NYCC 2011 _ Top 11 List

11) BEST COSTUMES - Dayna / Zuul / "The Gatekeeper" & Louis / Vinz Clortho / "The Keymaster" from GHOSTBUSTERS

There were plenty of costumes that were more elaborate or obscure but this one hit the sweet spot for me for execution (light-up helmet!), conviction, and goofy delight. Bonus points for being a couple.

10) BEST TOYS - The Ever-Expanding Line of Marvel Universe Figures

I had no shortage of toys growing up and I'm no longer buying them now but I always get a little rush when I see action figure versions of a seemingly endless crowd of favorite characters. In this cluster alone: the cat version of Beast, Beta Ray Bill, and Kraven the Hunter.

9) BEST SUPERHERO ANNOUNCEMENT - Storm Joins the Avengers

At the time I was reading UNCANNY X-MEN as a kid Storm went through her famous transformation from a slightly aloof mutant weather goddess to a powerless punk with a mohawk as leader of the X-Men. I definitely have affection for the character but felt she should always have been more prominent as a leader of the Marvel Universe and, as a minority woman with an iconic look, an easy-to-understand power set, and complex identity (benevolent mutant worshipped as an Earth goddess) a banner character for the company. Now in the hands of Brian Michael Bendis and Daniel Acuña I have high hopes that that will be the case.

I'm no superhero artist but you can see my costume re-design for the character, HERE.

8) BEST ARTISTIC DISCOVERY - NICK DRAGOTTA

It often crosses my mind that there are countless undiscovered talents in this world. And then there are those like Nick Dragotta that were right in front of me but I'm seeing for the first time. Nick is no unknown. He's been working on Marvel books for some time, but, seeing his art at full size and in Black & White my eyes were snapped open and will never see the same again.

While his style pulls from all of the great Marvel illustrators (Kirby, Ditko, Adams) he recombines and delivers them in a package that feels new and slightly punked out. It's a visual language that I immediately respond to and one that movies can't match and with a cool they can only hope to emulate.

His website, HERE.

7) BEST BOOK - HEART #1 by BLAIR BUTLER & KEVIN MELLON

You know that for a while in Japan the number 1 selling comic was about Tennis? While there is a great diversity of genres and subject matter in American comics, it's clearly the superheroes that are the bread and butter and what most people associate with the medium.

Taking one step to remedy that is the Image series HEART written by Blair Butler and with art by Kevin Mellon and set in the competitive world of Mixed Martial Arts. I can't say that I've ever watched a match but the book takes full advantage of the medium's ability to convey external and internal drama with full visual might. And, Kevin's rendering is not what I would expect from such a book. Rather than muscular bold inks, he successfully builds figures and their environments from energized and well-chosen hatches.

Great review/analysis on Bleeding Cool, HERE.

6) MEETING OTHER NOVICE CREATORS - FRANK REYNOSO

One of the great changes over the last year is that now that we are published "professionals," aspiring writers and artists have been approaching us for advice.

We've seen a lot of incredible and promising work but the guy that impressed me the most is Frank Reynoso. From his EC-inspired writing on THE HUNTER to his own written/drawn horror book THE REMAINS he is someone with an engaging voice and with real chops when it comes to the not easy task of panel to panel storytelling. Publishers, I need to see Frank on the other side of the table signing books, come 2012.

Here are links to his website and blog.

5) PITCHING LIKE IT'S 2011

While I can't spill any details on my own 2011 pitching, two things became clear. 1) After the halcyon buzz of publishing our first book, this Con was a great perch to witness the industry and better understand our place in it. 2) I love telling stories. While I'm primarily an artist, I have gotten my greatest satisfaction out of working up stories with my collaborators. My bud and FEEDING GROUND co-hort Swift Lang is a writer with his finger on inherently visual stories that are essential and need to be told, now. And, with Jef Burandt, I have the potential to bring visuals to a concept that is both a sociopolitical epic and has the potential to be the coolest toy line this side of GI Joe. We'll see what comes of these pitches but I already benefited from the experience of working up the stories with friends and the editorial feedback we received in telling them over the weekend.

4) THIS IS YOUR LIFE

I cannot be more warm and grateful for the people that visited us to wish us well from all places and periods from our lives. Former co-workers, good friends, new friends, their families, and our family all came out with their support - often at the same time. Got to have dinner with my cousin Jen who I grew up with, blogger/podcaster pal Eric Jason Ratcliffe, and good friend/writer Swifty Lang all at the same table. Below are my Nickelodeon co-worker and pal Keelmy Carlo who had a whole list of friends he was there to cheer and also my sister's co-worker Angie, horror fan and FEEDING GROUND booster. Awesome people.

3) SIGNING THE FULL RUN OF FEEDING GROUND

There are many milestones in the act of bringing something like a book into the world. At our first convention appearance as creators in San Diego 2010 we were only signing a promotional poster for FEEDING GROUND and now this Con felt to me like we were tying a bow on the experience with the release of the Hardcover. The best book-related moment had to be when a fan had us sign the final 5 issues of the mini-series. We had hand-sold him on Issue 1 at NYCC 2010 and he continued to buy the rest at his local comic shop. Then, he thought enough of our work to bring them to the Con, find us, and have us sign them. Another first for us and I'll never forget it.

2) HUG THIS MAN! - Multiple outpourings of brotherly affection

PART 1 - Regular readers of this blog know that artist Juan Doe has been a great pal and artistic godfather to the FEEDING GROUND crew from the moment I met him signing at a Marvel booth in NYCC 2009, literally just before I pitched the book to Archaia.

I was hoping to see him this year but we've both been busy and out of touch. And then he appeared at our booth. Hugs all around and all night long as we celebrated personal and professional successes of the last year. So happy for him and the much-deserved love he's getting for his work on Marvel's LEGION OF MONSTERS mini but more so for the life he's created. Bonus - there he is below (LEFT) with Marvel editor Alejandro Arbona and Archaia's Mel Caylo, in total an NYC carpool crew from when they all met working at Wizard Magazine.

PART 2 - I was disappointed to hear that I wouldn't have the chance to meet up with MORNING GLORIES artist Joe Eisma at the con. We met over the Bendis Board and I'm honored to have seen his work grow and then explode with the success of his book with fellow Benboer Nick Spencer.

Joe and fellow Image artist Nick Pitarra (RED WING) decided to play a prank on Kevin Mellon (HEART, see #7 above) who I had just met. The premise: hug Kevin and win some books.

Contest + hugs + mild embarrassment = I'm all over it. Had a hard time getting a signal to be the first to send the picture but the guys were cool to include me as co-winner.

More details on the promotion and a look at their books, HERE.

1) HOW TO MAKE A GREAT INDIE GRAPHIC NOVEL PANEL

In Fall of 2008 we began construction of a pitch book based on advice we had seen given by creator Robert Kirkman in the back of a reprint of WALKING DEAD #1. In 2011, we were able to thank him and give him a copy of our finished book.

For me, more than anything, conventions are about paying it forward. I was proud to be included on Archaia's HOW TO MAKE A GREAT GRAPHIC NOVEL panel with Mark Smylie, Jim McCann, David Petersen, and Stephen Christy where we were able to lend advice to a standing room only room of aspiring creators who are looking for the same thing I wanted - how to make an idea a reality. Archaia owner PJ Bickett moderated a nuanced conversation that illustrated multiple experiences; no perfect answer but with many paths to learn from.

I've talked about our FEEDING GROUND pitch book in the past HERE. You can read our full pitch as a PDF HERE and we will be posting clips from the panel (recorded by FG co-creator Chris Mangun) on our FaceBook fan page by joining HERE.

Thanks to PJ and the whole Archaia team for taking a chance on us and bringing it all full circle.

Big Apple Comic Con 02 _ WRAP UP

Thanks to those of you who stopped by and visited our little piece of Real Estate at the Big Apple Comic Con (adorned by placards produced by the lovely Chris Mangun). It was my first time behind the table at a con and it was extremely rewarding to witness the enthusiasm of fans and the talent and generosity of creators from that vantage point. The community around comics is definitely part of what makes me appreciate the medium.

I want to take the time to reach out and thank a number of creators who I had the great fortune to meet at this con. I don't feel comfortable posting their art on this blog but I'll include some of their self-promotion work. Please follow the links to their respective home bases.


First off, much respect to artist Juan Doe for inviting us to share his Artist's Alley table. I met Juan at NYC Comic Con back in February and we hit it off across a Marvel signing. His work is next generation cool. Juan's love and understanding of both classic Marvel and European comics are processed through a style that is distinctly his. When I first saw his work, I was struck by how fully envisioned and executed it was. His covers and interiors are complete pieces, not colored drawings, and have a graphic energy that is exciting amidst Marvel's current "realistic" house style. He finishes his work digitially as if it were any manual tool and, man, the guy can draw! He's the full package and, along with his Fine Art and children's stories, someone who is not content to sit still. Plus, I had to admire how laid back he is for the amount of work he takes on.

We were seated next to Tim Bradstreet whose work has set the tone for noir-fueled cover art of the last two decades. As is often the case, it was incredible to see his work in person. His pieces are extremely time-intensive, utilizing photo-reference with a command of mark-making that should be studied under a loop. His heavy blacks are bottomless and bleed out into fine detailing. Check out an interview about his work here. He couldn't have been nicer with fans and I was excited to hear that he's been extending his talents to film along with Punisher conspirator Thomas Jane.

Spider-Man artist Alex Saviuk shared essential advice on the business of being a professional artist (among other things, save those receipts!). He's a pro and I absolutely need to track down his team-up with Will Wisner on The Escapist, Eisner's last work.

Art school friends Paolo Rivera and Joe Quinones made for a pair of today's top artists. They both posesss and exhibit a fundemental understanding of the artform without leaning too heavily on style or cutting corners. In particular, Paolo poses for and sculpts (!) his own reference and posts often about his process. They are young guns with a master's work ethic. Plus, there's this really funny Jam Cover they did for the show (available as a print).

David Mack is someone whose image-making has always stood out for it's use of collage and mixed media alongside traditionally produced books. But, now that I'm working on my own books, my brain is firing over the way he uses these techniques at the service of story. He's got a much-deserved fan base and a necessary voice in the field.



I also had the chance to catch up with two guys that I've had the chance to work with in the NYC animation industry, Emilio Lopez and Robert Crump. It was crazy to see how much their work has evolved and continues to evolve. Their stuff is fresh and explodes off the page. Catch up with them now because they're about to break out.


Finally, it was critical that I had the opportunity to meet up with the publisher and development team of Archaia. They are producing books, like Mouse Guard, The Killer, and Awakening, that meet and exceed the expanding tastes of the comic market and general public. Publisher Mark Smylie is a self-made man with a ballroom in Kearny NJ as his studio (true). His Artesia is classically illustrated Byzantine beauty. Along with Mel Caylo and Stephen Christy, I was impressed with how much these guys know comics. Stephen had constructive criticism of my work that was the panel to panel analysis I needed. He's enthusiastic about the medium with the big picture in mind - they're the first publisher to issue a Kindle-only release with the crime drama Tumor. Cheers to more great comics in 2010.