C2E2 2011: Always with the sketching

At any convention, I love to meet creators, and hopefully compel them to perform for me and draw something pleasing to the eye.  This year's C2E2 wasn't as lucrative in the sketch department as some other cons, but here are some neat drawrings that people did for me:



Geof Darrow embellished the print I bought with this little critter.



Ed Choy Moorman drew a doggie inside a minicomic.



Becky Driestadt drew another doggie, and an especially cute one, if you ask me.



This graffiti-style sketch by Dave Crosland was pretty amazing to see; he did it with these really thick markers in a matter of a couple minutes, then added details with a calligraphy pen and blew on the marker to create that cool splatter effect.  I love this guy's work.

And here are some additions to my Groo sketchbook:



Jim Zubkavich!



Sean Galloway!



Brian Hurtt!  I love this cartoony style from him, and he lamented that he is "stuck" drawing in his current more realistic style rather than something more like European children's comics, which he would prefer.  Man, I would love to see a comic from him like that.



And finally, Ryan Browne, who really knocked this one out of the park.
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To next year, during which I will certainly be trying to continue to expand my collection.

C2E2 2011: Not a sophomore slump exactly...

This past weekend was the second annual Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo, and judging by this year's show, it should continue to grow into the excellent comics-focused convention that the area needs. Based on the schedule and information available beforehand, I had wondered if the show was already showing signs of decline, but I needn't have worried; while the scale did seem to have contracted, with what seemed like a little bit smaller space, a narrower range of programming, and fewer big-name creators (at least outside of the Marvel/DC axis), the show continued to be very enjoyable, with presence from most of the major publishers, a varied retailer section that wasn't too crowded, and a thriving artist alley. There was never a lack of things to do and see, whether your preference lies in meeting writers and artists, hearing publisher announcements, buying anything comics-related you can think of, or just gawking at people in strange garb, and the crowd was full of like-minded people to interact with.

So what could be different and/or "better" about the show? Speaking from a purely selfish perspective, I would love to see more of an indie/artcomix presence, with booths for publishers like Fantagraphics, Drawn and Quarterly, Picturebox, Pantheon, or even manga publishers like Viz, Vertical, or (while I'm dreaming) the elusive Kodansha. A stronger indie artist presence would also be nice, especially self-publishers and makers of minicomics. I don't know if any of this is economically feasible, for the companies, the creators, or the show itself, but I've never let practicality get in the way of my wishes. On a more likely note, I would like to see a greater range of programming, especially panels focused on creator (or critical) discussion, and less in the way of publisher announcement panels, which are perfectly fine, but seem to all run together in their "here's what's coming up next!" enthusiasm. And on a layout note, the webcomics section could stand to be rethought as well; as it is, it was a simple aisle in artist alley, but it didn't include some of the more well-known webcomics artist like Danielle "Girls with Slingshots" Corsetto or Evan "Rice Boy" Dahm.



Minor complaints and wishful thinking aside, I had a great time at the con, and in addition to meeting creators I admire and spending lots of money on comics, there was information to be learned, and thus related in an overly excited manner:

Item! Sanford Greene has a story called "Rotten Apple" in the second issue of the revived Dark Horse Presents anthology, and it looks amazing, a demonstration of a new, energetic, brushstroke-heavy style for him. It's one of several reasons the series looks to be worth checking out.

Item! Ray Fawkes' new graphic novel One Soul from Oni Press looks like it could be really good, using a neat formal conceit in which eighteen characters are followed throughout their lives, each one given one panel per double page spread, allowing patterns to emerge throughout the course of their unconnected lives, which range across the course of human history. It's a bold leap of faith in readers' willingness to go along on such a complex journey, and hopefully the content and characters will live up to the presentation.

Item! The webcomics collective Four Star Studios (which consists of Tim Seeley, Mike Norton, Josh Emmons, and Sean Dove) is taking a leap into the convoluted waters of digital publishing with their venture Double Feature Comics, a monthly digital-only release that will feature short stories following a changing theme (the first month is "action", followed by "monsters") and a lineup of great writers and artists that includes Mike Norton, Ryan Browne, Phil Hester, Chris Burnham. The issues will be ninety-nine cents, and they will be available in PDF format, or via an IPad app that will include features like commentary and the ability to view the pages at pencil, ink, and color stage. It looks like a cool venture, and hopefully one that will pay off for all the talented people involved.

Item! Dave Crosland's art continues to look amazing, and he's actually doing some comics here and there, including a story in Boom!'s recent CBGB series.  He is also regularly posting images to his blog, Alphabet Attack, going through the alphabet to come up with cool stuff to draw.  Check it out.

Item! As always, there were plenty of new and interesting comics to discover.  Some others that looked interesting include Terra Tempo: Ice Age Cataclysm (beware a flash intro and overly-designy, hard-to-navigate site), which appears to be about kids traveling to the ice age and having well-researched adventures; Jose Lopez's Mariachi Samurai, about which little information is to be had beyond the cool title; and the webcomic Free Mars.
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So that's all the news that's fit to print on my end.  More content to come over the next few days though, and I'll be hoping for continued convention excellence from C2E2 in the years to come.

C2E2 2011: Should we prepare for a sophomore slump?

Last year's inaugural Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo was a pretty great convention, at least from the standpoint of somebody who is used to Wizard cons as a baseline; it seemed like they really pulled out all the stops to get some great guests and scheduled lots of quality programming.  I had a great time.  Looking at the schedule for this year, however, things seem to have dropped off a bit, with less in the way of guests and panels that catch my interest.  I'll still be there, press pass around my neck, but I'm curious to see how the show develops.

Anyway, like I did last year, here's my breakdown of interesting-sounding panels and programming which I might or might not actually attend.  I'll note that I've pretty much completely ignored the mainstream sorts of announcement/banter panels that Marvel and DC usually do, since those do not interest me in the least, but I might pop in to one of them out of curiosity, maybe with the intent of live-tweeting or writing snarkily about the experience.  That sounds like a great use of my time, right?

If you're interested, the whole schedule is available here, so feel free to follow along and suggest activities that I don't mention or try to coordinate schedules and stalk me.

FRIDAY, 3/18:

3:30-4:30 PM - Black Comix: African American Comics and Culture - This could be interesting, although I don't really know much about any of the panelists.  It does seem like one of the few discussion panels of any interest though...

4:30-5:30 PM - Food and Comics - This actually sounds dumb, unless it's all about cooking manga or something, but there's an element of curiosity in what the hell they're going to talk about.  I kind of dislike C.B. Cebulski, but he does seem like a guy who likes to eat, and Rick Bayless is involved with food, if not comics.  Yeah, sounds stupid.  I'll probably go.

6:00-7:00 PM - Gab Bonesso “Will Work for Comics” Comedy Tour - I have no idea who this person is.  I expect lots of jokes about chubby nerds living in their mothers' basements.

6:30-8:00 PM - Comedy Death-Ray Featuring Patton Oswalt - I would love to go to this to see Patton, since he's a pretty great comedian, but it's one of those "pay extra" events, and I am cheap.  Maybe I can flash my press badge to get in...

SATURDAY, 3/19:

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM - Top Cow: We Create...Universes - Ha ha ha ha, right! That is a hilariously pretentious title, considering that the "universes" Top Cow creates are really just excuses to draw lots of boobs.  I'm curious to see if they actually try to justify the constant cheesecake and explain how, no, really, they're crafting an elaborate mythology behind all the T&A.

12:00-1:00 PM - State of the Comicsphere - This seems to be more of a discussion on digital comics platforms rather than a blogger-based sort of thing, and while that may or may not be all that interesting, Comixology's David Steinberger is one of the guys on the panel, and he's a cool dude, so it might be worth checking out.

1:00-2:00 PM - CSC: Interpreting Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Unlike most of the "educational" panels (sessions? classes?) at the con, this one seems to be a criticism/examination/thesis of a comic, rather than a how-to lesson, so that's kind of cool.  I doubt I'll go out of my way to go, though...

1:30-2:30 PM - Vertigo - This is just about the only publisher-focused panel I'm interested in, since I do dig a lot of Vertigo books.  This does seems to be smaller than last year though, with only Shelly Bond, Scott Snyder, and Bill Willingham listed as participants, as opposed to the lineup of eight or so editors and creators previously.  This might be one to check out, and then wander off at the first sign of boredom.

2:15-3:15 PM - Eliza Dushku and Tahmoh Penikett Q&A - I try to avoid celebrity panels, especially when they're not comics-focused, but I am on record as enjoying Dollhouse, despite its flaws, so maybe if I walk out of Vertigo, I can pop into this one for the hell of it.

3:30-4:30 PM - CSC: Representing Science and Medicine in Comics - Based on the title, I thought this might be something about the use (or misuse) of the subjects as usually seen in the medium, but it appears that it is actually about using comics to teach medicine and science.  Interesting?

4:00-5:00 PM - Oni Press Panelmonium 2011 - What was that I said about publisher panels? I heard last year's Oni panel was fun, and I'm friends with Cullen Bunn (who is on the panel with Brian Hurtt, Greg Rucka, and Ray Fawkes), so I think I'll try to check this one out.  Don't let me down, Oni!

4:30-5:30 PM - 2011: The Year of Warren Ellis - This seems to be a promotion for the various Ellis-focused books that Sequart is putting out this year, as well as a documentary in which they give him blow jobs (I'm assuming). I do like Ellis, so I could check it out, even if my proposed essay for their Transmetropolitan book didn't get accepted (I hope I don't sound bitter or anything...).

4:30-5:30 PM - Webcomics Roundtable - Featuring nobody you've ever heard of, rather than, say, actual Chicago webcomics stars like Lucy Knisley, John Campbell, and Spike!

5:30-6:30 PM - The Middleman Reunion Panel Q&A - Did I say I was avoiding non-comics panels? I hope this doesn't count, because I loved this TV show (and the comic it was based on), so I wouldn't mind attending.

5:45-6:45 PM - Sword Cut Test with Dragonsong Forge - Oh, the silly stuff that ends up happening at a comics convention.  Yes, this is people cutting things with swords. May I suggest stacks of the aforementioned Top Cow comics?

7:00-8:00 PM - Dwayne McDuffie Memorial - Even if I'm not planning to go, I think I have to mention this, so as not to look like a complete jerk.

SUNDAY, 3/20:

12:45-1:45 PM - Drawing Fire: Editorial Cartooning in a Positive Age - I don't know if I'll go to the con on Sunday, but if I do, I'll try to make this panel, just because it's interesting to see editorial cartoons addressed at all.  Could be fun?

1:00-2:00 PM - Horror Comics Today: A Writer's Perspective - I don't know if this would really be of much interest to me, but it's another panel that Cullen Bunn is on, and hey, there could be some interesting discussion. Sure, it's being led by a guy who calls himself "Decapitated Dan", but still...

1:00-2:00 PM - Garth Ennis Spotlight - Hey, it's Ennis. I bet it would be fun just to listen to his Irish accent for an hour.

4:00-5:00 PM - Fables: The First 100 - One on One with Bill Willingham - I'm enough of a Fables fan to at least consider this one, even if it doesn't actually sound all that fun.
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So that's all the panels; aside from that, I should mention that CBR is sponsoring the bar at the Hyatt, so that should be worth checking out and maybe hanging out with various people I may have rubbed shoulders with online. Maybe that's where I'll find Kiel Phegley...

So, if you're going to be at the con and want to meet up, drop me a line (my email, Twitter, and Facebook are over in the sidebar), and if there are any events I missed (at the con or at peripheral locations) or notable stuff to look for, I'll be sure to update this post. C2E2 II, here I come.