TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

This week I found myself at a new client, (an ad agency), doing 'Year-End Work'.  That's what we call it in the Accounting Field, when preparing financial statements and backups for review or audit by a company's outside auditors.

Before you get totally bored and click off this blog post... let me say this:  I have met many creative types during my years on the periphery of comics, and all too often, those creators have good to great skills to creating their works, but lack the basics of running a business or promoting their works.

Yeah, that could be You, but hopefully it isn't!

But IF it is... then this book could be just what you needed!

Especially when the book can be yours for FREE!

Yes...FREE!  As in a Free download format!

First, my thanks to the author of this book, David Parrish, who sent me a review copy in hard copy format.  After working on a desktop or laptop all day, my personal preference in reading for 'pleasure' or for a possible 'review' is not on an e-book format.

However, I am bringing this book in e-book format to my blog readers because of its' value. First, the regular cost of the book from the UK is £15 GBP plus shipping.

However the e-Book can be obtained from the following link for FREE:  http://www.davidparrish.com/page.asp?pgid=125&pgsid=33.

Why should YOU take the time to download this book, and most important of all... read it?

Well, even though he is based in the UK, David’s qualifications include experience as business advisor, trainer and management consultant. He draws on his own experiences as a creative entrepreneur and with his knowledge, he works as a professional advisor with creative businesses and the agencies that support them to do business better.

Some of the chapters he covers include:  'Creativity and Business', 'Know Yourself', 'The Magic of Marketing', 'Protecting Your Creativity', 'Counting Your Money', 'Keeping Good Company', and more!

I have taken on some personal projects before and while enjoying doing them, had not seen 'commercial' success.  Instead, it was more of a 'vanity press' type of venture.  I wish this book had been around then, and also the internet for that matter!

My suggestion is that You take the time to check out the link above, download the Free e-Book, and peruse a chapter at a time, digesting what is in those pages, before moving on to the next chapter.

I found this book to have many applications, for both individual creators, as well as those that are running or attempting to run a small creative environment business with just a handful of staff.

My thanks to David Parrish, my new Facebook Friend, for sending this book to me.  AND for sharing it via e-book format!

PLUS: Our thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts! We usually blog on a daily basis during the 'work week' on comic book creators, comic book reviews, comic cons, book signings, and other pop culture news and events or topics, such as the one blogged about here today. 

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

Today's Guest Blog is by Tina LoSasso...

Here is what she sent to me about her thoughts on the Season 6 Premiere:

Not much was clear in Tuesday night’s premiere except that the creative team doesn’t give a polar bear’s chance in hell (or against Sawyer) that any new viewers join the show for its final season.

Let’s be candid with ourselves, LOSTIES – did you actually enjoy the show?  Or were you simply confused, baffled and more than slightly annoyed for two hours?  Granted, I’m not to going to give up now.  I’ve got several years and brain power devoted to this series, but I can’t say Tuesday night’s beginning of the end was “fun.”

What was wonderful: how the Alternative Reality scenes mirrored the sweetness, mystery and character-driven story that made us fall in love with LOST in Season One.

What was annoying: The Temple, another whole mess of Others, the Smoke Monster transformed into a quick-acting killing machine (silly), and seeing Ben as weak – Ben’s just not weak – or is he in his own Alternative Reality!

It was cool to see:

The Man in Black morph into old Smokey.  I called that one a few seconds before it happened and got a high-five from Michael.

Sawyer scoping out the lottery winner, eyeing Kate on the plane and enabling her escape from LAX. 

Boone meeting Locke in the alternate reality… and being free of Shannon.

Jack handing Locke his business card; nothing is irreversible; in this Alternative Universe you just know Dr. Jack Shepard gonna work his magic on Locke’s broken back.

Bernard coming back from the airplane restroom…

Hurley as the luckiest person in the world!

Next week’s episode is called “What Kate Does.”  We know what Kate does. She annoys the heck out of most us by vacillating between Jack and Sawyer.

If the premiere is any indication (tending to Sawyer’s head injury-yuck!), we’re in for another frustrating hour!  Stay tuned.

My thanks to Tina for the above guest blog!

PLUS My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our earler archived blog posts.  We usually blog on a daily basis during the 'work week'. Those blogs consist of posts on comic book creators, comic book revidws, comic cons, book signings, and other pop culture new and events, such as the one blogged about here today!

Join us again soon, as we publish another 'Main Feature'.  And don't forget to check out the 'Featurette' shown below this article!

~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

Note: Comic books / graphic novels like the ones mentioned above can be found at our own web site:  http://www.ComicBooksCircus.com 

 

"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"         Note: If you are breaking into or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to: Make It So Marketing PO Box 130653 Carlsbad, CA 92013       We also have an on-line exhibitor table at the virtual Facebook Comic Con. You can view the table by clicking this link.  If you are a Facebook member, please join our Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, and other wall posts!     If you are a Facebook member and would like to join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'.

TODAY'S FEATURETTE: MCBA SpringCon Comic Book Celebration sent me an invite to join their Facebook Event Page and attend the May Con! So, since we can't attend this comic con as it is out of our area to attend... I thought I'd at least mention it and their later in the year comic con show here in my Blog today! Here is the info found at their Facebook Event Page  for the first show: Start Time: Saturday, May 15, 2010 at 10:00am End Time: Sunday, May 16, 2010 at 10:00am Location: Minnesota State Fairgrounds - Grandstand Street: 1265 Snelling Avenue North City/Town: Saint Paul, MN Here are just a few things that are going on there: "The Midwest Comic Book Association respectfully requests the pleasure of your attendance & company at the 2010 MCBA SpringCon Comic Book Celebration on May 15 & 16, 2010 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in the Grandstand (1265 Snelling Ave, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55108) and will be open to the general public both days from 10AM to 4PM. Sponsored by the all volunteer, not-for-profit, Midwest Comic Book Association, SpringCon Continues the tradition of being one of the most unique and fastest growing old school comic book events in America. All 80,000 square feet of FallCon is exclusively dedicated to building our comic book Community and moving toward a new standard for comic book mayhem & pandemonium! FallCon celebrates the ever evolving, expanding and diverse world of comic books and all things comic book related, all of the time! Something for Everyone & Everyone Welcome! Goings on this year will include the usual bits of zaniness and lots of new comic book action. Our foremost agenda is to provide a venue where local, regional & national comic book creators and fans can interact, build and celebrate our unique and growing community. In addition there will be dealers from all over the USA and much more. The MCBA has always been dedicated to promoting the wonderful world of comic books, comic book creators and developing a sense of pride, growth and community in the world that we all love. We sincerely hope that you will be able to attend and join us in our ongoing adventures at the 2010 MCBA SpringCon!" Please Note: I have NOT been to this con before... However, I like to mention cons out of our area for our Blog readers to attend. Below is a copy of the poster for this event and a preview of their later one in October: --------------------------- Talking about comics and comic shows: if YOU are a comics creator, (writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, etc.), OR even a Comics / Magazine Publisher, feel free to contact me regarding YOUR works for a possible mention / review in this Blog! I've made a special blog post about: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!" for those creators / publishers that would like to possibly have their publications mentioned or reviewed, which could either be published in the 'Main Feature' or 'Featurette' sections. ~Michael @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com   WEB PAGE NOTE:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Netscape, Firefox and the others serve the page up differently. The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768. All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

 

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

Last Night Tina and I watched the Season Premiere of LOST - the Final Season, after attending a two hour 'Prosperity Group' meeting beforehand...

We don't have a blog post ready today about Tina's thoughts about the 2 hour long show, as it ended at 11PM PST, and she has to go to a client's office first thing this morning. Kudos to Jo Garfein, pictured at the top right of this blog post who posted her own blog post at 3AM this morning! Now THAT's Dedication! Whew! 

So I thought I would re-post what Tina blogged about last Summer after standing in line for many hours at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con International (SDCCI), just to get in to the FINAL Lost panel at the SDCCI: 

Well that's it for now this morning... EXCEPT: Our thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts! We usually blog on a daily basis during the 'work week' on comic book creators, comic book reviews, comic cons, book signings, and other pop culture news and events, such as the one blogged about here today. 

I am expecting to blog Tina's thoughts on the Premiere Show this upcoming Thursday or Friday... Right now Tina is so confused after the Season Premiere, that she needs a day just to unravel everything shown so far! 

I'm looking forward to her guest blog post myself, as I am kind of glad this is the Final Season... and want to see it kick off AND finish up in grand style!  I've also watched it since it first premiered at the San Diego Comic Con International lo so many years ago now!

Join us again soon, as we publish another 'Main Feature'.  And don't forget to check out the 'Featurette' section shown below this article at the right hand side!

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

I have mentioned the HERO Initiative a few times in my blog...

However, I haven't really mentioned the 'membership aspect' of the organization.

First, my thanks to Christina Arrobio-Zietsman, who became my Facebook Friend back in March of 2009. I had a nice conversation with her briefly at the October 2009 Long Beach Comic Con, (LBCC), at the HERO Initiative booth, about what the HERO Initiative was doing for the rest of 2009  and upcoming in 2010.

Christina is shown in the photo to the left, standing beside Jeph Loeb during the Opening Day Ceremony at the 2009 LBCC.

She is the one who has been sending me updates on what the HERO Initiative is doing, and I thank her for it!  There have been some good posts here due to her sending in possible articles!

So, I felt it was past time to show a link to the membership form to this organization here in my Blog.

At the top right of this blog post is the form, and at the left of the post in the text area, is a link to the .pdf copy for you to download and print off!

What does the HERO Initiative do? Well... I'll copy just a little bit from their web site pages here:

"In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (Formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $200,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment."

Additionally:

"Hero is served by two boards of directors:
Writer Jim McLauchlin, CGC (Comics Guaranty Corp.) President Steve Borock, filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, Atomic Comics owner/operator Mike Malve, Lady Death Creator Brian Pulido, Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada and Orlando MegaCon owner/operator Beth Widera comprise the Executive/Fund Raising Board which administers all the fund's operations and raises money.

Dick Giordano, Charlie Novinskie, Dennis O'Neil, George Pérez, John Romita Sr., Roy Thomas and Jim Valentino make up a peer group Fund Disbursement Board that hears petitions and disburses funds to worthy applicants. Pérez is the Chairman of that board."

For more info on this organization please see their web site at:

http://www.heroinitiative.org/

Plus, they have a Facebook Group Page that YOU can join by clicking here:  HERO Initiative Facebook Group Page!

My thanks to Christina for her Facebook Friendship, her time at the LBCC, and for the updates that are being sent my way.  I do appreciate that Christina!

For earlier blog posts that have been posted here in my Blog, please see the following link:  ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com + HERO Initiative posts!

Join us again soon, as we publish another 'Main Feature'.  And don't forget to check out the 'Featurette' shown below this article!

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

Recently I became Facebook Friends with Javier Hernandez...

... After seeing his name on several other Facebook Friends Walls.  I also found that he had hosted an event last Fall in Whitter, and when I saw that another was coming up, I thought I would ask him what it and he was all about!

Here is what was sent to me about Javier and the upcoming seminar:

Javier Hernandez is an independent comic book creator (writer and artist of EL MUERTO, MAN-SWAMP, WEAPON TEX MEX, among others). Javier has been publishing comics and mini-comics since 1998, and hopes for at least a couple of more decades doing what he loves. In addition to exhibiting at numerous comic conventions and in-store appearances over the years, Javier has also had his artwork displayed in both solo and group art shows. www.javzilla.com

His signature character EL MUERTO was turned into a live-action film starring Wilmer Valderamma (THAT 70s SHOW) and Joel David Moore (AVATAR), for which Javier served as Associate Producer. And of course he had to snag himself a speaking cameo role!

Javier also hosts a bi-weekly podcast called JAVILAND: The Podcast for DIY Comics. The show features a roundtable of indie creators talking about particular issues related to self-publishing comics at:

http://javilandblog.blogspot.com/

Javier has taught workshops on creating comic books, and on Saturday, February 13, he will be conduction a free seminar called "DIY COMICS:The Secrets of Self-Publishing". The free seminar will be given at GEEKS Comics in Whittier, CA, at 2pm.

The seminar will cover such topics as establishing your brand, exhibiting at conventions, using social internet sites for networking, and other topics critical to getting your voice heard. The seminar runs about an hour, feel free to bring any questions you may have.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=241369072708&ref=mf

GEEKS
6747 Greenleaf Ave, Ste A
Whittier, CA 90601
(562) 696-9393

Please note that while I have not attended Javier's earlier seminar, I believe that attending a seminar such as this could be beneficial to aspiring comics creators out there.

Especially if YOU are in the Los Angeles Metro Area on February 13th this month!  The Cost is 'Free', so all you are investing is your time in this seminar, which could be beneficial to you!

When I was growing up, all of the comics biz was in New York, and you had to live there or close by to even be in the biz.  What a difference the Comics World has become since then!

My thanks to Javier for the above info, pic, and poster for use in this blog.

PLUS: My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts! We usually blog on a daily basis during the 'work week' on comic book creators, comic book reviews, comic cons, book signings, and other pop culture news and events, such as the one blogged about here today.

Join us again soon, as we publish another 'Main Feature'.  And don't forget to check out the 'Featurette' shown below this article!