Kids Comics LA at Meltdown Comics

Meltdown Comics will be holding Kids Comics L.A., an interactive day of comics, creativity, and family fun on Saturday, December 4th, 2010. Organized with Sam Humphries (CBGB, Fraggle Rock, MySpace Comics) the free event will introduce young readers to comics, and creators who will teach the attendees how to create their own comics.

Creators participating in the event include Ian Brill (Darkwing Duck and Rescue Rangers for BOOM! Kids Comics), David Server and Jackson Lanzing (Penguins of Madagascar for Ape Entertainment), and Chris and Shane Houghton (Reed Gunther).

Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods at Meltdown Comics

About seven years ago I was making ends meet as an assistant in the Videogame division at Twentieth Century Fox. I can't say the position was a nonstop cavalcade of fun, but it did have its moments, especially when it occasionally involved one of my favorite pursuits: Comics. My good friend David Stalker was looking for a writer for a licensed game relaunch, and shared with me his idea of using a comic book writer to remold an intellectual property that was long in the tooth. I had recently come across writer Grant Morrison's website, so I took a shot in the dark and sent an email to the site's webmaster about Morrison potentially writing for the game, hoping that they would forward along my inquiry to him. It turned out that Morrison's manager & girlfriend-now-wife Kristan actually ran the site, and we started talking about the possibility of getting together the next time they were in Los Angeles. After a few months and a dinner that involved a bit too much wine for my bodyweight, Morrison got the gig, and I got an inside look at how a genius writes for a project with a million moving pieces while simultaneously assuaging the proprietal concerns of a vertically integrated media monster. For an aspiring writer like myself at the time, this was priceless.

Needless to say, the experience inspired me to keep up with all things Morrison, and when I read that Meltdown Comics in LA would be screening Patrick Meaney's documentary Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods, I made a beeline down Sunset Boulevard to check it out. The store's gallery where the screening was held was packed, but they squeezed me in after a quick handstamp from the ever-vigilant Chris Rosa.

The documentary is impressive, not just in terms of its production value, but in terms of its structure. Most documentaries are structured to tell a narrative, but GMTWD is actually a polymyth, layered to tell multiple narratives. In addition to the narrative of Morrison's own journey as a writer, the documentary presents the evolution of the superhero in American Comics, and ultimately the arc of the mindset of Morrison's audience and how we view the world, from the decade of potential that was the 90s, to the low of 9/11 to the uncertainty of today. The doc will be available to purchase at Amazon next week, but if you live in LA, you can get it for $15 at Meltdown right now.

Here's the trailer:



Click here to read my other Comics-related articles.

The Science of Iron Man at CalTech

Scientists and Hollywood Special Effects experts gathered at Caltech to discuss the real world science and technical wizardry behind "Iron Man 2" and present extended scenes from the "Iron Man 2" home video release.

Read the article here.

Check out some of my other comics-related posts here.

Go to 24Hour Comics Day at Annex Comics

24Hour Comics Day is the brainchild of comic-book guru Scott McCloud. Originally a challenge to Steve Bissette to write & illustrate a complete comic in twenty-four hours, the concept grew in popularity until it became an annual event across the country.

Annex Comics will be hosting 24 Hour Comics Day on Saturday October 2nd, 2010, beginning at 10:00 am. All local artists are invited to participate; please bring your own art supplies. Sonic Nova will be onsite to answer questions about the craft of creating comics as his illustrates his new comic, Victory Mullet.

If you really want to learn how to make comics, come down to Annex Comics this Saturday.

Click here to go to the invite on Facebook.

Annex Comics
314 Broadway
Newport, RI
(401) 847-4607
http://www.annexcomics.com

Paul Pope's Inking Demo at Comic-Con

One of the highlights at SDCC for me was the inking demo that Paul Pope gave for the CBLDF. Pope inked the skull of Yorick from Hamlet for the demo. The process really came together for me when Pope added the shadow of the skull on the fingers of the hand holding it, establishing the relation of the hand and the skull in a 3d space.

Some of my notes from the demo:
-Pope uses Koh-i-norr & Sumi ink, and a ceramic dish to hold the ink when working.
-For Paper, Pope uses Strathmore Hot press 2-ply, or cold press for an "old masters" effect.
-Pope uses a variety of brushes for inking, including Windsor Newton Series 7 & the University Series.
-Fill in large black areas with a small sponge to save time.
-Don't store your brushes in the jar point-down.
-When inking with a caligraphy brush, plant your pinky on the paper to steady your hand.
-He uses Masters Brush Cleaner for cleaning brushes.
-Pope likes to "activate" his brush before use by allowing the ink to soak into the bristles for a few minutes.
-He likes to watch episodes of the Outer Limits for lighting ideas.

Check out some video clips of the demo from around the web:

Paul Pope talks about inking (part 1) from Christine Rhee on Vimeo.

Paul Pope talks about inking (part 2) from Christine Rhee on Vimeo.

Check out some of my other comics-related posts here.

Sonic Nova at Mom & Pop's Tatoo Shop this Sunday

Orlok's House of Pizza

Here's a page from the mini for Sonic Nova's Troy City Comix.

Kriss Bliss & Sonic Nova at The Tomorrow Gallery

Kriss Bliss & Sonic Nova (who worked on Norma & Margie) will be presenting their latest work this Saturday at the Tomorrow Gallery as part of the Fall River Open Studios Tour.

When:
Saturday, May 09, 2009
11:00 AM to 4:00 PM EDT

Where:
Tomorrow Gallery at Border City Studios
1 West St
Fall River, MA 02720

for more info: www.artsunitedfallriver.org

LA Times Festival of Books Goes BOOM!

Mark Waid and the team of BOOM! Studios held court at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books last weekend to discuss the publisher's increasing line of books and the art of writing for comics.

Read the article here.

Check out some of my other comics-related posts here.

Portland Part Two

Here's part two of the journal I kept when Ursula & I went to Portland for New Year's. Ursula was interested in moving to Portland a few years ago, but we didn't get around to checking it out until recently. You can find part one here. (You can also find the previous journal I kept of our trip to Paris here.).

12/31/08 - Wednesday, New Year's Eve.

From the Ace Hotel we trudged in the rain to Voodoo Donut; my Bavarian creme donut that made the dreariness fairly bearable. After that we went to Old Town Pizza and met with Hans, a developer that works with Seso. They talked shop while I looked for things to do. From there we went to the Nines to meet with Samantha & Kirsty. The Nines is light years away from the diners and dive bars I usually hang out in, but I quietly kept my reservations to myself and thought of pranks to pull on the hotel after they throw us out. Gordon showed up after a bit, and the two of us picked up the luggage while the rest of the crew went shopping for tights. I met Gordon during the four years of debauchery that I spent in New Bedford. We were waiters at the Olive Garden, and there was a lot of hard living going on. Since our lives have changed substantially (for the better), I was curious to see what would happen when we got together for New Year's.

Of course, New Year's Eve turned out to be a blur. We went to a restaurant called Bajingo's and another place (that I don't remember the name of) for the countdown, the crew singing to Simon and Garfunkel in the car on the way. To be honest, I was already wrecked before we left the house, and would have been content staying home with the dog. I made a mental note to myself not to get that whacked out again...at least not for the rest of the vacation.


1/1/09 - Thursday, New Year's Day

Woke up with a hangover that didn't fade until 8pm that night. We had lunch at McMenamin's by the Columbia River; the scene reminded me of Twin Peaks. Afterward we went to see Milk in Vancouver, WA, where Gordon lives. Milk's story is pretty inspiring. I think the thing that strikes me the most about it is that he really didn't start living his life and making a difference in the world until he was forty.


1/2/09 - Friday

I met up with Dennis Culver for lunch at Sante Fe. Dennis & I originally met through a message forum several years ago, but I've only seen him in person a couple of times. It was great catching up; I'm looking forward to his comic from Oni Press coming out in February. Later that afternoon Ursula & I went to Excalibur Comics and had dinner at the Bagdad Theater in the Hawthorne District.

In the evening we went to see a free show at Doug Fir. Pabst Blue Ribbon everywhere. The first band up was the the Slants at 9pm. They sounded like Dead or Alive meets Bloc Party. The crowd got really into them towards the end of their set when the synths came into play. Next up was Western Aerial, a power trio chock full of riffs. They reminded me of a 1971 Mach One Mustang, the kind of car you would see kids from voc race on the quarter-mile. The night closed with the the Family Gun, a glam outfit with a touch of Moony Suzuki. The room was packed for their set: tight jeans and expensive tattoos as far as the eye can see.


1/3/09 - Saturday

On Saturday we went to the Gorge to check out the waterfall. The ice made the visit a little precarious; Ursula was sliding around everywhere. We followed up the gorge with lunch at the lodge and then beer and pool at McMenamin's Edgefield. At home later that night, Gordon & I messed around with his collection of guitars & effects pedals, then we watched the 500 fingers of Dr. T., one of the strangest movies I've ever seen...imagine David Lynch directing H.R. Pufnstuf.


1/4/09 - Sunday

As Gordon dropped us off at the airport, "I really want to be in LA" by Eagles of Death Metal came on the radio. The irony never ends.

Iron Man: Armored Adventures

Last Saturday morning, Marvel Studios treated an all-ages audience at Comic-Con International to the first two episodes of “Iron Man: Armored Adventures.” The panel consisted of head writer Chris Yost and Nickelodeon executive Keith Dawkins. Marvel Studios’ Josh Fine introduced the footage, produced by Method Animation studios in France.

Read the whole piece here.

aether inkwash test

final Batman colors/inks

Batman inked by Me

Here's a Tony Daniel Batman cover inked with Adobe Illustrator.

WWLA: THE X-MEN PANEL

Marvel marketing guru Jim McCann took the lectern at the WWLA X-Men panel Saturday afternoon clad in a black and red X-Men jacket as Peter David, Matt Fraction, Craig Kyle, Aubrey Sitterson, and Chris Yost took their seats. Marc Guggenheim phoned in while he fought traffic on the I-10 freeway.

The two screens displaying the Marvel logo over Lenil Yu’s Skrulls switched to a presentation for the “Divided We Stand” event. Addressing the slide for “X-Men Legacy”, Sitterson said, “there’s a nostalgia aspect to it, but it’s also a story picking up directly from "Messiah Complex". Sitterson also revealed that Daken returns to “Wolverine Origins”.

When the slide of Mutant Town was presented, Peter David remarked that X-Factor will have to protect the town as it is being burnt to the ground. David also mentioned the Quicksilver and Layla Miller “Divide We Stand” one-shots. The Layla Miller one shot will address what happens to the character after she was stranded in the future at the end of Messiah Complex. Artist Larry Stroman will be returning to “X-Factor” to draw an upcoming X-Factor/She-Hulk crossover, which is also a Secret Invasion Tie-In. In addition, Darwin and Longshot will be joining the X-Factor team.

The presentation moved on to the other “Divided We Stand’’ one shots, focusing on Cannonball, Surge, and Nightcrawler. The Nightcrawler one-shot will be written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Jamie McKelvie. This will be McKelvie’s first work for Marvel.

After a bit of shtick involving Ed Brubaker’s answering machine, it was revealed that Matt Fraction will co-write “Uncanny X-Men” with Brubaker starting with issue #500 in July. Greg Land and new Marvel exclusive Terry Dodson will rotate art chores. A story fourteen months in the making, Fraction joked, “Stuff explodes, everybody has lots of sex, and then everybody dies…and then the team moves to San Francisco to clear their heads.”

Jim McCann noted that Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi will be taking over “Astonishing X-Men” with issue #25. Bianchi is doing costume redesigns for the team, and slides were shown of Cyclops, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine in their new uniforms.

The floor opened up to questions from the fans, and David responded to one regarding the Siryn-Madrox pregnancy:” There will be developments that will happen in that storyline that will make the internet light up like a Christmas tree.”

When asked about Dazzler by Jim McCann, Fraction confirmed that Dazzler will return in “Uncanny X-Men #501” as “the mutant Madonna”, discovering a late career as a mutant entertainer in San Francisco.” On CBR there’s a thread that just exploded”, McCann joked.

The presentation moved on to “X-Force” with Kyle and Yost. Kyle said that the X-Force team should grow to six by the issue #7 or #8. “After issue #3, you’re going to see how big and bad this book is going to get,” remarked Kyle. “We’re going to give you as much as we can pack into twenty-two pages.” At the point, Ed Brubaker returned Fraction’s phone call, and Marc Guggenheim finally arrived. Of “Young X-Men”, Guggenheim revealed, “The first arc really set the tone for the next two years worth of stories. There are seeds planted throughout the arc. Hopefully you won’t see the seeds planted. It’s a book with a lot of surprises. I’m planning to twist the plot like a pretzel. The book, unlike me, is never late.”

The floor opened up to fan questions again. In response to a question about Forge, Jim McCann revealed that Forge will return, but he may not cross paths with Storm. When the same fan asked if there was a chance of Jean Grey coming back, McCann replied, “It’s Jean, there’s always a chance.”

A British fan asked about UK Mutants like Pete Wisdom, to which McCann directed fans to “Captain Britain and MI:13”, an ongoing series that addresses the Secret Invasion of the Skrulls in the UK. Another fan asked about Havok. Sitterson answered that the character would appear in “Divided We Stand” issues #1 & #2.

One fan asked about the red haired mutant baby from Messiah Complex, to which Matt Fraction informed the audience that the baby was Arcade’s. Another fan asked if there were any plans for the Hellfire Club. Fraction replied,” There’s a Hellfire cult."

When asked about plans for Firestar, McCann answered, “She retired in ‘Civil War: Frontline’, but I can say we haven’t seen the last of the character.”

And with that, the panel came to a close.

Check out some of my other comics-related posts here.