SMALL PRESS EXPO September 13-14, 2014!

The past four years I’ve attended or booked a table at the Baltimore Comic Convention. For this year’s BCC, I planned on debuting a new comic book but alas, it didn’t happen due to missed deadlines by the artist. (If only I kept up with my drawing instead of fronting a punk band for 7 years...but I digress.)

So I decided to attend the Small Press Expo (or SPX) in Bethedsa, Maryland which caters to purely independent comics. The main reason I went to SPX was to find a replacement artist but it became clear to me that everyone there is doing their own thing. And that’s awesome! It’s great to see creators working their dreams instead of worn down artists pushing out content when they have no proverbial “horse in that race.”

That first day I wandered, navigating up and down long aisles checking out art styles to see who would fit my project. The optimism and pride in everyone’s eyes as they described their books was infectious. I picked up quite a few of them. Here’s some quickie reviews:

First off, I made a beeline for Th3rd World’s table to get volume four of “The Stuff of Legend” which I highly recommend. A great story about a boy kidnapped by the boogeyman and his toys come to his rescue.

My favorite book last year was the blaxploitation parody “Afrodisiac” from ADHouse which blew me away so it was a great surprise to meet one of the creators, Jim Rugg, and pick up another of his books, “Street Angel.” We had a fun chat about his stuff as well as diverse topics such as Power Man/Iron Fist and Black Dynamite which we both were fans of. 

 “The Humans” is a cool book about what appears to be a Pierre Boule planet where apes rule and features an ape bike gang who rumbles with a rival outfit. Nice art and storytelling. I’ll pick up more when it comes out through Image.

Crime books are my thing so I had to pick up “Rebel Gun” by Josh Hixson. Phenomenal art! A low budget film with a real life serial killer is the plot of “The Auteur,” a wacked out book that would make a great animated film if Ralph Bakshi got a hold of it. “Bunny Girl” is an adorable book about the creator’s one year old. 

Every time I see writer Amy Chu, I always pick up what ever book she has. Never disappoints and “VIP Room” is no exception. Keep your eye on her.

On the second day, I had two goals in mind. One was to meet up a rep from ComiXology. They had sent a group email to participants of their Submit program which I was (MOSES MILITIA available now!) asking if they were attending. If they were to approach them and say hello. Easier said than done because ComiXology did not have a table nor did I know what they looked like. Well, I had asked a SPX staff member and they told me it was probably Chip Mosher. When I asked what he looked like, he said and I quote, “He’s a tall guy with a beard.” ???? Have you been to a Comic Con full of millennial hipsters? They’re all tall guys with beards!!!

My second goal was to grab a coffee and find a couch in the catacombs of the hotel where I can write on my laptop for the next “Moses Militia” arc. The creative energy of the con was a battery I decided to plug into while it was peaking. As I got a few pages in, people starting filling up the area. On my left I noticed there was a whole breakfast set-up of coffee, juice, bagels and pastries. And yep, they were free! Tumblr had sponsored a networking meet-up for con attendees. Not only did they bring munchies but there was a box of free trades they were giving away. (Grabbed me a trade of “Powers” by Bendis and Oeming!)

So I placed my script on pause, had some eats and mingled. Met a lot of (again) cool people and managed to meet a few promising artists.

Now here I must mention two incidents with comics professionals – one negative one positive. Since I don’t believe in posting negative comments about pros, the negative story will be about a “nameless anonymous guy/gal.” So I approached NAG to ask a simple question about submitting my book, “The Moses Militia,” for review to this person’s site. The query was “should I wait until it is gathered into a trade before I send it in?” NAG immediately went into some diatribe about genres that had nothing to do with what I had asked. When it was clear that NAG wanted to let off steam about…whatever, I decided to cut it short and gave this person a postcard with the cover of my book so this person would be familiar with it when I sent it in. Well, for some reason NAG rolled his/her eyes at the site of the card and said with a sarcastic tone, “Oh great. Moses Militia” before walking off. I have no idea what that was about. I knew this person was anti-superhero (which was part of NAG’s rant) but MM is not that. Maybe because the image is professional looking and features heroic poses (gee, sorry it looks good!) that’s the impression NAG got? Who knows. I like the next story better…

 

Moses Militia available at ComiXology:
http://cmxl.gy/1hXKCcV

So I made another sweep of the Con to talk to a few more potential artists when I was sure I found the right person. Her portfolio which was open on her table was very impressive. I decided to make my pitch and dazzle her with a money offer. Now where I made my mistake was failing to look at her name tag or the 7 foot tall standing banner behind her or the many trades on the table with her name plainly in sight. Hell, why bother with details? I’m gonna hire her! After a brief discussion she politely turned me down. That’s when I looked around and found out that I tried to hire Carla Speed McNeil for a pittance of her regular page rate. And believe me, what I offered her was a fraction of what she gets. Admittedly I was unfamiliar with her work but I did know her name. So I quickly apologized which she replied there was no need. Nope, I embarrassed myself and insisted that I felt an apology was in order. I should mention she liked what I was pitching, which centered around a female character (a point she admired) and thought the rate I was offering was great for newcomers to the field. Very gracious. Very professional. Looking forward to meeting up with her again.

Later in the day I attended a Q&A panel by Jules Feiffer who discussed many legendary cartoonists including Milton Caniff and Will Eisner. Soon after I managed to meet up with him and picked up a personalized copy of his graphic novel “Kill My Mother.”

As I turned to exit the con, a tall bearded man passed by. Could it be the elusive Chip Mosher of ComiXology? I tapped him on the shoulder and indeed discovered it was him. When I told him the description I was going on, we both laughed. Another really nice guy.

So I am now a fan of SPX and will most likely attend it next year if not book a table myself. Now I’ve got a lot of reading to do….

Cheers!
- jb

Lordy! Tons of news!
The entire MOSES MILITIA mini-series is finished & at the printers. It's my World War 2 story concerning a team of Jewish soldiers secretly funded by Winston Churchill to undertake missions outside the norm of conventional warfare. In other words "Inglorious Basterds with super-powers!" But add to the mix - the story is set in 1940 Casablanca, Morocco! Yes, THAT Casablanca. Perhaps the scene set in a famous cafe will look familiar to fans of the Golden Age of cinema!

Here are the covers to the series. The art is by Bill Wylie (Secret Defenders, Web of Spider-Man), inked by Mark McKenna (inker extraordinaire), & colors by Chris Sotomayor on covers 1 & 2 and Felix Serrano on #3. Both bring their professional magic to make the covers shine.

The entire series will make their debut at Baltimore Comic-Con this Sept 7th & 8th (table A310) along with shot glasses with the title logo on them.

At the same time, I have a kickstarter project underway for my next series. It's called MURDERTHON, a crime-noir story about a cross-country contest between two serial killers and mediated by a referee with a dark secret who needs to save one of their victims from the game. It features art by the amazing Ken Knudtsen (Wolverine, My Monkey's Name is Jennifer). MURDERTHON Kickstarter
Check it out!

- James

Comic Book Men - starring me!

Hi monster geeks! 

 

Some of you may have seen my November 25th appearance on the cable show "Comic Book Men" on AMC. This caught a lot of my friends off-guard as I did not promote this on social media or even tell anyone on the phone. That was due to legal concerns which I will get into. But let's start at the beginning....

There is a NYC collective of comic book creators called Pronto Comics (www.prontocomics.com). Last July at their fundraiser, a casting producer from AMC (Kiki - pictured) asked if anyone wanted to be on the show. A few tequila shots later, I signed up not thinking anything would come of it.

A few weeks later I was contacted by the show to fill out a rather long questionnaire. At this point I wasn't really interested because I was knee deep in getting the first issue of my comic book, THE MOSES MILITIA, ready for print. That and the appearance criteria were to bring an item to the show to sell.

Well, I didn't want to bring any rare comics or toys. That happens on a weekly basis on the show. Then it occurred to me...I have a body in the basement! And by that I mean, my Mecha-Kong costume that I had built for G-Fest - the annual Godzilla convention in Chicago.

For those that are not aware of the character, Mecha-Kong was the robot nemesis in the 1967 film "King Kong Escapes." The costume is built of carpet foam and latex rubber, very lightweight and easy to wear. The main reason why I built this particular suit was because one of the stars of the film, Akira Takarada, was appearing at G-Fest that year. Here I am posing with him and my girlfriend who dressed as Madame X, the mysterious gov't agent who commissioned the building of the robot in the film.

So I sent pictures of the suit to the casting producers and they contacted me a week later. They conducted an on-line interview through Skype and asked me all about the suit, G-Fest and my nerd credentials. I must have passed that because a few days after I was told I would be on the show.

So in early August, with the suit in tow, I had driven down to Kevin Smith's store, the Secret Stash, in Red Bank, NJ. The entire crew were very cool. The atmosphere on the set was very laid back. They shot lots of footage of me in the costume walking down the street towards the store. 

 

 

    

Traffic slowed down, people stared, salespeople in stores gawked through their windows. Seeing the reactions the suit caused, the director asked a lot of those people to reenact their surprised looks. All of this was filmed.

Now I must point out that while the suit is very lightweight and the head easily tips back so I could get as much air as I needed, I was walking down a street in mid day in August wearing a carpet. I was steaming inside. Luckily I was wearing a sweatband on my forehead - essential equipment for anyone wearing a monster suit. We spent about two hours on the street before they were ready to film me inside the store.

Once they called "action!," the filming went pretty much as was seen on TV but a lot was on the cutting floor - more discussion of Godzilla, “King Kong Escapes,” the suits I had built, G-Fest, that I actually had a girlfriend, etc. And also two versions of the transaction were shot: the TV scene where they turned down buying the suit and another where they offered me a lower price which I had turned down. Furthermore, there was a scene where I asked if they would take the suit on consignment and sell it there which they accepted. The suit is now on display at The Secret Stash for viewing or for sale (at least for a few weeks).  Or anyone can contact me directly.

Also, a professional photographer took shots of me in the suit for promotional purposes. (pictured)

The cast themselves were very nice, especially Walt who seemed to have a real enthusiasm for Godzilla films and the genre in general.

Lastly, the store also gladly accepted copies of my comic in their store. So look for MOSES MILITIA #1 at The Secret Stash!

Now after the shoot was over, the producers informed me that I could not promote my appearance on any social media. They do check and would consider a posting on facebook or twitter as a breach of contract and pull my segment. So therefore I couldn't tell anyone.

I was told that a sneak peek of Mecha-Kong was shown at New York Comic-Con but I didn't see it. The producers did contact me the week before to let me know the show would air on November 25th.

When the show aired, the six hour shoot was condensed to a five minute segment - me walking in, explaining what Mecha-Kong & G-Fest was, the cast asking me to smash a cardboard city and then turning down purchase. The reaction to the appearance has been uniformly positive. A lot of my friends posted on social media about the show and put up screen shots. One isolated the segment and posted it in its entirety (thanks Dutch!) which will probably be taken down but here's the link:  

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=297472457039057

There's a possibility that more footage will be included when the season 2 DVD of Comic Book Men is released. I have no idea.  

All in all, it was a fun experience. I had a great time, the suit got some air-time, and I'd like to think I contributed a little to Godzilla/Kaiju fandom.

See ya at G-Fest XX!

- James

This was my second year attending Baltimore Comic-Con but my first with a table. I had two goals: 1) to promote word of & interest publishers in my book THE MOSES MILITIA and 2) to establish myself as a professional colorist.

Both seemed to have a good start off the diving board into the deep end of the pro comic book world. All the publishers I handed packages to accepted graciously even though I gave them the out of mailing it to them. No one likes to be bogged down with materials they don't want. So on that end, I'm hopeful.
It was great to see numerous professionals that I can now count as friends (they know my name!) as well as others that recognize me from other cons as a true fan.

Copies of my book went to Jamal Igle, Mark Wheatley, Mike Raicht, and Garth Ennis as well as a bunch that sold at the table. It was great to hand a copy to Chris Sotomayor who did an oustanding job coloring the cover.

THE MOSES MILITIA, in a nutshell, is a World War 2 story set in Casablanca (which may or may not take place within the same world as the 1942 film. =wink!=). A small group of Jewish resistance fighters have been sent on the hush-hush from British Intelligence to find out why the Gestapo are meeting up with a German alchemist in Morocco. It's a three-issue series that I will self-publish if no one bites on the publishing end.
Words & interior colors from me, pencils by Bill Wylie (Secret Defenders, Web of Spider-Man), cover inks by Mark McKenna - it's a project I'm very proud of. Anyone interested can LIKE the facebook page for news & info: https://www.facebook.com/MosesMilitia

Cons also have tons of cosplay and yes, lots of hot scantily-clad chicks (you can see a bunch of pics on the facebook page) but I have to mention this great STARRO costume which depicts the famous JLA cover. Really cool!

After Saturday's events, I met up with other members of COMICS EXPERIENCE (a workshop of creators/pros with numerous educational courses on-line) for drinks. It was wonderful to share booze with such an enthusiastic crowd of talented creators.

Lastly, the city itself is a lot of fun. I always have a great time in Baltimore. My girlfriend and I had sushi along the harbor and talked about coming back just for the hell of it.

Looking forward to next year's comic-con!
- jb

So tomorrow starts the road trip to Maryland for Baltimore Comic-Con. There are two purposes for this: 1) to debut the first issue of the series I and artist Bill Wylie (Secret Defenders, Web of Spider-Man, etc) have been working on for a year - THE MOSES MILITIA; and 2) to further my career as a comic book colorist.

I've done work for Dynamite (WAREHOUSE 13) and Pronto Comics as well as assisting top talent (which still amazes me that I know such amazing professionals!) but this is the first time I'm manning my own table to promote my skills and work.

Looking forward to giving a full report when I get back!
-jb

The Ghost of Divine & Baltimore Comic-Con

As a huge fan of John Waters’ films, I’ve always been fascinated by Baltimore. Doesn’t matter that “Multiple Maniacs” and “Pink Flamingos” were made in the early 70’s. My vision of downtown Baltimore was of a city of freaks and characters on every block and maybe, just maybe if I was high enough I’d see the ghost of Divine about to smack me in the face with a stolen raw steak. While no apparitions assaulted me the city did not disappoint.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. It was a last minute decision to venture to Maryland for the Baltimore Comic-Con. Many pros and fellow amateurs on the Comics Experience web boards had high opinions of the show. Not crazy crowded like New York Cons nor catering to other media, BCC was pure comics filled with pros from every stature of the business. Superstars like David Finch and Jason Aaron were side by side with the older guard like Herb Trimpe and Walt Simonson.

My interest in going was to meet publishers and network, possibly to give editors my pitch for a three issue mini-series. I researched the companies that would most likely be interested in a book like mine by seeing what they had printed of a similar vein. Off I went armed with character designs from my artist, copies of comics I had written to hand out and a bottle of scotch for courage. Highly recommended but coffee could substitute, I guess.

Five hours later I was at my hotel in Baltimore for a good night’s sleep but first I decided to walk around the city to seek out signs of the madness John Waters wrote about. The hotel valet advised me to walk to The Power Plant, an outdoor atrium of bars and drunk kids, but if I was into strippers Baltimore St was the place for me. Why skimp on the full tour? I checked out both.

The Power Plant was no different from any college town hangout. My TV Guide summery: “a place to drink & get laid.” Moving on to Baltimore St was a trip back in time to a pre-Disney Time Square filled with prostitutes, neon lights and pot-bellied men offering “free looks” at girls that will do “anything you want.” Considering the cop on horseback right across the street I’m sure that offer was limited.

While trekking around the city I played with my yo-yo – the Duncan kind. It was my executive stress ball which got me quite a few looks. Two couples walked passed me at one point. A girl said, “look at that.” Her date replied, “That’s the Yo-Yo Guy. I seen him around town.” I felt that Baltimore had incorporated me into its mythos, even if that dude had his facts wrong. It made me smile all the way back to my hotel room.

The next morning I entered the convention and made a beeline for the seven publishers on my list. Playing dumb I made the play that they probably wouldn’t be into my series but what would they suggest I do? The more we chatted the more they became interested until eventually some (not all) would ask to see my pitch. Three of the seven publishers succumbed to my Machiavellian plan. BHWA-HA-Ha-ha-ha!

All this took place within the first hour of the con which left me with a lot of time to fill. I met up with a lot of pros who I had friended on facebook including Mark Wheatley (writer of Blood of the Innocent & Frankenstein Mobster), Brian Smith & Mike Raicht (co-writers of The Stuff of Legend) and Jason Aaron (writer of Scalped & X-Men Schism) – all great guys! I got a good laugh out of Jason with comparisons of our careers – we both worked in the porn industry. He worked at a porn warehouse & I DJ’d at a strip club which was funding my comics career.

After the con I met up with other members of the Comics Experience Workshop for dinner. (http://www.comicsexperience.com/index.html) It was great to finally meet up with other writers whose work I critiqued & who reciprocated. Then it was off to the Hyatt Bar where the Harvey Awards were taking place. It was here that I finished off my scotch flask and had to resort to…=gasp!=…buying drinks. But c’est la guerre! A fun time was had by all.

Back at the Con on Sunday I went shopping to pick up some back issues and try some new stuff including “God Hates Astronauts” (probably the craziest book you’ll ever read!), a huge “American Flagg” collection (by Howard Chaykin) and my favorite discovery in years: “AFRODISIAC!” by Jim Rugg & Brian Maruca.

Afrodisiac is about a pimp whose origin changes with every story. His power, as far as I can tell, is he’s irresistible to women. Enemies include Richard Nixon, aliens, Dracula and God. It’s a wacked out blaxploitation-style book with amazing art and hysterical dialogue but it’s the art design that really hooked me. The stories look like old Silver & Bronze Age books that were photographed with careful attention to minor details like emulating cover designs of companies like Dell & Charlton. This is my choice for book of the decade!

On my way out I happened to notice a small old man sitting outside by himself smoking and eating a sandwich. It was José Luis Garcia-Lopez. To me he is DC. Not only has he drawn more characters there than probably every artist at the con combined but as the designer for DC’s licensing division in the 70’s his art has graced every product from lunch boxes to back packs to underroos. Odds are if you ever bought any DC non-comics item, it had images by JL Garcia-Lopez. I gently tapped his shoulder and told him what a big fan I was and then apologized for interrupting his lunch. He smiled and thanked me.

The drive back was a bit tough. Torrential downpours caused flash flooding in Baltimore and forced me to navigate around underpasses blocked by cars up to their windshields with water. But with Clive Barker’s Sacrament on tape to keep me company I made it home.

Baltimore Comic-Con was a delight and a significant milestone in my fledgling comics career. While nothing may come of the publishers’ interest in my book, I feel like I’m starting to understand the business. But right now all this talk about Baltimore makes me nostalgic for a John Waters movie tonight. How about Multiple Maniacs….

THE HELL OF BREAKING INTO COMICS

Welcome to the not-so-very beginning. Breaking into the comics business is very hard. It’s so hard that I am starting to grasp what “very hard” actually means. Sexual innuendoes aside, I’ve decided to document the pathways I’m following to become a published comics writer. There are a lot of blogs by established writers that give advice on breaking through to the Big Show, as there are (pick a number) more of amateurs detailing what they’re doing to make it and promote themselves. Yes, I’d fall into that category as well but this blog is a very useful tool with many applications – the least of which is cathartic, the most is as a whetstone to sharpen my writing.

I was at my local comic store today to empty out my bin as I do every three months or so. The clerk handed back to me a copy of DIAL ZERO #1 & 2 (which I wrote & illustrated) saying he couldn’t sell them. I asked if he wanted them for free & he declined. I asked if he read them & he diplomatically sidestepped a negative answer by saying he “glanced at them.” Now he is the nicest guy in the world. I’ve known him and have been going to that store for 15 years, I’d say. It is not possible for me to have any animosity towards him or the owner at all. But I guess the episode left me a bit vulnerable, especially after the events of the last 24 hours.

I attended a one day convention in NYC yesterday. One of the promoters (Charles of BigCityDrinkandDraw.com) kindly offered us a table to cross promote our events. His was a monthly gathering he’s hoping to build called the Drink and Draw where comics people gather to booze up and sketch. Prizes would be given away and people can network which is a great idea. I was there with members of Pronto Comics, a collective of comics creators who self-publish to get our books into the public but mostly to send to editors of publishing companies to break into the business.

Now if you’ve ever attended a comic book convention you know it’s a brain draining experience. Whether you’re there to purchase items or meet professionals the physical effort is substantial – it’s a hassle to get there (trains, subways, parking, etc), you stand around a lot, crowds are overwhelming (to say nothing of the odors that meld into the available breathable air), the local food is terrible and there’s nowhere to sit. On the other side, if you have a table, the same applies except you have to extend a bubbly personality and outward enthusiasm to get people to come to you while explaining within 30 seconds why they should care about what you are offering. Unless you have limitless depths of energy (or a mutant healing ability), a convention can scramble your hopes into a thin liquid that quickly escapes through the coffee filter of your brain and through the drain of your soul.

That is when you have to decide whether to continue because brother, you’re just entering purgatory. Last night on the train ride home, the movie “Big Trouble in Little China” got into my head and the scene where one of the heroes mentions that the Chinese have a lot of Hells. So ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the HELL OF BREAKING INTO COMICS. If I could rename this blog that would be the title.

I’m going to use this space to detail my mistakes and triumphs (optimist that I am) but also for catharsis. I truly feel joy when I am writing. After the sixth hour at the convention all I wanted to do was work on script ideas.

I’d like to end on a positive note. As I was about to leave my comic book store I found in my bag a sketch I made at the Drink & Draw last night. I won 2^nd place in a Ghost Rider sketching contest judged by Mark Teixeira (fantastic pro artist on Ghost Rider, Hex and others). Below is the sketch. A minor triumph but you take them wherever you can get them.

I’d tell you more but I got a deadline. Cheers!