Stuff... and more stuff.

So, somehow, I have completely ignored this blog for the entire year.

Whoops.

I can take the easy way out and say, "Oh, I've been swamped with work" and leave it at that... and since I have been swamped with work this year, I'm going to that. It has been a very busy year, after all.

The Spring saw our largest Emerald City Comicon ever, leading it to grow into a full 3 days for next year. Several books from Micro Brew Comics and Rorschach Entertainment were debuted at the show; Steve Lawlis: Zombieville USA #3, Doctor Zombie #3, and Dallas McCoy #00.

Spring beget Summer, and that brought on the preparations for the newest Seattle convention, the Jet City Comic Show. This new show is a companion piece to ECCC, focusing more on the local scene.

Still, a lot of work goes into putting these shows together, and putting these shows together at the same time running a small chain of retail shops... well, needless to say, it puts a damper on one's free time.

Oh, and on top of that, there's the family... Mackenzie and Trent have had birthdays, Mac has had another Kung Fu tournament (3rd Place is Sparring!), Anniversaries, Family Outings, and a whole lot more!

With all of this going on, it's been near impossible to be on top of this blog along with all of the other sites and social networking that needs to be done.

So, with that in mind, I'm going to try and refocus this blog... a separation of Church and State, so to speak. Updates for the cons and books will be on their respective sites, while I will use this blog just for the family updates.

I was just contemplating deleting this blog all together, but I like having the family stuff up here, available for friends and family that like to keep apprised. So, for the time being, we're going to try this out and see if it works...

-Brian

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

Doctor Zombie, Mac Style!

About 6-8 weeks ago, before ECCC, I was taking Mac to her Kung Fu lesson, as I am prone to do 2-3 times a week. As we were driving there, she expressed interest in writing a story. I simply told her to go ahead a make one up, as she is quite talented in the Off-The-Cuff-Story-Telling Department.

Picking one of her favorite subjects (Doctor Zombie, see other posts or the Steve Lawlis site for more info...), she immediately weaved a tale called "Marigold's Birthday Surprise". It was a fun little romp as Doctor Zombie and Marigold Murray try to celebrate her birthday, but their plans are ruined when a devil appears and takes away Marigold for refusing to go out on a date with him. It falls to Doctor Zombie to use his genius to create potions in order to save her.

Although the story was short, it was good, really cute and funny. I told a few of my fellow writers, such as Brian Joines (the talented mastermind behind the Indy hit 7 Guys Of Justice), who just loved it. So, with the help of my regular Steve Lawlis artist Erik Thompson, we proceeded to put it down on paper. I turned the story into a 16-page script, and Erik is already halfway done with the artwork. Once we are done with the artwork, we will put this out as a limited Doctor Zombie Special through Rorschach Entertainment.

Mackenzie CANNOT wait to see this book done. Not a day goes by that she does not ask about it. She's only 8 years old, and she's already looking forward to having a comic book of her very own. I think she is plotting to take me out of the picture so she can write more Doctor Zombie stories...

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...

Steve Lawlis Preview Art #3

Here are some recent pencils from Steve Lawlis artist Erik Thompson for the upcoming Steve Lawlis Spectacular #1...

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!

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...

Doctor Zombie Ad

One of the ideas I had for the upcoming Steve Lawlis Spectacular was a series of fake ads in the same vein as the old Hostess ads from the 70's and 80's. The first one we did (Erik T. and I) starred the indomitable Doctor Zombie and his faithful assistant Marigold Murray squaring off against a pack of truly vile French zombies.

This ad also shows Doctor Zombie in his first appearance, but certainly not his last. More details on the good Doctor Z can be found on the Steve Lawlis website.

Steve Lawlis Preview Art #2

Here are the first three pages (in pencil) of the back-up for the Steve Lawlis Spectacular #1. The story is called "What a Nightmare" and is drawn by super-talented Dario Carrasco.

And yes, that is Pete Redshirt (Steve's partner) in a dress...

Page 1


Page 2


Page 3

Steve Lawlis Preview Art #1

Here's a sneak peek of Steve Lawlis Spectacular #1, page 3 and page 6. The artwork is by the aforementioned Erik Thompson...

Page 3


Page 6

Steve Lawlis Update #1

I originally announced the upcoming release of my new series of comics, Steve Lawlis, many months ago. Now, with the new blog, I figured it was time to start updating those announcements again.

1 - Steve Lawlis Spectacular
A 3-4 issue mini-series, Steve Lawlis Spectacular will contain 2 stories per issue, with one main story continuing throughout each issue and a short one-shot backup story.

The main story will be about Steve, Pete and Babe as they first arrive in Roulette City, as they deal with their first case. It won't exactly be an origin story, but it will explain a lot about who they are and where they came from. The back-up stories will focus on each of the main characters, showcasing them on their own. There will be one for Pete, Babe, and Steve, and if the series goes to 4 full issues, there will be a Doctor Archibald Zombie story.

The main artist for the series, Erik Thompson, has completed half of the artwork for the first issue, with the rest to follow shortly. Dario Carrasco, who is doing the back-up story for the first issue, is also about halfway done.

2 - Steve Lawlis Super Special
Erik Thompson just turned in 24 pages of Steve Lawlis Super Special, the one-shot to follow the miniseries. The artwork is for the main story of the book called "Frankenstein's Monkey". There's still some miscellaneous artwork to be done and we still need to get this colored, but the majority of the art for this book is now done.

I'll be posting some art for both of these later...