§ We’ve always been fans of Michael Cho’s exquisitely composed duotone illustrations, but the full-color paintings at this excellent interview at The Comics Reporter amazed us all over again.
§ The Locher Award, given to the best college cartoonist each year, was presented to Ben Wade, a student at Indiana University – Bloomington.
§ Brigid Alverson has a nice piece on the eclectic projects, including a video game, of Daniel Merlin Goodbrey, who is doing several projects for First Comics.
§ Likewise, here’s a very nicesecond act story on Dan Fraga, who was one of the Image artists back in the day but is now directing the Ricky Gervais Show, after transitioning into storyboarding. And he’s staying busy:
Right now I'm directing a pilot for Adult Swim, writing my first novel and developing a few properties for animation.
We’ve actually stayed in touch with Fraga over the years, and his story is a good example of how diversifying can help you when one career path slows down.
CONS CONS CONS
So many cons this weekend! A brief rundown!
§ The Space Expo was held in Columbus and spotlighted the indie world:
Tables were splayed with colorful books and works of art. People circulated, chatting about their favorite independent comics. The 13th annual Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo (S.P.A.C.E.) was held Saturday and Sunday at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, located at 4900 Sinclair Road. There were more than 130 booths of people selling their original comic works.
§ The first ever Middle East Comic Con took place in Dubai! and it appears to have been a success:
“If I had to give you a number, I’d say there’s loads,” he added jokingly. “I’m really impressed with the response to the event. It’s making me feel really positive about next year’s edition.”
“Loads” is not an acceptible metric for attendance, but the new show fell prey to one bane of much older shows:no parking!
It would have taken a real super-hero find a parking spot at Comic Con in Dubai this weekend. (Our guide to the first Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC), April 17). We were unable to get into the parking area because we were told it was “full”. So we were directed to an area of sand to park on which was beyond a high kerb, hence only suitable for 4x4s and certainly not sports saloons (unless you don’t value the underside of your car and wheels).
The Beat has a full-service con report coming from Kill Shakespeare’s Anthony Del Col, so stay tuned for that.
Perhaps the weekend’s biggest domestic con was Boston Comic Con. We haven’t seen a full-scale write up but Sue from DCWKA reported from the DC panel.
§ Cape Comic Con took place in southern Missouri, and this quote backs up our “comic con is like the auto show” theory:
For vendors, the show provides a way to attract new customers. For attendees, Cape Con gives fans the chance to meet a variety of artists and writers, and also get together with people of similar interests. “It’s tough to explain, but for me this is like going to a Cardinals game or a big rock concert. I get to hang around hundreds of people who have the same passion as me,” said David Strafford of Paducah, Ky. “I love walking in the door and it’s full of stuff I spend hours and hours digging into.” One of this year’s featured artists, Brian Koschak, was kept busy signing autographs, sketching artwork and talking with fans. He said that while he has attended larger comic cons, he really enjoys the intimate setting of Cape Comic Con.
Here’s a photo gallery from that show.
§ Finally, from last week, here’s aninformative piece on the original Con Wars in Toronto:
One is a sprawling smorgasbord of B-list sci-fi celebrities, salivating fan boys and Star Wars stormtroopers, occupying the Metro Toronto Convention Centre each spring. The other is, well, a sprawling smorgasbord of B-list sci-fi celebrities, salivating fan boys and Star Wars stormtroopers, also occupying the Metro Toronto Convention Centre each spring.
Hey, that’s my table spotlighted in the picture in the Lanterns article on S.P.A.C.E.!
I also have a brief write-up of my SPACE experience on my blog here.
Yes, but what about Dan Fraga- I mean Fraga BOOM!’s career as a hip-hop MC boyeeeee?!! For a rapper he was quite a storyboard artist!
Wow, Pittsburgh Comicon doesn’t even get a MENTION! I know the show is perceived to be going downhill, and the Boston Comic Con definitely deflated Pittsburgh’s attendance, but still… So sad.
Boston Comic Con was packed and fans were there to buy. On Saturday the line looked like it went off into infinity. See picture here http://bit.ly/IzjQca .
While Boston Con wasn’t the prettiest of cons (ie: no pipe and drape separating exhibitors ) the fans were there in droves and had plenty of disposable income. All the exhibitors were very happy.
I spoke to some who artists who had just returned from C2E2, and they said while the crowd was bigger, their sales were less than last year.
Boston is a tough town to do a con — rooms are actually more expensive than Manhattan, and in short supply. But we still made money, partly due to the fact tables tables were priced fairly. Not sure why Boston Comic Con doesn’t get more press — great turnout, good variety of mainstream and indie artists, and promotors are friendly and helpful.
I went to the Boston Comicon this weekend and I gotta say I LOVED IT. Very no frills but lots of Comic LOve.
As a consumer I dropped a ton of $$$ on a bunch of commissions and printed art. (mainly because there was so much facetime with creators).
Watching this con slowly grow in the last 5 years I am truly impressed. It’s kinda like that underground band you love… it’s cool because everyone doesn’t know how great it is yet, but you know the secret will get out in due time.
the Tiki
Fan Expo Vancouver had a very successful launch this past weekend in Vancouver, BC.
The SPACE show was the best yet this year!
A few years ago I did a phone interview with Josh Keaton, voice for the Spider-Man cartoon then all over Disney XD. He also did (and does) a lot of voice-work for games, but he started in a boyband in the 90s called No Authority. Anyhow, as we spoke he apparently was riding around with Dan Fraga and Matt Yackey. Fraga and Keaton apparently still record music (and together at that!), but mostly for shits and giggles, which I thought was kinda neat. Fraga’s cool. Anyone who saw his contribution to the 45 book from Com.X knows his art has evolved by several thousand years since the Extreme days.