News of the Right

Come see me at table 10A in the Auditorium! It’s going to be a GREAT day of Indy media in all it’s forms. I’ll also have discount coupons for Weird City Theatre’s production of my play Giants in Those Days, debuting this July in Austin, TX! The poster below is by the soon-to-be world famous Benjamin Ruth, who also did all the art for Rise of the Pink Ninjas.





Also, my brother created a banner for the event. I picked it up yesterday and it’s everything I hoped it would be:





Of course, it will look better at my table (well, half table; I’m sharing with GINK Press) than on my floor. I’ll be sure to post pictures after I’m assembled Saturday morning.

AND At 1 PM on March 7th at Dragon’s Lair Comics, I will be part of a panel of local folks – Jason Neulander, Drew Edwards, Chris Garrett, Keith Quinn, Nate Bramble, and Anthony (sorry, no idea on the last name…) – talking about a life of Indy comics. I’m looking forward to it!

Come see me at table 10A in the Auditorium! It’s going to be a GREAT day of Indy media in all it’s forms.

Also, my brother created a banner for the event. It’s being put together by SpeedPro and I’ll have it by Tuesday. I can’t tell you how excited I am to have something so… official. Check out how cool:





AND At 1 PM on March 7th at Dragon’s Lair Comics, I will be part of a panel of local folks – Jason Neulander, Drew Edwards, Chris Garrett, Keith Quinn, Nate Bramble, and Anthony (sorry, no idea on the last name…) – talking about a life of Indy comics. I’m looking forward to it!

Come see me at table 10A in the Auditorium! It’s going to be a GREAT day of Indy media in all it’s forms. AND At 1 PM on March 7th at Dragon’s Lair Comics, I will be part of a panel of local folks – Jason Neulander, Drew Edwards, Chris Garrett, Keith Quinn, Nate Bramble, and Anthony (sorry, no idea on the last name…) – talking about a life of Indy comics. I’m looking forward to it!

A super-rare and very fine issue of Action Comics #1 sold today at auction for $1,000,000, a new record for this kind of collectible. According to the AP, only 100 copies of this comic are still in existence, and none approach this good of condition.

The transaction was conducted by the auction site ComicConnect.com. Stephen Fishler, co-owner of the site and its sister dealership, Metropolis Collectibles, orchestrated the sale.

Fishler said it transpired minutes after the issue was put on sale at around 10:30 a.m. Eastern time (1530 GMT). He said that the seller was a “well known individual” in New York with a pedigree collection, and that the buyer was a known customer who previously bought an Action Comics No. 1 of lesser grade.

The previous comic book record was set last year when John Dolmayan, drummer for the rock band System of a Down, paid $317,000 for an Action Comics No. 1 issue. Attempts to reach him for comment on Monday’s sale were not immediately successful.

For those keeping track, that’s a profit of 10,000,000,000%. And they say we’re in a recession. Tcha.

[via APNewsBreak]

The first toys I remember my parents getting me for Christmas were the Mego Batman, Robin, Superman, Spider-Man, Joker, the Batmobile and the Hall of Justice. And “remember” is far too light a word. These toys are ingrained in me, and still pull and tug at me to this day (they’re also sitting on a shelf in my bedroom, which has a lot to do with that, no doubt).

Now, Mattell (!!!) is coming out with their DC Universe Retro-Action Figures series, which are unaplogetically based on the Mego aesthetic.

In the Set One (the first of many, I hope) only one figure (Superman) was ever produced by Mego; the others (Green Lantern, Lex Luthor, and Sinestro) were rumored to be in production, but never made it to the assembly line before Mego went bankrupt in 1981 (thanks a lot, Kenner!). They look like the real thing and are going to be packaged to look like Megos (along the same lines as Diamond Select’s Star Trek re-issues) , but that $85.00 price tag is enough to give an enthusiast like myself pause.

Looks like I may be selling some less desirable things on eBay to cover the bill. Maybe my Dark Tower…?

Oh, YEAH!!!!

After several years of looking at my first few attempts at getting a comics book out into the public and all the mistakes therein, I’m happy to announce that a new trade paperback available at Indyplanet.com collects Frater Mine issues #1 to #3 – “Family Reunion” – with a new introduction, and corrected text and images. FINALLY!! Now maybe the OCD-induced nightmares will stop.

The interior art is by Juan Romera (the faithful artist whose work just gets better and better) and Andres Barrientos (who was aboard only for issue #2). Re-lettering was done by Ed Brisson, who has been doing all the Frater Mine issues since #4. He’s an amazing talent, and right now is working on issue #8. I intend to keep him around for as long as possible. Cover art was done by my brother Scott with contributions from Austin photographer Dan Machold. This is a great team, and I’m thrilled to know and work with them.

Also, in about a week or so, a new webcomic – “Rise of the Pink Ninjas” – will be available for download. It’s drawn and colored by Benjamin Ruth (whom I’ve conscripted to help with “Unmouldered Vespula”, another new project) and lettered by Christopher Moshier. I’m not going to give everything away, but here’s a sample of page one:






The download will be free. I’ll make an announcement when it’s ready for your reading pleasure.

Today, a friends of mine who works with animal rescue sent me a Craigslist link about a cat named Andy at Town Lake Animal Center. Her email read simply “ADOPT HIM”. When I clicked on the link, the ad read as follows:

This loving orange tabby boy is dependent on humans to help him, but is still responsible for himself. He gets where he wants to go, uses his back legs when he can, and most of all, he wants to connect with people. He gives headbutts, purrs continuously, and is clearly missing his safe home and owner. Even in the scary shelter he shows a lot of independence and the ability to move out of harm’s way.

Andy is a 9-year old orange tabby and white lovecat. Severely injured during a dog attack 8 years ago, he has limited use of his rear legs. His owner left him at TLAC Monday because she hurt her back and can’t keep him.

If you meet Andy, your heart will strengthen, not break. He is loving, trusting, and the shelter staff gave him the highest friendliness ratings. He is easy to pick up and carry around.

Can you save Andy’s life? He was put on the euthanasia list and now has one day to find a home or rescue placement.

And don’t ask me what it was about the words or the picture; I don’t know. But he’s mine. I pick him up tomorrow at 3. He’s adorable, isn’t he?

QUASIMORON – male, indeterminate age – Quasimoron is simple evil. It isn’t so much alive as it just exists. It is fat, hunched and cross-eyed; it dresses like a perverted clown. Its power is to make you exactly like it is – empty and dumb.

Lake Superior State University published its annual list of “Banished Words” that meet the institute’s qualifications of “Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.”

Recipients of the honor of being shuffled out the lexicon door are

• SHOVEL-READY
• TRANSPARENT/TRANSPARENCY
• CZAR
• TWEET
• APP
• SEXTING
• FRIEND (as a verb)
• TEACHABLE MOMENT
• IN THESE ECONOMIC TIMES….
• STIMULUS
• TOXIC ASSETS
• TOO BIG TO FAIL
• BROMANCE
• CHILLAXIN’
• OBAMA-prefix or roots?

Of course, “teachable moment” holds a special place in my heart, by which I mean “stuffed in the Devil’s mouth next to Judas Iscariot”. I do, however, like the recently-promoted-to-verb “friend” as I believe most words could become verbs if we encouragemented it.