Yikes!

I know... It's been way too long since I last made a post here...

In my defense, I have been swamped with work for Emerald City ComiCon, The Comic Stop, Micro Brew Comics, the newly formed Jet City Comic Show, and more. Still, excuses are excuses. So, let's catch us up, shall we?

Over at The Comic Stop, we are currently working towards our general growth as a company. We now have 3 successful locations, and we are considering opening a 4th shop in the next year or so. On top of this, we now have a "full staff". It is no longer just us owners/managers at the shops, but two full-time employees and two part-time employees.

The 8th Annual Emerald City ComiCon is nearly here, just a couple of months away. We've sold out of space again, our lineup of guests borders on the amazing, and we are well under way to have our best year ever. Expect this show to blow up, Big Time, in the near future.

Speaking of shows... Since I don't have enough work to do, I have created a companion show for ECCC called Jet City Comic Show. This new show is a local 1-day show coming up in the fall, a full 6 months after ECCC. This new show will focus on the creative local talents and publishers and organizations of the Pacific Northwest, and well as spotlighting several out of town Special Guests.

Following that, the comics biz has been busy. From Micro Brew Comics, I am looking to have Steve Lawlis: Zombieville #2 and Adventures of Doctor Zombie #3 ready for ECCC, as well as a couple of prints. From my old stomping grounds of Rorschach Entertainment and Modern Pulp Comics, I have the final issue of Sprecken: Kalabus Rex (issue #4) coming out, and it looks like we might even have Dallas McCoy #0 (a prologue issue) done, too. I'll have more on all of this in the next few weeks...

Over at the homestead, the only big event was the shared birthday (on December 11th) between Jack "Lucky" Meredith and myself. My little man is now 3 years old, and cleaned up with a fat pile of Ben 10 action figures and clothes, and a couple of Batman Brave and the Bold action figures. He's become quite the little super-geek.

Well, that's enough catching up... next time, I'll talk about beer...

-Brian M.

Another ECCC passes...

The 7th Annual Emerald City ComiCon had come and gone, leaving me a tattered wreck of a man, a veritable shell of humanity that has been tossed aside by the teeming masses...

...ahem...

Sorry about that. I tend to get a little "dramatic" when it comes to ECCC. It's a huge deal for me, being of the of the top guys that puts it on. It's a large part of my life, and has become so large that it is literally like having a second job for 6-9 months out of the year, just to put it on for a single weekend. The stress from just putting on the show is enough to turn hair gray.

Anyway, besides striving to have a successful show (in terms of attendance, services, etc.), one of the most important things for me to accomplish is to put together as many personal projects as I possibly can. I usually do 1-3 projects/books for Rorschach Entertainment, but this is the first year that I also set up under my personal label of Micro Brew Comics. Of course, the subtle irony of this is that I am usually far too busy to be behind a table and promote any of these works.

That's where the family comes in. This year, the wife was put in charge of running the Rorschach Entertainment booth, which allowed her watch over our 9-year-old daughter Mackenzie as she promoted our latest issue of The Adventures of Doctor Zombie. Together, they pulled off an awesome weekend for all of us, selling over half of the stock that we had for the show.

So, what did we have, you say? I'm glad you asked. We introduced two new MBC books, plus buttons and a limited edition print.

First, we had The Adventures of Doctor Zombie #2, which continues the stories of the Doctor Archibald Zombie and his assistant Marigold Murray, as penned by my talented daughter Mackenzie. In fact, this issue has a double dose of awesome, with two stories drawn by two different artists. In the first story, our regular artist Erik Thompson illustrates what happens when Doctor Zombie and Marigold try to spend the night at the movies, especially with a vengeful magician named Chuck lurking in the shadows. In the second story, we have guest artist Ryan Cody (Villains, Popgun, Hurricane Kids) showing what happens when an irate Dinosaur tries taking his anger out on the city Doctor Zombie is sworn to protect.

We also had copies of The Adventures of Doctor Zombie #1, for those that missed out on the book back in the Fall...

Second, we have a brand new Steve Lawlis book! Steve Lawlis: Zombieville USA #1 continues the tales of Steve Lawlis and his pal Pete Redshirt, agents for the Department of Horror Intervention. In this first of three issues, Steve and Pete are called to a little town in the middle of nowhere to deal with a strange zombie infestation. Expecting a town out of Resident Evil, imagine their surprise when they find a peaceful little burg straight out of Leave It To Beaver. This series is not only drawn by Erik, but he is making his debut as writer. It's good stuff, kids.

Third, we had a limited edition print (only 20 made!) called DOCTOR ZOMBIE & STEVE LAWLIS FIGHT A GIANT APE WITH CYBERNETIC PARTS AT THE SPACE NEEDLE! Drawn by regular Doctor Zombie / Steve Lawlis artist Erik Thompson, this bad boy of a print sold for just $10, and we only have a couple of them left.

Finally, we introduced our first button set, featuring Doctor Zombie and Marigold Murray. We did 60 sets of these, and have less than 20 left.

Oh, and over on the Rorschach Entertainment side of things, we released the third issue of Sprecken: Kalabus Rex. Only one more to go!

As you can see, I had my hands full over the last couple of months, getting all of this ready... of course, this is only the beginning. Wait until next year! We'll be hitting hte convention on an official capaciy, with a full library of books and goodies. Now, I just need to figure out a way to be in two places at once...

-Brian

The Road To Emerald City

This is the time of year when my brain melts.

As one of the 4 Founding Fathers of the Emerald City ComiCon, a portion of the operations of the show (i.e. setting it up, processing all of the info coming and going, design, print, etc.) falls on me. We all have our areas of expertise, and we all bust our asses all year long to make this show happen. However, with less than a month away, TONS of little things crop up that need to be taken care of on a daily basis. Along with a normal family life and work, this makes for a very scatter-brained Brian... hence, the meltiness of my brain, as of late.

Anyway...

Besides the running of the actual show, there has also been certain preparations for the show that I have been working on, in regards to Rorschach Entertainment. As it stands, RE will have a busy year at the show. We have a couple of new books, an artbook (by Sean Dietrich), and a special guest.

After a long delay, Issue #2 of Sprecken: Kalabus Rex finally makes its debut this year, continuing with the original miniseries of Sprecken that I started at last year's show.

I have also lettered the first issue of a brand new RE series called Bolt Magee, created by Steve Lawlis artist, Erik Thompson. It's a great little book by a talented creator, so pick it up if you're at the show.

Lastly, Gigi Edgley will also be making an appearance at the show, sitting behind the RE booth to promote our venture, Blue Shift. Although the miniseries is still in production, she will have the ashcan on hand for sale, as well as a brand new art print (see above) by artist Camilla d'Errico (who will also be at the show).

As for me, I will be running all over the show floor during the event, but I will try and make time to spend at the RE booth when I can.

Not With A Bang...

...nor with a whimper. The new year of 2008 appears with nary a noise, and a few false starts (anyone watching the ill-fated and poorly executed fireworks display in Seattle can attest to that). Granted, it's only been a day, so who knows what this new year will bring.

For me, nothing has really changed. I still have Blue Shift and Steve Lawlis and Sprecken and Dallas McCoy in the works, with other projects festering in the background. I still have the upcoming Emerald City ComiCon to work on, as well as The Comic Stop to run.

If all goes well, the next issue of Sprecken: Kalabus Rex and Steve Lawlis will be out for ECCC, if not sooner. The first issue of Blue Shift is also slated to debut at that show, but may not debut until later in the summer, such as at San Diego or Chicago.

I'm hoping to get the launch of the Dallas McCoy series out by the Fall, as well. And who knows, if all goes well, there may be a Gibson Dent miniseries starting, too. Beyond that, I think I'll keep my schedule open and see what happens...

Pulp Refreshed

It's been a while since I've made an update concerning my Modern Pulp projects, what with all of my recent time and energy going into Blue Shift, so I figured I'd make a quick rundown on what is going on...

Dallas McCoy

The new Dallas McCoy series is still in the works, but we are now looking for a second artist for the book. Although we have several scripts ready to go, our regular DM artist (Sidney Lima) is now too busy working on the Blue Shift book to get it off the ground. We're looking at an artist now, so hopefully we'll be back on track with this soon.

Sprecken: Kalabus Rex

The second issue of the Sprecken: Kalabus Rex mini-series is still being lettered. I had hoped to have it ready for the middle of October, but I was just swamped with getting Blue Shift off the ground. Now that the preview book is done with, I'll be getting back to finishing it up. By the way, the art shown here was drawn by Pedro Pablo, the artist for this mini-series.

Lucifer Fawkes: North of Here

The final issue of the one-shots, Lucifer Fawkes: North of Here, is still in in production, albeit very slowly. At this point, it really just needs to be lettered, but we're just not certain what we are going to do with this. We may release it as a one-shot for next year, or we may just compile it into a trade with the others.

Gibson Dent: The Amulet of Sa-Ra

This has been bugging me for awhile. I've really been wanting to get back to this character, but I wasn't quite sure what to do. Should I finish the old online story where I left off? Do I rewrite it as a novel? I just could not make up my mind. But, truth be told, neither idea seemed to work for me. However, the thought of rewriting the original online story as a full comic did have a certain appeal. In order to make the deadline on the old online strip, I had to cut out a lot of stuff I wanted to do with him and his supporting cast. So, I may be re-doing this as a straight adventure comic...

Proficio!

Progression is a strange thing at times, moving at its own lumbering or slithering pace. The progress one has can almost be related to that of the "waiting game" attributed to the lives of a detective; most of their time is spent sitting about, waiting for the right moment.

Well, that's how progress feels to me, at least lately it has. A lot of my time is spent moving slowly towards the completion of many projects, either by necessity and design or by fate and chaos. Then, all of a sudden, a whirlwind of creativity and/or timing blows through and massive amounts of work is done on said projects.

That is what has happened in the last couple of weeks. Progress on a large scale. Some projects are coming to fruition, others are getting off the ground with alarming speed.

Anyway, on that note, let me fill you in on some of that progress...

The second issue of the Sprecken: Kalabus Rex mini-series is now being lettered. Like the first issue, this will be a limited printing of only 100 copies under the Rorschach Entertainment label and will be available only at conventions or online. We will debut Issue #2 at the upcoming Bell Con in Bellingham, WA, which will be in October. Once the entire mini-series is complete, it will be re-issued and solicited for release in comic retail outlets everywhere. In fact, the last of the pages for issue #4 are being finished as we speak, so I believe it should be safe to say that we'll be able to officially release the mini-series by Late Spring/Early Summer.

The artwork for the Dallas McCoy mini-series (which has no subtitle; Amy Riddle and I are treating it like a TV season, in which several stories are tied together with subplots, as opposed to one singular story arc) has started. Our artist for the series, Sidney Lima, even did a slight redesign of her outfit for the series (as you can see here).

I am also in the midst of a HUGE new project, a brand new Sci-Fi series that I am co-writing with an As-Yet-Unnamed partner. I'd like to say more, but I just can't... not yet, anyway. I will be able to make a semi-official announcement about this in a little over a month. Believe me, it's going to be as cool as hell is hot...

Kalabus Rex #1

As I have mentioned before, a limited print run of Sprecken: Kalabus Rex #1 was made available back in April for the Emerald City ComiCon. Now that book is available for sale online!

For those of you unfamiliar with this book, it is the first of four issues depicting the "origin" of James Sprecken, on how he left the year 1938 to find himself in the year 2025. This series ties in most of the main Modern Pulp characters, such as Lucifer Fawkes and Dallas McCoy, as well as brings in a few new ones. In a way, this is the beginning for the MP universe.

Oh, and it's written by me, with incredible artwork by Walther Taborda and a sweet cover by Shane White. It kicks ass.

You can buy this issue right now at the Rorschach Entertainment online shop. Plus, it's on sale for only $2.01 (30% off cover price); in fact, all of the other Modern Pulp books in the shop are on sale, as well. And on top of that, anyone who buys a copy of this book will get a free copy of Sprecken: The Destiny Dance, the first MP one-shot published!

fanart by flameape

I got a very pleasant surprise in my email a couple of weeks ago... this sweet picture of our Time-Displaced Detective, James Sprecken.

This bit of artwork was created with a simple mix of pen and ink, along with a healthy dose of Photoshop for color, by the incredibly talented Gregory Giordano AKA flameape. Anyone interested in seeing some more of this guy's work should head on over to his comicspace page or his blog page.

Emerald City ComiCon!

Looking at my last post, it's been nearly 2 months since I had the chance to sit down and put together a post, a blurb, or even a pimp. Well, now that the eve of the of show is here (for me, that is; I have to set everything up tomorrow for it to be ready on Saturday), I find myself with a sudden calm, a peaceful respite from the VERY HECTIC past two months. At least, enough of one to make a quick update.

For the past 6+ months (more so these past 2), I've been working extremely long and hard on getting the 5th year of Emerald City ComiCon ready to launch. It's been a hell of an experience, again. Badges to design and make, questions to be answered on a regular basis, website to be built and updated, applications to process, signs to design and make, show floor to design, and t-shirts to design and make, just to name some of the things I've been doing. On top of that, I also had my own projects to prepare for the show.

Now, the show is here and it's time to relax, enjoy, and sell some comics!

I've got 2 new books ready for the show this year, Steve Lawlis: Frankenstein's Monkey Special Edition and Sprecken: Kalabus Rex #1, and both of them can be found at the RORSCHACH ENTERTAINMENT booth (#706). I will be in and out of the booth all weekend, hanging out with James Taylor (Publisher/Inker), Sean Dietrich (creator of Fervor and Mess), and Amy Riddle (writer of Dallas McCoy: Starstruck). We'll be doing our best to get these hot little comics into the right hands all weekend!

Also at the show this weekend is Erik Thompson, the artist for Steve Lawlis, who will be located at Artist Alley Table #111. He will have a Steve Lawlis print on hand for sale, as well as plenty of his own stuff, and will be available for sketches all weekend!

So, if anyone gets a chance to come to the show, please do so and stop and say hi!

Sprecken Kalabus Rex Preview Art

The fourth and final issue of the Sprecken mini-series Sprecken: Kalabus Rex is well into production, as the new artist Pedro Pablo continues to bang out the pages at an amazing rate. Here's a sneak peek at the first three pages of Issue 4...

Some Ramblings & Sprecken Artwork

Now that the holidays are finally over, everything is starting to mellow out and I am getting back into a working groove. I have several projects that require my immediate attention, especially if I wish to have new books ready for the upcoming 5th Annual Emerald City ComiCon.

One of these books will be the Steve Lawlis: Frankenstein's Monkey Special Edition #1. Although originally planned to be released in Steve Lawlis Super Special #1 (and it still will be), I've decided to release a Black & White version of this story for the con in order to help promote the upcoming miniseries, Steve Lawlis Spectacular. Time permitting, I am also hoping to have a Doctor Zombie coloring book out at the same time, but I'm not holding my breath.

The other main book I am hoping to have ready for the con will be Sprecken: Kalabus Rex #1. This book is actually ready and in the can, but Rorschach Entertainment has been holding off releasing it because the miniseries is not complete, as there has not been an artist for the final issue... until now.

We just signed on an artist named Pedro Pablo to wrap up the Sprecken origin miniseries that was started by Walther Taborda. In fact, it was Taborda that recommended Pedro, who is an equally talented artist and can imitate the the style set by Taborda so closely that it will be very difficult to tell the difference. (Check out the samples of his artwork that are attached!)

Anyway, now that we have an artist signed on and working on the final issue, I am hoping that we will be able to release a limited edition copy of the first issue.

Also for Modern Pulp Comics, we will be releasing Lucifer Fawkes: North of Here, the final issue in a series of one-shots for the Supernatural Watchdog.

So far, those are my immediate plans for books, but I do have a couple of other ideas floating in my head. I may have more stuff ready, but I'll be happy to get these done...