The seventh issue of Cartozia Tales is at the printers now and about to be sent out to subscribers–and I’ve got a story in it! If you don’t know about Cartozia Tales, now’s a fantastic time to jump in. It’s a all-ages map-based fantasy comics anthology that features a core group of seven (great) cartoonists, with two additional guest cartoonists per issue. For issue seven, I’ll be joining Meredith Gran as guest artist. Here’re some sample panels from my story along with the cover:

Cartozia World Headquarters could really use an infusion of new subscribers right now, as they’re getting to the bottom of their Kickstarter piggy bank. They’ve set up a great deal to get you introduced to the series on the cheap: You can get the first three issues–that’s over 120 pages of comics–in digital format for just $2.50. And that also includes $5.00 off a full digital subscription if you decide to go all-in. Details here.  You can also pick up individual hard copy issues and subscriptions here.

I never fail to find something interesting at our local monthly Hoots Flea market. This past weekend I encountered a vendor who had a small stack of early 2000s indie comics and I picked up a few odds and ends from him, including a 2001 anthology I’d not heard of called Drippytown, which apparently originated in Vancouver.  It caught my eye because it featured early work by now well-known cartoonists such as Tony Millionaire and Marc Bell. The real surprise of the comic, though, was an extensive text essay on the history of EC Comics–and reminiscense of the 2000 EC “reunion” held at the San Diego Comic-Con–by cartoonist/illustrator James Lloyd.

With the author’s kind permission, I’ve scanned and posted the article:

You can click through the gallery above for bigger scans, or grab this PDF I put together. (© James Lloyd 2001)

I’m back from yet another great Heroes Con. It’s the last show for a bit that I’ll have attended as a “civilian.”  Oyster War will be out this fall and so I’ll most likely be tabling at any shows I go to for the next year or so. I don’t have any big take-away from this year’s show other than that it was–as usual–really well-run and a blast to be at. There’s a reason Heroes is one of comics folks’ most beloved shows.

Here’s just a few thoughts/highlights from my trip:

• The show seemed to be really, really well-attended this year. I’ve never seen a line at Heroes like there was on Saturday. Even an hour or two after the show opened there were still people lined up all the way down the side of the convention center. 
• There were a lot more cosplayers–and maybe a lot more women?–this year than in years past. It’s not like there have never been cosplayers or women at Heroes before, but this was the first year that it really stood out to me as a noticeable demographic shift. That’s all good in my book.
• Our “Mega Panel” on Saturday wasn’t very well attended. I went into it expecting a light showing crowd-wise just because of this year’s subject matter, but it was still a bit of a disappointment. The people that were there seemed to enjoy it, though.
• Among the original art pieces that Craig Fischer showed at the Mega Panel were these two gorgeous Denys Wortman originals. Apparently James Sturm has literally boxes and boxes of Wortman originals that were given to CCS. 
• Speaking of Originals: it’s worth a trip to Heroes just to look through the incredible array of original art you’ll find at Bechara Maalouf’s booth. Seriously. Did I mention he’s got literally dozens of Kirby pages in portfolios you can just flip through and look at? One of these days, when I win the lottery…
• I bought this beautiful Drew Weing original from Set To Sea. Check out how he’s handled the reflection of the sponge and rigging! 
• I spent more time at the art auction than I have in years past–mainly just because there were some folks I knew hanging out there (and in some cases waiting to see what their pieces sold for). As usual, I registered for a bidding paddle but never actually bid on anything since everything I was interested in was way way out of my price range. Here’s a Bob MacLeod New Mutants piece that was out of my price range before I could even get my paddle in the air:
• At the art auction I ran into Craig Hamilton, who I haven’t seen in years. He told me he’d abandoned comics work entirely and had gotten a job doing those hand-lettered chalk signs you see at bars, restaurants, and grocery stores. He then totally blew my mind my showing me that his Dr. Strange piece for the art auction–which appears at first glance to be an oil painting–is actually done with sign chalk on a black chalk board:
• Speaking of the art auction: It’s long been known that paintings of superhero ladies in revealing outfits fetch the big money at the Heroes auction. This year, though, I heard at least two different artists wondering if maybe the bounds of good taste aren’t being stretched a bit in this department. That one of this year’s big five-figure sellers was basically a spread-legged crotch shot of Emma Frost wasn’t unusual, but I wonder if the current spotlight on making the comics community less toxic to women isn’t fueling some of this talk. I also heard at least one female exhibitor grousing about the boob-a-rific “You hit the jackpot, tiger” Mary Jane Watson that serves as the Heroes’ website splash page.
• I attended two panels on craft/technology: Kyle Webster’s panel demoing his Photoshop brushes and a panel on color flatting with Manga Studio. Both of these panels were well-attended and had lots of people asking questions. I’ve thought for a long time that there’s a lot more interest out there for panels on the actual craft of comics-making than many con organizers may think. I’d love to see more of this. Maybe I’ll pitch something along those lines for next year’s show.
• I didn’t buy as many books as I usually do at Heroes, but here’re a few items. That last book that’s open to a spread is the new Pope Hats from AdHouse.

As usual, the best part of Heroes was seeing and hanging out with a lot of folks who I only really see at Heroes once a year or so. See you next year everyone! (And also as usual, a big thanks to everyone who keeps Heroes running like the well-oiled machine it is, including but not limited to: Shelton Drum, Andy Mansell, Rico Renzi and all the Heroes volunteers!)