Baltimore Con!

Remember gang, Sept 8-9 at the Baltimore Convention Center, you’ll find the legendary Larry Hama, Herb Trimpe, and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, among many other classic comic writers and artists, for the 2012 Baltimore Comic Con. There’s also supposed to be some guy named Stan Lee there, who I guess is sort of famous? If you have any interest, you’ll also find me, in the kid corner of the convention center, sitting near (or at) the John Gallagher comic diner booth!

Hope to see everyone there! Well not everyone, the place only holds so many people.

This pretty much sums up my… life

If you do freelance art of any sort, this video is from a great site that promotes the rights of freelancers. Check it out.

http://www.dontgetscrewedover.com

Whoops- too late. It was due an hour ago.

;¬P

She was different—

Another sad day. The great Phyllis Diller (1917-2012) has passed away.

I don’t know how many times I’ve watched Mad Monster Party, or listened to her song “You’re Different”, but they both still bring a smile to my face. If you don’t own the film, or worse haven’t seen it, I can’t recommend enough to buy it and watch it. It’s a great film for kids, with fun songs, and it’s animated by the Rankin & Bass studios— best known for their Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer cartoon. Mad Monster Party is even coming to Blu-ray at the beginning of September just in time for Halloween. This wasn’t the only great film Ms. Diller was in, and it would be a crime not to mention all her appearances on TV, especially Laugh-In; but Mad Monster Party was my favorite.

She was also an author, and years ago I stumbled across one of her books, “Phyllis Diller’s Marriage Manual” focused on her favorite comedic subject, her husband “Fang”. If you have the luck to find that in a second hand shop- grab it— it’s a riot.

Ms. Diller was a comedic force not to be ignored, and now upon her passing, I suggest we all take another look at her work. She was a hoot, and she will be missed. When I think of her, I’ll hear her laugh, and always picture her like this.

 

 

Joe Kubert 1926-2012

One of the greatest comic book artists passed away today, Joe Kubert. Founder of the Joe Kubert School of Art, and best known for his work on the DC comic characters, Sgt. Rock and Hawkman. Not only did he influence generations of artists, but he even established a school to pass on what he had learned. There’s not much to say that his artwork can’t say with more authority.

Rest well.

 

 

Live and learn

Most people in comics are familiar with the great 22-panels of Wally Wood—

I even have the pleasure of working with the guy who pasted the thing up :::ach-HAMA:::: sorry- had a cough there or something.

Well now Mark Waid and Jeremy Rock have put together a shorter (but planned to be longer?) version called “Mark Waid’s 4 panels that never work” which appeared on the blog “Gutters“. It’s a neat site, so check it out. If you’re too lazy, here’s the page, but trust me, there’s good stuff over there. I hope they do more as they’ve hinted at.

Good stuff, right up there with Eric Powell’s recent Goon issue going off on the industry about its inability to move past clichés.  If you don’t have it, find it!