist Carlos Castellanos, a year previously when we were all guests of the SAN DIEGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL. We hit it off real good. So good that the day we were scheduled to speak to a roomful of schoolkids, we were scrambling to rush from our noontime lunch of Mexican food and margaritas! At the time the mentioned that they would like to have an appearance of El Muerto in their strip. So in 2008, I called them on it! They told me to come up with an idea, which took a little work on my part. Here was an established strip, a family with two kids and an aunt with an established fan base, and I had to come up with a way to bring in the Aztec Zombie! But, Carlos and Hector are flexible, and as long as the story worked, they were open to accepting ideas. It was challenging to work on the script, as I had to think of 4 panel installments, with 5 dailies. Our process was interesting, as Carlos would draw the strips per the script we all agreed on, and he would leave an empty space wherever El Muero appeared, then I would draw in my character in that spot. The Sunday strip was great, because it was not only the climax of the story (which they let me write myself) but seeing El Muerto in the Sunday funnies was very exciting. For the reprint in the COMIC POP book, I'll put the Baldo story at the back of the book, so the climatic Sunday strip can be printed in full color on the inside back cover.
Well, that's going to be some book! Reprints of my first ever comic, the El Muerto DVD comic, the Baldo/El Muerto newspaper strip and two other stories I worked on some years ago. I'll post previews of the autobio comic as we get closer to the release date, which is scheduled for APE this October. While the JAVCON will be running through Monday, the good ol JAVZILLA blog will be here long afterwards, so make sure you keep coming back!
I hope you've enjoyed this preview of my next comic book. We still have lots more content to share here at the JAVCON, including some never-before-seen storyboards I did for the EL MUERTO movie, the CD artwork I created for an indie band, and a never-before-published El Muerto comic! I'll be recording an episode of my D.I.Y. Comics podcast JAVILAND later today, so look for that here tomorrow as well.
As mentioned in a previous post, I'll be in San Francisco this coming weekend for the opening of my solo art show at the Encantada Gallery of Fine Arts. Also, I'll be at Wondercon, courtesy of the Cartoon Art Museum.
Friday, April 2: I'll be at the Cartoon Art Museum's booth, # 721, on Friday at Wondercon. Not sure of my exact hours, but they asked me to get there in the morning so they could assign me a schedule for the day. I'll be doing free sketches on behalf of the museum, and will also be selling my comics, DVD and buttons.
Saturday, April 3: The Opening Reception for my art show, COMIC POP, will be from 5pm-8pm at the Encantada Gallery of Fine Arts, in the Mission District. I'll be exhibiting new work, as well as a few pieces I made last year. I'll also have some orginal comic book pages available for purchase, as well. Debuting at the show will be my first sketchbook, THE COMIC POP SKETCHBOOK (I received an email from the printer that they have indeed shipped it!). Here's a peak at the cover and some pages:
Exclusive to the exhibit will be this snazzy little 2.25" button, featuring the art from the show postcard:
(When I get back from San Francisco the following weeek, I'll post info here on how to order the button and sketchbook.) Sunday, April 4: I'll be conducting a Cartoonist Workshop at the Gallery from 2-3:30pm. Kids of all ages are welcome.
While at WonderCon, which I haven't been to in over 10 years, I'll try to catch up with as many of my out-of-town cartoonist friends as possible. Including Portlander Jason Martin of SUPER REAL fame, and, hailing all the way from Canada, Blair Kitchen of THE POSSUM.
That's in addition to catching the "ED HANNIGAN: COVERED" exhibit at the Cartoon Art Museum and lots of other things. This is one seriously jam-packed weekend for me. Hope to see some of you JAVZILLA readers out there!
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.
After 11 consecutive appearances, I can honestly say this APE was one of my all-time favorites! Debuting two brand new comics, meeting long-time fans and making first-time readers, traveling with old friends and meeting new ones, and talking with my fellow creators just adds up to such an invigorating experience. Here's Part 1 of my memories.
Creating my comics, coming up with stories and drawing the pages, that's the beginning. But taking the books to a show, and exhibiting for a day or two, and interacting with fans and friends, that's such a rewarding experience. It's not as simple as making a product and trying to sell to as many people as possible. No, for me it's creating my art and sharing it with people. Whether it's in an exhibit of some sort, or a place to sell at, it's my art to share and benefit from.
Jeff, in the glasses, and Vince. Over the last several years I've had the pleasure of seeing these gentlemen at various shows, and they're always looking for my newest stuff. Vince told me he's been listening to my JAVILAND podcast, which reminded me that doing a regular podcast is a great way to keep yourself on your fan's radar, and make new fans as well. I had a few people come up to me and tell me they listen to the show as well. It's a great feeling knowing other things I do, in addition to comics, can provide some value to people.
One of the great joys of exhibiting at shows is the dinner after wards! This year, as in the last couple of years, a group of us gathered together for a meal at a great Chinese restaurant a few miles from the exhibit center. It's funny, but this year there seemed to be no one in the place except for three large groups of cartoonists! The table next to us had a roundtable of Keith Knight, Shannon Wheeler, Bob the Angry Flower and Larry Marder. Another table was hosted by my friend James Baker and his group.
My dinner pals included two of my cousins from San Francisco joining me and my friends. Starting from the left, here's Michael Aushenker, cousins Monica and Jose Manuel, and the always-enchanting Bernyce Talley after a 20 course meal of Chinese cuisine!
As if dinner wasn't enough entertainment for the evening, afterwards we took a very brief stroll to the Cartoon Art Museum. Even though there were about three current exhibits going on, in addition to the regular collection consisting of E.C. Segar, Milton Caniff, Roy Crane and other masters of comic art, I only was able to catch a few pieces here and there. Most of the time was chatting it up with my friends and others I met at the museum! And really, with things like this going on, who has time for classic artwork?! Check this out:
Yep folks, that's good friend and cartoon movie maker Jim Lujan lacing up the back of a gorilla suit, while my cousin Monica has the Ape by the, um..nipple...!!!
Anyways, Sunday at APE (the show, not the goofball roaming the museum!) was another day of selling and socializing. One of the highlights of the whole weekend was taking Jim Lujan on his first APE excursion. Jim, along with Michael Aushenker, were my carpool buddies for the whole trip. Jimmy and I co-founded the Cartoonistas, a group of artists in our local area back in LA. We've also been great friends pretty much from the first time we met, which I think is only about a year and a half ago! Jim's movies, animated in what he calls 'ghettomation' (check out his podcast!) are pure art. He's an incredibly talented and versatile creator, and his latest flick, JOHN HENRY UNICORN, is one of my favorites.
Jim wasn't exhibiting at this show, but was scouting it out. Well, he was convinced that APE is the place to exhibit at, and next year he promises to have his own booth selling DVDs of his movies! I can't wait to see him there. (Hope I get the 'friend discount'!).
My other carpool passenger was Michael Aushenker, cartoonist as well as writer for both BACK ISSUE magazine and his 'Ditkotomy' column in DITKOMANIA, a fanzine about comic book iconoclast Steve Ditko. Mikey and I have been either splitting a booth or as neighbors in numerous conventions and shows for the past 11 years. Michael's latest comic, CARTOON FLOPHOUSE #2 features his entry into the highly competitive world of 'auto-bio fictional' comics!! In 'The Secret Double Life of Michael Aushenker' we learn that Mikey is in fact a top agent for a secret spy agency!! Man, you think you know a person after a decade and then this! Mike has made every single show we've exhibited at one full of laughter and mutual madness inducing mischief. (Mike's own write-up on APE is worth reading!)
Mike was splitting a table with a friend of his, Seth Weber, of Alarming Press. I actually met Mr. Weber last year in Portland at the STUMPTOWN comic book festival. Seth was running Richard Nixon's 2008 campaign, believe it or not! Seth has a bit of a fixation on Nixon, which dovetails with my own Nixation. Seth's a very amicable person, and I was glad to buy one of his Nixon prints. Here's our pose for a memorial victory photo, dedicated to Tricky Dick (and my fellow Whittier High School graduate!).
The artwork, by Seth, features a quote from Mr. Nixon: "God, I hate talking to intellectuals. There's something feminine about them. I'd rather talk to an athlete."
It's too hard to try to top the immortal wisdom of Nixon, so I'll take a break hear and finish off my report tomorrow. More tales from the Concourse, more APE memories!
