Dragon*Con 2010 - Kit Fisto Rules!

It just wouldn't be a con without getting a sketch or two of my favorite Jedi - Kit Fisto!

Stephanie Gladden
Randy Martinez

Wizard World Chicago Comic Con 2010 - Kit Fisto Rules!

Last weekend, I travelled to Rosemont, IL for the Wizard World Chicago Comic Con and had a blast! Although I did manage to catch the "Wizard World Exclusive head cold" on Thursday night, it was well worth any suffering on my part. Especially to acquire some fine additions to my collection of Kit Fisto commissions!

Drew Jones
Matt Hansel
Jay Brant
Jeremy Sorrell
In addition to these four fabulous pieces, I also got Invisible Scarlet sketch by Dan Parent, which can be seen at the Invisible Scarlet O'Neil blog.

Heroes Con 2010

Slowly but surely, I've been recovering from the awesome craziness that was HeroesCon! It is easily my favorite convention of the year and I strongly suggest placing it on your schedule for 2011. I did not have a booth (next year - definitely!), but spent the weekend visiting with various fans and pros. it was great catching up with folks such as Francesco Francavilla and his wife Lisa, Jim Cheung, Jeremy Haun, Keith DeCandido, Nathan Edmundson, Stephanie Gladden, Kyle Puttkammer, Allen Belk, Jamal Igle, Rob Jones, Nathan Massengill, Chris Walker and all the HeadHunta Studios crew, Susan Soares and the Sky Pirates of Valendor guys, Chris Moreno, Dave Wachter, Jeremy Bastian, Steve Niles, Kelly Yates, Joe Staton, the CGS geeks, Shawn Pryor and his PKD Media posse, Roy Thomas, Bernie Wrightson, and for little more than the blink of an eye and click of a camera, Bobby Nash.

I also met some folks for the very first time. Some true headliners - Mike Mignola, Tim Sale, Brian Bolland, Jim Starlin, Christopher Moeller, Adam Hughes, Bill Willingham, Ben Templesmith, Kevin Maguire, James O'Barr, Scott Hampton, Steve Lieber, Greg Horn, Rick Leonardi, Todd Nauck, Jim Mahfood, John Beatty, Chris Giarrusso, Stephane Roux, and John Van Fleet, each generous with their time and in some cases, their talent.

But in the midst of all this name-dropping, please allow me to highlight two talented individuals. Van Jensen, writer of the newly released graphic novel, Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer. I picked this up because of the CBT and expected it to be a novelty with a few chuckles. However, this book delivers the concept with some depth and respects the original tale. He also had a life-sized Pinocchio at the con table which was very cool!

In addition, I was also impressed with the work of Chrissie Zullo. I have seen her gorgeous covers for the Fables: Cinderella mini series, but her entire portfolio was chock full of stunning pieces as well. I anxiously await to see her sequentials in an upcoming arc of Madame Xanadu!

And of course, I added some more images of Kit Fisto to my collection!

Christopher Moeller

Todd Nauck

Andrew Charipar

I also added another sketch to the Visions of Scarlet gallery at the Invisible Scarlet O'Neil blog.

I would like to thank Shelton Drum, the hard working con staff, all the guests and attendees and my fellow NLP founder Bill for a wonderful weekend! Let's do it again next year!

HeroesCon Sketches

Hard for me to believe that HeroesCon was three weeks ago! I just got around to scanning my sketches this week and they are sweet! I got more this year than at any other con I've been to and I didn't even spend a lot to get them. Hope y'all enjoy them as much as I do!

Dian Belmont - Guy DavisGuy is kind enough to draw free head sketches all weekend. Last year, I was excited to have a Wesley Dodds Sandman by Davis added to my sketchbook and now Wes is joined by his love, Dian Belmont.

Doctor Who & Martha Jones - Kelly YatesKelly was handed a double-edge sword filling in for Pia Guerra in the Doctor Who: The Forgotten mini-series, but his work more than holds its own IMHO. Be sure to check out his creator-owned Amber Atoms series too.

Black Beetle by Francesco FrancavillaWhat can I say about the amazing style of FF that I haven't already said before? He's got a new project - Black Beetle. This sketch was added to the back of my copy of the preview issue which is quite the teaser. I want more!!!

Frank by Dave WachterDave included individual sketches on the back covers of the preview edition of The Guns of Shadow Valley, which was another teaser that left me wanting more. All for a mere $2! IMHO, the best deal of the show!

Kit Fisto by Chad CicconiI think it is obvious that Chad knows that Kit Fisto Rules! Chad was in Charlotte with PKD Media and it was great chatting with all the guys in the booth. See more of his work on his online art journal.

Kit Fisto by Dustin NguyenI am a big fan of Dustin's work and picked up a print of his watercolor Bat-family poster. He's also done one for Marvel characters and based on the Kit Fisto head sketch he graced me with, I hope he does a Star Wars themed group pic sometime. That would be sweeeeet!

Scarlet O'Neil by Michelle PoustI'm always looking for alternate takes on this classic character, and Michelle gave her a great modern makeover! See more of her work at HAC-Studios at deviantART.

FCBD 2009 Comics and Sketches

A good time was had by all...at least at the comic shop I was today. There was a very good turnout today at Galactic Quest, and with good reason. First, there were the FREE comics. I picked up 10 issues that caught my eye and have already read through a few. Overall, the quality was pretty good - these aren't just reprints or preview pages of upcoming issues. Kudos to the publishers for giving us some original material. Marvel's Avengers comic was fun and the art was gorgeous! My only beef was that the book itself was a smaller size than a regular comic. Shame on them for shrinking Cheung's stunning pages! DC's Blackest Night prelude did the job - I'm eager to read this summer event! The Savage Dragon story was ol' fashioned comic goodness. And The Stuff of Legend has an intriguing premise and fanciful artwork, so I'll be adding the first of two issues to this month's order for sure. Kudos to Kyle for stocking a large variety of books today. Many independent publishers participate in the FCBD event and it was nice to see them represented on the rack along with the majors.

There were also some talented comic book folks at the store today, and I got a couple of sketches from two guys as nice as they are talented (which is to say a lot). Bobby Nash, whose main role is usually that of writer, added the following to my sketchbook celebrating the release of the Domino Lady: Sex as a Weapon anthology.


Writer, penciller, and inker extraordinaire Nathan Massengill was also in attendance. I've wanted a Scarlet sketch from him ever since we first discussed the character at the ACE convention last year, so today was the perfect opportunity. Nathan did not disappoint. I think it is quite apparent he had fun with it!


Many thanks to the folks at Galactic Quest for hosting a fun event. Today had everything that a comic fanboy like me could want - free comics (that were actually quite good), fine conversation with other fanboys and girls, talented folks showing off their work, and two welcome additions to my sketchbook. Oh, and I also saw some more pages from my artist for my latest project. I can't wait to share 'em! This might have been the best FCBD I have ever attended, which is saying a lot since all the while I was in some physical pain from having my wisdom teeth removed recently. Can't wait to do it again next year - hopefully pain-free!

Happy Belated 24 Hour Comics Day!

This past weekend, folks all around the world took part in 24 Hour Comics Day, a challenge to artists to create a 24-page comic book in 24 consecutive hours. It is not an easy thing to do, as I know from personal experience. I haven't attended one of these events in a while, but my first was in 2001 at Galactic Quest in Lawrenceville. I was an observer and managed to stay up all night with the artists involved. I even modeled for Brian Stelfreeze and appeared on the local FOX morning show the next day. Here's a shot of all of us who answered the call...

The following year, I decided to take part. My goal was small. Instead of 24-pages, I would try 24 panels. I did manage to complete a 6-page comic starring the cool Jedi that is Kit Fisto. (It was actually this night that the phrase "Kit Fisto Rules!" originates.) Below are the results. If anything, it is a fairly good example of how difficult the artist marathon can be.

Two More Reasons Kit Fisto Rules!

Blogging about the Star Wars: The Clone Wars tv series made me realize that I had not posted some of the fantastic sketches I acquired this summer at conventions. Here's two very different, but equally cool interpretations of my fave green guy:

This piece was done by the amazing Katie Cook at Wizard World Chicago. She has done licensed work for DC, Marvel, Star Wars, Heroes, Lord of the Rings, and many others. In fact, she's so familiar with Star Wars, she did not need any reference photos at all for Kit. She's going to be contributing to the Clone Wars online comic soon (hope it stars Kit!).

This was drawn by Eric Basaldua (aka e.bas) at Dragon*Con. Now, Eric's not known for his portraits of male figures - quite the opposite - and he almost seemed uncomfortable sketching. But I think he rose to the challenge quite well! He's also a super nice guy, so maybe next year I'll make it up to him by asking him to draw Slave Leia.

Great Books - Free Sketches!!!

This month, DCBS has Jetta/Shi: Arrow of Destiny available for pre-order. The book is a prelude to the upcoming War of the independents comic event which features various characters from a ton of indie books. In this particular crossover, Jetta partners with the legendary Shi to to honor an age-old promise to protect the sacred Arrow of Nobunaga, an item capable of unleashing unspeakable evil.

If all that is not enough for you to order the book, how about this: all orders placed through DCBS, will get a FREE sketch from Martheus Wade as well as a 45% discount off the cover price! You may recall that I got a sketch earlier this year from the Wades at Con Nooga and I strongly recommend that everyone take advantage of this deal. There's just no reason NOT to order this book!


The fine folks at DCBS have encouraged similar promotions recently, and I happily fall for it every time. A couple of months ago, I got the above FREE sketch of Kimoyo by artist Dave Beaty with the third issue of Bushi Tales.

And if you order the trade collection of Horrorwood via InStockTrades.com (a sister site of DCBS), you can get a FREE sketch of your choice by Brent Schoonover. It made a perfect addition to my Dracula collection:


So now you don't have to wait for a con to get a sketch! Though I would always recommend attending not only to get sketches, but to meet these talented and friendly folks in person! Help support them by ordering their books.

And did I mention you get a FREE sketch!?!?!?!

All the Critics Loved Us in New York

This could possibly be the last report on this year's New York Comic Con to be posted on the blogsphere, but I only just recovered from my trip this past weekend. For some reason, I suffered from massive fatigue for quite a few days after I returned, but I'm pleased to say that I'm feeling much better now and ready for the next con (which will be next month)!

Despite all the drama leading up to the show, this year's NYCC was a fantastic time! I was there first and foremost to promote The Untold Origins of Invisible Scarlet O'Neil and I was very happy that I sold a fair number of books and gave away all my promo cards. I also spoke with a number of folks who stopped by and couldn't take their eyes off the cover image of Russell Stamm's signature character! Many fanboys love to challenge the idea that Scarlet is the first leading lady with superpowers to appear in comic form, so it makes for some interesting discussions. I'm just so glad to see the character getting attention and there is some great news to come!

However, I was not alone in the booth! Bill was there are well - his first time in the Big Apple! He was excited all weekend, but it was hard to tell if it was the city or the great work he has been doing on the new NLP project. We're just weeks from a formal announcement, so be sure to stay tuned!

Others in the booth included a couple of "old friends" - Kathy Messick who is still hard at work promoting Cyber Angels. A great concept and I am amazed that some company hasn't signed her to develop it as a series yet. Also in attendance was Scott Ham of Buckeye Comics, creator of Blood Sentence. Scott's got some great ideas for other horror titles and I'm looking forward to his next project which takes place in the Old West and WWII.

This year we also had a newbie in the booth, Terrance Bernard who was there to introduce the world to Sophia: Awakening and 8-part comic series that takes place in the distant future. The preview book and promo cards and posters did attract quite a lot of attention, thanks in no small part to the gorgeous artwork by Andres Guinaldo! I strongly recommend checking out a preview of the first issue at Parasite Publishing.

But the con was not all work (if you can call hanging out with all the talented folks mentioned above "work"). I also took time to walk around Artist Alley and met some great talent, including Rafeal Navarro who contributed this lovely image of Scarlet for my collection:

Artist Spotlight - Jeremy Haun

A great way to use this space is to spotlight talents who have entertained, educated, fascinated, and inspired me through the years. These are people whose work I devotedly follow from project to project and I would be very honored to work with someday.

A perfect example is artist Jeremy Haun. I first encountered Haun's work on the 2002 Image series Paradigm. To be frank, I had a lot of difficulty following the story of that book, but the art kept me coming back for more (that's meant as no offense to the writer as I'm pretty sure the complex narrative was the intent). Since then, I've enjoyed much of his independent work in Desperadoes, Battle Hymn, and The Leading Man. I've been really jazzed to see him now working for the "big boys." He and Christos Gage were responsible for one of the few Marvel Civil War books I really liked, Iron Man/Captain America: Casualties of War. I had the pleasure of meeting Jeremy at Heroes Con in Charlotte last year and he is as nice as he is talented.

But enough words about the man. Check out his art!

This is a commission he did for my Dracula collection last year.


Here's an image of Christine Spar included in his 2007 Convention Sketchbook. I liked it so much, when he put it up for sale on eBay, it was mine!


Title page from first issue of The Leading Man:


Yes, he can draw superheroes too...


I would LOVE to see him on a pirate series (written by me of course)!


Battle on, Jeremy Haun!


Check out more of his stuff at www.JeremyHaun.com and his MySpace page. And, of course, fine comic shops and book stores everywhere!

NOOGA!! NOOGA!! NOOGA!!

A couple of weeks ago, I attended Con Nooga, the sci-fi/comic/fantasy/horror/etc. convention in Chattanooga, TN and had a great time! The con was small, but intimate which was not a bad thing whatsoever. I always love spending time with by buddies Sean Taylor and Bobby Nash. I also enjoyed chatting with Lin Workman, one of the talents behind Bushi Tales. As a contrast, I had first met Lin last year at the San Diego Comic-Con along with Dave Beaty and Micah Stewart. However, that place was so crazy that either of us hardly recalled meeting the other. Thanks to smaller shows such as Con Nooga, I had the pleasure of discussing all sorts of things with Lin, not to mention looking over his impressive sketchbooks. If I'd had more time, I definitely would have commissioned one.

However, my sketchbook was unavailable for nearly all of Sunday morning as I was getting a jam piece from one of the most talented couples in comics, Martheus and Janet Wade, the folks behind Jetta: Tales of the Tishigawa. I've got a pretty decent collection of various interpretations of Dracula so far, but this is the first time I've had him in action! On this jam piece, Martheus provided the fighting Shianndrea and Janet pencilled the Dark Prince as her opponent. I think the result is fantastic and I'm very happy to report that the Wades are as nice as they are talented.



If you have an opportunity to meet any of these folks at any con (large or small), I strongly recommend you do so! I had a great time at Con Nooga and I look forward to going back...maybe next time as a guest!

Best Valentine Ever

While I was attending ACE last month, I commissioned Stephanie Gladden to draw a piece featuring the two Simpsons characters that best represent myself and my gal. For me, it is easily the Comic Book Guy (aka Jeff Albertson). In fact, I have actually been stopped by strangers because of the resemblance - how sad is that! Since my girlfriend collects cats like I collect comics, the recurring Crazy Cat Lady character (aka Eleanor Abernathy) was the perfect choice. However, I'm very happy to point out that Michelle looks far more attractive - though in addition to their love for cats, I was surprised to learn they do share similar political views.

Having once worked on The Simpsons comic, Stephanie was the perfect choice for artist and I think you'll agree she knocked it out the park! If you ever have the chance to meet her at a convention, I strongly recommend you do so - she's as nice as she is talented! She actually drew the very first piece I have in my sketchbook (Underdog) and I will no doubt get more in the future.



I colored the piece in PhotoShop and presented it to my girl on Valentine's Day. Her reply? "This is perfect! " Doesn't get any better than that! Too bad the Mexican dinner we had that night did not agree with her and she got pretty sick...

JORA! JORA! JORA!

In my first post, I mentioned that some exciting things are happening and probably the one I am most jazzed about is my comic! The upcoming release of the anthology "Tales of Legend" will feature two short stories by me and they will be my first published comic work. I've been working with Atlantis Studios to provide the art, and so far I have been very impressed with what I've seen! Take a look at a couple of character designs for Jora, a tribal warrior featured in one of my tales. So far, so good!




The pencils are by the very talented Paul Bonanno. I know it sounds cliché, but it really feels overwhelming to see characters you've written come to life! I can't wait to show off more!