FallCon report

Most of the links below lead to pictures, so click away!

Grant's fans wait for him before the show even starts

FallCon was the best ever. Both issues of Tales from the Inner Sanctum sold well and I got some great ideas (mostly from Jess Hickman) about how to get some Cownt product on the marketplace while Gav and I are still working on the comic. More info on that later.

The best part of the weekend though was all the people whom I either met or got to know better. It's always fun hanging out with Grant, Jess, and Darla, and this year our group expanded with the addition of Paul Taylor, Katie Cook, and her husband Ryan Wilcox. Paul's been to FallCon before, but we've never sat next to him. This was Katie and Ryan's first FallCon. The seven of us took over the entire end of one of the aisles and it was a great location, so everyone was busy all weekend. I did my part to increase busy-ness by commissioning sketches from everyone. Grant, Jess, and Katie had already done Cownts for me, but I got new ones from Paul and Darla. And I had everyone make Hulk sketches for me too. I love the Hulk, but Katie does too and it was some of her Hulk art that gave me the idea to start a new Hulk sketch book.

Another person I got to know better was Josh Fialkov, creator of Western Tales of Terror and writer of Elk's Run. I'd started getting to know Josh in San Diego and was thrilled that he came to FallCon. I had a blast hanging out with him, Phil Hester, Tyler Walpole, and a few other Iowan delegates. Also got to know Allison Sohn and Adam Hughes a little better, which was fantastic. They're an incredible couple, probably because they're both such genuine, nice people who don't take their success for granted. Looking forward to hopefully getting to know them even better. It was also nice seeing Jennifer Young again. She's a talented cartoonist and I always enjoy seeing what she's working on.

During the convention, I also got to talk to some new creators about using the Internet to network. I need to follow up with them by emailing them some links; it'll be fun to see how they do. One of them was an illustrator and she showed me her very impressive portfolio. It sounds like she's got her own story ideas, but I was tempted to ask her to work on something with me right then.

Diane and David showed up on Saturday for a little bit. It was cool that they finally got to meet Cori Doerrfeld, who writes a series of mini-comic-like children's books about a little girl named Leah. We love them and they've been a recurring part of David's bedtime routine for a couple of years now.

Diane's brother (and Cownt co-creator) Dave also came with his wife and newborn daughter, and our friend Gary.

So that was the show. I'm still riding the high from it and that's making it possible for me to function today even though I didn't get nearly enough sleep all weekend. I'm way excited for MicroCon in the Spring now. Lots to do before then and I'm anxious to get cracking.

Kolchak vs. Frankenstein

I've got a short FallCon report ready to go as soon as I get pictures uploaded to go with it. In the meantime, I bring you news about a new comic coming from Moonstone. I didn't grow up watching The Night Stalker, so I haven't jumped right into Moonstone's line of Kolchak comics, but pitting him against a Bigfoot-like creature that may have been created by one Doc Frankenstein is a sure-fire way to get me to try the book out.

KOLCHAK TALES: THE FRANKENSTEIN AGENDA #1 (of 3)
32 pages, color, $3.50

Story: David Michelinie
Art: Don Hudson
Cover: Bob Layton
Colors: Monica Kubina

The forests of western Oregon hold a secret… something much more than its typical Sasquatch sightings. But whatever it is that’s stalking the woods, the military is very interested in keeping it quiet. Well, we all know just how quiet reporter Carl Kolchak is about things like a deformed, hulking creature that hides in the shadows… so you can bet they’re going to want to keep him silent, as well!

FallCon in the news

Okay, so I'm not quite done posting yet for today.

I was reading Tyler Page's (Stylish Vittles, Nothing Better) blog today and he mentioned an article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune on FallCon. As Tyler says, it's a very "Pow, Bang! Comics aren't for kids anymore!" article. Not only does it have the word "Shazam!" (though mis-spelled) in the title, but, yes, the entire point of the article is that "there's more variety in the genre than ever before, and that the medium is poised to draw from a much broader demographic (than children)."

Which, don't get me wrong, is a very good message, but it's frustrating to people who already know it to have to hear it repeated over and over again. That means that it's not sinking in with either a) the general public, or b) the media, who can't find anything deeper to say about comics. Either is irritating. I get the feeling that in this particular case it's the writer's weakness. The most glaring indicator that she doesn't know her subject matter is her statement that Dan Jurgens drew and wrote Spider-Man while under contract for DC Comics. (Unless he did some DC/Spidey crossover that I'm not aware of; I don't care enough to check.)

Still, as Tyler points out in his blog, it's major publicity for the show and that's all good. The show's already nearly the size of the Alternative Press Expo, and this year is shaping up to be the biggest FallCon ever.

Awesome

Went kind of nuts with the posting today, but we'll end with this picture that I stole from somewhere. Click to enlarge and have a great weekend!

And don't forget to stop by FallCon if you're in the area.

Looking Glass Wars trilogy

I got interested in Frank Beddor's Looking Glass Wars because of his comic book tie-in that's illustrated by Ben Templesmith and lettered by a buddy of mine, Jason Hanley. I picked up a copy of the novel at WizardWorld Chicago a couple of years ago and loved it. It's fast-moving, exciting, and has a nice blend of children's adventure and darker themes.

What I didn't realize was that my copy wasn't an official US version. The US one is just now being released and according to the press release on it, the book's only been available in the UK (and comics conventions, I guess) until now. But what's even nicer to learn from the press release is that it's the first volume in a planned trilogy. Like Star Wars, the first volume reads as a complete story, but it's cool to know that there's more to come.

Flyboys

Went to see Flyboys last night with a couple of buddies. We all ragged on it afterwards for being over-the-top and predicatable, but we also agreed that we had a blast watching it. It's not at all a modern war movie in that it doesn't punch you in the face with the "war is hell" message. (Not that I don't enjoy those films when they're well done. I'm especially looking forward to Flags of Our Fathers.)

Even though it's about World War I, Flyboys is a throw-back to WWII-era war movies where war is more adventurous than devastating. Yeah, people die in it, but they're more often overcoming personal struggles and falling in love with beautiful French gals. And that's pretty cool too.

The dogfights are fantastic, the French gals are beautiful, and the special effects are perfect. I honestly couldn't tell when they'd shifted from real plane to model to CGI and that's the way special effects should be. I never thought about them; I just enjoyed the film.

I don't know how well the movie's doing, but I get the feeling that a lot of people don't know about it. It certainly wasn't marketed very heavily. All that means though is that when it comes out on DVD, it'll be one of those movies that I drag out whenever I'm with a group of people who want to watch something good that they haven't seen before.

Empty Chamber!

I just got around to picking up new comics yesterday and was stoked to see that Robots vs. Monsters illustrator Jason Copland and RvM letterer Kel Nuttall's latest book Empty Chamber is now in better comics shops everywhere. The writer, A. David Lewis, is also incredibly talented, so I'm really looking forward to reading this one. In fact, I'll have my copy at FallCon so I can stick it in people's faces and yell, "Robots vs. Monsters team-members right there!"

FallCon update

Yeah, I know. It hasn't been that long since the announcement; how can there already be an update?

I went by the fairgrounds yesterday afternoon to visit with Nick, convention coordinator and all-around fantastic guy, and to check out the layout. We're always welcome to do some tweaking, but right now I'm set up to sit near my usual convention buddies: Darla Ecklund, Grant Gould, and Jessica Hickman. We've got a nice location on the main drag at the front of the convention hall and I'm twice as excited about the show today as I was yesterday. Especially with all the other, too-numerous-to-mention-by-name cool people who are going to be there.

I even feel motivated to get cracking on a new booth poster to replace the ones I've had for the last couple of years and are getting a little beat up.

Appearance: FallCon 2006

I feel a little weird about announcing this because I'm pretty sure that anyone reading this blog who lives in the Twin Cities area already knows whether or not they're coming. But just in case: I'll be at FallCon this weekend with plenty of comics and other goodies (like a sneaky peek at Robots vs. Monsters -- which I've turned in the final draft of the first issue for, by the way).

Writing is Hard: Glamour

The Atlantic Online ran an article a while back about superhero movies; specifically, about applying movie glamour to superhero concepts and characters. It's gone now, except for subscribers, but The Comics Reporter quoted this bit of it before it disappeared:

"Glamour is an imaginative process that creates a specific, emotional response: a sharp mixture of projection, longing, admiration, and aspiration. It evokes an audience's hopes and dreams and makes them seem attainable, all the while maintaining enough distance to sustain the fantasy. The elements that create glamour are not specific styles -- bias-cut gowns or lacquered furniture -- but more general qualities: grace, mystery, transcendence."

I'm still mulling over exactly how to apply this to my writing, but I think that part of it's allure is that it's a nebulous concept and difficult to apply. If I can figure out how to do it though... oh, baby.

To Read: The Meaning of Night

Michael Cox has a new book called The Meaning of Night. It features Victorian England, libraries, murder, con games, a deadly rivalry, brothels, and an usurped inheritance. Publishers Weekly says it has "echoes of Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens."

I'm in.