Fall-ing into Comics and Comic-Cons! (Fall 2021)
I hope you all had a great summer. I can't believe it's already flown by. I've been busy here making the comics. Though delayed by health and other issues, I'm still working hard on the new Simone & Ajax collection, still available to pre-order on Indiegogo at https://bit.ly/simoneandajaxgogo. You can read previews on the Simone & Ajax website at www.simoneandajax.com. Despite the delays, this new book really is something I'm very proud of. The previous Simone & Ajax book was my favorite thing I'd ever done, the comic I was most proud of in all my 30 years in comics. I feel that this new book will be the equal of... if not better than... that one. Please check it out and get a dose of fun and adventure! Here's a little sneak-peek at something that will be in the book.
image © Andrew Pepoy
While I had been turning down all new offers of freelance work since the Simone & Ajax Kickstarter began, I have taken a bit of time recently to work on two exciting projects that I simply couldn't turn down. The first is inking two sections of an upcoming superhero comic book, one penciled by the legendary Alan Weiss and the other penciled by Mike Gustovich. Alan and I have been friends for nearly 30 years, and I'm honored he asked me to ink this. Mike taught a 12-year-old me the basics of inking 40 years ago this summer and propelled me into what I do today. I'll also be inking pieces by living-legend Ramona Fradon and my longtime Scooby Doo-collaborator, Joe Staton. I couldn't turn down the chance to work with all of them! My other project is still in process, but I'm thrilled to be doing artwork for a musician I've loved and listened to since I was 14! I will tell you more about these projects as soon as I'm allowed to, but here's a panel pencilled by Alan Weiss and inked by me as a teaser.
I also continue to do my every-issue retro-gag cartoon for Exotica Moderne Magazine. These cartoons are an homage to the classic pin-up cartoons form the Humorama mags of the 1950's, especially the work of my #1 infuence, Dan DeCarlo. You can read more about at https://www.houseoftabu.com/exotica-moderne-magazine and order the magazine at https://www.houseoftabu.com/category/magazines. Here's an example of a recent cartoon I drew for it:
Plague and safety permitting, I will be at several conventions this fall, my first cons since early last year. Please come see me at the Baltimore Comic-Con (October 22-24), and make sure to pick up a copy of the BCC yearbook for a special Simone & Ajax piece by me, Grand Rapids (Michigan) Comic-Con (November 12-14), and C2E2 in Chicago (December 10-12). I'd love to meet some of you and tell you more about Simone & Ajax, show you original art, and more. You can always find out where I’ll be appearing by checking the EVENTS page.