August 2006

Viva Buenos Aires

Posted by Joe Kelly on August 28, 2006

Here’s why I loved Argentina…

History – I learned more about the living history of Argentina, spanning the last fifty or so years, in one weekend, than I did in twelve years of public school.

Talent – I saw pros, I saw amateurs, I saw unknowns…and they’re ALL AMAZING. Hoping to spread the love by showing samples to some editors…more on that if we get any bites.

My Hosts – The good folks at Comiqueando took excellent care of this big dumb American, and I thank you for all of your time and energy. The show was a hit, and will no doubt continue to grow thanks to the hard work of my pals Andres, Martin, and the rest of the crew.

AND, OF COURSE… THESE GUYS.

I would be hard pressed at many conventions to accept an invitation to dinner with a dozen or so fans I’ve never met who have a weekly meeting to discuss comics, the world, and life at large, but in Argentina… sure! And thank god I did.

The members of this die-hard comics and animation forum took me out for a wonderful night of chatting, eating, and drinking – including the local delicacies of Mate, Empanadas, and a Pizza that I can’t quite describe, but enjoyed thoroughly…These are hard core fans who wear their freak-flags proudly on their chests, and I loved meeting them all. If you’re interested in some serious comics chat, and you speak Spanish, check out their forum at the link above. You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you guys, for a wonderful night. You made my week! Mate for everyone!

Damn...

Posted by Joe Casey on August 22, 2006

Two of us out playing world traveler... MAN OF ACTION is everywhere, baby!

Here on the home front, lots of stuff going on... just not much that we can talk about yet. I can't even think of a good tease for any of it. Just trust me, it's stuff that we'll be talking about over the next half-year or so, I'd imagine. The mind reels...

In the "life is funny"-dept., my tried and true Sony 5-disc DVD player crapped out on me. Goodbye, old friend. Provider of white noise as the master toiled, you served me well. So, I went out and bought a crappy, cheap-as-hell Toshiba 1-disc player. Suddenly, a bootleg DVD I bought off the streets of NYC plays just fine, where the Sony couldn't get past the "Disc Is Dirty" message. In Concert. On Film. At Last. Paul McCartney & Wings: Rockshow. God bless Linda and her wonky keyboard parts...!

Taking over airwaves, one nation at at time...

Posted by Joe Kelly on August 19, 2006

So imagine my surprise this morning, as I'm being introduced to the sights and sounds of Buenos Aires, and my friend Martin tells me he wants to show me something special…

And I see this.

I’ve been lucky enough to see my work translated into foreign languages before, and it’s an amazing feeling…but seeing it on a 3o foot billboard half way across the earth?

Bueno.

Hola from B.A...

Posted by Joe Kelly on August 18, 2006

After 10 hours on a cramped flight, what's the first thing I want to do in Buenos Aires..? Blog!

(Do you feel the love? The dedication, people?!)

The trip is off to a great start, the hotel is nice, the city is cool, and my host, Andres, is fantastic. And as a bonus, there are even more guys coming in for the show than I'd realized. I'll be hooking up with my friend and collaborator on Space Ghost, Ariel Olivetti, and super-genius artist Carlos Meglia along with a host of other talented Argentinean artists. I've got the trusty con-cam up and working, so I'll upload when I can.

Now, on to the next big decision...sleep, or--zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Believe on this!

Posted by Duncan Rouleau on August 15, 2006

Let the music soar! Let the heavens roar! Let us drink the blood of our enemies and listen to the lamentation of their women...

The New X-Men is out on the stands! And yes… I did the interiors! You may have seen the black and white piece I posted a couple of weeks ago. Well now you can gaze upon it in all its glorious color. The magicians in the humble house of ideas have been busy. In fact, they have been insanely busy putting this issue together. I swear I handed in the last page a week ago and now look BAMPF! it’s done. Run for the hills! Or, at least the stores!

Let me know what you think...I think?

On the Road Again...

Posted by Joe Kelly on August 15, 2006

Get out your violins and sorrowful cellos, people, for I must tell you a tale of woe…this Thursday, in the dead of night, I have to pack a small suitcase containing no liquid or gel products whatsoever, and embark on a 12 hour flight…

To Buenos Aires. Oh, yeah…that’s Argentina, baby. Don’t cry for me, America…I’m going to have a blast, and it’s all thanks to blessed comics.

If you can read Spanish, the skinny is here at the official Comiqueando's Comics Encounter website. Word from the top is as follows, “Comiqueando's Comics Encounter is a gathering of special fans, artists and creators, a celebration of the artform of Comics and of the anniversary of a magazine that has done a lot to improve Argentinian fans' comics-reading habits.” Among others, I know that Eduardo Risso and Marcelo Frusin will also be in attendance…which I had to tell you just so that on some web search somewhere, my name would be in the same sentence as these incredible artists. Yes…that was a shameless plug.

So is this edition of the blog just a big ‘ol brag fest? No, I actually have a point to make, and all of you happy hopefuls who are working your fingers to the bone trying to get that panel just right, or finish the script for your creator owned book, listen up! This is a Surreality check. Ammunition for the next time someone looks askew at you when you say, “I want to do comics.”:

We may never get rich doing comics, we may never be famous, but we live in a world where a geek from Long Island has been flown around the globe thanks to the ideas in his head about spandex-clad mutants and strange visitors from another planet. In any language, that’s a damn good life.

Viva comics.

A Cool Exec With a Heart of Steel...

Posted by Joe Casey on August 15, 2006

Sing along...!

Okay, plug time. All you comicbook trade waiters out there... it's time for you to dig deep and shell out for the TPB collection of IRON MAN: THE INEVITABLE, a little superhero mini-series I did with artist, Frazer Irving, earlier this year. It's out in your local comicbook specialty shops tomorrow. C'mon, you know you want it.

I fully admit how much I dig on Iron Man. Huge fan of the Michelinie/JRJr/Layton run (as well as Dave and Bob's "comeback" on the character in the mid-80's with artists MD Bright and Jackson Guice). Writing this comicbook was a blast and a half, and Fraze made it look great. Hopefully, I'll have another chance to write an adventure starring my favorite Armored Avenger someday, but for now... this is it.

Like I said, it's out tomorrow. Check it out... and tell your retailer that I sent ya.

Patience is a Virtue...

Posted by Joe Casey on August 10, 2006

To anyone who's done the Hollywood Dance in any capacity... I think the greatest lesson one learns is one of patience. Hell, it's not only a virtue, it's a necessity, right? Being able to roll with the punches. Not letting the many minor setbacks affect you. These things are simply part of the Dance. You have to accept it. You have to get used to it. You have to embrace it.

In my little corner of the dance floor... I've got a big pitch today for a studio rewrite. At the same time, the All-Seeing, All-Knowing JG showed me the MOA hit count for our Comic-Con live blogging extravaganza, right up until now. Pretty goddamn impressive. Then again, any number over three digits is going to impress me...

Which is why I'm blogging instead of boning up for this pitch. Having typed that last sentence, it occurs to me that I should be prepping for this meeting.

More soon, though. Keep your eyes peeled for some comicbook-related content (both business and pleasure-related)...

Some of us still have to work...

Posted by Joe Kelly on August 8, 2006

While Joe is tripping over Gene Simmons' tongue, the rest of us are working our Tails of Action off...or at least trying to in between hanging with the family and trying to enjoy a summer for once.

Case in point, this week, aside from the story editing gig on Chaotic, I'm writing Supergirl #11, finishing the Batman Superman Annual, penning a Ben 10 short story, AND working on a screenplay, AND finishing my short film (finally!), AND...

And I'm having a blast. There's no life like a Life of Action.

Stay sexy, America.

Oh My God...

Posted by Joe Casey on August 7, 2006

Okay, this is apropos of nothing. Certainly, it's not MOA-related in any way, shape or form. I suppose you could make a tenuous link with the fact that I wrote the first six issues of the last incarnation of the KISS comicbook (including the long awaited sequel to that classic flick, KISS Meets The Phantom Of The Park)...

I just watched the first two episodes of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels on A&E.

There are no words.

Tell you what, though... I'll be watching the hell out of this gloriously goofy-ass show, week in, week out.

The Fallout Continues...

Posted by Joe Casey on August 3, 2006

Maybe someone can actually see this VIDEO of San Diego Comic-Con hi-jinks. I certainly couldn't. I could hear it, but whatever...

The guys at ifanboy.com need to get on the YouTube bandwagon.

Back In Black

Posted by Joe Casey on August 2, 2006

Holy shit... it was H-O-T in New York City. Old people were actually falling down dead from the heat. That is intense, folks. It was the top story on every local TV news station, even above the Mel Gibson drunken anti-Semite tirade. Makes me realize that I'm an L.A. guy (for better or for worse), where Mel still gets top billing for his antics and where they call the adjusted police report a "cover up". And here, it's hot... but it's a dry heat.

But the Big Apple was a blast. Hung out with Joe Kelly, hung out with Douglas Rushkoff, hung out with Keith Giffen, hung out with Axel Alonso, hung out with the wife... that's a lot of hangin' out. I'll try to get a photo or two up in the next few days. Definitely saw some cool stuff, worthy of a certain level of geekasm.

So touring is done for now. Returning home for the longer stretches means facing the workload with squared shoulders and feet planted firmly in the pavement, ready to attack. Seems like I have more pending comicbook work than I'd planned on a month ago, and the Hollywood meetings are coming fast and furious. Between MOA business and my own screenwriting stuff, it's no rest for the weary around here...

... and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Cracking under the pressure...but...

Posted by Joe Kelly on August 1, 2006

Just a quick one, gang. A breath of fresh air on an otherwise hostile day. Mercury is supposed to hit the century mark in New York today, and if the heat doesn't get you, "The Man" will...or he'll try.

But we won't let him, will we? Or her. Or Them. Or whoever is pressing down on your spine with their proverbial thumb. Someone once gave me a significant piece of advice that I now pass on to you, a weapon for use in the never-ending battle of the worker bee versus the hive:

"Pay yourself first."

This transcends mere dollars and cents. This is the First Law of Sanity. Pay yourself first in the currency of time, attention, creativity, and respect before you give any of those goodies to anyone else, even if they pay your rent. Case in point: Douglas Fredricks and the House of They. My first children's book. Written in the wee hours of the morning, before any bread and butter gig. Gleefully, without care for the other "work" I was putting aside to write for no one by myself and my kids.

Today, I received the last gorgeous page of black and white art by maestro Ben Roman. In a few weeks, it will be gloriously colored by Jorge Molina Manzanero, another freakin' genius...

And then, it will be done. Built by hand under the nose of The Man. And it will be mine.

Suddenly, it doesn't feel so oppressive around here any more.

Pay yourself first.