3rd Annual San Gabriel Valley Comic Book Festival PT 2

Continuing my stroll down memory lane....

Bernyce Talley and Grasiela Rodriguez in secret talks about their comic projects:

Rafael Navarro, creator of Sonambulo, next to one of his fantastic cover paintings:

Rafael actually conducted a panel during the festival, and he always holds his audiences' attention with his presentations. Another one of our workshops, this one on animation, was conducted by Raul Aguirre:

One thing that struck me about the panels is that it's a great way to gauge interest in the process of storytelling. I know that some of the folks who attended had their own aspirations in comics or animation. It's nice to be able to provide these workshops, especially since they're free (as is the admittance to the festival itself).


A few months ago, I taught a DIY Comics Crash Course at GEEKS Comics. Several of the people who attended my seminar came by to check out the festival. In fact, one of the them was exhibiting at our show, for the first time. Neil Segura, along with his partner Ray Mendivil, was promoting their upcoming comic book FOREVER FRESHMAN. (Click on the link and see that Neil has learned well: He blogged about attending the festival! That's one of the things we talked about in the class, keep people informed of your activities related to making comics!)


Several of the cartoonists who exhibited at our first SGV Comics Festival returned again this year:

 The always-amicable Jose Cabrera of CRYING MACHO MAN fame. I've known Jose for some years now, and it's always a delight having him, and his gonzo brand of comics, gracing any comic convention.


Here's a couple of artists I had met at previous conventions, but was glad to see them appearing for their first time at SGV:

Karl Altstaetter and Gerimi Burleigh. (I think there was an atomic bomb that went off just outside the door, but it didn't stop these two cartoonists from enjoying the show!).

Exhibiting at his first-ever comics show was Jamie Gambell:

Jamie is the writer of OMNITORIUM, and in fact has several other titles in the development stage. It was nice to meet him in person after knowing him for some time through our 140-character conversations via Twitter.

There were various other creators at the show, but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to actually talk and meet each one. Even a relatively smaller show like ours still means you're meeting new fans and conducting transactions (thankfully!), so I had to spend most of my time at my table. Luckily, while at my table there were brief moments to relax and chill out as well:


Kathryn Renta, besides being nice to chat with, is a letterer and graphic designer, and is in fact preparing to publish her own comic book as well. 

Adding to the enjoyment of the show was the arrival of FRESH FRIES, LA's mobile gourmet french fries:

If you're in the LA area, make sure you track them down and visit their truck. Dang tasty fries with some really knock-out sauces!


The show, for so many reasons, is definitely a favorite of mine. The fact that it's like 20 minutes from home is a big plus! But the whole intimate nature of the festival really gives you a real strong, genuine sense of being part of a local comics community. I'm glad we got to our 3rd show, and I'm really looking forward to next year's entry. I know we'll make it an even bigger experience for everyone involved.


Thanks to the fans who came out to support all the artists. Thanks to all the various artists who came back to the show or attended for their first time. I certainly have to thank the Nuvein Foundation and our partners for putting the whole show together. I've worked with the organization for some years now, and the thing that always inspires me is how tirelessly everyone works on the various projects. This is a non-profit organization, with the aim of connecting the community to the arts, and providing scholarships to young students.


After the festival, a group of us headed over to a local favorite restaurant for dinner and good times:

 Me, Jim Lujan and Grasiela Rodriguez. The three of us were on the Planning Committee for the festival, along with several other members of Nuvein (the more camera-shy members!). We're also members of the Cartoonistas, and have done plenty of other art related projects together. But it's great to first and foremost consider them good friends.

Here's to next year's San Gabriel Valley Comic Book Festival. Hope to see you there!

3rd Annual San Gabriel Valley Comic Book Festival PT 1

Sunday's event has come and gone, after months of preparing and planning. In the end, things worked out even better than I was hoping for.  I salute my fellow Nuvein Foundation Board of Directors, and especially Comic Festival Chairperson Grasiela Rodriguez, for all the hard work put into bringing this together.

Our banner outside the Cuban Club, where DJ Rex was outside spinning his music, especially tons of 80s New Wave (well, he did ask me on Facebook what type of music is played at comic conventions!)


Our artists and writers, and I'm figuring there were about 30, had a great time, with several creators actually exhibiting at their first convention. And the fans seemed to have really appreciated the event. Most of the ones I talked to hadn't heard of the event before (this was our 3rd) so we're getting new people hip to the Festival.

When I joined the Nuvein Foundation several years ago, one of the things I wanted to get off the ground was comic book festival right here in the San Gabriel Valley. Our first one was held also held at the Cuban Club, then last year we joined up with the Monrovia Public Library for the next one. This year we came back to our original location and we're happy to realize that we definitely need to move to a larger venue if we want to accommodate the rest of the artists we had to turn down due to space limitations.

Raul Aguirre (Man VS Art podcast, animator, cartoonist) and I exchange presents. As a belated birthday gift, I made Raul a custom sketch doll of his character Citizen Sanchez. I scored an awesome El Muerto mask created by his lovely wife Hortencia, which Raul also worked on. Sure is nice to celebrating Christmas in September!

L to R: Shawn Granger, writer and publisher of the 2-part graphic novel series FAMILY BONES, a critically acclaimed crime story and Michael Hamersky. Michael runs the Comic Book Collectors Blog, and he and his wife Tina came to cover the event. Michael's love of the medium and art of comics comes across in his extensive reporting. You can read his report on our show over at his blog. 

Art Lopez, face-painting for the attendees. Art also held a live-art demonstration, and brought to the show his new beautifully crafted skeleton figures:

Exhibiting in the table next to mine was Cartoonista co-founder and great friend Jim Lujan:

Jim's second collection of his Ghettomation films, BENCH WARRANT, made it's debut at the show. Jim and I actually met at the first SGV Comics Festival a few years back. (Dang, maybe I should have bought him some flowers?)

Mr. Sherm Cohen:

Sherm's a storyboard artist/writer/director, and also proprietor of CARTOON SNAP, a delightfully entertaining and educational website covering tons of classic comics and cartoons. Sherm's new book, CARTOONING:CHARACTER DESIGN, was a big hit with attendees.

Here's a gang of creative individuals flexing their muscles:

On the left, Richard Carradine. Rich was actually exhibiting at his first convention, promoting his book, THE PARK AFTER DARK, a historical account of the many ghosts and spirits that dwell at Disneyland! Rich is the co-founder of GHOULA (Ghost Hunters of Urban Los Angeles), a group of curious adventurers who travel the many haunted places in the big city. Next to Rich is Michael Aushenker, writer, artist, bon vivant. Michael, one of my earliest acquaintences in DIY comics, is the creator of numerous comics, all of which can be found at his joint publishing venture CARTOON FLOPHOUSE. I've probably done more shows with Michael than with any other of my friends, and each time there is nothing but fun to be had. The last guy on the left would be Ted Seko, another long-time friend and self-publisher. Ted's expressively explosive comics and art is always a must-see. THE IDIOT ENGINE, Ted's artist podcast, features one-on-one interview with artists talking about, well... art stuff! Check it out.

I'll have Part 2 of my reminiscing about the show tomorrow!

I'll be at the San Gabriel Valley Comic Book Festival on Sunday

I'll be exhibiting at the 3rd Annual San Gabriel Valley Comic Book Festival this Sunday, Sept 19.

The Festival is put on by the Nuvein Foundation, for which I serve on the Board of Directors. Three years ago I suggested to the Board that we create our own comic book convention here in the San Gabriel Valley (East of Los Angeles). Now here we are holding our third Festival. We're actually back at our original location, the Cuban Club in El Monte, CA.

This year there are over 2 dozen creators attending, from the world of independent comic books, webcomics, animation, filmmaking and podcasting. There's also some book authors and fine artists exhibiting as well.

Myself, I'll have my catalog of comics, as well as the EL MUERTO DVD and buttons. I'm also busting out my new custom EL MUERTO SKETCH DOLLS! This assortment includes:

l to r: El Vivo (the evil Muerto), El Muerto, El Lobo Muerto (a special 2010 HALLOWEEN MUERTO MONSTER)

I previously sold some early prototypes of the EL MUERTO sketch dolls but these are the new colored versions. These dolls are hand drawn & colored by me, so each one is a unique hand-crafted original. It's like getting a 3 dimensional piece of art from me. 

I've also created some additional sketch dolls based on other comic book characters. In this assortment are character's created by comic artist Steve Ditko:

 l to r: "The !?", Spider-Man & The Creeper

And here's a one-of-a-kind collectible: An El Muerto Sketch Doll Double Pack: EL MUERTO vs. REV. JOHN HENRY UNICORN!

Rev. Unicorn is a character created by my friend Jim Lujan, a filmmaker of animated movies. Among Jim's many great cartoons are two starring John Henry Unicorn, the leader of the Church of the Unicorn! It's a totally wacked out idea, handled expertly by the tremendously talented Mr. Lujan, the Founder of Ghettomation. Jim immediately gave his blessing to this double pack. It was fun making the John Henry doll, and I hope a fan of both Jim and myself will find this worth adding to their collection!


The festival runs from 11am - 5pm, and admission is free. There will be panels on animation and comic book storyboarding, as well as an appearance by LA's freshest food van, FRESH FRIES!

Come out and support our local comic book convention!

Weapon Tex Mex Independence Day!

In honor of Mexican Independence Day, when Father Hidalgo led the battle cry for Mexican Independence from Spain, I'm bringing you a free comic here on JAVZILLA!

Click here to read "Destroy all Mexicans!!"

 WEAPON TEX-MEX was the first comic I ever had published, appearing in the anthology HOT MEXICAN LOVE COMICS in 1997. Originally published in b&w, I've since added some gray tones to spruce it up a bit.

Independent comics/DIY publishing offers me the exact type of storytelling I want to create: Complete, unfiltered presentation of my ideas, executed with my own editorial vision, in the style I see fit. Good or bad, the decisions are mine. I learn from the results either way, and continue to craft each new story with what I've learned.

So, I'm liberatating this comic, making it available for you here, free, with the intent to get more of my stories out there, in front of readers looking for fresh, independent visions.

Viva los Comics!

P.S.: You can read two more of my comics online at WebComics Nation: Demolition Dove & Manga Muerto. And you can buy my comics and DVD at the JAVZILLA Web Shop!

Cartoonist Mike Kitchen on JAVILAND podcast!

On Sunday, I recorded a an episode of my DIY COMICS Podcast JAVILAND with Mike Kitchen, a Canadian cartoonist who publishes under his imprint ULTRAIST STUDIOS.

 

 L to R: Blair Kitchen (THE POSSUM), me and Mike Kitchen at the 2010 WONDERCON.

Check out my JAVILAND Blog here, where you can read about our conversation and follow a link to the podcast. Lots of great talk for folks who self-publish (or plan to) their own comics. Among the many topics we discuss are digital downloads of comics and whether or not we cartoonists should 'give it away free'. A very forward-thinking cartoonist, this Mr. Kitchen. Give it a listen!

My new column in DITKMANIA #81

The new issue of DITKOMANIA, #81, was released recently, featuring a grab-bag assortment of topics about comic book artist Steve Ditko (co-creator of SPIDER-MAN, DR. STRANGE). 

I've been contributing artwork since issue #74, and now starting with this issue I'm contributing a new column called DITKO BY DESIGN.

Basically what I want to do in each column is take several characters that Steve Ditko has designed and/or co-created and look at how they work both visually and in terms of how well they define their characters. This inaugural entry is called HEAD GAMES, and is divided into two categories dealing with characters in which Ditko either does some interesting artistic choices regarding the character's heads or faces. In Part 1, "OFF WITH THEIR HEADS", I write about three characters that don't have heads but instead some type of prop atop their shoulders: glass helmet, flames or a self-contained universe!
L to R: Mysterio, The Dread Dormammu and Dr. Universe.

In the second part, called "FACE OFF!", I write about The Chameleon, The Question, Mr. A and others, and the various ways in which facial designs, or lack thereof, help define their character's identity.

All of my commentary comes from my own observations, taking as an appreciative look at these characters through my own artistic eyes. The initial reaction I've received to DITKO BY DESIGN has been complimentary, so that's a great feeling. But I'm really glad that I'm taking the time to contribute to the zine, as I get plenty of joy out of reading it as a Ditko fan myself. Under the steady hand of editor and publisher Rob Imes, with the participation of a really strong roster of writers and artists, DITKOMANIA has continued to grow with a steady and rich variety of material over the years.

You can order issue #81 or the previous issues by checking out this link: DITKOMANIA.

Talking about gallery shows on my latest episode of JAVILAND podcast

Did you know I do a podcast? If not, then two things: A) I gotta do a better job about reminding my blog readers! And B) Now you do!


On the latest episode, #38, we discuss art shows at galleries and other venues. You long-time readers know that I've done a fair amount of art shows (and in fact have an upcoming solo show at GEEKS in Whittier. A Halloween themed show! More info in the next week or so...). Well, I figured it was high time to discuss doing gallery shows on the podcast. Check out my JAVILAND D.I.Y. COMICS Podcast blog here.


Back in 2004, before I had a blog, I had my first solo art show. This was at the Froden Gallery (sadly, no longer in business) and was during the time when we were in pre-production of the El Muerto film. The Opening Reception for the art show was in October, and we invited the star of the film, Wilmer Valderrama, to appear:

I talk about that evening on the podcast, so please give it a listen to if you're interested. There's some good content on that episode if you're curious about what it takes to join, or put on a gallery show.


Also, you can subscribe to the JAVILAND podcast for free via iTunes, just visit my page on the Talkshoe website here.

Reflections on the DIY COMICS CRASH COURSE

Earlier today at GEEKS Comics in Whittier, I conducted my DIY COMICS CRASH COURSE. I was really satisfied how the class turned out. The attendees were all really interested in the material I covered, as well as with one another's planned projects.

The companion book to the workshop.
  
This is the second time I've taught this particular workshop. With the 2 1/2 hour time limit, there was a definite amount of material I wanted to make sure I covered for the attendees. Not much chance to devote the whole time to the actual principles of storytelling, but I do focus on what I consider the practical aspects of publishing one's work. And there was no shortage of questions and contributions from the attendees, which I feel makes for a real robust, immersive experience for everybody!

Establishing the final form of one's story, whether it be a web comic or a printed publication of some sort, requires the artist to invest plenty of time in researching costs and time tables for web sites, printing fees, targeted convention dates, etc. What I did before I published my first book back in 1998 was to target an actual comic convention (APE) to debut my book at. This forced me to develop a schedule in which to finish my book, which in my case is always a good thing. (The ol' 'gun to the head' routine, so to speak!).

I honestly don't recall if I obtained quotes for my first printed book while I was still working on it, but it's something I recommend to the novice publisher. At least getting some type of ballpark figure gives them a leg up on saving up for their future printing bill. To finish their comic book, then realize they have to wait another 4 months to save up, for example, $500.00 to cover printing costs...Well, that's something that could be addressed with an early quote.

Like a lot of artists, I get inspired by other creators both within my field and from other mediums as well. Besides strongly recommending Dave Sim's new, revised, CEREBUS GUIDE TO SELF-PUBLISHING, 

I also recommended REBEL WITHOUT A CREW,  filmmaker Robert Rodriguez's account on filming his no-budget indie film, EL MARIACHI. There are a lot of parallels in trying to make a film with a mere handful of collaborators and a pittance of money with creating and publishing your own comic book. I found enough inspiration and instruction in the book to keep it on my 'Recommended reading' list for DIY cartoonists.

I really do enjoy this type of instruction, in that I'm conveying information and my personal experiences to adults who are planning to publish their own comics. I've taught lots of 'how to draw comics' classes to kids, and that's rewarding in it's own way. Teaching a youngster basic storytelling principles and seeing them apply some of that information to the way the create is a wonderful experience.

But knowing that someone has their own story to create, and is specifically looking for instruction and insight in how to approach all the publishing aspects (costs, marketing, presentation, etc) involved, that makes me feel like I'm giving someone a very practical set of tools. Sure, it's based on my own feelings about approaching DIY comics, but since I'm making the effort to provide my services, I don't have to teach anyone else's methods. I'll refer to other things that some creators have done, but I speak best about my own experiences and what's worked, or hasn't worked, for me.

Here's a pic of the 'graduating class':

Thanks to Neil Segura for sharing this pic! (You can read his post about the workshop here)

Like I mentioned earlier, there was a lot of interaction between these guys about what they were working on. I think that's very helpful because it let's people see that everyone is in a different stage of working or planning their books. A nice comment someone made was that it would be neat to see, in another year or two, where everybody is at in their role of self-published cartoonists. I agree!


Thanks to the attendees, and thanks as always to GEEKS Comics for hosting the workshop.

Official Recognition at the Latino Book Festival fundraiser

This past Saturday I attended the fundraiser event for the upcoming LATINO BOOK & FAMILY FESTIVAL and the event turned out to be an even more pleasant experience than I could have imagined. My gratitude to author Reyna Grande for inviting me to participate, and to the LBFF and Pan American Bank for putting on such a wonderful event.


The fundraiser was held at the Pan American Bank in East Los Angeles. Jesse Torres, the CEO, was very generous in hosting the event. This bank really does live up to the phrase 'serving it's community'. Banks today are seemingly perceived as despicable as Hollywood studios and lawyers, but the Pan American Bank seems to really keep their focus on servicing their patrons and the community at large. Their sponsorship of art and literature is welcome evidence of that.

Bank CEO Jesse Torres. We're standing in front of a painting that's part of a small exhibit they currently have in the bank.

Front of the bank (from their Facebook page)

Some of the bank's permanent art on display. Plus all the goodies for the silent auction.

I wish I had taken more photos, but sometimes I just get so caught up in the moment of participating in the event and meeting people that  I forget to get my Jimmy Olsen on! The inside lobby had tables for authors and other exhibitors. The area immediately outside the bank, leading to the parking lot, had a huge tent set up, where the majority of the events took place, such as author interviews and readings. You can see more pics of the event at this Facebook photo page.


Among the exhibitors on hand was TIA CHUCHA'S CULTURAL CENTER & BOOKSTORE. I've actually exhibited in a group art show there some years ago, so it was nice seeing them again. They sold my comics, and the other author's books, at their table.

Philip Victor, comic book writer. I had met Philip some years ago, and he actually suggested to the festival organizers to invite me onboard for the fundraiser. Thanks Philip!

It wouldn't be an LA Latino event without Lalo Alcaraz, the creator of the newspaper strip LA CUCARACHA. I've known Lalo for years now, and he never ceases to amaze me with his escapades. He was actually at another event prior to this one!

Like any event I attend, there's always a vibrant kaleidoscope of experiences. Also attending the event was Javier Grillo-Marxuach, writer of comics, film and television. His comic book series, THE MIDDLEMAN, was turned into an ABC television series. A few years back I was on a Writer's Guild panel with Javier, so we spent some time catching up and talking shop. He's adapted several comics as screenplays, and one thing I was reminded of in talking with him was just how lucky I had it working with a small, independent company for the El Muerto film. His tales of Hollywood studio development hell certainly don't sound like the experiences I had in the indie film world! (Although, for the uninitiated, even a small film company comes with the occasional headache and heartburn...)

Among other folks I met was a librarian for a local University who bought my comics for her library's collection. And I also met the director of a company that offers webinars, so we talked about me perhaps teaching on online comics workshop. A funny situation that happened was a fan walked up to me, waving, "Hi Javier!". Of course, I didn't recognize him, but he reminded, in a good-natured tease, "You haven't added me as a friend on Facebook for a year!".
Well, from there we hit it off just fine. And I can now report to the entire internet audience that Anthony and I are now officially Facebook Friends!

There was a great surprise later in the evening. For about an hour or so they held an author's panel, with all 20 or so attending writers and artists being given short interviews. At the end of the interviews, we were each presented with Certificates of Recognition from city, state and even Congressional representatives. These were in recognition for our support of the Latino Book Festival and our individual efforts as creative people in the community. After 12 years as a self-published comic creator, and considering everything I've done and been involved with, this felt really good to receive. Especially since it was completely unexpected.

From Supervisor Gloria Molina, of the County of Los Angeles:

Two from Sacramento. From State Senator Ronald Calderon and Speaker of the Assembly John Perez:

And U.S. Congresswoman Grace Napolitano:

I just love seeing the Congressional logo, my name and 'Comic Books' on the same certificate! I guess there's more to comics than "Bam! Pow! Ka-Blam!". I'm glad they wrote 'comics' too, not 'graphic novelist' (hate that word) or 'sequential pictorial narratives' or some other artsy fartsy word some writers and artists try to prop up. I make floppy, stapled comic books, folks!

Seriously though, these were very nice to receive. Thanks to the Latino Book Festival for arranging these for us, and to the various representatives for awarding these. Sure, it's not like they all read my comics and say 'Give that guy an award!'. But it is recognition for our work as artists who give our time and efforts to instilling some creativity and imagination in others. 


Over the last 12 years, I've spent the majority of my time in comics trying to sell my books and artwork, promoting my name and my brand (because one becomes a self-publisher primarily to sell one's work directly). But I've also spent lots of time, once I realized the value it gives to others, talking to students and teaching kids about art and comics and showing them the value of expressing themselves through comics. Like I told me friend Irma at dinner that evening, I look as these certificates as a nod to some of the educational things I've been doing since I published my first comic back in 1998. 


My only question is: Was the President too busy running the country to sign a certificate for a comic book guy?! Sheesh!


Well, maybe next time.... :)

Fundraiser this Saturday for LATINO BOOK FESTIVAL

If you're in Los Angeles this Saturday, I'll be attending the fundraiser for the upcoming LATINO BOOK & FAMILY FESTIVAL.

I'll be exhibiting at the LBFF this October, as well as appearing on a panel. It's been awhile since I've been to the Book Festival, so I'm very much looking forward to getting behind a booth again. And for the first time in some years, I'll be tag-teaming with Rafael Navarro, creator of SONAMBULO, selling our comics and doing our spiel from the same booth!


The fundraiser is this Saturday, from 4-8pm, at the Pan American Bank in East Los Angeles. If you can, please come out and support the Latino Book & Family Festival.

JAVCON last call!

Whew!


It's been a long six days of JAVCON! But it's been real fun running the show, and from the feedback I've been getting, sounds like you conventioneers have been enjoying it. 


Basically I had wanted to be able to celebrate the convention spirit via the computer, this blog. San Diego Comic Con ran from July 22 until yesterday, so it was cool to also be able to exhibit my work, share some previews, and talk about some older projects from 'the archives', right on this very blog. I sure want to go back to exhibiting in San Diego, but this was a way to connect with my own fans, many of which also weren't at Comic Con.


I had committed to posting new content everyday during the JAVCON, and some days I squeezed in an evening post as well. Truth be told, it sure was a lot of work over the last six days. In some cases, I had to scan some of my artwork, as I didn't have digital files of them. Sometimes I had to take photos, then download them, edit in Photoshop and save as a jpeg. But regardless of the workload on my end, the great thing was to finally be able to share some of this stuff.


As I looked back at the last 12 years that I've been self-publishing, trying to dig up some artwork most of my readers here were not even aware of, it struck me just how varied the type of projects I've been involved in. Believe me, when I printed up that first photocopied edition of El Muerto back in 1998, all I was planning was to sell that book, then make new stories, print them, sell them, go back and make new comics, etc. Some stickers, maybe some T-shirts. If I got lucky, there would mabye be an action figure line in the future.


Never thought I'd be branching out into a movie, podcasting, art galleries, forming art collectives, teaching classes, speaking at schools and libraries and tons of other rewarding things I've done. And the scores of wonderful people I've met...Wow! That just tells me that I'm doing two different types of stories. One group is the comics I tell by drawing on paper and filling in the word balloons. The storytelling medium I fell in love with as kid. Comic books. Could be stories about a guy who gets abducted by the Aztec god of Death. Or a monster that walks like a swamp. Or a wise-cracking badass with a pair of bull horns and a Zorro mask. Whatever I want.


The other story is the one I live everyday. The story about this guy, who grew up reading his older brother Albert's comic books. Spider-Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, Batman. The kid who loved watching SPEED RACER on TV. The Second Grader who one afternoon at school, after a weekend viewing of RODAN on television, knocked out a drawing of the giant pterodon and realized by the approval of the other kids that he was An Artist. The middle school student who loved the idea that he could actually take classes solely dedicated to art. The young man in college who fell in love with painting as an expressive medium. The guy who, once out of his 20s realized that, dammit, he should be publishing his own comic books with his own characters and do things exactly how he wants to and build his own fanbase.

That story, about that guy, gets another page added to it everytime I come up with a new idea. Every time I scribble those ideas down in a sketchbook. Every time I slowly turn that idea into a comic book. Every time I take those comic books and sell them at a convention. Every time I get asked to speak here, teach this class, sign at that store. Every time I talk to my artist friends and we discuss our work. And how we do it. And why we do it. That guy's story gets longer and more interesting and more rewarding. Each and every time.


I'm not going to pick which of the two types of stories I like more. They're totally intertwined with one another. One just follows the other. A page, a book, a day at a time.


JAVCON was, ultimately, another page in my story. So, thanks for reading my 'story', and remember that even though JAVCON is over, I'll continue to post on this blog (at least now I don't have the pressure of trying to hit a home run every single day!).


I was going to post some pics to accompany this post, but dang it all, I've had enough with scanning and resizing and saving and uploading. Forgive me this once, please!


And remember, if you do want to want to look at some pics, scroll down and check out the previous days of the JAVCON. Or you can even click on the tab along the top of this post and visit my Web Shop and buy some of my books, then you can have my artwork nearby whenever you want to read it! I'm just saying....

JAVCON Day 6: CORE 13 album artwork & an El Muerto song!

It's the last day here at JAVCON, but I want to take you once more in the WayBack Machine and show you two musical projects I was involved with several years ago.

Have you ever heard the "DAZE OF THE DEAD" single by John Franco and Richard Odie? 

(If the video player doesn't work or show up here, click this link to Youtube)
My friend John Franco, who used to be the first and longest-running comic shop owner in my hometown of Whittier, CA told me that he was inspired to write a song based by my first El Muerto comic book, "Daze of the Dead". I was totally for the idea, as I imagined having a CD single based on my comic would be such a great novelty (Imagine what I thought when a few years later I was offered a movie adaptation of El Muerto!).

John was an early supporter of my publishing efforts back in 1998, and in fact I met him when he opened up his first comic book shop, back in about 1984. He and his musical partner, Odie, wrote and performed the song, and we agreed on a limited number of copies to press as a CD. My friend Rafael Navarro, creator of Sonambulo, provided the inks on the Muerto drawing. I think we made about 100 or so CDs, which I packaged in thin, colored plastic cases. It was really cool selling these at conventions alongside my comics. I think now how quaint even the idea of CD Singles are in this day and age, but I look fondly back on having had a time when I had an El Muerto CD single.

In  mid or late 2003, I received an email from a Jon Alonso, who was the vocalist/songwriter for an Oregon band called CORE 13. Jon had picked up my comics at a local shop, and really dug the story and art, enough to reach out and ask me if I'd be interested in creating artwork for his next album, "Whisper Out Loud". The more we emailed back and forth, and after hearing some of the music, I thought that this would be a very interesting project to work on.


Jon had a pretty clear idea of how he wanted the artwork to within the format of the actual album. Each song would have an illustration, and each song/illustration would then have a narrative telling the story of the whole album.

 John, who went by the name Rooster, gave me descriptions of how he saw each band member in their superhero personas. Basically swashbuckling pirate rockers. Okay, I can do that! Rooster's character was the most fun to design, as I always loved the Zorro type of mask that's basically a bandana covering the eyes (in fact he was the only band member to get a mask), and his mohawk immediately recalled Jack Kirby's OMAC, one of my favorites.


I sent off a batch of character designs with no changes requested on his part. I just tossed in spandex and pirate accessories and whatever I felt made classic superhero attire. I created all the artwork for the 10 individual songs, and brought in my friend Will Caulfield (creator of the BAT-BAT comic) to color the illustrations. We sent off the artwork and John took care of all the design and layout. Each page had the illustration and the song lyrics. We thought it would be a neat idea to number each drawing like a comic book cover, too.

'To Save The World'...If that's not a superhero Christ-complex, I don't know what is! I loved that! Basically the story arc was that Core 13, made up of guys dealing with personal issues, band together and help overthrow an oppressive dictatorship. A standard story, but totally in line with classic superhero melodrama and Rock & Roll 'power to the people'. Here are the other 9 'comics':

Over the next several months, we continued to work together, with them selling my comics at some of their shows up in Oregon, and I'd sell copies of their CD at some of my shows. What actually happened was that I even moved into a 'manager' position with them. At the time, I had already sold the option for the El Muerto movie, and in the 2 years leading up to the actual filming of the movie, I thought that partnering with the band could perhaps lead to other opportunities. Living in the Los Angeles area, and having my experience in self-publishing, being a self-representing artist and now with an independent film in development, it was something I wanted to explore. I had even thought about the idea of creating a music video, animated, with Core 13 and El Muerto. And also I envisioned designing artwork for their stage shows and other merchandise. Whatever could maximize my art skills, while doing the work of promoting the band.


Mind you, all of this was very ground-level DIY, so it's not like I booked them on Jay Leno or the Ozfest! I'd make a few contacts here and there with a music zine publisher, and tried to lay some groundwork for some LA gigs for the band, but these were all baby steps.


You can listen to some of the songs from the album at their Myspace page. I'm even in one of their music videos! Don't blink, or you'll miss me and my comics at 2:49 into the video: 'Girls aren't worth a Heartbreak'.


In the Summer of 04, Jon was attending a wedding in Tijuana, so I asked him if he could stop by at the San Diego Comic Con that was running at the same time. And so that year I had a punk rock EL Muerto at my table! 

(I actually had the El Muerto suit made a few years previously for another friend I asked to appear at another convention. It's actually been worn by 4 different SpokesMuertos!)

Following that appearance at Comic Con, things got a little rocky. To be diplomatic and professional, I'll say that things within the band prevented us from moving forward. At first I thought a good opportunity for all of us was slipping away, but then at the same time things were moving forward with the Muerto movie, as filming was to start in February of 2005. 

To be honest, trying to take a managerial role of a DIY band was committing to a task larger than I could handle. Who knows exactly how far we could have gone, or if it would have helped to promote my own brand as an artist along with it? It was something that I chose to do, though, and Jon was also willing to take me on, so it's an experience that I remember with good memories, and some bumps along the way. During the 2008 STUMPTOWN, a Portland indie comics convention, I met up with Jon. It was nice talking to him after a few years had passed. We had our karma set back to an even field.
 
I've occasionally had other offers to partner with other creative people over the years. Sometimes, like the experiences with Core 13 and John Franco, they work good, if even for a short time. Lots of other times however, I don't even pass through the front door. I'm only going to do what I want to, it has to be beneficial to me monetarily or creatively/artistically. Life in the arts is way too big for me to ever experience all that I'd like to. So when I find a new avenue to explore, or it finds me, I'll consider it and decide if it's worth doing.

Like JAVCON! Hope you've felt the same way. One more post tonight, and then we close the 'doors' until the next show...

JAVCON Day 5: EL MUERTO movie storyboards

Hello Javcon attendees! 

I mentioned in the beginning that I'd share some never-before-seen artwork from my archives. Well, I think these qualify...

Back in 2003-2004, while the script for the EL MUERTO movie was being written, I asked my director, Brian Cox, if I could take a crack at storyboarding. This was during a very early draft of the script, so obviously things would change in  the story. But I really did it as an excercise for myself, as I'd never created storyboards for a movie.


First thing that struck me was the obvious similarity to drawing a comic, in that you're sequentially telling a story visually. Here though, I'm interpreting a story that's going to be filmed with actors, and all the limitations and advantages that conveys. At the time, we weren't considering any casting, so I basically drew the characters as they appeared in my comic. Diego/Muerto, girlfriend Maria, best friend Zack and the god of death, Miclantecuhtli.


The other thing that struck me was drawing certain sequences, like the car crash/sacrifice scene, as I was interpreting a scripted scene based on a sequence in a comic book I created a few years previously. It was deja vu on the drawing board!


As I got to the end of my storyboards, a new draft of the script was finished. Once I read it, I saw that the film was morphing from the original ending I was working from. So at that point, I decided to stop working on the storyboards, as it was just an exercise for myself. Brian actually worked with his cinematographer to block out the scenes themselves, so they didn't actually work from storyboards. I was really impressed with the way the film was shot, so I didn't have any regrets about not having mine used.

Here's the sequence where Diego heads out to the Dia de Los Muertos festival and gets in an accident, sending him to Mictlan, the Azted underworld. There he gets sacrificed and sent back to Earth. It ends as Diego walks into the cemetery and bumps into the 'Man in Costume' (the little cameo role I snagged for myself!). As surreal as it could be at times drawing my characters for a movie script, drawing myself into the film (literally and figuratively) was a total kick in the head!

One thing I found amusing was when I told my producer, Larry Rattner, that I was working on storyboarding. He commented that it's not the norm for the author of the source material to storyboard his own movie. Well, that's one of the many advantages of being a cartoonist!

As an extra bonus, here are three more pieces. I also created, at my director's request, the artwork for the title cards. Brian actually wanted the head shot of El Muerto, as he had seen a sketch of it on the cover of a limited edition preview book I printed up in 2004. Seeing these images up on movie screens was quite a thrill, I gotta tell you.