Kickstarter/Indiegogo Spotlight: Artist Alley Tees

One can't help but be excited to hear of a new Kickstarter/Indiegogo that a friend is a part of.  This week's just happens to be one of those, with the Artist Alley Tees project.  Bringing together five great artists and their take on three themes, you have a wide variety of cool shirts to pick from.  For more information, please be sure to check out the Kickstarter page.

The Secret Life of Crows Feathers Into Flames

I won’t even try to conceal the fact that just getting to read a series created by my wonderful friend Nei Ruffino is a treat in of itself.  The act of being able to then go ahead and do a review of it is the cherry on top.  So, now that I’ve geeked out on the topic, how about we go ahead and move on to said review of The Secret Life of Crows Feathers Into Flames.

We tried not to spill too much in our review of book one, done up by good ol Ross, and I’ll try to follow suit here with book two.  For those who haven’t had the pleasure of checking out numero uno, its approach was that of a superbly creative look at a world most wouldn’t really think about, or care to for that matter.  This poignant story continues with the same depth and magical potency, delving further into the secret tale of the two beautiful creatures featured within.

It should be pretty obvious that with Nei completely taking the helm of all the art, that we would get a gorgeous job with the visuals.  Not only are the colors she’s so well known for fantastic, but the line work itself that she brings to life is so enjoyable to follow.  The writing is so powerful, and the art is just as strong.

This excellent project that Nei and Raven Gregory have brought to the table is without a doubt one that I’m fully invested in.  From the very first inkling of knowing it was coming, I was unbearably anxious for its arrival.  All personal bias aside though, this is a piece that anyone would be wise to grab right away and check out.

Both volumes of Secret Life of Crows are available at Elysium Treasures while supplies last.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Amazon Gets into the Comic Book Exclusive Marketplace with Zenescope Art Book

Amazon, the #1 online retailer, is offering an exclusive Zenescope Art book to its customers, which is available for pre-order now. The art book, entitled The Art of Zenescope Limited Edition (Volume 1) will be released in September and will feature a plethora of the most sought after, limited edition, convention exclusives. The hardcover collection will also come with a limited edition print.

Zenescope Entertainment is well known in the comic book industry for their popular, and valuable convention exclusives that feature pin-up style artwork from some of the finest cover artists in the industry, including J. Scott Campbell, Eric “Ebas” Basaldua, Greg Horn, Ale Garza, Jamie Tyndall, Anthony Spay, Franchesco and Nei Ruffino to name a few. These exclusives have a strong resale value on the secondary marketplace, and are very limited print runs, usually no higher than 500 copies. Zenescope’s horror twist has allowed them to publish many new artistic interpretations of the classic fairy tale characters.

The art book will have a print run of 2500 copies. There will only be 1750 of this art book available through Amazon, as the other 750 of the print run will feature a different cover, and be made available through the direct market through distribution through Diamond.

The Art of Zenescope Limited Edition (Volume 1) is available for pre-order through Amazon here:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Zenescope-Limited-Edition/dp/1939683076/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1365690492&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=Zenescope+art+book

For more information on this or any other Zenescope products, visit www.zenescope.com or follow their updates on Facebook and Twitter.

Zenescope Entertainment was founded by Joe Brusha and Ralph Tedesco in 2005, and has quickly grown into one of the top comic book and graphic novel publishing companies in the world. Zenescope's Grimm Fairy Tales and subsequent spinoff series such as Wonderland, Neverland and Robyn Hood, which put a dark twist on classic fables, are some of the best-selling and longest-running original independent comic books on shelves today. Zenescope publishes and develops both original and licensed material and has worked with dozens of clients that include Discovery Channel, History Channel, CBS, Lionsgate TV, Mandalay Vision, New Line Cinema, Titmouse Studios and many others.

Big Dog Ink Teams Up With Wayne Gardiner to Bring Fans More Knightingail

Big Dog Ink and Knightingail comic creator/writer/producer Wayne Gardiner are overjoyed to announce that the Knightingail saga will be returning to Big Dog Ink this Summer! The all-ages, fantasy-adventure comic book Knightingail: Shadow Divisions will be available in comic book stores nationwide beginning July 2013 and will continue as a 6-issue monthly mini-series.

Suitable for fans young and old, Knightingail: Shadow Divisions continues to follow the adventures of Knightingail where the first mini-series volume, Knightingail: The Legend Begins, left off. In this breathtaking new series, Knightingail and her four Centurion companions must somehow find a way to unite and use their combined powers to destroy Luceus and a band of assassin warriors known as the Showdow Ravens.

Knightingail: Shadow Divisions will include the same phenomenal, full-color artwork featured in volume one.  New series penciler/inker Mel Joy San Juan brings amazing details and expressive facial emotions to Knightingail and friends.  Colorist Katrina Mae Hao returns from the first volume to add her breath-taking color artwork to the world of Knightingail.

Knightingail: Shadow Divisions will also feature amazing cover artwork. Keeping with Big Dog Ink tradition, two covers will be released nationally in stores. The Cover “A” artwork will be provided by interior artists Mel Joy San Juan and Katrina Mae Hao. Cover “B” artwork will be illustrated by the amazing team of Nathan Seals and Kate Finnegan who provide a unique Disney-
Manga like full-painted art style.  A talented line-up of artists will also be contributing cover art to the series including Dawn McTeigue, Jen Broomall, Mike DeBalfo, and Nei Ruffino with colors being provided by Ula Mos and Nei Ruffino.

 If you enjoyed Knightingail: The Legend Begins, creator Wayne Gardiner promises an even more thrilling and dynamic story in Shadow Divisions. Knightingail: Shadow Division fiercely launches into the challenges, perils, and anguish that result from war. Shadow Divisions features larger, epic battles only hinted at in the first volume while retaining the emotionally charged and sometimes hilarious dialogue that passes between Knightingail and her friends. Great for new readers and longtime fans of Knightingail, Wayne Gardiner weaves a narration monologue by Knightingail throughout the first issue introducing new and continuing readers to everything they need to know to appreciate this exciting new series.

About Big Dog Ink
Founded in 2009, Big Dog Ink is an independent publisher of diverse comic book properties such as PENNY FOR YOUR SOUL, URSA MINOR, CRITTER, KNIGHTINGAIL and REX: ZOMBIE KILLER.  Since its inception, Big Dog Ink has quickly become a top publisher in the industry with its hit series, THE LEGEND OF OZ: THE WICKED WEST, which has consistently charted in the "Diamond Top 300" list.  BDI has gained a loyal fan following due to our high quality art, stories and dedication to elevating the art of small press and creator owned publishing.

Big Dog Ink Gets Even More Wicked with Legends of Oz

In 2010, Big Dog Ink thrilled the independent comic book market with the release of The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West.  This Wild West retelling of the beloved story of Dorothy Gale and her journey to find the wizard was a hit with fans of the classic tales of Oz and comic book readers alike.  In 2012 Big Dog Ink launched a much anticipated ongoing monthly comic book as a follow up to the critically acclaimed mini-series.  Where the original six issues brought fans familiar characters with a western twist, the ongoing comic delves deeper into the rich mythos of the Land of Oz with new characters pulled straight from the beloved series of children’s books, with a Big Dog Ink style twist of course.

On the heels of this increasingly popular series comes Big Dog Ink’s latest journey into the world of Toto the horse and the Tin Man sheriff.  In Legends of Oz, Big Dog Ink takes advantage of the limited series format to bring you in depth looks at the origins of some of your favorite characters.  The first in the collection of planned character studies and standalone vignettes, The Legends of Oz: The Scarecrow will be a two issue miniseries devoted to everyone’ favorite mysterious sidekick.  Join Big Dog Ink and writer Pat Shand as we delve deeper into the origins of the quirky Scarecrow who’s out to prove that just because she’s a mysterious puppet created by evil magic, it doesn’t mean she can’t be pure good!

Featuring interior art and an “A” cover by the talented Big Dog Ink newcomer Carlos Reno and with colors and “B” covers respectively by regular Legend of Oz: The Wicked West artists Kate Finnegan and Nei Ruffino, these new Legends limited series are a perfect complement to the existing gritty western universe created in the monthly ongoing comic book.  Fans can read The Legends of Oz: The Scarecrow side by side with the monthly title to broaden their Oz universe, or on its own as a standalone story.  The Legends of Oz: The Scarecrow is also the perfect addition to comic book stores shelves to lure new fans into checking out the goodness that is the Wicked West!

The Legends of Oz: The Scarecrow #1 releases in April 2013 and is currently available for pre-order in the February Diamond previews catalog with a retail price of $3.50.

About Big Dog Ink
Founded in 2009, Big Dog Ink is an independent publisher of diverse comic book properties such as PENNY FOR YOUR SOUL, URSA MINOR, CRITTER, KNIGHTINGAIL and REX: ZOMBIE KILLER.  Since its inception, Big Dog Ink has quickly become a top publisher in the industry with its hit series, THE LEGEND OF OZ: THE WICKED WEST, which has consistently charted in the "Diamond Top 300" list.  BDI has gained a loyal fan following due to our high quality art, stories and dedication to elevating the art of small press and creator owned publishing.

The Secret Life of Crows

I love a skillfully drawn, lovingly written comic book. That's the long and the short of it.  Oh, expand? Happy to!

What can be said about The Secret Life of Crows that hasn't already been said? Oh, that's right: everything, because this was an incredibly unique bit of fiction!  I haven't seen a book like this come into existence in a long time.  The fact is, this review is a bit behind because once I got it and read it, I needed to digest what I had read.  Then I left the book alone for a few weeks, although it was always in the recesses of my mind.  Once I felt I was ready, I tackled it again and it was like a second culinary delight for my eyes and mind.

The book was created, drawn, and colored by the amazingly talented Nei Ruffino. I've been a huge fan of Nei's since I "discovered" her artwork at Phoenix Comicon a few years ago, and I can say with certainty that every page of this book could be hang-able art. The ambiance and the style put into the settings and the animals: I'd often find myself getting lost in the curves and weight of the art and forgetting to continue to read the story.

Writing this gem is Raven Gregory, executive editor and writer at Zenescope Entertainment.  The writing flows and helps maintain the pacing of the book.  The prose is the glue that helps keep the book together.  It's deep, it's enthralling, and it's imagination-inducing. 

And I can't complete my description of the artistry in this book without mentioning veteran comic book letterer Jim Campbell. (Side note: I had a quick internet battle of which to link Jim's name to: his lettering blog or his deviantart page. Fortunately, this sentence gave me an opportunity to link *both*.) The letterer is often overlooked in a comic book.  We take for granted the words spoken by our beloved characters. I'm guilty of this myself.  However this time, the lettering stood out as an art form all its own. Anyone can just "transcribe words from a script". The letters intertwined with the prose to set the mood and to stir emotion.   

Now, I'm not going to go into heavy detail about the story of the book because it's a one-shot, it's a quick read, and my analyzing won't do it justice. I will tell you that the whole basis for the book is to give us a glimpse into aspects of our world that we might otherwise take for granted or just plain ignore. As if this soulful story weren't enough, the book (which only takes up about half the pages) is topped off the rest of the way with sketches and preliminaries from Nei while going through her process to complete the book. I love having this book in my collection, I'm glad I didn't let this one slip away and instead of storing it in a long box like I normally do, it'll probably sit on a bookshelf in my den because I'm sure I'll have the uncontrollable urge to return to its pages. 

May Solicitations: Big Dog Ink

The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West #8

Writer: Eric Esquivel
Artist: Carlos Reno

Cover A: Carlos Reno
Cover B: Nei Ruffino
A & B covers ship 50/50

The epic western themed adventure in the land of Oz continues as Jack Pumpkinhead squares off against an old friend who was believed dead…and maybe he would have been better off if he stayed that way!




The Legends of Oz: The Scarecrow #2 (of 2)

Writer: Pat Shand
Artist: Carlos Reno

Cover A: Carlos Reno
Cover B: Nei Ruffino
A&B covers ship 50/50

The epic finale of our first Legends of Oz spin-off.  The Scarecrow must not only face off against the evil Serulion, but also the Denslow townsfolk who have no reason to trust another scarecrow with their lives.



Critter #12

Writer/Creator: Tom Hutchison
Artist: Fico Ossio

Cover A: Fico Ossio
Cover B: Romano Molenaar
A & B Covers ship 50/50

Part 2 of Big Dog Ink’s very first event.  High Tide continues across the United States as Critter and School Girl concentrate on how to defeat Tidepool…with the help of some unforeseen friends.




The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West – Trade Paperback Volume 2

(cover image coming soon)

Writer/Creator: Tom Hutchison
Art & Cover: Alisson Borges

Dorothy Gale and the Wicked Witch of the West have disappeared.  Months have passed since their face to face meeting and no one in Oz knows the outcome. Now it is up to Gale’s friends, The Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion, to find out just what happened.  Collecting issues 1-5 of the hit ongoing series. It’s Oz as you have never seen it before!

$17.99




About Big Dog Ink
Founded in 2009, Big Dog Ink is an independent publisher of diverse comic book properties such as PENNY FOR YOUR SOUL, URSA MINOR, CRITTER, KNIGHTINGAIL and REX: ZOMBIE KILLER.  Since its inception, Big Dog Ink has quickly become a top publisher in the industry with its hit series, THE LEGEND OF OZ: THE WICKED WEST, which has consistently charted in the "Diamond Top 300" list.  BDI has gained a loyal fan following due to our high quality art, stories and dedication to elevating the art of small press and creator owned publishing.

Zenescope Announces April Solicits

Editor's Note: Just when you thought you knew where to put your pennies...we bring you April as well!

ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT FOR APRIL




GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS: UNLEASHED #0

Story by Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco, and Raven Gregory, written by Pat Shand, art by Nei Ruffino, covers by Anthony Spay, Giuseppe Cafaro.

The four realms have been witness to great evil over the centuries- The Dark One, The Dream Eater and Helios to name a few. But none have threatened existence as we know it as much as THE BEING. Who or what is he? What does he want and how do the answers tie into the origins of Sela Mathers and the four hunters who banished a legion of monsters centuries ago? The prelude to Zenescope's Grimm event of the year begins now!


GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS: UNLEASHED #1

Written by Pat Shand, art by TBD, cover by Ivan Nunes, Jamie Tyndall, Stjepan Sejic.

Belinda returns in this amazing double-issue that kicks off the biggest Grimm Event to date! The Being's end game is set in motion as a portal is opened leading into the shadow realm - a realm where a legion of monsters has been trapped for centuries... until now. Heroes must join forces with four time-lost monster hunters to stand against a threat whose power may be unlimited. But they're about to get some help in the form of a powerful ally in Belinda! A shadow has fallen over the Grimm Universe and nothing will ever be the same!




GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS: VAMPIRES: THE ETERNAL #1

Wrtten by Pat Shand, art by TBD, covers by Anthony Spay, Giuseppe Cafaro, Nei Ruffino

This tie-in to Zenescope's brand new Unleashed series is a must-have as vampires invade the Grimm Universe. When Samira, Queen of the Vampires, returns to Earth after more than a century of banishment, she's hellbent on killing all who will not bow before her. But the beautiful and bad-ass Helsing, daughter of the famed vampire hunter himself, might be the one woman who can take Samira down.





GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS: REALM KNIGHTS

Written by Pat Shand, Joe Brusha, art by TBD, covers by Alfredo Reyes, Harvey Tolibao, Pasquale Qualano.

Powerful Highborns who had remained hidden for so long have come out in the open and many of them do not have the best intentions for human kind. The Dark One and his Horde want control of the realms of power, starting with the nexus, and there are even more sinister threats still hiding in the shadows. How can humans hope to survive against beings of such incredible power? The Realm Knights are the only answer. These Knights are a powerful team of Highborns who've made it their life's mission to protect Earth and all the realms of power. This is their story!




GRIMM FAIRY TALES #84

Written by Troy Brownfield, art by TBD, covers by Alfredo Reyes, Pasquale Qualano.

Jack Frost Part 2 of 2 - Bullies have preyed on the weaker students of the campus for years. But not anymore. Jack Frost has arrived, serving cold revenge and leaving terror in his wake. Can Sela save her students before this new supernatural threat grows beyond her control? The key to stopping him could lie in the recesses of Frost's horrible past, but Sela needs to live long enough to find it.




GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS: WONDERLAND #10

Written by Raven Gregory, art by Sheldon Goh, covers by Mike Krome, Marat Mychaels.

What if Alice had never journey to Wonderland? Once upon a time there was a little girl named Alice who was sacrificed to a realm of madness and insanity. But what if that sacrificed had never happened? When a familiar face from the future journeys back in order to prevent that fateful day from happening results in chaos and turmoil that may very well rip the reality of two worlds to shreds. Featuring the long awaited Cheshire Cat reborn!






GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS: MADNESS OF WONDERLAND #3

Written by Dan Wickline, art by TBD, covers by Paolo Pant, Eric J.

As detective Legrasse begins to close in on the killer's trail, secrets from her past come back to her haunt her with revelations that could very well destroy her sanity. Meanwhile, the story of Lovecraft's journal continues as Lovercraft finds himself held hostage by Jacob Hall as they descend below the surface toward an icy grave that holds the remains of creatures from another realm -- creatures whose disturbed slumber could mean the end of us all.


GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS: THE JUNGLE BOOK: LAST OF THE SPECIES #3

Written by Mark L. Miller, art by Jorge Mercado, cover by Ivan Nunes, Jimbo Salgado.

The jungle adventure continues as Mowglii and Tobaqui find out that they are not alone in the caves under Kipling Island while Baloo and his group continue to search the jungle high and low for their missing friends. Meanwhile, the conflict between Dewan and Bomani escalates to a deadlier new level. The action/adventure series that has critics and fans alike raving about continues!





FLY: THE FALL TP

Written by Raven Gregory, art by Robert Gill, Pipin Tobing, covers by Ale Garza.

The "Best comic of 2011" as voted by Wizard World, Pop Culture Addict, Comic Buzz, Talking Comics, and Geekadelphia returns in a brand new volume. What if there was a drug that gave you the power to Fly? How far would you go to possess it? As Eddie Patron struggles with the guilt of Danielle's death he finds comfort in his girlfriend, Mary. But little does he know he is not the only one who has been keeping secrets. Meanwhile, Francis is fi nally ready to face the individual responsible for the murder of his family and only one of them will be leaving alive. Set in a world where the super heroes aren't really heroes at all... how far would you go to FLY? Collects FLY: The Fall 1-5.


GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS: GODSTORM TP

Written by Pat Shand, art by Jason Johnson, cover by Eric Basaldua.

Gods and gangsters clash in this action-packed, critically acclaimed series from Zenescope, collected here for the fi rst time! The lines have been drawn in the battle between the Greek gods, and all of humanity is at stake. From Pat Shand (writer of Robyn Hood) and superstar artist Jason Johnson, this series sets the stage for the events that will change the face of the Grimm Universe forever. Collects Godstorm #0-4.

Announcing Big Dog Ink Cosplay Edition Variant Covers

Big Dog Ink is proud to announce a new feature for convention appearances: Cosplay Edition Variant Covers.  Limited edition, collectible variant covers have become a mainstay of the convention scene.  When the family goes to a theme park you buy a collectible key chain or shot glass.  When you go to a comic book convention, the variant cover is your must-have take home commemorative item.  Cosplayers are also a huge part of the convention scene.  Very little beats the thrill of seeing someone so in love with comics that they are inspired to dress up in a costume and wrap themselves in the personae of their favorite character

So what’s a Cosplay Edition Variant you may ask?  In short, it’s Big Dog Ink’s way of saying we love our devoted, committed, fanatical, amazing fans who come to conventions dressed up as Big Dog Ink characters and we want to support and reward their time, effort and general bad-assery.  Starting with our first 2013 convention appearance at Amazing Arizona Comic Con at the Phoenix Convention Center Jan 25-27^th, any fan that shows up at the Big Dog Ink booth dressed as one of our characters will take home one of a series of special super limited Cosplay Edition Variant Covers, completely FREE!

To start the series off with a bang, the first Cosplay cover will be a variant for Critter #8 featuring a gorgeous Mike DeBalfo cover with colors by coloring master Nei Ruffino.  So come out and visit Big Dog Ink at a convention appearance near you, get dressed in your best Naomi, Danica, Lucifer, Critter, Tin Man (or any BDI character that tickles your fancy) and pick up your very own FREE Limited Edition Cosplay Edition Variant Cover as a token of our appreciation for helping us prove that Big Dog Ink has the best and most committed fans in all of comicdom!

 About Big Dog Ink

Founded in 2009, Big Dog Ink is an independent publisher of diverse comic book properties such as PENNY FOR YOUR SOUL, URSA MINOR, CRITTER, KNIGHTINGAIL and REX: ZOMBIE KILLER.  Since its inception, Big Dog Ink has quickly become a top publisher in the industry with its hit series, THE LEGEND OF OZ: THE WICKED WEST, which has consistently charted in the "Diamond Top 300" list.  BDI has gained a loyal fan following due to our high quality art, stories and dedication to elevating the art of small press and creator owned publishing.

Editor's Note: Wow, wow and wow again! BDI is pulling out all the stops! I've never cosplayed but I've wanted to. This might be just the incentive I need!

C2E2 Day 2 : A Thousand Miles (or how far I walked!)

Saturday in the park...no wait. I seem to have the inner dj turned on and I was never in a park this weekend. Let's just start over, shall we? Saturday was what I tend to call omg busy. I was up by 9 and considering Friday was tiring and I didn't get to bed til 2am, I was concerned with that. I did the usual post-waking things..showered, dressed, ate a banana and then I was off to the convention center!

Yet again, I caught the shuttle to the airport and then it was off to the train! This time, I wasn't alone but got to spend the entire ride with Phil (dad), Connor (son - about 13) and this adorable little girl whose name escapes me, but she had a stuffed wolf named Sammy. Phil was in town from Indianapolis and the kids were up from Kentucky for the weekend. We had a great time talking and hanging out. So great that I gave them one of my cards and Connor said he was going to add me on Facebook. I hope that they do. I really liked them.

Then, it was off to the next shuttle. This time, it was totally packed. In fact, about 30 people were left standing on the curb. Yeesh! I got to the convention center and it was absolutely packed! There were people everywhere which is great for the convention, to be sure. I had intended on taking a lot of pictures but I only had 2 hands and carrying my camera in one of them got old pretty quick and I'm weird and don't like wearing it around my neck. I always feel like a tourist and on a day where I'm trying to be professional, tourist just doesn't blend. I did take a few right at the beginning though...

Then, it was up to the 3rd floor where it was even more jam packed with people! I stopped by Big Dog Ink to say hi and then started making my way around the exhibitor booths. This was my very first time saying, "Hi, my name is Katrina and I'm here looking for new people and companies to work with." I don't know if it was the press badge or the super cheeriness, but it seemed to work! I had a great time talking with people and quite a few of them either handed me their "babies" to review or promised to send me digital copies.  At one table, I bumped into Ralph Tedesco  and you know dang well that I made sure to give him my card. I also asked him about a couple of titles and if they had them with them. Not only did they have them, but he encouraged me to stop by and he'd *give* me them for Roger to review (they're children's titles).

It took me probably a few more hours, but I did find my way to their table and got to meet Stephen, head marketing god for Zenescope. It was nice to put a face with a name and hopefully, he felt the same way. While standing there, I kept answering questions for others coming up to the table. I can't help it. I'm a helper and I really do love their product. Who knows, maybe if I'm helpful enough, they'll hire me to do something..lol! Ralph came back to the table while I was standing there and between my love of their books and his generosity, I think I walked away with 5 trade paperbacks for myself and 3 trades and a preview issue of Jurassic Strike Force for Roger. These guys might not have given me much re-posting love before this but they sure treated me well that day. I'm looking forward to continuing my relationship with them.

I think it must have taken me about 5 hours, but I did finish making my way around the exhibitor floor about 5:45pm and I went and hung out at the Big Dog Ink table. I hope it didn't bug Tom that I was hanging around, talking with Nei. I did spend some time pitching their books to people who came up and I did make at least one artist commission happen. I also took around some of their Vote Independent posters to a couple of other booths. I think it would be rather brilliant of them if they created postcard sized pieces for that campaign and considering I'll be hitting the Phoenix Comicon floor hard in another month, it'd be something I could hand out when I'm talking about it with other independent artists/companies. I wished more than once this past weekend that I had something like that with me.

Somewhere around 6:45, I decided I ought to head back to the hotel since nobody had extended me another dinner invite. Shuttle, train and shuttle later, I made my way into the room where I decided I just couldn't move another step unless I absolutely had to. So, in true fancy schmancy press/princess style, I called room service and had a lovely bed picnic while talking to Justin and Eric. Sleep ended up taking over (after these two old men fell asleep, I have to say..and it was 2 hours earlier for them!) and day 2 came to a close.

Scene: One tired girl curled up on a huge bed, drifting off to sleep with a smile on her face because people liked her and want to work with her...camera pans to see lots of comic books and other goodies from the day... *giggles*

For today, I leave you with a few more pictures...until tomorrow where I'll wrap up with Day 3!

Make sure you come back tomorrow to see what happens on Day 3 and how my gps showed me yet again how much she loves me!

C2E2 Day 1 : Friday the 13th...

Woo! Guess where I just got back from? Well, if you read here last week, you would know that I spent the weekend in Chicago...all by myself! Eek! Clearly though, I survived and I have returned bearing lots of new and hopefully fabulous things to write about. In fact, I have enough review material to last quite a while! So, over the next few days, I'm going to give you a general run down of what I did, who I talked to and how me, the girl from Middle of Nowhere, Michigan, handled riding the train and making her way downtown. (Does anyone else immediately hear this song when I say making her way downtown?

 

So, let's get started, shall we? My weekend started bright and early on Friday. I had to get up, finish packing everything up and then loading it all into the van. Pretty routine for a weekend away. Nothing too exciting there. For those wondering (and know that I own a ton of bags), I took the apple bag and the bag of holding (aka the button bag) for this trip. I made a trip into Ionia to pick up some last minute essentials and breakfast foods and then, I was on the road!

Well, I tried to be on the road! I had to stop at the gas station and I swear the pump had it in for me. Just as I start pumping gas, I notice the sign that says the auto shutoff off. Ugh! I can see it now, gas running all over the place while I'm thinking about something else. Of course, this made me totally paranoid so I just started at the nozzle inside the side of the van. I had nothing to worry about because at $50 it just refused to let me put more gas in.  That would have been awesome except the tank wasn't full. Geez louise. I gave up and got on the road.

The drive..uneventful. Just another long drive that I won't bore you with. Then, I got near Chicago and what the heck? The gps made me drive over that bridge that I totally hate and have to mumble reassuring phrases to myself all the way across. Thank goodness nobody could hear me or they'd have totally labeled me a crazy head. It's true. I have this issue with heights which means things like down escalators and tall bridges that I have to drive across freak me out big time.

Clearly though, I survived and after dealing with downtown traffic, made it to my hotel. I had more fun here. Problem 1: I didn't have the card that the reservation had been made with. They decided to ignore this though because the room was paid in full already.  Problem 2: My room was on the 4th floor and my van..the other side of a huge parking lot. Now, a smart person would have grabbed a luggage cart? Did I? Nope. I'm stubborn and decided I could do this. After all, the elevators were right there the woman said..and how far down on the 4th floor could it be? Right. Let's just say that by the time I got to my room, I was ready to throw my favorite apple suitcase out the 4th floor window. I didn't, however, because I really didn't want to go naked all weekend. Not even at a comicon is that ok.

Want to see my room? Here you go:

Pretty fancy schmancy, eh? So, I finally made it and sat out my stuff before decided to...brave the train! That's right! I went ahead and went on down to the convention center on Friday night to pick up my pass. Of course, this wasn't as simple as grabbing a shuttle. First, there was a shuttle to the airport. The very nice driver and an off duty maid made sure that I knew how to get my pass and where to find the train. I'm glad because I never would have found it. The train right was boring as heck. I'd wished I'd brought a book with me. Then, there was finding my way out of another station and then standing around with 4 other guys waiting for the con shuttle. That took foooorever to show up but it finally did and I got down to the center with just enough time to snag my badge and to say hi to the folks at Big Dog Ink. For people who had said they were excited I was coming, they had no idea who I was! Thank goodness Brett from Bluerainbow knew who I was! Then, he was nice enough to invite me to tag along with them for dinner.

Dinner was a lot of fun, even if the prices made me pray to the gods that I was going to be able to eat the rest of the weekend. It's not often that I get asked to go to a quality eating establishment such as Gibson's. I was a bit envious of the delicious meals that were put in front of the others, but I had to be realistic and had a peppered steak salad and a lot of water. The steak was absolutely gorgeous but the salad itself was lacking. It needed more dressing and a better mixture of greens. It was supposed to be romaine and iceberg but it was about half a head of iceberg and had 4 tomato wedges as well as the 4 steak medallions. Kim, was really nice and had me try a bite of her steak and Brett was equally nice and let me try out his creme brulee. What really made the night though was listening to Jen, Nei and Shane tell lame jokes and then all of us eventually getting not only our waiter in on the comedy act, but also a busboy that he sent over. Before the night was over, I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard.

Our waiter, Drew, telling us a joke.

After dinner, Brett was nice enough to spend ages trying to get to my hotel. He dropped me right off at the door before running Jen and Shane back to their hotel and then heading on to his. I'm really glad that I got the chance to meet him this weekend. Up until now, he's just been a name in Kate's livestream. Really, I want to say thank you to Kim, Tom, Nei, Jen, Shane and Brett for allowing me to tag along and to feel like part of a group. I don't get that experience very often and I know they're like family so to be included was something special.