Vote FUBAR: American History Z for IGN's "Best of 2013"!

Hello, readers of this blog.  What are you doing for New Year's Eve?  Or should I abbreviate it, as is the current trend?  In either case, perhaps you (faithful reader) would consider taking a few seconds and voting in IGN's "Best of 2013" poll.  The fine folks at FUBAR central are making a pitch to get FUBAR: American History Z elected, as a write-in option, as the best original graphic novel of 2013.

Let's get this out of the way first: I am directly involved in the production of this book.  That being said, does FUBAR deserve the accolade of best OGN of the entire year?  Why yes.  YES IT DOES.

If you're the voting type (which they do in America, and several other not America places), please consider clicking on the below link and writing in FUBAR: American History Z.  The votes will be tallied in the next few days, so don't delay!  I guess a little delaying is okay, but not much.  Thanks for your consideration!

http://www.ign.com/wikis/best-of-2013/Best_Original_Graphic_Novel

The Haul, 2013

Christmas was, as always, good to me...in more ways than just what I got, but what I got is a very visual thing, and it's easy to display, and this is a comic book blog, and...here's what I got.  Yes.

I got quite a few comic related items this year and I'm happy to add 'em to the giant pile of things that I've got to read.  Case in point: the fifth volume of the lavishly packaged Hellboy library editions.  These oversized giants present Hellboy in a deluxe setting and they are obviously put together with care.  I've only got one more edition to get until I'm all caught up on these.

Gutters is a webcomic that spoofs mainstream comics and the industry in general with one-page parody comics.  This is the first volume of the hefty collections that they put out and I'm excited to crack it open.  Jeff McComsey, Steve Becker and Jim McMunn (all of FUBAR fame) each have a  page in this book, which makes it a good find.

The newest piece of Weird Al merchandise is this Royal Bobbles bobblehead, and I'm glad that I was able to snag it for Christmas.  It's labeled as part of a limited edition, but who knows what that means. In any case, it's pretty much a must-have for fans.

I bought a portable charger to take with me to Comic-Con this past summer, and it was really helpful...except that it didn't hold much of a charge.  This guy here is just about the best you can get right now.  It's a bit bulky (like carrying around a second phone), but it's supposed to have nearly three full charges in it.  It's definitely coming with me to San Diego the next time I go.

Christmas isn't complete without a new item commemorating the history and success of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  This DVD set collects the "America's Game" productions about the Steelers' six Super Bowl championships.

Your friend (and mine) Larry got me this awesome Star Trek shirt.  I think my wife already stole it.

And lastly, check out this monster of a collection.  It's Neil Gaiman's Sandman omnibus, volume one!  This collects half of the much revered Gaiman run and man, is it thick and heavy.  Sandman is one of the classics that I've yet to read, so I'm glad to finally get on board.

I got a few other things, but these are the highlights for sure.  I had a nice time spending the day with family and friends, and I hope that you, faithful readers, had a lovely holiday as well.  I hope you enjoy seeing some of my stuff.

More comic book Christmas cards

Last year, I created a post in which I displayed a number of comic book themed Christmas cards.  I did an exhaustive search of at least eight minutes and I thought that I found all that could be found.  It turns out that another painstaking Google search has proven me incorrect, so here, in the spirit of Christmas, are more comic-related images for you to view, enjoy, and steal in your own right.  Merry Christmas!

(This one is from an '80s Marvel subscription ad...but whatever.)

Free Comic Book Day 2014: New Tick and FUBAR comics!

Free Comic Book Day 2014 isn't until May, but the folks over at the FCBD website have just released the "Silver Age" sponsors for next year's event.  Now that the cat's out of the bag, I can relay the news that Duane Redhead and I will be working on a new issue of the Tick.  It seems like the site has yet to upload any descriptions of the books as of yet, so that will still be forthcoming.  But rest assured that there will be new Tick in 2014!  I've seen some of the pages as they've been rolling in, and Duane is really doing a great job with the story.  I'll be excited to share some of those when it's allowed.

There's also a new FUBAR issue due out for FCBD, this one featuring a full-length story written by Chuck Dixon!  The cover you see is drawn by art director Steve Becker, and it puts that damn Phillies hat right on the cover.  Whatever.  I'll be doing a little bit of work on this issue as well, so just as last year, I'll have two Free Comic Book Day comics coming out this May.  This is, of course, very exciting news.  I'll provide more updates as we get closer to the event.  Spread the news!

Impromptu signing at Comic Book Jones this Saturday, 12/14/13!

The good folks at Staten Island, New York's Comic Book Jones are celebrating their store's sixth anniversary this weekend, and they were gracious enough to invite me and some other talented gentlemen to sign as part of the festivities.

Comic Book Jones is a shop near New York City, and I've heard lots of good things about it.  In the past, they've hosted a number of FUBAR creators, and I've been regaled with stories about the fun time had at this store.  I'm excited to experience it myself and I'm especially excited to get to hang around in the same forum as the other comic guests.

As you can see from the CBJ newsletter, there are a number of professionals attending over the weekend.  I'll be joined on Saturday by FUBAR art director Steve Becker, along with Fred Van Lente,  Ryan Dunlavey and Charles Soule!  Sunday brings to the shop Evan Dorkan, Jacob Chabot, Chris Giarrusso and Frank Tieri!

I'm also listed as "newly added", which I think means that they had to work very hard around my extremely busy schedule, pulling lots of strings to get me to agree to make a public experience.  Either that or I didn't set this up until almost the last minute.  Also, my name does not have its customary "D" on the end, which I always thought was superfluous anyway.

If you're in the NYC area this Saturday, I hope you'll stop by to say hello.  I'll have some FUBAR and Tick books with me and I'll be happy to have a staring contest with anyone who comes in and wants to step up to the plate.  I'm not certain as to what times I'll be in the store; Steve and I are planning on coming in early, but we don't have a time locked down yet.  I'll try to update that information here or on my Twitter feed.  Here's some official info for the store!

Address: 2220 Forest Ave. Staten Island, NY 10303
Webpage: www.comicbookjones.com
Phone: (718) 448-1234
E-mail: ComicBookJones@gmail.com

And yes, I've already checked.  There's a place that sells Mug Cream Soda right across the street from the store.  Very exciting.

Original "Thanos and Darkseid: Carpool Buddies of Doom" art by Rafer Roberts!

One of the highlights of this year's New York Comic-Con was getting one of the few physical copies of "Thanos and Darkseid: Carpool Buddies of Doom" by Justin Jordan and Rafer Roberts.  The book has been selling well on eBay even though you can view the whole dang thing online.  It's a fun story that features Dr. Doom doing what Doom does.

Last week, I browsed Roberts's online store via DC Conspiracy, and I walked (not literally) away with a page of original art from the story, which you can see above.  It came in today, so I thought I'd show it off.  It's a comic book blog.  This is pretty much what it's set up for.

Here's the finished art for the page:

I made the decision to buy the page because of, naturally, Dr. Doom.  Rafer has just enough Kirby in him (that sounds dirty) to draw a perfect homage to comics' greatest super villain.  All four pages of the story feature Doom, though, so I had to choose which one I wanted.

The cameos on page four made my choice for me.  The final page of the story features not only Dr. Doom, along with Thanos and Darkseid, but also two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...in their party van.  And there's Mr. Mxyzptlk, too!

The page also features...okay, I have no idea who these guys are.  Certainly these are deliberate inclusions, right?  Any help from the outside world?  I suppose I could just ask Rafer, but...

While I was shopping, I also picked up trade collections of Roberts's ongoing "Plastic Farm" series.  I got all three volumes for a great price.

This is a great addition to the collection.  The other three pages from the story are still available.  You (you!) should pick 'em up before I inevitably do.

Plastic Farm Tumblr: http://plasticfarm.tumblr.com
Thanos and Darkseid: Carpool Buddies of Doom: http://plasticfarm.tumblr.com/post/67356039004/the-second-thanos-and-darkseid-carpool-buddies-of
on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/THANOS-and-DARKSEID-Carpool-Buddies-of-Doom-NYCC-2013-Mini-Comic-JUSTIN-JORDAN-/131049594259?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item1e832a1d93
Rafer Roberts DC Conspiracy store: http://dcconspiracy.storenvy.com/collections/186424-rafer-roberts

"Imaginary Drugs" on Kickstarter

Hello, world.  There's a new comic on Kickstarter that I thought you should be made aware of.  It's an anthology titled "Imaginary Drugs" and it features a number of stories by different creators and it looks just swell.  Oh, and I'm involved in it.  Does that render my evaluations meaningless and this very post overly self-serving and egomaniacal?  No.  No, of course not.

This new collection is spearheaded by Michael McDermott and features a number of FUBAR alum, such as Jonathan Brandon Sawyer, Christine Larsen and K. Michael Russel.  For my part, I've got two never-berfore published stories, and I also did some lettering work on the flagship story, "Saint in the City" by McDermott, Sawyer and Russel.

Included in this comic is "Eternal Flame", a two-part story drawn by the inimitable Paul Tucker:

Paul really put a lot of work into making this story look both futuristic and old fashioned at the same time.  It's the space ballet that I've always wanted to write and I'm always happy to work with Paul.  He doesn't disappoint, if I can say so.

My other inclusion is a brand new Teddy and the Yeti short story drawn by the incomparable Pietro.  In the below preview, we see Ted, the Yeti, and a familiar pooch.  This is one of my favorite stories of all time, for reasons that should seem obvious if you know anything about me.

There are a number of great rewards in the offering, including prints, shirts, and even a set of coasters, one of which features the lead character from Eternal Flame:

There are a couple me-centric rewards, for those who are looking to see just what I'm coughing up to make this book a reality.  I'm offering issues of Teddy and the Yeti, some trading cards and a print with image of the cover to Teddy and the Yeti #2.  If you're super impressed by my lettering "skills", you can even hire me to letter your eight page comic.  Interestingly enough, three people have put a pledge down on the Teddy and the Yeti reward...I have no idea who these people saints are, but I thank them will all my heart:

So if you're looking for a fun comic and are so inclined to click on links to Kickstarter pages, I hope you'll consider Imaginary Drugs for a comic purchase-y buy.  You can find the campaign here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1562823940/imaginary-drugs

We'll find out in about a month if this project gets funded or not.  I'll post updates here when I think it's prudent.  Wish us luck!

I have no comment on this.