FBCB 2018

On Saturday I’ll be at Comix Connection in York, PA (2150 White St.), 9:00-1:00. I’ll have free samples of my new comic strip DADDY DAZE, so why not swing by and say hi.

Free Comic Book Day recap

Please note my hot-rod red NYC laundry cart that I use to haul books around

Once again, I’m as timely as ever. It’s been over two weeks since FCBD and I’m just now posting about it. And my memory ain’t as facile as it used to be, but I’ll give it a go.

I did an appearance at Comix Connection and, man, they know how to do it up right. The whole reason for FCBD is to get people into comic book stores and, presumably, get them to come back. And how do you do that? CC had sales galore going on: 20% off everything. Still too pricey? How about $1 back issues (usually about $4). Not good enough, ya cheapskate? How ’bout all $1 comics at 10¢? There was a line out the door for the first two hours I was there.

I was signing free Bo prints (in the spirit of the day) and met some nice people including fan-of-the-day Phillip, who drove 90 minutes to meet me. Hope I didn’t disappoint. (E-mail me, Phillip, I lost your address.) A handful of students from my “Graphic Novel to Film” class showed up. I’d like to think I’ve inspired them to search out comics, but I feel their geekish tendencies were well in place.

I sold some books, which is always nice, but left with a much bigger stack of books, which is even nicer. They are piled next to my bed making dark-of-night visits to the little cartoonist’s room an adventure.

Many thanks to Bill, Ned, Jared and everyone at CC for my second FCBD there. HTDIANY (Hope to do it again next year).

The most important comic strip I ever did

Five years ago today, I was visiting my girlfriend Jocelyn in Brooklyn and I woke her up early in the morning to tell her something.

My editor had called and said there was a typo in that day’s strip. Obviously, we couldn’t fix it in the papers but we could fix it online and I asked Jocelyn if she would proofread it for me (a service she would often provide).

“Bo Nanas” didn’t appear in any New York papers, and Jocelyn didn’t have a computer at the time, so we went over to a friend’s apartment a block away (they were already at work). We booted up the computer, got onto the web and this is what she saw:

She said she read it twice, once quickly for proofing, then for content. Completely unplanned, she was sitting and I was kneeling.

By the way, she said yes.

(This wasn’t an original idea of mine. I stole it from Mark Parisi who proposed to his wife Lynn in his comic panel “Off the Mark.” Although, I believe it was before it was syndicated.)

(An odd bit of coincidence: Not wanting to deal with the whole engagement ring thing without Jocelyn’s input, I gave her a large novelty ring in a plastic bubble at the time of the proposal. Now go take a look at the strip that just happens to be rerunning on Gocomics.com today.)

And the grand total is…

…80.

That’s how many nice folks asked nicely and got a free (and nice) Bo Nanas Mini-comic for Free Comic Book Day Week.

Might just be the start of a tradition.

Kid #!!$?!ing safe

So I’m at Comix Connections on Free Comic Book Day a few weeks ago. I’m signing prints and drawing, mostly for kids. People occasion purchase one of my books, mostly the “Jack N. Box” comic book, probably because it’s the least expensive thing on the table. Then I realize that many of these people are parents buying it while I draw for their kids, probably buying it for their kids…and I remember that the word “crap” is in it* and it might not be considered “kid friendly.” So I immediately whisper this to the parent who’s buying it and she thanks me and passes on it. The next parent didn’t care (the kid was way to young to read anyway.)

Oddly enough, in a couple of the comic books – specifically published for Free Comic Book Day and, thus, available for any kid to pick up – there were a few derivations of the word “ass.” (I think one was “badass.” The other might have been “dumbass.”)

*  “Crap and a half” is sort of Hanniball’s catch phrase.

Free Comic Book Day – A look back

OK, so it was only a week and a half ago, but still…

Here’s a photo of me working hard…signing something or drawing something…hidden behind an easel at Comix Connection on May 2. They have two locations – one in a mall and one in a plaza (or strip mall). I was, obviously, in the mall-one. And actually, not in, but outside the store proper cuz they were very busy. (See these photos.)

The plaza-one had Star Wars reenactors outside (as you can see here). I did not create the same kinda pandemonium (or any sort of “monium,”  for that matter).

Free Comic Book Day – Oh Canada

Didn’t realize it till today that my pal John Martz (click here and here for our adventures at SPX) had a piece in this Free Comic Book Day issue that was done, I believe, entirely by Canadians.

I know, I know, FCBD was six days ago, so you’re pretty much so out of luck but, hey, I just wanted to point this out. Sorry if it caused any pain.

It’s today!

Excelsior!

Nuff said.