Miscellaneous Developments

*ITEM: Kingstone Comics contacted me to ink 17 pages over a Danny Bulanadi Moses story for the Kingstone Bible 2nd edition printing.

So I will have those for sale for anyone interested as my convention schedule commences next month.

 

*ITEM: Proud to have a True Believer reprint for the 3rd pro job I ever did inking Angel Medina on the cover and interiors back in 1992!

TRUE BELIEVERS: AVENGERS – THANOS & GAMORA #1, Reprinting Warlock & the Infinity Watch #9, PGS. 32/Rated T+ …$1.00 Ships 4/10/19

 

*ITEM: Sal Velluto & I reunited for a one-page feature in The Liberty Brigade” project as published by Thrilling Nostalgia Comics Group.

The Liberty Brigade is being funded via Kickstarter crowdfunding & it’s written by Michael Finn, recognized by art collectors as the “One Minute

Later” client that has funded me for many commissions. This is his passion project. It consists of stories and twenty one-page original features

with public domain characters and many mainstream creators are involved with it such as George Perez, Alan Davis, Sal Buscema, Kevin

J. West, Doug Braithwaite, Ron Frenz, Mark Buckingham, Jim Cheung, Chris Ivy, Rick Veitch, Ramona Fradon, Mick Gray, Barry Kitsen,

Mike Perkins, Josef Rubinstein, John Totleben, Jim Steranko, Ron Wilson, Mark Morales, Jason Metcalf, Sean Chen, Mike Lilly, Jim Calafiore,

Chris Weston, Ken Lashley, Al Milgrom and so many more! All edited by Mark Waid! Sal&I got the #20 and final origin page entry on the

Scarlet Skull. It’ll be 80+ pages and once I discover a release date/ordering instructions and a price I will post it here!

A “Not Much to Report” Report

Hi! I’ve clearly not had the time to post much for many weeks. After the September shows in Salt Lake City, UT and Utica, NY I’ve been home buried under numerous commissions and I’m awaiting the next Mike Lilly assignment. (Those commissions will eventually wind up posted at a newly created ComicArtFans gallery which will continue from the most receny entry on this site’s Gallery section.) I did make a one day signing appearance at Friendly Neighborhood Comics for their annual Halloween Comic Fest celebration and that went pretty well.I’ve also been struggling to keep up on duties for my Inkwell non-profit, as well as my health. I did finally get confirmed some convention appearances for 2019 and the first two are listed above in the NewsFlash. The big news there is that The Great Philadelphia Comic Con! will be our new host show now, not the East Coast Comicon as previously reported after ending our 8 year relationship with HeroesCon. So it might be a light year of locations for our annual tour so far (others being Terrificon and Fan Expo Boston Con in August and Granite State Comicon in September) but more might be added, and the few we have we’ll make the most of.

Last 2018 Shows on the Tour (so far)

Terrificon was our BEST show this year and better than the three previous shows at the Mohegan Sun!  The new, larger expo center and increased everything, from creators to vendors to celebrities to customer traffic! We made out well on table merchandise, donations collecting, donation box fundraising (my pal Jim Starlin especially!), my personal success, getting to eat out each night with friends and WE HAD FUN! Promoter Micth Hallock has something great going on there and we’re very fortunate to be back every year to take part in the entertainment and craziness!

This is the next show for me, now just a week from Wednesday when my flight takes off for my first trip ever to Salt Lake City, Utah (see link above in Newsflash announcements)! Sal Velluto and family are driving me about and putting me up for the night! We’ll also be doing commissions together at the show! There won’t be an Inkwell presence except for donation boxes and brochures and I might ask a couple of artists to donate something but otherwise I’ll have my usual selection of Black panther comics, trades and apparel as well as my prints and some original art. Just less than usual due to the limitations of a flight.

Lastly, I was invited to the one day Uticon show in Utica, NY (link also above). Again, not only my first time there but a Bob-solo show (albeit with the donation box, brochures and maybe the signed Ms. Inkwell gallery book) but I get 2 tables here!! This show is run ONLY by volunteers and they have raised funds entirely to support the American Cancer Society. So I hope to see you in the northwest and the north east in September! There are no shows lines up after that until March so we’re hoping for any invitations in that time so we don’t have a 6 month gap.

Boston Con is added to the 2018 Almond/Inkwell tour

Just today I was confirmed for space at the Fan Expo Boston Comic Con on August 10-12. As some of you may know, I attended that show for years early on but eventually boycotted it. Fan Expo bought the show last year and while I enjoy mom & pop shows over corporate ones, I wanted to give it a try since it’s in my backyard (I live an hour away) and The Inkwell Awards only had one New England show that supported me and the non-profit, Terrificon in CT. We did well there so now we can try again. Senior Ms. Inkwell spokesmodel Hailey Skaza-Gagne will be joining me along with Jayke Clark, a recent Inkwell volunteer, who will cover the Inkwell table and be there for general assistance to us. This show takes place the weekend prior to the Terrificon show (August 17-19). But after that there are no shows lined up for months at the moment. But should anything new develop I will keep you posted here and on my Facebook page. I will have limited (10) New England Comics-authorized b&w prints of the Tick signed by myself and Mike Lilly as well as the limited to ten Batman/Catwoman Wedding color prints by Mike, myself and color artist Dave Ocampo from the Wedding Event from That’s Entertainment on July 7 as previously reported here. All this and the usual comics, tpbs, original art, prints and merchandise (much of which is Black Panther-related) that I bring to most shows.

HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR!

HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR! Yes, sorry, I got sucked up into the holidays and with prepping for and attending final show dates the last 2 months. Some evens and odds:  Sadly, my Gallery section is still MIA as Rhys Evans, my Techno-God at Inkwellawards.com continues to work on it in his spare (ha!) time. It’s been about a year and he says he’s wrapping things up. Good thing because I have folders reserving 32 commission files to upload!

 

I am doing commissions on hand and would be happy to take on more. I am still inking for Ravesnake and there might be new work within sight from Kingstone so I’m in a holding pattern there. I just posted the presently confrimed conventions for the year but that list will surely grow.

 

There’s also a new DK Publishing book out that interested me and possibly some of you Black Panther fans: Black Panther: The Ultimate Guide. I noticed that it’s smaller in size than past Marvel and DC editions and there’s no longer a dust jacket but if that’s what they needed to do to keep the price from rising then so be it. It’s got a Foreward by master scribe Don McGregor and multitudes of art from numerous sources, incluyding Sal Velluto and yours truly.  My only gripe about these books is that they don’t credit any of the artists for their printed work. DC volumes used to at least list all artists who’s works werre included on the final acknowledgments page. Marvel doesn’t supply a list apparently since it doesn’t do the same. It’s a hardcover at 200 pages for $24.99 unless you can get it discounted from your retailer in a backorder or find one at B&N Books or Amazon online. Happy hunting!

 

That’s all I got for now but you’re sure to hear from me next month when the Panther film is out. I’ve waited almost 20 years for this and I think it’ll be worth the wait. Take care!

Yet ANOTHER Late Convention Tour Addition!

I thought we were done for the year with the newly-added New Jersey Comic Expo show in mid-November following our appearance at Rhode Island Comic Con the weekend before that as I recently announced. But the non-profit INKWELL AWARDS and I have again been invited to a new venue! Inkwell spokesmodel Hailey Skaza-Gagne & I will be appearing at ACE COMIC CON: LONG ISLAND, NY at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on December 8-10 with our usual display set-up. This venue is their first location for the expanding Ace Universe of Entertainment. Special Thanks to Spencer Beck who has been a HUGE support to our fundraising! That’s a record 9 events this year for us! We usually only do 5-6 shows annually but there was more interest/demand for us in 2017. I’m even more excited for 2018 as we celebrate our 10th anniversary!

LATE CONVENTION TOUR ADDITION!

Since my last report I was invited to the New Jersey Comic Expo (thanks to Spencer Beck) along with my Inkwell Awards partner, spokesmodel Hailey Skaza-Gagne.  It takes place for two days on November 18-19 the weekend following Rhode Island Con and before Thanksgiving. We will be fully set up with space. New Jersey has been the most supportive state among promoters as we were invited by 3 NJ show promoters this year with one already attended. We are both excited to check out the first time location! Maybe we’ll see you there!

Commissions, shows and the Tick!

SHOWS: Hailey and I attended all of the summer/fall shows with much fun and satisfaction! However, Rhode Island, our last 2017 scheduled show, will not be an official weekend event now due to altered accommodations. We will be there all day Friday, maybe part of Saturday and part of Sunday. I will be updating my 2018 schedule soon!

 

COMMISSIONS: My list is still closed as I catch up on belated ones but I am almost finished. I should be lifting the ban soon so please keep checking here.

 

THE TICK: After Mike Lilly and I did the Tick#1 cover together we were asked to do the next cover. I haven’t seen that yet but hopefully any day now.

UPDATES: THE SEQUEL

Sorry for not being around. Here’s an update since last time:

 

*HEALTH: My sleep apnea problem has improved thanks to the CPAP so I’m more rested, not oversleeping or as groggy.  So now that my scheduling time is better I’m starting to resume my power walking, but only 1-2 days a week at the moment because my convention schedule has my head spinning. Once that period passes late in August I will work towards 4-5 days a week. The goal being to be able to altogether lose the apnea and diabetes.

CONVENTIONS: After my previously mentioned “upcoming stops” I did a signing at Rubber Chicken Comics on July 11. The next show for myself and Hailey is Boston Con on August 11-13, my return to that venue after at least 6 years. The new management is Fan Expo. I don’t have an Inkwell Awards table this time but I am eager to check things out and talk to management about the future. After that is our third return to Terrificon the following weekend at the Mohegan Sun. And that’s the summer end of the tour as we don’t go anywhere until November 10-12 to the Rhode Island Comic Con.

*The authorship job position didn’t happen because they didn’t realize the related costs involved which was beyond their budget.

*The Tick cover was done, is atteched below, and it will debut at Boston Con as a New England Comics Exclusive where Mike Lilly and I will be there to sign it (David Ocampo colored it). I hope to have new Tick news next time;-)

*Still no updates about the updated website and it’s gallery. I’m tracking all the commissions I do so that when the time comes I’ll have a huge update in that section.

Hope to talk again soon!

UPDATES! Read All About it!

Where have I been? Well, my productivity was compromised when I developed sleep apnea last year. I was constantly oversleeping, taking 1-2 hours to wake up and my brain was a mess. After 3 sleep studies, a long wait for insurance approval and some scheduling snafus I finally got my cpap breathing apparatus yesterday and I look forward to resting properly on less sleep and feeling more energized. And more productivity, thankfully, especially with a few irons in the fire…

*After doing some commissions I resumed my work for Ravesnake Media and directing the Inkwell Awards which has been honestly non-stop. In-between there’s been drama in that my father-in-law died, my friend Bernie Wrightson died, Inkwell ambassador Rich Buckler passed on recently and now longtime Inkwell soldier and friend Stacey Aragon has departed this mortal coil after a decade of battling colo-rectal cancer.

*We’re winding things down at the Inkwells because we’re only 3 weeks from the big finale show and ceremony. Next week is the Albany Con and I just updated my public appearances list above and added the Garden State Comic Fest that Hailey Skaza-Gagne (Ms. Inkwell) were invited to since the last convention tour report, a new venue for us.

*I’ve been approached about writing something as an author.  I submitted the outline yesterday so it may be a while before I find out if things are approved or not.  Once I know I will announce that gig.  It’ll sure make things even more hectic for about 6 months.

*It looks like I will be reunited with Mike Lilly for a Tick cover for New England Comics. Somehow I need to fit that in.

*Not related to my goings-on I thought I’d mention my site’s Commission Gallery hasn’t been updated since December.  I didn’t forget or get buried…There’s a reason for that. I have a dozen completed new pieces and several on hold.  But I cannot load them to my Gallery because I’m having website issues. Inkwell tech guro and website maintenance contributor Rhys Evans is helping me to  rebuild the site and transfer it to Wrodpress from Joomla! It is hoped that the venue will work properly but I don’t know how long it will take and if at that point I’ll have time to upload all the new material.  I’ll have to wait & see and take things gradually. Life has been very trying so I look forward to seeing you guys on the road!