Here’s a list of Transformers vs. G.I. Joe signings and panels I’ll be doing at San Diego Comicon 2014.
Thursday signing At IDW booth 5-6:00 with John Barber and ROB LIEFELD!!!
Friday the 25th: 1:30-2:30 Panel: “IDW & Hasbro: Transformers, Ponies, & More!” (Room 8)
Last Gasp booth 1614: 4-5:30 for Henry and Glenn Forever
6-7:00 signing at IDW booth
Saturday 1-2 PM Comixology Signing
Saturday 5-6 PMÂ at IDWÂ booth
Transformers vs. G.I.Joe #1 premieres July 23rd at San Diego Comicon and in stores. I’ll be there with John Barber signing copies. I’ll also be making a few appearances with advance copies of the book. Here’s the itinerary:
Chapel Hill Comics in Chapel Hill, North Carolina 6-9 PM on July 12th
Phantom of the Attic Comics (Oakland) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 4-8 PM on July 16th
Comics and Paperbacks Plus in Palmyra, PA 6-9 PM on July 17th
Locust Moon Comics in Philadelphia, PA 7 PM on July 18th
Level Up Entertainment with Farpoint Toys in May’s Landing, New Jersey 12-5 PM on July 19th
then at San Diego Comicon at the IDW booth July 23-27th
Also I’ll be giving a Comics Workshop at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on August 9th from 11AM-2PM
and I’ll be at Amazing Houston Con with issue #2 of Transformers vs. G.I.Joe on August 29-31st
This weekend I’ll be returning to Charlotte, North Carolina for HeroesCon. I’ll be on a number of panels on a number of topics with a number of fine folks, doing one of my favorite things, talking about comics. Here’s the schedule:
Friday at 4:00 pm
Room 206
HOUR COSMIC
Game on! Your favorite comics game show podcast (from Multiversity Comics) records another live performance! Joining hosts CHAD BOWERS and GREG MATIASEVICH, are special guests TOM SCIOLI (Godland), MING DOYLE (Mara) and JIM RUGG (Supermag)! It’s an hour of fun conversation, trivia, word games, and prizes with some of comics’ top creators! Warning: audience participation required
1:00 pm
Room 203A
THE JACK KIRBY TRIBUTE PANEL
Continuing TwoMorrow’s 20th Anniversary Celebration, JOHN MORROW the editor of the wonderful JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR, hosts a panel of comic professionals to discuss the legacy of JACK KIRBY. Please join John and panelists JON B. COOKE, STEVE SAFFEL, MICHAEL EURY, CHARLES HATFIELD, ROY THOMAS and TOM SCIOLI. None of us would be here today without the tireless effort and imagination of the King. Stop by to celebrate the man and his art.
2:00 pm
Room 207AB
PERIOD INFLUENCE
TOM SPURGEON of COMICS REPORTER interviews BEN MARRA, JIM RUGG, KATIE SKELLY and TOM SCIOLI. They will discuss Period influences in their artwork and storytelling.
Scarlett and Snake Eyes
from G.I.Joe #27
by Hama, Springer, Mushynsky, Parker, Roussos, and O’Neil
Jack Kirby’s pencil drawings have a warmth, character and depth that even his greatest inkers couldn’t capture. I’ve always been curious what Kirby’s art would look like if the inking process was skipped, and his pencil art was colored directly. I thought I’d try it myself. I chose a sequence from “The Mighty Thor.” Here’s the original printed version. It’s a classic example of clearly-delineated traditional comic book art, inked by Vince Colletta, Kirby’s main artistic collaborator on Thor:
Here is a photostat of Kirby’s original pencil drawing, printed in The Jack Kirby Collector. I love the softness of the lines, and the rich tonal quality. This is from an old photostat, state-of-the-art in the sixties. One can only imagine what a high-resolution scan of the pencils would look like. Looking at Kirby’s pencil drawing, his oft-cited Alex Raymond influence becomes much more apparent:
I created a layer of flat color:
I softened the forms and added some texture:
Then I added a yellowed newsprint texture to hold everything together:
I did this exercise quickly, as a fun warm-up between issues of Transformers vs. G.I.Joe, but you can see the potential in this approach. It’s a different aesthetic for Kirby that is every bit as valid as the ways his work has traditionally been presented.
“The Mighty Thor” is property of Marvel Comics.
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #0 will be available on Free Comic Book Day, May 3 2013, for free. I’ll be signing copies at The Beguiling in Toronto.
Godland Celestial Edition will be back in print and the final Godland Volume 6: Goodbye Divine will premiere in June.
Transformers vs. G.I.Joe #1 will premiere in July.