RIP Leonard Nimoy.

It has been reported this morning that Actor Leonard Nimoy has passed away at 83. Mr Nimoy of course is most known for playing the world's most famous alien Mr Spock on Star Trek.

Usually I'm not one to remark on actor or celebrity death, but this is different. Mr Nimoy was the one who portrayed my childhood hero. And I say this completely without irony, Mr Spock was the only fictional character that I truly consider a hero. True, while there where other Characters that I liked, such as Han Solo, Spider-Man, and Superman. Spock was the only one that I looked up to. My love of Spock led to my love of Star Trek and by extension science fiction.  Also since Spock was the "man with the plan" and that plan was science, Nimoy's Spock a fictional character  he did more to interest me in science than NASA, Mr Swensen*, and Carl Sagan combined. Even if it was just movie science. And I'd like to think without Leonard Nimoy's skilled portrayal of this inimitable character. I would not be saying any of the things that I said above.

I did not know Leonard Nimoy. And it's odd to grieve for someone who is barely more than a complete stranger. But his work has affected me in a profound way. However there are those to whom Mr Nimoy was Father, husband or friend and I ask in closing to give a good thought or prayer, whatever is your wont, to them. Because for them, more profoundly than it could ever be for me, he will be missed.



*my 8th grade science teacher

The Long Beach Comic Expo.

     Well there's another one in the books. The Long Beach Comic Expo is usually a fun and productive con and this one was no exception. However this con was... different it seemed to have a dark cloud over it. First, I knew that for the first time since I started it I wasn't going to have a new Hero Chick comic, due to freelance work. But that was no problem! I don't have a high returning readership so I essentially still had four "new" issues . Then, two weeks out, I managed to lose the notebook of sketchcards that I had crafted at the end of last year. Bummer! But I was able to make more. But then, two days before the show, a family member got injured leaving me without one of my helpers, my brother. In fact, I would have cancelled the con if it wasn't past the refund date (careers career but family is family). So needless to say I wasn't "feeling" it.

      Then on the eve of the con I drove down to Redondo Beach to stay with my cousin and co writer Ruben. Well when I say drove I mean after the three trips back home from a couple of blocks away to get the things I keep forgetting. Including my suitcase! Then I was off! I had a good drive and arrive in quite a timely manner. Meanwhile while unpacking my stuff, I realized that between talking to the people in my house about how I kept leaving things and grabbing my pillow and blanket (which I also had forgotten), I realized that I left my suitcase... AGAIN! Well there was no way I was gonna drive back, or have my brother leave from helping out the aforementioned family member to bring me the case. So my cousin and I went down to the Target and I got some clothes. Then it was off to the Redondo Cafe for some Quebecois smoked meat, so the night would at least end right.

       Thankfully after all the drama leading up to the con the whole thing went wonderfully. I arrived, albeit less professionally dressed than intended, right at eight got signed in and set up shop.

Then I got a great bit of news! My cousin Amanda's husband Nick would be joining me to help out. So now the team was back to  full strength. Once again (knock on wood) I was blessed with wonderful neighbors and after the whole team got there everything was great.

       I did pretty good business all in all. Sold a number of sketch cards and a good number of comics. Didn't "make table", but I really wasn't expecting to. Got my card to some people. One who was looking for a character designer, and one who was looking for a "bronze age" style artist for his dream project so we'll see if either of those pans out. On Sunday I didn't have Nick, but still had Ruben. And business was good in fact most of the business was on day 2. Toward the end of the con I got to go out and buy some stuff for my dad and brother (avid fan print collectors both) as well as a couple trades and seventies comics gems for me.  

Seventies Comics Gems

     Making things even nicer, my Cousin Julia (Ruben's sister) came out with my Uncle and Grandfather. It was her first con (I think) and she and they enjoyed themselves immensely it's always great when friends or family come to visit. All in all despite the crap start a good con.

9:00 am Sunday

      I've been really terrible at pictures for the last two cons (partly due to Daniel, The guy who I make take pictures) not being there. Hoping Julia will post the picture that she took on Facebook so I can hijack it for the header.

     But in the meantime the only sketchcards from the con I remembered to take pictures of ...

Raven belongs to DC Comics

Hans belongs to Disney

A Bit About the Fantastic Four

Hello Everybody. It's been away a while. I wish it was because I've been super busy or that I've been lost in some made up Sci-fi Scenario, but, nope just been away. Sorry.
So... what to talk about... what to... there we go! These guys!

Yup The Fantastic Four.

... In Which I Defend Pouches.

Alright now that I'm back what to write, what to write... well the post about purses went over pretty well, so what the hell let's talk about Pouches. 

Rob Liefeld gets a lot of shit. "he can't draw hands and feet", "his people look weird" are things commonly said about the artist. Many reams of virtual ink have been used on Liefeld's alleged short comings. And many of them have a point. But the one slight I've never understood however is the thing about the pouches. People go on and on about the pouches, and frankly out of all of Liefeld, or for that matter the 1990's, idiosyncrasies I find the pouches to be the least objectionable.

Frankly why not have pouches? Superheroes are typically depicted as autonomous units so one would think they'd need stuff. And let's face it the typical super heroic garment isn't exactly pocket heavy. Now I'll grant you, the pouches got out of hand when they started to be worn on leg belts, and also Superheroes in the Superman mold don't really need equipment. But Superheroes like the X-Men (the most egregious pouch offenders) who are often involved in espionage and covert strikes that often lead to the need to take on a survivalist mentality may just need equipment. Another group that could make good use of pouches is the badass normal. After all these heroes only have their equipment and training to defend them. Which leads me to the pouchtastic hero that never seems to get crap for it. Batman, but then of course Batman never gets crap for anything. Of course (my snark about Batman aside) all of Batman's pouches are logically placed on a belt, on his waist.

Of course in the 1990s pouches did get a bit overboard. Pouches everywhere, the thigh, the arm possibly even on a headband. And they where never shown being used. But we don't ridicule the artistic application of pouches we tend to ridicule the concept itself and the concept is sound, unlike other tropes of the 1990s.

The Long Belated Long Beach Report.

Hey everybody.
Sorry it's been a while. In fact I realized I didn't even give you a report on the Long Beach Comic Con back in November.  Well the LBCC went over well and I managed to get a few copies of Hero Chick into peoples hands. But the real winner from this last con where the sketch cards. I was drawing those a lot on Saturday and all day Sunday. So much so that I'm thinking of making them my main business at cons. 

Comikaze!!!!

Hey there.

Team Hero Chick will be at Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo on November 1-3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. We'll be at table AA1232. We'll have all four issues of the Super Cliche Hero Chick for sale. I will also be doing sketches, sketch cards, and private commissions. Who knows I may even have some original art. 

So come on down to see us. 

...and oh yeah behold the cover of Hero Chick Issue 4

The Lightbox.

Hey there. Just figured I'd drop a line to show you guys that I'm still out there and working. I've gotten going on Hero Chick Issue 5  and things have been going well, but onto what I've decided to talk about today. For the first four issues of Hero Chick I've drawn my final art straight to the board but with issue 4 I felt like I was keeping things too simple with my panels. I was having a hard time drawing small, cleanly, as well. This paired with the fact that issue 5 entails an airborne fight with a dragon as well as many pages with a four panel row grid, I've decided to go back to sketching many of my panels on a separate sheet of paper and then transferring them via a lightbox.