Megacon 2006

Well, bad news. Since I've been very low on funds lately (and have yet to recover the money owed from a months old debt), artist alley for the con has sold out. Thus, I'm basically screwed. This is a big disappointment for me. I really wanted to set up at the show, since it would be the first year for me in Arist Alley there. This means, unless something changes, I will not be at the show. :(

Limited edition cover for The Line #2

Here's a sneak peek at the limited edition cover for issue #2. Artwork by Derrick Fish (Dandy & Company).

National Big Apple Con

Looks like I WON'T be at this con afterall. Few factors involved in making that appearance impossible right now. I WILL be at the Tampa Comic & Toy Con on November 20th though, here in Florida. After that will be FX 2006 at the end of January.

2006 Convention Schedule

I'm trying to get a tentative schedule set for 2006. Thus far, I know I will be at these shows:

FX 2006 (Orlando, FL)
January 27th-29th

Megacon (Orlando, FL)
February 24th-26th

Wizard World Philly
June 2nd-4th

Wizard World Chicago
August ???

Baltimore Comic Con
September ???


I'm hoping to also attend Heroes Con at the end of June, as well as Emerald City in April. I WILL be making at least one NYC appearance next year. If I don't attend Emerald City, it will most likely be the March/April Big Apple Con, otherwise it will be the National Big Apple Con in November.
If anyone reading this is a fellow creator and would be interested in sharing a table or whatnot for Emerald City or Heroes Con, let me know! :)

Hope

I have signed on to write a short story for the Ronin Studios anthology to benefit those affected by Hurricane Katrina. The book will focus on New Orleans and the state of Louisiana theme-wise. More on this soon.

Tampa Con Sunday!

I'll be set up at the Tampa Comic & Toy Con this Sunday from 10am-4pm. I'll have copies of The Line with me, as well as some signed 11x17 prints of Oeming's cover (he signed them in Chicago). So, if you are in the area, stop by and say "hi!" :)
http://comicbookconventions.com/tampaconvention/index.htm

Personal journal

For anyone interested, I have a live journal going that I'm using again for my personal musings and whatnot. This blog is just for my writing and comic stuff (basically, updates). So, if you're interested, go here.

Misfit Comics Changes

Just released a press release the middle of last week concerning Tessana Nemenski and Kayla Tepps. They have decided to leave the studio and pursue their book, "The Distance" elsewhere.

Also, I should have an announcement about a new project in the coming weeks. Once things get better set, I will post about it here.

WWChi Wrap Up

What a crazy show! There was SO much going on! I'm going to post a report of some sort once I get back home, as I'm still in Chi-town right now. What I will say is, changes and announcements are coming in the coming weeks. More soon! :)

Off to Chi-town!

I will be leaving on a jetplane in a few hours. Not sure when I will be posting here this weekend. I may be doing a daily diary thing for the Comic Book Bin. If that is the case, I will post the info about that here when I can.
More soon! :)

Wizard World Chicago!

WWChi is this week! The con runs from the 4th through the 7th (Thursday night is preview night). Misfit Comics won't be setting up on Thursday evening for Preview Night. But, we will be wondering around the con hall checking things out and whatnot.
On hand, we will have The Line #1, now with two covers (Oeming's and series artist, Eric Gravel's), The Distance #1, and the Full Figure Porn Scrapbook. So, if you are attending the con, stop by Artist Alley table #9162 and say "hello!"

Preview of "A Comical Christmas"

A preview of this short story that is appearing in the "In Every Direction" anthology, can be found on my website. The antho will be premiering at Wizard World Chicago next month.

Marvel HQ Tour

I was fortunate enough to get a tour of the Marvel Offices. To say I was excited is an understatement. :)
Anyway, I got there a bit before 1pm and took the elevator up. Once up, I was greeted by the secretary. She took my name and called for Joe Quesada. Unfortunately, Joe wasn't in the office. I was told to take a seat and his assistant would be right up.
So, there I am waiting in the lobby for Marvel Comics. The lobby is very nice. Posters and art on the walls and there are Marvel comics there for you to read (though, they are older issues, they even had an issue of Avengers Disassembled there). From where I was sitting, it looked like the top level contained business offices. A huge Marvel banner was hanging on the glass wall and people were coming and going.
I waited for about 10 minutes before Joe's secretary came up. She informed me that Joe was still out of town due to the funeral for Jeph Loeb's son. So, she didn't know if someone could give me the tour since she couldn't. Anyway, I got lucky and Nick Lowe was around and willing to show me around. We went back over to the elevators, as the editorial section of Marvel was one floor down.
Cubicle city! I think this set up is referred to as the Marvel bullpen, I could be wrong though. There are also offices all around the wall. Most of the Editors share actual offices. The X-Men book guys in one, the Ultimate line guys in another, etc.
Nick showed me his office (he works with the X books). On the wall there are clipboards with printouts of the current issue that is being put together. He showed me a few of them (each board has the cover colored, cover inked, cover in pencils and the pages), very cool stuff.
Then, we went over to meet the Ultimate line Editors (pic of me with them later). Spoke with them for awhile. Very cool to meet Ralph finally. Next up were the Hero Editors. Only one was in, but she was very cool (sorry, I'm blanking on her name, she works on The Pulse though). We spoke for a bit and I got to see some cover art.
That was basically it. Nick walked me back through and I got to see inside some of the cubicles. Lots of posters and toys everywhere. It was a fun time! (see pics below)

New York Pics!

Here are some pics from my trip to New York.


BIG APPLE CON!

Tony Harris


Brian K. Vaughan


Michael Lark



Me with BKV and Tony


Jeff and Kat Amano (they came by the con on Saturday)




MARVEL OFFICES!

Front of building that Marvel has taken up two floors of space


Marvel banner (they have a few of these once you get onto their floors)


Joe Quesada's office



Me with the Ultimate Editors (note the wall - those are current issues of books in progress!)

BIG APPLE CON!

REPORT FOR FRIDAY, JUNE 17th

First day of the con! Since I would be taking the LIRR (Long Island RailRoad) into NYC from my Aunt's house in Long Island, I was forced to deal with the
train's schedule. Thus, I had to get up at 5am to catch a 6:41am train. Now, this time of day isn't a stranger to me, as I am known to stay up til 5 or 6am
writing or whatnot, but waking up at this time was horrid. I only got maybe 5 hours of sleep (thanks in part to a call from Tess :p), so I was exhausted.
Anyway, I got ready and got down to the train station at about 6:35am, bought my ticket ($20 ouch! - and that's just TO Penn Station), and boarded the train
for the two hour trip. (Sidenote: try to never use the bathroom on the LIRR, unless you don't mind that port-a-potty cleanliness...)

I got into Penn Station a little before 9am, which meant I had three hours to kill before the con started. This wouldn't have been so bad, except that I had
my small carry-on rolling bag with me and the idea of dragging that around wasn't very appealing. Still, I decided to get something to eat in Penn Station
and do some exploring. After grabbing a bite to eat, I wanted to locate the Penn Pavilion so I knew where the show would be. Ends up, it was right across
the street attached to the Pennsylvannia Hotel. I found out that I could check in and all that jazz at 11am, so I went off to wander the streets of NYC.

Ok so, after walking around a bit for about 30 minutes and getting bothered a few times by folks trying to hand me crap and whatnot, I ended up getting a
Starbucks frap and heading back to the Hotel to wait it out until I could get into the show. What did I do in the lobby for that time? I basically spyed
on people's conversations. Yeah, I'm getting real good at that too (not sure it's something to brag about), was doing it on the train as well. I even took
notes, I was that bad. :p

Finally, 11am came and I was able to check in and get into the con to set up. Once I got upstairs where the event was being held, the talent director, Allan
helped me find my space. I was amazed to find myself smack dab in the middle of guys like Michael Lark, Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris. I never expected
to be located near such awesomely talented folks, people I respect so much. Anyway, I got set up and not long after, Tony Harris and his wife arrived. Tony
is a very cool guy, and his wife is very sweet. I ended up talking to her for a few minutes. Brian K. Vaughan arrived not long after as did Andy MacDonald of
NYC Mech. Andy came by and we spoke for a few minutes. Always great to see and talk to him and Ivan Brandon (who didn't make it to this show).

Anyway, the con went well. I met some great folks, a number of them are BKV Cabal members or Bendis Boarders (Steve Zegers, Mark, BNolan, and many more who's
names are escaping me - I'm so sorry, I feel bad for forgetting names). And, BKV showed me one of his scripts and talked to me a bit about his style, which
was very cool. I love seeing how different each writer is with their approach and styles.

I had to leave the con a bit early to catch the train back (another fun two hour trip). But, Friday was a good time which left me tired, but excited about
Saturday. :)


(Saturday's report coming soon!)

New York bound!

I'm flying out to New York tommorrow. Going to be there for basically a week. If you're going to the Big Apple Con this Friday and Saturday in NYC, be sure to stop by my table and say "hi!" I'll have copies of The Line #1 and some prints of the cover with me. Pics shall be posted late next week! :)

Oh, and for those interested in convention info: http://www.bigapplecon.com

Cover for 2nd printing of issue #1!

Issue #1 of The Line will be getting a second printing for Wizard World Chicago this August. While the Oeming cover will still be available, a second cover by artist Eric Gravel will be as well. Check it out!

Eric did an awesome job on it! I'm considering having some posters made of it as well. More info on the 2nd printing in the coming weeks!

"The Line" on IGN

Hilary Goldstein of IGN has kindly featured The Line as it's current Indy Spotlight book. Head on over to check it out:
http://comics.ign.com/

The direct link to the feature:
http://comics.ign.com/articles/622/622715p1.html

Also, I'm going to the Big Apple Con in NYC next week. More info on that very soon.

Tampa Con Pics

ComicBookConventions.com has some pics from April's Tampa Con up on their site. There is one photo of me posted.

Also, I may have an artist on board for the teen superhero mini I've mentioned. I should know for sure this week I believe.

Blogger fun

Wow, I have SO much trouble getting on here to update. Not sure what the deal is, but I've got a few things to post about because of that.

"The Line." The series is NO longer associated with Ronin Studios. It is now with a studio that I am a co-founder of called Misfit Comics. Head on over to the website and check it out: http://www.misfitcomics.biz

Issue #2 of "The Line" still looks to be on target for an August release. And, issue #1 will hit a second printing before WWChi. That printing will see some re-tooling of sorts to the issue. Little things myself and Eric want to tweak. Nothing too major. But, we may be adding some things to the end of the book. I'll keep you updated on that.

And finally, a little report from the Tampa con! My digital camera decided not to work, so I don't have any pics. But, Dwayne from ComicBookConventions.com took a couple and as soon as I get them in my inbox, I will post them. In the meanwhile, here's my con report:

Got to the con late. Friggin huge ass accident on the Interstate. Backed up for miles. At least I beat Ethan Van Sciver to the show (he was stuck in there too).
When I got there, I got set up and I was right up front and had a whole table to myself. I thought that was very cool. Anyway, I sat next to Derrick Fish (Dandy & Company) who is an awesome guy and artist.
Sold a few books during the show, not a whole lot, it is a fairly small show really. Meet some cool folks as well. I also signed a few programs which is fun. Some even had printouts of the webpage with all of the guests pics on it for me to sign.
Did walk around for about 10 minutes and was able to snag #2-#4 of the Scarlet Witch mini I so badly want to finish reading, as well as a complete set of the Vision & Scarlet Witch mini. Good finds!
After the show, I went to dinner with Derrick Fish at this steakhouse a bit down the road. Fajitas were my pick and damn was I hungry! I hadn't had anything to eat less for a granola bar at the show.
All in all, a nice show. I look forward to hopefully doing another Tampa show in the future.

Tampa Convention today!

I will be a guest at the Tampa Comic & Toy Convention later today here in Florida. If you are in Central Florida and have some time, drop by and say "hello!"
http://www.comicbookconventions.com/tampaconvention/index.htm

Busy, busy

It's been a busy few weeks. Quick status on some things for those interested. I'm currently writing 4 different books.
-"The Line"
Eric is currently pencilling issue #2 as I am retooling issue #3 and working on issue #4. Timing-wise, it's going pretty well.
-Teen superhero mini-series
Now, this had a possible artist, but since I have yet to hear back, I'm assuming I will need a new one soon. So, if you are an artist and are interested in drawing a four issue mini, let me know.
-Hardcore crime book
I'm keeping pretty tight-lipped on this one. It's something I'm putting a lot of time into. This won't see the light of day until probably summer 2006 or so.
-One-shot journey story
Based on true-life events, this is another book I will be putting out sometime in 2006. More on this one in the coming months.

Also, there will be an announcement next week tha has to do with "The Line," and my future projects.
And, a quick thanks to all those who have picked up "The Line" #1. Thanks so much for your support!

"Mugging" it for the press

Looks like I made it onto two comic news sites for WWLA coverage. If you want to see me all dorked out, here are the links:
Broken Frontier
The Comic Fanatic

I should be posting the inks for "The Line" poster soon, so stay tuned...

"The Line" on Broken Frontier!

Broken Frontier was kind enough to feature a five-page preview of issue one. Issue is available now via comixpress or through me directly. Drop me an email more more info.

WWLA: Pictures!

I swear blogger hates me. I am always having trouble getting onto the site to log in. Anyway, now that I am finally here....
I posted some pics from WWLA on my website here. More to be added soon.

Also, I'm taking a bit of a break from internet. I will be checking my email, but I won't be posting on some of my regular message boards for a time. So, if you are looking for me for whatever reason, please drop me an email for the time being. Thx.

And, I will be doing a full WWLA report within the week. Look for that soon.

WWLA: Day One

The day went fairly well. Got there about 12pm to set up. Finally met with my fellow Ronin peeps (Batman Booyah, Genius J, Pat Loika) and the Silent Devils guys. We set up and then waited for the con to open!
Friday was pretty slow for us, I only sold a handful of "The Line." But, I did get a lot of lookers. Oh, and someone who looked me up online and wanted to sell me something c ncerning having some sort of clock made of Jessi Myers (my lead from "The Line). That was interesting. Didn't buy the book, just wanted to sell me something it appeared.

Good times were had at the bar (Rockbottom) that evening. I met Geoff Johns and talked to a very drunk Thomas Jane, and of course I talked to many other folks.
I look forward to an awesome Saturday at the show and after!

Day One in LA!

Nothing overly exciting on Thursday. But, I DID get to sit at Fox Mulder's desk. One of the museums in Hollywood has the actual desk and chair used on the show. That was very cool. I will be posting a pic soon.
Other than that, just took it easy and checked out the area. There will be TONS more to report about later today, post-con. :)

Issue #1 copies arrive & Fanboy Radio appearance!

I would have posted this yesterday, but I couldn't get onto blogger. Anyway, awesome news! The copies of "The Line" arrived on my doorstep yesterday and they look great! Also, the book can now be purchased via comixpress for those not attending WWLA or any other con I am going to this year.

Also, Scott Hinze and David Hopkins of Fanboy Radio did a short interview with me for today's show. You can download the episode, which features talk of the "State of the Indiestry" in the episode database on the FBR website.

Remember to stop by artist alley table #2031 if you are attending WWLA this weekend! I will not only have copies of the book, but I will have some 11x17s of Oeming's cover, as well as some signed 8 1/2 x 11" prints he signed when he was here for Megacon.

Check back all weekend long for reports on the convention!

Image Comics Boards

So, apparently, the Image Comics Boards fell victim to a hacker late yesterday. According to the admin, it could take some time for them to recover from the attack. In the meanwhile, you can go to the "back-up" Bendis board on Jinxworld.

Also, "The Line" premieres in a week! If you won't be attending WWLA or WWChi this year and are interested in obtaining a signed copy of the first issue, please drop me an email. Thanks!

Website is online!

Wooo! Go right here: www.rangerchic.com.
I am working on improving the site, so things will only get better and better there as time rolls on. Also, if you are using Firefox, the site doesn't come up right for some reason. I'm working on that, hopefully I can remedy that soon.

Hey! I leave for Wizard World LA in t-minus 9 days! :)

Website in the works!

My official website should be online either later today, or Thursday. The webaddress is: http://www.rangerchic.com.

Stay tuned! :)

Megacon has arrived!

Very quickly, since it's after 3am and I really have to get some rest before the start of the con later today...
There was a short signing I set-up at my Barnes & Noble (that is where I currently work). Guests included Phil Jimenez, Greg Horn and Andy Runton (Mike Oeming planned on attending, but his flight was majorly delayed due to the snow). Anyway, the event went well. Here are a few pics for those interested:



More later!

Hey look, it's an update!

I meant to update last week, but I couldn't get on blogger for some reason. Anyway, issue #1 of "The Line" is at the printer! I should have it in my hands in time for WWLA next month. And, my name is on the Artist Alley list for the con!
Check it out
This week is Megacon. While I won't have "The Line," I will be attending. So, if you see me, say hello. You might find me at Mike Oeming's booth since I'm going under his site (for those unaware, I run his website).
More soon! :)

Cover image to The Line #1!

Presenting the awesome cover to issue #1 of "The Line!" It was done by the great Mike Oeming.

Wow, I got on!

I've been having trouble posting to my blog the last few days. Not sure what the deal is there. Anywho, a bit of an update. I am now listed on Tampa Comic & Toy Conventions' site as a guest for April 17th. Also, I'm about set for Wizard World LA in March. More on that soon.
Bit of not so good news, "The Line" most likley won't be ready in time for Megacon. Eric is finishing up the issue now, so it won't hit the printer until the last week of the month. That would only give them about 4 weeks to print up the copies. Since they have been a bit backed up as of late, I don't see the book getting to me until right before WWLA. It will however be orderable online in March.
I will be posting more info/updates on things soon! :)

2005 is officially here!

A year of new experiences and fun has arrived. I look forward to what the coming months have to offer! Happy New Year everyone! :)