Inspired by a late-night viewing of The Runaways, and partly an exercise to see if I could make star-spangled pants and Wonder Woman go together. The idea started with Wonder Woman  (I briefly entertained using an Ian Curtis Batman) but the idea of an all-girl rock band with Black Canary, Zatanna and Batgirl seemed too good to pass up.

The original black and white art will be auctioned off at Heroescon this weekend, June 3-5, so please come visit one of the best comic conventions in the country. It’s a fantastic family show with great guests and excellent programming, and it’s one of my personal favorites. Hope to see you there.

Next week, I’ll be posting sketches from the show over on my Tumblr account. I will probably crosspost those images, since I like reading your comments here, but please let me know if you prefer one format over the other.

It was hoppin’ in Chicago last weekend! C2E2 ‘s second year was even better than the first, which I felt was a really solid show. Cheers to all the people at ReedPop for all their hard work. Lance, Peter, Kim, Mike and everybody else, you have my sincere thanks and deserve a round of applause. I had a great time, drank a lot of local brews, ate some unbelievable burgers at Kuma’s Corner with C.B. Cebulski and my friends from Threadless, and drew a few sketches, too. A great batch of interesting requests, and one really special Galactus piece for the Hero Initiative tattoo auction. The tattoo turned out great, thanks to master inker Brian Stringer and the patience of our super-cool winner, Artie. We only had time for black and white at the show, but I can’t wait to see the piece evolve with color. Maybe next year?

I’ve been hearing about how great the Emerald City Comicon is for years now, so I was really grateful for the chance to attend this year. Jim Demonakos and his crew have created a truly excellent show that caters to both fans and professionals. The atmosphere is super-friendly, and everyone I spoke with had as wonderful a time as I did. Add to that all the amenities of downtown Seattle, a food-lover’s dream, and you’ve got an incredible event. I really can’t wait to go back.

Looking for some ink? If you’re attending C2E2 next week, we’ve got something special cooked up. I’ve teamed up with tattoo artist Brian Stringer and the Hero Initiative to offer a custom tattoo, drawn by me and inked by Brian on the C2E2 convention floor! There are more details in this eBay auction link, but here’s the gist: the winner gets a custom design by me,  the tattoo by Brian, plus the original art and ALL proceeds are going to the Hero Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping comic creators in need. Everybody wins!

But who’s the sassy girl on the left, you say? I met Brian at last year’s Baltimore Comic-Con, where I drew this sketch for him. He wanted a pinup style girl with tattoos, and since I’m not a tattoo artist, I asked Brian to design the girl’s arm. He just went to town on it, adding all the clouds, lightning, and cool design swirls. It was a really fun collaboration, and I was thrilled when Brian asked me to work with him on the auction. Good luck bidding!

If you’re attending the Emerald City Comicon this weekend,  they’ll be auctioning some of the art from the Monsters and Dames 2011 charity book on Saturday, March 5. All the proceeds go to the Seattle Children’s Hospital, a premier child health care & pediatric center and one of the leading hospitals for children.  Running with the children’s book theme, I decided to base this on a beloved fairytale. Maybe not as monstrous as some of the other pieces, but I think that gold digger is pretty damn scary!

If you read any X-Men comics in the 80′s, you probably have a soft spot for mohawk Storm. I also have a soft spot for Janet Jackson, so the two seem like a natural fit. I actually pencilled this last year, but only recently got around to inking and coloring it.
Hey, if you’re in the Seattle area this weekend, I’ll be appearing at the Emerald City Comicon, March 4-6. Come find me at table D-17! I’ll be doing sketches and will have prints and postcards, too. As a reminder, my commission list fills up pretty fast so try to find me early. On Saturday I may take names for Sunday as well. See you there!

The NYCC is just days away! I’ll be in Artists Alley, table A-12. I’ll be selling the last 100 copies of my 2010 sketchbook with a brand spanking new cover exclusive to the NYCC show. Along with the usual array of prints and cards, I also some copies of Greendale for sale, and anyone who buys one gets a personalized sketch inside and a free limited-edition print. Unfortunately, I won’t be taking on any additional commissions this year, since I still have a backlog of sketches I shifted from previous shows. Sorry to disappoint anyone, but I’m still figuring out the best way to handle the sketch system and this seemed the fairest way. If you’re looking for a quick head sketch, I’ll be signing at the DC booth on Friday (2:30-3:30) and Saturday (1-2). See you soon.

Somehow, Comic-Con feels bigger and bigger every year. Lots of old friends to track down and new ones to chat with, so unfortunately, fewer sketches this time around. I may scale back on the list next year, since other shows seem to be a better place for me to concentrate on drawing. Still had a great time, especially with my boothmates Jill, Fabio, Gabriel, Cris, and Rafael. Next stop, Baltimore!

Can you believe it’s that time again? I’ll be at my usual spot, BOOTH #1320, with my friends Jill Thompson, Gabriel Ba, Fabio Moon, and special guests Rafael Albuquerque and Cris Peter. I will be taking sketch commissions, and I’ll also have the remaining copies of my 2010 sketchbook. It’s 48 pages of creamy grayscale goodness for a mere $15 — check out some of the sample pages above! I’ll have a different book next year, so now’s the time to pick ‘em up. In addition to the books and some giant art prints, I’ll have a few copies of Greendale with me, and anyone who buys one gets a rare promo poster that Vertigo sent to radio stations. I’ll also have a few cool items around the show. I’ve already mentioned my new Star Wars pieces, but my Threadless t-shirt will be sold starting Thursday at the Threadless pop-up shop located here and online, and they’ll be throwing a party that evening to celebrate. Register here for party tix. The pop-up shop won’t be around all week, so try to make your way over there on Wednesday and Thursday.

Here’s my signing schedule for the week.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 21
8-9pm: SIGNING @ DC booth (#1915)

THURSDAY, JULY 22
4-5pm: SIGNING @ DC booth
7:30-the break of dawn: party at the Threadless shop!

FRIDAY, JULY 23
5:30-6:30pm: PANEL � Vertigo: On the Edge (Room 6DE)

SATURDAY, JULY 24
1-2pm: SIGNING @ DC booth

SUNDAY, JULY 25
11:30am-12:30pm: SIGNING @ DC booth

HeroesCon 2010 was a blast! Lots of interesting sketch requests, and as always, everyone was incredibly friendly and wonderful to talk to. Thanks once more to Shelton Drum, Dusty Harbin and all the volunteers for another great year in Charlotte. Now to get some sleep!