Bob Bretall is joined by guests Al Sparrow, Dave Beaty, and Lin Workman (Me!) in a round table episode of the Comic Book Page Podcast to reminisce about the 2010 Phoenix Comic Con. Listen to the highlights and see why we all think it should not be missed by anyone in the Southwestern US. Also mentioned is the Superman Celebration in Metropolis, Nicki’s new website FanGirlWednesday.com, and strange goings on at the Phoenix Comicon’s art auction.

You can listen to the podcast here.

Photos from the con can be seen on the Comic Book Page forums.

Thanks, Bob!

Lin

Tuesday night I attended Star Wars In Concert – one of the coolest Star Wars events I’ve experienced since my dad took me and my sisters to see Star Wars at a small twin movie theater near Graceland here in Memphis way back in ’77!

This time I went with my girlfriend Nicki (thank you Uncle George) and it was AWESOME! Each time I hear the opening fanfare and see the Star Wars logo on-screen I feel like an 11 year old kid again.

This time Mama Howe chaperoned us two kids.

We joined several thousand other Star Wars fans downtown at the FedEx Forum.

Including some of our fellow SMT/Memphis Fan Force crew.

There were a lot of props and costumes on display in the lobby of the forum.

Some were very still…

…and others moved around a bit more like this 501st member.

Our narrator for the evening was Anthony Daniels, also know as C-3PO.

The concert was a great mix of live orchestral music and choir, lights, movie footage, production art, and more!

Kids of all ages attended and enjoyed it!

Last night Nicki and I attended the SMT Drive-In Night for a showing of The Empire Strikes Back at Memphis Fan Force members Tim and Traci Brown’s backyard.

Timmy fired up the digital projector…

…hoisted up his new and improved (and of course bigger) screen…

…we all kicked back in our lawn chairs…

…and enjoyed a screening of a pre-special edition Empire!

Nicki and I had a great time and are looking forward to the next SMT Backyard Drive-In Night- “Return of the Jedi“!

Don’t forget the Topp’s Empire Strikes Back 3-D Widevision cards hit stores this week.

I’ve got 100 artist sketch cards in the set- and 6 artist returns (above).

May the force be with you!

Lin/Dork-Vader

Kids costume contest.

Ethan Van Sciver drawing Wonder Woman.

Close up of Ethan’s WW sketch.

Antone Wade’s WW marker sketch.

Me drawing WW in Nicki’s sketchbook.

Close-up of my WW sketch- still got a bit to finish.

Cape Girardeau Roller Girls

“Mike and the Ninja” creator Brian Rhodes and…the Ninja.

Nicki’s favorite part of the con…comic long boxes!

Ghost Rider gives me and Brian Morris his “penance stare”.

Jetta’s Janet and Antone Wade.

Ken Murphy talking to Janet and Antone Wade.

Jack-Jack makes a hat out of his new book.

Superboy and the Insect Queen.

Nicki at my booth.

This weekend Nicki and I are heading up to Cape Girardeau, MO for CapeCon- the Cape Girardeau Comicon.

It’s going to be held at the Osage Community Center (1625 N. Kingshighway) on May 1st & 2nd.

Guests include DC Comics artist Ethan Van Sciver, Ghost Rider writer/creator Gary Friedrich, TV’s The Flash John Wesley Shipp.

Also attending are Jay Chuppe, Martheus Antone Wade, and me!

This weekend is also my favorite holiday- Free Comic Book Day!

What is Free Comic Book Day?

Free Comic Book Day is a single day – the first Saturday in May each year – when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely FREE* to anyone who comes into their stores. *Check with your local shop for their participation and rules.

Cape Comic Con is partnering with FCBD (Free Comic Book Day) and will be giving away free comics Saturday, May 1
while supplies last.

Hope to see you there!

Lin

The new Art Of Bushi Tales book is now available!

Written and Illustrated by Dave Beaty, Lin Workman, Micah Stewart

Standard Sized Trade Paperback
Full Color
Page Count: 100
POD

$19.95 (+s/h)

Dave Beaty, Lin Workman, and Micah Stewart take you behind the scenes in the Art of Bushi Tales. See the scripted page come alive from pencil sketches to painted art. Includes a special guest artist gallery featuring art by Bret Blevins, Scott Clark, Greg Cravens, Andrew Charipar, Harold Jennett, Martheus Antone Wade, and more! A must have for art lovers and Bushi Tales fans.

It’s is the 31st century of man and the ancient world has returned. Four female Samurai are sent on a quest by Hachiman, the god of war, in this post-apocalyptic series created by Dave Beaty (X-men: Sword of the Braddocks, Adventure Comics, Brightest Day) and Lin Workman (Stargodz, Scared Silly, CGS: The End).

The book is available from Indy Planet. If you’d like to have one personalized or pick up a copy in person Dave, Micah and I will all be at the Phoenix Comicon (Cactuscon) this May, so if you’re in the area stop by the Bushi Tales booth and say hi.

I should have news on the Bushi Tales trade paperback coming soon- stay “tooned”!

Lin

Here are a couple of his new projects that are coming out soon-

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #7 (OF 7)

On Sale FEBRUARY 24, 2010

Written by JAMES ROBINSON; Art by MAURO CASCIOLI with SCOTT CLARK & DAVE BEATY!

This is the big one! After the catastrophes seen in issues #5 and #6, a hero loses control, leading to an unexpected ending that will fundamentally change the lives of the World’s Greatest Heroes forever. This issue launches a major storyline in the DC Universe and is not to be missed.

TITANS #23

On sale MARCH 17

Written by EDDIE BERGANZA

Art by ANGEL UNZUETA with SCOTT CLARK & DAVE BEATY!

Spotlight on Red Arrow! As Roy Harper lies in critical condition after the events of JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #5, his fever dreams show him the perfect future life he wants for the Titans. Unfortunately for him, it’s a life the Titans will never see.

Be sure to stop by the Bushi Tales table at the Pheonix Cactuscon this May to see what else Dave has been up to.

Hopefully he’ll be able to announce what else he’s got lined up soon.

Congrats, Dave!

______________________________________________________

Lex Luthor For Sale

If you’d like one of my paintings now’s your chance!

I originally did this to show at the Superman Celebration in Metropolis, IL a couple years ago, and ended up donating it to the HERO Initiative art auction at the Phoenix Cactuscon. Noel Neill (the ORIGINAL Lois Lane) was kind enough to sign it for me before the auction (she starred with Kevin Spacey in Superman Returns).

Well, it’s back up for auction- this time on ebay by Brandon Ladd Burkey, owner of Crossroads Entertainment Co., LLC. and the guy who bought it in Phoenix. Minimum bid is $200 and apparently you get one of my sketchbooks, too.

Best I remember this one is approx. 2′x3′ and it’s airbrush acrylic on canvas.

______________________________________________________

PHOENIX OR BUST!

Speaking of PHX, it’s official- Dave and I have been listed as guests for this May’s Phoenix Cactuscon. We’ll be there with Micah and Nicki and are looking forward to checking out the new con digs!

Oh- Noel Neill will be there, too!

Hope to see you there-

Lin

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead

Monday, January 11th is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. To participate, we formed the Comic Creator’s Alliance–a group of over eighty comic book creators (both web and print) who volunteered our artistic talents to raise money and awareness for this cause. You may not know it, but there are currently 27 million enslaved people worldwide- more than double the number of enslaved Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million children every year are sold into slavery, most of it sexual. The US Department of Justice estimates 16,000 victims of human trafficking are brought into the United States every year. Unlike slavery in the 19th century, what is happening today is happening in secret. So it won’t end until awareness is raised, and people like you and me take a stand.

So here’s what we did: each creator contributed an original drawing of one of our own female characters, and combined them into a single wallpaper image. The wallpaper features characters from The Phoenix Requiem, Girls with Slingshots, Earthsong, Looking for Group, Shadowgirls, Marsh Rocket, The Uniques and three IDW Publishing titles: Fallen Angel, The Dreamland Chronicles and The Dreamer, and lots, lots more! Donate today to download this unique, once-in-a-lifetime wallpaper. The Donations Drive will last for two weeks, from January 11th – 24th. All proceeds will be split evenly between Love146 and Gracehaven House- two organizations working on rehabilitation of victims and prevention of this crime. To learn more about the Comic Creator’s Alliance visit www.comicalliance.weebly.com. To learn more about the problem, visit http://love146.org/slavery. (Note: contains adult themes and actual accounts of sex slavery.)

_________________________________

BushiTales.com has donated art to this wallpaper, too.

Lin

Where did the year go..?!

I had some great times and some not so great ones, but made it through and am really looking forward to 2010. Lots of plans and projects in the works- so stay “tooned”!

Thanks to Nicki for helping me with my new websites, and special thanks to everyone who has visited here or ComicWhore.com. Hope you keep coming back to check them out. Also, big thanks to everyone who came out to my art show at Adam’s, stopped by my table at cons this year, or visited the haunt.

Hope to see you all next year- cheers!

Lin

The second part of the interview Wonton and I did with Shawn Pryor and Jon Carroll for The Black Box podcast is now available. We talk more about digital comics, distribution, web comics, Jetta, Bushi Tales, my B/W art show and Comic Whore site.

KOTOR Kitties

Our recently adopted kitties Zayne and Jarael were recently mentioned on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic author John Jackson Miller’s webiste “Faraway Press”. JJM is a former Memphian and is a comics/writer guest each year at Midsouthcon. He’s written for things like the Comics Buyer’s Guide magazine, comics (Star Wars, Iron Man, Indiana Jones), role playing games, and does a web comic called Sword & Sarcasm. If you get the chance to catch one of his panels do, or if you see him running around with his short box of comics at a con stop and pick up a few issues from him. Be sure to tell him Lin and Nicki sent you!

I got the blues for Christmas!

Friday night Nicki and I attended the First Annual Broad Avenue Holiday Art Walk. (That’s a George Hunt original behind us.)

Artist George Hunt had a showing at my day job West Memorials.

George and his wife were on hand (that’s George and me above), as well as several other folks like Greg and Paula Cravens and there sons Gideon and Corey (Paula had a photography show here in October), and Jim and Christina Hall.

We all enjoyed some great art, delicious eats, and some cool blues in the gallery.

Nicki and I walked down the street and checked out a few other participating galleries and studios. It got a bit cold outside so we headed back up the street to my work, talked a bit more with friends, and then headed home.

Had a great time and can’t wait for the next art walk- hopefully it’ll be in the spring.  Until then, I guess this Friday night’s art show at MSCA member Adam Shaw’s studio will have to tide me over. It’ll feature some of Adam’s art as well as others at 2547 Broad Avenue here in Memphis.

Type at ya later,

Lin

The PKD Black Box Podcast

You can get it (Episode #3) at http://pkdmedia.com, http://pkdmedia.com/thepkdblackbox, or via iTunes. Since we discussed so much Shawn Pryor split our conversation into two parts.

Lin