June 30, 2008
If you go to any of the Unlimited Enthusiasm Expo! summer shows be sure to pick up a copy of the official tour zine:
It features a 10-page comic that breaks the cardinal rule of never writing yourself into fan fiction!
It's all part of the Potter's big Unlimited Enthusiasm Expo! Camp fires! Songs about being a wizard! Giant monsters! Cool big videos! Rock and roll aerobics! Inflatable monkeys! Dancing sock puppets! Going bananas! Circus tents! Jumping! Yelling! More jumping! With Uncle Monsterface and Math the Band!
This follow up to Volume 1 features new music by Harry and the Potters, The Whomping Willows, The Remus Lupins (all represented on the cover), and a bunch of other notables in the Wizard Rock pro-social scene.
Proceeds from this CD will aid the HP Alliance, an organization that encourages using the themes of Harry Potter to achieve educational and humanitarian goals..AND Marriage Equality Rhode Island, a grassroots movement that seeks legal recognition of same-sex couples through civil marriage in Rhode Island.
The music should be up on Itunes soon, I think with a real life CD to follow.
And if you go to see Harry and the Potters on tour this summer this art will be animated as part of their "Wizard ROCK THE VOTE" videos shown on stage!
Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8 The Puck Building: Houston and Lafayette Streets New York, New York 11 AM - 6 PM both days $10 a day or $15 for a weekend pass
Myself and the the Comics Bakery will be set up at tables A7 and A8, the same spot we've been in for the past several years. We will have our usual crazy assortment of comics and art and baked goods!
We will also have contributions on what will be the MOST TALKED ABOUT mini-comic debuting at the show:
Edited by Shelli Paroline, Harvest Is When I Need You the Most is a comic anthology that captures the nostalgic value of the ORIGINAL Star Wars Trilogy! And it's in full color!
Raina and I collaborated on a story about R2 D2 and Wicket the Ewok (of course!)
Much like Life Meter 2 last year, this book is guaranteed to sell out, so don't wait till the end of the show to pick one up! It will make a great present for your geeky relatives who still need that extra push to start reading indy comics!
April 24, 2008
Just a reminder that Raina and I will be at Stumptown Comics Fest in Portland Oregon this weekend!
Also attending: Scott McCloud, Craig Thompson, Nick Gurewitch, Neil Babra, Derek Kirk Kim, Graham Annable, Scott C, Erika Moen, Dylan Meconis, and a billion other people I ship.
This weekend is the New York Comic Con, the east coast's biggest pop culture event!
You'll find me at the Comics Bakery, booth #2247 with assortment of comics, t-shirts, buttons, and hi-fives.
I'll also be on a bunch of panels!
NICK MAG PRESENTS...AVATAR COMICS & FANDOM SPOTLIGHT Friday at 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM in ROOM 1E08 -Nickelodeon Magazine gives a behind-the-scenes look at comics produced for Avatar: The Last Airbender and spotlights all the creativity surrounding the fandom for the popular show. There will lots of audience participation, trivia-bending, and prizes for the best cosplayers! We'll also be showing an amazing collection of AMV's, and a special puppet surprise! Featuring: Johane Matte aka Rufftoon (storyboard artist), Dave Roman (comics editor), and Alison Wilgus (comics writer).
FLIGHT EXPLORER - A CONVERSATION WITH KAZU KIBUISHI AND CREATORS Sunday 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM in Kids, Teen Room 1E08 -Flight Explorer, a spin-off of the award-winning Flight graphic novel anthology series, features fun characters and stories that appeal to young readers and parents who want to introduce their children to graphic novels. Join Flight and Flight Explorer editor Kazu Kibuishi and Flight contributors Amy Kim Ganter (who drew the Zuko/Mai Avatar comic), Johane Matte (Rufftoon!), Phil Craven, Jake Parker, Kean Soo, and Dave Roman for their take on the amazing world of Flight Explorer and all-ages comics!
NICK MAG PRESENTS...3-D COMIC CAROUSEL Sunday 3:00 PM-4:00 PM in room 1E09 -A series of cartoon slide shows presented by an array of comic strip makers, performers, and other characters. Plenty of gags, goofiness, audience participation and 3-D action! Definitely for kids and alternative-comics-loving adults. Featuring: R. Sikoryak (Drawn and Quarterly), Sam Henderson (Magic Whistle), Kim Deitch (Alias the Cat), Michael Kupperman (Tales Designed To Thrizzle), and Karen Sneider (Pony Up!)
Nick Mag will actually have a film crew documenting our panels for potential future web videos, so please come out and make sure our audience looks full!
BTW: Children 12 and under are admitted for free on Sunday/Kids Day!
April 11, 2008
Saturday, April 12th is JHU Kids' Day at:
Jim Hanley's Universe 4 West 33rd St. (between 5th and 6th Avenues) NYC 10 AM - 6 PM
An extravaganza of comics, cookies, and creativity. Special guests Nick Bertozzi, Frank Cammuso, George O'Connor, Kevin Pyle, Aaron Renier, Misako Rocks!, Dave Roman, Raina Telgemeier, Sara Varon, Fred Van Lente, and MC, Josh Elder. With live drawing, readings, activities, and the world premier of the Scooby Doo Opera, there's something for kids of every age, and a cookie to finish the day off with.
Comics: For Kids, Too 2:15PM - 3:30PM When the shift in comics readership came, it caught people by surprise. Even though articles about “graphic novels for adults” are often titled, “Comics: not just for kids anymore!” - the interesting truth is that comics are now read more by adults than by children. This panel brings kid-friendly authors and editors together to talk about the special art of making comics that can capture kids’ imaginations and keep them reading comics for life. Featuring: Misako Rocks!, Writer and illustrator, Biker Girl, Rock n’ Roll Love. Dave Roman, Nickelodeon Kids editor and comics creator. David Saylor, Vice President, Associate Publisher and Creative Director for Hardcover Books, Scholastic Inc, and Founding Editorial Director of the GRAPHIX imprint at Scholastic. Frank Cammuso, Eisner-nominated Creator, Max Hamm, Fairy Tale Detective. Moderated by Janna Morishima, Director of Diamond Kids Group, Diamond Book Distributors.
MARCH 25th The Comic Book Club 8:00pm at the Peoples Improv Theater. Tickets are just $5!
This is a live talk show performed weekly at the popular improv theater. I'll be a guest along with fellow Nick Magazine related folks Evan Dorkin (Milk & Cheese) and Chris Duffy (Bizarro Comics).
MARCH 29th Kids Comic Con Bronx Community College Free for children 17 and under. $5 for all others I'll have a table with the Comics Bakery.
APRIL 12th Jim Hanley's Universe Signing from 2-4PM with Raina Telgemeier (Baby-Sitters Club) and Josh Elder (Mail Order Ninja)
APRIL 18th-April 20th New York Comic Con The biggest convention on the east coast is supposedly even bigger this year. I'll be hosting a panel about a TV show called, Avatar: the Last Airbender on friday afternoon. (time TBD) My comics creating co-horts, the Comics Bakery will have a full-sized booth on the main floor and we'll be joined by Kean Soo and Johane Matte of Flight Comics!
APRIL 26th & 27th Stumptown Comics Fest Lloyd Center Doubletree hotel in Portland Oregon. Raina and I are special guests!
MAY 3rd Free Comic Book Day Supposedly doing something at a library in NJ. More details to come!
Lots of people are talking about how there aren't enough comics for younger kids. And my comics loving friends are always saying it would be cool if Nick Mag had more pages of original comics. Of course, I agree!
So hopefully lots of you will check out the third volume of The Best of Nickelodeon Magazine ALL-COMICS SPECIAL which is on newsstands right now!
Continuing the tradition of Nick Mag’s previous ALL-COMICS SPECIALS, this latest collection pulls from over 14 years worth of material that will entertain comic fans of all ages.
In it, you’ll discover rarely seen work by groundbreaking comics creators such as Dave Cooper, David Mazzucchelli, Bobby London, Kim Deitch, Michael Kupperman, Craig Thompson, Svetlana Chmakova, Mike Mignola, Klaus Janson, Hellen Jo, Jay Stephens, and many more.
So be sure to pick up a copy for yourself and to share with anyone who loves comics that are fun!
Here's a quote from press release for the new project I'm working on!
Marvel Entertainment and Del Rey Manga, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, announced today plans to publish two new manga series based on Marvel Entertainment's highly popular X-Men series.
The manga, created with the cooperation and consultation of Marvel editors, will take the classic characters from the X-Men series and re-imagine them in a manga style. The first project, scripted by the husband-and-wife team of Raina Telgemeier (writer and illustrator of The Babysitter's Club graphic novels) and Dave Roman (creator of the comic Agnes Quill), will focus specifically on the X-Men team. Indonesian artist Anzu will illustrate the two-volume series, which will go on sale in Spring 2009.
It's the X-Men as you've never seen them before, with the storyline fashioned as a private school shojo comedy. (Shojo manga is aimed at girls and often covers popular subjects such as comedy, romance, and drama.) As the only girl in the all-boys School for Gifted Youngsters, Kitty Pryde, a mutant with phasing abilities, is torn between the popular Hellfire Club, led by flame-throwing mutant Pyro--and the school misfits, whom she eventually bands together as the X-Men.
There are some photos over on The Beat and lot of discussion both positive and negative is already popping up over the internets as expected. Here's a few links if you are interested:
--Reading about how this is both awesome and horrible news will offer hours of endless of distraction! And the first volume doesn't even come out till Spring 2009! So lots of time for fan speculation!
I won't say too much now, except that Raina and I are both excited to be working on this project! Our editors have been super supportive and our hope is to write something FUN, that will appeal to both X-men fans and Manga fans alike. Perhaps that's impossible, but we'll try our best!
December 05, 2007
I'll be at the New York Anime Festival this weekend! Organized by the same folks who put on the NY Comic Con, this should be a really huge event!
You can find me with the rest of The Comics Bakery, selling all our comics and merchandise.
I'll also be hosting a panel:
Avatar : The Last Airbender - Comics & Magazines Friday December 7th from 4 PM - 5 PM Hosted by Nickelodeon Magazine editor, Dave Roman. Featuring Avatar magazine contributors Alison Wilgus and Tina Lam. Anime Panel Room (1A06)
A behind-the-scenes look at the various stages of making the Avatar comics that appeared in the official Avatar magazines, as well as the mini-comics packaged with the single disk DVDs. From story pitches to script revisions, and creating final art for print, this is a chance to find out what goes into making a great comic, and what editors actually do all day! BONUS FUN: There will be trivia-bending competition live on stage! Prizes will be won! Cosplaying encouraged!
Another panel that might be worth checking out:
Del Rey & Marvel Comics Sunday, Dec 9th at 3 PM - 4 PM Join Del Rey Manga and Marvel Comics for a special announcement! Manga Panel Room (1A24)
As of next month, I will be going into my 10th year at Nickelodeon Magazine!!! I started freelancing for them (1-2 days a week) the last week of November in 1998 while I was still in my senior year of college. By the time I graduated, I was working 5 days a week as a "permalancer" and then eventually got hired "on staff" a year or two later. Years of monthly magazines and special projects later...after even having a photo of my butt (in jeans) on the cover, I still feel like the new kid!
I can honestly say though that I've really had one of the best jobs ever. And am still completly in love with it.
The best part of being at Nick Mag for the past 9 years: I've worked with an insane amount of talented artists, writers, editors, art directors, animators, producers, and cool creative people! And looking back, I definitely feel I've learned a lot and still continue to every day.
I've been asked a lot of questions and done a lot of public speaking about "your career" and how you can "make it", which feels ironic, since I'm still a few thousand dollars shy of paying off my college loans!
But at any rate, I've been compiling a lot of this advice in one place for easier correspondences, and recently a few people insisted that I share it online. So if you are interested in that kind of stuff here you go:
--I'm sure a lot of the details are up for debate and I plan to add and change things over time. But I guess it might be useful for people seeking some inside tips and tricks! Cheers!
If you've never seen The Mighty Boosh before (no one we ran into on Halloween had either!) you can check it out on BBC America tonight at 1AM. And you can watch smaller/granier episodes on the internet of course.
It was a lot of fun getting to edit a comic magazine based on my favorite cartoon show! And I really hope it sells well (and that the show continues to grow in popularity) so we can do lots more and continue to play in the Avatar universe!
I also wrote a long rant about people scanning/posting the magazine all online (the day it came out!) and how I believe that affects our chances of making similar magazines in the future. This was a follow up to another journal post i made on my deviant art site specificially aimed at fans of the show. It's lead to a lot of interesting conversations, great feedback, and the meeting of cool people. If you haven't seen it yet, here's the video trailer for Season 3 of the show:
The best place to find a copy is the magazine section of a bookstore chain like Barnes and Noble, Borders or Chapters/Indigo.
If you have trouble finding a copy of the magazine check HERE
August 23, 2007
I have T-shirts for sale! $16 includes shipping. And I'll throw in 2 free stickers and a button!
Yaytime Bunny T-shirt: $16.00 (shipping included) Screenprinted on black T-shirts. Every day can be yaytime!
Current Available sizes: GIRLS CUT (American Apparel) : Medium or Large. STANDARD CUT (Fruit of the Loom): Small, Med, Large, X-tra Large **PLEASE SPECIFY SIZE AND STYLE WHEN YOU ORDER!
July 18, 2007
I'll be at the San Diego Comic Con and you can find me in 3 places:
The Comics Bakery table in the small press alley, table P2. I'll be there with John Green, Marion Vitus, Raina Telgemeier and assortment of mini-comics, graphic novels, t-shirts and buttons.
Slave Labor Graphics booth (I don't know the booth # but it's usually centered and easy to find) Hopefully they'll have plenty of copies of Agnes Quill--because I'm totally out of stock!
Flight Comics (Booth number 1128) This will be a huge booth sharing space with the Nucleus Gallery and Out of Picture anthology. Always a fun time.
Speaking of which...Flight 4 is out now! People say this might be the best one yet! I did a story called "It's Dangerous to Sleep." It's pretty much autobiographical and very timely. There's also a full-color story from my wife, Raina Telgemeier. So, definitely worth buying the book just for that--if not all the other amazing artists.
ALSO...
I FINALLY drew 3 pages of the long-planned and delayed comic series about wizard rockers, Harry and the Potters. Hopefully I'll get a few more up before the fall! Originally I had hoped to have enough pages to make a mini for the guys to take on their big summer tour with them. But alas, only so many hours in the day...
Just in time for the excitement of the new Transformers movie... John Green and I will be debuting the 7th issue of Teen Boat at the MoCCA art fest on June 23rd. It’s the first new issue since we won the Ignatz Award for best debut back in 2004! Where the hell did the past 3 years go!? Oh yeah, we got married! (not to each other!!)
To help celebrate the new issue, we are serializing the original 3 issues over on webcomics nation. This is the first time it's been collected on the internet in it's entirety--for free!
And extra cool is that the first few pages are in color for the first time ever!
"I love the Teen Boat mini-comics. It's a teenager that turns into a boat. Now, that's a million dollar idea!" -James Kochalka
Also be sure to friend Teen Boat's MYSPACE page, which features great rock songs inspired by the boy who is a boat.
I'll be at The Paradise Toronto Comicon! June 8-10, 2007 Hall C Direct Energy Centre @ Exhibition Place Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I'll have a few things to sell, but mostly I'll be there to support Raina who will be on a bunch of cool panels worth checking out. But we'll actually only be there on Friday and part of Saturday. I've got to fly back to New York on Saturday evening (for my step-brothers wedding!), and will only be at the con until 3 PM or so. But hope we get too see lots of cool people while we can!
A panel discussion and book signing with: MARK SIEGEL & SIENA CHERSON SIEGEL (To Dance) GEORGE O'CONNOR (Journey Into Mohawk Country) AARON RENIER (Spiral-Bound) JULIA GRAN (Big Bug Surprise) CHRISTINE NORRIE (Breaking Up, Hopeless Savages) SARA VARON (Sweater Weather) DAVE ROMAN (Agnes Quill) CHARISE MERICLE HARPER (Fashion Kitty Versus the Fashion Queen) PATRICK O'BRIEN (The Mutiny on the Bounty)
Located at 18 West 18th Street in New York City, Books of Wonder is New York City's oldest and largest independent children's bookstore, as well as the city's leading specialist in children's literature both new and old. I believe this is their first ever graphic novel event!
April 20th-23rd will be one insane weekend and the start of my weekendless life:
On Friday and Saturday I'll be at Anime Boston in the Artist Alley. On the Friday evening I'll be participating in a panel about Life Meter Comics and then on Saturday afternoon, I'll be doing a panel about producing comics for Avatar: The Last Airbender. Then I'll have to jump on bus back to NYC for the Books of Wonder event on Sunday.
The following weekend I'll be at the Kids Comic Con in the Bronx.
And then the weekend after that I move into a new apartment!
I'm on another podcast! Actually it's the latest episode of Fanboy Radio, which is in fact an real-world radio show broadcast out of Texas. Here's a direct link to the episode:
Raina and I, along with our comic-making companions, John Green and Marion Vitus, are interviewed in a special Valentine's-themed episode of Indie Spinner Rack. Warning: It's crazy long, and filled with ramblings,tangents and overtly mushy content. But it was a lot of fun to do, so maybe someone besides our parents will enjoy it!
We didn't get our act together until after we recorded the podcast, but it's a good time to mention the fact that the 4 of us have created a new umbrella name for when we do shows and conventions. Instead of saying 'Cryptic Press and Take-Out Comics and Marion Vitus,' from now on we'll collectively be The Comics Bakery.
We have quite an eclectic mix of books and product: graphic novels, mini-comics, traditional comics, zombie videogames, t-shirts, buttons, fanzines and Wizard Rock CDs. And even though Cryptic Press still self-publishes the occasional issue of Teen Boat and Astronaut Elementary, a lot of the projects we've been selling at conventions are really published by other people (Jax Epoch from AiT/Planet Lar, Agnes Quill from SLG, Baby-sitters Club from Scholastic, and so on). So really, we are more like an art collective or traveling warehouse than a publisher. Not that the world needs ANOTHER art collective, but this just seems a bit more accurate, especially when we throw things like Life Meter and Flight into the mix. So, long story short, eventually we'll have a nicer version of www.comicsbakery.com up with info about all our various projects, and when we go to conventions that will be the name to look for us under!
Speaking of which...we'll be at the NY Comic Con this weekend! In the Artists Alley (Galleria) #A206 Hope to see you there!
Nickelodeon Magazine Comic Carousel Sunday February 25th at the New York Comic Con Jacob Javits Center 1PM in Room 1E16 * Free 3-D glasses and magazines!
A series of cartoon slide shows and other projected pictures, presented by an array of comic strip makers, visual artists, performers, and other characters. Plenty of gags, goofiness, audience participation and 3-D action! Definitely for kids and alt-comics-loving adults. Hosted by cartoonist R. Sikoryak, and Nick Mag editors, Chris Duffy and Dave Roman.
Artists scheduled to appear include Sam Henderson (Scene But Not Heard), Michael Kupperman (Tales Designed To Thrizzle), Karen Sneider (Pony Up!) and Bill Alger (Cartoon Block Party) vs. a cartooning super computer!
Since its debut in 1997, Carousel shows have been presented around New York City at Dixon Place, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Makor, and The Marquee, as well as at the Small Press Expo (Bethesda, Maryland), MoCCA Art Fest (NYC), and the Blue Met Festival (Montreal, Canada).
Complete run down of events:
Chris Duffy and Dave Roman give a quick overview on Nick Mag's history of publishing the best in alternative comics for kids.
Michael Kupperman (Tales Designed To Thrizzle) Reads his epic smackdown comic: Hercules Vs. Zues in 3-D! You won't believe your eyes as the mythological mayhem jumps off the screen!
R. Sikoryak.(RAW) reads his comic strip bending, "Real FUNNY Estate" then asks the audience if they can identify the comic strips and characters involved. With special guest: Lauren Weinstein (Girl Stories).
Sam Henderson (Magic Whistle) creates a soundtrack for pantomime classic "Scene But Not Heard" then asks volunteers from the audience to improve their own.
Karen Sneider and Bill Alger face off against Deep Orange, Nickelodeon's advanced cartooning computer! Audience reaction will determine whether technology can outwit humanity when it comes to creating gag cartoons.
To see photos and report about the Carousel we did in San Diego last year Click Here
February 08, 2007
I am luckily allowed to work on these annual Nick Mag "Best of Comics" magazines. The latest one is on newsstands this week, so I hope you'll check it out!
The Best of Nickelodeon Magazine ALL-COMICS ISSUE!
This 52-page magazine collects tons of the hilarious and creative comics from Nick Mag's THE COMIC BOOK, including "Viking Crush" by Dan Abdo and "Idiom-tastic Animal Detectives", by Travis Nichols, which were both mentioned on the list of '100 Distinguished Comics' list in Houghton Mifflin's Best American Comics 2006.
Continuing the tradition of last year’s Best of Nick Mag comics, this latest collection will impress readers with an incredible variety of talent. You'll discover work by groundbreaking comics creators such as Jordan Crane, Justin Green, Jason Lutes, James Kochalka, Michael Kupperman, Brian Ralph, Souther Salazar, Jason Shiga, Craig Thompson, Sara Varon, and many more!
This special issue also spotlights several cartoonists and offers behind the scenes articles that are fun for the casual reader and a great resource for young artists!
January 26, 2007
This is sort of old news, but I realized I never posted about it here.
Raina and I were profiled in a video podcast about cartooning couples directed/edited by Scott McCloud's insanely talented daughters: Sky, who is the director/editor and Winter, who is the host and star.
They shot the footage in our apartment in Astoria, Queens as they were just beginning the 50 State Tour to promote their dad's new book, "Making Comics" (WHICH IS AWESOME BTW!)
The site is really shiny and so far has been really well recieved (thanks to everyone who has already linked to it!) It's really exciting to have Astronaut Elementary be a part of it! Check out the full announcement over on Newsarama.
If you are in or near Toms River, New Jersey this Saturday, Raina Telgemeier and I will be representing graphic novels at the Ocean County Library BookFest!
From the website:
2006 BookFest, a New Jersey festival of reading, will celebrate the joy of reading by connecting authors and their readers. All are invited to come and enjoy featured author presentations, local writers, music, book signings, children's activities, writing workshops and Sparks, the Ocean County Library mascot!
I'll be in the "teen zone/courtyard" doing a panel called "Writing for Comics-Online and Print".
Be sure to check out Nick Mag's first All-Avatar Magazine that came out last week. Of course, I'm hoping it sells really well so we can make more ASAP!
This was a dream project for me to work on because I'm a huge fan of the Avatar TV show! Everyone at the studio was really cool to work with and since all the comics were drawn by fellow Flight contributor, Justin Ridge you know they are awesome! Plus I got to put all those cosplay pics I've been taking at conventions to good use in an article about Avatar fandom.
There is some cool "making of" stuff about the comics for magazine over on the Nick Mag Comics LiveJournal LJ!
August 11, 2006
Agnes Quill: An Anthology of Mystery is available for pre-order through Amazon.com or through Diamond Previews Catalog under the item code AUG06 2936.
You can read the official press release from Slave Labor Graphics HERE!
July 18, 2006
Wednesday July 19th-Sunday July 23 I'll be at the big San Diego Comic con Since I love chaos, this is my all time favorite week of the year. It's like Halloween...except indoors...and the people in costume come to your decorated table and give you money in exchange for your cartoon related treats!
I'll mostly be at the Cryptic Press/Take Out Comics table, which is R2 in small press alley (Aisle 1900). That's where you'll also find my insanely talented friends John Green, Marion Vitus, and Raina Telgemeier.
We'll have a diverse sampling of comics, t-shirts, buttons, stickers, bookmarks and even videogames!
Astronaut Elementary
