The 2nd Spectrum Fantastic Art Live show in Kansas City ended this past weekend, and with it comes a lull in my convention schedule. It’s a time when I can crawl back to the drawing board and avoid sunlight, household chores, family obligations, etc., and commit myself to bringing Camden Bottoms to my adoring public. I went to 3 events this Spring starting with the first launch of Wizard World Comic Con in St. Louis, which, judging by the crowds (even during a blizzard!), won’t be the last. A couple of weeks later I attended Planet Comic Con in Kansas City for the first time and was stunned by the crowd- any more attendance like that and it’ll have to move to San Diego! It was back then to KC for Spectrum for what is arguably my favorite event, probably because it’s centered around art. A few shout outs, then to some new acquaintances:
My booth at Spectrum was directly across from Jeremy Bastian, creator of Cursed Pirate Girl, who very patiently put up with my sweating and gushing over his insanely beautiful work. It’s nice to see the return of an attention span!
Michael J. Buckley came by to offer some much appreciated encouragement and gave me a copy of his book, “60 Ways to Leave Your Mother (Alone)”. On the surface, it’s an activity book for 2 young children, but the activities usually take unpredictable and sometimes bizarre turns. The book is infinitely charming and beautifully illustrated.
Carl Anderson was at Spectrum again this year, and I was lucky enough to be interviewed by him shortly before the show. Carl is an eloquent and tireless patron of the arts- please visit his blog and read my interview (and others) at Stainless Steel Droppings.
Adam Smith writes comics and writes well! Adam and artist Matt Fox have recently joined with Archaia Publishing to release their new book: “Long Walk to Valhalla”. Adam was kind enough to buy one of my books and give me a teaser copy of “Valhalla” among other books. You can view other work by Adam and Matt at Wet Black Ghost.
I became a fan of Chris Grine when I received a copy of “Chickenhare: Fire in the Hole” (published by Dark Horse), at Planet Comic Con. It turns out that someone with this kind of twisted imagination is genuinly a nice guy!! Please check out more at Chickenhare.
Finally, a shout out to Matt Eeks, an artist and a gentleman, who showcased his art at Spectrum for the first time this year. You can see Matt’s work at his website Eeks Art.