Thing sketchbook, part 14

Lesley Vamos - Comic-Con International 2013

I found Australian artist Lesley Vamos on the last day of Comic-Con at a table shared with Jimena Sanchez.  As I had mentioned before, Lesley and Jimena had collaborated on a number of projects, notably a book a postcards, and I was impressed with the work that each of them did - and really, isn't it great that they could collaborate on comics from different continents?  It warmed the cockles of my heart.  Anyway, both ladies added their renditions of the Thing to my sketchbook and I'm happy to have 'em.  This cartoony Thing is a real treat.

Rafer Roberts - Beyond Comics signing 2013

I'm always happy to join in on some FUBAR-related events, but it's an extra treat when those events produce new Thing artwork.  Beyond Comics in Frederick, Maryland held a big FUBAR signing that I was able to join in on.  In between signing books and meeting with fans, I was able to harangue a number of talented folk into drawing sketches in the book.  First up was Rafer Roberts, he of FUBAR, Plastic Farm and Thanos and Darkseid fame.  I asked Rafer to draw a helmeted Thing, and he immediately knew just what I was talking about.  The Thing wore a helmet for a while after getting his face slashed up by Wolverine (whatever) as opposed to, I don't know, seeing a doctor about it or something.  It was a strange look for the character but it was a notable one.  Rafer did a great job all around.

Steve Becker - Baltimore Comic-Con 2011/Beyond Comics signing 2013

Steve Becker, art director of the FUBAR line, started sketching the Thing at the 2011 Baltimore Comic-Con, but ran out of time.  Since then, I've had a mostly blank page saved in the book in hoped that I could wrangle Steve into finishing the sketch, and he took up the baton at the Beyond Comics signing.  The result is an angry Thing that stands out among the others.  I'm loving the emotion with this one.

M. Giles Crawford - Beyond Comics signing 2013

Giles Crawford is another FUBAR contributor who added his take at the Beyond Comics signing.  Giles, a native Australian (that's two for this post), asked if he could do something goofy for the book, and of course I told him to go for it.  I added in one caveat - I wanted this drawing to be the first image drawn horizontally.  The result is a watercolored Thing mermaid.  Brilliant.

John Shine - Beyond Comics signing 2013

John Shine took the sketchbook after Giles had his way at the Beyond Comics FUBAR signing, and, unbeknownst to me at the time, started drawing his own rendition of the Thing.  He decided to go with the original "lumpy" Thing, though this is more reminiscent of John Byrne than, say, Kirby.  It's a beautiful, moody piece that does the most with the space available.  This here is a classic Thing with a lot of heart, and I'm thrilled to have it included.

That's it for now, but there's more Thing sketchbook to come.  Hooray!

FUBAR signing at Beyond Comics

Being a part of the FUBAR team, getting to publish regularly and successfully working with other like-mined folk, has been a real joy over the last few years.  Making comics can be, and often is, a lonely task, and beyond the creation process, it's been a lot of fun interacting with others who share similar goals and industry perspectives.  On Saturday, September 21, a group of FUBAR creators met for a signing event at Beyond Comics in Frederick, Maryland.  It was a chance to meet some creators I previously hadn't, to see some familiar friends, to sign some books and to have a good time just in general.  I took a few pictures of the signing and of the store, and I thought I'd share them here, because...well, because this is a blog about comics and stuff.  Also, why not.

It took about three hours to drive to the Frederick Beyond Comics location, which is situated in a shopping plaza and has a fairly unassuming store front.  Once inside, though, it was apparent that the store had pretty much everything one might look for in a comic shop...

 

  

 

The store had a very nice layout.  It was stuffed with cool things but not intimidating the way some comic shops can be.  Also, they had a healthy arrangement of high-end Thing items, such as this Sideshow beauty:

I guess they also had a huge Hulk display from the movies or whatever.  Impressive.  But imagine how much more impressive an oversized Thing display would be!  Very impressive.  Let's make it happen, universe.

 

I downloaded the latest iOS update for the iPhone the night before the signing event, so of course I had to play around with the panoramic camera features.  It's a weird perspective but it lets you see the whole setup.  I was positioned between Jeff McComsey and Steve Becker on either side, and the two drew sketches almost the entire time throughout the four hour event.  Also in attendance were Dom Vivona, Rafer Roberts, M. Giles Crawford, John Shine and others!  There was a big FUBAR presence in one spot - perhaps more contributors in one area than at any time before - and it was fun to experience.  We had people waiting for autographs and sketches for most of the day.

  

Here Rafer gesticulates wildly as I stare on in abject terror:

 

 

The entire event went really well and I hope to be involved with another one before too long.  At the end of the day, a lot of us did some shopping.  I had my eye on this guy:

...but I let it pass this time around.  We're possibly looking at an upcoming addition to the collection, though.

At one point in the day, I tried out a silver marker that decided not to mark, for whatever reason.  I brought a handful of Teddy and the Yeti sketch cards with me (a few people ended up walking away with one), and I used one to scribble on in an attempt to get the marker back in working order.  After drawing a thousand circles, I decided to keep scribbling and made a caveman-esque image of the Tick and Arthur.  Jeff McComsey look the card and made what looks like an ACTUAL drawing of the duo, which I completely take credit for in front of anyone but you, Internets.  I like the Tiny flying Arthur the best.

One more quick FUBAR update:

The FUBAR: Mother Russia Kickstarter fundraiser is in its last days!  It's wildly exceeded expectations, and as such, we're offering up a lot of great rewards.  Anyone who pledges at least 25 dollars will not only receive the original Mother Russia graphic novel, but also get some great brand new comics in the balance, including the 44 page FUBAR: Guts and Glory and the 24 page FUBAR: Better Red than Dead, both of which will have new stories by me.

Some great times ahead, and as always, it seems that FUBAR is an unstoppable monster.