POST SD CON UPDATE 1: "HOME IN ONE PIECE"

To keep in the spirit of online post-con updates, I will do my best to provide you with mine. First of all, THANK YOU to everyone that stopped by my booth--intentional or otherwise! Sold a bunch of CHARLATAN BALL TRADE PAPERBACKS (available in stores next week!), some ART OF ANDY HARD COVER and did a lot of commission sketches. I really enjoy meeting new folks, reacquainting with old friends and all those that fall in between. This was my 2nd year working the floor/table under the Image Comics Banner--I still have some tweaks to work out, but all in all, meeting the likes of Trevor, Sean, Adam and their gang, Michael, Tim, Robert and his son Michael made it all worth while. Getting to display next to Glen Brunswick (Jersey Gods), Mike Allred and family (Madman), Andy Khun and Phil Hester (Firebreather) was super, super cool. Then there was my table mates--seriously, I was sandwiched between Elvis and The Beatles by way of David Mack (Kabuki) and Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie and Matthew Sheret (the boys of Phonogram). Their tables had queues that were almost always at least three or four deep (usually girls!)--they were 100% rockstars of the medium; and they couldn't have been nicer.
Sort-of-beginning of the weekend optimism.

If you weren't able to make it down to San Diego this year, this is the sort of display I dig; if not a little over the top.

It happened to occur to me that every time someone commented on a costume, it was always accompanied by some sort of preface like: "bald Superman" or "old Wonder Woman". I'll be nice about the pic above and just say it was "animated series Storm".

There was some speculation as to whether or not this Raper/Rapee duo was actually mother and son.

No joke; sure, this was someone from TITMOUSE STUDIOS (no pun intended), dressed as The Pro--but this year's con really brought out an onslaught of for real call girls and prostitutes, as witnessed coming and going from the hotels (I shared my room with 3 other dudes, mind you). Gotta give them props; it's pretty smart of them to capitalize on the event. On a completely unrelated note, I found it strange to discover 2(!) exes that have absolutely nothing to do with comics in attendance and working...weird. Almost as weird as seeing Jeff Conway signing at the Wizard booth with the other Celebrity Rehab creepazoids.

Two legends of the field: modern master David Mack (in a rare moment with a non-female fan), talking to none other than Jim (Nick Fury: Agent of Shield) Steranko! I swear to you my goal in this lifetime is to look just like him when I get older.

It was also a convention of reconnecting with old friends and colleagues. Here's a few: Michelle Bryan, Steve Marmel (creator of Disney's Cloudy with a Chance) and Bob Boyle (creator of Ying Yay Yo and Wow Wow Wubbzy)

My two new favorite people in the whole world. Robert and Michael, had I finished packing up early like I planned, I would never have met the best father in son in matching awesome Kirby Surfer tees team from Texas on the planet! You made my con. Best of luck in your endeavors, my like-minded friend.

And home again in time to see my favorite band (and Imperfect Duplicates of Dodger Dare composers), The Starlight Mints playing at the Troubadour in LA.

I'll post some of my drawings and sketches from the con next.

"THE ART OF ANDY"

BIG NEWS!!!

Debuting at the San Diego Comicon, via The Art of Fiction Booth (#523)!!! "THE ART OF ANDY" idea started off as a portfolio...then turned into a sketchbook...then into this beautiful, 120 page, hardcover, full color smorgasbord of designs and sketches ranging from development ideas, Samurai Jack models and Clone Wars layouts...to comic book pages and paintings, many never before seen! Not to mention super-cool intro by Spongebob himself, TOM KENNY. All for the mere price of $25!

*I will also be @ The Art of Fiction Booth (#523) as well as the IMAGE COMICS booth (#2729) all throughout the weekend, signing and selling my wears...

Check out:

http://www.artoffiction.com/5CChome.html

For those not coming to the con, you can also purchase at:
THE HOUSE OF SECRETS
1930 W. Olive Avenue
Burbank, California 91506
(818) 562-1900
e-mail:
houseofsecrets@earthlink.net

Contact them via their website and they will tell you how to get one via PAYPAL.

One way or another, try and get your hands on one. They are very limited, only 1000 copies were printed.

The Imperfect Duplicates of Dodger Dare on YOUTUBE!!!

...in case you haven't already seen it.

Lisa Loeb's promo for Dodger!

THE IMPERFECT DUPLICATES OF DODGER DARE Premieres THIS Friday!!!

My animated short: "THE IMPERFECT DUPLICATES OF DODGER DARE" premieres THIS FRIDAY, 5/18/07 @ 7:55pm on the DISNEY CHANNEL!

Go to: http://tv.disney.go.com/disneychannel/shorty/index.html for details.

Click on this link, and you will also see an ONLINE GAME for Dodger Dare sometime this week!
(I believe it will be up the day the short premieres) Plus you will be able to EMAIL DODGER as well!

If you scroll down to the bottom of the linked page, there is also very specific information on how to subscribe to the Shorty Podcast (via ITUNES)--or just go to the Itunes Store, type in “Shorty McShorts” in the search bar and hit subscribe.

MORE DODGER!

Here's the rough pencil and final color..without the digitally added title/logo.

Thank God for markers.

WWW.COPERNICUS.CA

Man, these folks are amazingly talented. They most definately got skills and they are using them on (my) Disney Short: "The Imperfect Duplicates of Dodger Dare". Look at them hard at work!

...but will someone PLEASE buy them proper sidetables?!

hehehe

Who?

Making a More "Appealing Design"

Okay; so, as you can see--these are hideous, hideous drawings. I guess when I first developed this idea I was in an "ugly drawing" phase. YOU know what I'm talking about. I also wanted to make Dodger Dare a kid that looked ambiguously from the 1950's. It was Mike Moon (who was by then) at Disney that encouraged me to redesign these suckers. I was furious at the time about all the late nights (ok, one) spent on some of these already. But, when compared side by side, I understood (just how bad I sucked! haha).

more side by side...

The Imperfect Duplicates of Dodger Dare OR "How I Got To Meet Lisa Loeb"

Here's a little diddy I'm currently doing fo Disney. It was an idea spawned way back, but, dispite better judgement, it really was best suited for "the mouse". I also took this opportunity to incorporate a voice talent I've always wanted to...er, meet: LISA LOEB. Sigh. Oh, does Dodger's friend, "Beauty" LOOK like her?? Hm, hadn't noticed.

hehehe

She does an AMAZING job (of course) V.O.-ing, and should be working more!

*Perhaps I'll post some of the ORIGINAL designs if anyone's interested--that is, if anyone's seen this blog besides Phil!