Drawn on the Plane!

And here's the aforementioned drawing by Stan, which was the best way to start the weekend imaginable:

San Diego Comic Con Schedule

Here's an image, 'cause I never like just posting text alone.

 No, the book ISN'T gonna be in color, I just wanted to spice things up. I'm currently in the midst of the longest battle sequence - 11 pages, completely discounting the pages on either side that are still the same scene - that I've yet had in any project. I really tried to make it fun, dangerous, and choreographed (i.e. you can follow one image to the next, for a clear play-by-play as to exactly what happens), and have had a really good time with it. I'm not going to be able to finish the scene efore leaving tomorrow, but I'll be close. San Diego! Okay, there's a lot of panels and whatnot at San Diego Comic Con this year with which I'll be involved. Here they are, should anyone be looking to fill their schedule. And you should! Not necessarily for me, but you've got French comics godfather Lewis Trondheim, Victorian History comics guru Rick Geary, Usagi scribe Stan Sakai, and any number of other super-amazing cartoonists. Plus Terry Gilliam is supposed to be there, no in no capacity that crosses his path with mine. Doesn't mean I don't want to meet him, though! Here's the breakdown of my schedule; I'll be around all weekend, but if you want to catch me (especially if you're someone with whom I've had correspondence but not met in person) this is where I'm guaranteed to be. THURSDAY, JULY 23: 11:30-12:50 Signing at the Oni booth

THURSDAY, JULY 23: 2:00-3:00 Signing at the Comic Relief booth.

THURSDAY, JULY 23: 3:00-4:00 Oni Press: Panelmonium 2009-Often imitated but never duplicated, get up close and personal with trend setting indie comic powerhouse Oni Press. Join in the Q &A with your favorite Oni creators including Ross Campbell (Wet Moon), Jamie S. Rich (You Have Killed Me), Greg Rucka (Whiteout), Bryan Lee O’Malley (Scott Pilgrim), and Chris Schweizer (The Crogan Adventures). Get sneak peeks at upcoming Oni projects, news on Oni Press fan initiatives, free Oni comics, prizes and more! Guaranteed by Oni Press’ totally biased employees to be “the most fun you’ll ever have at a panel.” Room 10 FRIDAY, JULY 24: 2:30-3:50 Signing at the Oni booth SATURDAY, JULY 25: 1:00-2:20 Signing at the Oni booth

SATURDAY, JULY 25: 5:00-6:00 Graphic Novels: Sense of History-There’s a wonderful world of history awaiting you in numerous graphic novels available now. Whether it be real life stories adapting historical events to the comics form, or fiction taking place in a specific time, these practitioners of the historical graphic novel are all presenting work at the top of their form. Moderator Randy Duncan (co-chair of the Comics Arts Conference) talks to Comic-Con special guests Rick Geary (Treasury of XX Century Murder: Famous Players), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), and Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo), plus Jason Lutes (Berlin), Chris Schweizer (Crogan’s Vengeance), and Eric Shanower (Age of Bronze), about their individual takes on history. Room 8

SUNDAY, JULY 26: 10:00-11:00 Kids’ Graphic Novels- What’s new and wonderful in the world of comics and graphic novels for kids in 2009? Moderator Robin Brenner, creator and editor-in-chief of NoFlyingNoTights.com highlights the works of panelists Lewis Trondheim (Tiny Tyrant), Gene Yang (American Born Chinese), Derek Kirk Kim (The Eternal Smile), Eric Wight (Frankie Pickle and The Closet of Doom), Chris Schweizer (Crogan’s Vengeance), Jennifer Holm (Babymouse), and Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Lunch Lady), who all recommend other great titles. Room 3

SUNDAY, JULY 26: 11:30-12:50 Signing at the Oni booth SUNDAY, JULY 26: 2:00-3:00 Kids Write!-Kids, join creators Chris Giarrusso (G-Man), Chris Schweizer (Crogan’s Vengeance), Eric Wight (Frankie Pickle), and Gene Yang (American Born Chinese) as they draw the story you tell! Moderated by Cory Casoni (Oni Press). Room 30CDE

That's it! I hope to see some of the people reading this at the show. If you ARE reading this, be sure to flag me down! I won't have minis this year, but I'll have lots of original drawings and, of course, Oni should have plenty of copies of Crogan's Vengeance.

Ten years since I forgot everything I learned in senior geometry

My ten year high school reunion is tomorrow.

Here's what I looked like around that time.  'Cause soul patches were a good idea, or something.

Here's what I'll look like at my 60th High School Reunion, if current bodily trends are an accurate forecast.

Thumbnail!

Here's thumbnail for the next page I have to do. I drew it out before realizing that the first two panels actually make up one really tall panel, so I'm just gonna scrap the gutter in the middle. Yet another of these too-many-people shots. Sigh.

 I have unrealistic goals this week! I want to finish this action sequence (probably 10 pages?) AND get the opening framing sequence with the modern family done by the time I leave for San Diego, on Wednesday. Seeing as I'll lose a three days to travel this weekend (10 year reunion!), it'll be rough going, but I'm finally in my "workin' fast" groove. Liz and I have been marathonning the Harry Potter movies to prep for the new movie. Woo!

Crazy Panel

This book is taking so much longer to draw than the last one.

 All in all, though, it's been a really productive weekend! And if I can get ten pages a week done between now and September (when school starts back), I should be fine. That's excluding the week I'll be gone for San Diego Comic-Con and, immediately preceding that, my ten-year high school reunion. I was excited about going to my ten-year reunion when I was IN high school (thanks, Grosse Pointe Blank), so I hope it'll live up to the expectations, though likely I won't have the opportunity to beat up Benny "the Jet" Urquidez by my old locker. I doubt I can remember what hallway my old locker was on. It's weird, the more I think about it. Ten years.

Five "Crogan's Vengeance" Original Pages for Sale

I’ve got a few – very few – original comic pages. I like them because they show process in a way that can’t really be seen otherwise. You can see the way the ink has been laid down, tell what tools were used, see how thick the lines were made, where white-out was applied, etc. I especially like pages on which the lettering has been done; it’s one of the many reasons that I hand-letter. Having an original page of comic art in my house growing up was a big part of how I became a cartoonist.

 Original page, 11x17"

 close-up to see process! Okay, here’s the thing. I was talking to someone – I can’t remember who, but I think it was Pat Quinn – at HeroesCon about selling pages. My plan has always been to sell some eventually, but to wait until the series was well established so that I could fetch higher prices for them. But then I got to thinking – that’s kind of a jerk way to go about it. There are a number of people who have been really enthusiastic about the book from the get-go, and the only way for the series to GET well established is as a result of these folks’ enthusiasm. To deny the folks who read and liked the first book the chance to buy an original page at a ground floor price is really ungrateful on my end. Who knows? Maybe nobody wants to buy any, but I figured I should put it out there. Anyway, I’m taking the long way around to say that I’ll be selling five original pages on a first-come/first-serve basis. I want to keep it limited to one page per buyer. After those pages are gone, it’ll be a while before I sell more. I’m hoping that, come the New Year, I’ll have the store up and going, with original drawings for sale. I’m not sure whether or not I’ll have pages. If I do, they’ll be priced according to how much I like the page. That’s not the case here. This is a flat-rate “pick whatever page you like” sale. Any page you want for $100. Now I should note that there are some pages that are unavailable for a variety of reasons – there are a dozen or so that I’m hanging on to, I gave some to family, traded some with close cartoonist friends, things like that, but any of the ones not listed at the bottom of this post should be up for grabs.

Whoever sends the first payment gets the first pick, second payment second pick, etc. Put your page request in the comment section, and make sure that your e-mail address is included in your sign-in. Shipping is free to the US, rolled in a hard tube. Other countries may need a bit more, I’ll have to check. Remember, I’m only doing five right now. I’ve have ‘em mailed within a week, or, if you’re going to be at San Diego, there for you to pick up. Pages NOT available: 3, 19, 23, 33, 35, 53, 60, 62, 64, 65, 77, 92, 107, 109, 111, 113, 119, 123, 126, 127, 131, 141, 143, 149, 162, 167, 168, 171, 172, 173, 177, 182 I should also note that I’m not currently taking commissions. I’m spending the majority of my time on the book, and my extra time is for one commission which I’ve already accepted, a larger one featuring all of the Crogan family members. Once that one’s done, and the book, I’ll likely open up again. Actual news and new art to be posted next time!