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*beckycloonan

becky cloonan
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Hi guys! I've moved this shop over to a new domain, and combined it with a few friends- enter THE WEREHOUSE

Not to fear- all orders that were made through my old Bigcartel site will be shipped this week- and if you haven't received an order for some reason please email me- beckyattack@gmail.com, and I'll sort out the problem asap!

I want to thank everybody for championing my self-published work, and sticking with me even though towards the last few months it got a little crazy— especially now that con season (and allergies) have kicked in!

The main reason for the new store is because I just can't keep up with this stuff on my own. It's grown way bigger than I ever thought possible! I am overwhelmed by the support you've shown me over the last few years, and I'm pleased to say that I've mailed out over 4,000 books in that time!!! This whole thing has been a huge learning experience, since I basically jumped into this without any idea of what to expect, and now I feel like I might kind of know what I'm doing! (More or less.) Now with the Lounak guys behind Werehouse, it'll free up more of my time at the studio to getting comics drawn!

So check out the Werehouse. It's got work by Andy Belanger, Karl Kerschl and a whole bunch of other stuff too. Some products have bene taken off to make way for new ones, and DEMETER has been added up as a preorder! (Exciting!)

I want to point out one big change that comes with the new store- I'm phasing out my silk screened covers, which will be replaced with a new, completely offset edition. This new printing will still be wicked nice- I've even updated the cover design of both Wolves and The Mire! The interiors won't change- really this just makes the silk screened editions a little more "collectable," whatever that means. :) Rest assured that you will still be getting a good quality book; I took a page from John Hammond's playbook and spared no expense.

As for DEMETER pre-orders, there are two options- $10.00 for the screen printed cover, and $5.00 for the offset. (There is also a third $50.00 sketch edition available, that is limited to 100.) The extra color on the cover raised the price point- but it looks great and I have no regrets!

Any questions you guys have please feel free to ask- I'll try to answer them as best I can! :D

And as usual, you can also find my mini comics on COMIXOLOGY for .99 cents a pop:


Thank you, I love you!
  • Mood: Spidey Sense
Happy Ides of March everyone! Instead of stabbing an emperor, why not buy Wolves online at Graphicly for $.99? :D

As a lone hunter tracks an elusive beast through the forest, he reflects on his life and past love, bringing the story to a climax that is as romantic as it is violent. This critically acclaimed short story doesn't give up it's secrets easily, but like the best enigmatic endings, leaves your own conclusions satisfying.


"Beautiful, haunting, and refreshingly mysterious."
-Mike Mignola

"Wolves has three of my favorite things- swords, blood, and beards. I can't grow a beard and this comic had me longing for more advanced genes. And by the way it's beautiful."
-Gerard Way

"Wonderful and haunting! Becky Cloonan's amazing brush fills in those shadowy places and dark recesses that go bump in the night!"
-Guy Davis

"I love Becky Cloonan's work - and never more so than when she's working on her own material. This stuff is just beautiful."
-Frank Quitely

WOLVES also made CBR's top 100 comics of 2011 list, coming in at number 67!

"In 'Wolves,' Becky Cloonan gives readers a haunting, beautiful and tragic tale of horror, sword and sorcery, and doomed romance. It's a short done in one story but the visceral action and characters' emotions jump right off the page and pull you into the mysterious tale. In 20 pages of story and art, Cloonan tells one of the best and most powerful stories of 2011."
-- CBR Staff Writer Dave Richards

  • Mood: Spidey Sense
Happy Ides of March everyone! Instead of stabbing an emperor, why not buy Wolves online at Graphicly for $.99? :D





About: As a lone hunter tracks an elusive beast through the forest, he reflects on his life and past love, bringing the story to a climax that is as romantic as it is violent. This critically acclaimed short story doesn't give up it's secrets easily, but like the best enigmatic endings, leaves your own conclusions satisfying.


"Beautiful, haunting, and refreshingly mysterious."
-Mike Mignola

"Wolves has three of my favorite things- swords, blood, and beards. I can't grow a beard and this comic had me longing for more advanced genes. And by the way it's beautiful."
-Gerard Way

"Wonderful and haunting! Becky Cloonan's amazing brush fills in those shadowy places and dark recesses that go bump in the night!"
-Guy Davis

"I love Becky Cloonan's work - and never more so than when she's working on her own material. This stuff is just beautiful."
-Frank Quitely

WOLVES also made CBR's top 100 comics of 2011 list, coming in at number 67!

"In 'Wolves,' Becky Cloonan gives readers a haunting, beautiful and tragic tale of horror, sword and sorcery, and doomed romance. It's a short done in one story but the visceral action and characters' emotions jump right off the page and pull you into the mysterious tale. In 20 pages of story and art, Cloonan tells one of the best and most powerful stories of 2011."
-- CBR Staff Writer Dave Richards
  • Mood: Spidey Sense
Happy Ides of March everyone! Instead of stabbing an emperor, why not buy Wolves online at Graphicly for $.99? :D

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About: As a lone hunter tracks an elusive beast through the forest, he reflects on his life and past love, bringing the story to a climax that is as romantic as it is violent. This critically acclaimed short story doesn't give up it's secrets easily, but like the best enigmatic endings, leaves your own conclusions satisfying.


"Beautiful, haunting, and refreshingly mysterious."
-Mike Mignola

"Wolves has three of my favorite things- swords, blood, and beards. I can't grow a beard and this comic had me longing for more advanced genes. And by the way it's beautiful."
-Gerard Way

"Wonderful and haunting! Becky Cloonan's amazing brush fills in those shadowy places and dark recesses that go bump in the night!"
-Guy Davis

"I love Becky Cloonan's work - and never more so than when she's working on her own material. This stuff is just beautiful."
-Frank Quitely

WOLVES also made CBR's top 100 comics of 2011 list, coming in at number 67!

"In 'Wolves,' Becky Cloonan gives readers a haunting, beautiful and tragic tale of horror, sword and sorcery, and doomed romance. It's a short done in one story but the visceral action and characters' emotions jump right off the page and pull you into the mysterious tale. In 20 pages of story and art, Cloonan tells one of the best and most powerful stories of 2011."
-- CBR Staff Writer Dave Richards
  • Mood: Spidey Sense
During the last few weeks, the inimitable Mike Moses and myself teamed up to create a limited edition silk screened print.
BEHOLD:


11"x17"
Silk screened print
Limited to 100 pieces
Signed, stamped & numbered
Prints will ship in JULY.
$35.00 + $10.00 shipping

"Drink the Blood of the Dragon / Speak the Language of Birds" depicts Sigurd and Fafnir from the Völsunga Saga. After Sigurd had slain Fafnir with the sword Gram, Odin came to him disguised as an old man and instructed him to bathe in the blood of the dragon, and eat it's heart to grant him invulnerability and the ability to communicate with birds.


To order, see my blog Ink and Thunder!

Find more info on the inimitable Mike Moses at www.thedrowntown.com, sufferme.tumblr.com & at Thicker Than Water in NYC, tattooing Saturday-Tuesday
  • Mood: Spidey Sense
My new mini-comic, WOLVES is debuting at TCAF in Toronto, May 7th and 8th. After that I'll start selling them online.

Here's Jamie S. Rich's review of WOLVES! No spoilers, don't worry ;)

OK so The easiest way to get a copy of WOLVES from me is to catch me at a convention- of which I will be at many!

TCAF (May, Toronto)
MCM (May, London)
HEROES CON (June, North Carolina)
SDCC (July, San Diego)
THOUGHT BUBBLE (Nov, Leeds)

I'll be updating this list as shows are added! I might do Baltimore, but I don't know if I will have a table.

I WON'T BE AT ANY OF THOSE SHOWS! HOW DO I BUY THEM ONLINE?
I have to finish coding my online store, which will go live when I finish it sometime in May or June. I'm working hard on several things right now, so I will get to it when I get to it! I will be shipping worldwide, and I'll only be accepting Paypal. Honestly the online store is not a priority for me because I have so much work and travel coming up in the next few months, but I will try my best to get it live in a timely manner! And when it goes live I'll be yelling and screaming about it so you probably won't miss it unless you live in a cave. No offense to my cave-dwelling fans! :D

BUT YOU ONLY MADE ONE THOUSAND COPIES!
My first print run is 1,000 signed and numbered copies. If I go through these quickly, I'll make more, but they won't be numbered. Honestly I only made 1,000 because I wasn't sure what the interest would be. So don't worry, I'm going to try to keep WOLVES in stock. If I run low I will reprint for San Diego! No worries :)

I'M A RETAILER! I WANT TO SELL WOLVES IN MY STORE!
I'd love to wholesale WOLVES, but since I only made a limited run to start I'm going to take most of my orders for retailers after San Diego Comic Con! :) Feel free to contact me if you are interested.
  • Mood: Spidey Sense


Most of you have probably heard the news about Tokyopop closing it's doors (There was a nice short article on The Beat about it yesterday!) and thought about the possible impact it might have on some of the titles stuck in limbo since they were canceled, including Dan Hipp's Gyakushu, Brandon Graham's King City, Ross Campbell's The Abandoned, and my East Coast Rising. I obviously have mixed feelings about this, because while I was working on my book I had a pretty good time, but after canceling my second book 120 pages in I obviously still have some bitter feelings- and their closing does make me excited that I might be able to one day finish the story. Of course the hard part is if that time ever comes, I'm pretty booked for work, and my style and storytelling has changed so much- it will definitely be a challenge to pick up again! But a challenge that I'd be happy to step up to, if the time comes.

Tokyopop gave me a huge opportunity to publish my first solo graphic novel, one that paid off with an Eisner nomination for Best New Series, and as a finalist in the first International Manga Award. The book might be silly and a bit juvenile, but I still look back and remember how fun it was to draw, and all the good times I had working on it. It's also nice to look back on TP's early influence, breaking into book stores and opening up a section of the market that was until then impenetrable. They took chances on new creators, and for a while they had a great team of editors, writers and artists working for them!

A lot of people blame TP's downfall on Borders closing- though I want to talk about something different, about how they stopped being a publisher and started being an IP hoarder. To be a successful publisher I would have thought you'd have to make publishing a priority- and by canceling so many books and concentrating harder on their media developments over the promotion and production of the comics they published, they signed their own death warrant.

That's not to say it's bad to cultivate options for a property outside of comics, but it seemed, for my book and from my perspective at least, that they put zero effort into marketing East Coast Rising. I had issues with the design of the book that went unheard. I even heard that they didn't stock my comic in many stores. I felt like they were more excited when my book garnered attention from animation and video game companies than when it got an Eisner nomination. To me, I don't really care about media rights. Money is great and everything, but I'm in it to make a good book. And I think that's where our interests were divided.

Maybe my work was so different from the manga that they produced, that they didn't know what to do with it, or how to market and sell it- but that didn't stop it from getting an Eisner nom, some great reviews, and international acclaim from Japan. It even had a few foreign language editions including Italian and Finnish. Obviously it had potential to get traction, but somehow it missed the mark. It makes me think the book would have done better at a different publisher.

Tim Beedle, my editor on this book, was lovely. I also worked with Fawn Lau as a letterer, and she was great too! I can't just point my finger wildly around at the company and place blame on everyone, or a single person- some amazing individuals worked there! But the truth is there were some weird decisions being made. And as a creator, even though my editor was great, I never felt like I was important to the company, and that on the whole, my book didn't matter. I didn't feel looked after. And I guess my feelings were justified when they canceled my book with no warning. I even went to their office for a meeting to try and get the print rights back, or just get them to print it again- well I bet you can guess what answer I got.

Maybe TP just went around things wrong. If Stu Levy wanted to make a media company, I feel like he should have started it that way instead of trying to get into movies and other media through comics. That notion has always seemed backwards to me- if you want to make a movie, fucking just make a movie! It might not be easy, but it makes a lot more sense than making comics to make movies. That's like making cookies and hoping they will turn into a cake in the oven!

So yeah, I guess that's all I have to say. I'm excited at the prospect of maybe finishing my book, so it's bittersweet feeling to see TP go (although everyone I know who worked there was already gone...). I feel a little selfish being excited about that, but hey. I'm allowed to be selfish sometimes. I honestly don't have any hard feelings, but I do have some advice for Stu Levy: Next time you make a company, make sure the initials don't also stand for Toilet Paper.

**Originally posted at Ink and Thunder
  • Mood: Spidey Sense
HEY YOU GUYS!

I'll be at Challengers in Chicago for a Demo release signing, and a Demo themed gallery show featuring 50 original pages and art at Rogues Gallery, March 25th at 7PM! Exclusive prints available as well. If you're in the area, totally swing by. I'm making cookies.

  • Mood: Spidey Sense
I've spent the last few weeks working on an illustration for this year's Thought Bubble festival in Leeds, England. While I was working out all the details, I remembered a few people asking me if I wouldn't mind showing my process a bit, so I tried to take some snapshots of the picture at various stages of completion.

I'll walk you guys through it.

After doing a few thumbnails and narrowing the ideas down, I did some pencils. At this stage they were still pretty rough, but tight enough to work over. I knew I would be inking the figures, and painting over the background in photoshop so I didn't bother tightening the trees up much.


Then I did some color tests- this step is usually pretty important for me, because it will lay the foundation for the rest of my color work. The colors for this came easily, which was a bit of a surprise. Usually I struggle with colors, but these were pretty straightforward.


Then I went ahead and threw some ink on Snow White and the Wicked Witch, like usual- with a brush and some ink. Pretty straightforward.


After that I worked on painting the background. I call it painting, I guess even though I work in Photoshop I end up approaching it as though I was working on canvas. I start with an underpainting of the basic colors I want to use, selecting from my roughs when it suits me. Then I build it up and move objects into the foreground and background when appropriate.


Now I lay on the figures! They were relatively simple to color, I only used one or two shades to lighten and darken the flat colors. My main objective was to get Snow White to stand out- Originally my idea was to have her be completely black and white, but it just didn't feel finished. So I added red, since I had the idea to add some to the background, and it really grounded the center of the image, and made her pop out without making her look completely removed from her environment.

Also notice on the witch, I colored the linework so the only black you see in the picture is on Snow White. This way the witch and the comics fall into the background a bit.


I wasn't sure about the sapling on the left that I had drawn in my original sketch, but I decided that area was pretty empty and needed a little somethin somethin to pull it together more. I also added the tree behind the witch to fill the space and add another vertical. These were all pieces of my original idea that I had deemed excessive, but thought to bring them back in the end. I guess you should always just go with your gut! I tend to over-think things, and second-guess myself if I work on something for a while, not really a good habit I guess. Anyway this is the final version!


And here is a close-up:



So there you have it! Snow White and the Seven Comics, for Thought Bubble 2011! And if anyone is curious, yes I will be attending :)

**This post was originally syndicated at my blog Ink and Thunder.
  • Mood: Spidey Sense
So many of you know that my graphic novel from Tokyopop, East Coast Rising, was canceled in 2008 after the first volume, despite it finding critical success and being fairly well-received, and also despite the fact that I was 3/4s of the way finished with the second volume.

As I was cleaning the other day I found the 120 or so pages that I had already drawn, and I thought man, what a shame, all that work. And the worst part, that volume 1 ended on a cliffhanger! Nobody will ever know if they defeat the Suffocating Death, or are consumed (that would have made a quick end to the series!) to quell it's seemingly endless appetite (it already ate Mr. Snuggles, the giant, flesh-eating turtle...)

I think a nice start to the new year would be to put an end to this cliff-hanger, so I've started posting 3 pages a day on my blog until the first 18 pages are up and the cliff-hanger is resolved. I'll feel a little better for it, even though this may not be the most ideal medium to read comics in (3 pages a day for six days? ugh.), I just want to get it out there. These pages are also unfinished, I took off the tones and it hasn't been lettered, but I think you can get the gist of what's happening. Feel free to fill in your own words if you have some time to kill!

See pages 1-3 HERE!
See pages 4-6 HERE!
See pages 7-9 HERE!
See pages 10-12 HERE!
See pages 13-15 HERE!
See pages 16-18 HERE!



I'd also like to give a shout-out to Anais, :iconlonelydays17: who got me a deviantart subscription this month! I'm gonna try to update a bit more now that I have it :) Thanks so much!

EDIT: added links to all of the pages! Check it out :3
  • Mood: Spidey Sense
2010 was a big year. A lot happened and a lot changed, but that's as it should be. And since a lot of people are making lists for the year, I thought I'd join in and try to mix it up a bit.

FAVORITE SELF-PUBLISHED COMICS OF 2010
I go to a lot of conventions and I'm always meeting new people- one of the things I like best is getting to check out other people's self-published books and mini-comics, whether it's from an established creator or from someone who is just starting their journey into the labyrinth that is comics! Everyone is making best-of comic lists, but I thought I'd go a little further; I love self-publishing, so why not show some love to books that might have flown under the radar?

3. WINTERS IN LAVELLE
by Kasey Van Hise
So I've known Kasey for a few years now, before she started Lavelle as a webcomic- now it's a fully fledged self-published graphic novel, complete with an ISBN number! Not only is that smart business skillz, but her comic is a lot of fun too. Winters in Lavelle is a YA fantasy comic about a brother and sister stranded in a parallel world- it's exactly the kind of comic that I wish I had been able to read as a teenager. You can read Winters in Lavelle online- Kasey updates on Tuesdays and Fridays.

2. ATELIER
by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba
How prolific are these two? They produce an amazing amount of work every year and still have time to make a mini comic for NYCC, and go to the beach. This short comic is told in four languages- English, Spanish, Portuguese and French, chronicling the making of a comic from inception to completion. I've worked with Moon and Ba on a few comics, and I'll never get tired of their work. A new comic from the twins is always a treat!

1. SIGNAL
by Paul Duffield
Oh my god, this is a gorgeous piece of craftsmanship. This silent exploration of self reads like a love letter to Carl Sagan, with the universe unfolding as you turn each page. Beautiful in every aspect, this is a book worth hunting down. It's the closest thing to poetry that I've ever seen in a comic- there is so much to look at, it's like a visual symphony. Too bad it's sold out-- Hey Paul! What are you doing? Reprint this book in 2011!!

NEW THINGS I DID IN 2010
3. I played a slot machine for the first time this autumn, in England! I lost a pound, so I probably won't be playing them again anytime soon. It was actually a bit of a let down.

2. I drove on the wrong side of the road! For two weeks the gentlemanly Lee Marshall and I adventured around England and Wales in a shiny silver Peugeot- it was the first time I'd driven on the left side of the road, and the first time in about ten years that I've driven a standard! I'm guess I'm proud of my ability to throw myself headfirst into situations that I might be uncomfortable with, and actually come out okay (not just drive off a cliff into a herd of sheep and marmite).

1. I became an illustrator! I mean, I've done some illustration in the past, but this summer I did 60 full color illustrations for a novel to be released by Harper Collins in 2011. It pains me that I can't show much of the work that I did for it, or talk about it at all! It ended up being quite an ordeal as well since I'm more of a cartoonists and I am more comfortable working in black and white; I ended up learning a lot about myself and my art on this book. It was like running a marathon. I'm really proud of it though, and I can't wait for it to come out!

I'd talk about other favorites, like movies, but mostly I just watch old ones. And music, I mostly just listen to Iron Maiden (who's new album would be at the top of my list had I made one!!!) and operas, but I only saw two last year! I really don't get out much, so don't expect much lists from me.


SHIT I HAVE PLANNED FOR 2011

First off- more comics, totally. I've been talking with a few people about some new books that might surprise a lot of you- so I hope I can get going on those soon! A lot of you ask about Killjoys also- well, I can't say much about that yet, except hold on to your butts! I'm also going to try to do more illustrations. I didn't do that many this year and I really missed that.

I have two new self published books coming out this year also, one is called "Wolves"- it's a short story I did in 2009 for an anthology that was published in Japan, finally being released in English. My second story is called "Mary Bella Beth". I'm thumbnailing it now; it's based on a true story, and it's about four girls and a mirror. I will probably release this one online as well. I'll be bringing these to several conventions including TCAF, MCM, SDCC and hopefully a few others. You will also be able to buy them online, because....

...January will see a big update to my website! I know it's a long time coming, but there is only so much one person can do. I know, life is a difficult balance and sometimes my website and email get the short end of the stick when I am in a deadline crunch (which is most of the time.). The update will include an online store! And I'll try to keep it more current. And be better with emails (haha.)

There is also some debate as to weather I should bring Comic Attack back as well- we'll see! Oh and I plan on making a million dollars and buying a castle. Feel free to visit- and bring your ink!

That's it for me until next year. For new years My homegirls and I are having an Iron Chef themed New Years party- I'm going to make DUCK!!!! I couldn't find fillets so I just got a whole one... looks like my New  Years resolution will be to eat more water foul! Heh. Hope everybody is enjoying the holidays. Until next time~~

EDIT: Oh yeah since my premium membership expired, go to my blog over at Ink and Thunder to see the images: [link] I just copy/paste my blog entries over here, so you might just want to follow my RSS over there if you are into blogs and that sort of thing.
  • Mood: Spidey Sense

Leeds Appearance!

Journal Entry: Wed Nov 10, 2010, 11:28 AM


On Saturday, November 20th I'll be in Leeds for Thought Bubble! I'll have a little of this and a little of that, plus some original art, so if you are nearby, or just passing through, stop in and say hi!




(I'm so psyched for this show!)

:skull: Originally posted at Ink and Thunder.
:skull: CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177
  • Mood: Excited

NYCC Schedule!!

Journal Entry: Tue Oct 5, 2010, 8:07 AM


Besides chilling out in the Artist Alley at tables F4-F9 with Ivan Brandon, Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba, Rafael Albuquerque, Gustavo Durate and the gentleman Andy MacDonald, you can find me at the following places:


Friday, October 8
1:00pm - 2:00pm: Signing @ Dark Horse booth with Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba
4:45pm - 5:45pm: Adapting Public Domain Texts Into Graphic Novels: Room 1A23


Saturday, October 9
1:00pm - 2:00pm: SIGNING @ DC booth


Sunday, October 10
12:30pm - 1:30pm: SIGNING @ DC booth

At the artist alley table I'll have some original pages from DEMO v2, and some sneak peeks at the Northlanders issue I'm drawing right now. I'll also have some postcard sets and comics, and I'll be sketching probably. You know, the usual con stuff!

I love NYCC. Can't wait for this show!!! See you all there I hope!

:skull: Originally posted at Ink and Thunder.
:skull: CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177
  • Mood: Excited

London Exhibition

Journal Entry: Sun Aug 8, 2010, 4:26 PM


Orbital Comics in London is hosting an exhibition of my original art, running from August 20th- September 20th (With a private view on Friday August 20th from 8pm-10pm (which I will be attending!), so mark your calendars! It's my first solo show, so if you're in the area I'd love it if you stopped by!




Sorry if I've been quiet, it's been a busy summer- plus the project I'm working on right now is rather secret- but hopefully I'll be able to talk and show some pieces from it soon!

In the meantime, back to work!

xoxo
b

:skull: Originally posted at Ink and Thunder.
:skull: CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177
  • Mood: Stupefied

Summer Schedule

Journal Entry: Tue Apr 27, 2010, 5:38 AM


Holy shit you guys I AM DOING STUFF!!!
Check it out:

Syracuse Heroes Expo in Syracuse, NY: May 15-16
[link]

Granite Con in Manchester, NH: May 23rd
[link]

Oslo Comics Expo in Oslo, Norway: Mai 28th-29th
[link]

And also if you are in London, you might have noticed that there's a big sign in Gosh! for a 5th June signing with Me, Jamie McKelvie and Kieron Gillen!

I'll also be at Comic Con like usual! Hopefully I can pull something together like last year's silk screens, but I just don't know if I'll have time again! Fingers crossed. It's been a crazy year so far, and doesn't show any signs of slowing down anytime soon! HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS!!!

:skull: Originally posted at Ink and Thunder.
:skull: CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177
  • Mood: Furious

Signing tonight with Brian Wood and Rebekah Isiacs

Journal Entry: Thu Apr 22, 2010, 5:14 AM




Writer Brian Wood (DMZ, Northlanders, Demo) and artist Rebekah Isaacs sign DV8: Gods & Monsters #1 from DC/Wildstorm! Plus, special guest (and DEMO co-creator & artist) Becky Cloonan (that's me)!

Thursday April 22nd, 4-6pm at Midtown Grand Central in NYC, 459 Lexington Avenue!

:skull: Originally posted at Ink and Thunder.
:skull: CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177
  • Mood: Mortified

Mark your calendars! Hide your women!

Journal Entry: Fri Feb 26, 2010, 9:13 PM




WHAT: Huge All Day Event! Strange Tales Signing!
WHERE: Challengers Comics & Chicago Comics
WHO: Michael Kupperman, Becky Cloonan (that's me!), Jeffrey Brown, & Paul Hornschemeier!
WHEN: MARCH 6th 2010!
Daytime @ Challengers
1pm – Formal Q & A Panel at Challengers with Strange Tales contributors Becky Cloonan, Michael Kupperman, and Jeffrey Brown
2pm – 4pm – Signing with the artists**

Nighttime @ Chicago Comics
6pm – 8pm -Signing with the artists at Chicago Comics**
8pm – ?? Official After-Party

If you're in the Chicago area, come down and say hi! I'm wicked psyched for this, I haven't been to Chicago since I was like 4 or something.

:skull: Originally posted at Ink and Thunder.
:skull: CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177
  • Mood: Zeal
  • Reading: Iain Banks: The Wasp Factory

Interview at Anime News Network's The Gallery!

Journal Entry: Mon Dec 21, 2009, 6:42 AM


Check it out!

Happy Holidays to all! Hopefully I'll have something to say before then, but it's been a busy last few weeks. 12 hour work days, which I think will have to continue for the next three or four months if I'm going to get anything done on time.

:skull: Originally posted at Ink and Thunder.
:skull: CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177
  • Mood: Zeal

Omg Japan

Journal Entry: Sun Nov 29, 2009, 3:08 AM


I just got back from a 3 week trip to Japan and Thailand- I still have severe jetlag (Bangkok is 12 hour difference from NY!) and I'm tired and a little confused, but it's great to be home.

I also put up a bunch of photos on my Facebook page- to avoid cluttering up this blog post: [link]. You can also see more pics in the original post at Ink and Thunder: [link]

For the sake of brevity, I'll try to keep this short- it was my first trip to Japan and my second to Thailand (my first was in 2008)- And everyone says Japan is awesome, omg you gotta go, so I knew it would be cool but I was worried that maybe it's over-hyped, u know? But whatever, it was actually that cool. It's a wicked clean country, really organized and I felt really safe. And yeah, it's a little expensive, but I think you get what you pay for, u know?

So first leg of the trip was in Tokyo. I met up with a handful of cartoonists including Svetlana Chmakova from Canada and Queenie Chan from Austrailia (we were quite the international group!)-- The main reason I was there (well, my deductible expense) was Comitia- an independent manga convention- mostly original comcis, with very little fan work and dojinshi. It's a lot smaller that Comiket, but still large, and I'd imagine easier to manage for someone unfamiliar to the scene (like me!)- it happens 4 times a year, but it's only one day, and like 5 or 6 hours! The floor space is also organized by genre! It was so different from any North American cons I've gone to- it was totally centered around the artists. No publishers exhibited there. If anyone is looking for a good convention to attend in Japan, I highly recommend Comitia.

Also- check this out- another thing about this con was how books are transported- When you send your books to the printer, the printers will ship them directly to the convention- and they are delivered to your table! Insane!! And set up at the con are shipping companies ready to mail your books back to yourself (or wherever!) after the con ends. Holy shit- this is like a self-publisher's dream come true!

So really Comitia was only a small part of the trip- Of course I did the usual Tokyo circuit, Shibuya, Harujuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo Tower... It was all fun. It's a safe, clean city, with some great shopping especially if you are into fashion and geek shit. We did, of course, obligatory karaoke (something I don't do that often, but I probably enjoy it way more than I should) and we ate a lot, and drank shitty Japanese beer- I'm sorry, but that shit tastes tastes like malt liquor.

I also dropped by the Museum of Contemporary Art, which had a Takehiko Inoue insilation in the lobby. That man really amazes me because he is one of the few artists who has one foot firmly planted in the cartooning world, and one foot secured in the fine art world, and he is respected in both. This is something few are able to do I think, and he is one of the most successful in doing this. Paul Pope also comes to mind.

Another cool place I got to see was the Design Festa Gallery- a gallery space near Harujuku- where artists can rent space to exhibit their work on a daily or weekly basis. Pretty cool. After Tokyo I took the Shinkansen to Tokyo- don't even get me started on how awesome trains are- seriously US needs better train systems! If I were a lobbyist in Washington I'd lobby for trains. And also for no Christmas commercials before Thanksgiving- that's just wrong. But yeah, trains. It was cheaper than flying (not by that much tho) and fast and convenient- The Shinkansen (bullet) trains connect directly with the subway system- Can I get a Hell Yeah?
So I took the train up to Sendai to visit my old friend Youko who I haven't seen in like 5 years or some shit- we kicked it for a few days, I went to school with her and helped teach English- though I think I ended up learning more than I taught! I had school lunches and met some amazing kids (who all called me Miss Becky- yeah, so cute I almost died!) We did Thanksgiving a week early at her friends apartment- I felt like I was intruding a little, but I helped by deviling up some eggs. After a few days we returned to Tokyo, where Youko was kind enough to see me to the airport.

Then I flew to Bangkok.... To be continued.

Anyway bla blah, Japan was sweet. Hopefully next time I go I can do some less touristy things, mosey about some more and drink less beer and more sake. And eat more fried octopus balls. It was a good trip, with good company in a nice country. I met some great people, I mean I always seem to meet cool people, but yeah... this trip was no exception! I'll post some pics of my swag when I decompress from the trip. I've got pretty bad jet lag, because Bangkok is 12 hour difference from NY.

:skull: Originally posted at Ink and Thunder.
:skull: CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177
  • Mood: Tired

King Con in Brooklyn, this weekend! I'll be there!

Journal Entry: Wed Nov 4, 2009, 8:52 AM


Hey everyone! I'll be attending KING CON this weekend in Brooklyn- I didn't think that I'd originally be around for this convention, and I was kinda bummed, it being Brooklyn's first comic convention and all- but as fate would have it, I am spending a few weeks back in NY between my trips to Brazil and Japan so WOOO! I'll be going to this on Saturday. Here's where you can find me!

PANEL: GRAPHIC NYC: SATURDAY 3PM-3:50PM
GRAPHIC NYC's own Christopher Irving and Seth Kushner host a chat with four celebrated New York City cartoonists: Peter Kuper (Spy vs Spy), Becky Cloonan (Demo), Christine Norrie (Cheat), and George O'Connor (Ball Peen Hammer), to discuss what makes NYC the nexus for comics.
SIGNING: SATURDAY 5-6PM
I have a signing with Melissa DeJesus and Hwan Cho at Mel's table- we don't have a floor map yet, and I'm not sure if they are giving one out before the con (if they do I'll post it), but the table is under Melissa DeJesus so look for that. I'll probably be hanging out at her table throughout the day, but this is a good chance to catch the three of us together!



I'm pretty psyched for this- although I won't be going on Sunday (too much work to do!) It should be a good time. I hope they do this again next year.

:skull: Originally posted at Ink and Thunder.
:skull: CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177
  • Mood: Drooling