I got back home Tuesday from my trip to Portland, OR., and lemme tell you, I wish that wasn't the case!
I traveled to Oregon for the Portland Comic Book Show on Sunday, Nov. 15. I was actually a Guest of the show, with a table and plane ticket tossed into the package. My trip started Friday morning at Long Beach Airport, a rather small and quaint little airport that reminded me of something from the Rocketeer, with it's 1940s So Cal art deco look.
(This photo is from the airport's website, which is way nicer than the one I took)
Starting off with this sunny, palm tree-lined classic, pcituresque airport, my trip was only going to get better from this point onward...
Upon arriving in Portland, I asked my friend Jason Martin (and gracious host who was listed on the convention website as 'co-sponsor' of my appearance!) to take me to ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK PIZZA! My good friend and LA-area cartoonist Michael Aushenker (and no slouch in the dining recommendation department!) had recently been to Portland himself and directed me to try this pizza!
I don't often come across New York style pizza in LA, but this one was excellent. That's Jason giving his approval, with my two slices in the foreground awaiting my hungry maw!
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK PIZZA is located on 23rd Street, one of the many little cool, bohemian neighborhoods making up this city. Just on this block alone were dozens upon dozens of eateries, galleries, shops and an old-school theatre showing martial art films! I knew we were off to a good start.
Traveling through the hills to get from downtown Portland to Jason's home in neighboring Beaverton, we passed through what I love to call Bigfoot Country. Dense forests of trees with pockets of homes scattered throughout. The weather was cold and between showers, but after that pizza, it wasn't anything to worry about.
Arriving at my room at Casa Martin, I was greeted by this lovely sign, courtesy of Jason's wife Tami. And I was also welcomed in by their dang cute chihuahua, Choco!
(Tami must have used a lot of chalk on that sign, cause I think there was some chalk dust in my eye.....)
Saturday morning was rung in with a homemade breakfast courtesy of Chef Martin (Thanks Jason!). Eggs, sunny side up, hash browns, maple syrup flavored sausage and toast....Mmm mmm. Believe it or not, that wouldn't be my only meal of the day whipped up by a cartoonist!!
A good part of our Saturday was taken up with a whirlwind tour of no less than 4 comic book shops, each one located in these wonderful, unique neighborhoods. Also, there are no less than 3 comic book publishers in the area. Milwaukie, OR. is the home of DARK HORSE COMICS, the other local publishers being Oni & Top Shelf.
(Gotta agree with this sentiment!)
Across the street from the Dark Horse building was the comic chain, THINGS FROM ANOTHER WORLD, and a cool antique mall that had an old-fashioned soda shop in the back. My camera batteries died out so I couldn't take anymore pictures, but what a great place. Later, we moved onto EXCALIBUR COMICS, which was located down the street from an old movie theater called The Bagdad. They were showing THE WARRIORS that evening, but we already had dinner plans. EXCALIBUR had a huge back issue selection, as well as old Treasury Edition comics and lots of b&w comic magazines from the 60s and 70s.
The other shop we went to was COSMIC MONKEY, another huge comic shop filled with isles of just about every trade paperback in print! The had an upstairs loft jam-packed with mini-comics, zines and underground comics. While we were there, local writer Brian Michael Bendis walked in with out-of-town guest David Mack.
Later that evening, Jason and I visited FLOATING WORLD COMICS, a real nice shop featuring lots of independent comics and a great collection of art books. They even have an art gallery. I actually contributed to a ROM, SPACEKNIGHT art show a couple of years ago. While we were walking to FLOATING WORLD, we came across this little gem:
This is the infamous 'Church of Elvis/24 Hour Art Gallery'! I could not believe what I was looking at. A more bizarre and ridiculous idea I could not imagine, which is why I loved it! Like an ATM, it was embedded into the wall along the street. Except instead of getting money, you give it money and see art and um, praise Elvis!!?
After the coin-operated Elvis church, we attended a dinner party hosted by comic book writer/inker Karl Kesel. Karl usually hosts a get-together for the out-of-town creators attending the Portland Comic Book Show, and he actually cooked up about 6 main dishes, everything from a shrimp lasagna to a pork dish and even a red velvet cake! What an amazing generous thing to do. Other artists who attended were Gene Ha and Steve Lieber, and some other artists from Portland's PERISCOPE STUDIOS.
Me, Jason and our affable host, Karl Kesel.
The food was amazing, the dinner conversations were engaging and Karl's collection of original art was a joy to behold (Dick Sprang BATMAN, Chester Gould DICK TRACY, Alex Toth SPACEGHOST, Milton Caniff's STEVE CANYON..etc). Thanks to Karl for hosting us, and for Richard of the Portland Comic Book Show for arranging the evening. I hadn't even been to the comic book show yet, and already I was having more fun and comic goodness round the clock! Yeah, Portland is my type of town...
I'll stop here at Pt. 1, and will dutifully post Pt 2 of my Portland trip within the next 24 hours! Come back for my DIY Comics panel at the show, a drive along the Oregon Coast, and the best dang crab cake you could ask for!
I'll be heading back to Portland, Oregon this weekend for the PORTLAND COMIC BOOK SHOW on Nov. 15. Last time I was in Portland was for the 2008 STUMPTOWN show, and I've been looking forward to returning to the city for awhile.
Many thanks for Richard Finn of the convention for having me as a guest, and for my good friend Jason Martin, creator/publisher of SUPER REAL, for co-sponsoring my appearance.
I'll be exhibiting at table # 166, bringing with me my two newest books, MANGA MUERTO Vol. 1 & MAN-SWAMP, along with my other Los Comex goodness. Also, I'll be conducting my "D.I.Y. Comics: The Secrets of Self-Publishing" seminar at 1:30 PM. The Portland Comic Book Show will be held at the Memorial Coliseum from 10 AM - 5 PM.
This convention is more of a 'mainstream/general audience' show (as opposed to the very alternative/indie vibe of STUMPTOWN), which I'm looking forward to as it gets me connected to another type of audience in the area. Situations like this open up possibilities for new readers, so for me that's always an exciting prospect.
Really though, it gives me a chance to get back to Portland. I enjoyed my last trip out there, and hanging out with my friend Jason for several days will allow me to explore more of the city. Since last year I've actually given some thought to the possibility of moving up there, but certain things would have to fall into place. We'll see.
At any rate, it's a new, out-of-state convention for me, so that's the main reason for going. But a little vacation time sure can't be a bad thing. And one of my many To-Do's is a visit to the VOODOO DOUGHNUT shop, where they make all kinds of unique doughnuts like this little Bacon and Maple gem!!
I was recently interviewed by Anh Lottman, the founder of JOURNEY INTO BEING, a non-profit "whose goal is to support organizations and/or individuals to become empowered through self-expression". For her series of interviews with artists, she kindly asked me to one of her subjects.
At about the 17 minute mark (click HERE) there's a very informative segment where I provide some commentary on my, at the time, in-progress comic book story, MANGA MUERTO. I hadn't done something like this before on camera, so I think it provides an interesting walk-through on my creative process for creating a story.
Thanks to Anh for the interview, and cameraman Dustin Nguyen!
Saturday night's Cartoonistas meeting (actually, party!) was just what the doctor ordered after a rather sobering post I made earlier that day.
This momentous event was hosted by Cartoonista RAUL AGUIRRE JR. Yep kids, that's right, the host of the very lively MAN VS. ART podcast!
That's Señor Aguirre, in the red shoes, sitting comfortably under one of his lovely paintings. Raul is in fact such a whirlwind of artistic energy that my camera can only capture him as a blur even as he's sitting still!!
Raul and his lovely wife Hortencia were more than generous to host us at their wonderful home, which seems more like an art gallery and working studio space. Surrounded by all kinds of artwork, you really get a feeling for the love this couple has for art.
And another thing you get at Casa Aguirre is food. Lots of great tasting food!
Hortencia told us she was up til 2:00 AM earlier that day prepping all the food! Her homemade chicken parmesan pasta was especially exquisite, as was the one with ground beef. Cartoonista Grasiela Rodriguez, who by the way is one of the super troopers of the group, enjoyed one of Hortencias homemade brownies.
(You can see a bit of the dispenser in the foreground that was filled with several gallons of Hortencia's homemade horchata!! Man was that delicious!!)
It's a Cartoonista tradition to eat and eat along with all the art that gets created. Although that evening, even though we brought our sketchbooks, some of us didn't crack them open (I'm one of the guilty ones). What we did do was talk about comic artist's Neal Adams 'Expanding Earth Theory', Frank Miller's fall from grace (although some of us are hoping he actually starts making great comics again!!) and why the Godfather films are so &*^%$* great! I also shared with the folks why I first saw the EXORCIST on a sunny Saturday afternoon with all the living rooms curtains open (and yeah, I was in my 20s!!).
Some important business was conducted. We crowned two new artists into the Cartoonista fold.
. The man in the middle is Geo Brawn IV, comic book creator and artist, and to his left is an animator and cartoonist who came to us very highly recommended by Raul Agurrie, Mr. Luis Escobar.
I had actually met Geo on a few previous occasions, and took a liking to his get-up-and-go attitude. Luis I had never met, but found him to be very approachable and I think he'll be a great addition for us. Glad to have you two gents aboard.
Here's Co-Founder Jim Lujan looking satisfied with the festivities.
When Jimmy approached me about the idea of Co-founding the Cartoonistas with him, I'm not sure either of us truly expected how enriching this would be for us. Certainly I've made some new friends and associates in the group. And all the artists over the last two years have shared great experiences with one another. The live art shows we perform, many for young audiences, have been the things we're most proud of, and pretty much all the Cartoonistas feel the same way. Jim and I have talked about continuing to make the Cartoonista brand even better, and working alongside all our talented members, I think we're heading that way.
Another highlight for me last night was receiving a very special gift from Hortencia:
She made me a trio of sugar skulls, customized for El Muerto! I was floored by this wonderful surprise. Her creative talents, and generosity, are not to be overlooked. Not only are these sugar skulls labor and time intensive (made from scratch, naturally) but what a great idea! She truly earned my deepest gratitude, and I was flattered to have received these.
It's gonna be hard to top this Cartoonista get-together, but we like a good challenge!
Wrestling legend Freddie Blassie was right when he asked,"What the hell ever happened to the human race?!"
Two shooting sprees back to back, unemployment rising higher and higher, Congress gridlocked over healthcare reform....And two wars continuing with no goal, or end, in sight.
Hate to end off the week with such an angry look at things. Especially after the positive posts I've made here the last several days. Tonight I'm getting together with a bunch of cartoonist friends, so after some food and art talk, I'll be back to my old self again.
In the meantime though, without all the partisan sycophants chiming in, I'd like to know when we're going to get this country back on track.
Four years ago, after filming had ended on the EL MUERTO movie, I knew it would be some time before the film would be ready to be seen. What with all the post-production involved, and lining up a distributor, etc.
Besides anxiously awaiting the completion of the film, I had a thought in my mind that I felt would come true. We would either get a national release of some sort, or at least hit the film festival circuit and then get a DVD release. We ended with latter, the film having been available on DVD since 07. But my thought was this: Once the film was made and then released to screens or DVD and/or cable, it would have made the same cycle every film makes. It gets made, it gets released, and then it is permanently 'out there'. Just look at YouTube for pretty much anything that's ever been recorded, whether it's a movie, cartoon, commercial or some type of filmed footage. Everything is out there in one way or another.
It's like putting a message in a bottle and tossing it into the ocean. Eventually down the line somebody finds it and opens the bottle and reads the message. They'll have some sort of response to whatever was written.
My thought regarding the movie was that once it's done and had it's run, we'll all move on to our next project. The cast and crew of EL MUERTO moved on to their next movie projects, I jumped back on the drawing board.
Well, some two years later, after the film's release on DVD, people are still finding that bottle, and luckily, through the internet, I can hear about it.
A week ago I came across a review for EL MUERTO on a blog called ROSCOE'S DREAMS AND RANDOM THOUGHTS. Roscoe just happened to catch it one night on TV and had a strong, favorable reaction to it. I really admire the passion that he had for the film. Thank you, Roscoe!
A few days ago I received an email from a High School student in Colorado. For his Spanish class, he was assigned a project where he has to choose a Mexican-American artist to profile. Turns out this student had seen my comic book work before ('fascinated by your drawings' he wrote) and wanted to do his report on me. I was more than happy to assist him, and flattered of course. Yesterday they actually watched EL MUERTO in his Spanish class, reporting that "We just finished watching the live action film today. I must say I was very entertained by it. Had a very dark side to it which kept the whole class engaged". Man, that's great to hear. I love how this happened in a Spanish class, too. I wrote him a couple of thoughts on some questions he sent me. Hopefully I'll find out how his report was received.
I bring these two instances up because they just occurred, and within days of each other. But they really demonstrate the 'message in a bottle' scenario I mentioned earlier. Mind you, I have read my share of opinions of people who weren't too happy with their experience watching the film!(Or judging it based only on seeing the trailer, or even just an image!). But a long time ago I finally trained myself to not let those negative comments affect me. Of course, it's my prerogative to let the positive opinions and experiences have an encouraging effect on me!
I'll look forward to the next time someone gets the Movie Muerto Message in the Bottle...
Earlie today I received an email from a Joe Rodriguez in Waco, TX. Turns out Mr. Rodriguez recently caught EL MUERTO on cable and was inspired to dress up as the Aztec Zombie for Halloween!
Joe credits his wife Nicole for all the hard work making the suit. The bones and skull logo were cut out of felt material. A very nice version of the movie Muerto costume! These are yet another one of those unexpected moments I relish as a the creator of the character. It's totally a 'Wow!' moment for me.
As you can see, the whole family, including their daughter Luna Azul (Blue Moon), got into the 'spirit' of los Muertos. They even won a Halloween costume contest as a family! A double Thumbs-Up to Joe, Nicole and little Luna Azul.
Speaking of costumes, here's one from last year. My El Muerto.Com webmaster, Rick Rodriguez, sent me this pick after he dressed up as Muerto for Halloween 08.
Gotta love it when your webdesigner/host gets in the mood and makes his own El Muerto costume. Right On, Rick!
Keeping the costume theme going, about 8 years ago I had my own El Muerto costume made. No, not for me! I had it made so I could have a 'spokesMuerto' appear with me at conventions and other appearances. I had a total of 4 different guys wear the suit over the years. Since most of them appeared before I had a digital camera, I have to dedicate the time to scanning the photos. But here's one from 2006 San Diego Comic Con. The gent in the suit is Jon Alonso, a Portland, Oregon- based musician who emailed me some years before to approach me for a project. Well, turns out he was going to be in San Diego during the show and I asked him if he would do me a favor...
Jon's a singer in a band, so this Muerto naturally gave off more of a rocker vibe.
And rounding off the world of Muerto costume culture, I have to say with a huge amount of bias, that this is one of my favorites!
Yep. Me and Wilmer Valderrama, standing in the middle of a graveyard in East LA, a few moments after we filmed our scene together for EL MUERTO.(If I had to compile 20 photographs to highlight the favorite moments of my life to this point, that would definitely be one of them!). El Muerto's costume for the film was designed by Alexa Stone, who really added a great touch with the little bones lining the costume. My pancho was donated to me after filming by the producers, and the paper-mâché mask was made by me and my friend Steve Guerra.
Thanks to everyone whose ever donned an El Muerto costume, whether I knew about it or not! And thanks to Joe Rodriguez for getting the ball rolling, in regards to me blogging about all this, by sending me his pics.
Okay, another post about Dia de Los Muertos. My second post about it today, and my third post for the day!?
I have a very passionate fan of my comic El Muerto, and I'm glad to say he's a very good friend as well. His name is Jose Iturriaga. Back when I had a Message Board on EL MUERTO.COM, he was one of the early, and frequent members.
Well, about an hour or so ago, Jose sent me some pics of the little Dia de Los Muertos display he and his wife made in their home. A very personal, elegant little scene, with some artwork they bought recently. But check out what, or who, is also in the pictures!
Yep, that little figure in there is El Muerto! That figure was actually made by Jose, a completely customized 12" action figure of El Muerto. Jose actually made two: one for him and one for little ol' me! He based his figures on the film version of El Muerto, as played by Wilmer Valderrama.
Check out how lifelike the figure looks, sitting amongst the other mementos, looking at the sugar skull in his hand. Wow.
When I first saw these photos, I was just enjoying the nice setup Jose had built. Of course I was also happy to see his El Muerto figure in the display, too. But I started to think about how years ago I used to joke how I wanted El Muerto to become as identified with Dia de Los Muertos the way people automatically think of Santa Claus as inseparable form Christmas. I mean, let's be realistic and think of the, um, commercial results that could benefit the creator!
But seriously, when I saw Jose's display, and think about how much he both celebrates so much of his Mexican culture, and totally became a fan of both the El Muerto comics and the movie, well, I can honestly say that I'm truly humbled by the fact that my character can become a little special thing to people in that way. Honestly, companies invest millions into trying to tie their product into people's consciousness, and their commerce. I can't speak for those companies, but the feeling I get from this type of result from fans of my comic work...Well, it's worth to me a lot more than a large check I could deposit in the ATM.
Don't get me wrong for a minute: I am open and eager, and anxious to receive money for my work, lots and lots of it. But this....Well, this is really, really great. I am thankful that there is a Dia de Los Muertos, which took many people many years to bring to the level of celebration it enjoys in many parts of Mexico and here in the U.S. And I'm thankful for everyone who's path I crossed over the last 11 years of creating El Muerto. For fans, and friends, like Jose.
When I emailed him a while ago for permission to use his photographs, he was totally cool with it. He mentioned that he was actually watching the EL MUERTO movie! There are tons of Christmas movies, and everyone likes to watch their favorite Halloween movies on October 31. But how cool that I can say we now have a film available to watch on Nov. 2, the Day of the Dead. (And it actually portrays the sentiments found in the holiday, it's not some bloody, gory zombie horror fest). I still have about an hour before Dia de Los Muertos gives way to November 3, so I think I'll watch EL MUERTO too!
Steve Ditko, whose comic career is now in it's 56th year, is getting ready to release a new comic book. This book, "DITKO ACT TWO", is actually the 6th comic book he's released since October 2008! He's published these with Robin Snyder, who he's been working with for the last 20 years, releasing almost 20 books in that time. Check out Bob H's excellent Ditko blog for most of these Snyder/Ditko books. Also, Bob has posted a really nice slideshow showing 82 b&w images by Ditko. I really enjoyed his selections, as you get a real good sense of the variety of work Ditko produces: humor, horror, action, violence and other cool, weird stuff!
Ditko has certainly left his impact on the mainstream comics world with his work on Spider-Man and numerous other characters (he designed the original red & gold armor for Iron Man that has been the basis of most versions of that character for 40 years). But his self-published work of the last 20 years is testament to his life-long goal of doing this his own way. Sure, there are several other examples of much more commercially successful self-publishers (Jeff Smith with BONE and Peter Laird's & Kevin Eastman's TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES), but I admire most of all the comic book artists who've ever worked. He functions purely as an artist (who chose comics as his voice of expression) who has something to say and does so without any other considerations other than telling his story. They may not be marketed with the most far-reaching business savy, or their appeal doesn't connect with the 'marketplace', but he's crafting the type of stories he wants to. And the fact that he's putting out more books in this current series tells us someone besides me is buying them!
Steve Ditko is working away in his studio producing new comic books. At age 82. He's not pausing in between pages to Twitter, or to add Friends to his Facebook page. He isn't scheduling his next podcast, or checking with his agent if Disney is going to greenlight a MR. A animated series.
El Muerto will be appearing in Jose Cabrera's CRYING MACHO MAN online strip this Friday, October 30th!
Jose's been creating his CRYING MACHO MAN for 5 years now, a satirical, irreverent look at the silly, stupid, tragic things we all go through. I've seen his art evolve over the years, and as an artist I admire the growth he exhibits as his line work becomes more fluid and elastic and his inking becomes more expressive and evocative. Certainly the man's always had a wicked sense of humor, which he applies so strongly in his strips.
He's got two book collections out now, with more on the way. For the past year now, he's been in Mexico on a Fulbright Scholarship. His Mexican adventure has been wonderfully captured by he and his wife Naomi on their blog OUR YEAR IN MEXICO. By January, Jose will be back in Los Angeles, with all new kinds of cartooning adventures awaiting him!
In the meantime, let's all enjoy the upcoming El Muerto appearance this coming Friday. Jose and I talked about working together on a project, so I thought that handing him my little dead boy for a day would be fun. Basically, he came up with the gag, ran the rough draft by me, and then inked the final piece. Because this is CRYING MACHO MAN, don't expect one of my angst-filled, Mexican telenovela melodramas/haunted hero routines! No way, Jose! This is Crying Dead Man courtesy of the pulse-pounding Mr. Cabrera! I couldn't be happier with this appearance, and thanks to Jose for letting me be a part of his strip.
Last year, you may recall, El Muerto appeared for a 5-part appearance in the nationally syndicated newspaper strip, BALDO. That also ran over the Halloween/Day of the Dead weekend, and I'm glad to once again have El Muerto appear in another strip over the same weekend. Maybe I can make this a tradition. Any other web or syndicated cartoonists wanna have El Muerto guest-star in your strip next Halloween/Day of the Dead?
Continuing my memories on this past weekend's Alternative Press Expo at the Concourse in San Francisco. Pt. 1 was posted yesterday, which you could read by scrolling down....
It wouldn't be an APE without another one of my long-time friends, Rafael Navarro. Creator of SONAMBULO, this guy is a seasoned convention veteran, traveling across the country and selling loads of his comics and unloading tons of charisma everywhere he goes. (If you look closely, you'll see him in the EL MUERTO movie!)
For the last several years, I've been listening to a great podcast called FISTFUL OF SOUNDTRACKS, hosted by Jimmy Aquino. AFOS is a show about film scores and soundtracks, with plenty of music and deft commentary by the host. There are times when Jimmy gets on an Ennio Morricone kick, or busts out some Blaxploitation funk. It's a really great show, and one I love to listen to as I draw. Jimmy stopped by my table back in '07, and I was glad to see him make another visit to APE this year. Jimmy also writes and draws an online comic THE PALACE, and was the writer on one of the short stories included in Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology.
I was actually twittering with him a few days before (what, you aren't following me on Twitter?), as he was doing a live Twitter feed while podcasting his latest episode of his show. He was playing every single title song from all 22 James Bond movies, and he'd post a couple of tweets for each song, offering commentary and behind the scenes facts. I responded to several of his tweets because if you didn't know, I'm a complete James Bond fanatic! But, we'll have to leave that for maybe another blog!
Speaking of podcasting, I've been making my way into the podcast world for about 2 years now. My first show, PLANET COMIC BOOK RADIO, is on official haitus. But for the last year or so, I've been podcasting another show called JAVILAND, where I and a roundtable of D.I.Y. cartoonist/publishers will talk about various issues related to making comics and distributing them ourselves. Well, I've met other cartoonists who also podcast, and this year I got to meet one of them for the first time in person.
On the left are Jim Lujan and in the baseball cap, Kevin Cross. On my right is Mark Rudolph, who I met this past weekend for the first time, despite talking with him on numerous podcasts over the last year!
Kevin I met at APE several years ago, when he was working on a comic book called ZOMBIES AND BROKEN HEARTS. Kevin's latest comic project is a really cool looking book called MONKEY MOD, which he's developing as a web comic. Kevin hosts a podcast called BIG ILLUSTRATION PARTY TIME with Joshua Kemble, which deals with the ins and outs of freelance illustration. Kevin also co-hosts the GHETTOMATION podcast with Ghettomation King Jim Lujan! Ghettomation is Jim's term for very low-maintenance animation, which he manages to produce while still creating really imaginative, and funny, movies.
This Mark Rudolph guy...Well, he's quite the talent himself. A prolific podcaster, Mark is the co-host, with Jerzy Drozd, of the ART & STORY line of podcasts. ART & STORY is a weekly show where the two creators discuss the numerous aspects of creating comics. From choosing the best fonts for a particular story, to breaking down their pencil layouts to tell the clearest story possible, these guys really get into the nitty gritty of creating comics. Mark also hosts a podcast on Heavy Metal called REQUIEM! But when he's not on the mic, he's working on freelance illustration projects as well as his own comics. He's a really strong inker, and his attention to improving his skill has shown tremendously in the work I've seen from him over the last year.
Sunday was definitely my day for visiting and taking pics. This lovely couple is Melissa and John Narcomey, of High Tower Comics.
I met John some years ago at APE, as we were table neighbors. Lately, I've seen lots more of him recently, and in fact I'm currently working on a pin-up for his GHOSTFACE comic!
Met lots more people, both fans and fellow creators, but it's impossible to photograph every moment. Here's a shot of my table, with my MAN-SWAMP comic book (part of the Xomix Comix line I created with my friend Ted Seko) and MANGA MUERTO VOL. 1. I also increased my line of buttons, including the new, popular glow-in-the-dark EL MUERTO skull button!
I felt a real sense of accomplishment in having two new books to debut at APE. I've never been able to release two books within a few months of each other, and in fact I'll be releasing another book in the beginning of 2010!
On the Monday after the convention, I called into the ART & STORY ALIVE podcast and shared with host Jerzy Drozd my impressions of not just doing the APE, but what it takes for us self-published cartoonists to make our convention appearances positive and productive. I chime in on the fist half of the show if you want to give it a listen.
I haven't been to WONDERCON but for a few shows years ago. And I haven't exhibited at San Diego since 2005. But there is something about the APE that I just love. The staff, starting with Director of Operations Justin Dutta , has always been exemplary. It could be the symbolic nature of the fact that I launched my D.I.Y comic book EL MUERTO there years ago in 1998. Probably the fact that alternative comics creators and fans congregate there every year is a plus. I always love the 6 hour drive up Interstate 5 as it allows for either some great quite time with only the sounds of my favorite music keeping me company or the non-stop chatter and banter with my fellow comic book friends. All I know is that, God willing, I'll continue to exhibit every year at APE with new books to sell, new fans to make, new friends to meet.
Thanks to Jim Lujan for this pic, and for drawing up the logo and skull face on my candy dish!
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!
(This photo is from the airport's website, which is way nicer than the one I took)
(Tami must have used a lot of chalk on that sign, cause I think there was some chalk dust in my eye.....)
(Gotta agree with this sentiment!) 
Me, Jason and our affable host, Karl Kesel.
