I've been Conned!

Well I plan on being "conned" more often this year.

I have some good memories of comic shows from when I was a kid.

Most of my fondest comic show memories are from the 70's and 80's. The earliest shows (now called cons) were a place I went solo as my friends weren't into comics. It was no biggie as I went to the cons to shop first and fill some story run or get some books by my favourite artist. Occasionally I would catch a glimpse of the guest creator/artist many of which happened to be a favourite! There weren't any artist alleys. Usual there was a guest artist and local artists might buy a table to promote their books which was rare in the 70's as only a artist working for the big two seemed to get an invite.

Along the way I got to meet Ernie Chan who showed me the Conan newspaper strip he was working on with Roy Thomas. I saw Neal Adams but his being so busy led me to meet Cerebus The Aardvark creator Dave Sim. Seems like he was a much easier going guy back then. There were other artists like George Perez and other I can't remember. This was a time when you could chat with artists and pick up a sketch at a reasonable price though I still preferred completing my comic runs so I could READ the books versus collecting artist sketches...

I have fond memories of these shows and yet I have not so fond memories of the shows of the 90's and new millennium. These are the money shows, The small show was replaced by the monster con. I have some good memories of speaking with Diana Schutz at a 90's con and more recently Brian Bolland. I have less fond memories of waiting in huge lineups just to get into the con. This led my wife to say never again to the monster con/expo and (I don't blame her).

Someone Who does it Right!



This leads me to TCAF a free to the public show for independent comic artists . I got to meet Matt Kindt and Jeff Lemire there last year. Dan Clowes was there and many others but they had too many people around them so I couldn't/wouldn't bother pushing through. I missed Roger Langridge as he was speaking at a venue not part of the library and by the time we had walked the floor I was done. I would support friends if they were there. I will meet friends if they are going but I have never been the autograph, sketch guy. I consider myself a comic READER not a collector!

This year I plan to attend again and try to meet some fellow artist down there. Some members of our art community Art and Story and support them.


I wanted to remind you if you are in the Ann Arbor, Michigan next weekend head over to Kids Read Comics, a great show and learning opportunity for families and it's free!.

My Art Week:

My art week was filled with King Kong! OK. Not really, but my studio is still in the cleaning process...sigh...

My Reading Week:




I re-read Sweet Tooth Volume 1 Vertigo imprint. I love Jeff's work and I still think Jeppard is Gordie Howe!! Have Sweet Tooth Volume two bedside.

5/5 howls



I picked up Peanuts Collection Volume One from the library. Fantagraphics did an awesome job. It is this weeks a Jahhdog Must Read! Schulz style changes over the next 50 years but I think his writing was never better!

5/5 howls I gotta buy this one!

I actually went a bought Jeff Lemire's Superboy, now I am a Super-boy, girl, man hater (I only love superdog) but I am interested to see the writing that Jeff brings to the book. I would buy it forever if he drew it too!



Happy Birthday Will Eisner. I remember seeing his work at the local comic shop, I think it was kitchen sink press collecting the newspaper comics. They were awesome, the line work, the splash pages, the "dames"! Will did it all! Then I read his graphic novels and was floored. Like some have said said, "he was way ahead of his time!" Google is honouring him today and it is well deserved!



Create something NOW!

ArrrOOoo!