February 16, 2022

Musician Daniel Johnston's Art To Be Featured On Batman #121 Variant Editions

February 16, 2022/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

Fan's of the late Daniel Johnston may want to take note. The outsider-musician experimented with visual art all through his career, and had - at one point - contacted DC's Marie Javins about wishing to get his artwork into comics. This March will finally see that wish granted.

Batman (2016) #121 cover A - by Jorge Molina.

Batman (2016) #121 cover B - by Francesco Mattina.

Batman (2016) #121 cover C - by Lee Bermejo.

Batman (2016) #121 cover D - by Jay Anacleto.

Batman (2016) #121 (releasing on March 1, 2022) has added a few Daniel Johnston variants. The issue already had four announced covers and will now also be available with three separate variant covers featuring the art of Mr. Johnston. The images used for the covers were picked by the artist's representative, Electric Lady Studios. This set of variants will feature a Batman cover, a Superman cover, and a New Gods cover.

Batman (2016) #121 Daniel Johnston Batman Variant.

Batman (2016) #121 Daniel Johnston Superman Variant.

Batman (2016) #121 Daniel Johnston New Gods Variant.

Limited quantities of the Batman cover will be sold individually while Limited Edition folios of all three covers will be sold through four different online retailers. Each retailer will be selling a uniquely colored folio with the variant covers inside. Pre-orders for all covers and folios began on February 14th 2022, so get your orders in!

Retailers, colors, and quantities are listed below.

HiHowAreYou.com

Joker Red

This "Joker" Red Portfolio Edition includes a full set of three comics with covers by Daniel Johnston. It is limited to 450 total production and exclusive to Hi How Are You. The portfolio is a pre-production image. Final product may vary slightly in appearance.

$39.99

Pre-Order Here!

Austin Books & Comics

Joker Purple

This "Joker" Purple Portfolio Edition includes a full set of three comics with covers by Daniel Johnston. It is Limited to 500 total production and exclusive to Austin Books! Portfolio is GF Smith Colorway 130 lb FSC Certified. The portfolio is a pre-production image. Final product may vary slightly in appearance.

$39.99

Pre-Order Here!

Electric Lady Studios

Slate

This "Joker" Slate Portfolio Edition includes a full set of three comics with covers by Daniel Johnston. It is limited to 250 total production and exclusive to Electric Lady Studios. The portfolio is a pre-production image. Final product may vary slightly in appearance.

$39.99

Pre-Order Here!

The Austin Contemporary

Racing Green

This Racing Green Portfolio Edition includes a full set of three comics with covers by Daniel Johnston. It is Limited to 250 total production and exclusive to The Contemporary Austin! Portfolio is GF Smith Colorway 130 lb FSC Certified. The portfolio is a pre-production image. Final product may vary slightly in appearance.

$49.99

Pre-Order Here!

If you have never heard Mr. Johnston’s music (and maybe even if you have) I have included his entire Hi How Are You album from 1983.

August 20, 2021

Nan Desu Kan 2021 Is Coming! - An Interview With Guy Davis

August 20, 2021/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

All otaku take note - Nan Desu Kan is turning 25, and they are planning to celebrate! The show is moving to the brand-new Gaylord Hotel in Denver, and the change in venue has them upping their game. In the last quarter of a century the Anime/Manga/Japanese Culture convention has grown from a small one-day show held at a brewery to a full weekend event being held in Denver’s largest convention space. With larger spaces for the Artist Alley and Dealer Room areas and photo-op installations for the cosplayers, NDK is poised to make a splash with this year’s show.

In late August of 2019 I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Guy Davis, one of the directors of Nan Desu Kan. He was eager to discuss the convention’s past, the growth of the show to its current size, and the exciting things in store for the future. Twenty-five years is a solid run for any convention but to hear Guy tell it, NDK is just getting started.

Neil Greenaway: I understand that you are one of the Nan Desu Kan show directors, and also one of the people in charge of the NDK Museum.

Guy Davis: That I am!

NG: Then perhaps you could start us out with a brief history of the show itself?

GD: Ok. Nan Desu Kan has been around for 23 years. It started in 1997, in the Tivoli – which was a tiny little beer company on Auraria Campus. It started as a one-day show, Saturday only, and we started as a small anime con. It has grown now from 203 people – that was our attendance in 1997 – to our 2018 show which had somewhere around 20,000 attendees.

NG: That is impressive growth!

GD: We are now the second largest convention in the Denver area and we are the largest anime convention in the entire Rocky Mountain region (excluding Texas). That is where we are now. We are now running as both an anime convention and a Japanese culture convention. We have a Sana track, a Japanese culture track, which means that we follow things about Japanese culture. Like when you go to Bon Sai, Kendo, Kudo, things that are more cultural. In fact, last night I was having dinner with some of the guys from Sakura Square (which is the local Japanese culture group) and we had the Consulate General of Japan here to join us. So that was kind of cool, and a little unnerving. She is WAY above my pay-grade, but it was definitely cool.

NG: That is very cool! How did that dinner come about? Had you invited her?

GD: She actually asked us! And when Madam Consulate General asks to have dinner with us, we don’t say no. (laughs) She was a very cool and also a very interesting lady, and also high-ranking – but we have a lot of ties to Japanese culture and she asked to be a part of it. I understand that she is a HUGE anime/manga fan. For our opening ceremonies, she arrived in full cosplay carrying a huge sword. So that was fascinating. Apparently, her son helped her pick out her cosplay.

NG: It is awesome that she was able to attend and that she took an interest in it.

GD: Oh, it was a beautiful cosplay. It had a cape; the whole thing was just gorgeous.

NG: Getting back to the beginnings of NDK, I know that it originally started as three separate fan groups that banded together. Can you tell us a bit about that?

GD: Yeah. We had three anime clubs that met separately. There was the Rocky Mountain Anime Association, the Fort Collins Anime Club, and then Denver Anime International was the one that I belonged to. DAI was started in 1988 from a different group called CFOod (Cartoon & Fantasy Organization of Denver). Back in the ‘80s we brought over tapes from Japan, and they would be VHS that had been recorded off of television. So we had these non-subtitled, non-dubbed, still-with-commercials versions of these anime - stuff that was recorded off of either morning or evening television. We always had someone in the group who knew Japanese, so they would watch the show and write synopses. You know, just a little paragraph description of what was going on, and they would print them up in these little magazines. You would read your magazine and go, “Oh, ok. That’s what is happening in this episode. OK. I get it.” That’s what we would do. We would get together on the fourth Saturday of every month at the Southwest State Bank on Florida & Federal in Denver. During one of our get togethers, someone mentioned that A-Kon (which was an anime show in Dallas) was doing pretty good. And so we thought, we could do a convention. It has got to be pretty easy, right? (laughs) It was the stupidest thing we ever said! Boy, this has not been easy! But here we are. 23 years later and we’ve managed to keep going. We have survived.

NG: At its conception, what role did you serve in the original convention?

GD: At NDK1, I was a doorstop. I checked badges. But I did such a good job that for NDK2, I was moved up to head of operations.

NG: That is quite the jump!

GD: I know! Its because at the first show, there were only 7 of us. We didn’t have many positions. But for the second show, we needed more people. I was told that I did a good job and handed something more challenging. The first show didn’t have a head of operations. The second show moved to the Sheraton (which was by the old Stapleton Airport) and it had a huge internal atrium. They had operations way up on the 20th floor – and I have vertigo. I remember that they kept calling me out of the office and it felt like the whole hallway would tilt under me. It was awful.

NG: How long was the show there?

GD: We moved the next year to the Sheraton at 6th & Union in Denver. We stayed there for 2 years before moving again to the Holiday Inn at I-70 & Chambers for a few years. Then we were at the Marriot at the Denver Tech Center for quite a while. We moved to this current Sheraton 4 years ago. And next year we will be moving again, to the brand-new Gaylord facility at DIA.

NG: Have all of these moves been necessitated by the growth of the show?

GD: Every single one. As the show gets bigger, we find new places that can hold us.

NG: So we can assume that the Gaylord will be a bigger space as well?

GD: Oh yes. Because we are packed in to the gills here.

NG: If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk about the new venue for a minute. It is my understanding that the Gaylord family of hotels are rather convention-centric, being built to host such events. Did that help to sell you on their space?

GD: Absolutely! When you look at Katsucon for instance (which is an east coast convention) they have a gorgeous atrium for photos. When we look at our people, we find that they mostly fall into three tribes. One of our tribes are the cosplay tribe. And they LOVE to have beautiful scenery. And the Gaylord is gorgeous! There are a few waterfalls and they are bringing in a caboose from the BNSF. There will be an actual caboose, on a track, inside that cosplayers can pose and take photos on! They’ve got a torii gate in there. It is gorgeous, they’ve got two waterfalls and a lazy river which runs around a bit. We’ve already taken a few groups of cosplayers out there and done some photoshoots and they have just been exquisite.

NG: What about the actual convention space inside? Is it going to be a nicer space for you guys?

GD: It is a great convention space. They actually allow you to drive a semi-truck directly up onto the floor for setup. They’ve got two loading docks that have doors big enough to drive a truck in. And the Gaylord is larger (it’s convention space) than the Denver Convention Center (with the Blue Bear). So it is the largest space for a show here, and it is easier to park at. It is going to be easier to deal with (we feel) than the convention center.

Inside the Gaylord Rockies. (note the caboose, just peeking out on the left)

NG: I have seen a few photos of the Gaylord and it does look like a beautiful area. I could see cosplayers being very happy there.

GD: It is also super easy to get to. I’m really excited for it. I think that this move will signify good things in our future.

NG: Walking in to the show this morning, I could not help but notice the number of people who had their luggage with them – really driving home the point that NDK has become a destination show. A lot of people are traveling from out of state or out of country to be here. I assume that the Gaylord is also set up to accommodate those guests?

GD: Yes. The A-line train runs directly from the airport to the hotel and we have a shuttle that runs every 7 minutes from the bus station to the Gaylord. Our guests should be able to get in from either downtown or the airport. We also have a lot of parking at the Gaylord. I believe they charge for parking, but it should be minimal.

A cosplay photo-op by the torii gate at the Gaylord. Photo by @cgphotogcom

NG: Well, you have to pay for parking downtown anyway, so that should not be so bad.

GD: Exactly.

NG: Having spoken about NDK’s past, and a bit on where the future is taking the show, I would like to ask – having been here since the beginning is it odd to see how big it has become?

GD: It really is! It is really strange. Specifically thinking back to the days of DAI, sitting in the basement of Southwest State Bank. Getting together on every fourth Saturday to watch Ranma or whatever and just hangout. Then I look at today. Look at all these people here!

And even better, most of the people who were at DAI are still out there, doing things in this industry. I can meet with just about any of those folks that I was hanging out with a quarter of a century ago and just say, “Can you even believe all of this?” And no, no we can’t. None of us can. We never thought that it would be like this.

NG: Is that core group still attached to NDK in some way?

GD: For the most part, yeah. We’re all still in here somewhere.

NG: As an NDK director, but also just as a fan who has walked the floor, do you have any favorite memories or specific events that stand out? What have your NDK highlights been?

GD: I am a BIG Macross fan. One year we had Mari Iijima (who is the voice actress for Minmay), and the con chairperson said, “Someone needs to take her out to dinner. Guy, you’re doing it.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! I took her out to dinner and drove her around a little. I was shocked to learn that she lives in LA. My second surprise was that she speaks fluent English. But the best part was at the end of the evening when she gave me a big hug. I couldn’t stop thinking, “Minmay hugged me!” I like to think that I stayed calm and professional, that I didn’t geek out. Calm-on-the-outside, but Minmay hugged me! That was definitely one of the high points for me, from this entire thing.

NG: That is a great memory to have. I know that on a personal level you have spent some time in Japan. Does that time fuel your love of the culture, and has that fed back into the show itself?

GD: It has helped a whole lot but strangely enough my time in Japan changed my view on the culture, and not necessarily in a positive way. I know that sounds weird. But having been a teacher in a school, now reading about school life seems like a 2-dimensional view of it. I don’t mean this as any kind of a downer, but I have lived in a school in Japan. I don’t really need to read about it anymore. It maybe changed my tastes. I don’t read anime about school life anymore. I prefer the giant robot stuff these days.

A cosplay photo-op by the caboose at the Gaylord. Photo by @cgphotogcom

NG: If you were always a Macross fan, it makes sense that your tastes would lead you back there.

GD: True. But it is odd how being there changed my views on things.

NG: I suppose that is true in any facet of life vs. literature though. Once you have lived a thing, reading the words of someone who has only written it can sound hollow.

GD: Right and anime and manga are idealized, but it has not been idealized for me. I was never a Japanese student. My time in that school system was as a teacher, so my experience is obviously a bit different.

NG: Back in the late 70’s & early 80’s, when we were kids, the Japanese pop culture influence – the anime, the manga, the movies – was all very much on the fringe. You had to know a guy who had a bootleg. It was not widely imported nor widely available. These days, the Japanese influence can be seen everywhere. And I notice that the children and teens have a much greater interest in the Japanese pop culture than its American counterpart. Middle aged and older nerds are still loving Marvel and DC, but when it comes to buying actual books, I see the kids reading manga. Why do you think that there has been such a surge in the popularity of Japanese titles among American youth?

GD: I think that it is built upon layers. In my generation, we had a core group of otaku who were there doing fan-subs so others could enjoy them. They got it started. We just keep building on that, layer by layer. People saw the fan-subs and sought out imports. Shops noticed the market for imports and official versions became available. The popularity of the imports creates the market for professional subs. It just kept building.

As for the popularity, in my opinion, Japanese manga and anime are much more finely crafted. I was talking about this just last night with the people from Sakura Square. The way that Japanese manga and anime are made using much more attention to detail. You can sense that. Anime and manga are made with a lot of care. Which is not to say that American comics are not made with care. But if you look at the comics from the 1980’s and compare them with the manga of the 1980’s, you can see that there was more care in the manga. Now if you look at a modern comic, there is much more care taken – but there was a gap and the Americans needed to catch up. There was a similar technological gap in the 70’s, where we just needed to catch up.

The Japanese were making good manga with better stories and better artwork, better everything. And America had a lag. We had things like the Comic Code. You couldn’t kill anybody. You couldn’t show nudity. You couldn’t have violence. You couldn’t do anything deeper than saying, “Oh, I’m mad at you.” Followed by, “Ok, I’m not that mad anymore.” And it made our stories incredibly shallow. That is why I got out of American comics in the 80’s and got into manga. Its exactly why. There were a lot of people in my generation that were tired of everything being so shallow.

Guy Davis with some of the exhibits at the NDK Museum during NDK 2019.

That core group of otaku left comics and started getting into manga. Then we brought other people into it until the market saw a need for us. By the time American comics caught up… Again, I am not saying that today’s comics are bad – they are good – we finally have good stories and good art. But there was a lag. And a whole generation went to the Japanese for pop culture. We lost a generation to Japan. Those fans are coming back to American comics as American comics get better, but they are bringing that Japanese influence with them.

NG: Do you feel that there is more homogenization between the eastern and western comics these days? Or do you think that there is still a pretty clear line?

GD: Maybe? I think that there will be homogenization, but the style will always be delineated. There are people like me, who are clearly manga-style artists that were born in America. Everything I draw and create comes from that style. In that same way, there will always be people in Japan who choose to draw western style art. There will always be that crossover in the art, but your locality can affect your style.

NG: I think that about wraps up my questions for you. It seems like this is definitely a place for people with an appreciation of Japanese art and culture to come and enjoy. With the upcoming change in venue, is there going to be any change in dates for the show?

GD: I think we are going to try and push the show back into September. That is what we feel our “home zone” is. We have been pushing it forward to August because of the hotels, but we think we can get back to September.

NG: If people are wanting to look into the next NDK, or read about past ones, what website could we send them to?

GD: You can find us at NDKDenver.org or by searching Nan Desu Kan in your social media, really any of them.

Nan Desu Kan 2021 is being held at the Gaylord Hotel from September 3 – 5, 2021. In addition to a large Dealer’s Room and Artist’s Alley they will be playing host to anime voice actors like Kent Williams (Dragon Ball Z, Fullmetal Alchemist); Dani Chambers (Black Clover, Island); Madeleine Morris (Azure Lane, My Hero Academia); Daman Mills (Dragon Ball Super, Monster Hunter: Rise); and many more!

Buy Tickets To Nan Desu Kan 2021 Here!

October 23, 2019

80+ Photos From San Diego Comic Con 2019 (Super 7 + Peanuts, SideShow, Mondo Mecha)

October 23, 2019/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

San Diego Comic Con celebrated it’s 50th anniversary this July, and Nerd Team 30 was on hand (along with 135,000 other people) to see the show. Most of the photos we took this year were showcasing the amazing lineup of statues and toys headed for store shelves in 2020, though there is one amazing cosplay and an obligatory celebrity sighting at the very end. (click on the photos to enlarge)

AMC DeadQuarters & the Super 7 x Peanuts Pop-Up Shop

From the convention center, looking out at San Diego.

Walking through the Gaslamp can be intense when the crowds get thick.

AMC had a Fear The Walking Dead DeadQuarters experience. — AMC had a *Fear The Walking Dead* DeadQuarters experience.

The crowd outside of the DeadQuarters watch the people who were able to get in.

An errant Walker contemplates the crowd outside his fence.

Donating a food item at the AMC DeadQuarters earned you a special token at SDCC 2019.

Good Grief! a Super 7 x Peanuts pop-up shop!

Walking by a day early, we got to see them painting a Charlie Brown stripe on the building…

The line for the pop-up shop was longer than the building itself when I got in it.

An hour later, I could see the front door.

The Super 7 x Peanuts pop-up shop store front.

The line was only getting longer as I left.

Inside the Super 7 x Peanuts pop-up shop at SDCC 2019.

Success! Charlie Brown action figure and puzzle acquired!

Mondo Mecha

Hasbro

Omega Supreme in both forms at SDCC 2019!

Omega Supreme as a rocket and launch pad.

SideShow

Presiding over the Court of the Dead… (this guy is taller than me!)

Underworld Muses (Flesh, Bone, & Spirit)

Daenerys of Targaryen, Mother of Dragons

Daenerys of Targaryen, Mother of Dragons (close up)

ZV Berbakat Test Type 0 (Hunters: Day After WWIII)

The Best Cosplay I Saw & Dante Hicks

The Horns! The Dress! The Unicorn! SO GOOD!

September 16, 2018

Pledge Your Fur! The Squarriors: Summer Oversize Hardcover Goes To Kickstarter

September 16, 2018/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

Ghost, an assassin for the Maw. Interior from Squarriors: Summer #2. — **Ghost**, an assassin for the **Maw**. Interior from **Squarriors: Summer #2**.

Squarriors is a story set in a world where an unknown event in the late '80s led to the extinction of the human race, and the rise of intelligence in the other members of the animal kingdom to the human level. Flashing forward to the mid-'90s, we see that groups of the animals have formed into clans (like the Tin Kin, the Maw, and the Amoni) - each following a different code of behavior. As the varying clans vie for control of the forest, bloody warfare erupts between the different factions of this feudal society.

The first volume of the comic (Squarriors: Spring) followed the Tin Kin tribe as they tried to decide whether to face the encroaching armies of the other clans or to leave their home in search of a better place. By the end of Spring, the characters (that survive) have seen political intrigue, murder, betrayal, and redemption - and war seems imminent.

Author Ash Maczko & artist Ashley Witter (collectively known as Team Ash) and the folks at Devils Due Publishing had accomplished a truly remarkable feat - creating an independent comic series with an intricately woven story; lush, beautiful art; and high production values. The second volume of the series (Squarriors: Summer) was all set to continue expanding the lore laid out by the first book, but two major stumbling blocks kept getting in the way: time & money. Everyone knows that creators rarely strike it rich off of their passion projects, and so both Ash & Ashley have taken work on other projects - pushing the next issue of Squarriors ever farther away. Which brings us to the new Kickstarter.

In an attempt to raise the funds for the final two issues of Squarriors: Summer (#4 & #5), Team Ash has teamed with DDP and Cold War INC. (the company behind the Squarriors TCG) to launch a crowdfunding campaign with some interesting rewards for fans of the comic series and the card game. The new offerings include enamel pins, a Squarriors stor-folio, KS exclusive variant cards for the Squarriors TCG, and the Squarriors Vol.2 Oversize Hardcover. Join us as we take a closer look at the campaign! Pledge Your Fur!

First, the new Kickstarter video (starring Ash, Ashley, and John Neuls & Matt Reynolds from Cold War INC.). The book looks awesome, and the skit made me laugh out loud.

A “hard no” to a music video? Oh well. Let’s have a peek at the rewards that you CAN get. The oversize hardcover editions of Squarriors are 30% larger than a standard trade paperback, and they are gorgeous! I have the first volume from a previous Kickstarter, and it makes a striking addition to my bookshelf. You can get either or both of them, and they come with KS exclusive variant cards for the TCG!

Both Oversize Hardcover Editions of Squarriors are available, and each comes with an exclusive TCG variant card. — Both Oversize Hardcover Editions of **Squarriors** are available, and each comes with an exclusive **TCG** variant card.

You can pre-order both of the new single issues (Squarriors: Summer #4 & #5), and they also come with KS exclusive variant cards for the TCG! These would ship separately, as they were released. All of the issues are available as digital rewards as well.

Pre-Order the new issues of Squarriors: Summer…. — Pre-Order the new issues of **Squarriors: Summer**….

…. or order the entire Squarriors: Summer series in single issues! — …. or order the entire **Squarriors: Summer** series in single issues!

If you already have all of the single issues, then certainly you need a place to keep them. This snazzy new Sqauarriors themed Stor-Folio will hold up to 30 single issues.

The Squarriors Stor-Folio! — The **Squarriors** Stor-Folio!

If you missed out on the Kickstarter for Sqaurriors: The Card Game in early 2017, you can pledge to get the retail edition of the box set here - and it comes with a KS exclusive variant King card! In Squarriors: The Card Game, you control a tribe of woodland critters engaging in violence, betrayal, and mischief. Utilizing advanced tactics, relying on a unique code of the wild, and carefully selecting creatures, playing a game is like creating your own story from the comic series. Give it a try and play online here.

The Squarriors: The Card Game pledge level comes with an exclusive variant King card. — The **Squarriors: The Card Game** pledge level comes with an exclusive variant **King** card.

There are pledges that will get you all of the exclusive variant cards for the Squarriors TCG. — There are pledges that will get you **all** of the exclusive variant cards for the **Squarriors TCG**.

If apparel is more your thing, there are Squarriors enamel pins and t-shirts as well! The t-shirts feature either King or the Bloody Paw design and come in sizes from S-2XL. Though the art MAY change for the pins, the concepts show Redcoat, the Bloody Paw, King, & Emperor Ra!

Both of the Squarriors t-shirts come in men & women’s sizes, S-2XL. — Both of the **Squarriors** t-shirts come in men & women’s sizes, S-2XL.

Pledge Your Fur by wearing Squarriors enamel pins! — **Pledge Your Fur** by wearing **Squarriors** enamel pins!

I hope that this campaign succeeds. The world of Squarriors is a beautiful one and I would love to see it fleshed out further. For as epic as the story can feel, I have to keep reminding myself that the events we have seen in the series so far have all taken place in the confines of one small patch of forest - but the animal uprising is taking place all around the globe. There is still SO MUCH of this story left to explore.

You can support the Squarriors Vol.2 Kickstarter by clicking here!

You can read past interviews with Team Ash by clicking here, here, or here.

You can see more work from Team Ash at squarriors.com; coldwar.us; or ashleywitter.com.

July 03, 2018

Kickstarting the Apocalypse - Daniel Crosier talks about Camp Crash Episode 2

July 03, 2018/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

The Camp Crash release poster, featuring the art of J. James McFarland. — The **Camp Crash** release poster, featuring the art of **J. James McFarland**.

In a post-apocalyptic landscape, a group of full-grown children (who never left their parents basements) are taken to a dystopian summer camp and taught the art of warfare.

That is the basic idea behind Camp Crash, a new web-series being developed by Writer/Director Daniel Crosier and the crew at Misassembly Productions. Filming at GRACe (the Globeville Riverfront Arts Center), Crosier and his crew produced the first episode in 2017 and debuted it in late December at the Mutiny Information Cafe in downtown Denver. When asked about the main theme and production Daniel said, “We wanted to feature a secluded, unknown backdrop of Denver where we can enact our absurd, creative script - and see what magic would erupt from it.”

And now the time has come for episode 2. This time around, the Misassembly crew are turning to crowdfunding for their production and running a Kickstarter campaign. Created by Crosier, the goal for this project would be to complete the new episode with friends (both new and old) while further uniting Denver’s creative community. Misassembly also wants to bring backers on the production’s journey through the Kickstarter campaign. Participants will have opportunities to be on set, experience a death scene, and take part in the creative process while also partaking in collectibles.

I had some more questions about the Kickstarter campaign, the new episode, and the Camp Crash series in general - and Daniel was kind enough to take some time from his busy schedule just to appease my curiosity.

Neil Greenaway: Can you explain the concept behind Camp Crash?

Daniel Crosier: Camp Crash is a mishmash of influences like Mad Max, and Meatballs. After seeing Mad Max: Fury Road I was thinking about what my approach to a post-apocalyptic jaunt might be. I thought about dystopian summer camp, and since I had access to GRACe in Globeville, that is artist studios and stockyard, I decided that’d be a great setting. I wanted to make it found object, and involve my friends as much as I can to achieve something along the lines of a dramatized Burning Man gathering.

Hagar T. Mangtooth holds aloft the hand of Daniel Crosier, writer & director of Camp Crash! — **Hagar T. Mangtooth** holds aloft the hand of **Daniel Crosier**, writer & director of **Camp Crash**!

NG: What is the web-series about?

DC: After the economic crash in ’08, kids retreated to their parents’ basements. Some never moved back out. So the parents signed the kids up for summer camp to get them out of the house. Along the way, one group of kids is hijacked by Hagar T. Mangtooth, camp counselor of Camp Crash, where he takes them to learn the art of warfare. There they must fight to become camp director! The greatest of honors!

NG: Can you tell us about some of the main characters that inhabit this world?

DC: You have the four kids who are your guides through this terrain. But you meet characters like Hagar T. Mangtooth, the camp counselor. Mangtooth is the surrogate father figure - or bumbling, sword wielding uncle - that you never want to have, but are stuck with. Plus the valkyrie warrior, A.R. Mas Tildun who guards the gates of Crash. They’re all worthy of their own action figures. The upcoming episode 2 will introduce Stu Moungus; camp director Faux Mangina; and the like of Meo Toto. After which will be a flood gate of absurd characters.

The campers march! A still from Camp Crash episode 1. — The campers march! A still from **Camp Crash** episode 1.

NG: The first episode saw the campers gathering and meeting their camp counselor for the first time. Can you tell us what to expect from the second episode?

DC: Once they enter Camp Crash, it is the Hall of Mess time, where the locals hunt wild burritos - plus some endearing moments for the campers - layered with moments of death, combustion, blood and glitter! So, you know. Happiness!

NG: I know that after the second episode, you want to film 9 more episodes of Camp Crash. How much of the story do you have planned out already?

DC: The scripts are all done. However, I treat them as a living organism and not some bible. They are free to change drastically. I purposely left details like locations, set pieces, costumes, and props vague so that we can utilize what we have in our limited grasp. Limitations breed innovations.

The actors are encouraged to make their characters their own. Create back stories. Make their own costumes. Inform us on how their story goes. Improv on set. Very exciting stuff! Like Twizzlers! Is it a straw or just a candy? I am here too say that it is indeed both. Probably best not to be used as a hose for your car though.

NG: A lot of the characters in Camp Crash are played by Denver local artists, and you have several more involved on the production side of things. How did you bring this group together?

DC: You’re right. They are friends or started out as friends of friends. We have a wonderful family unit. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for these cute boogers! With that, it is all about networking. They enjoyed the material. Saw that it could be a fun fever dream. Off we went.

Hagar T. Mangtooth threatens Kid 2 in Camp Crash episode 1. — **Hagar T. Mangtooth** threatens **Kid 2** in Camp Crash episode 1.

NG: Does everyone work well together?

DC: Indeed. I think so. I think there is a large family element. Episode 1 was a hilarious time in front of that camera and behind. Lot’s of food and planning! I did not want to waste anyone’s limited time.

NG: You had said that the actors were encouraged to create their own characters and supply some of their own props - that must add a chaotic, mismatched aesthetic to the series. Did that add any challenges to the production?

DC: Yes. To expand on what I mentioned. They were able to inform the script, and how things were shot. I might be the writer and director, but with a group effort like that I welcome when my cast and crew pitch new ideas. I don’t have all the answers. I would suppose that could be perceived as arrogant if I did. I wanted to create a safe space to share ideas. Truly make it a team effort! With that, yep, the script was always changing. The other scripts for the future episodes continue to change.

NG: Several of the high-end backer rewards for this campaign feature opportunities to be a part of the filming process. Do you think it will be fun seeing fans interact in a real way with the project they are funding?

DC: I think they’ll have a blast. They might have paid to play. They are a larger component for us to get to the finish line and beyond. We are open to have them be part of the family. I think that is one way to strengthen the creative community both locally and globally.

With the state of politics and the world reshaping the way that it is, I feel we need to open our hands and homes because we’re all in this together. So let’s have fun making art and more importantly an endearing mess. Camp Crash, baby!

Hagar T. Mangtooth (played by Allan Elijah Cutler) in the new Camp Crash Kickstarter video. — **Hagar T. Mangtooth** (played by **Allan Elijah Cutler**) in the new **Camp Crash** Kickstarter video.

Along with Daniel, the cast of the new episode already includes Denver actors Allan Elijah Cutler (seen in the KS video), Ashley Frary-Lutz, Kelly Shortandqueer, Bonnie Finley, Craig “Pepper” Deluca, and Amanda Armstrong. Behind the scenes, Camp Crash has Ryan Policky as the director of photography and editor, with music from The Limbs and Little Fyodor. Misassembly co-producers Pete Roskop, Gerhard Ka’aihue, Elise Sargent, and Quddus Ajimine (alongside a local support system of family and friends) were also involved.

Crosier reflected on one of his favorite moments during filming, saying, “I had a fantastic time working with my remarkably talented friends creating this absurd world as truck drivers passed by scratching their heads at what was transpiring in front of them. Good ol’ family fun!”

The Camp Crash Episode 2 Kickstarter ends on August 10, 2018. Look in on their campaign, watch the video, and support this humorous new web-series if you can!

To learn more about Camp Crash and support the project, click here.

To read another interview with Daniel Crosier, click here.

To learn more about Misassembly, click here.

Also, the version of Camp Crash episode 1 that appears at the end of the Kickstarter video (seen above) is the edited cut. To see the NSFW version (contains full frontal nudity) click here.

A.R. Mas Tildun is greeted by Hagar T. Mangtooth in Camp Crash episode 1. — **A.R. Mas Tildun** is greeted by **Hagar T. Mangtooth** in **Camp Crash** episode 1.

July 01, 2018

A Walk Around the Denver Zine Fest 2018

July 01, 2018/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

The Sunday of June 24th, 2018 saw the return of the Denver Zine Fest to the McNichols Building in downtown Denver. Put together by Kelly Shortandqueer and the Denver Zine Library, the Zine Fest is a one-day celebration of 'zines, self published comics, and the local art community. Hosting 90+ different artists and vendors, the Zine Fest's offerings covered an amazing array of topics and genres - superhero parodies, political manifestos, day-in-the-life diaries, and high fantasy. Kelly was set up with all 18 issues of his Shortandqueer 'zine. Adri Norris had her line of Women Behaving Badly books and art on exhibit. Jake Fairly had the vest and glove to match his This Is Heavy Metal books. And Zak Kinsella had his Doodle Fight championship belt proudly displayed.

The Denver Zine Fest 2018 entrance banner. — The **Denver Zine Fest 2018** entrance banner.

Denver Zine Fest 2018. — **Denver Zine Fest 2018**.

Kelly Shortandqueer at Denver Zine Fest 2018. — **Kelly Shortandqueer** at **Denver Zine Fest 2018**.

Adri Norris at Denver Zine Fest 2018. — **Adri Norris** at **Denver Zine Fest 2018**.

Jake Fairly at Denver Zine Fest 2018. — **Jake Fairly** at **Denver Zine Fest 2018**.

Doodle Fight champion Zak Kinsella at Denver Zine Fest 2018. — Doodle Fight champion **Zak Kinsella** at **Denver Zine Fest 2018**.

Lonnie MF Allen (art director at Suspect Press) was there with his award winning mini-comic Delineate. Lonnie also did the poster art for Denver Zine Fest 2018!

Lonnie Allen at Denver Zine Fest 2018. — **Lonnie Allen** at **Denver Zine Fest 2018**.

Denver Zine Fest 2018 promo poster by Lonnie Allen. — **Denver Zine Fest 2018** promo poster by **Lonnie Allen**.

J. James McFarland had a table full of his self-published books. I picked up the latest issue of Maize (his 1920's adventure comic), 2 issues of politik (his political 'zine), and a copy of his new Zines About Hoarding poster "Hoarding: How To Be the Best At It!". Of course, I already own every issue of the Zines About Hoarding series.

J. James McFarland at Denver Zine Fest 2018. — **J. James McFarland** at **Denver Zine Fest 2018**.

A poster about Zines About Hoarding by J. James McFarland. — A poster about **Zines About Hoarding** by **J. James McFarland**.

Politik: Paradigm by J. James McFarland. — **Politik: Paradigm** by **J. James McFarland**.

Politik: Detention by J. James McFarland. — **Politik: Detention** by **J. James McFarland**.

Maize #3 DCC 2018 Preview Edition by J. James McFarland - featuring Lights Out (written by Deanna Destito). — **Maize #3 DCC 2018 Preview Edition** by **J. James McFarland** - featuring **Lights Out** (written by **Deanna Destito**).

Karl Christian Krumpholz had a small set-up where he was sketching and selling his 30 Miles of Crazy comics. I was also able to pick up a huge (14"x17") Hellboy commission that Karl had been working on for me. He created a beautiful piece of original art!

Karl Christian Krumpholz drawing silly faces at Denver Zine Fest 2018. — **Karl Christian Krumpholz** drawing silly faces at **Denver Zine Fest 2018**.

A Hellboy commission done by Karl Christian Krumpholz. — A **Hellboy** commission done by **Karl Christian Krumpholz**.

Karl Christian Krumpholz making silly faces at Denver Zine Fest 2018. — **Karl Christian Krumpholz** making silly faces at **Denver Zine Fest 2018**.

Ted Intorcio was at the show with a selection of the independent comics and zines put out by Tinto Press. I bought a copy of RM, a new graphic novel from Josh Bayer. I had never seen Mr. Bayer's work before, but his art was beautiful and drew me right in to the book.

Ted Intorcio of Tinto Press at Denver Zine Fest 2018. — **Ted Intorcio** of **Tinto Press** at **Denver Zine Fest 2018**.

RM by Josh Bayer from Tinto Press. (front cover)

RM by Josh Bayer from Tinto Press. (back cover)

Daniel Crosier and Elisa Sargent were sharing a table at the Zine Fest. Daniel had his comics and art out for sale, while Elisa was there promoting her upcoming series with artist Laurissa Hughes - When Baked Things Attack! Daniel also has a KickStarter running right now for the second episode of his web series Camp Crash! I picked up one of the promo posters from Elisa and one of the CopSquatch mini-comics (illustrated by Daniel).

Elisa Sargent & Daniel Crosier at Denver Zine Fest 2018. — **Elisa Sargent** & **Daniel Crosier** at **Denver Zine Fest 2018**.

A When Baked Things Attack! promo poster from Elisa Sargent & Laurissa Hughes. — A **When Baked Things Attack!** promo poster from **Elisa Sargent** & **Laurissa Hughes**.

CopSquatch mini-comic by Allan Elijah Cutler & Daniel Crosier. — **CopSquatch** mini-comic by **Allan Elijah Cutler** & **Daniel Crosier**.

Thane Benson was there with his Burnt hardcover and a batch of his hyper-detailed posters and prints. I bought all three issues of his Quick: The Clockwork Knight mini-comics.

Thane Benson at Denver Zine Fest 2018. — **Thane Benson** at **Denver Zine Fest 2018**.

Quick the Clockwork Knight #1 by Thane Benson. — **Quick the Clockwork Knight #1** by **Thane Benson**.

Wanderweird had a table where he was selling his psychedelic stickers, prints, and hand-painted video game medallions. I got a copy of his mind-expanding book, Remember.

Wanderweird at Denver Zine Fest 2018. — **Wanderweird** at **Denver Zine Fest 2018**.

Remember by Wanderweird. — **Remember** by **Wanderweird**.

Zac Finger was at the Denver Zine Fest promoting the Tucson Zine Fest and his spread included 'zines from a variety of Arizona creators. I bought several books made by Zac and several more from Tucson artist Adam Yeater.

Zac was in Denver promoting the Tucson Zine Fest. — **Zac** was in Denver promoting the **Tucson Zine Fest**.

One Last Day Mini-Comic by Adam Yeater. — **One Last Day Mini-Comic** by **Adam Yeater**.

The 9th Art, cover by Adam Yeater. — **The 9th Art**, cover by **Adam Yeater**.

Cinderella II mini-comic by Zac Finger. — **Cinderella II** mini-comic by **Zac Finger**.

Paradisiac Beings by Adam Yeater. — **Paradisiac Beings** by **Adam Yeater**.

Super Back To the Future 2 by Zac Finger. — **Super Back To the Future 2** by **Zac Finger**.

GMO Corn Park mini-comic by Zac Finger. — **GMO Corn Park** mini-comic by **Zac Finger**.

Cori Redford had her full display out including her 'zines, her Dungeons After Dark coloring book, her conspiracy chart, and (of course) a selection of her dick art. I picked up both issues of her Denver Deviations zine, her 24 Hour Monster Party mini-comic, and Open At Your Own Risk (her book of dicks).

Cori Redford at Denver Zine Fest 2018. — **Cori Redford** at **Denver Zine Fest 2018**.

An Incredible Hulk button from Cori Redford. — An **Incredible Hulk** button from **Cori Redford**.

Denver Deviations #1 by Cori Redford. — **Denver Deviations #1** by **Cori Redford**.

24 Hour Monster Party by Cori Redford. — **24 Hour Monster Party** by **Cori Redford**.

Open At Your Own Risk by Cori Redford. — **Open At Your Own Risk** by **Cori Redford**.

Charlie La Greca was the man behind the table for the Denver Independent Comic & Art Expo (or DINK!). DINK always has a cooler full of free comics for kids, but at this show Charlie also had the two issues of Environmental Justice Chronicles that he co-wrote and illustrated.

Charlie La Greca strikes a pose behind the DINK! table at Denver Zine Fest 2018. — **Charlie La Greca** strikes a pose behind the **DINK!** table at **Denver Zine Fest 2018**.

Environmental Justice Chronicles Book 1: Mayah's Lot, written by Charlie La Greca & Rebecca Bratspies with art from Charlie La Greca. — **Environmental Justice Chronicles Book 1: Mayah's Lot,** written by **Charlie La Greca** & **Rebecca Bratspies** with art from **Charlie La Greca**.

Environmental Justice Chronicles Book 2: Bina's Plant, written by Charlie La Greca & Rebecca Bratspies with art from Charlie La Greca. — **Environmental Justice Chronicles Book 2: Bina's Plant**, written by **Charlie La Greca** & **Rebecca Bratspies** with art from **Charlie La Greca**.

Neil Ewing had a table with a spread full of self-published comics and bootleg toys. I got 5 new books full of his comedic goodness: The Ballad of Peaceways, Peaceways Returns, The Tomb of the MeatBeast, Solar City 4: Redux, and his newest book Freaky Chili. I was only recently made aware of Neil's work, and I am loving what I have seen so far.

Neil Ewing at the Denver Zine Fest 2018. — **Neil Ewing** at the **Denver Zine Fest 2018**.

The Ballad of Peaceways by Neil Ewing. — **The Ballad of Peaceways** by **Neil Ewing**.

Freaky Chili by Neil Ewing. — **Freaky Chili** by **Neil Ewing**.

The Tomb of the MeatBeast by Neil Ewing. — **The Tomb of the MeatBeast** by **Neil Ewing**.

Peaceways Returns by Neil Ewing. — **Peaceways Returns** by **Neil Ewing**.

Solar City 4: Redux by Neil Ewing. — **Solar City 4: Redux** by **Neil Ewing**.

There were some free copies of The Philadelphia Secret Admirer floating around the Zine Fest, and I grabbed a few issues. I had never heard of the cover artist (Rachel Pfeffer) before, but these covers intrigued me. You can see more of her work at her store, Rainbow Feather.

The Philadelphia Secret Admirer #2, cover by Rachel Pfeffer. — **The Philadelphia Secret Admirer #2, cover by Rachel Pfeffer**.

Denver Zine Fest 2018 entrance. — **Denver Zine Fest 2018** entrance.

The Philadelphia Secret Admirer #3, cover by Rachel Pfeffer. — **The Philadelphia Secret Admirer #3, cover by Rachel Pfeffer**.

June 01, 2018

Cosplay at Phoenix Comic Fest 2018 - Over 150 Photos

June 01, 2018/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

Nerd Team 30 was able to attend Phoenix Comic Fest 2018 - and the Phoenix cosplay community was out in full display! With a combination of the security threats last year at Phoenix Comic Con 2017, the steep ticket price increase at the re-branded Phoenix Comic Fest 2018, and the ever-present Phoenix heat, I had worried that the turnout this year might be a little lacking in terms of cosplayers - but I was wrong. The costumes being worn were no less interesting, imaginative, or intricate than they have been in years past. There were some changes to what was worn, most notably the lack of prop guns or military characters. This must have affected the Arizona chapters of the 501st and the Mandalorian Mercs, neither of whom had their normal large presence at the show. While the big Star Wars cosplay groups were definitely missed, their absence did allow more of the singular characters a chance to shine. So take a stroll through the convention with us as we present a gallery of over 150 cosplay photos from the Phoenix Comic Fest 2018!

All photos taken by Neil Greenaway, Roberto Martinez, & Todd Jones.

Phoenix Comic Fest will be back in 2019 as Phoenix Fan Fusion!

April 20, 2018

A Walk Around the Denver Independent Comic & Art Expo (DINK!) 2018 - With Over 100 Photos!

April 20, 2018/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

The weekend of April 14 & 15 marked the celebration of the third annual Denver Independent Comic & Art Expo (or DINK! for short) - and I was once again reminded why this is my favorite convention to attend every year. The meeting of minds between so many different facets of comic creation is an awesome and inspiring sight. There were long-time creators that have dedicated their careers to independent characters. There were members of the early underground comix movement. There were creators who work steadily for the Big Two comic companies, but whose roots in (and love for) independent comics are obvious. And mixed in among them were creators and artists from every walk of life, with diversity and representation clearly being on the forefront of the show-runners' minds.

The show started for me on the evening of Friday the 13th - always a good night for a movie. DINK had brought out Joe Kelly as a guest of the show, and the Alamo Drafthouse was hosting a viewing of his new movie I Kill Giants with an audience Q&A afterwards. I grabbed my complimentary bunny ears and movie poster and headed in to the theater to find my seat. The film was touching and weird, with an emotional ending. When Joe took the stage, he seemed genuinely pleased to be there - and the audience was enthusiastic to speak with him. I will have a full review of that evening up soon.

The actual convention started on Saturday morning with everyone setting up at the McNichols Civic Center, located right in the middle of downtown Denver. The expansion that the show has undergone in the past year was evident from the first steps in the door. The aisles were a bit tighter than last year, and the whole place looked a little more crowded - but the show has grown to include over 250 exhibitors spread across the three floors of the building. That number is up almost 100 tables from last year.

Here is a gallery showcasing just a sample of the many creators who were on display and representing independent comics!

Erin Nations was there with the four issue series Gumballs from Top Shelf. Meanwhile, half a table away, David Espy & Alex Delia of Puncture Press show off copies of their comic - Eyesis the Untouchable. Also, they are clearly plotting something...

Erin Nations hides while David Espy & Alex Delia pose at DINK 2018.

Gumballs #1, #2, #3, &#4 from Erin Nations.

Ron Ruelle was on hand with his newest book: Be Kind, Rewind - A Graphic Novel About A VHS Tape of a Movie About Dachshunds.

Be Kind, Rewind from Ron Ruelle - front cover.

Be Kind, Rewind from Ron Ruelle - back cover.

Bob Conway, a Denver local comic book printer known for his quality printing and quick turnaround, was selling mini-comics and indie books that his company has printed through the years.

Independent and Mini comics from Bob Conway.

Artist Gerhard Kaaihue had a table displaying his comics and art, as well as a new project combining the talents of several Denver local artists and the dancers of the Clocktower Cabaret Burlesque.

The Clocktower Cabaret Burlesque project, with a cover by Gerhard Kaaihue. — The ***Clocktower Cabaret Burlesque*** project, with a cover by **Gerhard Kaaihue**.

Gerard and author Todd Jones engage in... we'll call it lively debate. — **Gerard** and author **Todd Jones** engage in... we'll call it lively debate.

I stopped to talk with the folks at the FIne Ok Press table, who were there with their book Arro. Jay Peteranetz is a staple of the convention scene here in Denver, and he introduced me to his tablemate - Ms. Reilly Leeds. Both of them have books out now from Action Lab. Kenton Visser was looking tired set up next to Mark Stack (who may very well be hiding under the table).

The ladies of Fine Ok Press at DINK 2018. — The ladies of **Fine Ok Press** at DINK 2018.

Jay Peteranetz & Reilly Leeds share a table at DINK 2018. — **Jay Peteranetz** & **Reilly Leeds** share a table at DINK 2018.

Kenton Visser shares a table with Mark Stack (who is not in the photo). — **Kenton Visser** shares a table with **Mark Stack** (who is not in the photo).

Josh Trujillo was set up selling his new hardcover Love Machines and issues of the Dodge City series, but I walked away with a copy of his graphic novel looking at Adventure Gaming - Death Saves.

John Hopkins and Red Team Go Colorado were on hand selling their books, while Jerianne Fulton had her enchanting dark arts on full display.

Colton Muheim, Wynn Green, & Terry Schayes of Red Team Go! CO.

CreepHouse Comics was set up with Kevin Gentilcore manning the table. This was the first show in a while where Kevin had left prints out entirely and only sold books, and he was pleased with the results.

Kevin Gentilcore of CreepHouse Comics at DINK 2018.

Kaitlin Ziesmer, Mallory Hart (malloryhartart.com), and Aubrie Van Zandt (Van Zayton Arts) were all set up to sell for the weekend.

Aubrie Van Zandt of Van Zayton Arts at DINK 2018. — **Aubrie Van Zandt** of Van Zayton Arts at DINK 2018.

Oil Can Drive and Exit 6 creator Sean Tiffany had his books in both trade paperback and single issue formats.

Oil Can Drive trade paperback and sketchbook, by Sean Tiffany.

Daniel Crosier had an assortment of his original art (drawn on blocks of wood) for sale along with his comics. Terry Schayes and Colton Muheim were promoting their new indie comic distribution company - Comics Conglomerate. Jay Sternitzky & Mateo Cantu were both representing Paper Dreams Productions this year with art and books for sale.

Wynn Green (of RTG!CO) stands with Terry Schayes and Colton Muheim at DINK 2018.

Jay Sternitzky & Mateo Cantu at DINK 2018.

Phil Buck & Tim Santos were behind the Those Shadow People table selling copies of the Those Shadow People comics as well as vinyl from their band Fresh Hats Tight Beats.

So Many Things from Fresh Hats Tight Beats. — *So Many Things* from **Fresh Hats Tight Beats**.

Phil Buck & Tim Santos of Those Shadow People at DINK 2018.

The Thread from Fresh Hats Tight Beats. — *The Thread* from **Fresh Hats Tight Beats**.

Just because a convention specializes in independent comics does not mean that there is no place for comic vendors. A handful of Denver local comic shops - like I Want More Comics - were present to make sure back issues of our favorite indie books were available.

Sean Anderson of I Want More Comics at DINK 2018.

Back issues at DINK 2018, including a Shannon Wheeler mini-comic.

Back issues at DINK 2018, including early Jules Feiffer books.

Stevie Rae Drawn and Jacquelyn B. Moore had their art out on display, while Thea Jovie Hunt was celebrating the release of her first comic book - Amelia! (it sold out by the end of the show).

Jacquelyn B Moore & Thea Jovie Hunt at DINK 2018.

James O'Barr, the creator of The Crow, had a table where he was selling his prints and original art. The best deal at the booth were the stories of his time in the industry, though. And those were free.

A commission from James O'Barr done for me at DINK 2018.

Good Chemistry is a dispensary in Denver that teamed up with DINK to provide a weed tour for VIP ticket holders. They also had a booth giving away free lighters with painters creating a marijuana themed mural on a large canvas.

Good Chemistry was giving out free lighters and S.T.A.T.S. books.

The Good Chemistry painting at DINK 2018.

Rafael & Kristina Maldonado-Bad Hand had a table with their partner Kevin Butcher. Rafael had a new issue of his book Pilla, Kristina was selling her Lakota playing cards, and the baby made sure that things stayed cute.

Kevin Butcher with Kristina, Koda, and Rafael Maldonado-Bad Hand at DINK 2018.

Some of the card designs for the Lakota Playing Cards, from Kristina Maldonado-Bad Hand.

Ztoical had prints and art out for people to browse through, while Laurissa Hughes, Amanda McManaman, & Alex Lupp all had books on display for the attendees to see.

Laurissa Hughes & Amanda McManamanat DINK 2018.

Laser Party had a table where they were busy selling comics, t-shirts, and pins - but I was taken in by the original art of Joe Oliver off to the side. I bought a whole bunch of it.

A Witchy Lady from Joe Oliver. — A Witchy Lady from **Joe Oliver**.

Joe Oliver, Elijah Taylor, Sam Grinberg at DINK 2018.

A zombie head from Joe Oliver. — A zombie head from **Joe Oliver**.

As a long-time artist for the groundbreaking Cerebus series, Gerhard was one of the most talked about guests at the convention. Both he and his wife greeted everyone who stopped by the table with a smile, and they were generous with their time and their stories. I hope to see them out here again.

Gerhard and his lovely wife at DINK 2018.

Matt Kindt had some serious aviator shades to go with his booth full of comic goodies, Bryan Irwin was set up at a table demonstrating his new video game, and Jesse Dubin was out representing his company - 8th Wonder Press.

Andrew Middleton & Jesse Dubin at DINK 2018.

Carolyn & Chaz Kemp were set up at a table and selling his art and copies of her books (which he also illustrated).

Neil Ewing can always be counted upon to have some weird mini-comics on hand, but at this show he had also printed out the various layers of a photoshop file onto acetate - letting you really see and study how he used each layer to build the whole. I had never seen a book quite like it.

Neil Ewing's trading card stand's in for an actual photo of the man.

A physical photoshop file, from Neil Ewing.

Microcosm Publishing had their full spread of books available, the Denver Public Library had a table set up to make custom buttons for kids, and Matt Verges had unique skate decks bearing his art for sale.

Amber Padilla had new mini-comics available for the show, the Art Order was selling copies of their graphic novels, and Jeremy Lawson & Jen Hickman were looking fabulous (did they really need to be doing anything else?).

Jeremy Lawson & Jen Hickman strike a pose at DINK 2018.

Pepper & Bill DeLuca of Peppercopia Publishing were debuting the newest issue of there series - Side Stories of Camp Lake Kikipapi.

Campfire Stories of Lake Kikipapi #1 & the new issue Side Stories of Camp Lake Kikipapi from Bill & Pepper DeLuca. — **Campfire Stories of Lake Kikipapi** #1 & the new issue **Side Stories of Camp Lake Kikipapi** from Bill & Pepper DeLuca.

Pidge had a table covered in issues of her series - Infinite Wheat Paste, the Talbot-Heindl Experience had several issues of their Bitchin' Kitsch 'zine for sale, and is Press had a full spread of 'zines and artbooks available.

The Talbot-Heindl Experience at DINK 2018.

Creating both the badge art and the program art for DINK this year, Heather Mahler had a large display selling her art, prints, and stickers.

DINK 2018 program with art from Heather Mahler.

DINK 2018 media badges with art from Heather Mahler.

The ladies of Vagabond Comics displayed several issues from their namesake series, while Bob Parks and Cachet Whitman both had their art for sale - but Cachet was also premiering her first artbook.

Art Summary 2017 from Cachet Whitman. — **Art Summary 2017** from **Cachet Whitman**.

Cachet Whitman & Bob Parks at DINK 2018.

White Stag Productions and West of Oz creators Sean Benner & Nick Winand were able to premiere two new issues of their series as well as a new trade paperback for the DINK show. Watch Nerd Team 30 for a full interview with this team coming up soon.

West of Oz TPB by Sean Benner and Nick Winand.

Howard Cruse and Denis Kitchen sat side-by-side at tables selling collections of their underground comix and offering some of the best stories in the industry.

"Bad Temper on the Book Tour", original art from Howard Cruse.

Howard Cruse & Denis Kitchen at DINK 2018.

Karl Christian Krumpholz premiered the first 6 issues of his 30 Miles of Crazy series. Having always been released in book format, this is the first time that Karl has tried the single issue format for the title. Holding the new issues in my hand, the binding feels solid and permanent, and the materials are obviously high quality. Like Mr. Krumpholz himself, they are elegant.

30 Miles of Crazy #1-3 by Karl Christian Krumpholz, premiering at DINK 2018.

Kelly Bearden and Karl Christian Krumpholz at DINK 2018.

30 Miles of Crazy #4-6 by Karl Christian Krumpholz, premiering at DINK 2018.

Lonnie Allen was there, with his comics and art - and of course, free copies of Suspect Press (for which he is the art director).

The Spring 2018 edition of Suspect Press.

Deliniate from Lonnie Allen - a 2017 Dinky Award winner. — **Deliniate** from **Lonnie Allen** - a 2017 Dinky Award winner.

R Alan Brooks, Matt Strackbein, & Jolyon Yates proudly show off the new prints that they had made for their book - The Burning Metronome, while Jake Fairly raises a spiked glove in the name of his book - This is Heavy Metal.

R Alan Brooks, Matt Strackbein, & Jolyon Yates at DINK 2018.

Joe Kelly and his self-described partner in crime, Steven T. Seagle were both happy to tell their stories of working in comics and their translations to film - and both still seemed genuinely happy to meet so many fans.

Joe Kelly & Steven T. Seagle at DINK 2018.

An I Kill Giants movie poster, signed by Joe Kelly. — An **I Kill Giants** movie poster, signed by **Joe Kelly**.

... and that covers less than half of the exhibitors that were tabling at the show! DINK is growing by leaps and bounds every year, and it just keeps getting better every time that they have one. With a real focus on independent creators, this is my favorite show for finding new comics. In fact, DINK is my favorite comic convention, period. It has become a celebration of everything indie comics has to offer, and that is a celebration that I am happy to attend. Keep an eye peeled here at NerdTeam30.com as we will have articles and interviews from DINK 2018 coming out for the next week.

April 11, 2018

MotherF*cker In A Cape Talks Sexual Harassment In Upcoming Episodes

April 11, 2018/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

The Mother F*cker In A Cape podcast has a trio of new episodes planned for the end of April, and they touch on some fairly uncomfortable subjects. While the podcast normally focuses on marginalized figures in the comics community, these three episodes want to directly address the #metoo movement by tackling the topic of harassment and breaking it into its baser parts.

The first episode sees the creator of the podcast, R. Alan Brooks, speaking with Sarah J. Berg - the anti-harassment trainer at University of Colorado-Denver, who provides a legal definition of sexual harassment and some strategies for addressing it.

R. Alan Brooks recording the MotherF*cker In A Cape podcast. — **R. Alan Brooks** recording the **MotherF*cker In A Cape** podcast.

The second episode hears stories of harassment from the women who have experienced them, touching on the very real damage that can be caused by predatory sexuality.

The third episode cuts to the heart of the problem by speaking with men who have admitted to practicing harassing and abusive behavior. These men discuss their thinking and motives at the time of the harassment, how they learned that their actions were wrong, and what they've done to change their views on women since.

Brooks admits that this topic is a bit outside the purview of what he normally features: "I typically focus on marginalized people in the geek world: disabled geeks, a sex worker who makes comics; that kind of thing. But I think sexual harassment needs to be addressed directly by men, and this is the forum that I have, so I'm using it."

The first of these three episodes will premiere on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, and Podcastland on April 30, 2018, which is the last day of Sexual Assault Awareness Month - with the next two episodes following weekly after that.

April 11, 2018

DINK 2018 Is Coming: Celebrate Independent Comix with O'Barr, Gerhard, Kindt & Cruse

April 11, 2018/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

This weekend (April 14&15, 2018) the McNichols Civic Center Building in Downtown Denver will once again play host to the Denver Independent Comics & Art Expo (DINK!). Now entering its third year, the DINK convention has quickly become a favorite for both fans and creators of independent comics - even winning the Best Comic Con award from Westword Magazine. Show runner Charlie LaGreca has proven before that DINK can pull in big-name guests without compromising his staunch support of independent comics and art, and this year proves it again. With headliners that include James O'Barr (The Crow, Pink Dust), Matt Kindt (Dept. H, Mind MGMT), Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Essex County), Howard Cruse (Gay Comix, Wendel), and Gerhard (Cerebus) this year's lineup has plenty of star power - and that is only the tip of the iceberg with nearly 200 different artists and exhibitors planning to attend.

This year sees the introduction of a few new features as well, and they start right at the front door. DINK has partnered with Meow Wolf to create an "immersive entry experience" that will have ticket holders make their way through a series of comic worlds created by local Denver artists Barry Brown, Lonnie Allen, and Brian Essig-Peppard.

The next big change this year is that the convention will host it's first celebrity guest - John Leguizamo be there supporting his graphic novel Ghetto Klown and his new comic series Freak. DINK is offering ticket upgrades that include the graphic novels, single issues, signatures & selfies from Mr. Leguizamo.

Of course the Cannabis & Comix tour returns for its third year as well. This year DINK has teamed up with Good Chemistry to provide a 2-hour weed tour bus excursion with an open bar. Entrance to the Cannabis & Comix Tour also includes VIP tickets to the convention and access to a Cannabis & Comix panel with Denis Kitchen & Howard Cruse.

DINK will also be hosting a viewing of the new movie I Kill Giants with Joe Kelly (author of the series) at the Alamo Drafthouse. The show begins at 7:45 on Friday the 13th and will also include the short animated film Your Black Friend by DiNKy Award Winner Ben Passmore, Alex Krokus & Krystal Downs. Attendees will receive a free I Kill Giants poster that they can have Joe sign at the convention!

In addition to all the big names and events, DINK 2018 will also be bringing together an amazing collection of the best and brightest creators that independent comics have to offer - including a huge selection of Colorado-based talent. Influential Denver locals like Kevin Gentilcore, Daniel Crosier, R. Alan Brooks, J James McFarland, Mister V, Karl Christian Krumpholz, and Red Team Go CO will all have tables - there are too many others to list and they are all worth stopping and talking to.

All of this, plus: a full schedule of panels, a dog cosplay contest, the DiNKy awards, Sunday morning cereal & cartoons, food trucks, & much more. Tickets are still available, but they are selling out fast. You can buy yours HERE.

February 10, 2018

Free Comic Book Day 2018 - Full List Of Titles With Covers and Previews

February 10, 2018/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

May 5th, 2018 will mark the seventeenth annual celebration of Free Comic Book Day - a day when local comic shops across the country will host events handing out free comics. Many events also feature cosplay contests, artists and authors selling their comics, gaming tournaments, and steep discounts off of the regular store merchandise. With some of the larger celebrations starting to resemble small comic conventions, FCBD has become one of the most hotly anticipated dates on the comic calendar. Below we have put together a sneak peek at more than 50 of the free books to be offered this year (plus the Michael Allred t-shirt!). Click on a cover to be taken to a more in depth look at the issue including the cover image, a brief synopsis of the story, and some of the creative teams

If you see the orange banner, you can preview actual pages of the comic!

**FCBD 2018 2000AD Regened (Rebellion)**

**FCBD 2018 Berlin by Jason Lutes (Drawn & Quarterly)**

**FCBD 2018 Bongo Comics Free-For-All (Bongo)**

**FCBD 2018 BOOM Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake Special (BOOM!)**

**FCBD 2018 BOOM Mighty Morphin’ Power Ranger Special (BOOM!)**

**FCBD 2018 Brief History of Tank Girl (Titan Comics)**

**FCBD 2018 Comics Friends Forever (First Second)**

**FCBD 2018 Overwatch & Black Hammer (Dark Horse)**

**FCBD 2018 DC Super Hero Girls #1 (DC Comics)**

**FCBD 2018 DC TOP SECRET GOLD BOOK (DC Comics)**

**FCBD 2018 Defend Comics (Comic Book Legal Defense Fund)**

**FCBD 2018 Die Kitty Die: I Love You To Death (Chapterhouse)**

**FCBD 2018 Disney Princess Ariel Spotlight (Joe Books LTD)**

**FCBD 2018 Doctor Who #0 (Titan Comics)**

**FCBD 2018 Worlds Greatest Cartoonists (Fantagraphics)**

FCBD 2018 Ghost In the Shell:  Global Neural Network (Kodansha Comics) — **FCBD 2018 Ghost In the Shell: Global Neural Network (Kodansha Comics)**

**FCBD 2018 Graphix Spotlight: Sparks (Scholastic/Graphix)**

**FCBD 2018 Howard Lovecraft’s Big Book of Summer Fun (Arcana)**

**FCBD 2018 Infinity Watch / Amazing Spider-Man (Marvel)**

**FCBD 2018 Invader Zim: Floopsy Bloops Shmoopsy (Oni Press)**

**FCBD 2018 James Bond: Vargar (Dynamite)**

**FCBD 2018 Lady Mechanika (Benitez Productions)**

**FCBD 2018 Legend of Korra & Nintendo Arms (Dark Horse)**

**FCBD 2018 Malika – Creed & Fury (YouNeek Studios)**

**FCBD 2018 Maxwell’s Demons #1 (Vault)**

**FCBD 2018 Metabaron: Meta-Guardianess and Techno-Baron (Humanoids)**

**FCBD 2018 Miraculous Adventures (Action Lab)**

**FCBD 2018 Nightmare Before Christmas: Zero’s Journey #0 (Tokyo Pop)**

**FCBD 2018 Only Living Boy (Papercutz)**

**FCBD 2018 Overstreet Guide To Collecting (Gemstone)**

**FCBD 2018 Pokemon Sun & Moon & Horizon (Viz Media)**

**FCBD 2018 Scout Comics Presents: The Mall (Scout Comics)**

**FCBD 2018 Shadow Roads #1 (Oni Press)**

**FCBD 2018 Shadowman Special (Valiant)**

**FCBD 2018 SpongeBob Freestyle Funnies (United Plankton Pictures)**

**FCBD 2018 Star Wars Adventures (IDW)**

**FCBD 2018 Starburns Presents #1 (SBI Press)**

**FCBD 2018 Strangers In Paradise XXV #1 (Abstract Studio)**

**FCBD 2018 Street Angel’s Dog (Image)**

**FCBD 2018 Tick 2018 Free Comic Book Day (NEC)**

**FCBD 2018 Transformers: Unicron #0 (IDW)**

**FCBD 2018 Ultra Street Fighter II #1 (UDON)**

**FCBD 2018 My Hero Academia & RWBY (Viz Media)**

**FCBD 2018 Worlds of Aspen Anniversary Edition (Aspen)**

**FCBD 2018 Worm World Saga (Lion Forge)**

**FCBD 2018 Michael Allred "Madman" T-Shirt**

January 30, 2018

A Walk Around the Landmark Comic Book Club Mini Con 2018

January 30, 2018/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

On Saturday, January 27th, the Landmark Academy in Commerce City, CO once again opened its doors to the Landmark Comic Book Club Mini Con. This was the club's second annual mini-convention and several local Colorado creators came out to help them celebrate. Belying the "Mini" in their name the day-long event featured several panels, a Pokemon tournament, a Kid's Cosplay Contest, and a full table of prizes to be raffled away through the afternoon. Offered below is a gallery featuring some of the creators that were set up and selling their wares at the show.

The Landmark Academy at Reunion - in Commerce City Colorado hosted the Mini-Con.

Almost immediately inside the front door, I found Patricia Krmpotich and Dan Conner with the full spread of their My Gal the Zombie comics.

To see more from Dan & Patricia you can check out: mygalthezombie.com, crazygoodcomics.com, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram (Dan), Twitter (Dan), Instagram (Patricia), Twitter (Patricia).

Patricia Krmpotich and Dan Conner sit at their table with Dan's daughter. — **Patricia Krmpotich** and **Dan Conner** sit at their table with **Dan**'s daughter.

My Gal the Zombie: The Delusional Life - by Dan Conner & Patricia Krmpotich. — **My Gal the Zombie: The Delusional Life** - by **Dan Conner** & **Patricia Krmpotich**.

A page of My Gal the Zombie cards for Valentine's Day. — A page of **My Gal the Zombie** cards for Valentine's Day.

The folks at Game Face Photography and Printing were there with a variety of prints. Their table also featured information and a sign-up sheet for the Monster Rangers (from Steam Crow)! It is great to see the Rangers starting to spread and grow.

To see more from Game Face Printing and Photography you can check out: GameFacePP.com, Facebook, Instagram, or Etsy.

To see more from the Monster Rangers you can check out: MonsterScouts.com, SteamCrow.com, or Facebook.

Monster Ranger info. — **Monster Ranger** info.

Moriah Hummer had the first three issues of her comic - Flat Track Furies at her table. Her book is about a Roller Derby team, which is something Moriah knows about - she plays with the Denver Roller Dolls.

To see more from Moriah you can check out: FlatTrackFuries.com, Twitter, Facebook, or her personal blog.

Moriah Hummer and her Flat Track Furies - providing both substanse and style. — **Moriah Hummer** and her **Flat Track Furies** - providing both substanse and style.

Flat Track Furies stickers! — **Flat Track Furies** stickers!

Flat Track Furies issues #1, #2, & #3 - from Moriah Hummer. — **Flat Track Furies** issues #1, #2, & #3 - from **Moriah Hummer**.

Colton Muheim, Andrew Mark, & Terry Schayes were on hand to represent Red Team Go Colorado and - as always - sketches for children were free. With this event taking place in a school, these guys were busy all day.

To see more from Red Team Go Colorado you can check out: www.redteamgocolorado.com or their Facebook.

Terry Schayes with Colton Muheim at the Red Team Go Colorado table. — **Terry Schayes** with **Colton Muheim** at the Red Team Go Colorado table.

Andrew Mark drawing free sketches for the kids at the mini-con. — **Andrew Mark** drawing free sketches for the kids at the mini-con.

The comics of Red Team Go Colorado. — The comics of **Red Team Go Colorado**.

Andrew Mark of Red Team Go Colorado dispensing knowledge (and art) to the children. — **Andrew Mark** of **Red Team Go Colorado** dispensing knowledge (and art) to the children.

Cryptids & Cogs Volume 2 - from Red Team Go Colorado! — **Cryptids & Cogs Volume 2** - from **Red Team Go Colorado**!

Gerhard Kaaihue was set up with copies of his book Elilani: The Art of G. Kaaihue and several prints, stickers, and original art pieces.

To see more from G. Kaaihue you can check out: gkaaihue.com, his store, or his Facebook.

Gerhard Kaaihue sketching at the mini-con. — **Gerhard Kaaihue** sketching at the mini-con.

Falling Deep #1 - from R. Alan Brooks & Gerhard Kaaihue. — **Falling Deep #1** - from **R. Alan Brooks** & **Gerhard Kaaihue**.

William DeLuca and his husband Craig "Pepper" DeLuca had a table at the mini-con where they were selling copies of Campfire Stories of Lake KikiPapi - the comic that they create together. They also had a coloring sheet for children (which my son thoroughly enjoyed).

To see more from William & Pepper you can check out: Comixology or the Peppercopia Publishing Facebook page.

William & Craig "Pepper" DeLuca at the mini-con. — **William** & **Craig "Pepper" DeLuca** at the mini-con.

Campfire Stories of Lake KikiPapi #1 - written by William DeLuca with art by Craig "Pepper" DeLuca. — **Campfire Stories of Lake KikiPapi #1** - written by **William DeLuca** with art by **Craig "Pepper" DeLuca**.

A coloring sheet featuring the cover to the next issue of Campfire Stories of Lake KikiPapi - art by Craig "Pepper" DeLuca. — A coloring sheet featuring the cover to the next issue of **Campfire Stories of Lake KikiPapi** - art by **Craig "Pepper" DeLuca**.

Lonnie Allen was there with his art and copies of the latest issue of Suspect Press - a Denver magazine where he is the Art Director/Comix Editor.

To see more from Lonnie you can check out: lonniemfallen.com or suspectpress.online.

Lonnie Allen with the latest issue of Suspect Press. — **Lonnie Allen** with the latest issue of **Suspect Press**.

Suspect Press #16, cover by Lonnie Allen. — Suspect Press #16, cover by **Lonnie Allen**.

The latest issue, Suspect Press #17. — The latest issue, **Suspect Press #17**.

Danielle Hines, Sean Benner, and Jeremy Taveras were all on hand to represent White Stag Productions and Sean's book - West of Oz.

To see more from West of Oz you can check out: Twitter or the White Stag Productions Facebook.

Danielle Hines, Sean Benner, and Jeremy Taveras at the mini-con. — **Danielle Hines**, **Sean Benner**, and **Jeremy Taveras** at the mini-con.

West of Oz #1 - written by Sean Benner with art from Nicholas Winand. — **West of Oz #1** - written by **Sean Benner** with art from **Nicholas Winand**.

West of Oz posters - art by Nicholas Winand — West of Oz posters - art by **Nicholas Winand**

Jay Peteranetz was there selling his comics, prints, original art, Magicians Must Die (MMD) cards - a comic book printed on a deck of playing cards.

To see more from Jay you can check out: jnoblepeteranetz.com, DeviantArt, Twitter, or Instagram.

Jay Peteranetz drawing at the mini-con. — **Jay Peteranetz** drawing at the mini-con.

Action Lab: Dog of Wonder #6, cover by Jay Peteranetz. — **Action Lab: Dog of Wonder #6**, cover by **Jay Peteranetz**.

Magicians Must Die (MMD) issue #3, art by Jay Peteranetz. — **Magicians Must Die** (**MMD**) issue #3, art by **Jay Peteranetz**.

Cartoonist and illustrator Ron Ruelle was set up at the mini-con selling collections of his daily comic strip - At The Zü. He also had a whole stack of original art from published strips, and I was lucky enough to get one.

To see more from Ron you can check out: www.ronruelle.com or Amazon.

Ron Ruelle at the mini-con. — **Ron Ruelle** at the mini-con.

Hey Darwin - At The Zü Daily Strips Vol. 1 by Ron Ruelle. — **Hey Darwin - At The Zü Daily Strips Vol. 1** by **Ron Ruelle**.

Non-Human Resources - At The Zü Daily Strips Vol. 2 by Ron Ruelle. — **Non-Human Resources - At The Zü Daily Strips Vol. 2** by **Ron Ruelle**.

An original At The Zü comic strip from Ron Ruelle. — An original **At The Zü** comic strip from **Ron Ruelle**.

Stan Yan had a table where he was selling copies of his children's book (There's A Zombie in the Basement) and we were able to talk a bit about his upcoming graphic novel - Regret: A Cancer Survivor's Story. He was also printing out custom Pokemon cards for people (an idea he had with his son).

To see more from Stan you can check out: zombicatures.com, TheresaZombieintheBasement.com, stanyan.me, or read Regret here.

Stan Yan and his wife Erica at the mini-con. — **Stan Yan** and his wife **Erica** at the mini-con.

There's A Zombie in the Basement - a story book by Stan Yan. — **There's A Zombie in the Basement** - a story book by **Stan Yan**.

Regret: A Cancer Survivor's Story, by Stan Yan. — **Regret: A Cancer Survivor's Story**, by **Stan Yan**.

Jacenta Irlanda of Centalynn Artworks was there selling her fine art prints. Her line of Steampunk Robots is awesome. She was cosplaying as Jubalee from the X-Men, which is also awesome.

To see more from Jacenta you can check out: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Centalynn Artworks - Fine Artist Jacenta Irlanda

Steve Moore of MacWolf Productions was on hand selling his laser-cut clocks and placards. He had a really impressive display laid out for the show, and it all looked amazing.

To see more from MacWolf Productions you can check out: www.macwolfpro.com, Facebook, or Twitter.

Steve Moore of MacWolf Productions at the mini-con. — **Steve Moore** of **MacWolf Productions** at the mini-con.

A Metroid clock from MacWolf Productions.

A Weyland-Yutani Corp placard from MacWolf Productions.

Michelle McAveney of Ink Splotch had a table and was selling her comics, prints, stickers, and bookmarks at the mini-con.

To see more from Ink Splotch you can check out: her website, smackjeeves, Twitter, Facebook, Patreon, or Storenvy.

Spider Wings Vol.1 by Michelle McAveney.

Matt Barclay of Lunch Bag Lab arrived at the mini-con with a plethora of original lunch bag art for sale - and then proceeded to sit down and make a whole bunch more!

To see more from Matt you can check out the Lunch Bag Lab Facebook page.

Matt Barclay of Lunch Bag Lab at the mini-con. — **Matt Barclay** of **Lunch Bag Lab** at the mini-con.

Han & Chewie by Matt Barclay. — Han & Chewie by **Matt Barclay**.

Snorlax by Matt Barclay. — Snorlax by **Matt Barclay**.

January 08, 2018

Cigarettes & Carrot Juice: 5 Questions With Ash Maczko & Ashley Witter

January 08, 2018/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

The Nowhere Girls - the stars of Cigarettes & Carrot Juice.

Ash Maczko and Ashley Witter, the creators of the hit comic book series Squarriors, have created a new story – which they intend to release as a webcomic. Titled Cigarettes & Carrot Juice, the webcomic would focus on the Nowhere Girls – an all-girl gang that rumbles with vampires, witches, and surf-Nazis in 1980’s Santa Cruz. The writer and artist pair (also known as Team Ash) have described the release of their Squarriors books as “painfully slow” and they say that this new comic will feature an intentionally simplistic design that will allow them to regularly release new content, even while they are on the road. There is no need to worry about their flagship title either, as they have assured me that Squarriors will continue on its current schedule.

Cigarettes & Carrot Juice debuts on February 14, 2018 on sites such as Smack Jeeves, Tapas, & Line Webtoon. In anticipation of the release, Ash was kind enough to answer 5 questions I had about the new comic – and Ashley shared a sneak-peek at the Nowhere Girls themselves.

Neil Greenaway: Can you tell us anything about the ladies in the promo image (names, roles in the gang)? Is the puppy in the story?

Ash Maczko: From left to right we have Jalyn, Rhiannon, Kitty, Jamie, Jack, and Alison. We will be revealing more as we get closer to launch, and during the series itself. I can say, each character adds a very unique, and... supernatural element to the story; including Jack.

NG: Santa Cruz in the '80s is a fairly specific place in both style and time. Is there a reason you chose to tell this story there?

AM: Santa Cruz was a place I used to fantasize about as a kid. Of course, The Lost Boys had a lot to do with that fantasy. The idea that there was this theme park, on a beach, that was a constant party, it was magical to me. I finally made my way there a few times as an adult, and it was really exciting for me. With Cigarettes & Carrot Juice, Ashley and I wanted to include as many things that we love as we could; Lost Boys-era Santa Cruz made the perfect setting.

NG: The press release says that this will be like a mix of The Lost Boys, The Warriors, and Riverdale. So we have '70s action, '80s horror comedy, and contemporary drama. Are these elements difficult to blend in one story?

AM: Cigarettes & Carrot Juice is Team Ash’s playground. This is a place where we can create any kind of stories we want; total freedom to be as weird, or as dark, or as scandalous as we want. I’ve been writing this series without any rules or pretense. I’d say it’s all come pretty easy so far. And you can bet someone is going to be sucked into and arcade game...

NG: Cigarettes & Carrot Juice is a highly evocative phrase. How does it factor into the story?

AM: The phrase, “cigarettes & carrot juice” comes from one of my favorite songs, from one of my favorite bands, “Big Dipper” by Cracker. I have been a Cracker fan since the early 90s. I found out fairly recently, that the band was from Santa Cruz, and the song “Big Dipper” was about the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. After doing some research, it turns out that “cigarettes and carrot juice” is some kind of slang/local term for Santa Cruz. This bizarre coincidence only furthered my fascination with Santa Cruz.

NG: The Nowhere Girls pictured all look a little beat up: some cuts and scrapes, a busted lip, a bloody nose. Is it safe to say that they do not always win in their fight against the supernatural?

AM: These women are fighters. And when you fight, you get hurt. There’s a lot of elements like that in CCJ; fighting for what’s important to you, and accepting the threats and sacrifices that come with it. This series is going to be a lot of fun, but will still have that “Team Ash edge” that readers expect.

If you would like to see more, you can find the full press release for Cigarettes & Carrot Juice here.

January 01, 2018

Cards Against Humanity Saves America - Day 6

January 01, 2018/ Neil Greenaway

The day 6 banner at cardsagainsthumanitysavesamerica.com.

Day 6 of the Cards Against Humanity Saves America promotion has arrived and brought with it an end to the annual CAH inspired holiday fun. To close out the celebration this year, CAH bought the naming rights to a minor league baseball field and provided us with blueprints of the field and free tickets to any game on the schedule in the upcoming season. They also included a pack of 12 baseball cards (out of 22 in the series) representing the team that will play at The Cards Against Humanity Baseball Place, and - of course - there was a new pack of 6 CAH game cards as well.

From the cardsagainsthumanitysavesbaseball.com website:

Congratulations! America has been saved! Donald Trump is no longer the president, and the Republican Party has retreated to its secret volcano lair. Now it’s time to kick back, crack open a cold one, and enjoy America’s pastime.

For the final day of Cards Against Humanity Saves America, we really “hit it out of the park” by purchasing the naming rights to a minor league baseball stadium in Joliet, Illinois. Kindly remove your caps and stand — no kneeling! — for The Cards Against Humanity Baseball Place, the new home of the Joliet Slammers!

Cards Against Humanity Saves America Day 6 Envelope

Cards Against Humanity Saves America Day 6 Cover Letter

A ticket to a Joliet Slammers game, courtesy of CAH.

Cards Against Humanity Saves Baseball card pack

Cards Against Humanity Saves Baseball (backs)

Cards Against Humanity Saves Baseball (fronts)

Joliet Slammers Baseball cards (fronts)

Joliet Slammers Baseball cards (backs)

The blueprints for the field.

Joliet Slammers May 2018 Schedule

The front of the stadium.

The totally not racist logo of the Slammers.

Downplay that crow, CAH.

An inviting banner.

A FAQ from the cardsagainsthumanitysavesbaseball.com website.

January 01, 2018

Cards Against Humanity Saves America - Day 5

January 01, 2018/ Neil Greenaway

The day 5 banner at cardsagainsthumanitysavesamerica.com.

The package that I received for Day 5 of the Cards Against Humanity Saves America promotion was a little larger than the others that had come. Inside, I found a pack of 6 CAH game cards (the Pulse Of The Nation pack) and a small magazine full of charts and data. For the fifth day of their holiday promotion, Cards Against Humanity has funded a year worth of surveys for the American people. The results of these surveys can be found monthly at ThePulseOfTheNation.com, but the good folks at CAH printed out the first batch of responses and mailed them to us. The questions ranged from thoughts about our current presidential embarrassment to whether or not it was ok to pee in the shower.

From the thepulseofthenation.com website:

For the fifth day of Cards Against Humanity Saves America, we used your money to fund one year of monthly public opinion polls. We’ll ask the American people about their social and political views, what they think of the president, and their pee-pee habits.

In fact, we secretly started polling three months ago. What a delightful surprise!

To conduct our polls in a scientifically rigorous manner, we’ve partnered with Survey Sampling International — a professional research firm — to contact a nationally representative sample of the American public. For the first three polls, we interrupted people’s dinners on both their cell phones and landlines, and a total of about 3,000 adults didn’t hang up immediately. We examined the data for statistically significant correlations, and boy did we find some stuff.

Cards Against Humanity Saves America Day 5 Envelope.

Cards Against Humanity Saves America Day 5 Cover Letter

Cards Against Humanity's Pulse Of The Nation Magazine.

Results of the "Dumb & Happy" Survey.

Results of the "Pee-Pee" Survey.

Results of the "Our Dumb Asshole President" Survey

Pulse Of The Nation CAH Card pack (backs)

Pulse Of The Nation CAH Card pack (fronts

December 17, 2017

Cards Against Humanity Saves America - Day 4

December 17, 2017/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

For day four of the Cards Against Humanity Saves America promotion, I received a pack of 6 CAH playing cards, 3 thank you notes from children, and a Position Statement from the Chicago Children's Museum concerning homework for school children. The museum, it turns out, is against homework - and so are Cards Against Humanity.

From the website cardsagainsthumanitysavesamerica.com:

Mounting sociological evidence confirms something we’ve always suspected: homework sucks gorilla balls. It stifles creativity and makes kids hate learning.

For Day Four, we sent out cards, thank you notes from children, a policy paper written by the Chicago Children’s Museum, and we’ve partnered with Donor’s Choose to support teachers who are creating alternatives to traditional homework.

Teachers came up with a ton of ideas, like taking field trips to museums, making slime, reading with their families, and playing board games. You can support these projects by donating at DonorsChoose.org right now. We’re matching your donations up to $100,000.

Cards Against Humanity Saves America Day 4 - Envelope

Cards Against Humanity Saves America Day 4 - Cover Letter

Chicago Children's Museum Position Statement (front)

Chicago Children's Museum Position Statement (back)

Thank You Note #1

Thank You Note #2

Thank You Note #3

Cards Against Humanity Destroys Homework card pack (back)

Cards Against Humanity Destroys Homework card pack (front)

December 14, 2017

A Walk Around The Denver Public Library Mini Comic Con 2

December 14, 2017/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

Denver Public Library - Sam Gary Branch.

Last Saturday (December 9, 2017) I found myself at the Sam Gary Branch of the Denver Public Library to attend the 2nd Annual Mini Comic-Con that was held there. The Mini Comic-Con is organized by Thane Benson, a Denver artist whose comic - Burnt - can now be found on webtoons.com. The free event played host to over 30 local artists and comic book creators and featured games, cosplay, face painting, and a costume contest. Not only was the Mini Comic-Con a great chance to meet and talk with creators, I also learned about an awesome anthology book being put out by the Denver Public Library called Mutant Rabbit. The anthology consists of comics written and drawn by teens who participated in the graphic novel or art workshops offered at the library. I was able to pick up both the 2016 and the 2017 issues, and I was really impressed with what I saw.

A jam Comic from the Mutant Rabbit 2016 Anthology

An interior page from the Mutant Rabbit 2017 Anthology

As I walked around the library, I was taking photos and talking with the creators there. Below are photos of only some of the many talented creators who attended.

Adrienne Norris, the artist behind Afro Triangle Designs and the "Women Behaving Badly" series.

R. Alan Brooks, author of The Burning Metronome graphic novel, stands with a lovely lady beside him.

People always want to talk when you're eating. Just ask Amanda McManaman & Laurissa Hughes.

Brian Essig-Peppard, the co-creator, writer, and illustrator of Zeroes For Hire.

Michael William Prince, of Cellar Door Books. Pick a topic, get a poem.

Cori Redford, purveyor of Sophisticated Dick Jokes, was showing her art.

Crystal McDowell had several books and pins on display with her art.

Gerhard Kaaihue was sketching and selling his artbook. See more of his work here.

Jesse Dubin was on hand, representing 8th Wonder Press.

Karl Christian Krumpholz, the author and artist of 30 Miles of Crazy and The Denver Bootleg.

Niré Aschenbrenner, fine artist and illustrator. You can see more of her amazing pencil work here.

Sarin Tatroe (of Sariochan Arts) with her many bookmarks, and Thea Hunt - showing pages from her upcoming comic. You can see more from Thea here.

William DeLuca was there selling copies of Camp Fire Stories of Lake Kikipapi, the series he co-created with his husband Craig "Pepper" Deluca.

December 13, 2017

Cards Against Humanity Saves America - Day 3

December 13, 2017/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

The banner for day three at cardsagainsthumanityredistributesyourwealth.com.

For the third day of the Cards Against Humanity Saves America promotion, CAH decided to try a little wealth re-distribution. They estimate that close to 150,000 people signed up for the promotion this December. When people signed up, they were asked to fill out a survey that provided a little insight into their financial situation. The answers to those surveys (plus a few other calculations) were then used to break all of the subscribers into three different groups.

The overriding majority of subscribers (around 140,000 people) got no money at all.
The next group (around 10,000 subscribers) received a full refund of the $15 they spent on Cards Against Humanity Saves America.
The final group consisted of the people who were in the worst financial situations (100 subscribers). These people all received a check for $1000, paid for by everyone else.

As to how CAH decided who needed the checks and who did not, they released the following on their website - cardsagainsthumanityredistributesyourwealth.com:

33%: Census Information
Since we had everyone’s addresses, we looked up their Census Tracts (and/or ZIP Code Tabulation Areas). This gave us information about the median household income, the per capita income, the labor force participation rate, and the percentage of people below the poverty line in their neighborhood.
15%: Race, Gender, and Education
We used recipients’ race, gender, and education levels to estimate incomes using Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2015.
15%: Occupation
We asked recipients what field they worked in and used the median salaries of those professions from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
10%: Health
We gave extra weight to people who said they were in “poor” or “fair” health.
10%: Debt
We gave significant extra weight to people who had medical debt or credit card debt. We also gave a bit of extra weight to people with student loan or other debt.
10%: Stressed About Money
We asked people whether they were stressed about various things. We gave them extra weight if they said they were stressed about money and a lower weight if they said they weren’t worried about anything. Everything else (terrorism, alligators, etc.) we ignored.
5%: Smoking
We gave extra weight to people who said they smoke or used to smoke. Smoking is highly correlated with poverty.
2%: Ordering In and Eating Out
People who ate out more often were considered to be slightly better off.

Alas, the kind folks over at Cards Against Humanity did not send me a check. Or even a refund. They did send me a pair of CAH game cards (pictured below) that make up for a lack of funds. Knowing that I was able to - in some small way - help out families in need this holiday season helps, too.

Cards Against Humanity Saves America - Day 3 Envelope

Cards Against Humanity Saves America - Day 3 Cover Letter

Cards Against Humanity Saves America - Day 3 New Cards (back)

Cards Against Humanity Saves America - Day 3 New Cards (front)

Testamonials from people who got the $1000. (1)

Testamonials from people who got the $1000. (2)

Testamonials from people who got the $1000. (3)

Testamonials from people who got the $1000. (4)

December 05, 2017

Cards Against Humanity Saves America - Day 2

December 05, 2017/ Neil Greenaway

THE BANNER AT THE TOP OF CARDSAGAINSTHUMANITYSAVESAMERICA.COM.

Day Two of my Cards Against Humanity Saves America packages arrived on December 4th. Inside the patriotically marked envelope I found 6 CAH cards, 4 stickers, and a whole lot of Good News. Siting the fact that every day seems to be filled with more bad news these days, the folks over at CAH have started up TheGoodNewsPodcast.fm. This new podcast would attempt to make every day a little brighter by broadcasting the good news that is happening all around us. Through the CAH Saves America promotion, The Good News Podcast has been fully funded to run a new episode every weekday for a year, free of ads. The four stickers included were also from TheGoodNewsPodcast.fm. In keeping with the theme of the envelope, the CAH pack was also a "Good News Podcast" set featuring 6 soft-and-cuddly new white cards.

Cards Against Humanity Saves America Day Two Envelope

Cards Against Humanity Saves America Day Two Cover Letter

TheGoodNewsPodcast.fm Sticker #1

TheGoodNewsPodcast.fm Sticker #2

TheGoodNewsPodcast.fm Sticker #3

TheGoodNewsPodcast.fm Sticker #4

Cards Against Humanity Saves America Day Two Cards (backs)

Cards Against Humanity Saves America Day Two Cards (fronts)

December 02, 2017

The Centennials - A Kickstarter Spotlight

December 02, 2017/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

Everybody knows that Colorado is home to the Rocky Mountains, craft beers, and a generally laid back attitude. What many people don't realize is that it is also home to several awesome comic book creators - many of whom are working on creator-owned characters. It was while working on a poster featuring several of these characters (for the Comix Collective) that Lee Oaks came up with the idea to do an independent comics crossover. Not an anthology series, but a cohesive story that is made just like a professional comic. And so he united the talents and characters of over 30 comics pros for an epic crossover event - Colorado style - and The Centennials were born. This groundbreaking comic team-up headed to Kickstarter for the crowd funding it would require to get started, and they held their launch party at one of Denver's largest comic shops. Roberto Martinez was on hand to talk to several of the creators responsible for the new book about what they had contributed.

The Story:

A young boy named Milo, (from Stan Yan’s book: There’s a Zombie in the Basement). He has the ability to imagine things to life. He unwittingly imagines a kaiju sized monster with nuclear-like powers, (created by monster extraordinaire Robert Elrod). The boy Milo must then use his power to summon heroes to stop the monster he has unleashed on the world. With unexpected twists that only the Bloody Red Mike Baron can concoct, The Centennials features characters like Tom Rasch's Black Alpha, Dan Conner's My Gal the Zombie, his and Patricia Zoom-Cat's Black Diamond, Mike Baron's Badger and Nexus, Lee Oaks' Thunder Monkey, the one and only Enigma and creative talent like Jason Meents, Cachet Whitman, Barry McClain Jr. and many others. This will be one eventful book you won't want to miss!

And to keep it local we will be printing the books in Denver with Bob Conway, who printed Thunder Monkey: The Young Years.

Lee Oaks

What are you doing for The Centennials?

I’m the guy who decided to put it all together. It actually spawned from a poster that was someone else’s idea and I said, ‘hey, why don’t we do a full on crossover comic?”

My character is Thunder Monkey, he has explosive skin and so whenever he punches something, it explodes. The tricky part is he can’t actually touch regular people, inanimate objects, anything. His adoptive human father is a scientist who comes up with technologies (clothing basically) that he can wear and that protects him.

What other projects are you working on?

The biggest thing I have going right now is the Centennial crossover. If funded we’ll have 30+ Colorado independent authors working on this book or contributing their characters and you know, people who’ve been in the industry years, worked for major publishers, down to people who this might be their first paid comic book work. So it’s an exciting project for me because I’m a fan of most of the creators and I’m a huge fan of indie comics coming together. This is just the one-shot right now, but there’s nothing to stop us from doing more. And there’s nothing to stop us from having more people join the team in the future.

Where can we find you online?

If you Google “Lee Oaks Comic Art” my stuff is super easy to find. I’m on Facebook, Thunder Monkey has a Facebook page, the Comix Collective has a facebook. If you are familiar with any of the 30+ artists involved in the project you will definitely find a link to me

Robert Elrod

What are you doing for The Centennials?

I created the giant monster/kaiju creature that’s going to be featured in the book and I will be providing a variant cover for the kickstarter.

Well it just started out as something I was doodling that I thought I might paint at one point, and it just ended up going into a pile of other drawings and waiting and waiting and waiting. Lee Oaks contacted me about the Centennials project and asked if I might have anything to contribute in terms of a giant monster creature - and I really liked this one and thought it would be a fun thing for people to check out. I named him Svansarmar. I was looking at, I think it was Norwegian for “two tails”. I came up with this interesting combination of words and I put it together and made up my own word for it. So it was just a doodle, just an original thing I was going to do and maybe do a small painting of. I will probably still do the small painting and that may end up being incorporated into the variant cover I’m going to do, or it’ll be something that I have at a show coming up.

Where can we find you online?

My website is RobertElrodLLC.com, you can always find me on Facebook or Instagram, again Robert Elrod LLC should get you where you’re going. Or if you go to my website you can get to my social media.

Mike Baron

What are you doing for The Centennials?

I am writing the Centennials and I contributed Nexus and Badger to the team. Lee asked me to work on the project, I've been working with Lee for years.

You know I’d have to look at a chart because there are so many characters involved. But it starts with a little boy dreaming about a monster and when he wakes up the monster is real and it starts eating people in Colorado. So every hero that’s based in Colorado comes together to form an ad-hoc committee to get rid of the monster. And the heroes include Thunder Monkey, and several others – I need my list. The Vanishteer, Nexus and Badger of course, and Robert Elrod has created the monster. So if you’re familiar with Robert’s work you know what it’s going to look like. Kind of Cthulhu like.

What other projects are you working on?

We’re in the midst of a fundraiser right now for Q-Ball, which I’m doing with Barry McClain who’s right behind me. Q-Ball is a martial arts/espionage thriller and aside from being a very gripping story the martial arts are going to blow your mind because they’re going to be very accurate and exciting. If you google Q-Ball Kickstarter it’ll take you to that. And Q-Ball is Curtis Ball, who is a Detroit native, joined the Merchant Marines at 18, all he wanted to do was see the world and study kali escrima. Kali escrima is the Phillipino art of stick fighting. Q-Ball ends up managing a warehouse in Manilla and one day a big crate comes in. The next day some sketchy characters try to take the crate away but they don’t have the right papers so he turns them down. Well they come back at midnight and Curtis has to defend his warehouse. Turns out the crate contained a Chinese dissident who was forced to flee the country because of her exposes of human rights abuses. Curtis tracks her down and they end up on the run, they’re trying to make it to the United States with the Chinese Government on their tail and the Tongs and a gang of mercenaries.

Where can we find you online?

I have a website called BloodyRedBaron.net and I often blog there. I’m also on Twitter @bloodyredbaron, and of course a Google search will take you to every comic I’ve done, which is a lot.

Barry McClain Jr.

What are you doing for The Centennials?

I am an artist at Valiant, Blue Juice Comics, Source Point Press, I dunno, I just work in comics. I am going to be doing some of the pencils on The Centennials.

And again it was a good time to get me, ‘cause I’m in between two projects right now, the Q-Ball project with Mike Baron. Well I knew the editor of the Centennials, so he just reached out to me and he knew I’m making noise locally here, and I’m the type of guy that doesn’t shut up as you can see. And I think that kind of got his attention, probably, with some of the work as well that I did with Valiant so he reached out to me via the internet and he was like “hey you want in” and then he told me the premise of it, local aspect, I’m all about local. And as well cultivating local talent, and I’m like, ‘I live in Englewood, why didn’t you holler at me earlier’ so like, no brainer.

What other projects are you working on?

Oh, besides that beautiful project Centennials which is getting backed right now, (thank you everybody for the support on Kickstarter, we really appreciate it), Q-Ball, another Kickstarter that I’m doing with Mike Baron as well, that’s getting funded so if anyone can contribute to that, please we’ve got several days left, it’s very much appreciated, we’ve got some good gifts and prizes and that. As well I’m working with Justin Grey, we’re going to be doing a project here so be on the look out for Billy The Kid, it’s really exciting. I’m also got work out on Blue Juice Comics with the Comic Book Men, Kevin Smith and all of them, that gang. I’ve got two pinups in Accelerators #14 and #15, sold at Barnes and Nobles. And the new issue of Badger that’s coming out, I did a cover on the Badger. As well Source Point Press work, the Salvagers with Bob Sally, please get that ‘cause I’m going to be in the trade paperback of that. Really exciting stuff. Harriet Tubman: Demon Slayer, David Crownson, I’m gonna be on issue 3 with a pinup in there. And I’m always busy, man, your boy got a lot of work going on, what do you want from me?

Where can we find you online?

Online you can go to BuyBlueJuice.com for the Accelerator stuff, SourcePointPress.com. What else? You can reach me FirstComics.com. MechaWorkshop.com (cause I also do a book in Singapore with Mecha Workshop called The Armarauders, with Brandon Easton. You can Google me, it don’t matter, I mean I’m everywhere, you can’t get away from Barry McClain Jr.

Dan Conner

What are you doing for The Centennials?

Well I’ll be doing some colors on the finished story for the book, the art, I guess as it’s published. And the My Gal, the Zombie character of mine, Chelsea, will be one of the team members. And then Black Diamond who I work on with Patricia Krmpotich, is going to be in it as well.

Lee Oaks reached out to me. Lee was probably one of the first artists that I met in Denver when I moved here not quite 10 years ago. We've been bumping shoulders at conventions ever since then. I’m just really excited to be a part of this project. I think it’s a great opportunity to have some great characters all on one team.

What other projects are you working on?

Other than that, I have the My Gal The Zombie webcomic and I'll be doing flats on the next volume of Cleopatra In Space with Scholastic. I have some art in the new 3 Stooges trading card set coming out. Also, I colored the entire Halloween Man Christmas issue with Drew Edwards. That will be out before Christmas.

Where can we find you online?

You can find me online at CrazyGoodComics.com, MyGalTheZombie.com, CrazyGoodConner on most of the social media, Instagram, Twitter, probably Facebook

Stan Yan

What are you doing for The Centennials?

I’m contributing a character. The main character (I think) who kind of launches the story - but you’ll have to ask Mike Baron because he’s writing it. But my character is Milo, the little kid, and all these characters that sprout from his imagination. That’s what I’m lending. It’s a character that’s based on my son from my children’s picture book There’s a Zombie in the Basement

What other projects are you working on?

I’m also working on a couple of other things right now. One of them I’ve been working on since 2009 called Regret: Cancer Survivor Story. It’s a memoir graphic novel about my best friend’s battle with cancer. I hope to have all of the pages done in this 100+ page graphic novel roughed out by the end of the year. And you can follow the progress on that with my Patreon page along with what I’m working on for NaNoWriMo, which is a graphic novel project based on the comic that was in the Denver Comics Newspaper, Salem Charter Academy, so I’m expanding this into a full-fledged middle-grade graphic novel featuring my zombie girl from There’s a Zombie in the Basement as well.

Where can we find you online?

You can find me at StanYan.me and instagram @Zombicatures and twitter @Stan_Yan

Cachet Whitman

What are you doing for The Centennials?

I’m just doing some pencil work for some of the comic pages. Lee had reached out and asked if I was available, and I said "Yeah".

What other projects are you working on?

I'm not really working on any other big projects right now, though I am working on a bunch of commissions.

Where can we find you online?

You can find me on Tumblr and Instagram, Pirate-Cashoo.

Todd Jones

What are you doing for The Centennials?

Mike Baron told me that he was going to be using Clinton Slade (The Paranormal Consultant). Clinton's background is somewhat mysterious. He has appeared in two issues so far in Wicked Awesome Tales. We know from the first story that he can speak to ghosts (although he can't see them). In the second story, he is called by a friend in the church to help him deal with the possession of a young boy. Demons aren't very fond of him. There is a history there that we'll get to eventually. His name - Clinton Slade - comes from my grandfather's name: Clinton Slate. He was one of the best men I have ever known so I decided to use that name to honor him.

Also, Chad Blakely and I might be contributing a second character from a story in Wicked Awesome Tales. Lee told me they were looking for a robot. I decided to hit up my friend Chad Blakely about a character that we used in this Dad 2.0 story. This guy basically creates a robot to be a father to his daughter because he knows he’s dying. Its heartbreaking. But he dies off panel, you don’t see it. You basically just see the kid growing up with the robot dad and the humor that comes with that. But he is programmed to “care” as you can totally see in the story.

Where can we find you online?

You can find any of the Wicked Awesome Tales comics on Comixology, I think Stakes is also up on Comixology. And you can follow the Wicked Awesome Tales page on Facebook.

William & Pepper DeLuca at the Centennials launch party.

Pepper and Bill DeLuca

What are you doing for The Centennials?

We contributed our character called “Ant Gal”, she’s from the first episode of Campfire Stories of Lake Kikipapi. Visually she’s this normal, everyday girl-next-door type character. Unfortunately in the course of our story she gets drowned and then inhabited by a demon ant that brings her back as an ant-human hybrid. And she does a whole bunch of hi-jinks to get revenge for the killing of her ant-pile, and ironically enough her name is Anne Pile.

What other projects are you working on?

As of right now we’re in chapter two of Campfire Stories of Lake Kikipapi and Ant-Gal (Annie) is actually the lunch lady in the modern day camp. So she’s still a part of our story. She’s this big robust woman who basically cooks food for campers during the camp season and she enjoys what she does.

Where can we find you online?

LakeKikipapi.com is our main website if you want to find us online.

The campaign finishes on December 16, 2017. As of this writing, the Centennials Kickstarter still has two weeks to go before it ends - with several high end rewards still available to backers. You can back their campaign here.