I’d heard it was a great show, and the Baltimore Comicon certainly lived up to the hype. Promoter Marc Nathan and his staff were incredibly kind, attentive and welcoming, and I’d love to return next year.  A fitting end to the convention season…

Thanks to everyone at Fan Expo and especially to Kevin Boyd and Peter Fisico who made the trip possible. The show was a lot of fun, and I’m overwhelmed by the friendliness and generosity from fans and pros alike (Greg - thanks for the donuts! Jeff and Stuart - thanks for the inspiring books!). What I saw of Toronto was pretty great (thanks, Dar and Marsha!) and I hope to come back soon.

NOTE: A CALL FOR SCANS!
I’m trying to collect material for a future sketchbook, so if anyone has gotten a commissioned sketch from me in the past, I’d be grateful if you could send me a 300dpi grayscale scan. My email’s in the ABOUT link on the left. Thanks!

Heading out for Fan Expo 2008 in Toronto tonight.  I’ll be back Monday, but until then, you should check out Steven Gettis’s Hey, Oscar Wilde! It’s Clobberin’ Time!!  I’ve mentioned the site here before, but I recently added my own contribution to Steven’s brilliant and eclectic collection. Enjoy!

It was a long and difficult week, but absolutely worth it. The booth was a complete success, and we’re hoping to expand next year. Thanks to everyone who stopped by, even just to say hello. It was a great show, and I even managed to set up my next project with boy genius Brian Azzarello. I’m very excited for the future.

Thanks to everyone who came and said hello this past weekend in Charlotte. A couple quirky sketch subjects this time around, and quite a few Fables requests, too. The show was another great success and I’m already looking forward to next year. Special thanks to Heroes owner Shelton Drum, showrunner Dusty Harbin, the ever-dependable Doug Merkle, and a shout out to Bill Maio, Jim Clancy, and Rico Renzi! See you in ‘09!

I was digging through the storage room here at the underwater headquarters and ran across these character sheets I did almost 10 years ago. So I slapped on a new coat of digital paint and put ‘em up for your amusement. Similar to Grant Morrison’s ideas for Super Young Team, I imagined that the DC universe had a band of Japanese superheroes inspired by their original Western counterparts. (more…)

I think I’ve finally recovered from the show. It was giant, it was busy; it was a lot like San Diego, really, but you’re not stuck at hotel bars and you can jaywalk freely as our founding fathers intended. I think this may have been my first big show after drawing Green Arrow & Black Canary, and it was surprising to see all the new faces at my table. So, lots of talking and not enough drawing! At the Vertigo panel, they announced I’ll be drawing the Greendale hardcover graphic novel, written by Josh Dysart and inspired by Neil Young’s concept album of the same name (wha? Yes, THAT Neil Young). It’s a beautiful story, and I’m very proud to be part of the team. We’re going to keep the artwork under wraps for now, but I have a few ideas for goofy things to post here so it doesn’t turn into a ghost-town. Watch this space!

Special thanks to Dave Cummings and Bill Nolan for bringing me up to Boston, and to everyone we met at the show. It was a great weekend, and I hope to be back soon.

I’m back from the convention, trying to get some sleep and recuperate. It’s not easy to slip back into a regular schedule after staying up all hours, fueled by booze and caffeine. It was a great time overall, and I’m making big plans for next year. (More on that when the time comes.) Not too many commissions this year, partly because I spent a lot of time sketching at the DC booth and signing artbooks at Splash Page, but I’ve been really happy with the way these turned out. It was, of course, a pleasure meeting everyone who came up to me at the show, and I’ve met a bunch of comic shop owners I’d love to visit in the coming year. The San Diego show is a lot like New Year’s Eve for me; it’s a chance to look back at the work I’ve done in the past year and see how people have responded to it, and to look ahead towards new work and new projects. There’s a lot for me to process still, but I’m feeling pretty good these days.