I met several creators this year at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con International, (SDCCI), whose work was new to me, either at Artists Alley, Small Press Area, or at their Publisher Booths.  

This will be the first blog of a series about those publications with a photo of the creator as seen at the SDCCI .

Robert Roach of Hometown Productions has a 4 issue mini series on a character called 'The Roach' that has been published and is for sale. Although the enigmatic anti-hero, who is a detective/assassin in this mini-series carries the same name as his own surname, this is not an 'auto-biographical' work!

The Roach's storyline takes place during the era when Chicago was a prohibition battleground.  In the series both the cops and gangsters clashed with each other and with the man named 'The Roach'.  The Roach is a vigilante who acts as his own judge, jury, and executioner in this somewhat violent but true to the era's violent times.

The Roach is more of a crimefighter in the pulp books vein, like the Green Hornet or the Spirit, but he is different enough from the others to have him stand out in any comparisons to those other characters.

Robert's storyline is one that kept my interest from the very beginning all the way through the final double-sized issue.  Yes, he uses sex, money, and violence as ingredients to tell his story, but it all jells together to present a story with plenty of attitude!  

Yes, there are racial overtones told in this story arc.  The N-word is used in different variations.  The  white vs. black culture is shown for all of its pluses and minuses and is not used just for shock value. 

The consortium of white crime lords posing as a cult of do-gooders is not new, but Robert mixes it up with bringing in a black minister who sells out his people for some portion of the white man's cash and power.

There have been other creators that have explored this era, both in comics and pulps, but I found Robert's mini-series to be the best series I have read in this genre.  And no, I didn't mean to just say the 'best independent comics series'.  This body of work is darn good and worthy of more exposure to the reading public!

Why?  I've just mentioned the storyline so far, which kept my attention and made me want to continue into the next issue.  Roach's artwork was an immediately likeable style, and 'improved' over the additional months that it took to bring each of the following issues out to publication.

The front covers are the only thing that are not his.  Those color covers are by J.H. Williams III,  which really bring out the fact that the interior pages are black and white.   Yes, readers expect a color cover, but the black and white reality shown inside the comics lends a credibility to the story arc.  I for one liked the fact that the pages were shown via black and white printing instead of color!

So now I've told you of this creation that I found at the SDCCI.  That 'The Roach' is a four-issue mini-series that is best described as a black & white comic book mini series that pushes “crime noir” to a new extreme.  All that is left now is to tell you how to get it!   Because sometimes 'independent publishers publications' are just a little hard to obtain you know due to distribution!

I asked Robert Roach how others can obtain his series.  The following is what he messaged back to me:

"Yes, all 4 are available. But the 1st print of issue #1 is down to 25 left (print run of 1,000). I may run a 2nd print in the future, after all are gone. However, I have a limited advance printing of issue #1, with my embossed seal of authenticity, available after the others are gone. This run was limited to 500 & I think we have 150 of these left. There WON'T BE a 2nd printing of this particular book.

Retailers are able to order back issues thru Haven Distributors. Fans can order thru their shops or directly from us at our website. Just hit the 2nd "gargoyle" from the right on the Home Page or scroll down to the shopping cart."

Robert is referring to his Hometown Productions web site that can be found at:   http://www.hometownprods.com 

Again, this is one series that I enjoyed from beginning to end within each issue.  That is saying something in today's world because quite often the 'floppies' single issues are just one big story arc meant to be immediately published into a trade paperback compilation format.

Which to answer your immediate question now that I brought it up... Robert added this about a possible TPB when I asked him if there was already one or if he was thinking about printing one right away:

"No, I haven't. But when I do:
1) I will purposely leave out some of the behind-the-scenes info published in the individual issues; &--
2) I'll include an old, 5-page story of "The Roach" illustrated in the mid-90's... It'll show how I intended to sculpt the character & the artwork--even back then."

That about wraps it up for this review.  One of the highlights from the San Diego Comic Con International that I have been pleased to read at home for my 'fun' reading!

BTW, unless we are on site all day and night during a three day or longer comic con... we do blog daily on comic book creators, comic book reviews, and pop culture news and events!   PLUS you can check out our new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in our online store at any time!  

Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!    

What a Long Strange Trip It's Been!  

I wouldn't have missed it for the world - the final LOST panel at San Diego Comic Con.  Michael had other plans - he really wanted to see the Chuck panel in Ballroom 20. Traitor! I talked him out of it and, in the end, he was glad I did.

I told him, you can't miss camping out with everyone beforehand.  This year was the wildest ever. The fans were out in force. The overnighters were rewarded with a Friday night visit from Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cruse - cool!

The Dharma Initiative was well represented on the lawn outside Hall H.  Now, that had to be the most comfortable costume at Comic Con!

Seen among the crowd queued up for Hall H Saturday morning were these familiar LOST characters:

Naomi - equipped with walkie, that gal was a ringer - Michael was convinced she was the actual actress!

Jack - suitably stubbly with shirt and tie

The Orchid - yes, a young woman dressed up with vines and donkey wheel to represent the station

The Island - a friend of the Orchid dressed up in a gown with various show references attached including an airplane hanging from her hat!

But, my favorite sight was the two Hurleys dressed in Dharma jumpsuits. (See bottom photo.)  I had the pleasure of seeing them meet as one Hurley saw the other and raced (as much as a Hurley can race!) to meet the other. 

The look of pure delight in recognizing each other was hilarious. Later, one of the Hurleys got to ask Jorge Garcia (the real Hurley) a question during the panel Q & A and thanked him for giving someone like him a role model on TV.

The party got started when Jo of JoOpinionated (one of the top LOST bloggers) ran a trivia contest. 

Anil of The ODI (another awesome LOST blogger) helped her grab the crowd's attention and hand out the prizes.  It was great to finally meet Jo and to see Anil again - he gave us one of his T-shirts at last year's Con.

Jo really had the crowd stumped on this one:  Name three people who knew Locke was paralyzed before he came to the island.  (Three people who crashed on the island, that is.) Yeah, yeah, Rose...who else? It's a toughie!

I had a ball checking out all the fans in line.  Even as late as 8:30 am, people just kept pouring in - obviously these folks weren't so concerned about getting good seats!

Considering how packed in we were, this was a mellow crowd.  I attribute it to the Dharma influence and sadness that this was indeed our last LOST panel camp-out.

Thanks to our new line buddies from Tennessee, Andy and Fara Dockery for saving us great spots in line!

  ~ Tina LoSasso (Guest Blogger)

Addendum from Michael:  My Facebook Friend Jo Garfein is better known as JOpinionated.  She blogs about television at:  http://www.jopinionated.com

Anil is also well known in the LOST Community, and can be found blogging at:   http://www.the-odi.blogspot.com 

BTW, unless we are on site all day and night during a three day or longer comic con... we do blog daily on comic book creators, comic book reviews, and pop culture news and events!  Check out our daily blog posts, new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in our online eBay Featured Store! 

Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!!  

Then YOU could have a Second Chance to see him... This time at the Chicago Comic Con!  

Earlier before this year's SDCC I blogged about Jeff Balke being one of the creators I would recommend seeing at that Con.

Well, due to the overcrowding at the con's program halls, I didn't get to see him until Sunday near late in the day.  By that time Jeff was swamped with commissions to do, but he took a moment to greet me and also pose for my camera for a few shots.

The funniest one is published above, as he was taking those few moments to release the tension / stress from sketch coloring all day!  If you haven't seen what Jeff does to a black & white variant cover, you have got to check out his process! 

If you are near Chicago, Illinois next week, stop in and seem at Artists Alley and tell him Michael sent You!  Most of the details about his table are shown in the flier above, but here are additional details about this comic book convention: 

Chicago Comic-Con
August 6-9, 2009

LOCATION
The Donald E. Stephens Convention Center

HOURS
Thursday - 4pm - 8pm (Preview Night)
Friday - 10am - 7pm
Saturday - 10am - 7pm
Sunday - 10am - 5pm

Here's additional info straight from Jeff himself! 

"I will be at Artist Alley Table #3722. Stop by sometime over the weekend of Aug 6-9 for the Foot Soldiers Exclusive Print (limited to 30) and much more...

I'll have available...
- Chicago Comic Con Exclusive Foot Soldiers Print (LMTD. to 30)
- Prints
- Comics (I've worked on)

I'll also be creating...
- Sketch Colorings (bring your comic book sketch cover(s) OR find some at the con and I'll Sketch Color them right on the spot)
- Sketch Prints (Blackest Night and a Zombie Print)

A RAFFLE:
I'll be raffling off a Captain America page I colored in the Sketch Coloring style. This is the FIRST of its kind EVER!! Tickets are $5
(Winner will be picked on Sunday between 1-2. IF you are not going to be at the show on Sunday, NO PROBLEM. I will ship it FREE to you if your are the winner)

So dont miss out! I hope to see you there."

Jeff!

Seriously folks, if you are going to the Chicago Comic Con, you should stop and see what he is doing to comic books at his table!  And yes, that process is rated PG!  LOL!

AND If YOU didn't make it to the SDCC and now can't make it to the CCC, then you could always check out Jeff's web site at: jbalkesart.com 

BTW, unless we are on site all day and night during a three day or longer comic con... we do blog daily on comic book creators, comic book reviews, and pop culture news and events!  Plus you can check out our new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in our online store @ MakeItSoMarketing.com! 

Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!!  

It wasn't ALL work at this year's San Diego Comic Con International!  

There were also opportunities to get my photo taken with several persons I have missed having a photo taken with during the years!

After the 2008 SDCCI I blogged about seeing the Greatest American Hero Panel.  I was fortunate enough to see William Katt, Connie Selleca, and Robert Culp at that special program.

However, with the crunch of persons wanting to talk with those three stars after the panel was over, there was no way to get a photo!  Plus you should see the lines for autographs for stars at the autograph tables at this Comic Con!

Thus when I saw that William was going to be at his own Catastrophic Comics Booth at the 2009 SDCC this year, I circled the day and time that he would be there. 

Yes, One Day only, and just a Few Hours at that!   BTW, for those of you that are not aware of how hard it is to meet someone who is on a limited appearance basis at the SDCC,  it is doubly tough when you have to leave a full to capacity program Hall H or Ballroom 20 to do so.  Trust me folks, You aren't getting back in easily into those rooms to see the next programs!  So if you have a 'must see', like I did with William, you must realize that something else has to give for you to be able to make it.  Too many newbies to this SDCCI don't realize how overcrowded and expansive this Con is!

Well, it appeared that  I wasn't the first one there in line to meet William.  So while I was waiting I talked with Chris Folino who was managing the booth, and who turned me on to Catastrophic Comics' other main title, 'Sparks'.  So I'll be sharing my thoughts after reading that series and blogging my review here.

Just before my turn came to meet William, up comes a second Greatest American Hero (GAH), this one in costume!  My thanks to new Facebook Friend, Alan Pedini, for standing long enough to pose for a couple of pics before moving on to where he was needed next!

Talking about next... well my turn was finally next to get my photo taken with William!  Thanks Tina for taking two great pics of me and William! 

I've already blogged about a couple of the GAH comic book issues here in my Blog, but also picked up another one while I was there.  So I'm looking forward to reading that issue also! 

The only disappointment while I was there at the booth was not seeing Marci Beaucoux, blogger for the GAH!  She recently was hurt in a car accident and is recovering nicely, but not up for the long trip and 5 days at Comic Con.  Maybe next time Marci?!

If you are interested in what William Katt and Catastrophic Comics are doing next and what other comic conventions they may be attending, check them out at:   http://www.catastrophiccomics.com

BTW, unless we are on site all day and night during a three day or longer comic con... we do blog daily on comic book creators, comic book reviews, and pop culture news and events!  Check out our daily blog posts, new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in our online eBay Featured Store! 

Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!!  

If the late William F. Buckley had been a fan of comics, I imagine he'd have sounded a lot like Andy Grossberg, the U.S. Editor of Tripwire Magazine. Andy led Tripwire's panel at San Diego Comic Con (Thursday, July 23) and what a far-reaching philosophical discussion it was.

The conversation between Andy, Editor-in-Chief Joel Meadows, Kody Chamberlain and Rick Johnston ranged from the future of comics in a digital age to the evolutionary efficacy of monotheism. (I kid you not!)

These dudes take their comics seriously!

Andy gave us the first report on Jeb Loeb's address to the CBAG on Wednesday where Loeb discussed how Hollywood is accepting comics as a genre not just a medium. 

Some interesting tidbits:

-- "30 Days of Night" started out as a comic for a Hollywood pitch meeting for a movie. It came out as a comic then a movie five years later.

-- The director of "Road to Perdition" didn't know it was a comic (graphic novel).


Where will comics be at the 70th SDCC (30 years from now)?

-- The consensus was that they'll be the same but with a different delivery system, like web comics and a Kindle-like reader in full color.

-- Kody Chamberlain is convinced that people will embrace the web comics technology as soon as e-paper has a higher resolution than print.

-- Comics publishers and creators will rely on viral marketing over traditional.

Tripwire the magazine is every bit as interesting a read as you'd expect from such a erudite bunch of comics enthusiasts.  Look for a detailed review by Michael of Tripwire's 2009 Annual in an upcoming blog.

Until then you can check out their current and past issues at their web site:  http://www.tripwire-magazine.com

 ~ Tina LoSasso (Guest Blogger)

Addendum by Michael:  Unless we are on site all day and night during a three day or longer comic con... we will be blogging daily on comic book creators, comic book reviews, and / or pop culture news and events!  Plus You can check out our new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in our online eBay Featured Store! 

And yes, I will be blogging my review of the 2009 Tripwire Annual that Joel Meadows is holding in a future blog.  Still reading it at the time of this posting.  Not enough time to read its massive amount of pages in just a few sittings.  Especially since I have a deadline to meet on a writing assignment for an upcoming book!  Thanks Tina for 'guest blogging' again today so I can continue working on the book chapter!

AND Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!!