C2E2 - Get ready!

If you're a comic fan in Chicago, definitely keep an open mind towards C2E2- the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo.

http://www.c2e2.com/

Just thought our class might like to know, there's actually going to be some huge names showing up. The convention is Friday April 16th through Sunday April 18th. Hours are Friday 1PM - 7PM, Saturday from 10AM to 7PM, and Sunday from 10AM to 5PM. Tickets are $25 per day, or $50 for the weekend.

The Convention is going to have a pretty amazing turn-out, so it may be worth going just to meet with some of the best comic authors and artists working today, plus some media guests- Alex Ross (Kingdom Come), Dan DiDio (Marvel Editor), Garth Ennis (Preacher), Neil Gaiman (Sandman), Geoff Johns (Blackest Night), Jeph Loeb (Batman: Long Halloween), Mike Mignola (Hellboy), Joe Quesada (Marvel), Jeff Smith (Bone, RASL), Gail Simone (Birds of Prey), Chris Ware, Kevin Conroy (voice of Batman of Batman: The Animated Series), Max Brooks (zombie survival guide), fantasy author George RR Martin, and a TON of small-press/independent/underground/online comic artists like Daniel Corsetto (Girls with Slingshots), John Campbell (Pictures for Sad Children), Jeph Jacques (Questionable Content), KC Greene (Gunshow Comic), Laura Innes (The Dreamer), and a TON more I can't even begin to list here. Here's the official roster of guests-

http://www.c2e2.com/en/Guests/

In addition to guests, the con will also feature DOZENS of panels, some free movie showings, and a couple hundred exhibitors who'll be selling t-shirts, DVD's, comics, books, toys, and whatever else you can imagine. The tickets are a bit pricy, admittedly, but the turn out is going to be really amazing, so I suggest that everyone keep an open mind to the convention as a way to meet great artists, do a little nerdy shopping, and have a good time. Plus, you can also show up in costume. Or hang out with people who do. Or make fun of the inevitably bad costumes. You know, whatever.

- David Mitchell

Rice-Boy

This is David here.

I'm a pretty big supporter of web-media when it comes to comic distribution, and I really can see the internet becoming the big new venue for comic releases. Web-comics are multiplying like rabbits, with thousands of new titles being put online yearly, may of which are actually quite good. I'm no expert on web-comics to the point where I could write a book on them or anything, but I've probably read upwards and above 100 webcomics since I started reading them in high school. With that in mind, I though I might post some links here to some of my most high recommended.

First up is Rice-Boy:

http://www.rice-boy.com/

Rice-Boy actually isn't just a single tale, it's a website with three sections. First up is The Adventures of Rice-Boy, a now-complete 450-page adventure tale about a cute little guy named Rice-Boy who lives in a sort of surreal fantasy world. It follows his quest to save the world after being selected by a mysterious robot named The One Electric. Beautiful art-work and a very imaginative world.

In addition to The Adventures of Rice-Boy, the website also has Order of Tales, a now 500+ page epic that's not yet complete. Taking place in the same world as The Adventures of Rice-Boy, it's a slightly darker tale that explores the vast fictional world of Overside. There's also a third section to the website which features a variety of short-stories taking place in the same world as the previous two mentioned stories. Really all quite looking in to. Enjoy.

- David

Comics in the News

Hot on the heels of discussions around the "economics of comics" raised during last week's Chicago Comics Symposium, here are two news articles of interest:

The first addresses the decision to pull weekly comics from newspapers across the country, including a "survivor-style" contest to nix less-popular strips that I find rather horrifying. Whether newspaper strips are of interest to you as an artist or not, they have historically been many people's first introduction to basic "comics literacy." What do you make of it?

The second article is less about graphic narratives and more about miniature paper laboratories that diagnose illnesses with comic-book inks. Some excellent comic-book-reading scientists are surely behind this plan. This reminds me to mention that the Union of Concerned Scientists is planning a Student Edition of its regular annual Science Idol: Scientific Integrity Editorial Cartoon Contest .The winner will receive $1,000 for their design, and runners up will get $500 and $100, respectively. More info on this as it develops!

Chicago Comics Symposium

Just wanted to remind you about the upcoming Comic Symposium, taking place in SAIC's very own Ballroom on Thursday and Friday, March 10-11, from 4pm - 7pm both days.
It's an aMAZing opportunity to see comics professionals like Anders Nilsen, Sarah Becan, Jeffrey Brown, Paul Hornschemeier and more speak on their work and ideas. Artists/SAIC faculty Jeremy Tinder, Anne Elizabeth Moore, Surabhi Ghosh and I myself will be speaking on a panel or two as well.

Here's a link to the Symposium SITE, and the schedule of events is:

THURSDAY, March 11th, 2010
Getting Out: Distribution and Self Publication- 4:30pm-5:30pmModerator: Jeremy Tinder
Panelists: Ian McDuffie, Joey Jacks, Sarah Becan, Anders Nilsen

Comics, Art and the Between- 5:45pm-6:45pm
Moderators: Bad @ Sports and Guest Jason Dunda
Panelists: Paul Hornschemeier, John Porcellino, Christa Donner, Bernie McGovern
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FRIDAY March 12th, 2010
Imagining Identity of Self and Others in Comics- 4:30pm-5:30pm
Moderator: Stanford Carpenter
Panelists: Lucy Knisley, Jeffrey Brown, Nicole Hollander, Tyrell Cannon

Professionalization in Comics- 5:45pm-6:45pm
Moderator: Anne Elizabeth Moore
Panelists: Surabhi Ghosh, Beth Hetland, Jeremy Tinder