I’m back from Comic-Con International and, given enough naps, I think I might even recover!

While there, I kept a little sketch journal of some of the wackier things I encountered, or, more factually, my reactions to them.

Click the picture to check out the whole set on Flickr!

It was a crazy time – wonderful to see so many friends, colleagues, and readers, crazy costumes and bizarre set pieces.  This was my first time going as a Professional Cartoonist ™ and that added a certain amount of angst – am I annoying everybody?  Will I sell enough?  Am I talking to the right people?  How many boxes did I ship?  But it was exciting to be at a point in my professional development where those were meaningful considerations.  Six years ago, I was looking up to people like me!  Pretty cool.

Thank you to everybody who spoke to me, bought a book, or gave a friendly smile at the convention.  It’s a pleasure.  Even if my feet still hurt two days out.

San Diego Comic-Con!

This week I’m participating in the mass hallucination that is Comic-Con International. I’ll be tabling in the Small Press Pavilion at table M-09 with my usual partner in crime, Erika Moen. That’s just a hop towards the Bayside Lobby from the Webcomics Pavilion, Oni Press, Random House, and many of your other favorite makers of comic book delights! I’ll be there with books, prints, patches, bookplates, and I’ll also be taking commissions.

You can also catch me in Room 3 on Saturday from 4:00-5:00pm for the Comics After Paper panel, hosted by my good friend Douglas Wolk. If you’re at all interested in where words and pictures are headed in the future, please attend! If you’ve never seen me on a panel before: I tend to be lively.

There will be a new page next week when I’ve recovered a little. SDCC attendees, I look forward to seeing your shining faces!

Wham, Bam, Thank You Ma’am

Page 168 now online!

Oh hey here is a page!  Whew.

It was done on the heels of a genuinely wonderful book launch party! Thank you to everybody who came by Floating World Comics – the place was packed from start to finish. I am aglow that this mad, unpitchable tale and its frazzled maker have such good friends and supporters out there. So many tiny, suspiciously enthusiastic Luthers were drawn in book covers!  It’s odd to see that character look so chipper, but I couldn’t help it – we both had a good night.

Here is a photo of me being super classy during a whole fifteen second lull, taken by national treasure Mike Russell:

Next up: for most of next week I’ll be at the San Diego Comic-Con, at Small Press table #M-09! I’ll be accompanied by my usual partner-in-crime Erika Moen.  I’ll also be on the Comics After Paper panel on Saturday from 4-5 in Room 3, hosted by my friend Douglas Wolk.  Yes, that is right; somebody who just turned a webcomic into a print comic is talking about comics not for print.  Holla!

I am also slowly but steadily sending out those pre-orders – after Comic-Con the factory goes into full swing as I get several uninterrupted weeks of sketching, packing, watercoloring, and mailing time.  Man, it already sounds good.

Family Man update!

Page 185 now online!

And we are back! With a page full of Dudes. I don’t know how likely an update is again for the next couple of weeks as Iprepare for and attend the soul-consuming San Diego Comic-Con (Table M-9 in the Small Press Section!) and start pushing out book orders, but I’ll do my best.

In the most immediate news, folks in the Portland area, please come out to the Book Launch party next Thursday, July 15, at Floating World Comics from 5-8pm! If you pre-ordered a book, you can come pick it up from me in person, and you will get extra prizes to make up for the shipping you paid.

Here is the Facebook event – it’s open to the public, so pass it on, and I’ll see you there! I am making cookies.  They will be delicious.

Filed under Appearances, Books, Family Man | Comment (0)

Book release and signing, July 15!

Remember that hand wound?  It’s lots better, but now I have the flu.  But before the Nyquil drags me under, here is some very exciting news! Mark your calendars now:

Courtesy of  Jason Leivian, proprietor of the lovely Portland establishment Floating World Comics, Family Man will have a release and signing party on-site!  It will be on July 15th from 5 to 8pm.  So you Portland-area folk don’t need to stalk me or buy scalped tickets to San Diego just to get my scrawl on the inside cover of your copy of Family Man.

I’ve never done a solo event before, but I figure this book deserves it – especially since you, my wonderful crazy readers, made it possible. Floating World is one of my favorite places in Portland, period, and its shelves are a testament to the very best that comics can offer.  I’m very honored to drag this book into the world through their doors!

And now, back to your regularly scheduled cold medicine.

Drink and Draw Like a Lady

Friday, April 23rd, 2010
7:30pm to Midnight
The Secret Society, 116 NE Russell Street, Portland, OR

Ladies in Portland of all ages!  If you write comics, edit comics, letter comics, study comics, sell comics, design for comics, review comics, or work for a library that offers comics…you’re invited to the DDLL party tonight! (Librarians and ladies who work for publishers, you’re especially welcome!)

The Secret Society is one of the coolest little joints in Portland, and we’ll be in their swank little ballroom, eating cupcakes and consuming beverages of all kinds.  The party runs from 7:30 to midnight, so whether you’re an early-to-bed type or a night owl, there’s time to enjoy.

I’ll be there schmoozing it up!  Tell you friends and c’mon down.

See you at Stumptown!

Page 178 now online!

Fortuitously, an easy page for me this week.  Fortuitous because (after being sick for three days and getting behind on every project I’m currently working on) I’m also getting ready for the Stumptown Comics Fest, here in my own Portland, OR.  I’m the coordinator for all the panel programming and this year and I’m very proud and excited about all the wonderful stuff that will be going on!

This year I also got to help the lovely Hope Larson organize the Drink and Draw Like a Lady event (not to be missed!).  You haven’t lived until you’ve placed an order for 200 cupcakes, my friends.

I’ll be at Table 105 selling some delightful wares, and I’ll be appearing on a panel with fellow history comics artist Kate Beaton.  See you there!

What (Not) To Do

This cup of coffee and I are currently recovering from a long but successful weekend in Seattle for the Emerald City Comicon.  Thank you to everybody who came by and said hello!  It was a much-needed morale boost for me, here at the tail-end of this Winter of Ultimate Suck.

Thank you especially to everybody who asked me (often aggressively!) when the first Family Man book will be coming out.  The answer: as soon as possible.  I’ve got several requests out for quotes, and as soon as I receive one that sounds good, I’ll kick into pre-press mode. It’s going to be a lot of work to get it into shape (Dylan of 2006 didn’t quite know what she was setting herself up for…) and I’ll be taking preorders/Kickstarter to help cover the costs.

On to other business:

My lovely friend, sometime-collaborator, and all-around champion YA author and youth librarian Sara Ryan is tackling an excellent project.

She’s in the process of writing a graphic novel to be illustrated by Carla Speed McNeil, and, being a good person, decided to ask all the artists at Periscope Studio about their pet peeves when it comes to comics writing.

I chimed in.  I write for myself, I’ve written for others, and I’ve drawn scripts from other people as well, so I am just full of annoying advice!

My first item:

1)  Don’t say “Have fun with this!” Unless the writer actually knows what I find fun.  “In this panel, we see an elegantly-dressed 18th century intellectual riding a dragon” would, for me, be fun.  For somebody else, eye-stabby.

Read the rest of the post over at Sara’s blog!

Animals at ECCC

Those of you who’ll be at the Emerald City Comicon this weekend will get first crack at these sweet little 5×7″ giclee prints from my Heifer International series. Come get ‘em at Table F-07!

They are easy to frame and easy to love, and they won’t go on sale at my store until after the convention.

If they do well, I’d like to gradually release the whole series in print form and donate a percentage of profit to Heifer.  So stop on by!

Update! See you in Seattle!

Page 173 now online!

Heeeey it’s a page.  Another bruiser of a week, gang.  April!  April will be the month where things start to go my way! Oh well, at least Luther seems to be doing well for the moment.  We can be confident that will end soon.

But, most importantly, I’ll be in Seattle this weekend at the Emerald City Comicon.  Come visit me at Table F-07, right next to Erika and much of Periscope Studio.

I’ll have some snazzy new prints to sell – many featuring cute animals!  You want them, I know you do.