New Teddy and the Yeti at PIX on April 2nd!

The Pittsburgh Indy Comix Expo is this coming Saturday, and I'll be there with a new issue of Teddy and the Yeti!

I went to PIX last year for the first time and had a lot of fun. This one-day convention is a small affair, and most of the attendees are local creators. I just booked a table because I also just got a brand new issue of Teddy and the Yeti back from the printer.

This issue is half the size of a standard comic (similar in size to the Naked Man at the Edge of Time comic) and has art from Pittsburgh's own Meredith Moriarty. I think Meredith did an outstanding job in capturing the characters while giving it her own flair. On colors we have Tomas Marijanovic; Pietro put together the gatefold cover and Joe Badon drew a pinup for the back.

Here's a three-page preview of the issue to go with the cover. I'll have it on sale at the convention for the first time - and I might even have a new trading card to give to anyone who buys a copy as well (because I can't resist).

The show runs from 11am-6pm with programs from 7:30-11 at night. There's no charge for parking or admission! So show up! You can find more info here: http://pixcomics.blogspot.com.

Zombie Shark: the Baby Zombie Shark

Last year, I posted the finished version of the one-page comic, written by my nephew, titled "Zombie Shark".  The premise...is exactly what it sounds like.  This year for Christmas, I helped put together the next one-page chapter of the Zombie Shark, titled "The Baby Zombie Shark".  It's got that same madcap feel to it that can only be created by someone under 10.  So here I present to you the next Zombie Shark, complete with other sea creatures and, for some reason, a guy on a hang glider.

The art on this comic was once again provided by the very adept, Pittsburgh area Meredith Moriarty, of whom we should be hearing more from in the next months.  FUBAR's Jeff McComsey graciously provided the greyscales, and this time I lettered the comic myself.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, though I'm slightly taken aback at just how easy it apparently is to write an entertaining comic strip.

Below you'll find the original layout of this tale, straight from my nephew Bobby.  As before, I tried to do my best to capture the feel of the original while presenting it in a professional manner.  The kid's got an eye for layout.

Read "Zombie Shark"

A few months ago, I shared a hand-drawn comic that I got from my seven-year-old nephew titled "Zombie Shark".  For Christmas, and with a lot of help from some talented comic folk, I was able to recreate his idea into a one page story that you see above.  In all, I think that it turned out rather well, and I'm a bit miffed that a story like this could come from a kid in elementary school and not, well...me.  Whatever.  Above is the completed story, free to Internet read and to print out and stick on the inside of your locker.  I'll put a copy of this up on the "webcomics" section of the blog.

The art on this page was provided by Pittsburgh's own Meredith Moriarty, with greyscales by Tom Ziuko and lettered by Hannah Partlow.  It all came together pretty well.  A couple weeks before Christmas, my nephew handed me the further adventures of Zombie Shark, in which Zombie Shark has a baby and they go camping.  Hmm...

A Zombie Shark update

A while ago, I got a letter from my seven-year-old nephew about an idea he had for a comic titled "Zombie Shark".  You'll never guess the theme!  I wrote at the time that I was looking to do some work on it for him, and there's been some progress with it.  As you can see at the top of the page, Zombie Shark lives!

The art you see is from the very talented and Sherlock Holmes-villain-inspired Meredith Moriarty.  I met Meredith at the Pittsburgh Comicon this past April, and I'm happy to get the chance to work with her, even if the story that brings us together is fairly ridiculous and nonsensical.

I'm working on getting this story hand lettered in the near future.  After that, it'll need some colors (or, more likely, greyscales) and then it'll be done.  My nephew asks me (and my parents) for progress updates every time I see him.  I'm afraid that I'm giving him unrealistic expectations about how easy it is to get a comic made.  After I show him the final product, I'll have to sit him down for a talk about how the world works and maybe break his heart.  The world can be cruel sometimes, bucco, and we all grow up too fast.  But at least he'll have Zombie Shark.