Emerald City Comic-Con

GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES (and GROUNDED, and AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) artist Paul Azaceta and I will be at Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle THIS WEEKEND, March 4-6 2011, at Table G-25.

We’ll be showing off art from Graveyard, Paul will be sketching, and I should have copies of all my books for sale. That includes RIFT RAIDERS, my Kickstart book with Julian Totino Tedesco (pictured above). Rift Raiders sold out from Diamond, and while it will be re-solicited, if you are there this may be your only chance to to get a copy until June.

If there’s anything you’d like me to bring in particular (some single issue of GROUNDED or FEARLESS, for example), let me know. But as much as I like to sell stuff, the reason ECCC is one of my favorite cons is the fan interaction. It’s more comic-centric than most cons, and while well attended it’s still intimate enough to actually converse. I’m always happy to chat comics, please come by and say hello.

I should also mention there will be a number of my collaborators there besides Paul, including Sean Murphy (Teen Titans: Cold Case, Joe the Barbarian), Jeremy Haun (Two-Face: Year One) and Matthew Southworth (What If? Spider-Man, Stumptown). Matthew did fill-in work on Spidey which I've never gotten to thank him for.

All will be happy to sign. Too many friends to name, and overall one of the strongest talent lineups I’ve seen.

I'll be reachable and try to update my goings on via Twitter.

(Sorry - this is pretty much the same post I put up on Tumblr, but I'm not fully packed and I'm leaving for the airport soon).

In about 6 hours or so I'll be headed to NY for, among other things, The New York Comic Con. I'm going to be sharing a table with artist Paul Azaceta (GROUNDED, FOOLKILLER, BPRD: 1946) in Artist's Alley, Table L7. Hopefully, FEARLESS artist PJ Holden and co-writer Dave Roth will be hanging around the table as well.

As always, I'm happy to talk to anyone, sign anything, and I'll be selling my Image Books. If you want my DC works signed, you're probably going to have to bring your own copies of TWO-FACE: YEAR ONE, CYBORG and SUPERGIRL #16. And if you happen to have San Diego's limited edition HEROES comic from last year, you can be the first to have me sign a copy.\\ If I'm not at my table, I'm likely just taking a walking around break, or doing a signing for Comic Book Tattoo (the hugely successful Tori Amos anthology I contributed a short story for).

But the real treat will be getting a sketch from Paul Azaceta, who does kickass - well, everything, but particularly Daredevil. And you'll never see him more excited if you ask him to draw Darkhawk.

Looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones.

Emerald City Con Re-Cap

When I go to a new city, I like to do the most obnoxious, touristy thing possible, as revenge for having to take friends to the Walk of Fame in Hollywood and direct out-of-towners to Ground Zero when I lived in New York (disgusting how quickly that became a tourist destination). In Seattle, home of this past weekend's Emerald City Con, that meant visiting the world's first Starbucks. How can you tell this Starbucks is special? Check out the logo behind me. Unlike the traditional, ubiquitous mermaid, this one's nipples are exposed.

There were no exposed nipples on display in Seattle, despite the presence of Slave Leias (mandatory at any con) and The Suicide Girls (who I think are teases...have any of them actually killed themselves? Or even tried? They should be like Menudo, but instead of simply being kicked out of the band at age 16, there should be a Logan's Run like rule that they must off themselves as a career capper).

There was something even better on display, however. What's that shirt Marvel editor (and hottest girl in comics) Jen Grunwald is wearing next to Ed Brubaker's trademark Fedora at the Mondo Marvel Panel?




Why it's a HAZED t-shirt. All the cool kids are wearing them, and you should too.



Of course, you'll have to wait for San Diego if you want one of these suckers, as Emerald City will be my last con until then. In order to tide you over, I'm going to give you one of my trademark extra long con re-caps.

Emerald City was definitely one of the better cons I've been to. I'm starting to appreciate smaller cons (at least small relative to SDCC and NYCC) that are more focused on comics than other media, where you don't have to hear Spike TV blasting wrestling music or gamers mangling Rock Band covers.

What struck me most about ECCC were the fans. I did better than expected business-wise, but most of my interaction with fans was not trying to sell books, but rather readers who brought copies to sign, and more importantly, came to discuss the work. I think the strangest thing for me was how many people brought copies of the one issue of Supergirl that I co-wrote with Joe Kelly. Granted, that issue (which is collected in Supergirl: Identity trade if you want to contribute to my royalty fund) features a new origin for Kara Zor-El, but I didn't realize it had made anyone's radar. I don't know how much the increased recognition was a function of the show, or whether I'm slowly but surely building a fan base, but I've never seen a more engaged group of convention attendies.

What's cool was that it wasn't all "I love your work/what are you doing next". Not that I don't appreciate either of those sentiments, but oddly enough one of the best experiences I had was from someone who read Hazed, liked it, but was offended by my portrayal of fraternity and sorority life.

I give the guy a lot of credit for having the guts to come up to a creator and express their feelings in person, without the safe anonymity of the internet. That said, his argument essentially boiled down to two things. One, his fraternity (AEII) wasn't like the one I portrayed in HAZED. Ironically enough, when I was at Duke, I got in a bit of trouble for ridiculing that particular frat. I had a satirical weekly newspaper column, and I wrote, having attended the self-styled "Jewish fraternity's" lame "Disco Inferno" party, that I haven't felt this sorry for the Jewish people since Schindler's List. I'm a Jew, so I thought it was okay to say that, but evidently the letter-writers calling me a KKK hooded Nazi and the phone callers who threatened my life disagreed.

His other criticism was and that I should have shown the "good side" of fraternities. Which - if you are looking for a fair and balanced portrayal of the Greek system, Hazed isn't for you. I don't think it's my job as a satirist to be even handed. It's my job to make you laugh, and tell the truth, even if it's ugly.

The reaction to Hazed has been pretty much what I thought it would be - extremely polarizing. People seem to love it or hate it, identify with it or find it completely incompatible with their own experiences...and not much in between. As a writer, I think that means I was successful. I'd much rather readers have a negative reaction than no reaction at all. I felt proud that I was able to engender such a strong reaction from someone, and he walked away with a free copy of Grounded #1 (the least offensive thing I could think to give him).

The more intimate setting also allowed me much more quality time with fellow creators. Ed Brubaker was nice enough to play host to a bunch of pros visiting from out of town by showing us some of his hometown drinking establishments. Ed may be the last person in comics in need of a plug, but Criminal is without a doubt the best crime book out there, and it's a book that's worth getting in single issues because it's got some of the best backmatter in comics.

I was a bit nervous meeting Ed, because Two-Face: Year One features the first appearance of many of the characters he and Greg Rucka created for their classic series Gotham Central. In Two-Face, Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent assemble those characters as a team of the only honest cops in Gotham to bring down the - their version of "The Untouchables". I was afraid to mention to Ed that I was mucking around with their creations, so I didn't bring it up. I did get to speak to Greg Rucka, however, and he was extremely gracious, encouraging me to use his characters, essentially saying that's what they are there for.

Other pros I got to drink with Ivan Brandon, editor of the Eisner nominated anthology 24/7, and his girlfriend/my letterer and designer Kristyn Ferretti; and Jerry Duggan and Phil Noto, writer and artist respectively of the Einser nominated book Infinite Horizon (the Odyssey retold in modern day Iraq). So, I was the token non-Eisner nominated creator, which probably explains why I was not allowed to speak unless spoken to.

Dan DiDio and Ian Sattler of DC were nice enough to host a big DC dinner for all their creators in attendance. There to make me feel small were Kurt Busiek, Bill Willingham and Gail Simone. I got to sit at the kids table with Ian, Phil Noto and Rick Remender. There, Rick suggested that we share our most embarassing stories. Phil's involves a hurricane, Rick involves an enema. Sorry Rick, but I love the idea of people coming up to you at cons asking you about it. If it makes you feel better, everyone should check out his Crawlspace book XXX Zombies...a zombie story set in the porn industry - it's like a grindhouse film in comics form. And my story involved pushing a retarded girl in the subway.

Other pros I should mention - new Birds of Prey writer Tony Bedard and DC mainstay Tom Peyer were cool, and it was great hanging out with Dark Horse's Rachel Edinin, who invited me to participate in a feminists in comics lunch (yes, despite the fact I enjoy writing about sorority hazing rituals like circling the fat and group purging, I consider myself a feminist). Josh Williamson, who I met at Meltdown a few months ago, a comics newcomer who has a great book coming out from Image/Shadowline called "Dear Dracula" about a kid who writes to Dracula...I think it's going to be huge.

Coolest of all , however, was Bryan Lee O'Malley, creator of Scott Pilgrim. He did an amazing sketch (which, like my NYCC sketches, will have to wait until a new blog entry when my scanner is hooked up)...for free. He actually refused money, which I then spent on his tablemate Hope Larson's book Salamander Dream, which I highly recommend.

Hopefully you enjoyed this recap as much as I enjoyed the con. Sorry if this was overly name-droppy, but I feel like plugging others work balances that out karmically. Certainly, you've learned quite a bit about me: I think I have a free pass to make Holocaust jokes, I push retarded women on the subway, and if you come up to be at a con and tell me my work sucks, you can get a free book.

Emerald City Con

This weekend, May 10-11, I'm going to be attending Seattle's Emerald City Con for the first time. It will be my last con until San Diego.

I'm sharing a table with Jeremy Haun. Not only is he was he a great artist on one of my favorite Image Books of the past few years, B. Clay Moore's Battle Hymn, I also just found out he's doing the flashback sequences for Two-Face: Year One. He joins an already impressive art team - Jesus Saiz handles most of the pencilling, Jimmy Palmiotti's on inks and Mark Chiarello is doing the covers (which are not what you'll find in previews).

I'll be there with copies of Grounded, Fearless and Hazed, and I'll be showing off art from Cyborg and Two-Face. Oh, and Hazed T-Shirts...I'm going to have to get a picture up soon, Kristyn Ferretti did a great job designing them - women's tees with the Hazed logo, and unisex "Stop The Spread of STDs" shirts that I hope to become a staple at comic conventions - Green Lantern shirts for the cool kids (STDs being the name of the fictional sororities in Hazed).

I'll also bring my sketchbook and annoy any artists I know. Hopefully, upon my return, I'll not only have one of my lengthy post-con reports, but have my scanner hooked up so I can show off my sketches from here and NYCC.

New York Comic Con Recap

You know a con has taken a lot out of you when it takes a week to start posting your post-con thoughts.

For years it was mind boggling that New York, headquarters to Marvel and DC and largest media market in the world, never had a comic convention to hold its own with the likes of San Diego and Chicago (although the Big Apple Con, which I attend as frequently as possible, is probably the most creator- and fan-friendly con around). This changed two years ago, with demand exceeding capacity. In this, the NYCC's third consecutive year, the only two knocks against he con - overcrowding and frigid February weather - were eliminated in heavily attended, well spaced con spread out across a beautiful weekend.

Of course, the change from February to April coincided with the Passover holiday, so I had to divide my time between fans and family seders. It meant that I had to miss out on some networking and partying, but compard against the ten plagues that might have been visited upon me if I hadn't gone home, missing a party or two seemed miniscule. I am the first born in my family, and really didn't feel like being slayed this year.

My weekend started the Thursday night before the con, with a great party thrown by DC Comics. Too nervous to really talk with Darwyn Cooke and Grant Morrison, I nevertheless got to say hi to Cyborg editor and assistant editor Eddie Berganza and Adam Schlagman (sporting a Sodam Yat soccer jersey, Green Lantern fans). I got to thank Two-Face: Year One editor Jeanine Schaeffer for not only giving me the dream job of writing the hard-boiled story of Harvey Dent's fall, but for discovering me two years ago at the very first NYCC when all I had was a few issues of Grounded to my name.

I finally met Bat editor Mike Marts, story editor, Ian Sattler and the amazing Jann Jones, who deserves a big thank you for throwing a party where you could actually talk together together before the madness of the con. I didn't get to thank Jimmy Palmiotti or Mark Chiarello. I just learned last week Jimmy will be inking over Jesus Saiz's pencils for Two-Face (can you ask for a better inker - answer: no), and that Mark will be doing the covers (which are NOT what you've seen solicited).

The highlight of the party though was meeting Geoff Johns. Geoff's work, particularly on Flash, brought me back to reading mainstream DCU titles after a long hiatus. He's a writer I try to emulate because he balances boundary pushing creativity (52, Sinestro Corps Wars) with a real respect for what's come before. It's very rare when someone you admire is as nice you imagine, but Geoff fit that bill or was at least nice enough to pretend to. Having written a seminal run on Teen Titans, he's got a lot invested in Cyborg. Between that and Dan DiDio telling me Two-Face is his favorite Bat villain, I'm either going to be the most popular writer at DC by the end of this summer...or blacklisted.

Friday, I began the job of running back and forth between my artist's alley table with Grounded artist Paul Azaceta and signings at the Image booth. My first signing was with Killing Girl's Glen Brunswick. Great crime book (with art by Frank Espinoza and Toby Cypress), great guy.

I took a break to attend the "Women in Comics" panel, arranged by Occasional Superheroine blogger/Friend of Lulu President Valerie D'Orazio and featuring writer Gail Simone, artist Becky Cloonan and Marvel Editor (and official "hottest girl in comics") Jen Grunwald. I had hoped they would all gush about how the best comic about women was in fact written by a man (that comic being Hazed and that man being, well, me). Instead, it was a refreshingly positive discussion of the contributions being made on every level by female talent despite the barriers to entry this industry makes for women, be they writers, artists, editors or fans.

Still, could no one have worn a Hazed t-shirt? See me for a standing offer of a free trade/t-shirt if you promote/wear one on a comics panel. Yes, I am that shameless.

Saturday was a first - I was a guest on a comics panel. Image: Brave New Worlds, was a panel featuring members of different generations of Image Comics, from founders Erik Larsen and Jim Valentino to longtime Noble Causes/Dynamo Five writer Jay Faerber, to rock star/indie comics writer Claudio Sanchez of Coheed and Cambria/and The Amory Wars, to, well, me.

Jim and Erik were the trailblazers, taking a huge career risk in the 90's to establish a home for creator-owned material. Jay represented the next generation of established big company talent to bring smart, original superhero work over. Claudio is doing something completely different, adapting rich fantasy world he's created in music and translating to the page.

Me...I guess I fit somewhere in between - I love doing original superhero work like Fearless and Grounded for Image. There really was no second choice for me when I pitched those books. And it's hard to imagine any other publisher taking a flier on a dark comedy about sorority hazing rituals.

Using a film analogy, the Image founders seem to me like Coppola, Scorsese and Lucas, doing these epic but personal movies that redefined comics. I kind of feel like I'm closer to the early Kevin Smith/Tarantino generation. Inspired by what came before, we maxed out our credit cards making comics instead of films.

Not that I had a chance to say any of this. Most questions were from Coheed and Cambria's rabid fan base. The only line I got that received any coverage was when Jim Valentino said that Image was for those who wanted more than "guys in panties punching each other." I said that Hazed fit that bill exactly, since it was girls in panties punching each other. Thus, erasing the strides made in the previous day's Women in Comics panel with one fell swoop.

Closed out the weekend nother signing with Nixon's Pal's artist Chris Burnham. I hope to have a sketch of his on here soon. I also got great sketches by Nikki Cook, with whom I hope to work, Aqualeung's Paul Maybury, and best of all, Salgood Sam. Salgood is illustrating an adaptation of a song I wrote for Tori Amos' Comic Book Tattoo anthology. More on Comic Book Tattoo later, but it may be the best project I've been a part of.

With all the signing, sketching, paneling and networking, I didn't have as much time to hang out with my artists as I'd like. Joining Paul and me at our table were both Hazed's Robbi Rodriguez and, all the way from Northern Ireland, Fearless' very own PJ Holden. My writing skills are far too meager to convey how entertaining PJ is in person. He did some great Hulk sketches which Marvel seemed to take some notice of. Here's hoping he gets the attention he deserves.

I'm leaving way too much out. It's always most gratifying to meet readers, so thanks to all of you who came out, whether it was to say hi again or try my work for the first time. I continue to be really moved by people who are so affected by Hazed, particularly. The highlight of the weekend, though, was the kid who told me he almost got kicked out of church for laughing so hard the copy he'd snuck in. It's nice to know that I'm putting youth at risk of not only of moral corruption but spiritual damnation. I've really got to keep my out for those ten plagues...

WONDERCON: A Creator's Perspective

What did I miss at fill-in-the-blank-con? That’s what everyone seems to ask when I get back from attending a comic book convention. If you are looking for pr from the big companies’ panels, sites like Newsarama and Comic book resources do it far better than I can. If you are looking for gossip, there’s Lying in the Gutters. But I thought it would be more interesting to discuss what it’s like to attend a convention from a creator’s perspective. Don’t worry; I’ll try to throw in a little news and gossip as well.

When I attend a con, my goals are usually this: sell as many copies of my books as I can, and network with as many editors and creators as possible. All this while trying to resist (often futilely) the urge to spend the proceeds of the weekend on comics, action figures etc. and avoid getting sick from being in a poorly ventilated convention center handling germ infested dollar bills.

I rarely have time to attend any of the panels. In fact, I usually find out any news when I get back to wherever I’m crashing that night and check the internet. I did pop in this weekend to the DC Nation panel to see if Dan DiDio would announce my top-secret dream project for DC. He didn’t, but he told me that should be announced sometime this week. All I can say is what he told me, which is that it stars one of his favorite DCU villains. In other words, I better not screw it up.

I also popped in on the BOOM! Studio presentation, deftly run by VP of Marketing/Left on Mission writer Chip Mosher. Again, to see if my name was mentioned. I was asked my BOOM! EIC Mark Waid to do a short story for BOOM!’s Cthulhu Tales anthology, and said yes despite the fact he stole artist Paul Azaceta from me to do Potter’s Field. I’m also in talks with them to do a bigger project…but again, sworn to secrecy.

While I was generally good at avoiding spending money, I did buy two pieces of original art from Ale Garza, who drew the issue of Supergirl #19 that I co-wrote with Joe Kelly. I’m proud of those pages because, whether or not it’s still canon, they are the first appearance of “The Phantoms”, which I helped create. They are the original inhabitants of The Phantom Zone. I’m surprised in more than a half century no one ever thought of who lived in the Zone before.

There were of course some cool meetings and sightings:

• Someone dressed as Darth Nihilis (if you listen to Howard Stern you should get that reference).
  
• My buddies Jim Mahfood and Dave Crosland, with whom I’m going to be doing a really cool HAZED signing event at Meltdown Comics in LA later this month (more on that soon).
• Early Sandman artist Mike Dringenberg. I got to learn that “Death” was based in part on a schizophrenic Goth dominatrix from Salt Lake City (where they are in sorely needed). Speaking of Neil Gaiman characters based on real people, I should mention I’m doing an adaptation of a song by Tori Amos (the inspiration for “Delirium”) in this summer’s Comic Book Tattoo book.
  

But most of the WonderCon involved me sitting at my Artist’s Alley table. I think I had the best placement in terms of surrounding talent out of any con, between American Flagg’s Howard Chaykin and Astro City’s Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson.

Still…sitting at and artist’s alley table can be hard work if you’re not a writer. You can’t sketch, and worse, there’s that deflating feeling every time someone comes up and says, wow, that’s a beautiful looking book, and you have to tell them that, in fact, you didn’t draw it. Assuming that as a writer, you only write what’s in the word balloons, they usually walk away disappointed.

Luckily, I had HAZED artist Robbi Rodriguez as my wingman. Besides making inappropriate jokes about how I was able to get him as cheap labor because he’s Mexican (not true, although I did pick him up randomly at Home Depot), Robbi was nice enough to do free sketches for anyone who bought HAZED, which rumor has it he will do at Wizard World LA and New York Comic-Con if you stop by my table at either.

And HAZED (along with GROUNDED and FEARLESS) is really what WonderCon, or any con, is about. Considering the book wasn’t out yet (it’s out this Wednesday the 27^th, along with the fourth and final issue of FEARLESS), it got a great reception – we pretty much sold out. Lots of compliments on the cover that Kristyn Ferretti designed. Ditto for Robbi’s work…no disrespect to Maintenance but I think this is the best work he’s done (Nick Filardi’s grey tones didn’t hurt) As far as the words inside, the best praise I got was from Mia MacHatton and Lee Atchison of Sequential Tart. Speaking of which, Lee did a great interview with me here.

Actually…saying cons are about the work is only half true. It’s about the fans. I’ve been doing this professionally for about three years now, and the magic of someone saying they like a book I’ve worked on, let alone want to buy a copy, let alone want it SIGNED hasn’t worn off on me. My favorite story from this end involves a professor at the University of Oregon (go Ducks!) who is using Grounded as a textbook for a class he’s teaching. I’m hoping to have more about that here when I get in touch with him.

All in all, an extremely successful convention. Got to interact with without exception incredibly nice fans of Fearless and Grounded, and enjoy a great reception for the mini-debut of Hazed. And managed to (mostly) stay action figure and convention bug free.