Dames In The Atomic Age

It’s Comic Con time once again, my friends! That magical time of year where pop culture rules the media, and no costume is too obscure (or risqué) to be worn in public. That time when creators and wannabes alike swap stories and toast one another with overpriced drinks in crowded hotel lobbies. It’s one of my favorite times of year (despite what I may say while trying to muscle past 20,000 people all scrambling to grab some freebie poster that will just end up in the trash 4 days later), and I have been lucky enough to attend it 9 of the past 10 years (I was on my honeymoon in ’08, so I’m allowed a pass for that). This year, however, is particularly special, because this year is the first year I will be attending as a full fledged comic book creator, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’m more than a little excited at the thought of it! And then I got even better news… I will actually be signing at Comic Con!

That’s right, true believers, Art of Fiction has teamed up with Ragnar (the brilliant artist responsible for the DAMES IN THE ATOMIC AGE cover) and will be representing indie comics at booth #523 all weekend! The complete catalog of Art Of Fiction books will be on hand, but that’s not all! Art Of Fiction has asked Tony Fleecs, Andy Suriano, and myself to be their creative guests in the booth, signing books and slinging commissions and sketches! So please stop by, say hi, and pick up some awesomeness! I’ve stolen the handy map below from Tony to help you find us…

The Comic Con show floor is not the only place you’ll be able to find DAMES IN THE ATOMIC AGE this weekend! I’m honored to announce that DAMES was accepted into Tr!ckster, the premiere venue for independent comic books and comic book creators! Tr!ckster was one of my favorite parts of last year, so I’m trilled that it’s back, and even more excited to have DAMES in their store. There are some amazing parties, demos, and classes that happen as part of Tr!ckster, so it’s well worth the short walk to hang out there. It’s definitely a welcome, comics-focused break from the herds of toy collectors and Twilight fans that will be calling the convention center home this week. Again, here’s a handy map…

I’ll update my Twitter account with my schedule as the week unfolds, as well as with the locations of other awesome creator panels and signings. I hope to see you all in San Diego!

One of the key reasons DAMES has been as successful as it has been thus far is because of the unbelievably talented art and creative team Art of Fiction and I were able to wrangle for the book. I’m not overstating at all when I say that the artists who contributed to DAMES IN THE ATOMIC AGE are some of my absolute favorite artists working today. Every one of them has a body of work that is worth seeking out and enjoying, and, as every good artist should, they all have many projects in progress. Two of them, Mark Dos Santos and Chris Moreno, currently have projects up on Kickstarter, a website that lets you become a financial backer to help fund projects by artists, writers, teachers, inventors, musicians, filmmakers… just about anything you can imagine. In return for your “donation”, you are typically rewarded with all kinds of goodies; from copies of books to original art, and even occasional opportunities for creative input. It’s a fantastic program that helps creative people get projects off the ground and into our adoring hands. Both Mark and Chris’ contribution to DAMES were fantastic, and their projects are definitely worth supporting!

Mark Dos Santos

Mark teamed up with Tone Rodriguez to create the awesome Palm Springs travel poster that appears between chapters 3 and 4 of DAMES. He’s probably best know for his beautiful pin up style work, which makes it only appropriate that his current Kickstarter project is to fund the printing of The Art Of Mark Dos Santos, a hardcover book featuring his best work and giving a glimpse into Mark’s unique process. Pledges to support the book start at just $5, but the good stuff kicks in at the $30 level, which guarantees you a signed copy of the book once the projects gets funded and the print run is completed. Other higher level incentives include original artwork, sketches, and full blown commissions by Mark. In addition to the pledge premiums, Mark has been running contests giving away original art, banners, and books to those who have pledged to his cause. The book looks killer, and is totally worth checking out.

As if all that wasn’t enough, our good over at Collector’s Paradise are throwing Mark a party TOMORROW NIGHT (June 20) to support his Kickstarter campaign. There will be snacks, drinks, and all kinds of surprises, including several special offers available only at the party, so if you’re in the LA area you should definitely check it out!

Chris Moreno

It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of Chris Moreno. He’s got an incredibly versatile style and a magical sense of humor. Yes, I said magical. He’s had work published by Marvel, Image, and Boom (just to name a few), and his self published Zombie Dickheads is one of the best indie books on the shelves. It’s only fitting that a man with this much talent has not 1, but 2 projects currently up on Kickstarter. The first is a personal favorite of mine: the return of Chris’ hilarious series Sidekick with long time colaborator Paul Jenkins. For those of you who haven’t read Sidekick, it’s fantastic. Benny Hill with superheroes. Seriously. It debuted in 2005 and ran for 7 issues, but now Chris and Paul are poised to bring it back, and all they need to do it is your money. the incentives are fantastic (including the opportunity to create characters for the book), and absolutely worth checking out!

The other Kickstarter Chris is involved with is the collecting and reprinting of Silent Devil’s Dracula Vs King Arthur into a new, “Immortal” edition. Also released in 2005, Chris did all of the art for this breakout series. the incentives range from signed copies to original pages, and are all well worth the investment.

Thanks for taking some time (and, hopefully, money) to support the amazing creators who made DAMES IN THE ATOMIC AGE a reality!

I genuinely love comic book conventions. Forget all the jokes about what happens when you stick 50,000 stinky nerds in one room (even if some of those jokes are true. Sunday at SDCC, anyone?) and just focus on what makes ANY cultural convention so special: getting that many people who really love something together so they can all dork out together without fear of retribution. There is an air of camaraderie at a good convention, and I love being around it. My favorite part of going to conventions has always been discovering new things. An artist I’d never heard of, or that random indie book I never would have known about had I not walked by the writers table. I can also say that, thus far, the only thing better than going to a good con as a fan has been going to one as a creator. I LOVE working the table and getting to meet people who enjoy the medium as much as I do, and I love that there’s a chance that DAMES may be that random indie book someone else discovers.

We’ve been lucky enough to have a string of incredibly successful conventions thus far, but the next one is the one that I am the most excited for…

My long time friend and DAMES IN THE ATOMIC AGE collaborator Tony Fleecs and I will be taking over Artist Alley Table #79 at the first ever Denver Comic Con this coming weekend (June 15-17) at the Colorado Convention Center (AKA: the building with the giant ass blue bear statue)! I was born and raised in Colorado, and Tony and I grew up together dreaming of making funny books one day, so it’s pretty damn awesome to be able to return to Colorado for the inagural outing of our home state’s first major comic con as fancy pants comic book creators. The show has some incredible talent lined up (Jason Aaron, Mike Allred, Katie Cook, J. Scott Campbell, Matt Kindt, Gail Simone, Herb Trimpe… just to name a few), so we’re thrilled to have our name in the books with these giants of awesome. We’ll both have stacks of our books for sale, and, of course, Tony will be sketching like a man possessed, but we’ve also got some cool new stuff we’re premiering in Denver.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the first installment in the DAMES IN THE ATOMIC AGE PRINT COLLECTION!

I’ve done a limited run of these four 11×17 prints, all using art from DAMES IN THE ATOMIC AGE, and we’ll be offering them for the first time ever starting on Friday at the DCC! Tony will also have his entire print collection available, including the brand new Starfire print which is also making it’s debut at Denver. So come on over and buy stuff! I have a feeling it’s going to be an awesome weekend!

Without question, the hardest part of doing an independent comic book isn’t making the actual book, it’s getting it in front of people. I mean, how the hell can you read something if you don’t even know it exists? It’s easy to get lost in the sea of well known characters and creators when you’re an unknown writer with an unknown book… and with that in mind I need to say a very sincere thank you. DAMES IN THE ATOMIC AGE has had an immensely successful first three months, and that success is due in monumental part to the army of friends, family, creators, retailers, and reviewers who have supported, blogged, tweeted about, and recommended the book to their friends, customers, and fans. It has been an awesome and humbling experience to see so many people not only enjoying the book, but spreading the word. So thank you. Thank you! Thank you!!! (And keep it up!)

Now I know I said getting the book in front of people is the most difficult part of indie comics, but it’s also the most fun. Take, for example, the 1940′s Costume Party & Mega Signing that our good friends at Collector’s Paradise threw for DAMES a few weeks ago.

We had an HUGE turn out of people all decked in their noirish and cheesy sci-fi best, and all excited to meet seven of the ridiculously talented artists who contributed to DAMES IN THE ATOMIC AGE and get signatures, sketches, and fancy pants custom DAMES cigars. But the real draw for the night (aside from the talent) was the costume contest, with first prize being an original, jam style art piece by all seven of the artists in attendance. Let me tell you, people went all out to get their hands on that piece!

 In the end, The 50 Foot Woman (complete with tank in hand and an attcking aircraft headband) prevailed and walked away with the original… but I’d like to think that everyone was a winner that night. We owe a giant thanks to Ed and his fantastic staff at Collector’s Paradise for sponsoring the party, and to everyone who came, dressed up, and brought their friends. It was a blast!