For Your Consideration...

Hey everybody. A quick bit of electioneering - those of you reading this who are cartoonists or publishers or work in the comics field (I suppose "comics professionals" is a more succint way of putting it) should go vote for this year's Eisner Awards. It's incredibly easy to register and vote online - I think it took me about 5 minutes - and the deadline is this Friday, June 13. So head over to eisnervote.com and do some Eisner voting!

Oh, and when you get towards the end of the ballot, in a certain little category called "Special Recognition", I hope you'll consider a certain little book called THE AVIARY, by a certain little fellow called... *ahem*... me. Here I am explaining just why you should vote for my book:



Thanks, folks! As Diddy (is that still his name?) threateningly says, Vote Or Die...

Crazy Good News / NY Comic-Con

Most surprising phone call I ever received whilst at work: my fantastic publisher calling to let me know my book has been nominated for an Eisner Award! Not sure what "Special Recognition" means exactly, but this is surreal and wonderful news. Check out all the nominations here (including FOUR much-deserved nominations for fellow AdHouser Fred Chao, whose comic Johnny Hiro is loads of fun).

This weekend is the New York Comic-con, and I'll be there, schmoozin', sketchin' and signin' at the Indie Spinner Rack podcast's table on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, along with a whole bunch of great cartoonists, including the aforementioned Fred Chao, Mike Dawson, Julia Wertz, Liz Baillie, Alec Longstreth, and more more more. Should be a swell time - if you're coming to the show, stop by the ISR table and say hello (and listen to their podcast!)...

Updatin' & Invitin'

Hey folks. Couple quick items of interest:

First, I'll be selling and signing THE AVIARY - recently named 9th best comic book of 2007 by the great Mister Phil of the awesome Indie Spinner Rack podcast (thanks, Phil!) - this Friday night (February 22) at VOX POP here in Brooklyn, NY. Music will be performed by TWICE AS BRIGHT and scaresthedaylights. I'm told there will be some manner of drink specials, so anticipate an entertaining evening. Come on by if you can - VOX POP is at 1022 Cortelyou Road and seems like a terrific place (bookstore / cafe / venue - sounds good to me!)

Also, if anyone out there is curious about THE AVIARY, there's an excerpt (a story entitled Barry Pago: Crime Scene Photographer) in the most recent issue of Weird Tales Magazine. Check it out at a better magazine rack near you...

Catchin' Up

Been a little while, lots to "report":

Belated TCAF photos here. Great show, great city. A bona fide vacation this one was. I talked more about it with the fine folks over at the Comic News Insider podcast. I'm on Episode 102, along with Paul Pope and TCAF organizer Chris Butcher.

Just got back from SPX - photos / mini-report here. This remains my very favorite comics show. Such a good time. No better way to wrap up my busiest convention year ever.

This weekend (actually in about, oh, 20 hours from the time I'm writing this): The AWESOME Anthology Release Party at Rocketship!

Got my copy of the book at SPX and it looks great. More about the book here, more about the party here. This was originally supposed to happen Saturday the 20th, but got moved up to Friday the 19th. So, uh, tonight. If you're free, come on out for some free drinks and some chatter with many fine cartoonists.

Before I go, here's a quick look at a page from my contribution to the anthology, a 7-page story called "The Accommodations of Old Man Small":

SDCC, TCAF, AWESOME, NY

Haven't blogged in a bit, so here's a little catch-up post...

First, some photos from the San Diego Comic-Con, which was pretty overwhelming. I had a good time, though, and didn't make a total fool of myself on the New Voices in Graphic Novels panel.


Next stop - Toronto! This weekend is TCAF (Toronto Comic Arts Festival), which should be really great. What an amazing guest list they've got. And I've never been to Toronto before, so I'm looking forward to it. I'm currently finishing up a brand-new mini for the show, which is a two-part book of sketches and illustrations and things. As soon as I get some copies put together, I'll post a picture.


Coming in October - AWESOME, the Indie Spinner Rack anthology. I've got a new story in here, along with loads of great cartoonists - seriously, way too many incredible people to list. Check out the sample pages on the AWESOME site (including a page from my own story) and marvel at the contributors. Proceeds go to the Indie Spinner Rack podcast and to a scholarship for the Center for Cartoon Studies, so it's for a good cause. Not to mention over 200 pages of great comics for a low price. And for an even lower price, you can pre-order the book now for just $8.22 - seriously, you should: Pre-order here. It'll be out just in time for SPX, and there'll be a release party October 20th at the one and only Rocketship.

One last odd item - my name is in the new issue of New York magazine! Not somewhere I'd ever have expected to see it. The article's a guide to NYC for different types of people, each with a different map of the city - on the "Lit Guy" map, they mention Brooklyn's finest comic store, the aforementioned Rocketship, and their frequent book launch parties featuring artists such as, uh, me (and Peter Kuper - I'm in good company!). It's a fun article with some terrific illustrations - check it out here. Very weird to see myself mentioned, even in passing, alongside the landmarks and luminaries on that map...

Impending Nerdfest...

Just two days until I fly out west for the San Diego Comic-Con. If you'd care to stop by and get your book signed or buy a sketch (I'll be drawing 'em for cheap, if anyone wants 'em) or just engage in some awkward banter with yours truly, I'll be at the AdHouse Books booth (#2104) off and on over the course of the show. Here's when I'm scheduled to be there:

Thursday: 10-12, 2-4
Friday: 10-12
Saturday: 2-4

And I'll likely be there more than that, if only to hide behind the booth with a glazed stare on my face, overwhelmed by the nerdtastic spectacle that is Comic-Con. The full AdHouse creator signin' schedule is here - come on by and pick up some fine fine comics.

I was also asked to appear on a panel, much to my amazement, and I accepted. Unwisely? We shall see. I'll do my best to blather intelligently or at least entertainingly. I'm in terrific company on the panel, so if you're at the Con on Friday afternoon, check it out:

Friday, 4:30-5:30 PM New Voices in Graphic Novels— The medium is exploding with new opportunities and new creative talent. Six graphic novel creators who have published their first books in the past year—Miriam Katin (We Are On Our Own), Leland Myrick (Missouri Boy), George O'Connor (Journey into Mohawk Country), David Peterson (Mouse Guard), Christian Slade (Korgi), and Jamie Tanner (The Aviary)—talk about their inspirations and about the place their books have in the changing graphic novel market. Moderated by Calvin Reid (Publisher's Weekly). Room 4

In other news, I posted some more reviews and an interview over on the Aviary Press page.

And that's all for now...

I Shall Be Released

Photos from the release party at Rocketship here. Thanks to everyone who came out, and big thanks to Alex and Mary at Rocketship - great people who have a great store. If you've never been there, you should go, trust me.

Next stop: San Diego Comic-Con, where I will continue signing the book and making idiotic faces when photographed. Also, I somehow wound up being invited to talk on a panel! The topic is "New Voices in Graphic Novels", and the voices in question belong to Miriam Katin, Leland Myrick, George O'Connor, David Peterson, Christian Slade, and, uh, me. Calvin Reid from Publishers Weekly is moderating, and it should be interesting. It's Friday, July 27 at 4:30pm, so if you're at Comic-con, come on by and watch me make fumbling attempts at eloquence...