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05.28.08 - MY DAUGHTER, THE ARTIST
Last night, Kennedy, April, and I were drawing on the front porch with some chalk. In addition to the obligatory stick figures, the smiling sun, the bubbly clouds, flowers, etc. Kennedy drew an oval. She looked at me and smiled:
"Daddy, I draw poop." "What?" "Poop. I draw poop." "That's gross." "No, Daddy, it's art."
The latest installment of "Souvenir of Dallas" (illustrated by Paul Milligan and written by myself) is now available in the June issue of D Magazine. The editors loved this one so much, for the first time, they've also featured it online. Enjoy. However, you should still pick up the print version -- April read the "Sex and the Single Woman" article in this issue. It's hilarious.
I'm considering a "Souvenir of Dallas" subdomain site for Antihero Comics. Maybe expanding the concept? I don't know yet. Just thinking about it. Thursday, June 26th, I'll be at Meltdown Comics in Los Angeles for a book signing from 6 PM to 9 PM. If you live in the area, please come by and say hello.
Hey Dallas people, our friend Tania Kaufmann is presenting her new work "Loss of Time" at the Magnolia Theatre Bar on May 29th at 8 PM (click here).
As I've mentioned numerous times on this blog, I absolutely love Disney animated features. From Snow White up until the mid-90s, it's hard to find too many "duds" among those films. They communicate on such a broad level. My four year old is moved. I'm moved. In the comic book workshops I've taught, I always recommend four people worth studying -- William Shakespeare, Walt Disney, Will Eisner, and Hayao Miyazaki.
Tonight, Kennedy and I watched Dumbo. Twice. It's relatively short (64 minutes). The last time I saw this film, I was too young to be socially critical. However, when the crows came into the story, I watched closer -- wanting judge for myself. The crow characters in the film are seen as African-American caricatures; the leader crow voiced by Cliff Edwards, a white man, was originally named "Jim Crow" for script purposes, and the name stuck. The other crows are all voiced by African-American actors, all members of the Hall Johnson Choir. Despite suggestions of racism by some, many historians such as Zoe Pritchard reject these claims. (from Wikipedia)From my perspective, I think a distinction needs to be made between "stereotypes" and "racist imagery." Were the crows stereotypes? Definitely. Did it use hateful and harmful racist imagery? I really don't think so. The stereotypes were generally more positive than the ones I see in contemporary pop culture. The crows were among the "good guys." From the ringleader to the clowns to that stupid boy who pulled Dumbo's ears, all the hateful characters were white. Random side note: my daughter was on the edge of her seat during scene where Dumbo was taken from his mother. Kennedy enjoys films that run the entire emotional gamut. I think most kids do. Disney offers a "safe place" for good stories. Engaging and fun. When the crows sang, she tried to bee-bop along. The crows were clearly part of "jazz culture" (which for 1941, was as hip as Disney could get). If a new version of the film were made and they need a group of streetwise marginalized youth, to be faithful, you'd probably pull from rap and hip-hop culture. How do you communicate those images without relying on some visual cues that might be deemed as "stereotypes." If it feels honest, you won't notice. If it's overdone, you'll cringe. Jazz is something America can be proud of. I'm not uncomfortable with black crows being used as Disney's nod to jazz culture in the early '40s. Maybe I'm missing something here, but I'll take this over Speedy Gonzalez. Your thoughts? Off the race topic. When Dumbo visits his imprisoned mother and she cannot reach him due to her chains, so instead, she gently rocks him with her trunk -- I was nearly in tears.
As summer approaches, I get more and more friends asking "Are you going to San Diego?" The Comic Con is July 23rd - 27th, and for the second year, I'm skipping. I went four years in a row, and it was an incredible event. However, like many other comic book creators, I've been increasingly wary of this annual journey to pop culture mecca. My opinions aren't new or groundbreaking. New rant same as the old rant. It follows two common lines of thought:
1. The event has grown too big. That's the appeal, isn't it? You go to San Diego, because that's where the business is. My first year, I attended a seminar on networking. Solid advice, I follow religiously. And with every year, I learn a little bit more. I laugh about it now, but my first year, I was handing out mini-discs of a three hundred page script to any and every person behind a booth who would take one. Probably not the best way to start a writing career. Since then, I've learned how to put together a good proposal. I've also learned that San Diego is no longer the place to woo publishers. It's simply too busy. The publishers are trying their best to survive the week. The last thing most of them want is to talk about your story. Too many people drop off proposals. Your's is just another hidden away within an unmanageable stack of pulp. At this point, if I want to work with a particular publisher, I e-mail them. After I got a few books published, San Diego became the place to sell my books. Although, being a proud small press/independent writer, the economics of San Diego don't add up. Take into account the travel expenses (flight and hotel), the cost of a booth, and other impulse buys throughout the week, it's hard to sell enough copies to cover the guilt. Especially being behind a publisher's booth, my book is one lost among the other books. And let's face it, the overwhelming majority of attendees who are only there to spot Hollywood celebrities, the Star Wars fans, the Marvel/DC fans, they aren't interested in a coming-of-age family drama set during the early '60s. With my publishers still opting to attend San Diego, my books will (or won't) sell with or without me. Last year, I went to MoCCA in New York instead. It was a much better event, especially when it came to finding my audience. 2. The event is too Hollywood. Once again, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The film/television/gaming aspects of the convention bring in a larger audience who may also be interested in comics. The opportunity to get a comic creator's property optioned to a studio could be quite lucrative, but I've never been interested in writing for Hollywood. I went into comics. That's the medium I love. More money and more exposure potentially gives me opportunities to write and publish more comics. That's how I have to look at it. That being said, it's gotten a little ridiculous. The Hollywood execs patrol the aisles desperate to find something they can turn into the next 300, Sin City, or Iron Man. What's worse is the the comic book writer falling over himself/herself to meet one of these people, secretly wishing they can jump ship from our bastard artform and join the noble ranks of Hollywood. Trading caffeine for cocaine. I'll tolerate the game to an extent, but as an industry, we're more than Hollywood's strip mine. There are some good reasons to attend San Diego Comic Con. 1. The Eisner's. This is the highlight of the week for me. It's the most cherished honor you can receive in comics, and I love attending the event. I'm a ashamed so many people skip out. I view it as almost an obligation. If you've committed yourself to the growth of the comic industry, you should be there to recognize the accomplishments of the previous year. Plus, it's nice to attend a reasonably classy event devoid of men and women dressed as Stormtroopers. 2. To Meet Up. And we return to this question asked by my friends: "Are you going to San Diego?" Fact is it's one of the few places where I can to hang out with people I only see once or twice a year. Other large conventions exist. San Diego is the place where people assume you'll be there. However, if this is the only reason to attend, we need to find a less expensive meeting place. The Hyatt Bar is ridiculous, absurdly crowded and over priced. Hotels are a Madmax post-apocalyptic nightmare in hospitality management. And Ralph's! Um... I have no complaint with Ralph's. It's a cool place to grab groceries on your way to the convention center. There's no immediate solution. I hope the growth of San Diego Comic Con is a sign of positive growth for our industry, and not an indicator of us being eclipsed or bullied by the larger film/television/gaming industries. And if San Diego is a sign that comics are simply too big for a singular "must attend" event, then cool. We pick and choose. Maybe some year, I'll go back, but not this year.
I'm shipping complimentary copies of MINE ALL MINE to the following retailers:
Zeus Toys & Comics (Dallas TX), Titan Comics (Dallas TX), Keith's Comics (Dallas TX), Austin Books (Austin TX), Speeding Bullet Comics (Norman OK), Astrokitty Comics (Lawrence KS), Star Clipper (St. Louis MO), Big Brain Comics (Minneapolis MN), Comix Revolution (Evanston IL), Quimby's (Chicago IL), Chicago Comics (Chicago IL), The Beguiling (Toronto Ontario), Strange Adventures (Halifax Nova Scotia), Strange Adventures (Fredericton New Brunswick), The Million Year Picnic (Cambridge MA), Comicopia (Boston MA), Jim Hanley's Universe (New York NY), Rocketship (Brooklyn NY), Copacetic Comics Company (Pittsburgh PA), Atomic Books (Baltimore MD), Bizarro Wuxtry (Athens GA), Skylight Books (Los Angeles CA), Meltdown (Los Angeles CA), Comic Relief (Berkeley CA), Hijinx Comix (San Jose CA), Needles and Pens (San Francisco CA), Isotope (San Francisco CA), Reading Frenzy (Portland OR), Zanadu Downtown (Seattle WA)If you happen to live near any of these stores, stop by later next week and see if they have it on the shelf somewhere.
At least, that's my thinking. My friend Samax at ghettoManga gave a great review of Karma Incorporated. If you haven't been to Samax's blog, you need to bookmark it. I visit the site regularly, and he keeps me updated on everything that's anything that's enjoyable. I know he's developing a magazine, and I can't wait to read more. Financial backing, my dear ones, that's all we need to make this world a little more hip. On his blog, you will notice he has copies of "Mine All Mine" for sale. If you can't wait for the minicomic to arrive at a comic book shop near you, here is the only place to get an early copy online.
Also, I started a twitter account. I've added the function to my website and MySpace page. Let me know what you think. Love it? Hate it? Too much? Not enough? Care less?
Robin Gillespie, Brian Denham, and I were guests at a Free Comic Book Day event yesterday. Technically not the actual "Free Comic Book Day," but Denton Texas being a college town -- most of the store's customers are gone on the weekend. Thus Monday. I've never been to More Fun Comics, but I have to say it is a cool store. Citizens of Denton, rejoice and be glad. Great set up. The manager/owner was incredibly helpful and supportive. We had a good time.
The busiest weekend of the year for me, and I forgot to take pictures. Sorry. The 4th annual CAPE was incredible. Best one so far. Richard, Chris, Barry, Sean, Scott, and everyone with Zeus work hard to pull off this comic book festival. And over the past four years, they've created the most pure and genuine celebration of everything I love about this industry. Thank you.
On Friday, April and I drove to St. Pete's Dancing Marlin for the live art show. You know it's going to be a great event when you can smell the sharpies from the sidewalk before you even enter the bar. I hope we keep this location for the annual event. I prefer it to the snobbier, classier Metro Bar & Grill. St. Pete's is more laid back, and it's a nice way to start the weekend. I was celebrating my birthday that night, and if anything, I probably over-invited. There were simply too many people from various circles of friends, and as a result -- I ended up playing "musical friends" all night, hopping from one group to the next. I wanted to hang out with everyone. In the end, I was continually distracted. I apologize if I seemed distant. I was. I'm in love with everyone, and damn it, I want all of you to buy me a birthday beer. April drove us home. The next morning, I was at Craddock Park at around 8 AM to help set up. They really didn't need me, but I tried my best not to get in the way. I was there on behalf of La Reunion to moderate the writer's panel (proof). Marc Andreyko said it was one of the best panels he had ever been on. Score. At CAPE itself, I had a table next to Chynna Clugston. She's such a sweet person. The minicomic "Mine All Mine" sold well. I'm printing a few more, and will send them to various indie-friendly stores (list coming soon), available May 14th. The weather was perfect. A little cold in the morning, but we dragged our table out from under the shade of the tent and we were fine. Then it got hotter in the afternoon (mid 70s), so we dragged it back. We're highly adaptable like that. The wind was a problem, but it's a problem every year. This time, I came prepared. I brought six large rocks from my backyard and a plexiglass cover to keep my comic from blowing away. It made for a nice display, and I had no problems. David vs. Wind? David wins this year. Saturday night, we ate at Blue Mesa. I sat with Crosland, Andreyko, Justin, and Shawn. Andreyko spent most of the night selling us on BlueRay DVD players. I have to admit; I'm intrigued. Add it to my wish list. Later that night, a bunch of us went to Barcadia on North Henderson Avenue. As the name would suggest, the place is a bar/arcade hybrid. Some girl at the bar was trying to set me up with her friend. However, being as lame as I am, I didn't realize until much, much later. *She bumps into me intentionally* "Oh, I'm sorry. You should meet my friend." "Okay." *I grab my beer from the bartender and leave.* April, clearly, you have nothing to worry about. I'm just too socially retarded to be a threat. Next morning, April and I attended the Big Gay Brunch at Frida's. We sat next to Mark Waid and Robert Kirkman. I'm a little TOO much of a fan of their work to fully enjoy sitting with them. I didn't have anything to say that wouldn't sound like the SNL skit by Chris Farley. "You remember that one time you had Invincible's dad reveal his evil plot to take over the world, and he nearly killed his son, but didn't? Yeah. That was cool." My indie cred is shot to hell the moment I pick up my Waid/Wieringo Fantastic Four. Frida's did not seem well prepared for our group, but Robert was funny as hell, so I really didn't mind the wait. The Big Gay Brunch is a great way to close out the weekend. -- More CAPE stuff -- Oaklawn TV's report Post about CAPE by Scott Kurtz Dan Koller's report on Quick CAPE on Flickr: from amboy00, bryansayscom, vinh-luan luu, jamie s. rich, mighty mangler, divalea (also here and here)
A few hours ago, I finished the first draft of a script for this cool anthology project organized by Len Wallace (more info soon). Apparently, he likes my story. And then later, he added more commentary.
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