Yes, you read that right. Today is the day that you can walk in to nearly any comic book store and receive one, or many, (depending on the store owner) free comic(s)!

This day always excites me, but I’m excited even more this year because I have to drive to Denver early morning anyway for Kat’s ‘Appointment Ceremony’ into People to People. This is the ceremony that will make her an official Student Ambassador for the United States to represent the country this year to Australia! We’ll get to hear a real U.S. Ambassador speak and celebrate this great honor.

And then, leaping in to the car, we will be making the tour of Denver via all of the Mile High Comics locations to scoop up free shwag. If that’s not the best day ever, I don’t know what is!

For those of you unfamiliar with Free Comic Book Day, here’s a few facts and tips as I’ve come to experience it:

1. Free Comic Book Day is an annual event held on the first Saturday of May. Any comic book store worth two grains of salt participates. I did run in to one that didn’t, however, several years ago in Paducah, KY. The reason they didn’t want to participate? “What they don’t tell you is that it’s not free for us! They charge us, like, five cents a copy!’ Five cents to win a fan that will become a returning customer sounds like a small price to pay to me. Needless to say their store was empty and we turned on our heels and left without spending a dime, or even a nickel.
2. Visit as many stores as you can. This one’s probably a no-brainer, but like I’ve briefly mentioned, each store is completely different in how they handle this. Almost all participate, but some limit the number of issues you can get, some base this limit on the amount you purchase. Some stores don’t carry every title. If you don’t spend the day touring different locations, you could possibly miss out on the perfect book for you.
3. Look out for creator guests! A lot of stores will score appearances by the creators of the comics you’re picking up! There’s absolutely nothing like a good meet and greet to stir up your enthusiasm!

I could go on and on, but if you would like the full lowdown, including a list of many of the titles available (There’s always a few surprises) and participating locations near you, be sure to visit the official Free Comic Book Day website!

Here are a few of the family-friendly titles that you may find and that are endorsed by Howefitz Blog: click the pics for the official descriptions!

Highest Possible Recommendation!

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Of course, today’s kids are spoiled. They can have cartoons 24-7, on demand, no questions asked. Here at Howefitz Blog, I’d like to start  a tradition of making Saturday morning an event again. Cartoons belong on Saturday morning!

This week, after that stirring childhood reminiscence, let me warn you that the following comic book I am going to tell you about is NOT for the kiddos. My readers are generally parents and grandparents, and every time I blog about a comic, I get a ‘That will be great for my kid/grandkid!’ comment. DO NOT find this comic for your kid!

Thanks to Ron Mattocks for pointing me to ‘Life With Tony‘, and his Kick-Ass comic giveaway!

Tony is giving away a copy of Kick-Ass #1, signed by creators Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. Even though I’ve been out of comic book circles for a while, I know that these two are legends and would love to have their autograph!

The comic is super-violent, with an uber-violent movie releasing in April. (Again, not for kids…)

As you can see, the story is of a comic book fan that decides to become his own kind of superhero. The only thing is, he doesn’t have super powers.

So, Tony’s giveaway works like this: answer the question of what super power would you have and why? Post your answer to your blog, MySpace, Facebook, whatever…

It didn’t take a whole lot of thought for me. Now that I’m a family man, I can’t be selfish and just give myself super powers. So, in the spirit of the Incredibles, here’s my super-family line-up:

Ultra-Papa: This would be me. Who doesn’t want the power of flight? So that would come first, but not without some effort. The extraordinary muscles that would be required to sustain flight and navigate the skies would lead to super-strength. Being the adult male of the team would make me think that I am the leader, but actually that would be…

Ultra-Mama: Also having the ability to fly and super-strength, Ultra-Mama is the real brains behind the operation, but let’s Ultra-Papa think he is in control… at least some of the time.

Steam-Hatter: Being able to multi-task in a HUGE way is Steam-Hatter’s forte. She is the informational hub for the team, able to navigate informational super-networks with a thought, and relay the pertinent info to the rest of the team. Still able to kick ass on missions, Steam-Hatter would prefer to stay behind the scenes and keep the team rolling.

Flash-Calli: This is actually what she wants us to call her, no DC Comics copyright-infringement is intended! Flash-Calli has so much kinetic energy in her molecular structure, that she is constantly on the move, even while asleep. She’s agile and quick, and is often utilized as the distraction while Ultra-Papa and Ultra-Mama do their thing.

Baby T: Although unable to speak, Baby T is able to control others with a single look. Objects from around the room suddenly appear in his hands, leading many to believe he possesses telekinetic as well as telepathic powers.

And that’s the Howefitz Ultra Team!

Do you or your family wish they had super powers? Be sure to let Tony know all about it!

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**Just a reminder, my donate button on the right side of the blog is going to Kat and her People to People delegation to Australia. Give what you can when you can to help her on this life-changing journey!**

Pages from ‘I Die At Midnight’ depicting a man desperately in need of a good vomit…

Kyle Baker’s pacing and ‘acting’ on the cartoon page is flawless. That’s why, when I saw a book with a title that started with ‘How To Draw’ with Kyle Baker’s name on it, I knew I had to pick it up.

‘How To Draw Stupid’ reads more like an inspirational book than a straight-forward instructional art book. You won’t find any ‘draw a circle here, than a line there’ type of instruction here. What you will find are a few tips on character design, the layout on the page, and comedic timing. More importantly, you get a dose of Kyle Baker telling it like it is. He injects enough of his own personality and anecdotes from his own life as a cartoonist to make this an interesting read even to someone who has no interest in a career as an artist or cartoonist.

The most important lesson, repeated throughout the book, is that if you want to do something, just do it. In the introduction, I felt like Baker was talking directly at my younger self when he said:

‘When I was young, well-meaning adults would explain to me that it was impossible to make a living as a cartoonist. When I got older, well-meaning publishers, editors, and animation producers would tell me that it just wasn’t possible to publish or produce the kinds of cartoons that I like to make.’

When I was growing up, I wanted to be an animator. When I discovered comic books like Eric Larsen‘s Savage Dragon and Dave Sim‘s Cerebus , I loved seeing how creators could get away with anything and express themselves in a unique way through the comic book medium, without bowing down to some corporate hegemony. I wanted to do that!

However, I let outside influences effect me. I listened to the voices that said it couldn’t be done. I didn’t give 100% to achieving my goal. I didn’t dedicate the time I would need to to be able to hone my craft and earn a living making cartoons.

In the first chapter, Kyle Baker offers simple advice for becoming a cartoonist: ‘Do A Cartoon!’ He says not to worry about rejection or the cartoon being perfect because, ‘Dude, it’s a freaking cartoon!’

I will hope that my kids read this book , whether they want to make cartoons or not, for the simple message of letting everyone else think what they will, if you desire something it’s up to you to go for it!

At the end of the laugh-a-page book that follows, comes the advice that sums up the entire message:

And, finally, be the best!

…And you know why I’m the best? Because I say I’m the best. If you say you’re the best, that’s it. Try it.

…

Being the best isn’t an option these days; it’s a necessity. You don’t have to be competitive, but you must be the best.’

Sound advice from ‘The Greatest Cartoonist of All Time!’. I wish I’d gotten it sooner. But it’s never too late to start.

This is Justin M. Howe, author of the Howefitz Blog, greatest daddy blogger of all time, logging off!

I’ve never been shy about sharing the fact that I favor the funnybooks. I guess of any vice one could have, reading comics isn’t all that bad. When I was small, my parents would bring home whatever they saw at the grocery store newsstand (Yeah, newsstands still had comics then!) that they thought I would like. These mainly consisted of comic book versions of my favorite cartoons: Looney Tunes, Popeye, Tom and Jerry, Donald Duck, essentially, kids’ stuff…

God bless Google, here is the first 'real' comic I ever owned. Scary, huh?

At 13, I bought my first ‘real’ comic book. It was an issue of Batman featuring Killer Croc, and it began an obsession with comics, Batman in particular, that would take me through the rest of my life…

Fast forward to me at 19 years old. I had graduated high school and started going to a community college. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I had no real sense of direction. I was interested in too many things. I took classes in psychology, theater, biology, philosophy, and art.

My second semester, I was bored with the relationship I was in, but too weak to end it. I just knew that I wouldn’t be able to find anyone else that would accept a tubby fanboy like me, so I was settling. We didn’t really understand each other, but hey, she stuck around, so maybe she felt something I didn’t, right?

So I walk into my art class for the semester, and I saw the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen. She had a long flowing halo of dark red hair and a smile that would melt the hardest of hearts. Of course, I couldn’t go up and talk to her, it took her boisterous friend (there’s always one of those in these stories, isn’t there?) to introduce us. It was her friend that got this wonderful goddess to sit at a table near mine, to give us a chance to talk. And talk we did. Almost immediately, we began finishing each other’s sentences. I entertained the idea of dumping my girlfriend and running off with this wonderful woman, but again, I was weak.

Fortunately, my girlfriend made the decision for me. She’d been seeing another guy, and liked him more than me. I felt numb, but not necessarily hurt. Was I mad that she made the first move? Probably. I wanted to be the one to do the dumping! (Who doesn’t?)

So, sans girlfriend, I continued to talk to my Angel of the Art Class. There were several times that we would complete a sentence or say the same thing at the same time. Her friend would throw her hands up and say, ‘Oh, just get married already!’

What a dream boat!

Here was the knockout blow: She referred to Robin Williams as sexy. I admire Mr. Williams greatly. He is a very funny comedian and an amazing actor. But sexy? I thought of my own tubby hairy frame and thought, maybe this could work!

After all our discussions in art class, all the times we would laugh and joke in the cafeteria, I still couldn’t muster the courage to ask her on an actual date. Again, enter the boisterous friend. When the gorgeous redhead wasn’t looking, her friend slipped me a phone number and said, ‘Just call her!’

Chicken that I am, I sat on the number all summer. Luckily, fate brought us together the following semester, and in November of that year, we finally went on a date.

I still remember first setting foot in her home. She had her own house, while I still lived with my parents, in typical fanboy fashion.

…And she had a four year old daughter. She was older than me, and all of these things combined is pretty intimidating to a 20 year old who only really had one other real relationship in his life. But as I looked around her home and saw the comic book and pez dispenser collections, I knew I couldn’t leave.

It was more than those interests, obviously. It was the type of mother she was, it was the way that she thought. It was her sense of style. While I tended to plaster the walls with nothing but super heroes, she could somehow seamlessly incorporate prints of classic paintings by Matisse and Van Goghwith the four color heroes we both cherished.

One of our favorite arguments is whether Batman or Superman is the better hero. She’ll argue that Superman could do anything, but he chooses to use his abilities for good. I argue that Batman is self-made. He has no powers, but has honed his body and his mind to be the World’s Greatest Detective. She argues that Clark Kent is someone you’d want to hang around with, while Bruce Wayne is a douche. I argue that Bruce Wayne is the mask, and that Batman is the true identity… etc., etc.

DS9 became my very favorite Trek.

Before Bobbette and I started dating, I was a huge Star Wars fan. I thought that Star Wars was about characters, and Star Trek was more about the technology. She set out to prove me wrong. We started with, of all things, Voyager. A local TV station was running reruns late at night. Luckily, when we started, they were into the later seasons, if we’d started at season one, I don’t know how long I would have lasted. As it was, I immediately fell for Seven of Nine‘s battle to regain her humanity. I loved Tom Paris and his romance with a Klingon and fascination with twentieth century culture…

This became my new fanboy obsession. The library had all seasons of Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, and I ravenously consumed it all. I began writing Star Trek stories and entering the now defunct Strange New Worldsshort story competition. (For a sample of my Trek writing, check out my favorite of my stories; ‘The Stars Aren’t As Far As You Think‘) I never won anything, but I feel that the experience taught me a lot about having a passion for something and putting everything I had into that thing. I read so many Trek books and spent so much time on Memory Alpha, the Star Trek wiki, that I very nearly burnt myself out.

I spent a lot of time here babbling about the geeky stuff, because that’s easy. But the fact is that without my wonderful wife, I would probably still be out wandering the world with no direction. My compass would not point north, and I would not have the amazing children that you all have heard so much about.

Happy Anniversary, Bobbette. Here’s to forever!

‘Lions, Tigers, and Bears’ is the story of a little boy named Joey Price. Joey has just moved away from his grandmother who he’s close to, and is scared of being in a new place without any friends. As a going away present, his grandma gives him a set of four stuffed animals called ‘The Night Pride’. The lions and tigers in the set she says will chase the beasties away.

As Joey is trying to go to sleep, he hears some bumps one night. That’s when The Night Pride come alive!

I enjoy this comic as much as my small child. Joey is someone anyone can relate to. Through his relationship with The Night Pride, Joey can learn to handle his fears.

As simple as the story seems at first, it soon takes many surprising twists and turns, with plenty of humor and action along the way.

What’s really great about this comic is that the artwork is spectacular. In the introduction, the editor, Ron Marz, calls it ‘animated’. Each frame looks like a still from a hand drawn animated film. This is one of those comics you can get lost in, as if you’re simply watching a movie.

In April of this year, it was announced that Paramount has secured the rights to a Lions, Tigers, and Bears movie. It is said to be similar to the Narnia movies: live action with CGI creatures. I almost wish this film would be fully animated in a way that captures Jack Lawrence‘s artwork, but we’ll always have the comics!! To read an interview with LTB author Mike Bullock about the film, visit comicon.com.

I was going to teach comic books to teenagers.

Kirby help me.

OK, so my foray in to educating youngsters wasn’t quite so dramatic, but I did feel nervous. In High School, I had found a taste for the stage. The theater was something that I loved and although I would not eat a thing the day of a performance, once I was on stage, I had never felt so high.

But I was reciting lines. I was moving because a director told me to move. I was making a mockery of a foreign accent because that’s what I thought the character needed. The words were not my own. The actions were not my own. The face, more often than not, was not my own.

It’s very different when the words are your own. You feel more vulnerable. Even if you care about your subject matter deeply, you can get so paralyzed with fear of rejection that it becomes impossible to convey your passion.

I have a very deep affection for the comic book medium. I wear it on my sleeve, well okay, my chest, most of the time. In fact, that’s how I had found myself standing in front of this gaggle of teens. I had been noticed at the library checking out graphic novels every other day with a different character on my tee-shirt each time.

A librarian had asked me if I draw comics. My inner Ralph Macchio had said, “Well, you know, not professionally.” My outer self said “eh.” I hang my head to think that, when put on the spot, I am not as eloquent as the Karate Kid. All that aside, the library let me teach a class with the somewhat erroneous title, ‘How to Draw Manga’.

The comic I drew while attempting to regain my audience's trust...

I began by telling the kids that this was their class. They could doodle while I talked, and if anything I said sparked an idea or question they could interrupt me at any time.

I had promised Kat that I wouldn’t just read my notes. I agreed that that was just too boring. I promised her a cool class.

So there I was, clutching my notes like they were the last root on the cliff.

“I think I’m boring you. Am I boring you?” I said, finally pulling my eyes off of the paper.

“Maybe some drinks will wake them up?” the librarian spoke out.

Bless you. I hadn’t even noticed her setting the liquid refreshment out.

I tried my hand at a couple of jokes and gave it up. I let Kat demonstrate Chibi technique on the big dry erase board, and I demonstrated speed lines.

Feeling I’d completely lost my audience, I moved along to the activities I’d shamelessly stolen from Scott McCloud‘s ‘Making Comics‘.

The crowd suddenly got lively! I took them out of their comfort zone by having them all write a title on the top of a piece of paper, then they swapped with a neighbor and drew one page comics based on the titles they received.

They laughed and joked and teased each other, loosening up to others’ ideas. I pointed out a couple examples from their peers of nicely paced pages and well drawn art.

I then had them create sound effets based on items in the room. I found it interesting that two girls on opposite ends of the room chose to represent ‘shine’ as a sound effect.

Lastly, we created a character together that is a female alligator that wears mini-skirts and halter tops, eats people that give her gas, says ‘Rawr!!’, collects pencils, lives under the bed, has a walrus as a best friend, keeps one of the classmates as a pet, and makes a living by mowing lawns with her teeth.

My take on the class-created character

The class clocked in at about an hour, after which I felt I had truly lost only two of my students.

One of the best things about it was I felt that I was able to quickly adapt to my surroundings and actually have fun with the situation, and that fun bled in to the kids.

The absolute best thing was that Kat and I shared a moment together that wasn’t around the TV or because I’d just given her money.

I would definitely do this again.

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For posterity’s sake and the benefit of my own feeble mind, the class was held on Tues., Jun 9, 2009. The somewhat ill-fated notes are posted below. I had typed these in a Comic Sans font, in all caps, to give them more of a comics feel. Given the limitations of fonts in blogging, you’ll just have to imagine…

IN PUTTING TOGETHER THIS CLASS, AND TAKING INTO ACCOUNT MY OWN ARTISTIC LIMITATIONS, I HAVE DECIDED TO PRESENT THIS AS MORE OF A ‘PICTORIAL STORYTELLING’ CLASS THAT AN ALL OUT ART CLASS. IN THE NEXT NINETY MINUTES OR SO, WE WILL TALK ABOUT WRITING AND STORYTELLING AS WELL AS ART.

THE FIRST RULE TO CREATING COMICS IS: THERE ARE NO RULES! KEEP THIS IN MIND AS WE PROCEED, IT WILL COME IN HANDY! ^_^

WHERE TO BEGIN?

MOST OF US BEGIN EXPLORING THE CREATION OF COMICS BY COPYING OTHER PEOPLE’S COMICS. THERE ARE A LOT OF BOOKS THAT WILL TELL YOU STEP BY STEP HOW TO DRAW LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. LIKE THE VAMPIRES IN ‘TWILIGHT’, HOWEVER, YOU’LL NEVER BE FULLY SATISFIED. YOU HAVE TO FIND YOUR OWN STYLE. DRAW FROM LIFE ITSELF, DON’T JUST COPY IT.

I WANTED TO BE AN ANIMATOR WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, AND ONE RECURRING THEME I HEARD AS I STUDIED THAT ART IS THAT ‘AN ANIMATOR IS AN ACTOR WITH A PENCIL.’ I FEEL THE SAME IS TRUE OF THE COMIC BOOK FORM. YOU NOT ONLY NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOUR CHARACTERS FEEL, BUT WHAT YOU WOULD FEEL IN THAT SITUATION AND BRING THOSE EMOTIONS OUT THROUGH YOUR PENCIL, PEN, BRUSH, ETC.

WHERE DO IDEAS COME FROM? WHAT KIND OF STORIES SHOULD I TELL?

I TOOK A WRITING CLASS FROM ORSON SCOTT CARD (THE AUTHOR OF THE CLASSIC ‘ENDER’S GAME‘) A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. IN THAT CLASS, NATURALLY, THE QUESTION OF WHERE DO IDEAS COME FROM CAME UP. ORSON ANSWERED THAT MANY SUCCESSFUL WRITERS COME UP WITH A CLEVER ANSWER FOR THIS QUESTION TO USE AT BOOK SIGNINGS, CONVENTIONS, ETC. HIS FAVORITE OF THESE CLEVER QUIPS CAME FROM HARLAN ELLISON, WHO WOULD ANSWER, ‘FROM YOU, THAT’S WHY YOU DON’T HAVE ANY!’

THE TRUTH IS THIS: IF A STORY IS WORTH TELLING TO YOU, THEN TELL IT. THE REST IS JUST DETAILS!

HAS SOMETHING SO INCREDIBLE HAPPENED TO YOU THAT YOU JUST HAD TO RUN AND TELL A FRIEND? WHAT IF YOU RAN TO YOUR DRAWING TABLE OR COMPUTER? DO YOU KEEP A DIARY? ANY OF THOSE STORIES THAT YOU FELT COMPELLED TO WRITE DOWN FOR YOURSELF COULD MAKE FOR AN INTERESTING STORY TO SOMEONE ELSE: WHY NOT MAKE IT A COMIC?

WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, I WASN’T EXACTLY POPULAR WITH THE LADIES. I WOULD SOMETIMES LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND SEE A FAT PIMPLY MONSTER STARING BACK. SO I CREATED A CHARACTER THAT WAS NOT ONLY INFLUENCED BY ELEMENTS OF MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS (JACK SKELLINGTON AND THE SAVAGE DRAGON), BUT I ADDED THE FACT THAT THIS STRANGE LOOKING ALIEN EMITTED A PHEREMONE THAT MADE HIM IRRISISTABLE TO HUMAN FEMALES. IT GOT TO THE POINT THAT THE WOMEN HE WAS TRYING TO SAVE FROM MUGGERS IN DARK ALLEYS WERE GETTING IN THE WAY! MEANWHILE, THE ONE WOMAN HE WAS TRULY INTERESTED IN WAS STRANGELY IMMUNE TO HIS POWERS. ALL THESE STORY ELEMENTS SPRANG FROM BEING AN INSECURE TEENAGER! (I LIKE TO THINK THAT STAN LEE SUFFERED FROM THE SAME KIND OF INSECURITIES, WHY ELSE WOULD HE CREATE THE THING, HULK, AND PETER PARKER?)

TWO JEWISH KIDS FROM NEW YORK (ALSO NOT POPULAR WITH THE LADIES), ONE OF WHOM HAD LOST HIS FATHER TO A SENSELESS MURDER, CREATED A CHARACTER THAT WOULD LIVE ON IN THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF CHILDREN AND ADULTS ALIKE FOR GENERATIONS. WITH WORLD WAR HEATING UP OVERSEAS, THESE YOUNG KIDS CREATED A STRANGE VISITOR FROM ANOTHER PLANET. HE WAS STRONG AND HANDSOME, LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS IN A SINGLE BOUND. THE CREATOR’S NAMES WERE JERRY SIEGEL AND JOE SCHUSTER, AND THEIR CREATION WAS SUPERMAN! THEY WERE ABLE TO TURN THEIR FEELINGS OF HELPLESSNESS INTO SOMETHING THAT CAN BE ENJOYED TODAY.

WHEN YOU THINK OF MOVIES BASED ON COMICS, I’M SURE THE FIRST MOVIES YOU THINK OF ARE BATMAN, SUPERMAN, IRON MAN, X-MEN, ETC.

COMICS ARE NOT, AND SHOULD NOT BE LIMITED TO SUPERHEROES. WHATEVER YOU DREAM CAN BE A COMIC.

WHAT ABOUT ‘ROAD TO PERDITION’, ‘GHOST WORLD’, OR ‘V FOR VENDETTA’? THESE WERE COMICS TOO!

POPULAR ANIME SUCH AS ‘FRUITS BASKET’, ‘NARUTO’, AND ‘RANMA ½’ ALL STARTED AS MANGA!

SO WHY COMICS ANYWAY?

IF YOU CAME TO THIS CLASS, YOU’RE OBVIOUSLY INTERESTED IN COMICS, OR WHAT WIL EISNER CALLED ‘SEQUENTIAL ART’. BUT HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT DRAWS YOU TO COMICS IN THE FIRST PLACE?

UNFORTUNATELY, HERE IN THE UNITED STATES COMICS HAVE BECOME SYNONYMOUS WITH SUPER HEROES FOR THE MOST PART. IT’S ALWAYS INTERESTING TO ME THAT COMIC STRIPS ARE KNOWN FOR A WIDER RANGE OF GENRE (POLITICAL, FUNNY, ADVENTURE, SOCIAL COMMENTARY) AMONG GENERAL SOCIAL CIRCLES THAN THEIR LONGER-LENGTHED COMIC BOOK COUSINS.

THE TRUTH IS THAT COMICS CAN BE ABOUT ANYTHING, TOLD IN ANY STYLE, WITH ANY TYPE OF CHARACTERS YOU WANT.

WIL EISNER, THE CREATOR OF ‘THE SPIRIT’ TALKED OF WRITING ONLY WHAT HE KNEW. YOU NEVER SAW FLYING PEOPLE OR ALIENS IN HIS STORIES, JUST BASICALLY REAL PEOPLE.

ART SPIEGELMAN WANTED TO ADAPT THE STORIES HIS JEWISH FATHER TOLD HIM ABOUT WWII INTO COMICS, BUT DECIDED TO CAST THE JEWS AS MICE AND THE NAZIS AS CATS.

COMICS ARE DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER MEDIUM IN THAT COMICS CREATE MORE OF A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CREATOR AND THE READER OR VIEWER. WHEN YOU WATCH A MOVIE, YOU’RE DRAGGED ALONG BY THE DIRECTOR TO WHATEVER THE DIRECTOR WANTS YOU TO SEE AND NOTHING ELSE. TIME IS COMPLETELY LINEAR, YOU ARE IN THE MOMENT THE DIRECTOR WANTS YOU TO BE IN.

WITH COMICS, HOWEVER, YOU AS THE READER ARE AWARE OF THE NEXT PAGE. EVEN IF YOUR EYES ARE FOCUSED ON A PARTICULAR PANEL, YOUR PERIFERAL VISION IS PICKING UP THE SURROUNDING PANELS. YOU AS THE READER HAVE THE POWER TO READ AS FAST OR SLOW AS YOU WANT, WITH THE CREATOR HAVING SOME, BUT NOT ALL OF THE CONTROL.

THE FIRST COMIC I REMEMBER REALLY THINKING ABOUT THIS WITH WAS FRANK MILLER’S ‘THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS’. THE JOKER IS IN PRISON AND STAYING THERE BECAUSE HIS MOTIVATION TO ESCAPE IS GONE: BATMAN’S IN RETIREMENT AND SHOWS NO SIGN OF RETURNING. EGGHEAD COMES TO VISIT JOKER AND TELLS HIM THAT SOMEONE WANTS EGGHEAD TO BUILD A BOMB. THE JOKER TAKES A PUFF FROM A CIGARETTE, BLOWS OUT THE SMOKE, THEN ASKS, ‘WHAT KIND OF BOMB?’ THESE FOUR PANELS MADE UP THE FIRST ‘DRAMATIC PAUSE’ I REMEMBER BEING CONSCIOUS OF IN COMICS!

THE TYPICAL SINGLE-ISSUE COMIC IN THE US IS 22 PAGES. THIS DOESN’T LEAVE A LOT OF ROOM FOR DRAMATIC PAUSES OR LENGTHY EXPLANATIONS! THIS LEAD TO CREATORS CUTTING TO THE CHASE AND LETTING READERS FILL IN BLANKS OR INFER INFORMATION. THE LONGER FORM OF THE GRAPHIC NOVEL HAS OPENED UP GREATER OPPORTUNITIES FOR TAKING TIME WITH STORIES AS THE CREATOR SEES FIT.

TO SCRIPT OR NOT TO SCRIPT: IS IT EVEN A QUESTION?

I HAVE SEEN MANY BOOKS AND INTERVIEWS ON SCRIPTING COMICS. PLEASE REVISIT THE FIRST LINE IN THIS REPORT: THERE ARE NO RULES.

WRITERS SUCH AS ALAN MOORE (WATCHMEN) ARE REPORTED TO GIVE THEIR ARTISTS VERY DETAILED SCRIPTS THAT THEY WANT FOLLOWED.

OTHERS, SUCH AS STAN LEE (HE HELPED CREATE THE ENTIRE MARVEL UNIVERSE) TAKE A MORE COLLABORATIVE APPROACH. STAN WOULD MEET WITH HIS ARTIST AND HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT WOULD BE GOING ON IN THE STORY. (“LET’S HAVE A NERDY KID BITTEN BY A RADIOACTIVE SPIDER!”) THE ARTIST WOULD THEN DRAW THE STORY THE WAY HE WANTED, AND STAN LEE WOULD ADD DIALOGUE LATER.

BRIAN TALBOT (TALE OF ONE BAD RAT) GENERALLY WRITES AND DRAWS EVERYTHING HIMSELF, BUT IS METICULOUS ABOUT PLOTTING/SCRIPTING. TALBOT USES INDEX CARDS AND WRITES PLOT ELEMENTS/DIALOGUE ON THEM. HE THEN LAYS THEM OUT AND MOVES THEM AROUND UNTIL THE STORY IS JUST RIGHT BEFORE PUTTING PEN TO PAPER.

ERIC LARSEN (SAVAGE DRAGON) JUST SITS DOWN AND DRAWS. ERIC ONCE KILLED OFF A CHARACTER BECAUSE SHE WAS ‘IN THE WAY’ THE WAY HE HAD DRAWN THE SCENE, THEN LAMENTED AFTERWARD THAT HE HAD PLANS FOR HER!

WHATEVER YOUR STYLE, JUST FIND ONE THAT’S COMFORTABLE FOR YOU.

WAIT, WASN’T THIS THING CALLED ‘HOW TO DRAW MANGA’?

TOO TRUE. LET’S START WITH A DEFINITION OF ‘MANGA’. MANGA IS SIMPLY THE JAPANESE WORD FOR COMICS. JUST AS AMERICAN COMICS CAN BE DIVIDED INTO GENRES SUCH AS SUPERHERO, WESTERN, SCIENCE FICTION, ROMANCE, ETC. SO CAN MANGA. PROBABLY THE TWO GENRES MOST IMPORTED TO THE US IS ‘SHOJO’ MANGA (MANGA FOR GIRLS) AND ‘SHONEN’ MANGA (MANGA FOR BOYS). DON’T THINK FOR A SECOND THAT THESE LINES ARE SET IN STONE. ‘RANMA ½’ AND ‘NARUTO’ ARE CONSIDERED SHONEN, THOUGH THEY ARE READ BY MANY GIRLS!

NOW THAT MANGA IS BECOMING EVEN MORE POPULAR THAN TRADITIONAL AMERICAN COMICS, AMERICAN ARTISTS ARE TAKING THE HINT AND ADOPTING A MANGA STYLE. IT’S GETTING HARDER TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO. SOME COMICS ‘EXPERTS’ LIKE TO DIFFERENTIATE TRUE JAPANESE MANGA FROM THEIR AMERICAN COUNTERPARTS BY REFERRING TO THE AMERICAN VERSIONS AS ‘OEL’, OR ‘ORIGINAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE’ MANGA. SOME SUPERHERO ARTISTS SUCH AS MARK BAGLEY(ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN) AND HUMBERTO RAMOS (IMPULSE) HAVE ADOPTED A MANGA STYLE, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE ILLUSTRATING MORE TRADITIONAL SUPERHERO STORIES. SVETLANA CHMAKOVA’S ‘DRAMACON’ IS AN EXAMPLE OF AN OEL MANGA THAT CAN GO RIGHT ON THE SHELF NEXT TO TRUE JAPANESE MANGA AND NO ONE NOTICES! (ok, Svetlana is a Russian living in Canada, but I can adopt her for America, right? ^-^)

AS THE LINES BLUR BETWEEN WESTERN AND EASTERN CULTURES IN COMICS, THEN WE CAN START BLENDING THEM ALL TOGETHER, RIGHT?

SOME DISTINCT ELEMENTS OF MANGA THAT HAVE WORKED THEIR WAY INTO AMERICAN COMICS AND ANIMATION

CHIBI-THE VERY EXAGGERATED EXPRESSIONS FOUND IN MANGA HAVE SEEPED INTO AMERICAN CULTURE. (JUST WATCH AN EPISODE OF ‘TEEN TITANS’ TO SEE WHAT I MEAN)

ACTION OR SPEED LINES- THIS BLURRING OF THE BACKGROUND TO COMMUNICATE SPEED HAS ALSO MADE IT HERE TO THE WEST, TO THE POINT THAT MOST READERS TODAY DON’T THINK OF THIS AS CULTURALLY DIFFERENT AT ALL.

CARTOONY FACES THAT ARE FULL OF EXPRESSION-MANGA TENDS TO SIMPLIFY FACIAL EXPRESSIONS IN ORDER TO CONVEY A LOT OF EMOTION IN A BASE FORM. AMERICAN COMICS TEND TO GO FOR MORE REALISM. THE IRONIC PIECE OF THIS CULTURAL DIFFERENCE IS THAT A LOT OF WHAT IS CONSIDERED TRADITIONAL IN MANGA WAS INSPIRED BY THE WORK OF JAPAN’S ‘GOD OF MANGA’, OSAMU TEZUKA. SOME OF HIS INSPIRATION? THE WIDE, EXPRESSIVE EYES OF DISNEY’S BAMBI!

OK, SO LET’S GET TO WORK

SCOTT MCCLOUD’S ‘MAKING COMICS’ IS FULL OF ACTIVITIES TO GET THE CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING. LET’S TRY ONE!

GRAB A PIECE OF PAPER AND DRAW A QUICK TITLE LOGO AT THE TOP. SOMETHING GENERAL, LIKE ‘IS THAT YOUR DAD?’ OR ‘HAVE YOU SEEN THE LIBRARIAN?’

NOW, SWAP WITH A NEIGHBOR.

USING THE TITLE YOU’VE BEEN GIVEN, CREATE A SINGLE PAGE COMIC. WE DON’T HAVE A TON OF TIME, SO DRAW FAST! STICK FIGURES ARE EXCEPTIBLE, THE NAME OF THE GAME IS TO TELL A STORY!

LETTERING CAN BE IMPORTANT

SOME COMICS, LIKE ANDY RUNTON’S ‘OWLY’ DON’T NEED LANGUAGE AT ALL, BUT WHEN YOUR CHARACTERS NEED TO TALK, WHAT FONTS/LETTERING SHOULD YOU USE? THE ALL CAPS STYLE THAT I TYPED THIS IN IS A TRADITION, BUT MANY CREATORS ARE LOOKING AT OTHER STYLES.

Using Caps/Lower Case is actually a break from the norm in comics.

Just beware of harder to read fonts, you’ll lose your readers!

SOUND EFFECTS ARE IMPORTANT, AND FUN! THE STYLE OF YOUR SOUND EFFECTS CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONVEYING INFORMATION AND MAKING YOUR READER FEEL LIKE THEY’RE IN THAT WORLD!

I.E.

BOOM!

TINKLE! TINKLE!

TIME TO TRY THIS ONE OUT. LOOK AROUND THE ROOM AND DESIGN TEN SOUND EFFECTS THAT REPRESENT THINGS IN THE ROOM. SEE IF YOUR NEIGHBORS CAN TELL WHAT WOULD MAKE THAT SOUND!

WHERE YOU GO FROM HERE...

NOW LET’S JUST CREATE.

MALE OR FEMALE

PROFESSION

HOBBIES

HOW THEY DRESS

PETS

FRIENDS

“Hey how’s it goin’?” he asked.

“Good, you?” I answered. All the fears of high school locker rooms flooded irrationally back. Does this guy want to kick my ass? Why is he talking to me?

“Great!” he answered. “So do you have kids in here?”

How the hell would he guess that? I looked down at the Elmo beach towel I had used that night. Oh. “Yes, I do.”

“How old?”

I thought of the flack I’ve taken on this blog by a couple readers for using the term ‘step-daughter’, so I simply said, “I have a two year old and a fifteen year old.”

“Wow!” he said, “You don’t look old enough to have a fifteen year old!”

“Well,” I said, ego slightly pumped now, old high school jock prejudices slowly fading, “my wife is five years older than me. The fifteen year old is my step-daughter. So that’s how I get out of that!”

He laughed, “Aw, man. I have a step-dad. He’s the best! We still hang out all the time. I hardly ever see my real dad. I think step-dads are great!”

“Well, right now it seems like she doesn’t feel that way a lot of the time!”

“Trust me, she will appreciate you. Just keep showing an interest in her life!”

“Alright, I think I can do that!” I said. “Speaking of my family, they’re probably just about done in their locker room, I’d better get them home.”

“Cool, man. Nice meeting you!”

“Yeah, you too.”

Check out the other cool guys and gals who participate in Fatherhood Friday at dad-blogs.com!

And I do take an interest in her life, and even though she’s fifteen and trying out this independence thing, we can still hold conversations about movies, comics (well, in her case manga), music, etc. So I think we’re on a good path.

I volunteered to teach a comic book class at the library recently, and she had to be a part of it. She wasn’t embarassed by my Green Lantern T-shirt that I wore. (Even though I tucked it in, which drives her crazy!) And afterward when I asked her what she thought, she said it was pretty cool. High praise, indeed!

Moral of the story, at least for me? No matter how old your kids get, you’ll still be learning. And even if you’re not biologically linked to your child, it’s still possible to be his/her dad!

Their first anthology comic: Iconic, will be formally released at the MoCCA fest in New York City, being held June 6 and 7, but they were nice enough to let me peer inside it’s pages beforehand so that I can tell you a little bit about it.

Click here to buy your very own copy of Iconic!

When I was growing up, comics were a huge part of my life. They helped grow my vocabulary, I learned elements of mythology and history from them, and they were FUN! But, like many comic fans, I was teased by friends and family alike that the comics were basically a waste of time. That they weren’t worth anything. Much more than their hypothetical future monetary worth, however, comics were worth a great deal to me for their content. Many comics got dog-eared and wrinkled through multiple readings.

If Iconic were around then, it would be one of the wrinkled books.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I can’t wait to read this to my kids! I have no doubt that Iconic will be able to spark that creativity in them that thrilling to tales of Spider-Man and Batman did for me.

Iconic is an anthology collection suitable for all ages that includes many talented up and coming writers and artists. It is a collection of stories based on many different types of literature. Greek mythology is in here, American lore is here, History is here, and yes, my dear Watson, there is a Sherlock Holmes story as well.

Some of the characters are familiar, such as Sherlock Holmes and Ebenezer Scrooge. Some not so familiar, such as the much forgotten Gustave Whitehead, the man that flew before the Wright Brothers!

The comic art leaps off of the page in glorious black and white. The variance in the art amazingly is not distracting, but in fact adds to each individual story as it’s own entity, but also part of something larger. That quality is something generally rarely found in independent anthologies.

I don’t want to summarize each and every story found within this book because I don’t want to spoil any of your fun. Just trust me when I say whether you are a die hard comic book fanboy, a child that has difficulty getting in to reading, a teacher, or a parent; there is something in Iconic that you are sure to enjoy.

You can find out more about Iconic and the rest of the events and projects of the Comicbook Artist’s Guild at comicartguild.com.

The latest image of the latest Howelett. Isn't he cuuuute?

When we were anticipating my daughter’s arrival, there were all the outward signs of preparation: buying the car seat, deciding her very first outfit, bringing home the crib, etc. There are many emotions that go along with this for a dad. I remember seeing the crib in my bedroom and thinking, there’s a crib in my room! What am I going to do?! And then the obvious answer hit as soon as she was born: I’m going to make this beautiful little creature the center of my world!

Check out the other guys who participate in Fatherhood Friday at dad-blogs.com!

I couldn’t believe that such a cute little thing could:

a) really have come from my genes. (I think all the good stuff came from her mother, although she has an insatiable appetite for bacon and fried potato products, which is all me.)

b) be entrusted to my care. (What did I know about babies? Changing diapers, dealing with spit-up, teaching ABCs and 123s…)

A sampling of the boy apparel we have already aquired...

This time around, I’m receiving a boy, a whole new crop of fears are setting in:

a) I was never in to sports, do I have to get a subscription to Sports Illustrated now and figure this stuff out?

b) I have two girls that somehow I’ve managed to relate to. Is throwing a boy in the mix going to offset the balance somehow?

I’ve never been big on worrying. I’ve never seen what it accomplishes. But, I do admit to doubts and fears, especially when it comes to the little ones that are entrusted to my care. I find myself thinking thoughts like, ‘Am I really the right one for this job?’

And then, when I see my daughters smile, or proud of an accomplishment, or just want me to get on the floor with them and play, the answer becomes a resounding, ‘Hell, yes. This daddy gig is alright!’

Oh yeah, this micro-dude is gonna rock!

Having a boy in the house is going to be strange and exciting. Of course, I’ve already bought some nice ‘super-hero’ type outfits. I’ll also introduce him to the sports side of being male. If that suits his fancy, I’ll be at every game. If he follows along beside me and his interests fall on the geek side, I’ll be there. It’ll be all up to him, and I can’t wait to see the places he goes!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of the geek side, I couldn’t let this May 1st go by without plugging one of my favorite events of the year that happens tomorrow: Free Comic Book Day! For those of you ‘not in the know’, free comic book day has been happening every year since I believe the first Spider-Man movie hit the screen. FCBD coincides with the big comic-book movie release. This year that movie happens to be X-Men Origins: Wolverine that opens today!. This year, there are quite a few great all ages offerings:

‘Owly and Friends’ (If you haven’t discovered Owly yet, scoop this up tomorrow!)

Disney/Pixar’s ‘Cars’ published by Boom! Comics. I just picked up their ‘The Muppet Show: The Comic Book’, and it was fantastic. I can’t wait to see their versions of the Pixar gang!

‘The Savage Dragon’ issue this year claims to be for all ages, which this one issue may be, but in my experience, Savage Dragom often crosses the line. Be careful if you’re using these as introductory books in to the world of comics for young ones.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Archie: The Mighty Archie Art Players

Transformers:Animated/G.I. Joe

DC Kids Mega Sampler, featuring Tiny Titans, Billy Batson and the Power of Shazam!, and Batman: Brave and the Bold

Not all titles will be available in all comic book stores, and usually there are a few surprises that you may not be expecting! I would definitely visit freecomicbookday.com for more details, and be sure to visit several stores!

The sisters relate to each other...

As a Daddy Blogger, I find myself in a unique situation: I have a 15 year old step-daughter and a two year old daughter. I feel that this gives me a different perspective. I came into Kat’s life when she was four years old, so I missed the diapers and the slow development of her language skills. I’ve watched her grow up and marveled at her dreams and the decisions that she’s made. Even though I’ve had those eleven years of being a Daddy, with Calli it feels like I’m a brand new Daddy. Now I get the diapers and laugh at the way she reasons out words. Bunnies are ‘hoppies’ for instance. Doggies are ‘goggies’. With a new baby boy on the way in August, that’ll be a whole new world, as now I’m so used to girls, what do I do?

Which brings me back to the big bad teenager. As she grows older, our tastes and opinions are starting to spread further and further apart. When kids are young, they generally like what you like, so it’s easy to relate. As they get older, they gain more opportunities to explore the world without you there. I think Kat read all the Twilight books before I knew it was such a big deal. I just watched the movie and still don’t get it.

When Kat was young, she was in to super hero comics. Powerpuff Girls ran supreme, but she also enjoyed Batman and Superman. Our tastes were similar. I discovered Ranma 1/2 and brought home the anime (Japanese animation). It was all over. Kat is still a veracious comic reader, but now it’s pretty much strictly manga (Japanese comics). I enjoy manga too, but a different ‘flavor’ than her.

Kat's taste in Manga generally looks like this...

We both still love Science Fiction (we can totally agree on ‘Firefly‘ forever!), I’m toying with the idea of driving down the mountain for Starfest this weekend, snowstorm from heck permitting, and I decided to ask Kat if she wants to go.

“That depends. Is it that science fiction that you like?”

I laughed. “The science fiction that I like? What do you mean by that?”

“Well, like, I don’t want to say Ray Bradbury, but I don’t like Ray Bradbury that much…”

You could probably hear the audible cracking of my heart…

“…but, you know, those books you like.”

I laughed again. “Well, let’s see. The guests you’ll probably care about are Brent Spiner, you know, Data on Next Gen? And…”

My taste in Manga. See what I mean?

She stopped me right there, as I predicted. “If Data’s there, I’m going!”

So I guess I can still relate a little, after all! Now if the weather can go easy on us, hopefully we’ll see Data together tomorrow!

*On a personal note, as if this post hasn’t revealed how much of a geek I am already, I have volunteered to teach a class on creating comics at my local public library. My credentials basically consist of the librarians noticed I was in there every other day checking out graphic novels with a different character on my t-shirt every time. The kids are very interested in Manga, so I’ve enlisted Kat’s help. She promised to just kick back and laugh at me. I hope she’s kidding!  I know that somehow I’ve attracted a couple of comics professionals to this blog, so any friendly advice would be greatly appreciated!