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| Photo by Keith Ingram |
THE COMIC STRIP CLUB
These gals are awesome! They put out three fantastic comics. If you get the chance to meet them, buy everything they have! You'll recognize their pink sparkly booth. And yell at Kelly Martin for taking so long to make issues of Doctor Lollipop.
RöK Mini!
Katie Longua has been writing RöK for about as long as we've been podcasting. The heavy metal adventures of the norse gods is such an excellent concept, it can be a little hard waiting more than a month for each issue. For APE, Katie made a mini-comic to help take the edge off. She was selling the original art for this mini-comic, and she had drawn each page exactly the same size as it would appear in the mini-comic. It was amazing to see how much detail she was able to fit into each oddly sized page. Find this book!
Captain Kitten #2 & #3
Jemma SalumeDid someone say, "kitten" in front of Dylan? Yeah. They did. Captain Kitten is a series about a female cat that pilots an airship and has exciting adventures in a nondescript prehistoric time full of dinosaurs and sabertooth tigers. The art is a little flat, but a look at Jemma's deviant art shows that she is NO SLOUCH with her art.
Emily C. Martin - "Artemis" Brett Grunig- "Selene"
Luckily, the new artist on Princeless, Emily C. Martin, is a West Coast creator so we were able to meet her and Brett Grunig. She showed us pages from future Princeless issues, and told us about her art school where she teaches young teens how to draw. At the end of the semester, Megamoth Studio publishes their work and the kids get to have a book with their work on their shelf. If you see the Megamoth booth at a convention, stop by and take a look. She and Brett are really talented artists and they are doing something very important for the future of the industry.
In the same vein of Monster's Inc., "Monsters Are Just Like Us" by Super Ugly is a book that needs to be on every kid's bookshelf. Super Ugly humanizes monsters, and shows them doing every-day activities with bored and apathetic expressions. They aren't scary, their neighbors and friends. Some of the references may go over most kids heads ("They thought it was safe to go back in the water, just like you!"), but it still gives children a fun image to associate with monsters that will make bedtime a lot less scary.
JD Arnold & Tony Guaraldi-Brown turn completely 180, this series is definitely NOT for kids. Action Lab Entertainment may make a lot of money producing stories for children, but that doesn't mean their whole line is kid friendly. The Rabid is a zombie apocalypse with a bit of a twist. Instead of infecting humans, this virus infects small mammals and is gradually making its way up the food-chain to humans. And unlike traditional zombies, they don't die if you chop of the head. These nasty critters keep twitching. You have to squish the things down to nothing to stop them. Tony Guaraldi-Brown's artwork is moody and will induce queasiness in the squeamish.
These people put out some awesome comics! Whether it's clowns fighting each other, or a group of people defending a moon base from alien tourists, you're sure to find something you've never seen. While we were talking at the Action Lab booth, we showed Dave Dwonch a copy of Pluto Moon Base and he said "WHERE'S THIS BOOTH? I want this NOW." And if you're a fan of Dave Dwonch's Double Jumpers, these guys are definitely making books that are right up your alley.
Story by Ryan North, Art by Shelli Paroline & Braden Lamb
This TV show was the big hit of the convention. Just about every booth had some Adventure time themed print ofg one sort or another. KABOOM has the licensing rights to this crazy show, and even though it's a very complex and animator-centric show, Ryan North, Shelli Paroline & Braden Lamb manage to really capture the experience of watching the show right down to the character's signature noodly appendages. Nicole loves this series so much, but has fallen behind on the comics. So this was the perfect opportunity for her to pick up every issue. Look for her reviews in the coming months.
What would a Bay Area convention be without everyone's favorite sculptor/turned storyboard artist/turned comic book creator? We had a lot of fun catching up since our interview with him, and talking about what he has planned for volume 2 of the Teddy-1 series. If you ever have a chance, aside from looking at his amazing original art, take a look at his used comic bin that he carts around with him from convention to convention He always has great rare stuff from really talented artists for really reasonable prices. Joko: The one stop comic convention.
As you can see, he works mostly in graphic silhouette. It's beautiful, macabre stuff. A great fit for SLG.
Home for Tomas Overbai's series: Ichido & convention favorite: "You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon..." If you ever hear someone walking around a convention hall saying Han Solo lines with a bad Christopher Walken impersonation, this guy is the culprit. His work is excellent and really deserves some attention. He's going to be launching a Kickstarter for his book Ichido in the next few months and we will be sharing and Tweeting the hell out of it. You can see some of the concept art here.
Silent mini-comics made by Jef Bambas and published by SLG. Robot high-jinx! CHEAP!
This short book (but long comic) by Lucy Bellwood is excellent. She tackles themes of life, spirituality and art in simple poignant terms. You definitely need to get a copy. We will definitely be inviting her on the show at some point to talk about this book.
Matt Sheean & Malachi Ward have made a series that is what Prometheus should have been. Definitely worth your time. Hear Dylan's comments on the podcast for more infrmation.
Created by Kristopher White, this series is based upon a kabalistic legend about 36 people destined to save the world. But how do you get 36 people to agree on what's best for everyone? George Zapata's art is excellent. You can expect this to be a Book of the Month at some point.
Gabe Swarr knows his audience. If you were an 80s kid growing up at the death of analog and the birth of digital, this series will give you some serious nostalgia. It might lean a bit too heavy on nostalgia, but it's still a lot of fun.
We kept passing by Jamaica Dyer's table all weekend and finally, as she was packing up her stuff, decided to grab what we could. Her art is beautifully brushy, and versatile. Take a look and drown yourself in its detail.
Check out her varied art projects. very cool stuff.
We hope you get to experience this booth some day. Don't really want to tell you much about it, because it needs to be experienced to be believed... Although we spoil the hell out of it in the episode...
A fairy tale anthology featuring often overlooked tales from the Brother's Grimm adapted by Gina Biggs. The first book features art by Gina Biggs, Louisa Roy & Elle Skinner. (Dylan recommends the story All Fur) If you're a fan of the Brother's Grimm, it's definitely nice to see some of these forgotten classics dusted off and retold.
Writing a fairy tale is a lot harder than it seems. Morgan Bontrager is incredibly successful in just these first couple of chapters. She has decompressed the shortform story to let the characters breath, and what results is a very modern take on a myth that probably never existed. Trystan is an assistant in her uncle's magic shop, and she is looked down upon by the village for not being very adept at magic, but her world changes when she encounters a charmed doll that has a journey it seeks to fulfill. If you love fantasy of the fairy tale ilk, then this webcomic is for you.
This webcomic by Jack Kent, is about Seagulls. That's right. Seagulls. While it occasionally has multipart storylines, hitting the Random button is just as entertaining.
Another Bay-Area convention regular. Jen Oaks' illustrations are excellent. Her use of pastels are soft and feminine, but not necessarily "girly." Content ranges from nick-knacks, niche-pop-culture icons to curvy pin-up calendars. You should check out her work when you get a chance. And if you're a Breaking Bad fan, check out her husband's podcast: The Roof Pizza Chronicles.
Rick and Jeff Marson have stumbled upon an idea that will revolutionize the way you looks at zombies. These cuddly stuffed zombies are the perfect gift for kids (and adults really) this Christmas. Beyond the large number of themed zombie characters with clever names and backstories, they have created an interactive experience where you can share your zombie attack story on their website, and share it with the ZOMS community.
CAUTION: You may become so desensitized to zombies, that you suddenly find them cuddly, and become worthless during the inevitable apocalypse.
This gal makes some incredibly cute phone charms and fan art.
Yetis and Friends & Shark Bites
These guys produce some great stuff. Check out those yetis and the puppets they make for Shark Bites.
Hweeeew! If you stuck through all of that, you deserve a medal. Or at least a sticker. You'll definitely get a badge that says, "I Survived CBotMP's APE 2012 Recap." Feel free to put it on whatever piece of the internet you call home.
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| Photo by Keith Ingram |
It was a lot of fun seeing Josh and Kat again. They've been some of our most vocal supporters. This time around they had the re-coloring of Utopiates for sale and if you haven't heard us say it before, it's gorgeous. Their photorealistic style is blended nicely with dramatic silhouettes to create a sci-fi noir book that is unlike anything you've read before.
We also asked them a bit about the fate of Michael Corbet's series Crazy Mary, and while it has had more setbacks than you can count, it is finally being released digitally through Comics+.
If you see Kat & Josh at a convention, tell them "Comic Book of the Month Podcast sent me." They'll appreciate it.
This family owned comic group is putting out some amazing stuff. They just got started this year, but they already have a great catalog of work. Their books seem pricey, but it is a quality product and their art is incredible. A lot of their stories a silent or light on dialog, the kinds of books that fit right into our wheelhouse. Check out their website to get a sample of this group's amazing art.
We also asked them a bit about the fate of Michael Corbet's series Crazy Mary, and while it has had more setbacks than you can count, it is finally being released digitally through Comics+.
If you see Kat & Josh at a convention, tell them "Comic Book of the Month Podcast sent me." They'll appreciate it.
These artists dive deep into their subconscious and pull up to the surface whatever they find. Influenced by John Cage, their books are about process and how it informs content. It has to be seen to be understood, so head over to their website and give it a look. Really wonderful stuff.
OTHER COMIC PROJECTS
This TV show was the big hit of the convention. Just about every booth had some Adventure time themed print ofg one sort or another. KABOOM has the licensing rights to this crazy show, and even though it's a very complex and animator-centric show, Ryan North, Shelli Paroline & Braden Lamb manage to really capture the experience of watching the show right down to the character's signature noodly appendages. Nicole loves this series so much, but has fallen behind on the comics. So this was the perfect opportunity for her to pick up every issue. Look for her reviews in the coming months.
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| Photo by Keith Ingram |
This is the fine group of people that put together the Titanium Rain Audio drama you might have heard about. They have been around for a couple years now, and have quite a few series under their belt. And we had the chance to hear Lance Roger Axt's vocal versatility in person. Whether you're a fan of radio dramas, or you can't wait for Titanium Rain volume 2, give their work a look.
This guy's work speaks for it self, but we are going to explain it anyway.
A warped sci-fi tale of one man's self-discovery, and female assassins. All with twisted colors and layouts from the mind of our listener Adam S. Lichi.
Silent mini-comics made by Jef Bambas and published by SLG. Robot high-jinx! CHEAP!
We hope you get to experience this booth some day. Don't really want to tell you much about it, because it needs to be experienced to be believed... Although we spoil the hell out of it in the episode...
WEBCOMICS
Check out this series by Travis Hanson & listen to what Chris has to say about this fantasy webcomic.
ILLUSTRATORS
These two artists were sharing a table. Both of them work for TinyCo as concept artists, but are very prolific beyond that. We talked with them for quite a bit and Megan sketched a really adorable frog for Nicole. And the whole time Robin & Dylan kept trying to figure out where they knew each other from. If anyone knows, please let US know.
Dylan & Nicole keep saying "derpy deer!" This is what they are talking about.
CRAFTY-CRAFT-PEOPLE
CAUTION: You may become so desensitized to zombies, that you suddenly find them cuddly, and become worthless during the inevitable apocalypse.
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| Photo by Chris Snyder |
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| Photo by Chris Snyder |
These guys produce some great stuff. Check out those yetis and the puppets they make for Shark Bites.
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