Hey, all you lovely people. In just a few days I’ll be in New York for this year’s NYCC. I’ve never done this con before, and I’m really looking forward to it.
If you’re going to be at the con and are interested in tracking me down for some reason, here’s where you’re most likely to find me:
I thought I’d mentioned this here, but turns out I completely forgot. Tomorrow, from 1-4PM on Saturday, August 27th, I’ll be doing a signing at Rogues Gallery in Round Rock. But I won’t be alone!
I’ll be signing alongside the stalwart Matthew Sturges and the debonaire Kristian Donaldson. That’s three, three, THREE Vertigo creators for the price of one! (Or, in other words, “free.”) Some come on by, why don’t you?
This coming Friday, August 19th, I’ll be doing a store signing for the good peopel of Captain Blue Hen Comics in Newark, Delaware. Joining me is the lovely and talented Chrissie Zullo, the artist who’s made the covers of both Cinderella miniseries look so fantastic.
The signing is scheduled to run from 5pm-7:30pm. For directions or more information, visit the Captain Blue Hen Comics site.
Hey, remember when I used to update my blog more than once every two or three months? Yeah, those were good times.
Seems like these days I only post something new here when I’m announcing that I’m going to be at some convention or store signing or something. Sheesh…
Speaking of which, have I mentioned that I’ll be at Baltimore Comic-Con, August 20th and 21st?
I did the Baltimore Comic-Con for the first time last year, and it immediately became one of my favorite conventions. I have every confidence that this year will be just as good. If you’re going to be there, come by and say howdy. And if you’re in the area and aren’t already planning to go, then why the heck not?
I’m doing signings on Saturday and Sunday at the BOOM! Studios booth from 1PM-2PM, and Saturday from 3PM-4PM I’ll be on the Legion of Super-Heroes panel with a bunch of guys who have way more reason to be up there than I do.
I attend a fair number of comic conventions in any given year, but I have to say that HeroesCon is my absolute favorite. And it’s just a few days away! If you’re going to be there, come by and say howdy, why don’t you?
I’ll be set up at table AA-608 (right next to my collaborator on Starborn, Khary Randolph, as it happens!), and I’ll also be doing a panel on Saturday afternoon.
1:30 PM : Heroes Discussion Group #32—Cinderella-From Fabletown with Love Room 207BCD
Please schedule your weekend properly so you will have time to join writer Chris Roberson and cover artist, Charlotte’s own Chrissie Zullo as they discuss everyone’s favorite secret agent and shoe provocateur. At last year’s HeroesCon we discussed Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall. This will be the perfect follow-up.
Copies of the book will be available after the discusion for brief signing.
If I’m not at my table or at that panel, I’ll be in line at Starbucks, outside having a cigarette, or having a drink in the hotel bar, so come and try to find me there.
Hey, did you miss out on the Elric: The Balance Lost prologue at FCBD last Saturday? Couldn’t make it to a comic shop, or they ran out before you got there? Well, friend, have I got good news for you…
The fine folks at BOOM! Studios have put the whole dang thing online. That’s even freer than free!
Head over to Comic Book Resources, and give it a read. Heck, read it twice, it’s free!
Many apologies for my long silence, everybody. It’s been… sheesh, two months since I last posted to my blog. Oy.
Well, I’ll try to be a bit more timely with the updates in future, and today I’ve got an update that’s especially timely. Tomorrow, May 7th, is Free Comic Book Day, when comic shops all over the place give out scads of new comics for free. Most of the free offerings are introductory issues, “jumping-on points” as they’re called. And there’s one point in particular that I hope you consider jumping on.
This summer sees the launch of a new 12 issue miniseries that represents a dream come true for me, Elric: The Balance Lost. As an ardent fan of the works of Michael Moorcock for the better part of three decades, the chance to add a tiny bit to the continuing story of the Eternal Champion and the Multiverse is, well, it’s a dream come true. And with art by Francesco Biagini and colors by Stephen Downer, the series is going to look amazing.
A 10-page prologue to Elric: The Balance Lost is one of BOOM! Studios offerings for Free Comic Book Day, so if you’re on the fence about picking up the series this summer, you can get the free prologue and try it on or size. Heck, you can even read the first few pages right now online and decide if you want to pick up the free thing tomorrow. What do you have to lose?!
And if you’re in the Austin area and want to get a free copy defaced by me, I’ll be signing at Austin Books & Comics from 10AM to 5PM. Come on by and say howdy, why don’t you?
I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here, but I’ll be in Seattle this weekend for the Emerald City Comic Convention. I went last year for the first time and had a BLAST, so I’m really looking forward to it.
If you’re going to the show and are interested in tracking me down for any reason (unless, you know, I owe you money or something), here’s where I can be found.
Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) with be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery–celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: ‘It’s not where you take things from–it’s where you take them to.’
Paul Guinan has cut a trailer for the book FRANK READE, which got an exclusive premiere on Boing Boing. More info about the book, and the EPIC book release parties on three consecutive Wednesdays this month, is at www.FrankReade.com
I’m halfway through reading Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett’s FRANK READE, and it is FANTASTIC!
Alan Moore: My understanding is that when Watchmen is finished and DC have not used the characters for a year, they’re ours.
Dave Gibbons: They pay us a substantial amount of money…
Moore: … to retain the rights. So basically they’re not ours, but if DC is working with the characters in our interests then they might as well be. On the other hand, if the characters have outlived their natural life span and DC doesn’t want to do anything with them, then after a year we’ve got them and we can do what we want with them, which I’m perfectly happy with.
Gibbons: What would be horrendous, and DC could legally do it, would be to have Rorschach crossing over with Batman or something like that, but I’ve got enough faith in them that I don’t think they’d do that. I think because of the unique team they couldn’t get anybody else to take it over to do Watchmen II or anything else like that, and we’ve certainly got no plans to do Watchmen II.
Watchmen panel, moderated by Neil Gaiman, at London’s UK Comic Art Convention, September 21, 1986 (as printed in The Comics Journal #116, July, 1987). (via mistahphil)
“At that point, there had never been a comic book collection that had stayed in print for more than a couple of years. Certainly there hadn’t been one that had stayed in print for nearly twenty years. It seemed to us at the time, as if, you know, this seems fair. Once DC aren’t publishing it any more then the rights revert to us; it’s not like we’re doing work for hire, here. We’re sort of signing a legitimate contract just like anybody else would where there is a specified cut-off date. It was only later that we realized that, of course, if DC kept it in print forever, then they would have the rights to it forever. Which seemed to us as if we were being punished for having done a particularly good comic book. If we had done a slightly less profitable book for DC, if we’d had hacked out the kind of usual jobs that people were doing back then and sometimes still do, then no doubt we’d have the rights to it by now.”
Threadless has just released Comics On Tees Vol. 4, “Monkey Around,” written by me and designed by Mike Allred, Colleen Coover, Chris Samnee, and Francesco Francavilla. Here’s how Threadless describes it:
Here’s the back story for the next comics-on tees series, which we just released today. Comics-On Tees Vol. 4 Monkey Around was written by Chris Roberson with artwork by Mike Allred, Colleen Coover, Chris Samnee, and Francesco Francavilla. And you can always check out Vol. 1, 2, and 3 here! Buy your favorite for $24, or better yet, buy the whole series for $79.
Henry Flint presents the One Page Graphic Novel. Here’s how he describes it:
Welcome to a new story telling medium… the One Page Graphic Novel. Is this a gimmick? Yes, probably.
Keith is a dustman who is shot into the future by a Time Vortex. He meets three companions and they start an epic adventure and It’s up to you to fill in the gaps.
