Pitches that never made it: Adventure Time Comics

I should pitch more stories. One of the toughest things to do, for me, is figuring out who to reach out to when pitching ideas. Comic book editors are generally very busy and are also not necessarily worried about things they could publish when they've got what they ARE publishing on their minds. But I do still try, even though it takes a lot of time and effort and doesn't always get a good response - or even any response, as if often the case.

Below is part of a story that I pitched to Boom! Studios when they were publishing their Adventure Time comics line. At one point, there were two ongoing Adventure Time series along with a number of miniseries from a number of creators. I was never able to crack the code to get in on the publishing angle of things, but here you can see my best attempt:

My friend and frequent collaborator Pietro drew the first two pages of this story, which was going to end with Jake falling asleep just as Finn wakes up. As always, Pietro makes anything look good, as these pages are just beautiful to behold.

Pitting pitches together is always a time consuming process, and when they don't work out, you're sometimes left with pages that will never see the light of day. But if I've got 'em - especially when they're for projects that no longer have a published comic to put them in - I might as well show them to you, all of my good friends on the internet. 

Thing sketchbook, part 13

The Thing sketchbook took a trip to Comic-Con with me this year, and there are some great entries to show.  Here's the 13th installment of the Thing sketchbook!

Liz Robbins - Comic-Con International 2013

Liz Robbins is, along with husband Benn Robbins, part of the Robbins Studios creative team.  Liz worked on the Mangalicious Tick series for New England Comics a few years back, and I had the pleasure to spend some time with both Liz and Benn at this year's Comic-Con.  Always the opportunist, I believe that I've now grabbed sketches from everyone possible at the NEC booth and I'm happy to round out the rotation with Liz's entry.  Also, the Thing's cigar in this image kind of looks like a carrot.

Walter Simonson - Comic-Con International 2013

Walter Simonson is a comic legend, and even though he might be best known for his memorable, lengthy run on Thor for Marvel, he also had a brief but action-packed and all-around incredible run on the main Fantastic Four title around the mid-300s.  Walt has come back to comics in recent years and I couldn't be happier for it.  I saw him signing and sketching at IDW's booth on Saturday of the show and immediately approached him - but as luck would (or would not) have it, he was packing up to leave the area.  Interestingly enough, he was just heading back to his artist alley table where I soon met up with him again and landed this undeniably Simonson-esque Thing sketch.  I've always been a fan of Simonson's signature as well, how it forms a dinosaur with the letters of his name.  An extra treat!

Hannah Nance Partlow - Comic-Con International 2013

Hannah Nance Partlow is a comic book designer and letterer who, in recent months, has worked extensively for BOOM! Studios.  She also lettered the short "Zombie Shark" story for me, so when I found her at Comic-Con, I knew that I had to get some of her work in the sketchbook.  I asked her for a specific sketch, one of the new "Miss Thing" character from the Fraction/Allred FF title.  Miss Thing is a model girlfriend of Johnny Storm who...puts on the Thing suit.  She takes her place in the Thing sketchbook alongside the one image of the She-Thing!

Josh Shalek - Comic-Con International 2013

On the last day of Comic-Con 2012, I went around the small press section and bought a few books that caught my eye; one was a collection of strips from the webcomic "Welcome to Falling Rock National Park" by Josh Shalek.  In 2013, I found Shalek again and got him to add this unique sketch into the book.  Josh had a few new comics available at the time, including one that I bought called "Dancing with Jack Ketch" and another with an ancient Egyptian theme, which inspired this Pharaoh Thing.

Jimena Sanchez - Comic-Con International 2013

On the last day of Comic-Con, I found Jimena Sanchez and Lesley Vamos in the small press section and was impressed by their collaborations.  Sanchez is from Mexico and Vamos from Australia, making their partnership cross-continental in nature.  I bought a few things from them, including a book of postcards titled "From Me to You", and was fortunate enough to get sketches from both artists.  This first one is from Sanchez, and it features a cute, almost Charles Schultz-like Thing, complete with a "4" patch and light grey stones.  This is an understated image but one of my favorites.

More Thing sketches to come!  HOW EXCITING!

Pictures from the 2013 Comic-Con International, part 7 (Nathan Fillion @ Nerd HQ, Game of Thrones and more!)

We're nearing the end of my store of Comic-Con pictures; I find that I probably took more pictures last year, but in 2013 I did more things and took in more events.  If that meant that I didn't use the camera as much, then I suppose it was well worth it...though I did get some pretty cool pictures.  All of these pictures were taken on Sunday of the event, when everything was supposedly winding down.  Even though it was the last day of the show, fans were still out en mass, events were still happening all over the area, and the goodwill that seems to pervade Comic-Con was still felt.

I've only been to Comic-Con three times at this point, but the changes that have happened since attending in 2006 and 2012 have been measurable, to say the least.  The number and scope of off-site events is pretty astounding, to the point that I wonder if outside Comic-Con will be different than regular Comic-Con in another 10 years.  Hours of events have expanded, too.  Case in point, at 5:00, after the convention officially closed and I said goodbye to another great year, people were still pouring into a video game site, just across the tracks, that was staying open until 7:00.  So even when Comic-Con was over, it was still going on!

It's been a real privilege to get to attend this show, first as a small press exhibitor and now as a professional.  I realize that Comic-Con is really unlike anything else, and I hope that more people get to experience it in the coming years.  It's difficult to really define or explain unless you've been there for yourself.

But enough pontificating...let's see some pictures!  At top, you might recognize the cast from Saga, probably the best book being published right now.  Even the baby had a costume!  Brian K. Vaughan has a signing for Sunday morning, and these guys lined up to meet him.

We had our own event picked out for Sunday at noon, so we had to head over to Nerd HQ shortly after arriving at the convention center for the day.  On the way there, near the incredibly packed Game of Thrones off-site exhibit and store (people were waiting two hours in line just to get a t-shirt), I ran into none other than John Bradley, otherwise known as Samwell "the Slayer" Tarly, in his own mobile Iron Throne.  He was filming some bonus material for an upcoming DVD, and I'm sad to say that I didn't get the chance to run in the background during any of it.  That would've been something.

At noon, I was lucky enough to get into my second Nerd HQ panel of the weekend.  This panel was Nathan Fillion's and wouldn't you know it, fellow Firefly cast member Alan Tudyk was there to host it.  I can't express strongly enough how great the entire Nerd HQ experience was this year.  It was absolutely worth it to buy tickets to these panels (the proceeds from which went entirely to charity) and just experience the ambiance of the event.  Zachary Levi puts on a tremendous show and I can't wait for next year's lineup.

I learned at the previous Joss Whedon panel that if you want to ask a question, you've got to ask for the microphone right away.  I was able to ask a question in the Fillion panel because hey, Firefly.  On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate my question as, let's say, a 6, but it's one that I had to ask.  I'm sure it came out as something like "Uh, Firefly Firefly Firefly Firefly Firefly!" followed by weeping and sobbing.  I'm sure it got a good response from the stage, as this is the look - one of INTENSE CONCENTRATION - that came back to be:

YES!

After the panel, Fillion and Tudyk (seen here hiding behind Kung-Fu-Fillion) came out and took pictures with fans, raising even more money for Operation Smile.  Keep in mind that Fillion is a bonafide super-celebrity and cult figure in the world of television.  That these two guys came out and put the time in to meet people was pretty exciting.  Also, I almost ended up accidentally stealing Alan Tudyk's glasses as I left the event (true story!).

I was able to get Tudyk and Fillion's signatures on a couple items this day, which by all accounts is a difficult feat to accomplish.  Both were gracious and more accommodating than they needed to be.  The panel, pictures and signing were definitely highlights of the entire weekend.

And of course, no Comic-Con is complete without the obligatory Chewbacca sighting.

There were only a few hours left of the show by the time we got out of Nerd HQ, but we managed to make it back to the convention center to do some last minute shopping and signing.  Here's the A-Team van, parked near the Mattel booth!

Hannah Nance Partlow, Boom! Studios letterer, artist and designer, added this new image to the ol' Thing sketchbook!  It's the first inclusion of Miss Thing in the book, and one that I was hoping to get (it'll keep the one drawing of She-Thing company).  Hannah did such a great job that I had to get a picture of it right away.

I spent the last hour or so of the convention at the New England Comics booth, signing and handing out copies of the Free Comic Book Day Tick book.  While I was there, I spied some holy grail items for Tick fans - original Ben Edlund pages of artwork!  Ben had given a few to the art director's nephew (seen below), much to the envy of everyone else at the booth.  How great it'd be to own a page like this, and what a classic scene!

Here I am with Gabe Crate, Tick alumnus and screenwriter.  Benn and Liz Robbins stopped by before too long as well, and Edlund himself made one quick stop as the show was winding down, so it was a mini Tick reunion for about 15 minutes at the booth.  The table saw brisk sales the whole weekend, from what I was told, which is a great thing.  There needs to be more Tick in the world.

After the show ended, I walked past the Godzilla Experience one last time, and I took this shot of the outside of the building.  I wonder how long this warehouse will just have a painted Godzilla on the outside?

This takes us to the end of the show, but I've still got a few more pictures to share from the remainder of my trip to the West coast.  Look for those soon!

Pictures from the 2013 Comic-Con International, part 2

Welcome back to the awesome site that posts pictures and also words about those pictures!  It's a great time.  Let's jump back in and see some more pictures from this year's Comic-Con!

In 2012, I noticed how Comic-Con was expanding well beyond the walls of the convention center.  This year was even more noticeable: there were events and headquarters set up all over the place, from parking lots to bars to mobile displays.  At one point, we had to walk over half a mile to get to where we were going, further proof that Comic-Con is expanding with almost no end in sight.  It's a great thing, but it's also well past the point of being able to see everything that's there.  I can't imagine what this show will be like in even five years.

One of the off-site locations was Felicia Day's Geek & Sundry headquarters, set up on the top floor of a local bar.  This is one of those sites that I'm sure will continue to grow and move to bigger and better locations.  We kicked off the day on Thursday by heading over to this location with a few hundred others.  After piling into the bar, Felicia Day came out for a quick Q&A and then a signing.  I'm a fan of Day from her role in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, but she's also well known for her involvement in projects like the Guild and her overall enthusiasm for gaming and geek culture.

It was a real highlight of the trip in general to get to spend some time at the Geek & Sundry location, where they later had lots of gaming events and other special guests.  Day was warm and cheerful as might be expected, but I think that everyone left that day wanting to be best friends with her, such was her infectiously sunny disposition.

I managed to make it to a few panels at the convention, including this Boom! Studios panel about editing held on Thursday.  I got to talk with Matt, the EIC of Boom!, after the panel.

The Teen Titans take a break.

Trenchcoats: the perfect comic book disguise.  This was a great nod to the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

I think someone else dressed up as this particular Green Lantern at last year's show, but I still can't place the character.  From the cartoon, maybe?

Miss America!

The LEGO displays were impressive, as always.

Iron Man is always a crowd pleaser, apparently.  I saw a few full-size Iron Man displays at the show.

Adventure Time was, of course, very popular at the show.  This guy won my award for best Finn, hands down.  And yes, that includes all of the little kids who dressed up as Finn.  This guy was better!

Cartoon Network has this huge Ice King display on the floor.  Inside you could take your picture in the Ice King's jail, and the lines were GIGANTIC all week.  It would have been fun but you gotta pick and choose what you see and do.

This guy had a fantastic Aquaman costume, which he apparently made himself (the chain mail makes it all the more impressive).  He had a similarly chain-mailed Captain America costume last year.  It's a strange feeling, recognizing people from year to year.  You only see them briefly, but then there they are again, one year later.  I guess there aren't many people who you see walking around in an Aquaman costume.

A TEAM UP I WANT TO SEE: Wonder Woman and Arthur.  Seriously, this would make a great story.  Here's another fellow that I recognized from last year - or at least his costume, as he and the Tick made their way to the NEC booth.  It's a very well done live-action costume.

This was the Walking Dead display on the convention floor.  So much space!  But worth it for the effect.  A very nice job.

One of the stranger happenings at Comic-Con is the church group that pickets the convention every year.  They are, of course, well within their rights to exercise their free speech and share what they believe in.  But ultimately, they have to know that they are doing more harm than good, because all they end up doing is yelling at people, calling them perverts and telling them that they are going to hell. How many converts do they expect with tactics like these?  It's a shame.

Anyway, the group has spawned (heh, Spawn) imitators that provide some comic relief.  The have signs like the above in addition to ones that say "Galactus is Nigh" and "Kneel Before Zod".  I don't know if they even have passed to Comic-Con, or if they just come and hang out.  It's a funny situation.

How many more Comic-Con pictures do I have?  You might find yourself anxiously asking this question.  The answer is this: A LOT OF THEM!  So sit tight and come back to see more soon.

Pictures from the 2012 Comic-Con, part 2

I've been surprisingly stingy about sharing pictures from Comic-Con.  Who can say why this is happening?  Perhaps only the Shadow knows.  But here I am again, with more pictures and stories to share.

This batch comes from the Tuesday before the show started - set-up night!  I was excited as I walked down the aisles to find my booth, because I realized that I was seeing everything before almost anyone else got a chance to.  I took these pictures and thought about posting them right away, as if I were a reporter with a scoop, but then I started to wonder about any litigious repercussions that might come from spoiling the secrets that any of the booths might have held, and I decided against it.  Who knows if I was being overly cautious or not.  Perhaps only the Shadow...wait, I used that joke already.  Oh well, time for pictures.

Hooray!  Here's the booth, all barren and lonely, like a dry gulch before the Gold Rush.

The exhibit all is so huge that you have to strain to see from one end to the other.  And you rarely see a Comic-Con hallway that's not teeming with people.

Sideshow had most of their display set up by the time we got there, though many things were covered.  They had, and always seem to have, some of the most impressive items at any con.

Here's Oni Press's booth as they get things ready!

Marvel's booth seemed to be under construction right up until the minute the show opened.

Overheard at Boom! Studios: "Well, we got that damned banner to hang from the ceiling.  ...Let's pick it up tomorrow."

The unreachable inner square of Image Comics.

An early look at Castle Greyskull.  We were all very excited.

The Walking Dead display before Michonne and her two zombies were installed.

These guys went to bed early, apparently.

These pictures don't show it well, but there were a surprising amount of people outside of the convention center even though the show didn't start for another 22 hours or so.  I don't think that all of them were fellow exhibitors - some people just wanted to soak in the Comic-Con atmosphere a little bit early, and I can't blame them for feeling that way.

I wonder how long it was before someone eventually stole this prop (it was originally sticking out of the bushes).  And I wonder how that person got it home...because you certainly couldn't check it as luggage, could you?

HGTV and the Frankenweenie movie combined forces on an outdoor display.

This great Adventure Time balloon(?) was a sight to see.  It sat right over a small jungle gym that was, apparently, open all the time.  It was too enticing not to give it a try:

What fun!  It was hard not to be at least a little bit giddy from getting this little taste of Comic-Con on Tuesday night.  Wednesday was a lot more stressful.  But I'll save that for next time.