To Puyallup and back again

Well there sports fans Al here with the latest:
The third issue of Pandora’s Garage is finally out and ready for sale. And in my opinion, it’s about time too! Having missed a show in Washington to sell I was a little bugged that the books could have not have been here sooner but that is why you have to plan in advance for these problems, this one was just another learning step along the way of doing things.
But it is here and here is the address for it and the previous two for the collection. I still have to find what happened to the website that I had posted Pandora’s Garage is at because they are not showing on the site for Ka-blam.com
It is at times like this that I wish the on line companies would keep us vendors appraised of the changes taking place in their system that might keep people from seeing the product.
Having empathy for your customers is something everybody needs to keep in mind.
But aside from that glitch, thing have been pretty good. I had a blast traveling out of town to the land north in Puyallup Washington. Again it seems like this is the place to sell artwork at, whether it be comic books or actual art but all of it good.
An original piece of art was handed off to Adam of Darkslinger Comics and then shortly there after another page of scratchboard (page 10 out of the Pandora’s Garage Volume 5) took off to find another home. that makes two page from that book to venture out into the world from it’s creator.
The Destination was Comic Evolution with the catch phrase “Have you evolved?” being on the lips of several people. Again it has to be one of the coolest shops I have been in and the owner Chuck is one of the nicest people you ever meet.
One of the big change ups for this show was the two readings taking place in the store one by Tony Morgan and his collaborator Anthony and the other from an editior of Planet Lovecraft reading a bit from a zombie story.
I will have to say that the most interesting part of the trip was the end part as both Adam and I sold a few comics at a rest stop as we were heading home.
Again a great time!

Printing Woes (again) and other Projects

Is there something in the air?
I have to wonder sometimes with all the cascading things going on right now with printing.
One of the worse things a comic creator and company ever wants to ever hear from a printer is “You have corrupted files”.
Well this was something I as wanting to hear for anyone else let alone for myself but here it is.
One of the key issues of working with others is communication and I have tried desperately to get that point across to others and only a few people really understand that concept.
I wish I could get that point across to printer. Some of less savvy artistic types aren’t blessed with the mathematical mind set to deal with code or understand the techy talk.
But that aside, the third issue of JOhnny will be printed up one way or another.
That is good thing the worry of having printed up and here before the 7th of November is a whole different thing.
Also in the news, the Box will be meeting up with a possible new editor to help with the transition of the issues of Pandora’s Garage into it’s new collection. That I have high hopes for.
Amongst all that, work is being prepped for the commission piece for Darkslinger Comics and work on fourth issue of Vega and layouts for the gothic horror story “Dreams of Elysium” have both worked on at the same time.
A busy time for me.

Another Month down and New Stuff

Well sports fans it has been nearly a month since I last posted and I have been under a great strain to get things done as well as move the office of Black Box Comix to a new location here in Portland Oregon.
Actually not that hard to do really when a lot of things are already done digitally but there are some new thing to rave about:

1) The third issue of Johnny Vega goes out today to the printers at Ka-blam printing. Yeah! Finally after a long look at a lot of the pages and the urging of a fan, there needed to be more backgrounds in the book so I took nearly two months (not counting time for other art projects to be worked on) reworking these images as well as adding more depth to the characters. Definitely a few steps up from the days when I was working on Johnny Vega in color #1.


2) Nearing the completion of The Garage Chronicles: A collection of Pandora’s Garage Volumes 1 though 5. This project has been a major undertaking as I have had to resize the format of the book and and add more pages to the book. The funny thing is as I was redoing the format I came across printed oddity, I had early on with Pandora, managed to reprint a duplicate page twice! The first true page appears in volume 2 on page 23 and then reprinted in volume 3 on page 14. You can imagine my shock that of all the people who have read and bought the book never made mention of it to me. Of course this has lead to speculation whether or not I I should have my own version of a Johnny Vega “No Prize” like marvel use to have back in the sixties and early seventies.
That is still under work.


3) Grand opening of a new comic Shop here in the PDX area called All About Heroes. Took place off of 107th and Holgate. If there was ever and action figure that you were looking for this would be the place to go.

4) Emerald City ComiCon beckons to the Box again for next year. As we have been working closely with Darkslinger Comics over the last year, we have doubled up and sharing the table cost and splitting the fees since times are tough. Show a little solidarity for each other. But this has turned to be a very cool partnership with the ride being supplied right to the place where we need to be and and the company along for the ride as well as co pilot. Though this kid does have a tendency to nod off early in the evening.

So there you have it. New news and events, new comics! Go read!
Alan

A new page for JV#3

Well here is another page down, a couple more left to do. At this rate, I might wanta start putting up pages on the internet so people could read the book that way. I know it can be done but still haven’t figured out how to post and get paid for it at the same time.
My friend from Darkslinger Comics, Adam Watson, has his work for “Ghost Assassin” posted to buy.
I am still brand new to that kind of work but I would love to get Johnny up there.
This page is #8 out of 24 for issue three. With half of the book already being done from about pages 11 up, it should be easy to get done, but every time I have said something like that I always get tripped up.
With myself and Black Box Comix relocation, several projects are on hold as packing takes precedence over everything else.
It’s again, because once you have gotten settled nobody likes to move again.
But I keep plugging away on the book. It’s look great.

A Grand Opening

One of the few things that I like when I have the chance is to check out a new comic shop that I never have been to. And Especially when you have been invited to show and sell your artwork in the process.
Yes, it is like taking candy from a baby but art whores are always gunning for the best way to get (easy) money back for their work. Today will be no different.
I would imagine that a comic shop would be like a street corner for vendors (whores) and collectors (the johns).
Of course I am sure that not everyone is in agreement about this but oh well, don’t be so damn touchy.
But again hanging out in a comic shop and being a nerd is always fun. And if I make some sales in the process of even better, that's what I am hoping for.
That’s what any real creator is looking to do and have people buy and laud over your work.
I am keeping my fingers crossed today.

New Pages

New pages. Always something cool to look at but hard to stay on track when you are work and slaving away at a nine to five kinda job. Kinda sucks but I have heard that a lot of indy companies do exactly that. So may be I am not in the wrong business after all. But since completing the commission piece of scratchboard art for Ty, it was back to the digital drawing pad and monitor (and hot freakin’ weather) to get this little bugger off to the printer so I can focus on two other projects of scratchboard for Darkslinger Comics and Manga sized collection of Pandora’s Garage Volumes 1-5.
When those two are done then it’s on to issue four.
With that being said I believe that there will another change coming around which will in our editorial staff as well.
Adam Watson from Darkslinger Comics has said he would step into the shoes as editor for Black Box Comix as well as Darkslinger.
We thank him for this.
So here you are with some of the latest addendum's to Johnny.

Captain Cure Commission Piece

News of the latest: Well work on Vega 3 has been temporally put on hold for a time as I finish a commission piece of scratchboard for my friend Ty. I t should be done by the time I see him next week up in Puyallup for a benefit in his name and for his family.
I am sure he’ll like his piece of artwork it since was deeply inspired by a comic character he loves so much, Batman.
By looking at the piece you can see it definitely comes through.