Michael Golden has been mentioned as a guest at upcoming Cons in this Blog several times...   Which is great for fans of his works that want to meet him in person!  His next stop is in Orlando, Florida at the 2009 FX Show, which is billed as "The Coolest Show on Earth"!

The 'Show' may not be taking place under a 'Big Top', indeed it is inside at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, but as they say they sure are bringing out all 'Three Rings' of excitement this year at this Show!  

How is that you say?  Well the FX Show has an expanded guest list, plus more celebrities, and the announcement of artist/creator Michael Golden as the "Special Guest of Honor"!

In addition to commemorate Michael's return to Florida, the FX Show is offering a limited Michael Golden G.I. JOE art print  poster for sale at the convention itself!  The 11" X 22" posters will be offered, at $15 each, and Michael will be on hand there to sign them all individually for each collector. However, be there early as that poster is limited to only 200 numbered prints!

For those of you that haven't read about Michael Golden here in my Blog before, Michael has "long been touted as one of the best storytellers in comics, influencing countless artists via his work on "The 'Nam," "Micronauts,"  "G.I. Joe Yearbook," "Batman," and  "Dr. Strange, " among much more! In addition, Golden is the co-creator of Rogue from the X-Men, "Bucky O'Hare," and "Spartan X," as well as other popular properties".

So what has had he done lately?  Well... "His recent work can be seen in the last few years with covers on "Nightwing," "Iron Man," "Heroes for Hire," "Exiles," "Demon's Regret" and just this month on "Uncanny X-Men."  In addition, Vanguard Productions recently released the top selling art retrospective "Excess: The Art of Michael Golden," which sold out and went into a second printing."!

BTW, for those of you that can't make this Show but are planning to attend the upcoming San Diego Comic Con Interntional (SDCC) in July 2009:  "This year will see the release of Michael's new sketchbook, "Dangerous Curves," from Eva Ink Publishing. A perfect match for last years sketchbook, "Heroes and Villains." The new volume is scheduled for debut at the San Diego Comic Con".

So you are tempted to stop in at the FX Show this upcoming weekend, but need something else to make you come for sure?

Well, other guests scheduled to join Michael Golden at the Orlando Convention Center include: Leonard Nimoy, Juliet Landau,  Jonathan Frakes, Mark Texeira, Matt Fraction, Arthur Suydam, Frank Brunner, Yaya Han, Eva Hopkins,  Dan Brereton, Billy Tucci, Chuck Dixon, Greg Horn, Dave Johnson, Doug Murray, Dave Nester, Phil Noto, Michael Oeming, Dan Panosian, Steve Rude,  Mark Goddard, James Kyson Lee,  Lindsay Wagner, Renee Witterstaetter, John Beatty, Tony Bedard, Jeremy Haun, Kathryn Immonen, Andy Kuhn, Laura Martin, Jose Marzan Jr, Pat Broderick, Marc Hammond, Amanda Stevens, and many more!

For more information on this show go to:   http://www.fxshow.com

For more information on Michael Golden and his work, contact his rep at:  http://www.evaink.com

For those of you that are new to our blog today, we also have an ongoing 'Comic Con and Pop Culture Convention'  here at "Make It So Marketing Inc.", what with our daily blog posts,  and new listings of items for sale in our online eBay Featured Store!  Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!.

Each day I receive messages...   From either contestants entered in the Small Press Idol 2009 contest, or from the Small Press Idol organizers.

Nah, I don't consider them spam messages... in fact I am quite interested in this, the second Small Press Idol, to tell you the truth!

There were 27 entries that have made it out of Round 1 and are now into Round 2.  Why does this matter and why am I blogging about it again?   Well, in Round 2 it is not only the 3 initial judges that are doing the voting... it is also registered persons, like YOU or me could be, that are voting in this round!

One of the early entries that caught my eyes was that of the 'Faction' comic book project.  The project members are Erik W Hendrix - Words (Writer and letters) of Oceanside, California and KT Gravatt - Pictures (pencils, inks, color, digital, etc)  of Chula Vista, CA.

The Small Press Idol 2009 has 4 rounds:

Round 1 is already over. It was to present the Basic Concept / Talent.

Round 2 ends on April 30th. It is more about showcasing the characters with illos and background text.

Round 3 goes from May 18th - June 7th.  It is on the 'sequential primers'.

Round 4 goes from July 15 - ??? It is the Origin or the #0 issue.

Below is the Basic Concept shown in Round 1 from the Faction Comic Book project:

The year is 2025. A burned, mutilated, shrapnel-filled, and left for dead Acker Kinney will awake in a hospital to find his life has changed forever.

The war on terror, in which he’s fought since the age of 18 as a medic in the Marines, has left this 43 year old man scarred and short both an arm and career after a roadside bomb took out his unit in the “Badlands” of the Middle East… but this is just the beginning.

Once, the concept of good and evil was as simple as which person was pointing the gun. When Acker is attacked by a demon’s minion in the hospital while recovering from his wounds, he is saved by a group of Knights from the Society of the Enlightened. Soon, he will find himself one of them, blessed with countless lifetimes of knowledge and rediscovered powers.

The Society, in an eternal conflict with the forces of Den Malignity, an assembly of powerful demons and their minions, must react when the participants on the battlefield grow.

Old factions, thought banished in the time of the dark ages, have risen again to claim their rightful place in the world. Which of these factions will side with the Society and which with the Den?

The answer will play out across the entire planet and shape its destiny. The schemes of gods, the desires of demons, the powers of nature, myth, and supernatural – all are setting forth to change a world long believed to be the sole dominion of man. This is the world the Society of the Enlightened and her Knights must protect. This is Faction.

Round 2 shows the characters from 'Faction'.  Sketches of the main character, Acker Kinney, are shown at the top of this blog post, along with a character outline.

For more on 'Faction' I invite you to check out their entry on the Small Idol Press web site.  After viewing their progress so far, and liking it, Erik and KT would appreciate your vote!  If you are not yet signed up to vote at the Small Press Idol 2009, feel free to do so!

If you have signed up to vote at Small Press Idol, you can vote for 'Faction' at:  http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/forum-t33806.html

To read more about the 'Faction' comic book project go to:    http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/content294.html  

Earlier this week I learned Of Frank Springer's passing...   Frank had died last Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 at the age of 79.  Frank was known both as a veteran comic book and comic strip artist.