The Yeti Speaks!

Hero Initiative renewal swag!

2012-02-01T23:08:00.001-05:00

I recently renewed my membership with the Hero Initiative, the comic book charity that helps creators in need...and I got a couple cool things that I thought I'd share pictures of! I only have the Bronze level membership, which is less than $30 a year, so really...if you like comics, why not send a couple bucks their way? It's absolutely worth your while, and not just because you'll get stuff in return like the above tote bag (people love tote bags, right??) with the brand new Hero Initiative logo. Exclamation points never go out of style.

I also got this great sketch card, featuring a rather beefy-looking Human Torch (in this image, he's on his way to the gym to do neck exercises)...so close to the Thing. So close. Oh well, any member of the Fantastic Four is all right with me. Even Ant Man! (Note: not Ant Man.)

I don't recognize the art style and I can't make out the signature - can anyone help me out with the name of the artist who drew this card? I love how it's laid out like a comic book page with the lines for bleed.

So, yeah, this blog was just about me promoting the Hero Initiative. There are worse things to shill for, though, and you (YOU!!) could do worse than helping them out. You can find out more about them and what they do at their official website: http://www.heroinitiative.org/.

Teddy and the Yeti: Incoming! is colored!

2012-01-31T23:56:00.001-05:00

News of Teddy and the Yeti's demise has been greatly exaggerated. There's work coming in at a slow but steady clip, and I'll be excited when I can announce the next issue's arrival date (believe me). Suffice it to say that it will be relatively soon, and I can only hope that it will be worth the wait. In the meantime, a short story, long in the making, was completed just two days ago when Leonardo Pietro (who I've worked with on a few FUBAR stories) sent me colored versions of our "Incoming!" story. Oh my goodness is it great. Above is one panel from the story, which features a familiar looking (and adorable) dog. Each panel lives up to this one. It's gonna blow people away. It certainly did with me.

More to come.

My own Charles Atlas ad parody

2012-01-30T00:17:00.000-05:00

Charles Atlas's comic book ad - that promised to make any 98-pound weakling able to punch people in the face and get away with it - has got to be one of the most parodied comic book ad of all time. Perhaps it's because the ad is mostly in comic form, or its ostentatious essence, but whatever the reason, a Google search will reveal parodies almost too numerous to count. The famous bodybuilder must have made a killing from putting ads in comic books, because the ad below, or something similar, graced the pages of comics for years on end:

It was only a matter of time, then, as a lover of old comic book ads and a creator in some sense, that I put together my own version, which you can see at the very top of this post. I hope to get this ad in a monster comic that I've been contributing to, which explains the theme of my parody.

Art on this beauty comes from a familiar source - fellow Teddy and the Yeti creator Duane Redhead, proving that he is a man of many styles and many talents. Duane put this together in no time at all and he captured the feel of the original ad like few other parodies have. Rafer Roberts - he of the Magic Bullet publication - is graciously coloring this short piece, which I'll show off when the time is right. I'm fumbling my way through lettering, trying to sufficiently capture the older style you see in the original ad - I'm attempting to hand draw the balloons, which will probably be a horrible failure, but I've got my fingers crossed on that front.

You may recognize the monster in the top image as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and while that monster is 100% fit for this parody, Duane went ahead and made some tweaks to the design to avoid any pesky lawsuits (I'm unsure that we couldn't have used the character as we're putting together an obvious parody, but whatever). The redesign is below, and it looks like Duane added some great Dr. Zoidberg elements to the monster this time around. "Who's intimidating who now, Big City?"

Franks and Beans at Comic-Con

2012-01-28T14:40:00.002-05:00

The preparations for the San Diego Comic-Con continue, with much of this month being devoted to CCI's independent film festival, for which there's a brand new Franks and Beans in the works. The new episode, which is titled "Double Delivery", won't be up online for all to see until one of two things happens: the film festival committee decides to kick our entry to the curb, or the committee accepts it for a screening for the convention weekend.

I have no idea how many films are submitted and accepted, so I really can't guess what our chances are at getting this thing on the big screen. But if that were to happen...wow, look out. Views on the titular internet show might jump all the way from "no one" to "some people" and I'd be super excited about that!

Larry and I put together an introduction of sorts in hopes that the Comic-Con crew just stumbles upon it and gets an extra dose of F&B before watching the submission entry. I'll be posting it up on CCI's Facebook page in the next few days. To clarify, this isn't our official entry, just something introducing it and, hopefully, getting more eyes to Franks and Beans.

The deadline for entries is February 1st, and we'll know if we've been accepted sometime in June. Fingers crossed. Here's a production still (part of the application process) from the episode! Comic-Con film festival judges, get ready! AND CHOOSE US! Please.

great fake ads from Image's "1963"

2012-01-27T09:50:00.002-05:00

I recently picked up Image's full (but sadly never quite completed) run of the Alan Moore-written 1963 series, which re-imagines the creation of the Silver Age Marvel Comics. The first issue features a Fantastic Four-style story, which should be obvious from the above image. The series is much more straight forward than I had imagined it would be, other than some well-placed barbs regarding the rights of individual creators and, particularly, Stan Lee. Moore and his stable of artists create such a complete package, down to fully formed letters pages, editorials and even (mostly) fake ads that mimic some of the best comic advertisements of the time - ones that are immediately recognizable despite their altered status, which I suppose is the mark of a great parody.

Nearly all of the ads are spot on in their renditions, but two stood out to me as the best of the bunch, and I wanted to share them below:

First off is a back cover ad for "soil monkeys", which is an obvious take on the well-loved Sea Monkeys ads. Soil Monkeys, upon further inspection, are merely beans, which is funny on two levels, the less obvious being a commentary on the fact that Sea Monkey ads don't really represent an accurate depiction of what you actually get - a mini aquarium of tiny brine shrimp. Soil Monkeys make music, because, well...you get it.

This next ad, from an interior page, might just beat out the previous one due to the sheer number of great parodies it contains. My favorite is at top, where we learn that readers can not only order real, live animals from a comic book, but also eat them. This is a parody of an old ad that I have railed about regarding animals and the ability to buy them through shady circumstances from the pages of a comic book.

1963 is a faithful recreation of early Marvel super hero comics, with all the good and bad that comes with it. Despite the fact that Moore is by far the best comic writer of all time, this title isn't for everyone. The ads, though...those are golden.

FUBAR wins IGN award; on New York Times best sellers list!

2012-01-24T23:39:00.000-05:00

The news for FUBAR: Empire of the Rising Dead just keeps getting better. Voting ended a week or so ago for IGN's "People's Choice Award" and FUBAR won for "best anthology of 2011". This is great news and it means that, against stiff competition, FUBAR had a lot of fans out there who were willing to click the "vote" button to show their support. If you were one of those button pushers, then I thank you.

IGN's award page can be found here: http://www.ign.com/wikis/best-of-2011/Best_Anthology

The IGN news is nice and I'm thrilled to have that notch on my belt. The above picture may be a bit bigger in scale, though - FUBAR volume 2 landed on the New York Times Graphic Books Best Sellers list at #6 on its first month of eligibility. Here's a screenshot from the NYT website at http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/paperback-graphic-books/list.html:

This is real. I did not make this up. This is also fantastic, and much of the thanks goes to Jeff McComsey, Steve Becker and Dominic Vivona who put such hard work in to promote this book. The artists who worked on my writing contributions (McComsey, Mario Wytch and Leonardo Pietro) also deserve a heaping of praise and I'm happy to be associated with them and this book. What a thrill. Perhaps I'll introduce myself from now on as "IGN award winning and New York Times best selling author Jeff McClelland". But perhaps not.

I'm not sure anything could really top this news, but here's something that might come close:

This is FUBAR's submission for Eisner Award consideration. This submission, obviously, doesn't guarantee that we'll even be in the running for an Eisner, which is the most prestigious award in comics. But wouldn't that be something? I believe that Eisner award winners are announced at Comic-Con International. As I'll be there in 2012, I'd be happy to accept the award. And, you know, any monetary prize that might come along with it.

my trip to Pittsburgh's Toonseum!

2012-01-23T00:52:00.000-05:00

This weekend, I took a trip to Pittsburgh's Cultural District to visit the Toonseum, a cartoon and comic art museum that is one of only three like it in the country! The Toonseum opened a few years ago, but this was my first time there, and I didn't know what to expect. It ended up being a lot of fun, and I took a ton of pictures, which I'll show below.

Just so you don't have to scroll aaaaaallll the way down to the bottom of the page, I'll start with some basic info for the museum:

website: www.toonseum.org
address: 945 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15222
price: adults 16+: $5.00; children 6-15: $1.00; children 5 and under: free
hours: LOOK THEM UP YOURSELF!!

These huge statues greet you just outside of the museum. I have no idea if they are part of the Toonseum or not, but they set the stage for sure. Plus at night, they come alive. It's true.

Here's the outside of the Toonseum! I'm not sure how I feel about the "Bam! Pow! Smash!" effects at the top. I mean, they're recognizable, but there aren't better ways to represent cartoon art then through stereotypes?

One of the first things you see upon entering is a Sunday comic strip exhibit, featuring a number of comic strips, all from the same Sunday. Here's one of my favorite, Monty. Actually, I liked it a lot more when it was called Robotman, but...change is a part of life. I guess.

Here's a wider view of all the original comic strip art.

There's even a mustache joke! Great.

There was a lot of great original art on display, including a frame from Gertie the Dinosaur, one of the first cartoons ever, but this might have been my favorite of all of them: a Mel Blanc Bugs Bunny!

This was a desk in what apparently was the "office" area of the museum. I have no idea if I was allowed back here or not. Oh well.

This was one of the few "artist boards" I saw, featuring signatures and sketches from many great artists, including Jerry Robinson, Caroll Spinney and Mark Schultz!

I know an original Jack Kirby piece when I see it!

This was the hallway that led to the second exhibit room.

Hong Kong Fuey!

It was really cool to see this original animation cell from the generally awful Star Trek cartoon.

I will always think of the Black Vulcan from the character's role in Adult Swim's Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law.

Aquaman, even your villains are terrible.

Classic covers on the wall!

"Cobblepot for mayor". Fantastic. This was right next to bookshelves filled with comic and cartoon reference books.

I wish I could caption this...but I can't. It's still pretty cool.

At the front of the museum sits an art desk used for many Disney productions including Fantasia. Guests are encouraged to draw on it, and the best I could come up with was Tin Tin with a mustache. I think it worked.

Giant anvil jokes always work. Always!

I had a great time at the Toonseum and will be making my way back there before too long. Anyone from Pittsburgh and anyone with a love of the medium should stop by and see it for themselves. Here's hoping for continued success and growth for what is a very cool pop culture museum.

"Holy Terror" is probably the worst comic I've ever read.

2012-01-18T23:58:00.000-05:00

Like many fans of the medium, some of my favorite comics are by Frank Miller - a giant in the industry if there ever was one. Here's a guy who had created - mostly on his own - entertaining, sprawling, seminal epics like 300 and Sin City. Heck, Batman has been around for 70 years and I don't think I've ever read a better story featuring the character than Batman: Year One. When The Dark Knight Returns is second on a list of favorite Batman stories by one author, you know that there's some serious, prodigious, even, talent going around.

Because of this, and even though Miller has had a few flops to go along with his big hits, I was excited when I heard that DC Comics was publishing Batman: Holy Terror!, an original graphic novel by Miller. My interest turned into curiosity once I learned that DC rejected Miller's proposal, at which point he took the concept to Legendary Comics (which seems to have been created for the sole purpose of publishing the book), removed the references to Batman from the story and truncated the title to, simply, Holy Terror.

My curiosity, in turn, became more of the morbid variety when the book was finally released and the reviews started to trickle in. It seemed to me that, despite the interest surrounding the book, most of the reviews were overwhelmingly negative. I saw the book stocked in a few local comic book shops, but didn't bother to flip through to check it out.

I probably would have forgotten all about the book if it hadn't been for my spring semester English classes. The theme for the course centered around arguments - understanding them, making them effectively - and since I'm, well, a comic book fan, I started thinking about this book, the firestorm of criticism it caused for a while, and how something so apparently opinionated might work in a class that is set up to evaluate such forms of literature. When I started putting my syllabus for the class together, I decided to take a chance and I ordered a copy of Holy Terror to read.

AND I HATED IT. Seriously, every negative review of this book that I read was spot on. It was, in a word, frightening to see how far Miller had slipped from "crime noir with its harsh view of reality" to "blatant, unrepentant racism", how a man so obviously talented could find himself so overcome by apparent hate as to put out a book such as Holy Terror.

The main characters are simply placeholders for Batman, Catwoman, Jim Gordon and other Gotham mainstays; some have even said that Miller took finished pages from his DC pitch and changed only a few details, presumably to avoid any legal issues with DC. When I first heard that DC rejected Miller's pitch, I was surprised and thought that perhaps the company was overreacting. Now that I've read the finished product, it's obvious that DC did the only thing it could have done, because allowing Miller to publish this as a Batman story would have, in my opinion, caused irreparable harm to the character and the overall concept.

The book, which simply deals with one night of violence, torture, ethnic stereotyping and misogyny to the worst degree, comes off as vapid in its content and disturbing in its message. It can be difficult, sometimes, to separate an artist from his or her works, but in this case you almost have to to justify keeping anything of Miller's in your library. It really is that shameful a piece of work.

I wrote a short review of the excellent anthology set 9/11: Artists Respond a while ago. In one of the two volumes released, Miller had a short, simple story that read something like "I'm sick of flags; I'm sick of God; I've seen the power of faith" with an image of wreckage from the Trade Center attacks. Miller seems to be playing again on this feeling of outrage, of indignation, but while the 9/11 short showcased the raw emotion that many felt that day, Holy Terror seems more venomous, more cruel and more bigoted.

I think that freedoms of speech and expression should be inalienable human rights, and thus I think that Miller should be able to print something like this, inflammatory as it is. But I also can't strongly enough recommend that we all use a bit of common sense, don't get caught up in Miller's understandable level of fame, and put this book back on the shelf instead of buying it.

Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash comic store in Red Bank, NJ

2012-01-16T22:48:00.000-05:00

I took a trip this weekend to visit some family near Allentown, PA (famous for the Billy Joel song and NOTHING ELSE), and while I was there we managed a little day trip to New York and surrounding areas. My brother-in-law, great guy that he is, mentioned that the Kevin Smith owned comic shop, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, was nearby, so an impromptu side trip was quickly undertaken! Below are some pictures of the shop, which was a pretty neat place.

While I'm not Kevin Smith's biggest fan in the world, I have seen most of his movies and I've enjoyed more than a few (the night before, thought, I watched Red State and MAN was it dark!). I also think that, despite the fact that he does tend to reuse plot points and character traits, and despite his lack of ability to stick to a deadline, I think he's good for the comic industry and I have enjoyed most of his work. His Green Arrow run from, what, 10 years ago (?) remains a favorite for me.

You've got to admit, however you feel about the man, it's pretty cool that he owns his own comic book shop. The above two pictures are, of course, from outside the shop in Red Bank, New Jersey. Red Bank was a pretty hip place all around, it seemed, and we spent some time in town afterwards.

One of the first things you see when entering the shop is this sign from Clerks. There were props and memorabilia from a number of Smith's movies all over the place, which was pretty neat. It beats storing them in some garage for years on end.

Here's the front of the store, complete with New Jersey Devils banners and framed Batman comics. Smith supposedly works in the store from time to time (i.e. whenever he feels like it), though he wasn't there this day. I wonder how often he does come in with the amount of time he spends directing and filming.

The store seemed pretty big for a comic shop, which allowed for the showcase areas with movie and comic props. There was a hefty supply of comics written by Smith at the front of the store, some of which he had signed. These were on sale for no extra charge, which I thought was pretty thoughtful of the guy.

The back of the store was a little more unorganized, with comics and props in random places as if this part was still under construction. Even so, there were some neat, bigger items in the back such as outfits from Clerks II.

And look! Here's Mooby the Golden Calf from Dogma and a number of movies.

I'd like to think that Jesus is my buddy, too. I wonder who designed this thing.

In Mallrats (featuring an appearance with Stan Lee, in which he's asked about the Thing's junk), Jason Lee's character hangs out at the local comic shop and eventually owns one (if I'm remembering correctly...it's been a long time since I've seen it). Surrounding this display were lots of comic book parodies from the movie, such as the one directly below...

...yep. I'm not sure what else needs to be said about it. But since it's a Fantastic Four parody, I had to take a picture.

On one side of the store, above the back issue bins of comics, there are what I assume to be original Alex Ross paintings. Smith currently writes a Green Hornet comic for Dynamite Entertainment and Ross does the covers, which explains the connection. It was pretty cool to see these, which were placed so inconspicuously that I almost didn't see them.

I ended up buying a couple things, including these two autographed Batman comics. I said it before, but it bears repeating: it's cool that the guy comes in, signs some of his stuff, and then sells it without marking it up in price at all. This was a cool, unique shop, and I had a good time looking at all of the original comic art, movie props and general merchandise. And the place was jumpin' when I was there, too! If you're ever near Red Bank, NJ, stop in and see it for yourself.

Oh, and I found lots of Mug Cream Soda in nearby Staten Island. I bought a lot of it. Dear Pepsi, sell Mug Cream Soda in the Pittsburgh area so I don't have to travel to New York to buy it! Love, Jeff.

making Superman's beef bourguignon - with pictures!

2012-01-10T13:01:00.000-05:00

Hey kids, you like beef? Well, Superman does, as I wrote about when I first posted the recipe to his world-famous beef bourguignon a few weeks back. The recipe is quite daunting and seemed perhaps a bit fancy for my tastes, but as I'm in the habit of making comic book recipes, apparently (check out my attempt at Larfleeze's Orange Lantern cookies!), I knew that I had to give it a shot - for Superman. For Superman.

I'll repost the recipe here with pictures of my attempt so all can vicariously experience making this painstakingly-involved meal for yourselves. One note before we get started - I'm not a big fan of booze, and as such I substituted for the alcoholic additions when they were called for. This most certainly changed the end product's taste as mine ended up more beefy than it otherwise would have. If you want to follow this recipe, just use wine instead of the non-alcoholic alternative and (highly flammable) brandy. Let's begin (the recipe is italicized, my notes are in plain text)!

INGREDIENTS

6-8 ounces salt pork, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided

4 pounds trimmed beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes, patted dry with paper towels

Salt

10-12 shallots, chopped, about 2 cups

2 large, peeled carrots, 1 chopped, 1 cut into 2-inch chunks

4-5 garlic cloves, chopped

1 ounce of dried porcini mushrooms (optional)

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup brandy, plus 2 Tbsp

1 bottle Pinot Noir, or other red wine

Beef Stock (low sodium), at least 1 cup, quite easily more

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons dried thyme

4 whole cloves

24 pearl onions, fresh or frozen

1 lb fresh shiitake, cremini or button mushrooms

Beurre manie: 3 Tbsp flour blended with 2 Tbsp butter

METHOD

1 If you are using them, pour 1 cup of boiling water over the dried porcini mushrooms and allow them to rehydrate for 30 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and chop coarsely. Pour the soaking water through a paper towel (to remove any dirt or debris) into a bowl and set aside.

I totally didn't use this (optional) mushroom. It was only an ounce, and while fans of mushrooms might balk at me saying this, I was already using a pound of button mushrooms and didn't think an ounce of another would make that much of a difference.

2 In a large sauté pan, pour enough water to cover the bottom by about 1/8 inch. Over medium heat, cook the salt pork in the pan until the water evaporates, stirring occasionally. Once the water is gone, reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to cook the salt pork until much of the fat has rendered out of it. Add a tablespoon of butter and continue to cook the salt pork unti the pieces are browned and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the salt pork pieces to a large Dutch oven or other large, thick-bottomed, lidded pot.

I had never used salt pork before, and as you can see, it is about 2/3rds fat to 1/3rd meat. It popped and sizzled in the pan and smelled much like bacon. Most of the fat melted off during the cooking, and it served as a base for the sauce that was to come later. This ain't the most healthy meal, but I guess Superman doesn't have to worry about his arteries clogging.

3 Increase the heat to medium-high. Working in batches so that you do not crowd the pan, brown the beef. Leaving space around each piece of sizzling meat ensures that it browns and does not steam. Don't move the pieces of beef in the pan until they get a good sear, then turn them so they can get browned on another side. Take your time. This will take 15-25 minutes, depending on how large a sauté pan you have. Once browned, remove the beef from the sauté pan and place in the Dutch oven with the salt pork.

4 When all the beef has browned, add the shallots, the one chopped carrot, and the chopped porcini mushrooms if using. Stir in the pot to remove any browned, stuck-on bits in the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic and the tomato paste. Cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

5 Add the brandy and stir to combine. Boil down by half, then add the strained mushroom soaking water (if using). Scrape any remaining browned bits off the bottom of the sauté pan and pour the contents of the pan into the Dutch oven.

I pretty much ignored step 5. Once I combined all of the ingredients (that I chose to use), I thought it looked like I had skimped on the carrot. I might recommend adding another whole carrot to the mix somewhere, either here or later on.

6 To the Dutch oven add the bottle of wine and enough beef stock to almost cover the beef; the beef pieces should be barely poking up out of the liquid. Add the parsley, bay leaves, thyme and cloves. Cover and bring to a bare simmer. After 1 hour, add the second carrot, peeled and cut into chunks of 1-2 inches. Continue cooking for another hour, or until the beef is tender.

Here's where I make the most drastic changes to the original recipe. As I mentioned, I didn't use wine, but instead sparkling red grape juice (which is a non-alocholic substitute for the red wine the recipe calls for). Not wanting to eat the equivalent of grape-flavored meat when all was said and done, I added more beef stock - four cups as opposed to the one it calls for (thought the recipe is a bit ambiguous) - to hold in more of the beef flavor than it otherwise might. I probably used 2/3rds of the bottle of red grape juice instead of the entire thing to compensate. Regardless, I used enough liquid to almost cover all of the meat.

I was also pretty luck to have all of the spices on hand. I actually still had parsley growing in my outside garden (crazy!), and Larry brought some bay leaves from his probably better-stocked spice rack at home.

DRINK

This is what it all looked like in the pot. Now, the recipe calls for a dutch oven, and I'm clearly using a run-of-the-mill stove-top pot in this picture. That's because dutch ovens, other than being a funny euphemism for, well, farts, are simply fancy lidded pots. They're thicker and they might cook a bit more evenly, but you can (and I did) get by with a simple pot with a lid.

7 Meanwhile, trim the tough stems off the shiitake, cremini, or button mushrooms and slice into 2-3 large pieces; small mushrooms leave whole. Prepare the pearl onions. Boil them in their skins for 4-5 minutes. Drain and submerge in a bowl of ice water. Slice the tips and root ends off the onions and slip off the outer skins.

The pearl onions took forever to prepare. Ridiculous amounts of time were spent on cutting and taking off outer layers.

8 When the beef is tender, use tongs to remove all the beef and the chunks of carrots; set aside in a bowl. Strain the contents of the Dutch oven through a fine-meshed sieve set over a medium pot. This will be the sauce. Boil the sauce down, tasting frequently. If it begins to taste too salty, turn off the heat. Otherwise, boil down until you have about 3 cups. Turn off the heat.

I found that I had cooked away too much of the sauce when the meat was done. Using some more red grape juice and another two cups of beef stock/broth, I combined it with the sauce I had remaining, and it turned out just fine.

What a gross picture that turns out to be. I will say that it didn't look much better in person. I'll also again point out that more carrots (the recipe calls for two at different points) might be a good thing.

9 Heat a large sauté pan over high heat and add the mushrooms. Dry sauté the mushrooms over high heat, shaking the pan and stirring often, until they release their water, about 4-5 minutes. Add the pearl onions and 3 tablespoons butter and toss to combine. Sprinkle salt over the onions and mushrooms. Sauté until the onions begin to brown. Remove from heat.

10 Returning to the sauce, reduce the heat to medium and whisk in the beurre manie. Whisk in a third of the paste, wait for it to incorporate into the sauce, then add another third of the beurre manie, and so on. Do not let this boil, but allow it to simmer very gently for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of brandy. Taste for salt and add some if needed.

The "beurre maine" is just the flour and butter. It took a while for it to mix in with the sauce, but it eventually did and thickened the sauce up.

11 To serve, coat the beef, carrots, mushrooms and pearl onions with the sauce and serve with potatoes, egg noodles or lots of crusty bread.

And here I am - FIVE HOURS AFTER STARTING - with Larry and plates of beef bourguignon. How apprehensive we look! Perhaps that's because the meal is missing something...something to make it more appealing to, say, Superman...

I KNOW! KETCHUP! As Larry remarked when I brought out the bottle from the fridge, "I don't think ketchup has any business being in this meal", and I'm inclined to agree. It's a bit too hearty and beefy to demand a condiment, in my opinion, but it's a key Superman ingredient, so it stayed.

And the verdict?

Not bad! In fact, despite it's fairly unappealing look, it was pretty good - the mushrooms in particular were a pleasant surprise. It was very beef stew-like, though I imagine the amount of beef stock and the lack of alcohol played a significant role in that.

I don't know that I'll ever be making this recipe again, because of just how much time it took to prepare. I realize that a lot of that's on me - I'm pretty methodical and tend to take a long time doing pretty much anything I work on. But there were still hours of work involved no matter who was at the helm. Add this to the fact that good old fashioned beef stew might be a good substitute, and this might be my last attempt at the Super-meal.

That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the entire process, though - it was challenging and rewarding to try something this different and this involving. And now, if Superman ever comes to visit, I've got some practice in at making his favorite meal.

Pictures from the FUBAR signing

2012-01-08T00:53:00.000-05:00

Today was the day for the FUBAR signing at Pittsburgh Comics, and if I had to qualify it (AND I DO), I'd say that it was a success. I didn't take as many pictures as I might have liked to, but that's because I spent a lot of time selling books and talking to people, and that's a good thing.

Directly above is the table that Colin, the owner of Pittsburgh Comics in McMurray, had set up at the front of the store. It's a great looking shop, and if you're from the area and haven't checked it out yet, take a ride down route 19 and stop in one day. I gave away copies of Teddy and the Yeti #1 to anyone who bought a copy of FUBAR, so hopefully I managed to get a few people interested in T&Y as well.

I ended up selling a few books almost immediately after I arrived, including to this fine customer. I drew zombie sketches in most of the books I sold, which probably immediately lowered the value of the book.

...not everyone was happy with the product, though, and I spent some of the day in fear, which is only natural, I guess. You make a book about zombies and some people are bound to be violently outraged. It comes with the territory.

This is an example of just how awful my artistry is. Say what you will about my writing (no, seriously, someone react to it in some form), but at least they keep me away from the art boards. Highlight of this image: finally getting to use the red Sharpie.

And look! It's my adorable nephew, Jacob, along with a book that he won't be allowed to read for 17 more years, or until I'll be...uh...33.

Many thanks once again to Colin and Pittsburgh Comics for letting me set up shop in the store for a few hours. FUBAR: Empire of the Rising Dead is in stores this Wednesday, so if you weren't able to grab a copy at one of the signings going on around the country, you can pick one up then. I had a great time today for sure.

This blog doesn't have enough FUBAR news.

2012-01-06T23:47:00.001-05:00

...so I must immediately rectify that oversight.

- The soon-to-be released FUBAR: Empire of the Rising Dead has been getting a lot of attention lately, and it doesn't seem to be letting up. Just a few days ago, the popular website Ain't it Cool News posted a review of the anthology and reviewer Liz Reblin had some nice things to say. I even got mentioned by name! Awesome. You can read the full review here: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/52472#5

- FUBAR 2 also made another "best of" list, this time on the website "Panel Patter" and their "Best of 2011: Indie Comics" compilation. The book came in at #7 on the site's list, which includes the new Planet of the Apes comic and the fictional Mark Twain autobiography. You can see the entire list here: http://www.panelpatter.com/2011/12/panel-patters-best-of-2011-indie-comics.html

- The above picture is iron-clad proof that Diamond distributors is actually shipping FUBAR 2 to comic stores after weeks of uncertainty. The book will be on the shelves this coming Wednesday, January 11th. If you want to get a copy a few days sooner, though, read the news below...

- In not-so-new news, the FUBAR signing tour is upon us in just a few short hours! I'll be selling and signing copies of the new volume, days before it goes on sale to the world at large, as part of a tour that includes six other stores around the country. My leg of the trip is at Pittsburgh Comics in McMurray, PA, at 113 E. McMurray Road. Colin, the owner of the store (and a pretty friendly guy) put together a little writeup on the store's website: http://pittsburghcomics.com/2012/01/03/fubar-d-day-of-the-dead-signing-tour-saturday-1712/

This signing will take place from 4:00 until 6:30. We had originally planned to go until 7:00, but Colin got tickets to the Penguins game, and who can blame him for wanting to cut out a few minutes early?

I'm proud of how good this book looks as a finished product...I know that all involved worked very hard to make this the best that it could be and I think that shows. If you've been reading this blog and have wondered why so many of my recent posts have been about FUBAR, it's because I've seen how well it all came together. I'd love it if you, mysterious reader, would take a chance on this book to find out for yourself.

FUBAR has landed; signing at Pittsburgh Comics on the 7th!

2012-01-02T23:19:00.000-05:00

The above pallet looks like it could have been airdropped from a plane, and who knows? Perhaps it was. What you're looking at is the first edition print run of FUBAR: Empire of the Rising Dead; I received my copies in the mail a few days ago, and I can attest that they look impressive. The sequel is nearly twice as long as the original and it's worth your time if you want to pick it up, from my obviously biased perspective.

Well, judging by this picture of the books that I just took, it's obvious that the camera on my phone is starting to crap out. Huh. Regardless, the books look great.

Coming this Saturday, I'll be signing copies of FUBAR 2 at Pittsburgh Comics in McMurray, PA, from 4:00-7:00. This was in doubt because of the upcoming NFL playoffs, but the Steelers play in Denver on Sunday, so all is well (if there was a conflict with a Steeler game, no one would have shown up...I understand this). So if you are anywhere near the Pittsburgh suburb of McMurray, stop on by and say hello. I will probably say hello back.

Digital Marketing for the Print Medium

2011-12-31T05:57:00.000-05:00

Comics have always been a visual medium, but much to the dismay of many within the industry, they are also a print medium and that presents challenges that many similar forms of entertainment are facing: how to stay relevant and profitable in an age of increasing digital competition.

Even though comic book companies have seen and acknowledged an oncoming digital presence for their characters for more than a decade now, most are still struggling to define just how they want to represent themselves in an electronic field, and some attempts to branch out are better than others.

Both Marvel and DC, for example, are experimenting with selling digital copies of their comics in the very comics themselves - that is, if you buy a copy of the book, you can download an electronic version as well. Marvel is, so far, including a download code for free, while DC is charging an extra dollar for the privilege.

This practice irks me at least a little, because behind this good deal (at least on Marvel's part) is a bit of sneaky marketing. Both companies polybag their combo books, sealing them in until after they're purchased. On the surface, this is so someone can't walk into a comic shop, scan the code, walk out without buying anything, have the comic on his or her e-reader, and render the one-time code invalid for someone who might actually purchase the book.

It's also, though, a way for companies to boost sales by having some of the more rabid consumers purchase two copies of the same book. Due to their (perceived) collectibility, some buyers won't want to tear open the bag these comics come in, leaving them with a choice - either seemingly deface their collectible item, or spend twice as much to keep one copy in tact.

Companies obviously are aware of this, and while I won't say it's malicious on their part that they do this, it does seem to me like taking advantage of the psychosis that is collecting (that's consumerism for ya). In a matter of weeks, Marvel's entire Ultimate Comics line will ship exclusively in polybags with download codes, which will put this practice to the test.

Other practices, however, are more in line with what I think comic book companies should be doing, taking advantage of the new capabilities that technology offers while still remaining true to the spirit of comics.

Marvel's recent relaunch of Daredevil, written by Mark Waid, has been a highlight of superhero comics in 2011. Not that I'll ever discount Waid's writing, as he's been involved with some of my favorite comics of all time, but DD is really a treat to read every month.

Daredevil has always, for obvious reasons, had a strong following with visually-impaired comic readers, and Marvel finally took advantage of that by releasing an audio version of the first issue, read by Waid and a few others, free for download. This is both a nice treat for fans in general as well as the aforementioned visually impaired, and is exactly the type of thing that big companies like this should be doing.

The direct link to the file is here: http://marvel.com/files/podcasts/DAREDEVIL_1_edited.mp3. A little more info is on Marvel's site, here: http://marvel.com/news/story/16485/daredevil_1_audio_edition.

USA Today, while not being my favorite site for actual news, has had a pretty good relationship with comic companies over the past several years. I still wonder why the paper doesn't print daily comic strips, but every once in a while they'll print comics and put them in front of a substantially larger audience size than they'd otherwise get. When DC put out Wednesday Comics a few years back, the paper actually printed some to promote the series, and it had a strong web presence as well.

Dark Horse Comics went a bit further and released an exclusive digital Conan the Barbarian comic by Ron Marz and Bart Sears, who coincidentally (a hem) went on to produce a two-issue miniseries, Conan: The Island, another example of a company taking advantage or digital means to promote the physical product.

The full Conan story, "Kiss of the Undead", can be read here: http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/2010-11-22-kissoftheundead22_ST_N.htm

Lastly, Marvel and Toyota have teamed up for an ad campaign that features short Robot Chicken-inspired videos with action figures and the Toyota Yaris. It's a pretty bizarre combination, and it's beyond tame, but it's just another example of what a comic company can do when management embraces digital marketing.

This video is, of course, just an advertisement when it comes down to it, but it's still fairly interesting. You can watch more of the Marvel/Toyota videos here: http://www.earnhardttoyota.com/tag/its-a-car/.

The haul, 2011

2011-12-30T04:20:00.000-05:00

One of the last things that Christmas should represent is overt commercialization - secular or not, Christmas should be about more than the crass act of consumption. That being said, for Christmas I got stuff. Stuff that I was excited to get. So I'm showing it off, knowing full well that the emperor has no clothes, to extend a metaphor. Gaze upon these works, you mighty...and despair:

I got a boatload of graphic novels this time around. That's right, enough graphic novels to load a boat with! Depending on the size of the boat. Anyway, here we have the Dylan Dog collection, volume 2 of Joe Casey and Tom Scioli's Godland, and the highly anticipated Habibi by Craig Thompson.

Also among the stash is The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb. It's astounding that someone who has spent his life creating psychedelic, counter-culture underground comics can put something like this together and have it look so incredible. It's ironic that this just might become his best-known work.

I've now got three of four of the Hellboy Library Edition collections. It's beautiful stuff.

I got some cool Thing-related merchandise as well, including a Thing shot glass that is just awesome. And I landed a Thing Squinkie without having to buy the entire damn set.

I got some DVD swag, too! Season one of Conan: The Adventurer, Volume six of Futurama, Weird Al's Alpocalypse HD collection of videos, and the first collection of Adventure Time, a show I'm loving more and more with every episode.

Rounding off the display of cool stuff is a Magic Mouse for the Mac, some brand new Shrinky Dinks (pre cut?! What the heck!!), and some Pac Man crafty figures. Pac Man and his ghosts were made by my friend Vicki, who has a photo blog here. Vicki did a bunch of video game themed figures that would totally sell for cash money on a site like Etsy. Seriously, Vicki, open up a store. And make me some Yetis. I SAID DO IT!

I hope that everyone out there had a wonderful Christmastime. Here's to 2012!

FUBAR: D-Day of the Dead Signing Tour poster

2011-12-23T03:20:00.000-05:00

FUBAR head honcho Jeff McComsey recently released the above image advertising the FUBAR: Empire of the Rising Dead release and signing event, which I'll be attending at the start of the new year. The image (and what an image it is) is by Steve Becker and, if I'm not mistaken, is the back cover image for FUBAR's second volume.

It seems that I'm holding down the state of Pennsylvania for this mission, so if you're from, oh, anywhere in the tristate area, I hope you'll come down to Pittsburgh Comics in McMurray, PA and check out a copy of the book. I'll be there signing copies and recording hilarious voicemail messages for all of my adoring fans.

Most of these signings are happening on the east coast, with the one notable exception of Norman, Oklahoma's Speeding Bullet Comics, where Mario Wytch, artist on a story I wrote, will be both signing books and also probably dancing, because he likes to dance.

Postcards with the above image were also sent to these stores, so if you happen to frequent them, you can pick one up, and prints will be available, included with the purchase of this volume of FUBAR.

Let's take a second and address the date of this event, which is Saturday, January 7th. The plan for me, as I've discussed on here a few times, is to sign on the 7th from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. This was always with the understanding that the Pittsburgh Steelers would secure a first-round bye in the playoffs and thus wouldn't be playing at all this week. That is now much less a sure thing, and I realize that no one - myself included - would want to spend time with me in a comic shop when there's a Steelers playoff game on the air, and it's very much a possibility that the team would be playing not only on this date, but also during this time period.

I am going to contact the owner of Pittsburgh Comics this week and talk to him about this predicament. I mean, it's entirely possible that the Steelers will still win the AFC North, and even if they don't, it's possible that they won't be playing on Saturday the 7th at 4:00. Even so, we won't likely know until the Sunday beforehand, and that's not enough time for promotional purposes. Once we come to a definitive time and date for this thing, I will post it here for all to see. But it will happen.

Less than a week now until new FUBAR hits the shelves. Keep an eye out for it.

Vote early and often...for FUBAR

2011-12-22T03:02:00.000-05:00

Remember MTV's "Rock the Vote" campaign? Or, perhaps a more apt question is "remember MTV?" I remember watching Weird Al's "Fat" video coming on there one time back in the late '80s...and it was brilliant. This has nothing to do with that. This does, however, require love and participation, just like a Weird Al video (see how I brought that full circle? Amazing). Oh yeah, and it's about voting.

FUBAR: Empire of the Rising Dead was nominated by IGN.com as "anthology of the year", and right now it's up for a vote for a "People's Choice Award". If you follow the link to IGN's website, you, too, can vote in a manner befitting of the Internet: anonymously and without any threat of recourse. Let's take a look at the current tally, as of 2:30 am on December 22nd:

Holy...wait, does that mean that FUBAR is winning? Or that it just has the most vocal supporters? I suppose I have to wait until January 17th to find out. But yeah, if you've got a few seconds of time to spare, I hope that you'll (and by "you" I mean you, specifically, beloved reader) head over to IGN's site and vote for FUBAR. Here's the direct link - http://www.ign.com/wikis/best-of-2011/Best_Anthology - and then scroll down toward the bottom.

UPDATE: FUBAR was just nominated as the best anthology of 2011 by the site ComicMonsters.com. This site is looking at books with a horror slant, and other nominees include Heavy Metal and Dirk Manning's Nightmare World. You can vote in this showdown as well, and...you should. Really, do it. Click the following link - http://www.comicmonsters.com/award-vote-47-Best_Anthology_2011.html - and help FUBAR bring in some awards!

IGN update; Dark Knight Rises trailer; NFL SuperPro and more!

2011-12-21T06:17:00.000-05:00

- A few days ago I mentioned that FUBAR: Empire of the Rising Dead had been nominated by IGN.com for their "anthology of the year" award. After tallying the votes, it seems that Rocketeer Adventures from IDW got the nod, and I can't say that it wasn't undeserving, as it was jam packed with top-tier talent.

It looks like FUBAR can grab a "People's Choice Award", however, with some feverish online voting, and as soon as I figure out how to, uh, do that, I will post a link here, and then demand that everyone vote for it.

- The Dark Knight Rises full trailer came out a few days ago, and BOY! does it look good. I even made it on screen during the Heinz Field scenes, though you'd need a screen as big as a house and a magnifying glass to see me (i.e. I'm a blurry part of the faceless thousands).

One person who does get some good screen time, however, is current Pittsburgh Steeler and future Hall of Famer Hines Ward! When the filming was taking place, I wondered to myself how much footage of (Super Bowl XL MVP) Ward would make the final cut. It seems that the answer is "a lot". Heck of a guy, that Hines Ward.

- Speaking of the NFL, friend of the blog Travis Sengaus drew this pinup of NFL SuperPro, making the character look much cooler than he really deserves. SuperPro's 20th anniversary was this year, and the NFL Network even ran a short special about the character.

Travis drew a few pages for Image's Haunt #18 - check it out if you get the chance!

- Next we have a cover homage to the classic Fantastic Four #51...made out of yarn. I have no idea in what context this should be taken.

- Lastly, a friend of mine, Eric Ross, recently started a blog all about mustaches. As if that weren't enough reason to view it, Eric has posted a few things that might be familiar - Franks and Beans episode 7 (titled, wait for it, "Mustache") and the above Strange Tales clip by Jacob Chabot. Check out "THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UPKEEP" here: http://justamoustache.tumblr.com/

- Oh, and happy 400th blog post for me. Great.

IGN nominates FUBAR vol. 2 as "anthology of the year"

2011-12-14T01:02:00.000-05:00

In what was to me a completely unexpected (and awesome) surprise, IGN.com has nominated FUBAR: Empire of the Rising Dead for its "Best Anthology of 2011" award. Don't believe me? Check out IGN's list of nominees, or just look at this screenshot:

There's an old cliche about it being an honor just to be nominated, but in this case it rings true: to be mentioned right along with Dark Horse Presents, which is just a fantastic publication, is a thrill. It's even more exciting when you realize that FUBAR 2 hasn't even, uh, been released to comic shops yet, which means either IGN got an advanced copy or they're looking at the convention preview edition.

Speaking of the release date for FUBAR 2, the book isn't listed with Diamond's new releases for today, the 14th, which is when I was hoping (and expecting) to see it in stores. I'll assume that it'll be out on the 21st or, at the very latest, the week after.

FUBAR also has a new expanded web presence as of today with the launch of www.fubarpress.com, which features a new store, previews of both volumes and a news blog. If you're looking to see what FUBAR is all about (and you think I've done a terrible job of explaining it), head over there and check it out! And don't forget the national FUBAR 2 signing day on Saturday, January 7th.

Franks and Beans: the Comic

2011-12-13T05:47:00.002-05:00

Franks and Beans, the Internet comedy ~~sensation~~ show came about at a fairly unusual time: after moving to Wilmington, North Carolina, 600 miles from my hometown, I decided that it would be a good idea to create a show with my friend Larry, still living in Pennsylvania. This, of course, made no sense at all, which just may explain how often logic comes into play during an episode of Franks and Beans.

The show is something I like to do and a creative outlet for some of my stranger ideas, and let's face it, it was only a matter of time before I did something comics related with it. So I'd like to proudly present the two page comic, which is titled "Larger than Life". Read it, won't you? No, seriously, read it:

In this comic, I tried to keep the same feel of a regular episode of Franks and Beans while doing things that couldn't be done (without one of us striking it rich at random) in real life, thus the giant muscleman look for me and the wanton destruction that happens throughout; I also tried to squeeze as many jokes and references to actual episodes in these two pages as I could. I'd like to think that I accomplished both goals.

Art for this beauty is by none other than Alan Gallo, who meticulously recreated Larry's kitchen on the page, not to mention capturing the likenesses of me, Larry, Larry's mom and superfan Mark Moncheck. Colors were provided by Michael Wiggam, and it took me SO LONG to letter these crowded panels.

Beyond simply being a vanity project (which, I'll admit, plays a part in this comic's creation), Larry and I are going to include this as an insert in the third volume of Franks and Beans DVDs. We're also going to print out copies of this comic, at full size, and hand it out at conventions. I'm also posting it online for free. The marketing push begins! And this, apparently, is at the forefront as an advertisement.

Franks and Beans also has a new website...with exactly the same URL as before. A while ago, when I was having trouble with the main Teddy and the Yeti website, the F&B site was experiencing the same problems. It's since been wiped clean, and the long, tedious process of rebuilding it has begun. As always, though, I've been given the opportunity to streamline and make some things better, so hopefully this is all for the best.

If you haven't (it's not like I haven't promoted it enough, a hem), check out the Franks and Beans website at http://www.franksandbeansonline.com and the F&B YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/user/FranksandBeansOnline. They're both good AND good for you!

Four and Baldy

2011-12-03T03:51:00.001-05:00

I haven't done enough work on comics lately. It's true. But I'm getting back into the swing of things, I promise. Above is one of the things I've started recently - lettering for a potential webcomic titled "Four and Baldy", a spoof of Thor (and his warrior brother, Balder) by writer/artist Grant Perkins. Grant is, I believe, having some pages colored, and if everything works out, this may end up as an ongoing webcomic.

I know Grant from his Digital Webbing days, and it's cool to be involved in something with him, even at such a tentative stage. If you haven't seen his work before, check out his website at http://www.thegrantperkins.com - he's got a lot of great art on the site, including some incredible paintings. If Four and Baldy makes any progress, I'll post it here. Or you could just Google the term every single hour until you see something. Either works.

Superman's beef bourguignon recipe

2011-11-30T21:41:00.001-05:00

Superman is a meat eater. I know that may ruffle some feathers, but it's been a part of his mythos for quite some time. In recent years he's been portrayed as a vegetarian, and in all honesty, that makes a lot of sense. Here's Superman, a god-like character who protects every living creature on the earth, someone who doesn't necessarily have to eat (or sleep), but does to appreciate the human experience. You think he's going to just start eating birds and rabbits and sheep because other people are doing it? Come on, Superman. We humans do it because he have to eat to survive. And also because it is delicious. We're flawed beings. But you get all your sustenance from the Sun. You were cutting edge before solar power was cutting edge.

In any case, omnivore Superman's favorite dish is beef bourguignon. Specifically, he eats it with ketchup. This is something that was established decades ago, but like anything canonical (or semi-canonical) with Superman, it keeps reappearing. In recent years, it became something of a code word between Lois and Clark, a phrase Superman could pass along that let Lois know he was okay even in the grips of some universe-shattering conflict.

Within the DC offices, it became something of a euphemism for sex between the two characters. "Beef bourguignon with ketchup" is rather suggestive, if you think about it in the right (or wrong) way. And though I haven't been able to find it after LITERALLY MINUTES of Internet searching, I know that there's a song where Superman references his love for meat. Perhaps it's from the play "It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman"? Someone help me out with that one.

In addition to these few clips from various Superman comics, there's a great scene in Kingdom Come (the extra pages added for the collected edition) where Clark sits down at a Planet Krypton restaurant and inquires about beef bourguignon.

The dish itself is fairly time consuming, but not something I'd necessarily classify as "fancy", French pronunciation aside. It looks pretty hearty, though:

There are recipes strewn across the Internet, and they're all fairly similar, but the following is the one I'm going to try out in the next couple of weeks. Rest assured, there will be pictures. Who's up for eating Superman style? Don't forget to add the ketchup.

(This comes directly from http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/beef_bourguignon/)

Beef Bourguignon

INGREDIENTS

6-8ounces salt pork, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

4Tbsp unsalted butter, divided

4pounds trimmed beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes, patted dry with paper towels

Salt

10-12shallots, chopped, about 2 cups

2large, peeled carrots, 1 chopped, 1 cut into 2-inch chunks

4-5garlic cloves, chopped

1ounce of dried porcini mushrooms (optional)

2Tbsp tomato paste

1/2cup brandy, plus 2 Tbsp

1bottle Pinot Noir, or other red wine

BeefStock (low sodium), at least 1 cup, quite easily more

1/2cup chopped fresh parsley

2bay leaves

2teaspoons dried thyme

4whole cloves

24pearl onions, fresh or frozen

1lb fresh shiitake, cremini or button mushrooms

Beurremanie: 3 Tbsp flour blended with 2 Tbsp butter

METHOD

1 If you areusing them, pour 1 cup of boiling water over the dried porcini mushrooms andallow them to rehydrate for 30 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and chop coarsely.Pour the soaking water through a paper towel (to remove any dirt or debris) intoa bowl and set aside.

2 In a largesauté pan, pour enough water to cover the bottom by about 1/8 inch. Over mediumheat, cook the salt pork in the pan until the water evaporates, stirringoccasionally. Once the water is gone, reduce the heat to medium-low, andcontinue to cook the salt pork until much of the fat has rendered out of it.Add a tablespoon of butter and continue to cook the salt pork unti the piecesare browned and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the salt pork pieces to alarge Dutch oven or other large, thick-bottomed, lidded pot.

3 Increase theheat to medium-high. Working in batches so that you do not crowd the pan, brownthe beef. Leaving space around each piece of sizzling meat ensures that itbrowns and does not steam. Don't move the pieces of beef in the pan until theyget a good sear, then turn them so they can get browned on another side. Takeyour time. This will take 15-25 minutes, depending on how large a sauté pan youhave. Once browned, remove the beef from the sauté pan and place in the Dutchoven with the salt pork.

4 When all thebeef has browned, add the shallots, the one chopped carrot, and the choppedporcini mushrooms if using. Stir in the pot to remove any browned, stuck-onbits in the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic and the tomatopaste. Cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

5 Add the brandyand stir to combine. Boil down by half, then add the strained mushroom soakingwater (if using). Scrape any remaining browned bits off the bottom of the sautépan and pour the contents of the pan into the Dutch oven.

6 To the Dutchoven add the bottle of wine and enough beef stock to almost cover the beef; thebeef pieces should be barely poking up out of the liquid. Add the parsley, bayleaves, thyme and cloves. Cover and bring to a bare simmer. After 1 hour, addthe second carrot, peeled and cut into chunks of 1-2 inches. Continue cookingfor another hour, or until the beef is tender.

7 Meanwhile,trim the tough stems off the shiitake, cremini, or button mushrooms and sliceinto 2-3 large pieces; small mushrooms leave whole. Prepare the pearl onions.Boil them in their skins for 4-5 minutes. Drain and submerge in a bowl of icewater. Slice the tips and root ends off the onions and slip off the outer skins.

8 When the beefis tender, use tongs to remove all the beef and the chunks of carrots; setaside in a bowl. Strain the contents of the Dutch oven through a fine-meshedsieve set over a medium pot. This will be the sauce. Boil the sauce down,tasting frequently. If it begins to taste too salty, turn off the heat.Otherwise, boil down until you have about 3 cups. Turn off the heat.

9 Heat a largesauté pan over high heat and add the mushrooms. Dry sauté the mushrooms overhigh heat, shaking the pan and stirring often, until they release their water,about 4-5 minutes. Add the pearl onions and 3 tablespoons butter and toss tocombine. Sprinkle salt over the onions and mushrooms. Sauté until the onionsbegin to brown. Remove from heat.

10 Returning tothe sauce, reduce the heat to medium and whisk in the beurre manie. Whisk in athird of the paste, wait for it to incorporate into the sauce, then add anotherthird of the beurre manie, and so on. Do not let this boil, but allow it tosimmer very gently for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons ofbrandy. Taste for salt and add some if needed.

11 To serve, coat the beef, carrots,mushrooms and pearl onions with the sauce and serve with potatoes, egg noodlesor lots of crusty bread.

The most annoying comic book ad ever conceived

2011-11-29T00:23:00.001-05:00

The above image is, without a doubt, the most annoying comic book advertisement every printed. This isn't something I say on the spur of the moment. It really is true and the pronouncement comes after seeing hundreds of bad comic book ads. I've seen the Starburst "a square peg for your round hole" (really?!) ads. I've seen the Honda Civic ads placed at the very front of books. I've seen the Strydex ads ("That's not Mt. Fuji, that's a humongous zit!"). I've seen the "Tobacco is Whacko (if you're a teen)" ads (but if I'm 20, it's okay?). I've seen MDMacro's vague, obscure "Beats for Reading Comic Books To" ad. I've seen horribly irresponsible ads selling monkeys and other animals in comics books. But none measure up to the above advertisement for the Gap.

Just look at this kid. What's he doing with his hands? What's he doing with his face? What's he doing in a neon orange sweater? WHY IS HE LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT?! Everything about it is preposterous.

In addition to just how exasperatingly terrible this ad is, it appears that I can't escape being subjected to it. It seemed like this ad ran for five years in a row around the late 1990s, and every third back issue I buy has this kid plastered on the back of it. I pulled out Superman: Man of Tomorrow #11 to scan the letters page for yesterday's post, and what do I find staring back at me? This damn ad, all over again.

I hate it. It's the most annoying comic book ad I've ever seen.

My Lex Luthor Baldy Award no-show

2011-11-28T04:40:00.001-05:00

A while ago I wrote about the time I won Marvel's No-Prize (and managed to misspell my own name in the process); at the end of the post, I briefly mentioned DC's Baldy Award, given out to "letter writers of the week", or something to that effect, in the back of Superman-related titles. My comic book organizing has finally made it down to the "S" boxes, so when I flipped to the short-lived Superman: Man of Tomorrow, I made sure to grab a few issues and search for the one in which I had a letter published and managed to win that week's Baldy Award (please, no jokes about how prophetic that title would soon become).

Above I've posted a scan of the letters page from Superman: Man of Tomorrow #11, in which my letter is published regarding issue #9. Even though I hadn't read the letter in 13 years, I remembered that it was pretty embarrassing as all I did was give effusive praise to a book that, honestly, didn't have much of a purpose over its publishing history. But looking back at it now, holy cow was it sycophantic, to say the least. I should have just wrote in and said "I love you! Give me a prize!" They did, though, at least in print, and I suppose I accomplished my goal in that regard.

At the end of the letters column, Superman editor Mike McAvennie writes "And because you were such a trooper for waiting 20 weeks and listening to this long-winded explanation, we hereby grant you this month's Baldy award, guaranteed to show up pretty quick!" And then he writes something about Mike Piazza, which in hindsight is pretty funny. If I remember correctly, he had a really good year in 1998 but was traded twice before winding up with the Mets (who will never, ever win the World Series again, much like the Pirates).

Anyway, perhaps McAvennie's guarantee was meant to be ironic, because I NEVER received any Baldy Award, to the point that for a long time I assumed that it was an award in name only, and not something that people actually received. The advent of, well, Google, has taught me otherwise: the Lex Luthor Baldy Award is a handwritten postcard "from" and signed by Lex Luthor, congratulating you on the achievement. A quick image search provides a look at the front of the card:

I can only say that while this award is merely a mass produced postcard, an inexpensive marketing stunt on DC's part, it is also something that, as a comic book fan, would be so awesome to have. So winning the award is a notch in any Superman fan's belt, but MAN, I wish that I had the physical prize for my stupid letter to go along with it. Mike McAvennie, if you happen to read this post and just have stacks of these lying around, it's not too late to correct a 13-year-old omission.

FUBAR 2 Q&A with Jeff McComsey

2011-11-24T19:59:00.001-05:00

FUBAR: Empire of the Rising Dead hits comic book stores next month, at which point everyone can stop listening to me rail on and on incessantly about this World War II zombie anthology and go buy a copy for themselves, afterwards I will probably begin railing incessantly about the quickly developing volume three. One thing at a time, though.

I recently chatted with FUBAR Commander-in-Chief Jeff McComsey, the brains behind this undead operation, and below are the results of this session, interspersed with preview pages from the new collection of stories from writers and artists from around the world. In this interview, McComsey announces that while the book ships from Diamond to stores in mid-December, there will be a nationwide signing event taking place on January 7th, 2012. As I mentioned a little bit earlier, I'll be signing copies of this book at Pittsburgh Comics on this day, a Saturday.

McClelland: Even though I got involved with FUBAR atthe tail end of volume 1, it's still been interesting for me to see the notablegrowth of the concept between then (early 2010) and now with volume 2. How has the concept of FUBAR changed between its inception and what it isnow?

McComsey: The concept as far as it being a World War 2 zombie anthology has stayed prettymuch the same. What has changed is its size. We went from roughly 17contributors in volume one to roughly 40 creators for volume two. The scale of theproject has been for me an immense source of pride for me. Through this monsterI've gotten to work with a veritable army of Small-Press Commandos. I think wewere all waiting for a project and FUBAR just happened to be it.

McClelland: What's been thereaction to FUBAR so far, and how has that reaction shaped the development ofFUBAR in its current state?

McComsey: The creators involved have been consistentlygung ho about helping finish and promoting this project. We do a lot ofconventions with this book and the reaction has been phenomenal, [especially] after doingthe handful of cons that FUBAR attends and seeing that we have some legitimatefans. I always say this will be the last volume until we get the book out forsale and the reaction always has me immediately planning the next.

McClelland: We're dealing witha fictional universe filled with zombies - on the surface, anyway, this isn'tsomething that hasn't been been done before. How do you find a way to craft stories that make the tried-and-true idea of the dead come back to lifefresh and vital again? Is there a formula for success when it comes tozombie stories?

McComsey: There are, for me, two types of stories wedo in FUBAR. First, there are the stories that are meticulously researched andcarry the seriousness and respect due the grim subject matter of World War 2.The second are completely bat-shit crazy seat-of-your-pants style WW2 zombiebashing tales, reminiscent of "Inglorious Basterds". If submitted stories fallanywhere in those two neighborhood, I’m a happy camper.

McClelland: For the most part,the stories in volume 1 seem to be contained within their own pages - that is,I didn't get the idea that these stories shared the same "space". The first story in volume 2, though, seems to imply at least a basiccohesion, or at least a link between volumes. Do the stories of FUBARvol. 2 share the same "universe" as that of vol. 1? Should they? Are thesestores best considered as individual pieces or part of a larger whole?

McComsey: I wrote the firststory as a kind of bridge between the two volumes, but overall, the stories allexist in their own universes. In the first volume we had a rough timeline forthe outbreak, but with the nature of the Pacific Theater of WW2, a timeline would have been problematic, so we opened the entire conflict to the writers.

McClelland: What are some of yourfavorite stories from volume two, and what should readers look forward to when theypick up the book in December?

McComsey: It’s hard to say forme. I’m very proud of the short that Jorge [Vega] and I did called “Wild Blue”. Jim McMunnillustrated not one, but three shorts in this volume. Those are some of myfavorites. The thing that fans of the first volume will dig is that this bookhas over 100 more pages than the first volume. This second volume isabsurdly huge.

McClelland: FUBAR has made a number of convention stops in the past months. What appeals to you about setting up at a con?

McComsey: I love doing conventions. We go all out for the booth set up, andwatching it draw people in is always amazing to see. That combined with thesketches we do in the front of the books for the people who buy them makes myFUBAR con experiences very memorable.

McClelland: You've put out word of a big signing event at various points around the country when thebook is released. Whatstores are you planning on visiting when this book goes on sale?

Yes, we are organizinga large signing event for January 7^th at several shops across thecountry. I will be at "Comic Book Jones" on Staten Island holding it down with mypartners in crime, Dominic [Vivona] and Steve [Becker].

McClelland: Lastly, here's a random question that nevertheless demands and answer: who was/is yourfavorite Ninja Turtle and why? WHAT IS THE SECRET OF THE OOZE?!?

McComsey: That’s a toughie. I clearlyremember being a Raphael fan. His weapons were the worst but he was a smartassand somehow as a kid that endeared him to me. The secret of the ooze is thatwhile it looked awesome in the JC Penny’s catalog, your parents were way toosmart to give you a pile of viscous neon green snot substance for Christmas.

Many thanks to Jeff for putting up with some of my more asinine questions for the second time. To learn more about FUBAR: Empire of the Rising Dead, go here: http://zombiefubar.wordpress.com/

War of the Independents #3

2011-11-22T23:50:00.001-05:00

I got my first look at both covers to War of the Independents #3 today, and both of them are very impressive. In addition to Todd Nauck's cover, I'd like to highlight the above by none other than G-Man and Mini Marvels artist Chris Giarrusso. Featured rather prominently, between the Tick and G-Man, are both Teddy and the Yeti! I knew that at least one of the characters would be on this cover, but to see both and in such prime location is quite a treat.

As the issue works its way closer to the stands, I hope to get a little more information to pass along, but in the meantime, here's the official solicitation info direct from Diamond:

Title: The War of the Independents #3

Plot &Art: Dave Ryan

Cover art: Todd Nauck

Flip cover art: Chris Giarrusso

Script: Robert Sodaro

Colors & Letters: Wilson Ramos Jr.

Imprint: Red Anvil Comics

Rating: All Ages

Format: Comic (32 pgs)

UPC: 609224530005

Price: $2.99

The Story: The War of the Independents raves across the multiverse, and in this issue the supermen are on their way to Norway to locate the fabled hammer, belt and gloves of Thor, the legendary Norse god of thunder. Meanwhile the villain, Maldestrak — a being of godlike power who is pure evil , and bent on the utter destruction of all forms of life — arrives there first acquires the magical items as well as their incredible power; then proceeds to kick everyone’s butts. Guest stars this issue include the Tick, Atomica, Karna and El Gato Negro, as well as many others.

Be sure to check out this book once it reaches stores!

Comic-Con International 2012

2011-11-21T16:28:00.001-05:00

I just got some great news in the form of an envelope and...what was inside that envelope. Just a week after I thought my chances of exhibiting at the 2012 Comic-Con International in sunny San Diego had been squelched, I got word today that my application has been accepted. That's right - Wagon Wheel Comics will be exhibiting at Comic-Con!!

Our booth will be in the small press section, row Q, table 11. Take a minute to search the vast floor plan below for our location:

...or just check out this cropped and photoshopped version with a helpful arrow:

As I said, this is great news. There's lots of planning and comic book making to be done before the show takes place from July 11th through the 15th. I have a bit of previous experience with CCI, having exhibited there in 2006. This was before, however, I had a clue about what to expect. I will be infinitely more prepared for the 2012 show.

More to come!

San Diego Scare, FUBAR celebrity endorsement, "Why does Marvel cancel my favorite unpublished books" and more!

2011-11-20T01:11:00.001-05:00

Hey, kids! It's another edition of "things I feel like posting", starring me, Jeff. YOU SHOULD BE HONORED, PEOPLE.

- In September, I officially applied to the 2012 Comic-Con International show in San Diego. I was disheartened to get a thin envelope - the sure sign of doom in any application process - in the mail just last week, but was perplexed when the envelope simply contained my voided check and a brief letter explaining "hey, we're returning your check" and nothing else.

I assumed that this letter meant that I was not accepted to the show, but upon contacting the folks at CCI, it was pointed out that the check was actually from last year. The fact that they kept my check for over 12 months was fairly surprising, but I'll take it, because it means that Wagon Wheel Comics is still in the running for a table at this summer's big show!

- So John Schneider reading Teddy and the Yeti is officially old news. Some fellow FUBAR creators caught up with Chandler Riggs, "Carl" from AMC's The Walking Dead and got this picture with him and volume 1 of the graphic novel. Look how cute this kid is! It's funny that he's on a TV-MA rated show and here has an R-rated book in his hand...is he allowed to watch/read either? It's a cool picture regardless...and wow, what a show TWD is turning out to be.

- My trip to Myrtle Beach and Xcon World in October provided me with more than just two nights in the Viking Inn motel (an interesting place); I made it home with all my teeth and some swag from the Swampfox Media booth. The Swampfox guys and girls are local to the Myrtle Beach area and had some really neat stuff on display. My favorite was certainly No Rest for the Wicked, a supervillain spoof along the lines of Dr. Horrible. Check 'em out at http://swampfoxmedia.com/!

- The mainstream comic industry is going through some changes these days. DC's "New 52" revamp is getting all of the attention (good and bad) these past few months, but Marvel is making news, too, in its, uh, "streamlining" of its output. Several titles have even been cancelled before they were even released, and what's most frustrating about that is that SOME OF THEM STARRED THE THING!!

This is nothing short of an outrage. I'm speaking, of course, about the "Destroyers" limited series, but there's also Victor Von Doom by Nick Spencer and Becky Cloonan.

Both DC and Marvel seem to be saving me money these past few months, with the cancellations of titles I read like Secret Six, Doom Patrol, Spider-Girl, Herc and now X-23 (which I had just started to pick up). I don't mind saving money, but this all in all makes me a little bit nervous.

- Don't forget (DON'T YOU DARE) that tomorrow (Sunday the 20th, which I guess is today) is New Dimension's Pittsburgh Comics & Collectibles Show at Century III mall from 11:00-5:00. I will be there, and so will...other people. The Post-Gazette even put it on the "Weekend Hotlist"! So you know it'll be great.

- Lastly, and this is the second Dukes of Hazzard reference I'm making in this post, more old Shrinky Dinks were found and made. Who knew these things were this fun? Well, I did, of course. Larry has the whole ordeal posted up on his excellent DukesCollector website, which you can see by clicking here!

Q&A with Joe Sinnott

2011-11-17T22:23:00.001-05:00

Happy 50th anniversary, Fantastic Four! To think, 50 years ago, a total of one issue of the Fantastic Four was available to buy, and it cost a total of 10 cents. If I was around in 1961 and had some foresight, I would have bought a hundred copies, sat back and waited for my millions to roll in. Of course, I'd be fifty years older now, so maybe there's a tradeoff. In any case, it's quite a milestone.

I met Joe Sinnott, one of the FF architects as a long-time inker, at the 2010 Pittsburgh Comic Con, and was lucky enough to have a chance to talk with him and his son. He even drew the above Yeti sketch, which will grace the cover of Teddy and the Yeti before too long. A little while after, I sent him some questions for a quick interview, and I'm posting that today. These questions are from a few months ago, before the 50th anniversary date came around. In his answers, Joe mentions that he hadn't been contacted by Marvel to produce any art for the anniversary. Since that time, Joe inked classic Archie artist Stan Goldberg on a variant cover to FF #1:

Unfortunately, that's the only project he's worked on in relation to the FF's 50th. To be fair, Stan Lee hasn't been involved in the process at all either, but in my opinion, that just doubles the shame on what should be a grander event. Marvel should give these guys their due and celebrate the birth of the Silver Age in style.

Check out the Q&A below (questions are in bold). Many thanks to Mr. Sinnott for his time and his contributions to the comic book industry.

JM: There aremany celebrated runs by creative teams when it comes to comics, but your workwith Stan Lee and Jack Kirby on the Fantastic Four stands out as one of the alltime greats. What do you think it was that worked so well for the threeof you on that title? What is it about the FF that worked so well withwhat you, Stan and Jack brought to the table?

JS: First of all,I was fortunate to come on the FF when Stan and Jack created most of theirfamous characters, and the stories were at their strongest point. I workedextremly well with Jack, according to most critics and fans, and this certainlyhelped. Inking issue #5 - The very first appearence of Dr. Doom, and thenreturning for a very long run with Jack starting with issue #44 - The beginningof the Inhumans, and then Galactus and the Silver Surfer was a great thrill.What a way to start my run on the Fantastic Four!

JM: This yearis the 50th anniversary of the Fantastic Four at Marvel, and I expect to see anumber of titles spring up in celebration. To the point that you areallowed to say, will you be working on anything for this anniversary? Canyou divulge any details?

JS: Marvel has yetto contact me concerning any projects involving the FF, but I certainly hope Iam included in some capacity. I was fortunate enough to ink many of theFF's 40th Anniversary Worlds Greatest Comics. That was 12 issues. Iprobably wouldn't want to ink that much at this stage, but I would really liketo contribute something as I feel I have been a big part in the success of theFF lasting for 50 years.

JM: The role ofinkers in comics has changed over the years. These days, pencilerssometimes ink their own work, and there are comics that cut out the inkeraltogether in lieu of coloring directly over top of pencils. What do youthink the industry has in store for inkers in the years to come? Do yousee inkers being phased out, or do you think there will always be a place fortraditional inking in the world of comics?

JS: I think thatthere will always be a place in the future for the inker that is also a giftedpenciler - unfortunately, not all inkers are good artists, some can just ink,and are very good at what they do. Although adding color to just thepencils may work to a certain degree, I feel that there willalways be work for the inker.

JM: Artistically speaking, you've been involved in more than just comics in yourcareer. One achievement that stood out to me in particular was your workon some Bing Crosby album covers. How did this come about?

JS: Yes, I've donemany Bing Crosby record album covers and Bing magazinecovers throughout the years. After the first Bing art that I did, itjust seemed that anyone that produced anything on Bing wanted me to do all theartwork for them. It was a real pleasure, since I am a big Crosby fan aswell, this is something that I really enjoyed doing.

JM: Lastly,you've let it be known that you enjoy, from an historical perspective, the USCivil War. Who are some of your favorite figures from this period ofhistory? I won't hold it against you if you don't mention Union GeneralGeorge B. McClellan, a relative of mine from your neck of the woods in NewYork. But I also won't think it's pandering if you do mention him.

JS: General George McClellan sure looked the part of aHollywood General, handsome with a great military bearing, but as you know,Lincoln thought him to be too tentative and replaced him with Grant. Ofcourse, Custer was my favorite and one of the real heroes of the Civil War."Stonewall" Jackson was without doubt the best that the south had,although Jeb Stuart had outstanding success until Custer's cavalry routed himat Gettysburg.

Of course Grant was outstanding, but he did have his mistakesand setbacks, such as the Battle of Cold Harbor when Lee routed him withGrant's command suffering great losses. I never could see why Lee wasconsidered the genius he was made out to be. His decision to send Pickett upthat murderous hill at Gettysburg, despite Pickett and the other SouthernGenerals admonishing him not to, was the big blunder of the war in my opinion.

It's not often that you get to talk the Civil War with a legend the comic book industry. Thanks, Joe!

Thing sketchbook, part 9

2011-11-12T02:49:00.001-05:00

It's come to my attention that I haven't posted in a while. After some vigorous research, I find that it's been over a week since my last blog! This is unacceptable, but I have just the remedy - a brand new batch of Thing sketches! Let's take a peek:

Ben Lichius - Pittsbugh Comic & CollectiblesShow 2010

Ben Lichius is the co-creator of the Black Coat, aRevolutionary War-era hero (in the vein of Zorro or Batman) published by ApeEntertainment. Ben drew the Thingin this Blackbeard getup, which is reminiscent of the story in Fantastic Four#5, where the Thing went back in time and decided to be Blackbeard for awhile. Really.

Jeff McComsey - Baltimore Comic-Con 2011

Hey! It's the first "Trench CoatThing" of the sketchbook! Jeff McComsey's FUBAR booth was one of thehighlights of the Baltimore Comic-Con and he was busy all weekend sketching incopies of FUBAR's just released second volume, so of course I hounded him toadd his take on the Thing.

Jeffactually kept the book overnight between Saturday and Sunday; situations likethis cause me to fidget. But he protected the book with his life and I ended upwith a real gem.

Ken Hunt - Baltimore Comic-Con 2011

ArtistKen Hunt sat at the Wagon Wheel Comics booth at the 2011 Baltimore Comic-Con,and like any good host, I put him to work right away with the Thing sketchbook.

David Hammond - XCon World 2011

I made the trek back toMyrtle Beach this year for XCon World, a tiny show that just so happens to beon the beach. David Hammond was sitting behind me at the show, which was theperfect opportunity for me to add him to the sketchbook. The result is one ofthe most unique takes on the Thing in the entire book - and the"depth" in the character's shoulders is quite the nice touch.

Bob Camp - XCon World 2011

Bob Camp is most certainlybest known as the co-creator of Ren & Stimpy...so he Thing-ified Stimpy inthis sketch. The quote is just lovely.

And THAT, my friends, is all of the Thing sketches I have at present. I'm not quite half way through my sketchbook at this point, which means I've got lots more to come, though it'll take a while as these things do. I'll post 'em as I get 'em. I hope that everyone has enjoyed seeing these 45 sketches so far!

Pittsburgh Comic & Collectibles Show - Sunday, Nov. 20th

2011-11-02T14:42:00.000-04:00

Remember that time I said that this year's Xcon World would be the last convention (or mini-con, as it were) I'd be attending in 2011? Well, I'm a liar. Really, does this surprise anyone? I lie all the time, and not just about little stuff, either. Like one time I said I'd take the garbage out BUT THEN I TOTALLY DIDN'T! I can be a real bastard at times.

Anyway, I recently was invited to New Dimension Comics's 2011 Pittsburgh Comic & Collectibles Show, and since it's right in the neighborhood, I decided that it was worth the exception. I went last year and had a good time, so I'm hoping that this year works out as well.

This show takes place on Sunday, November 20th from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm. And the Steelers have their bye this week, so no one's gonna miss the game (thank goodness). The show will be held, as last year, at Century III mall, near one of New Dimension's store locations. The official information, from the NDC crew is as follows:

Pittsburgh Comic & Collectibles Show!

Nov. 20th, 2011

11am to 5pm

Inside Pittsburgh'sCentury III Mall. The 1st 100 attendees getBOTH a FREE NDC Exclusive comic book AND FREE T-SHIRT! All for a$3.00 entry fee! Come early!

Over 20 guests and manyvendors of comics & collectibles will be in attendance! http://ndcomics.com/1110show.html

If you go to the website, you can see pictures from last year, including a few of the Wagon Wheel booth:

These kind of look like security camera pictures. No stealing from the booth, kids.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T03:36:00.000-04:00

I did absolutely nothing for Halloween. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! But I'm thinking of going next year as evil Jeff, a la Spock from the Mirror Universe episodes of Star Trek...that's right, just adding a mustache and goatee and bam! Instant costume. Maybe I'll wear a Hulk shirt or something.

Anyway, that doesn't mean that others weren't more in the spirit of Halloween, if there is such as thing. Look at how Franks and Beans co-star Larry spent the night!

It's tough, however, to top cute babies, and it's even tougher when they're dressed as the Flash, as my nephew was. Although he looks totally fat in this apparently padded costume.

Tomorrow: maybe I'll post something real.

FUBAR signing at Pittsburgh Comics - January 7th, 2012

2011-10-29T03:13:00.002-04:00

The second volume of FUBAR is set to arrive in comic stores across the globe on December 17th, and the plan has always been for a national signing event to take place once the books are available. To play it safe and not conflict with the Christmas holiday (being an indy book, Diamond distributors won't guarantee that they'll ship the books exactly on the 17th, even though the book is in their warehouses as we speak), the FUBAR braintrust made the decision to push the signing event back a few weeks. Thus, the big day is now Saturday, January 7th, 2012.

As a change of pace, I'll be signing the book at Pittsburgh Comics in McMurray, PA. If you haven't been to Pittsburgh Comics yet and you're in the area, do yourself a favor and check it out - it's one of the nicest, friendliest shops I've ever been to and they've got a great selection of new books, independent books, back issues, trades, toys and statues.

Seeing as January 7th is still more than two months away, we haven't set a specific time for the signing just yet, but it'll probably be in the afternoon as traffic should be a little higher later in the day. As soon as I know, I'll post an update. In the meantime, check out the back cover, featuring some fantastic art by Steve Becker!

Find out more about Pittsburgh Comics at their home page: http://pittsburghcomics.com/. Hope to see you there! I'm sure I'll look at least THIS enthusiastic:

Teddy and the Yeti cameo in "War of the Independents"!

2011-10-27T20:38:00.000-04:00

Yesterday at Pittsburgh Comics, I picked up the first issue of Dave Ryan's War of the Independents, an ambitious crossover event with independent comic characters galore from dozens of different publishers. Dave first previewed the book at the 2010 New York Comic Con, and the first part of this miniseries is now out in comic shops everywhere.

As I made my way to the back of the issue, I came to the following spread:

There are a lot of recognizable characters to be seen - Bone, Hack/Slash, the Tick, Ms. Monster, Todd Nauck's Wildguard, Digital Webbing's Fist of Justice...oh, and if you look near the top left corner, you'll see the Yeti!

I knew that Teddy and the Yeti would be making an appearance in this book at some point, but I didn't know it'd be so soon. The image is taken from Jorge Correa's cover to T&Y issue #3 - it seems that there was a lot of cutting and pasting when it came to characters in this shot.

This won't be the last appearance of either Ted or the Yeti in this series - I'm told that they'll both have a part in issue #3 and, if I'm remembering correctly, we'll see them in issue #6 as well. So check for this at your local comic shop...if you can't find it, I'll try to get some ordering info to pass along. Issue #2 arrives this December!

Pictures from XCon World 2011

2011-10-26T21:48:00.000-04:00

Last weekend's Xcon World (or maybe they're calling it Xcon Myrtle Beach now) has been over for a few days, and after ten hours there and ten hours back, I think I've finally gotten over the car lag. Is that a phrase, car lag? It's like jet lag but in a car. Maybe I should call it "car jet lag". I'll think about it.

Anyway, Xcon is a nice little show (that just happens to take place at the beach), and it was fun to meet some new people and hang out with friends new and old. As always, I took a handful of pictures that I'll now share, to the delight of all involved. Let's begin!

I was told that the little guy was a Doombot.

There's always zombie related events during XCon, to the extent that there's a booth just for people to get their zombie makeup. The picture doesn't do this girl's makeup job justice, as close up it looked like she really had torn flesh on her face. Plus, what is that, a My Chemical Romance shirt? Funny.

I usually take a picture behind the table of the Wagon Wheel Comics booth at every show - one of me crying or in a rage or something equally fun. I went solo this time and didn't have the opportunity...so you'll just have to imagine me, just slightly off panel, crying so much that I'm throwing up. Or something.

We're mixing imagery here.

After the show we had a nice night out with some of the fellow organizers and guests. In this picture we have folks like Laura Benjamin, David Hammond, Space Ghost Coast to Coast's C. Martin Croker and Ren & Stimpy co-creator Bob Camp. I'm there, too, looking svelte and dashing.

Oh, and did I mention that the show was at the beach? It totally was.

Teddy and the Yeti pinup by Danny Cruz!

2011-10-21T02:36:00.000-04:00

Take a peek at this awesome new Teddy and the Yeti artwork from Danny Cruz! Danny's a rising star in the gaming and comic industry, recently working on titles like G.I. Joe for IDW...but c'mon, folks, we all know him better as the guy who sat at the Wagon Wheel Comics booth at the 2010 New York Comic Con, right? Right?!? I have photographic evidence of this, Danny.

Danny was nice enough to put this together for T&Y and I'm thrilled to have it. If you haven't seen more of his work, you can check out his deviantART page here: http://dannycruz4.deviantart.com/.

Mr. Massive Saves the Universe! webcomic

2011-10-19T16:41:00.000-04:00

Several months ago, I started working on a webcomic featuring one of my favorite co-creations, Mr. Massive. For those who don't know, Mr. Massive is a comedy about a 15-year-old boy who becomes a superhero and does really selfish and stupid things with his powers. It plays right into my sensibilities.

The opportunity to work on this came out of the blue, and I never really knew how long the wheels would keep turning. Eight strips and nine pages in, I'd say that this is probably all we'll get out of this concept. That's a shame, because I was really having fun with this. There's plenty more written (Mr. Massive even gets off the planet and into Universe Saving), but who knows if the accompanying art will ever surface.

Even so, it seems a crime to waste all of this work, incomplete as it is, so I'm posting the first nine pages of "Mr. Massive Saves the Universe!" for all to see and, perhaps, enjoy. Mr. Massive is, of course, co-created by Artboy_X, and he provided layouts for these pages. The only name I (frustratingly) got for the artist was "RJB"; I never spoke to him (her?) directly and to this day I don't know just who that person is or where he (she??) hails from. But the art is really energetic, simplistically cool and I enjoy the heck out of it. I wrote and lettered the thing.

These were originally supposed to be released one at a time, which is why there's a title and credit section on each strip (with the exception of the first, which was supposed to be released along with the second). Read these comics! And enjoy them!!!

Magic Bullet #3!

2011-10-16T01:32:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Rafer Roberts and, well, the United States Postal Service, I got some copies of DC Conspiracy's The Magic Bullet #3 yesterday, and it looks great. I'm always happy when some of my work gets printed, but it's more of a treat to read the other entries and see what else people are creating. The page limit is a real challenge and it's something others find more creative ways to deal with that I do. Even so, I think "The League of Obscure Historical Figures", with art by Jeff McComsey, turned out very well.

As with any publication featuring multiple contributors, I found that this issue contained stories that I liked alongside others I didn't enjoy as much, but there was more good than bad. I especially enjoyed entries by Bill Ellis, Dominic Vivona, Matt Sheean and Michael May & Jason Copland.

To find a copy of is issue, you can check out this Google Map for locations around the country. The map is as of yet incomplete, as I haven't added my stack to the list. If you're in the Pittsburgh area, I'll be dropping copies off at the Century III New Dimension Comics, Impossible Dreams, Pittsburgh Comics and Evil Genius Comics. I'll also take a few copies with me to next week's Xcon World and maybe even Fanboy Comics in Wilmington, NC.

Russian research team finds "irrefutable" proof of the yeti's existence.

2011-10-15T04:08:00.000-04:00

The world of cryptozoology has been abuzz these past few days as scientists (using the term loosely) have reportedly found evidence of the existence of a yeti in the Kemerovo region of Russia. According to the researchers, this evidence is "irrefutable", releasing a statement that claimed, among other things:

"During the expedition to the Azasskaya cave, conference participants gathered indisputable proof that the Shoria mountains are inhabited by the 'Snow Man'."

"Conference participants came to the conclusion that the artifacts found give 95% evidence of the habitation of the 'snow man' on Kemerovo region territory."

"In one of the detected tracks, Russian scientist Anatoly Fokin noted several hairs that might belong to the yeti."

It seems like 95% leaves about a 5% margin for error, here, but hey, I'm not one to challenge the definition of "indisputable" this time around.

This discovery is, interestingly, actually being reported on by media outlets worldwide. Check the links for various tellings:

- International Business Times: http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/231073/20111014/yeti-abominable-snowman-evidence-proof-siberia-scientists-creatures.htm
- The Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/weirdnewsvideo/8823466/Russian-footage-of-Yeti-hair-emerges.html
- STLtoday: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/article_088c5db1-9e68-59a8-bd8c-7aee409bdef6.html
- About.com: http://climbing.about.com/b/2011/10/13/yeti-evidence-found-in-russia.htm
- The Sun: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3864829/Scientists-close-in-on-Yeti.html
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11277/1179565-84-0.stm

This story seems to harken back to one a few years ago, in which some guys from Georgia apparently found a dead Bigfoot and stuck him in their freezer. You remember the picture, right?

And just because "Bigfoot" here turned out to be a, what, gorilla costume with animal guts thrown on top doesn't mean that people weren't at least a little bit interested in the story at the time. And just because the Kemerovo region has apparently bit hit hard by a poor global economy and would benefit from a little monster-hunter tourism and a government research center, that doesn't mean there still couldn't be a den full of yetis living in the Siberian mountains, right? Right??

In related news, a woman from Michigan claims that she's been feeding blueberry bagels to Bigfoot for the last two years. God bless America.

Gabriel Lehman & Conor Mahoney

2011-10-13T05:24:00.000-04:00

A couple of guys from Wilmington, NC (old stomping grounds of mine) are doing some great work together and I thought -- because I'm a supremely nice guy, don't you know -- that I'd take a few minutes and promote some of their nascent work together.

The collaborators in question are Conor Mahoney, a budding writer I helped, out of the kindness of my heart (I'm a nice guy, remember?!?) with a school project a few years back, and Gabriel Lehman, an artist I've never met but displays some prodigious talent that is easily on display here.

The two creators are combining words and art in not a traditional comic book sense, but in a way more common to more traditional picture books - Mahoney is adding his poetry to Lehman's paintings, often interpreting and expanding on the physical image on the canvas. So far they've come up with some exciting, creative things, and I'll be interested to see what happens next with their collaboration.

I'll post a few of Lehman's paintings (I wouldn't be surprised if these incorporated some mixed media as well), followed by a corresponding poem by Mahoney. And we'll all enjoy them. Let's begin!

That Old Man's Cap

There once was an Old man,
as quick as can be
who would go far away
and pick flowers for me

He would always be back
with a snap of his fingers
his cap on his head
and a smile that lingers

Flowers so gorgeous
to make any girl blush
If I asked he would wink
And tell me to hush

He's been gone a long while
But with my grandfather's cap
I can pick my own flowers
And won't ever look back

Each and Every Day

The Artist awakes each and every day
to find a canvas and a fresh paint tray.
Without thinking clearly he grabs brush
and begins to create such worlds
as only a boy can dream of.

Such beautiful colors and swirls,
pure ideas run rampant and fly,
Umbrella girls and cups in the sky.
If only he were to turn round,
He would see his personal muse,
His own Inspiration's guide.

The Flying Machine

Thadius Penley was according to most
incredibly odd and prone to large boasts.
So when the yearly winds crept in
and he got the ears of betting men
He made quite the outstanding wager

You see old Thadius Penley was no fool
He was a genius you see, a man of tools
An inventor of sorts but a gambler of course
so the hustlers came up with a real tour de force
and accepted Penley's incredible wager

You see Thadius was a real mean drinker
And always pretended to be a crazy old duffer
So he bet the men a million in cash
that he could get across the Ocean De' Gashe
In less than eight days, that was the wager

The gambling men laughed, easy as pie
No man could swim that, no point even to try
But they gave him his eight days and,
by six and a half Penley, showed them first hand
exactly how he would win his wager

The Flying Machine, he called it, laughing,
They joined in, joyously bragging
The old man was nuts, the money was theirs
Nothing like that could really ride the airs
And by the seventh day all the town spoke of the wager

And boy did he do it! Flying over the ocean!
Like a bird only sideways, by his own locomotion!
He soared across the sea, and came back before noon
He floated back to land, grinning like a loon.
Drunk off of his ass and ready to wager.

So there you have it, that's how it happened
Mankind can fly now cause of what good booze fashioned.
A gamble of such incredible scope and absurdity
But drawing quite some speculative uncertainty,
Old Thadius Penley never planned on losing his wager

Lehman has a website for his art that you can see here: http://www.gabrielart.com/.

The two should get a friggin' website for their collaborations already. Blogger is free, fellas. Best of luck to 'em both.

FUBAR: Empire of the Rising Dead Diamond order code

2011-10-03T04:12:00.001-04:00

I've known that FUBAR: Empire of the Rising Dead would be in this month's Previews catalogue for a while, but now I've got an order code to pass along. Volume two in this WWII epic has the following order code: OCT11 0764.

I've got a few stories that will appear in this volume - "Life Preserves" with Mario Wytch, Amy Corbin and Jeff McComsey, the second instillation of "FDArrrgh" with Leonardo Pietro, and "Run Silent, Run Dead", which I lettered, with Daniel Thollin and Stephen Lindsay. So that's three reasons right off the bat to give this book a try - but there are dozens more as anyone who's seen the preview edition that appeared at the Baltimore Comic-Con can attest to. This is going to be a huge book - 256 pages! - and there'll be lots of stories to read from some incredible creators, topped off by Danilo Beyruth's awesome cover, also the second in the series.

The clock is ticking - pre-orders are being taken this month. I hope that if you've enjoyed my writing and/or volume one of FUBAR, you'll take a chance and give this book a try.

Alex Ross at the Warhol - appreciation for the man, frustration with the exhibit

2011-10-01T23:30:00.001-04:00

Today was the big day for Alex Ross's "Heroes & Villains" exhibit at the Andy Warhol Museum on Pittsburgh's North Shore. I decided on which books I should take and got in the car a little before 12:30, drove through the Fort Pitt tunnels and parked along Sandusky Street, right across the way from the museum.

As I walked through the front doors, I was greeted with a sign that said "'Heroes & Villains' Exhibit open to the public beginning at 8pm" or something to that effect, which was disconcerting. I entered the main hall and saw a few dozen others lounging around, many holding comics and similar items which made it clear that they were there for the same reason I was. I made my way to the front desk and asked about the exhibit, at which point I was told that the only people who could see the exhibit before 8:00 in the evening were those who purchased $250 tickets to the private tour.

I found this to go against everything I had seen on the Warhol Museum website and elsewhere in the days leading up to the event, and when I told the woman at the desk this, she wearily turned to a man in the background and said "what are doing about that again?", which led me to believe that others entered with the same understanding I had. I spoke with another employee and voiced my displeasure at, well, not being allowed in to see the event for which I showed up, but the best answer I got was that I must have mistaken the information on the website or got it from a different, more unreliable source. Below are screenshots from the site specific to the exhibit:

...and from the page with hours of operation:

So...I'm not sure what I was missing. But just as the squeaky wheel gets the grease, I apparently pointed out my misgivings long/obstinately enough and scored some free passes for a return trip. I got the impression that others at the show were similarly placated.

It's nice to know that I'll be seeing the exhibit at a later date for free, but I can't help but wonder why, even if there wasn't a miscommunication, Ross's exhibit wasn't open from the start of the business day. Ross, as (correctly) advertised, held a book signing in the main lobby at 3:00. My eyeball estimate of the crowd that showed up for the signing was a couple hundred people, fewer than 20 of whom took the private tour at 1:30. While a number of the people there (myself included) bought items from the gift shop, I can't help but think that a solid percentage would have also bought a ticket to see the exhibit if given the chance - but as it was, many stood in line, got some signatures and left without paying a dime to the museum.

As it worked out, I waited in line to see Ross from about 1:30 until 3:00, at which time he walked in accompanied by a few guards and some of the museum staff. The line moved fairly briskly, with some friendly conversation being exchanged between Ross and attendees. I made it to the front of the line in about 15 minutes, and I had all the drama captured on flim:

JUST LOOK HOW EXCITED THE GIRL NEXT TO ALEX ROSS IS!! Fantastic.

There was a two-item limit on signatures, though I cheated a bit and had my wife carry an extra book to get signed. I eventually decided upon the Mythos hardcover, Earth X #1 and Kingdom Come #1. Ross was very cordial and seemed (in the 30 seconds I was in front of him) like a nice guy.

Naturally, I brought copies of Teddy and the Yeti #s 1-3 with me and gave them to Ross. He remarked on the title and then noticed that Phil Hester drew the first cover. Five minutes afterwards I made the connection, but at the time I only said something stupid like "yep!" Ross (obviously) worked with Hester on several Dynamite titles like Black Terror, which I thought was the Project Superpowers line's strongest book. I could have mentioned that Phil was our one degree of comic book separation or asked if that line would eventually continue now that Kirby: Genesis seems to have taken its publication space, but at the time I was just happy that he took the books and seemed to appreciate them.

Here are two of the signatures I got: first on the inner cover/first page of Mythos, then on Earth X:

As I mentioned, I did pick up some swag while there. The museum store must have stocked up for the exhibit, because they had a number of collections with Ross's work (the cafe had recent issues of books like Invaders: Now to read!) and a lot of comic-themed items in general. I left with the following:

- A "Heroes & Villains" comic book: this Silver Age sized book isn't really a comic in its usual sense; rather it's a brief history of Ross and some of his influences. It has the feel of a newsletter but is still pretty cool.
- An Andy Warhol bookmark featuring Ross's painting. I was handed a few when I got to the table for the signing.
- A Fantastic Four magnet with the cover to issue #49
- Two Fantastic Four stickers, including one of the Thing and his catchphrase.

Overall, I had a nice time. Obviously, it would have been nice to get to enter the exhibit today, and I'm still a little put off by the lack of clarification on the museum staff's part. But I still managed to meet one of the most talented and recognizable creators in comics today, and I was able to leave him with some work of my own. I'll take that for what it's worth and look forward to coming back at some point in the next few weeks.

some random mini blogs

2011-09-30T06:22:00.000-04:00

This blog will be just like many other blogs on this site. Except the notes will be shorter. Perhaps your enjoyment will be lessened...but perhaps not.

- Tomorrow's the opening day for Alex Ross's "Heroes & Villains" exhibit at the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. It should be lots of fun! The Post-Gazette wrote a nice article about Ross and the exhibit...and it seems to imply that this will be Ross's first time in Pittsburgh. Read it here: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11272/1178138-437.stm

- I will admit that Superman's new comic book costume irked me when I first saw it; I understand the need for change (or perceived change) from time to time, but there are some things that you just don't mess with, and the classic Superman costume is one of them. I was further annoyed when people at DC began promoting the new look by calling the now-abandoned red trunks "diapers", as if the costume isn't the most iconic of any character's in the history of the universe.

My anger was assuaged, though, when I saw Henry Cavill's costume from the upcoming Man of Steel movie. Just as Brandon Routh's slightly altered costume in Superman Returns led to a brief costume change in the comics, this new look will of course be reflected in DC's new lineup. And when the movie premieres and eventually departs, the costume will change back to what we're used to. So no worries.

- The Wagon Wheel Comic booth is a good place to grab an Orange Lantern Cookie if you're at a convention. At previous shows, I'd advertise the cookies by writing hastily on a comic book backing board. I decided that, as I plan on making the cookies for future shows (shows...in THE FUTURE), I should make a more permanent sign/display. Half an hour on Photoshop and viola! The above sign will from now on adorn the cookie bowl at our table. I plan on attaching it...to a comic book backing board.

- A small donation to Hero Initiative, the comic book charity that helps out creators in need, scored me a few nice items recently, including the New Avengers 100 Project and the above exclusive hardcover edition of the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide. They're both pretty awesome, and it's money that went to a good cause. HI has a lot of great stuff for sale on their website and their eBay page.

- Saturday also brings us "Weird Al" Yankovic's Comedy Central special, an hour-long show featuring clips from his new Alpocalypse tour. Debuting a few days early was his newest music video for the song "Polka Face", which is fantastic in its own right, but Al went ahead and put yetis in it for good measure:

As if there weren't enough reasons to be a fan. The show airs at 9:00 eastern time, and an unabridged DVD/Blu-Ray version will be on sale the following Tuesday. Hooray!

Here's the video...watch it and love it:

Jokes.com

"Weird Al" Yankovic - Polka Face

comedians.comedycentral.com

Jokes

Joke of the Day

Funny Jokes

According to comics, I've wasted my life.

2011-09-29T04:45:00.000-04:00

A few days ago I made my way through the first few issues of The Original Ghost Rider Rides Again!, which is quite a long title for a comic book. The seven-issue series is nothing more than a reprinting of earlier stories, for what overall purpose I'm not entirely sure. I was a little amused when I read the very first page of the second story in issue #2, which is below:

And even more so when I continued onto the second page:

The 1970s and 80s were a period of increased self-awareness for comics, when an attempt was at least made to give characters motives and reasons for their actions. In the '60s, it was enough for the X-Men to fight the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants because, well, they had the word "Evil" in their title, of all things. As books moved toward a modicum of complexity, though, villains were often given backstories to act as some impetus for their struggle. Issues were still usually self-contained, though, and limited to 22 pages, so along with squeezing an overwhelming number of panels onto a page, characters good and bad usually had to settle for the simplest of reasoning to explain why they chose to do what they were doing.

Case in point: this issue's Ghost Rider villain. He's chosen to become despondent and bitter (and thus evil...he later kills a dog just by looking at it) because...hold on to your seats...HE'S TURNING 30. Our antagonist Adam is an English teacher who had lofty dreams of being a musician until those hopes came crashing down with the realization that his life would end as soon as 29 flew out the window:

The loathing is only exacerbated on page two, as the narrator of the book (presumably the writer) gives us a matter-of-fact life lesson:

"It happens to the best of us, 'round about our thirtieth birthdays. We look back over our shoulders...and see our dreams running away like rain water down a gutter. We want so much to make one last desperate grab for them -- but the chasm is too wide, the leap too far..."

Holy crap. I...I turned 30 earlier in the year. I've taught English. And I...have dreams. WHAT A FOOL I'VE BEEN! According to this book, I should probably just go ahead and kill myself.

Seriously, it's not like this comic was made a thousand years ago, when living until age 40 meant you'd get carried to an ice floe and sent off to sea to be eaten by a polar bear as to not be a burden to the community. Heck, even this story, first published in 1982, is only 29 years old. Is this what people really thought about turning 30 in 1982? I mean, I guess Elvis killed himself when he was 42 and he thought he was ancient, and that was only five years earlier, but...really? Wow.

I guess I'd better go and buy a guitar. And then smash it against a wall.

FUBAR: Life Preservers with Mario Wytch, Amy Corbin and Jeff McComsey

2011-09-27T04:47:00.000-04:00

With the exception of one pesky "radio" balloon on the final page, I've just finished lettering the "Life Preservers" story for the full version of FUBAR, volume 2, and I thought I'd show a preview of it here. The full story clocks in at 11 pages in length, and one of the things I'm most happy about (though you can't tell it looking at the first two pages...) is that I don't, for once, overcrowd the pages with huge blocks of text...in many cases, the art tells the story. I'm really happy with how it all turned out!

Mario Wytch is responsible for the pencils and inks, with an inking assist a bit later in the story from Amy Corbin. Jeff McComsey came in to add greyscales and round the pages out into a complete product. This story is set to see print this December - in fact, the book will be listed in October's edition of Previews magazine, so I should be able to pass along the order code sometime within the next few weeks. And there will be signings. Oh yes, there will be signings.

Now I've gotta see where I put that Comicraft lettering guide. Damn radio balloons.

finally complete: the Andromeda Jones cover

2011-09-26T00:51:00.000-04:00

Karin Rindevall dropped this in my e-mail today - it's the final version of the Andromeda Jones cover that has been a work years in progress, and it's truly an international collaboration. Those who've worked on it have been from North America, Asia and Europe. Pencils for this beauty are by Chris Whetzel, inks by Alan Gallo, colors by Karin Rindevall and the background image by Jason Moser. I think it's one of the nicest pieces of art I've ever been involved with. The final logo for the cover is below...all in all it'll look very nice in print.

XCon World 2011

2011-09-23T02:38:00.000-04:00

I've just made arrangements to make an appearance at the fourth installment of XCon World, a small comic convention in Myrtle Beach, SC. Last year's show was fun and the atmosphere was relaxed...so if you're in the area, stop by and check it out. There'll be a number of cool guests there like the FF's Jonathan Hickman, Space Ghost's C. Martin Croker and Hack/Slash's Tim Seeley...plus me, with the last few con copies of FUBAR volume 2 for sale on Earth.

Plus the beach is there. And it's still warm even though it takes place near the end of October. Not that the beach is the only reason to go, but...the beach. It's there.

The convention is a two-day affair, taking place on Saturday, October 22nd from 10:00-7:00 and Sunday, the 23rd from 10:00-4:00. XCon's website with more info is here: http://www.xconworld.info/index.html

Alex Ross at the Warhol Museum

2011-09-21T04:35:00.000-04:00

Looking for something fun to do in Pittsburgh? Looking for something fun to do in Pittsburgh that's also comic book related? Looking for something fun to do in Pittsburgh that's also comic book related and takes place starting October 1st? BOY that's getting specific! But in a major twist of fate, there's something happening that fits the criteria for all three of those descriptions.

I learned recently that The Andy Warhol Museum on Pittsburgh's North Shore (right next to PNC Park, home of the nose-diving Pirates!) will soon feature the exhibit "Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross". This exhibit runs from October 1st all the way to January 8th of next year, but those who show up on opening day can catch some additional programming.

The exhibit itself will obviously feature Ross's work as the main attraction, but it'll also showcase some of the work (comic and otherwise) that inspired Ross, including paintings by Norman Rockwell and Ross's mother, Lynette. I'm sure that Warhol Superman painting will be there in a prominent location, too:

Tickets for this show are $15 for adults, but if you've got scads of money lying around ($250), you can be one of 30 people to take a private tour with Alex Ross himself around the museum on October 1st at 1:30. For $35 extra, you can go to the "Unmasked" afterparty from 8:00-11:00 (the museum is apparently anticipating having people show up to this in full costume).

For exactly zero dollars (woo!), Ross is having a signing from 3:00-5:00. This is pretty exciting, as it'll probably be the best chance I have to get an autograph from him - if you've been to a comic convention where Ross appears, lines are always egregiously long. There's a two-item limit for this signing, which is a great thing; it's always incredibly annoying to see someone wheel up a crate of 500 comics for a creator to sign, especially when that person stands silently as the creator signs for half an hour.

Of course, when you're limited to two items, it becomes difficult to decide on what to bring - there's the seminal Marvels and Kingdom Come, the newer Project Superpowers or Kirby: Genesis, or some of Ross's art books like Mythology.

The description on the museum's website mentions an uncompleted Andy Warhol film that will be screening for the first time since 1964...Batman/Dracula. I'm sure it'll be a nearly incomprehensible, no-budget mess, but just the idea of a Warhol Batman movie...featuring Dracula...is pretty interesting.

I'm planning on going but will opt for the standard $15 ticket. And yeah, I'll probably give Alex Ross a copy of Teddy and they Yeti...just in case he looks at it and decides, "holy crap, I need to paint a cover for this series." I guess I'll let him if he wants to.

Here are the appropriate links for the various events:

- main exhibit page: http://www.warhol.org/webcalendar/event.aspx?id=2869
- private tour: http://www.warhol.org/webcalendar/event.aspx?id=3971
- "Unmasked" afterparty: http://www.warhol.org/webcalendar/event.aspx?id=4095
- autograph session: http://www.warhol.org/webcalendar/event.aspx?id=3977
- hours and admission information: http://www.warhol.org/visit/

In honor of the new football season, an NFL Superpro review

2011-09-18T20:16:00.001-04:00

There's nothing quite like a new NFL season, with hope for every team (except the Browns) and the promise of another Super Bowl season for the SIX! TIME! CHAMPION! Pittsburgh Steelers. Today's drubbing was of the Seattle Seahawks, losers of Super Bowl XL. Let's look at a picture of that, shall we?

Great.

A few weeks ago I landed a copy of NFL Superpro: Super Bowl Special (not to be confused with NFL Superpro: Preseason Genocide) and, since I apparently had nothing else to read in my entire house, I sat down with the book. The title (and concept, I suppose) is much maligned, often cited as the worst comic book series of all time. After reading the first issue of this book, I feel confident in saying that the designation is unwarranted, though not by all that much. The book comes off as a pretty standard early 1990s-era worthless comic.

Perhaps the reason that this series is so poorly reviewed is because that even in the realm of comic book absurdity, NFL Superpro comes off as unnecessarily goofy and unbelievable. For instance, Superpro fights his enemies with form tackling and signature football moves, such as the punter's kick:

For another, he talks in an endless string of football metaphors, on one page telling crooks that they "missed the first-down marker by the length of a chain", followed almost immediately by the even more forced (if that can be believed) "this little play from scrimmage didn't gain me much yardage"! Oh boy.

The story follows Phil Grayfield, a former number one pick in the entire draft. As the story goes, Grayfield was injured two seasons in a row before the Eagles cut him (and then he found a magic NFL suit or something...it's not important). The number one player in the draft! Cut after two seasons! Out of all the many ridiculous things to take place in this book, that is the one I balked at the most. I mean, the Steelers kept second-round pick Limas Sweed around for four years before getting rid of him, and he showed nothing on the field, was injured often and couldn't even land as the fifth receiver in this year's camp. My point is, if Sweed stuck around as long as he did, there is no way a team would cut the overall first pick after only two years!

If there is anything noble to taken from the production of this book, it's the blatant anti-steroid message it has (taken, of course, to its logical comic book extreme), especially at a time when steroids and other performance enhancing drugs were much more prevalent in the league. Perhaps today it'd focus on human growth hormone or feature Peyton Manning traveling to NFL Europe to get some stem cell treatments.

In all, NFL Superpro isn't the worst book I've ever read, unfortunately. It's patently predictable and it stretches believability to the point where most of what takes place is just stupid, even in a universe with, say, Spider-Man in it. It's obvious that the book was meant to serve as an NFL outreach to kids and a promotion for its teams - it was weird seeing real team logos cut and pasted on to uniforms, though they stuck with NFC teams the entire issue, and that robbed me of my chance of seeing Bubby Brister or Gary Anderson in comic book form for even a panel.

There's a rumor that writer Fabian Nicieza took on the writing chores for this special and the subsequent 12-issue series in an attempt to land season tickets to his favorite NFL team. While that's almost the definition of selling out, I admit that I probably would do the same thing. So, you know, if you're listening, NFL...I have a great treatment for NFL Superpro: Lessons of the Lockout. Actually I don't, but judging from the first go-round, I bet I could whip one up in ten minutes that would go over just fine.

EDIT: I just realized that I successfully predicted the Steelers' 2008 Super Bowl victory in this post. Just because I predict a Super Bowl victory for Pittsburgh every year takes nothing away from this fact.

The slow, (relatively) steady progress of Andromeda Jones

2011-09-15T18:31:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, Karin Rindevall sent me the colored version of this Andromeda Jones pinup/cover. It's been a long time coming but it's not quite finished just yet. Chris Whetzel pencilled this about eight years ago (eight!) and I recently sent it to Alan Gallo to ink it...I'm planning on using it as a back cover for Teddy and the Yeti #5. I've got a background option for it - an image of deep space Jason Moser put together for me probably around the same time Whetzel's pencils were originally done, but I'm not sure how that'll come together (a blank background might work better in any case). Hopefully it won't take eight more years for us to see further adventures of Andromeda Jones.

Accordion Propaganda

2011-09-13T01:27:00.000-04:00

I think this 1950s-era comic speaks for itself...although I do wonder who worked on this and what they said when they were told "yeah, we want you to put a seven-page comic together that shows how cool it can be to play the accordion. We'll call it...'Touch my Squeeze Box'...or something. The title's not important."

We all know that "Weird Al" Yankovic grew up reading Mad Magazine as opposed to comic books (we do all know that, right? It's common knowledge, isn't it?), but I can't help but imagine a world where a six-year-old Yankovic picks up whatever comic this appears in, flips thought the pages and says, "eh, I'll give it a try."

Here's "In Tune With Fun" in all its glory:

The high resolution archival pdf file of this story can be found in its entirety here. I doubt that the "free lesson" coupon is still valid, though.

My wish for the 9/11 anniversary

2011-09-11T02:17:00.000-04:00

If you haven't picked up the double set graphic novels 9/11: Artists Respond published by DC Comics with some assistance from Dark Horse Comics, you owe it to yourself to do so. Nearly ten years after their original publication, they remain as raw and powerful as ever. I wrote a small review of the series a little while back and you can read it here.

It's difficult to write about this particular day because it seems like the world is putting a capstone on this event - for the last ten years, America as a country has moved from collective shock to mourning to national unity that has, every day since, slipped away a little further. It's tragic and shameful that we've gotten to this point, but what worries me even more is that it seems like once we pause today, momentarily, to note the events of September 11th, 2001, we will move on with our lives and push away the lessons to be learned and remembered one last time, and like taking a shoebox full of photographs and shoving them into the back of a closet already stuffed to the point of overflowing, we'll relegate the collective identity and the genuine compassion we showed to a time we generically remember as "the past".

It is my hope that as the memory of September 11th fades into history and a new era slowly takes over, the legacy of this horrible event, this national terror, is one that spurs us as a nation and a planet to consider others with the same basic human charity we showed without cynicism or ulterior motive in the days that followed the attacks. I truly hope that we can think beyond ourselves and who we are and respect the needs of all around us. I don't want our potential to be wasted. I don't want the phrase "9/11" to be appropriated for political posturing or for financial gain.

I live in Southwestern Pennsylvania, close to Somerset Country and the infamous "Flight 93" crash. I was in college in 2001 and can remember the day's events in vivid detail. But I didn't know anyone, didn't lose anyone, as a result of the terror attacks that Tuesday morning. I can't imagine how someone more directly affected must feel on this anniversary. I only hope that we can learn from that day, that we can move forward and be more considerate, more understanding, more forgiving, more loving.

Baltimore Comic-Con swag, Dukescollector.com, eBay trials and more!

2011-09-08T03:32:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a while since I've posted. I'm sure this has caused great consternation. Or perhaps not. Either way, here are some random notes about a few things, mostly comic related, going on right now:

- I made it back from the Baltimore Comic-Con with some cool things, and what is the Internet for if not to show it off to random people? I managed to land a couple autographs while shirking my booth-attending responsibilities. Above there's Chrissie Zullo's Cinderella #1, Paul Tobin's Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #41 (we had a nice conversation about why the Thing is so awesome), and Rick Leonardi's Spider-Man 2099 #1 (Peter David signed it as well, but years and years ago). I also got (but for some reason forgot to photograph) Superman: The Man of Steel #13 signed by the lovely Louise Simonson.

This awesome Thing magnet was first spotted at the 2010 New York Comic Con, but the person displaying it said it hadn't been released yet and therefore wouldn't sell it. Of course, the question that leads to is "why are you displaying it in the first place, then?" but those things happen. I finally snagged it, though, and look how cool it is! The picture doesn't do it justice.

There were some great small press comics on display at this show. Some I picked up included Paul Allor & company's Clockwork and Rebecca Mock's Travels mini comic. Both were well worth it.

I got another Fantastic Four Toon Tumbler as well! It'll look great next to...all of the other FF tumblers I have.

- The FUBAR Kickstarter project is entering its final hours, and I'd venture to say that is has been an unqualified success. The guys have met their goal and then some, and there's still time to pick up some really cool prizes. FUBAR volume 2 has a pretty good chance of making some real waves and getting into a lot of hands, and that's really exciting for everyone involved, including me.

The Kickstarter page, closing Friday the 9th, can be found here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1607639297/fubar-2-empire-of-the-rising-dead

And you can see me getting ready to vandalize the booth directly below. No one will ever be the wiser...

- Those who are prone to fits of rage should probably not click on the picture below:

Wait a minute, I can be overcome by rage at times, what does that...HOLY CRAP people are selling their Dark Knight Rises shirts on eBay for 500 bucks. What the heck.

I wrote about the haves and have nots of those who were extras for the Heinz Field DKR scenes in regards to shirts (I saw a guy with three shirts!!!) and wondered how long it'd take for them to start showing up on eBay. It took a little bit longer than I imagined it would have (as in, longer than immediately following the shoot), but wow, I never thought someone - multiple someones, it seems - would pay half a grand for something like this.

This may mean that I am a huge jerk, but I really hope these are mass produced at some point in the near future. THAT'LL SHOW 'EM! Also, I can then buy one.

- In less enraging news, Blogger tells me that this blog may be popular. That's pretty nice to hear. And in fact, August had more page views recorded than any pervious month by a good margin. I don't know if that makes me want to put advertisements on the site, but hey, a little validation never hurt anyone.

- Lastly, if you are a Dukes of Hazzard fan, you should really check out our friend Larry's new site, DukesCollector.com. It's just starting out but eventually it'll be the premier place for those who collect show and movie-related merchandise (Larry just got the Shrinky Dinks, woo!). He's even got a message board! So...go there! And be amazed!

FUBAR: FDArrrgh! Part 2: "Presidential Counsel" with Leonardo Pietro

2011-08-29T17:43:00.001-04:00

The second volume of FUBAR, a preview edition of which appeared at the Baltimore Comic-Con, is all set to show up in the October edition of Previews for a December release. FUBAR head honcho Jeff McComsey has put online the final page of the volume for all to see, so I thought I'd post it here as well.

This single page is the second installment of the "FDArrrgh" continuing story, with art by the great Leonardo Pietro. I had a great time revisiting this mini world that was at one point just a one-off joke in "Yalta!" (you can read that here). The third installment is on the way, too...but for now I hope you enjoy this bastardization of a an incredibly weighty historic decision. Here's a little easter egg for this strip: the background characters are all members of Harry Truman's cabinet at the time: Secretary of State James Byrnes, Secretary of War Henry Stimson and Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal.

Also, Alex McKinley wrote a review of FUBAR's first volume here: http://smartalexsays.blogspot.com/2011/08/tpb-tuesday-fubar-european-theater-of.html

Teddy and the Yeti & Mr. Massive sketch cards by Ken Hunt!

2011-08-28T00:42:00.001-04:00

While at the Wagon Wheel Comics booth at the Baltimore Comic-Con, artist Ken Hunt was magnanimous enough to draw some familiar characters on blank Teddy and the Yeti sketch cards! The Yeti is above and Ted is immediately below:

Ted has a little bit of that Kirby flair to him, doesn't he? Things are looking good in any case. Now, I'd be happy to keep any and all of these cards for myself in a steel vault for the rest of time...but I suppose if anyone would go to the Teddy and the Yeti store and buy at set of 18 cards (plus the convention promo card!) for a meager five bucks, well, then I might just have to part ways with them. Just saying.

Even Mr. Massive got into the action! Ken did a great job with all three of these, but this one might capture the character best of all.