RETURN FROM ... HEROES CON '07!!

Well, I'm finally back from my trip to NC. After HEROES CON, the wife and I took a tour around NC visiting family. The con was great, and was a wonderful experience for my first time on the other side of the table at a comic convention! It was very nice meeting folks who happened to stop by the booth to look at my stuff, and I thank everyone who I met, whether you bought a shirt, sticker, button or print, or just said hi! The best part of the con, however, was the social aspect -- hanging out after the show with fellow table-mates ERIC and SEAN, and new freinds and industry pros DENNIS HOPELESS and KEVIN MELLON was a blast, and it was great to meet (and in some cases impress) some super-talented and very kind and generous industry artists and writers.

It's hard to stay behind your table when there's so much cool stuff to go out and look at and so many cool people to meet! There are so many other talented folks who are fun to talk to and very approachable and interesting as long as you take the time to talk to them for a bit. I got several trade paperbacks and comics signed by some of my favorite creators, and I got to meet a few idols of mine (like ERIC POWELL) for the first time ever!


I'd like to thank the following pros and attendees for their kindness and generosity, and for just taking the time to talk for a bit: RICK REMENDER, TONY MOORE, MATT FRACTION, JOHN LUCAS, DANIELLE CORSETTO, LIZ GREENFIELD, J. CHRIS CAMPBELL, ED MCGUINNESS, ERIC POWELL, KERON GRANT, CHAD THOMAS, KEVIN MELLON, DENNIS HOPELESS, ROBIN FURTH, PETER DAVID, MISS DANIKA, and a few others who are escaping my memory's grasp right now. Special thanks to ALBERTO RUIZ for his continued support, encouragement, and generosity! He's always a joy to see and talk to at these cons, and he's got such a postive and enthusiastic attitude for what he does... plus he produces some high-quality books! Also, it was awesome meeting a few of the hosts of one of my favorite comics podcasts, COMIC GEEK SPEAK! I introduced myself to BRYAN DEEMER, PETER RIOS, and JAMIE D at one of the after-parties and talked with each of them for a bit -- great guys, and I wish I'd spent more time with them... maybe at the next con!

Anyway, back to the grind... time to get ready for the SAN DIEGO COMIC CON!! This will be my first time attending the show, and I want to beef up my portfolio to get some decent jobs! I've wanted to go to this con for a LONG time, and I can't wait!!

COME SEE ME AT HEROES CON THIS WEEKEND!!

Finally got my table assignment for my appearance at the HEROES CONVENTION in Charlotte, North Carolina this weekend of June 15th-17th. POP-MONKEY ILLUSTRATION will be at tables A411 and A412, and I'll be hosting fellow artists and friends SEAN CHAPMAN and ERIC JONES!! Unfortunately, despite the listing on the HeroesCon website, EMILY GROSS will not be able to join us at our tables due to her landing a sweet job and having to move and settle in. Her presence will be missed, but I wish her the best of luck, and hopefully she'll be able to join us at the BALTIMORE COMIC CON in September!

Heroes Con is always a fantastic show -- not overblown and super-crowded like the huge "name brand" conventions, but still chock full of great guests, cool merchandise, and fun! I always discover at least two new "favorite artists" each time I go, and it's been a regular stop on my yearly convention circuit for most of the past 15 years (although this will be my first time on the other side of the table, so to speak)!

Anyway, drop in, if you can and visit, buy some shirts, stickers and buttons and say hi! I'll be doing quick cheap cartoon sketches too, for those interested in those sorts of things!

"JIM-JIM, THE DANCING PINK BULLY"!!

New shirt-alert!! My second shirt design has been posted at my online store, POP-MONKEY STUFF!! (also available as a button and a coaster!), so stop by and check it out (better yet, buy one)! What's the story with this guy? He's a big pink bully who, every once in a while, sprouts a flower from the top of his head and skips around town. Don't ask why... he'll probably beat you up! Available in a nice assortment of colors in guys, gals and kids styles! Whee!

"GHOST OF THE MACHINE"!!

My first T-shirt design featured in my online store, POP-MONKEY STUFF!! The site my store is hosted by is PRINTFECTION.COM, and they do Digital Transfer printing, which means they can do one shirt at a time to fill indivudual orders, but it ends up costing more, so my profit margin is drastically less than if I'd have them screenprinted.

However, I DID have them screenprinted (at least the greenish design, for now), but I haven't received the order yet to see how they turned out. I wanted to have some on-hand to sell at the upcoming HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC, rather than just pointing people to the Printfection store. The screenprinting costs allow me to sell the shirts a bit cheaper and make more money per shirt, but each color used in the printing boosts the cost, so I have to keep it low (this is a 4-color design), whereas with the Digital transfer printing, I am unhidered by such limitations. So anyway, both avenues have their pros and cons, and sort of balance out in the end, but I need to be able to bring product to display at conventions while still having a relatively hassle-free online store. Printfection allows me to post any design I want on many varieties of shirts in various colors, and I don't have to order 100 shirts at a time from a screenprinter, but I make less per shirt.

Anyway, I'll post pics of the screenprinted job as soon as it arrives. Meanwhile, head over to my online store and order some stuff!

COLLIDE-O-SCOPE part 15: "THE SKIDMARK SISTERS"!!

the SKIDMARK SISTERS: SMASHLEY BUNDT, HENRIETTA KNUCKLES, DAISY DITCH and TENTAKELLY

The SKIDMARK SISTERS are the OctoPrimate Roller Derby team genetically engineered by PROFESSOR SQUIDHEAD during his "evil mad scientist" phase to conquer the world roller derby circuit. Anyway, they're part Gorilla, part Octopus, and they can block, pivot and jam like nobody's business! Oh, and they HATE music of ANY kind!

COLLIDE-O-SCOPE part 14: "THE KLANNIBAL"!!

Chester Teague hails from Kentucky and is one of those dyed-in-the-wool racists who is part of the traditional legacy of hate often found in southern redneck communities. Chester takes his racism to unsettling extremes, however, perhaps due to the mental damage inbreeding can cause, or perhaps due to the fact that he's flat-out crazy. Stemming from an effort to win the approval of his callous and emotionless father, and at the same time outdo the old man, Chester (who followed his father’s footsteps by joining the Ku Klux Klan) began actually eating his lynching victims, and found he had quite a taste for minority flesh. He views any non-white not only as inferior and subhuman, but as cattle to be dined upon. It’s offensive and unsettling, to be sure, but that’s what makes him such a despicable villain.

COLLIDE-O-SCOPE part 13: SQUAGGROTH JR.

SQUAGGROTH JR. -- Reluctant would-be World Conqueror and Evil Overlord

One of H.E.R.P.E.S’ many wicked schemes included a plot to conjure up an ancient elder god called Squaggroth, who would grant them near-limitless power in gratitude for being released from his centuries-old prison. Squaggroth was supposed to begin a revenge-laden spree of destruction and debauchery upon gaining his freedom, but when the complicated spells and rites were complete, Squaggroth’s actual appearance didn’t quite measure up to DOCTOR HEDONISM’s expectations. The ancient tome of spells made Squaggroth out to be a hideous and twisted malevolent beast whose very countenance inspired madness and insanity, but the centuries had not been kind to the elder god. What they got was a withered, depressed and lazy bum of a “god” who just wanted to sit on the couch, eat greasy snacks and catch up on all the good TV shows he’d missed.

There was a slight glimmer of hope, however. Squaggroth had sired a son, who was destined to be even more foul and merciless than his father. With reluctant and grunting help from Squaggroth, DOCTOR HEDONISM and his fellow H.E.R.P.E.S. cronies tracked down SQUAGGROTH JR., only to be disappointed again. As is typical of many teenagers, SQUAGGROTH JR. had rebelled against is parents, choosing to forsake his destiny and ignore his potential in favor of hanging out on street corners, spray painting graffiti on alley walls, and hassling cops. DOCTOR HEDONISM had put too much time and effort into his scheme to give up, however, so they kidnapped SQUAGGROTH JR., taking him back to H.E.R.P.E.S. headquarters and hoping to instill the sort of values and character into him that his father obviously neglected to -- the sort of values that would cause him to rise up and enslave humanity, laying waste to the earth and devouring all who oppose him!

COLLIDE-O-SCOPE part 12: L.I.N.C.O.L.N.!!

L.I.N.C.O.L.N. (Lethally Intelligent Non-Confederate with an Obscenely Large Noggin) -- evil, steam-powered ex-President

The first thing you might notice about this imposing fellow is his enormous head (as tall as a grown man). He can't support the weight of his massive melon on those tiny legs, so his mobility is dependent on his special steam-powered frame constructed from the very wood from balcony state box #7 in which the original Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre The Civil War-era cannon he keeps housed is his hat is but one of many wicked devices stored there.

L.I.N.C.O.L.N. is a semi-zombified clone of the beloved ex-president (hence his grayish color), and his freakish appearance is the disastrous result of some haywire plot gone wrong. This Lincoln is nasty and generally evil -- he wants to undo all that Original Lincoln accomplished and reduce ALL of humanity to an illiterate, subservient slave race. He also wants a bride, and I'm sure that won't end well! Why clone Original Lincoln, and who would do such a thing? That’s a mystery for now, but who's to say that time travel won't figure into this freakish villain's story during the course of events? Who's to say that Original Lincoln won't travel back in time to help our heroes in COLLIDE-O-SCOPE defeat this affront to nature and history? Not me -- in fact, I think that'd be quite swell!

COLLIDE-O-SCOPE part 11: CAPTAIN BILLY CRIBKILLER!!

CAPTAIN BILLY CRIBKILLER -- Leader of the Fetal Pirates

Billy is the leader of a group of nasty little pirates called the FETAL PIRATES. They fly around in an airborne pirate ship, descending on and plundering helpless victims with the aid of their floating jellyfish placentas which they are connected to via their umbilical cords. The placentas are filled with helium gas, enabling them to float, and have additional tentacles which hold their spare weapons, reload their pistolas, and help them with tasks too difficult for their tiny fingers.

COLLIE-O-SCOPE part 10: ERGOPHOBOS and his RASCAL OF DOOM!!

ERGOPHOBOS & his RASCAL OF DOOM -- Ancient Egyptian Wizard and Handicapped Mobility Device

What's threatening about a fat, lazy white guy on a motorized "Rascal"? Nothing really. But when that fat, lazy white guy is possessed by the spirit of an ancient Egyptian wizard who was put to death for trying to assassinate the Pharaoh, THEN things get dangerous! ERGOPHOBOS is a glutton for culinary delights (obviously), and perhaps would be able to do more to further his goals of world conquest if the body he (accidentally) came to possess was a bit more on the fit and active side. So, Ergophobos rules what he can from the comfort of his recliner or his motorized Rascal. Ergophobos is a member of the perverse diabolical organization known as H.E.R.P.E.S., and has secret schemes of wresting control of the organization out of the hands of it's current leader, DOCTOR HEDONISM.

COLLIDE-O-SCOPE part 9: BLACKFACE HITLER and RED DWARF

BLACKFACE HITLER & RED DWARF -- evil performance artists

Relax, he’s a bad guy. BLACKFACE HITLER is one of the most outrageous members of H.E.R.P.E.S., and has devised many a scheme to befoul our heroes in COLLIDE-O-SCOPE. None of his peers actually calls him BLACKFACE HITLER, though -- they just call him BH for short. BH abandoned his long-forgotten birth name when he decided to really stick it to his parents by becoming a performance artist. His father considered art a waste of time (especially the twisted, offensive stuff his son was producing), and wanted young BH to follow in his footsteps, becoming a criminal defense lawyer. When BH came home to find his latest sculptural masterpiece vandalized during one of his father’s drunken tirades, BH calmly disemboweled his sleeping parent, and used his body parts to repair his violated sculpture. When BH’s mother arrived home that day, she found her husband dead and a note from her son claiming responsibility for the murder and announcing his own artistic awakening. Thus began BH’s illegal and underground career as the worlds most offensive artist.

BH firmly believes that true Art must be offensive and shocking. If it doesn't offend at least two demographics, then it's not Art, and he sees the world as his canvas. He began seeking to transform himself into an offensive work of art, which caught the attention of DOCTOR HEDONISM, whom he had surgically alter himself to look like the most hated man in history, Adolph Hitler. RED DWARF is his silent companion, a dwarf whom he met at an underground art show, and whom he thought looked remarkably like Vladymir Lenin. RED DWARF became instantly enamored with BH, becoming his devoted companion and toady. He is always by BH's side, unless he is "unleashed" to strike out at his enemies with his deadly skills brandishing and throwing cutlery.

COLLIDE-O-SCOPE, part 8: DOCTOR HEDONISM!!

DOCTOR HEDONISM -- leader of H.E.R.P.E.S.
This is Dr. Hayden Dulgent, otherwise known as DOCTOR HEDONISM, de facto leader of the wicked and creepy H.E.R.P.E.S. organization (Hedonistic Empire of Reprobates Perverting Earth's Stability). Hayden was raised in abject poverty and was denied any and all luxuries by his overly-strict and miserly parents. Once he left home, earned his doctorate and began making some real dough, he went completely overboard, pampering and spoiling himself with every pleasurable vice he could conceive of or invent. His growing lusts caused him to run afoul of the law, so he formed his own little empire, which he saddled with the unfortunate name H.E.R.P.E.S., and began calling himself DOCTOR HEDONISM! He began surrounding himself with other like-minded caution-to-the-wind pleasure-seekers who shared his common goal of the pursuit of "happiness", no matter how deviant, perverse or illegal, and heedless of its effect on others. Despite his haggard, withered, gray appearance, DOCTOR HEDONISM has not yet celebrated his 50th birthday. His constant indulgence in all manner of sick and harmful vices has ravaged his body, so he employs a team of physicians whose sole task is to keep his heart beating and to prevent the many diseases he has contracted from snuffing him out entirely, so he can persist in his perverse quest.

DOCTOR HEDONISM must get around with the aid of his "Pleasure Chair" (patent pending), which is custom-built to handle some of his rare needs and desires. It houses ether and oxygen tanks along with respirator mask, interior massage devices, and a swivel monitor which he can use to monitor the feed from his security cameras, or simply view any of his collection of rauchy and/or illegal porno. He loves to dine on endangered animals, and can often be found enjoying panda steaks, horned owl cutlets or cream of snow leopard soup.

COLLIDE-O-SCOPE part 7: "LUCIFER"!!

Obviously, this is the big bad guy of the series. Lucifer himself, who will plague our heroes, and scheme with the other assorted villains in his attempt to regain his lost musical treasure! He can assume any shape he desires, of course, but this is his "standard" earth form, based on the preconceptions and prejudices of humanity. "But he should be red," you say. Well, listen, Lucifer can only stomach the cliched appearance so much, and he's grown absolutely sick of red. Blue is in, for the Prince of Darkness!