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Baltimore Comic Con 2011 Packed with Goodness!

by Mark on August 17, 2011 at 5:56 am

This year’s Baltimore Comic Con will have Stan Lee, Jeff Smith, tons of vendors, and something I’m looking forward to… The Kids Comics Pavilion presented by our good friends at ComicBookDiner.com. Myself, My Bro Chris and many other talented creators will be a part of it! Check out the press release below and I hope to see you there!

Comic Book Diner Presents: BCC Kids Comics Pavilion

Kids’ Comics Creators Serve Up Fun at Baltimore Comic-Con!
Jeff Smith (Bone) & Archie Comics Creator Dan Parent Headlines All-Ages Fun in Charm City!

Kids 10 and Under get in free at the Baltimore Comic-Con Aug 20-21 at the Baltimore Convention Center, and artists and writers from such companies as Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, Disney, Pixar, Marvel & DC will be on hand to sketch, say hi, and sell their books. Comic Book Diner, presented by the Comic Book Diner Comics Studio and Podcast, is an all-ages section in the show full of comics, activities, and even a craft area where kids can create their own super hero capes!

“The Baltimore Comic-Con is a great family comics show,” said John Gallagher, creator of the Buzzboy graphic novel series, and director of the Kids section, “and it is exciting to introduce young people to the magic of sequential art.” Gallagher is one of the three Comic Book Diner creators, along with Rich Faber (Roboy Red) and Jamar Nicholas (Leon: Protector of the Playground). Also at the show will be comics legend Stan Lee, as well as Jeff Smith, creator of the million-selling “Bone” graphic novel series. Archie Comics artist/writer Dan Parent will be on hand, as well as Jimmy Gownley, creator of the hit “Amelia Rules!” graphic novels. Also displaying their kid-friendly art and comics:

Frank Camuso ( Knights of the Lunch Table, Otto’s Orange Day)
Steve Conley (Bloop, Star Trek)
Mark McKenna (Star Wars, Banana Tail)
SL Gallant (GI JOE)
Marty Baumann (Pixar Artist, Crater Kid)
Scott Cohn (GI JOE)
Ted Tucker (Disney Artist, Lunar Donut)
Mike Maihack (Cleopatra in Space)
Harold Buchholz (Wild Lion, Archie Comics)
Jason Horn (Ninjasaur)
Mark Mariano (Happyloo)

There will be two East Coast Comics debuts:
Gallagher’s Buzzboy: Sidekicks Rule Graphic Novel, and Faber’s Roboy Red Graphic Novel, both available together in soft cover and hardcover! Those interested in finding out more about the Comic Book Diner Presents: BCC Kids Comics Pavilion can visit http://www.comicbookdiner.com or http://www.baltimorecomiccon.com

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Chip in at the Comic Book Diner!

by Mark on August 10, 2011 at 5:43 am

Posted In: More Mark Stuff

The Comic Book Diner sounds like an awesome idea for a restaurant, but it’s really a trio of fantastically talented kids comics creators. John Gallagher and Rich Faber of Buzzboy and Roboy Red, and Jamar Nicholas of Leon: Protector of the Playground have been creating comics for all ages to enjoy for many years. Now they are releasing a THREE BOOK collection that YOU can help make possible and even be drawn into! Swing on over to kickstarter today and see why John, Jamar, and Rich are SO cool. Get a glimpse at the new graphic novels they’re creating and you’ll soon understand that there’s nothing finer than the Comic Book Diner!

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Avatar fans rejoice!

by Mark on August 3, 2011 at 4:32 am

Posted In: More Mark Stuff

I LOVED Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Air Bender and I’m VERY pleased that M. Night Shyamalan’s flop of a movie didn’t deter creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko from going forward with telling their story. A second series is coming to Nickelodeon in 2012 and it takes place after the passing of Avatar Aang. It follows the adventures of the new Avatar, Korra. Enjoy this sneak peak!

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Studies of the Start

by Mark on August 2, 2011 at 12:00 am

Posted In: More Mark Stuff

What is the hardest thing for me when creating a comic?

Finding the perfect beginning to the story. I have many ideas for my newest comic project, Life After Lucha. It’s about a Luchadore and girl with a magic scarf, but that’s all I’m telling you for now. I have the character designs down. I know the art styles and format I’ll be using to tell my story. I have plenty of plot points mapped out, but I was struggling to find that entry point for the reader into the story, and that may be the most important thing. I believe you must capture the reader in the first seven pages of the story. If they’re not hooked by then, they’ll probably put the book down or stop visiting the site. To help me figure this out, I did several “studies of the start.” I turned to my favorite cartoons, watched the first episodes, and took plenty of notes.

I studied Spectacular Spider-Man, Batman the Animated Series, Samurai Jack, and 2003′s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
My notes quickly summed up:

Spider-Man packed a ton of character introductions, story threads, origin and multiple threats into the first episode.
Batman was already established as a vigilante in his first episode and there was no mention of his origin (guess cuz they had the Tim Burton movie for that).
Samurai Jack’s entire origin was told in the first episode. We saw him as a boy and all the training he went through as he became the greatest warrior on Earth.
The Ninja Turtles were still being trained by Master Splinter and we witnessed their first run in with the street gang, Purple Dragons and the Foot Clan. No mention of their origin. The threat of Shredder was established.

I learned a lot from watching, pausing, and writing notes. While I’m a fan of all the works, I must say the writing and plotting on Spectacular Spider-Man was truly amazing. I highly recommend it to any comic creator out there. It is a great study in how to interweave story-lines and build great characters. Why they cancelled that show still boggles my mind, I guess it didn’t sell enough toys.

This exercise helped immensely, and the start of Life After Lucha is looking good. I know you’ll be hooked. Here’s some concept art for the project…