HeroesCon June 22-24!

Just a reminder that I’ll be in Charlotte, NC this weekend (june 22-24) for the HeroesCon 2012- this is the 30th Anniversary for the show.

I’ll be at table AA-828, next to the great Jeremy Dale and his lovely wife. He and I all also be taking part in a GI Joe panel on Sunday, 2pm (Room 203A) with legendary artists Michael Golden and Herb Trimpe!

I’ll also be in a Team Cul De Sac panel on Friday, 4pm (Room 206) — with Nick Galifianakis, hosted by editor/designer for the book, Chris Sparks.

A ton of people are attending, so check the HeroesCon website. There’s Stuart Immonen, Neal Adams, Adam Hughes (good luck getting a sketch!), George Perez, Mike Mignola, some guy named Stan Lee, but I don’t think he’s related to the great Norman Lee, plus many many more!

I hope everyone in the area can make it, it’s great fun, and inside a big air conditioned building! SCORE!

Cul De Sac- Charity Auction

For those who don’t know already, I was lucky enough to be a contributing artist to the book “Team Cul de Sac: Cartoonists Draw the Line at Parkinson’s“. The book is now on sale, and from each purchase a portion goes to the Michael J. Fox foundation for Parkinson’s research.

In addition, the charity auction has begun with every piece in the book, plus additional images, prints, and signed copies of the book from Michael J. Fox himself, all up for grabs to the highest bidder. Keep in mind, the art at auction (unless otherwise specified) are all original pieces. I contributed two myself (please bid on those so I don’t look like a loser), and I hope that everyone will consider buying something. There are pieces available from the likes of Sergio Aragones (MAD mag), Jim Davis (Garfield), Lynn Johnston (For Better or For Worse), Patrick Oliphant (political cartoonist), Don Rosa (Disney’s-Uncle Scrooge), Matt Wuerker (Politico/Pulitzer Prize winner) and Mort Walker (Beetle Bailey), among many others. The crowning achievement for the auction though, is a once in a lifetime piece available from the legendary Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes). Good luck on the last one, the bid is already over 5K. There’s even a piece from Richard Thompson himself, but honestly— how important is that guy to this thing? Again there are quite a few available from many cartoonists, fans, and friends of Richard’s, but even if you don’t know who they are, I’m sure you’ll find a piece that speaks to you.

If all you can grab is a copy of the book, take heart, there will be a couple of signings, in and around the DC metro area, by a group of contributing artists. Bring yours, or buy the book there, and make it a unique piece to treasure. The first will be June 10, from 5-7pm at One More Page Books in Arlington, VA, and another at the Connecticut Ave, Politics and Prose in DC on July 11. If you happen to be heading to the Charlotte HeroesCon June 22-24, I’ll be there helping out artist/editor Chris Sparks (Sparkling Design), and contributing artist Nick Galifiankis, to sign and sell copies of “Team Cul de Sac” as well.

I hope to see you all at the signings, that you’ll bid on some art, and help us to find the cure. Most importantly, bid on mine, I gotta beat that Nick Galifinakis guy, he’s a jerk— Kidding! (Don’t beat me up, Nick)

Thanks in advance!

My piece! Bid, damn you— BID!

Dick Beals 1927-2012

When I was a kid, some of my favorite Warner Bros cartoons were the ones with Ralph Phillips, the little boy with the overactive imagination. Since there were only a couple of those cartoons made, they didn’t pop up very often during the Looney Tunes Show, but when they did…oh boy! Sadly, Dick Beals, the voice of Raplh, passed away this week at the age of 85. Many will also remember him from his work for Hanna-Barbera, or the Alka-Seltzer commercials where he portrayed Sspeedy” their mascot. I’ll always remember his voice as Ralph, and the following cartoon pretty much sums up why.

Granted, in this one he doesn’t have many lines, but his delivery is essential.

Thank you Mr. Beals, you set the standard for daydreaming.