TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

It's "Spotlight On...Christian Meesey - a.k.a. Meesimo" Today!

That's because we met him for the first time at last Saturday's Long Beach Comic Con Expo, and I was impressed with his works in caricatures, a web comic, a graphic novel, and a comic book!

That's pretty versatile if you ask me!

Christian was actually a pretty quiet guy for the little while that we talked with him at the LBC Expo, where he shared a table with Christian Beranek, (click here to see my blog on Beranek's works).

However, Christian's works more than speak for him!

First, even though it is not pictured above, Christian gave me a comic book titled 'Motley', which I found to be an interesting black & white read.  Here's a link to that project:

http://motleycomics.com/motleyhomepage/motleyhomepage.html.

Second, Chris also give me a copy of his "Contropussy: The Sketchbook Vol. 1" to read.  That led me to the actual web comic at: http://www.contropussy.com/?p=193 which is where you can start reading this web comic that started back in August 2009.

Third, his biz card gave me the address for his blogspot blog, where I found dozens of his caricatures, one of which I posted at the above left of this blog post:

http://meesimo.blogspot.com/.

I think that's enough for now to show you on what Chris has been doing. It appears that he has many facets, of which I believe you can enjoy viewing his works by following the above links.

My thanks to Christian - 'Chris' - 'Meesimo' for taking the time to show us just a few of works and the review copies that led me to blogging about him today!

PLUS my thanks to Christian Beranek for informing me that Christian Meesey would be sharing a table with him at the LBCC Expo!

AND...My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts!

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

~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

Note: Comic books / fanzines / and graphic novels like the ones mentioned above can be found at our own web site for sale at:

 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": It's another "Mini Spotlight" on a great comics creator today! That's because Tina and I met him at last weekend's Long Beach Comic Con Expo in Artists Alley! That comics creator would be Stan Sakai as pictured below with Michael! I've said it earlier this week, but again.. What was neat about the recent LBCC Expo was that it was large enough to have comics creators there of Stan's caliber, yet small enough that Tina and I could talk for a while with each creator!      My thanks to Stan for the time he spent with us and for posing for the photos! For those of you that don't know of Stan's early history in comics, the following is excerpted from the Wikipedia entry on Stan Sakai: "Born in Kyoto, Japan, Sakai grew up in Hawaii and studied fine arts at the University of Hawaii. He later attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He and his wife, Sharon, presently reside and work in Pasadena. He began his career by lettering comic books (notably Groo the Wanderer by Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier) and wrote and illustrated The Adventures of Nilson Groundthumper and Hermy; a comic series with a medieval setting, influenced by Sergio Aragones's Groo the Wanderer. The characters first appeared in Albedo #1 in 1984, and were subsequently featured in issues of Critters, GrimJack, Amazing Heroes and Furrlough. Sakai became famous with the creation of Usagi Yojimbo, the epic saga of Miyamoto Usagi, a samurai rabbit living in late-sixteenth and early-seventeenth-century Japan. First published in 1984, the comic continues to this day, with Sakai as the lone author and nearly-sole artist (Tom Luth serves as the main colorist on the series, and Sergio Aragonés has made two small contributions to the series: the story "Broken Ritual" is based on an idea by Aragonés, and he served as a guest inker for the black and white version of the story "Return to Adachi Plain" that is featured in the Volume 11 trade paperback edition of Usagi Yojimbo). He also created a futuristic spinoff series Space Usagi." Tina and I can't keep Stan's publications in stock at our own online store at http://www.ComicBooksCircus.com.  It was really neat to see the the items that he brought for sale to the Expo that were one of a kind, plus his published works. You can keep up with what Stan is doing by reading his own blog at: http://usagiguy.livejournal.com/ Plus you can see more of Stan's works for sale at his own web site at: http://www.usagiyojimbo.com/ You don't want to miss out on his 25th Anniversary collectibles on Usagi Yojimbo! ----------------------------- Because of great one-on-ones visits with comics greats like Stan; Tina and I are looking forward to the upcoming 2nd Annual Long Beach Comic Con.  That's the 3 day event at the end of October 2010. Here's a link to the Con's Facebook Fan Page, so you can be interactive with them between now and October: http://www.facebook.com/LongBeachComicCon?ref=ts There you can also find out who's going to be there as guests, and links to where YOU can purchase advance tickets! Tina and I are definitely booking October 29th thru the 31st!  I suggest that if YOU are in SoCal area during that time, that You should drop in at Least ONE of those Days! --------------------------- Talking about comics and comic cons: 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! 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

 

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

It's "Spotlight On...Jim Main" Today!

Why today??? 

Because it's his Birthday!!!

So here's a little bit of history about Jim Main, for those of you that aren't totally familar with his early background in this industry:

JIM MAIN PROFILE-PART 1

"Publishing was apparently the destiny of Jim Main, a resident of Brookfield, CT, who celebrates his birthday today, February 23rd. (Jim was born in the year 1955.)

An avid fan of comic books, from the moment he was introduced to them in the early sixties by his uncle, he soon became aware of fandom and fanzines and the publishing thereof by classmate Carl Gafford.

Carl, a senior at Jim's high school the same year he was a freshman, taught him the ropes of production via the dreaded spirit duplicator machine!

Jim's first 'zine, *PPFSZT!, published in the early 1970's, featured material such as an interview with Jim Aparo (conducted through the mail), a sf strip Jesse Stuart, by classmate Mike Tuz, plus then current comic book news and reviews and fiction by Main, Tuz and other friends.

More contacts and staff were made via zines such as the RBCC and the newest adzine THE BUYERS GUIDE TO COMICS FANDOM, (now known as CBG).

Soon he became a member of the first fanzine co-op, the Blue Plaque Publishing group, (now known as the United Fanzine Organization), which was created by Gafford originally, via good friend Steve Keeter and more contacts and contributors were established.

Certainly one to give readers their money's worth, he loved producing big books, some unfortunately with dire results, like the third issue of his comics anthology SPECTRUM...a 138 page full size ditto zine that had more than it's share of problems due to a finicky machine.

The problems were later smoothed out though in his later attempts, in his last issues of *PPFSZT! as well as new zine SATYR, but he had had enough of this method of printing and finally went to photo-offset with issue #6 of *PPFSZT! which was also one of the first digest sized fanzines.

As the 70's came to an end, Jim had published 9 issues of *PPFSZT!, 2 issues of SATYR, 3 issues of SPECTRUM, (formerly known as The Guilded Splinter), 1 issue of GNOME,  as well as filling in as publisher of 2 issues of friend Rod Synder's newszine The Esgaroth Express.

Some of the many creative individuals who had had their material published in Main's publications during these early years were Mike Tuz, Larry Johnson, Steve Keeter, Carl Gafford, Cara Sherman, Joe Jenkins, Rod Snyder, Carl Taylor, Mike Swanson, John Dwyer, Mike Canuel, Jack Monniger, Steve Lafler, Donna Hallecks, Frank Cirocco, Brent Anderson, Roland Austin, Wes Smith, Jack Kirby, Doug Hazlewood, Al Orne, Rich Hadden, Basil Wolverton, Neal Adams, Kurt Erichsen, Gil Kane, Steve Ditko, Ed Romero...and many others.   
 
However, due to one thing or another, he was about to experience his first bout of gafiation...what many comic fans go through from time to time when situations arise that no longer permit continuing this interest...

That, though, would not be for very long..."

(Oh No... it's a Continued Story!) TO BE CONTINUED...(Sometime in the near future?!)....

My thanks to Facebook for reminding me that today is Jim's Birthday ahead of time... And to Jim, himself, for providing the photos of his earliest works so I could reprint them here!

BTW, You can see what Jim is publishing nowadays by checking out his own web site at:

http://www.mainenterprises.ecrater.com/ .

AND...My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts!

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

~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

Note: Comic books / fanziens / and graphic novels like the ones mentioned above can be found at our own web site for sale at:

 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": It's a "Mini Spotlight" on another comics creator today! That's because Tina and I met him at last weekend's Long Beach Comic Con Expo in Artists Alley! That comics creator would be Bernie 'Berni' Wrightson as pictured below! What was neat about the LBCC Expo was that it was large enough to have comics creators there of Bernie's caliber, yet small enough that Tina and I could talk for a while with each creator! When Tina was ready to take a couple of photos for our Blog, I asked Bernie if he would pick up something on his table that he would like to pose with. He had all kinds of original artwork that he brought to sell at the convention  Imagine my surprise when he picked up the flyer I had given him to re-introduce myself and now Tina to him!    My thanks to Bernie for the time he spent with us and for posing for the photos! For those of you that don't know of Bernie's early history in comics, the following is excerpted from the Wikipedia entry on Bernie: "In 1966, Wrightson began working for The Baltimore Sun newspaper as an illustrator. The following year, after meeting artist Frank Frazetta at a comic-book convention in New York City, he was inspired to produce his own stories. In 1968, he showed copies of his sequential art to DC Comics editor Dick Giordano and was given a freelance assignment. Wrightson began spelling his name "Berni" in his professional work to distinguish himself from an Olympic diver named Bernie Wrightson, but later restored the final E to his name. His first professional comic work appeared in House of Mystery #179 in 1968. He continued to work on a variety of mystery and anthology titles for both DC and its principal rival, Marvel Comics. In 1971, with writer Len Wein, Wrightson co-created the muck creature Swamp Thing for DC. He also co-created Destiny, later to become famous in the work of Neil Gaiman. In 1971 he also published BadTime Stories, a horror/sci-fi comics anthology featuring his own scripts and artwork, each story being drawn in a different medium (ink wash, tonal pencil drawings, duoshade paper, screen tones, e.g., along with traditional pen-and-ink and brushwork). Tina and I can't keep Bernie's early work in stock at our own online store.  It was really neat to see the original artwork that he brought for sale to the Expo. You can see Bernie's work for sale at his own web site at: http://www.wrightsonart.com ----------------------------- Because of great one-on-ones visits with comics greats like Bernie, Tina and I are looking forward to the upcoming 2nd Annual Long Beach Comic Con.  That's the 3 day event at the end of October 2010. Here's a link to the Con's Facebook Fan Page, so you can be interactive with them between now and October: http://www.facebook.com/LongBeachComicCon?ref=ts There you can also find out who's going to be there as guests, and links to where YOU can purchase advance tickets! Tina and I are definitely booking October 29th thru the 31st!  I suggest that if YOU are in SoCal area during that time, that You should drop in at Least ONE of those Days! --------------------------- Talking about comics and comic cons: 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! 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

 

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

We attended this past Saturday's Long Beach Comic Con Expo, and I'll be sharing with you photos that Tina snapped and our reviews of publications found there...

One table at the LBCC Expo was manned by Christian Beranek, as pictured to the right above, who introduced us to several projects he has had a hand in producing, writing or publishing!

This blog post is about 'The Minions Of Ka' that he is shown holding in the photo at the top right of this post.

Christian was a co-founder of Silent Devil, which started in October of 1996. Christian was the Production Manager of this graphic novel that I'm blogging about here.

Another of my Facebook Friends, Chris Moreno, was the interior artist of this graphic novel!  Chris is so busy at comic cons that I have seen him at, that I wasn't aware of the many projects that he has illustrated for, including this one!

Anyways, what is this GN about, and why did I pick this one to blog about first after the Con?

Here's the promo info:

"The Minions of Ka have commanded the undead for thousands of years. Their power has been used to create and destroy empires. In possession of this great power, The Catholic Church has their sights set on the throne of Charles II. An unnamed warrior for hire finds himself caught between the Church and the English Monarchy in one of the greatest conspiracies of all time."
 

Here are the credits:

Minions of Ka
Full Color 128 pages
Story by Dave Wilbur, Michael Furno and Michael Ahearn
Interior Art by Chris Moreno
Colors by Veronica Gandini and Chris Moreno
Additional art by Mario Boon
Cover by Ken Kelly
Letters by Thomas Mauer
Edited by Jack Ketchum, Dave Wilbur and Jeremy Brisiel
Distributed by Arcana Studio
SRP: $19.95

Okay, so once again I'm blogging about the undead / zombies, even though I have stated that stories of this genre are not ones that I ususally read for myself.

That's true, but when I saw that I recognized several of the names associated with this project, especially Chris Moreno's, I put this at the top of my reading list this weekend while we were staying overnight in the LA area!

Yes, it's been out for a little while, (First Printing was August of 2008), but like I stated above, I don't normally read this publciations in this genre.

So other than the fact that Chris Moreno was the interior artist, and Christian Beranek was the Production Manager of this project, what else drew my attention to this graphic novel (GN)?

The fact was that the front cover, (by Ken Kelly), made me pause when thumbing through the stack of publications that I received for possible review in this Blog. Then thumbing through the interior pages of this GN, which were in full color, made me realize that this could be a quality publication to read first.

Plus while reading it, I found the story to be steeped in historical background.  Being a student of history, this background engaged me in the story. 

What 'grabbed' me was that many of the world's greatest historical disasters were exposed to be attacks by the 'undead'! Yes, Egypt's civilization brought down during Cleopatra's reign, the Fall of Rome, the Crusades, and even the Great Fire of London in 1666 as shown as having tangible proof that zombies were involved during those periods of crisis!

Indeed, even though the main story in this GN takes place during the late 17th Century's well known squabbling between Church and State, the actual zombie plague itself originates in ancient Egypt with their obsession with immortality!  

Okay, I won't go into more detail than that for the storyline here...  Suffice to say that it grabbed my attention and held on to it to the end of the graphic novel!

I enjoyed seeing Chris' interior artwork, and can say that because usually I only see his sketches that he does at his table at comic cons!  He is always so busy sketching at cons, that I didn't realize the extent of his published works! And yes, we do have a couple of photos of Chris Moreno sketching again at this LBCC Expo to share with you in the days to come!   

For those that are into this genre, I would think it would be a good read for them.  For those that aren't into this genre, I feel that it is a good storyline and the artwork isn't over the top as seen in several other publications of this genre.

You do have an opportunity to view nine pages of this GN at the following web site, PLUS have an opportunity right now to buy this book at a $5 off discount: 

http://www.silentdevil.com/minions-of-ka.php

My thanks to Christian Beranek for bringing this publication to my attention at the Long Beach Comic Con Expo this past Saturday!

BTW, Christian is also the Producer at Disney's Kingdom Comics. He is currently producing a couple of graphic novels/films for Disney via their Kingdom Comics brand.

You can see what else Christian is doing by checking out his own web site at:

http://www.christianberanek.com/ 

You can also check out who's attending the upcoming 2nd Annual Long Beach Comic Con, (the Full 3 Day Con), that is happening in late October 2010, by clicking here for their Facebook Fan Page that YOU can interact with!

My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts!

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

~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

Note: Comic books / graphic novels like the one mentioned above can be found at our own web site for sale at:

 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: As stated above, Tina and I attended the Long Beach Comic Con Expo this past Saturday.  Tina snapped a lot of photos at this Expo, both in front of the Long Beach Convention Center that had a 'car display' of vehichles shown in feature films, as well as inside the exhibit hall of the Expo itself. We'll be sharing more of those with you in the days / weeks to come, as we met several long time favorites, as well as meeting new comics creators that we haven't blogged about before! Plus, you can't attend a comic con without seeing attendees in costume! Below is a photo of individuals that were caught in a Cross-Universe Storm at this LBCC - Expo! Yes, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, myself, and Captain America were caught on camera posing for that momentous occasion! Thanks to Tina, who once again spotted Wonder Woman for me to have my photo taken with!  And Spidey and Cap were added bonuses!    Tina and I were at this Expo from 10AM - 6:15 PM, and took advantage of the smaller setting to talk longer with each of the pros, leaving actual purchases of some back issues for the very end of the day. Tina and I are looking forward to the upcoming 2nd Annual Long Beach Comic Con.  That's the 3 day event at the end of October 2010. Here's a link to the Con's Facebook Fan Page, so you can be interactive with them between now and October: http://www.facebook.com/LongBeachComicCon?ref=ts There you can also find out who's going to be there as guests, and links to where YOU can purchase advance tickets! Tina and I are definitely booking October 29th thru the 31st!  I suggest that if YOU are in SoCal area during that time, that You should drop in at Least ONE of those Days!  (BTW...When I get Spidey's - Wonder Woman's - and Cap's real names, I'll post them here.  Thanks to all three of them for posing with me at the Long Beach Comic Con Expo!) --------------------------- Talking about comics and comic cons: 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! 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

 

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

We just got back in from our trip to Long Beach and Los Angeles...

I had said I probably wouldn't be blogging today about what we saw at the Long Beach Comic Con Expo that occured yesterday, but there is TV Show on tonight that I thought YOU should know about! 

First, it is a show that Tina and I don't normally watch, but after seeing all of the people that were in front of Todd Nauck's table at yesterday's Long Beach Comic Con Expo, I am sure there will be a 'bump up' in viewership tonight for this episode... maybe we'll even watch, or tape it!

That show is "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition", which is shown on ABC TV. It runs at 8PM - 9PM tonight, Sunday, February 21st, in most areas. 

When Tina and I made the rounds one last time yesterday before leaving the LBCC Expo, we were able to talk with Todd and his wife Dawn, as they had just come back from a quick break to get something to eat!

I found that Todd was mobbed at this Expo for several reasons all day, including the fact that his artwork is being featured in tonight's episode of the TV Show mentioned above.

I'm not going into detail on everything that is happening on tonight's episode, as I want to get this posted ASAP. 

Suffice to say that back on December 7, 2009, the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” traveled to Gainesville, FL, to meet Tobin and Jill Wagstaff.

Those two were college sweethearts who actually started their own non-profit music school to provide services in the arts. That included those individuals with financial limitations or disabilities.

Naturally with them pouring all of their time and resources into their schooll, it  had left very little for them to fix and repair their own home.

So you've probably seen the promos spots showing superstar rockers group KISS being featured in this episode.  I hadn't seen the fact that artists and designers from Marvel Entertainment were also participating particing in tonight's episode.

So I was glad that Tina and I had an opportunity to talk with Todd and Dawn at the end of the day at the Expo!

My thanks to both of them for bringing this to my attention to I could post a quick blog here tonight in my Blog.  Hope all of YOU can catch this show either 'live' or possibly online later!

BTW, You can become a Fan of Todd's works on Facebook, as he has a Facebook Fan Page as seen by clicking here!

PLUS My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts!

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

~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

Note: Comic books / graphic novels like the one 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: As stated above I wasn't going to blog today, as we were arriving home later, and had some major unpacking to do from the Long Beach Comic Con Expo that we attended yesterday!  However, since we did have a topic that just HAD to be blogged today, because it is on TV Tonight, I wanted to take this time to thank two people at the Long Beach Comic Con Expo who made our visit there an outstanding one! Those two would be Martha Donato and Mike Scigliano! Tina and I had not met Martha at the October 2009 Inagural Long Beach Comic Con, even though she was in several of my photos during that Con! However, we all met at this LBCC Expo yesterday, and it was great to talk with her about the One Day Expo and how our day was starting there!    Martha reads our Blog and was curious about what we had seen so far and what we were going to blog about, as it was a one day show instead of the annual three day show. Trust me, Tina and I found more than enough topics to talk about for days to come!  Plus more comics and graphic novels, TPBs etc., that were given to us to read and hopefully mention / review in this Blog! So we'll be mentioning the LBCC Expo for several more blog posts!  That's for sure, as we both had a great time there! Plus I want to thank Mike Scigliano! He saw us several times during the long day,(we were there from 10AM - 6:15 PM), and made sure we were getting to talk to those that we wanted to see.  I did mention there were long lines at several tables, right?! So thanks again, Mike! Tina and I are looking forward to the upcoming 2nd Long Beach Comic Con.  That's the 3 day event in October 2010. Here's a link to their Facebook Fan Page, so you can be interactive with them between now and October: http://www.facebook.com/LongBeachComicCon?ref=ts There you can also find out who's going to be there as guests, and links to where YOU can purchase advance tickets! Tina and I are definitely booking October 29th thru the 31st!  I suggest that if YOU are in SoCal area during that time, that You should drop in at Least ONE of those Days! Pictured below is just ONE of the many people that I met at this Expo:    When I get "Kato's" real name again, I'll post it here.  Thanks for posing with me at the Long Beach Comic Con Expo! --------------------------- Talking about comics and comic cons: 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! 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

 

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

Back on December 9th of 2009, I blogged about the 'Strangeways' series in the "Featurette" section of this blog, (as seen by clicking here!).

I recently received a full copy of the work titled: Strangeways - Murder Moon, from Matt Maxwell, and after reading it, wanted to blog about it here today; before I pick up too many other publications at the Long Beach Comic Con Expo tomorrow.  This is too good of a work to be 'lost' in the shuffle after a comic con, and deserves to be published in my blog before we leave!

I'm going to print what this publication is about using the creators' own promo pieces, and then add my thoughts:

"Strangeways: Murder Moon by Matthew Maxwell, Luis Guaragna, and Gervasio/Jok

It’s 1868, and former army officer Seth Collins seeks to escape the horrors of the Civil War by traveling the frontier. Answering an urgent letter from his estranged sister, Collins finds himself under attack by a strange creature that is neither man nor wolf. When his friend and partner Webster is accused of being the beast, Collins must track down the real threat. But which will kill him first: the Wolf, or the secret that the sheriff of Silver Hand is trying to keep buried?

Strangeways: Murder Moon is written by Matthew Maxwell (Highway 62, EATERS) and is illustrated by Luis Guaragña. Cover and chapter illustrations by Steve Lieber (CIVIL WAR, WHITEOUT). Interior gallery pages by Guy Davis (BPRD, THE MARQUIS, SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE), Fábio Moon (CASANOVA, SMOKE AND GUNS) and Gabriel Bá (CASANOVA, THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY.)

Publisher Information
Highway 62 Press
Matthew Maxwell, Publisher

ISBN-10: 0-9796957-0-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-9796957-0-4

144 pages, 7×10 trim size
black and white with color covers

Okay, I like to follow up on blogs I originally posted, after the publications sees print.  Especially if it is a publication that I enjoyed reading.  Which I did in this case!

Yes, the interior pages are in black and white, but b&w fits this style of writing as well as genre!  The story wasn't over the top, and the artwork flowed with the dialogue.  It was a good meshing in storytelling.

There was an additional story at the back of the book, and unlike the main feature, I wasn't for sure what to make of it. If this book had been printed as a 'comic book', then it could have been considered a 'back-up' story.  Being a book and at the end of the main feature, I considered a 'bonus story', and appreciated it as such.

You can check out your LCBS for this graphic novel, or at your usual points of purchase. The ISBN numbers are printed a few paragraphs before this one for ease in ordering.

PLUS My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts!

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

~ 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: I'm taking a few samples of a special candy this weekend to the Long Beach Comic Expo, as 'snacks' to get me through the long day.  I just found them at a store in San Diego this past weekend, as a close-out item. My son saw my jaw drop when I found them, as I proceeded to buy all that they had in stock. That's because I haven't found them in a long time at any stores in my local area! I'm talking about: Cup-O-Gold Chocolate Cups!  Which I first found at a movie theater years ago in Downtown San Diego when I was a Safety-Patrol Boy, and we were all treated to a day at the movies with  candy!  That was back in Sixth Grade, so this Cup-O-Gold craving goes back a long ways with me! The Cup-o-Golds are: "Thick, rich milk chocolate cup with a hint of coconut and toasted almond surrounds a smooth, creamy center… Whoooaaammm… Includes 1 box of 24 delicious Cup-O-Gold Chocolate Cups. " I found the web site of the confectioner of this candy on the wrapper. Here is the info that you would need if your enjoy these as much as I do, and can't find them in your area! Code: 11034 Price: $12.00 Shipping Weight: 2.50 lbs P.O. Box 7303 Los Angeles, CA 90007-0303 Web Site:  http://www.adams-brooks.com Pictured below is a case of these yummy individually wrapped candies: So for those of you that have been wondering if I enjoyed ANYTHING other than comic books, graphic novels, TV Shows and Movie Theater Films... well, yeah I do! Which I shouldn't, or just in moderation, as I do have Diabetes Type II.  Maybe I should stick with comics, as they only "rot my brain", LOL! --------------------------- Talking about comics: 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! 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.