Rick2you2

Actually, I think it probably saved the industry. Prices had to go up to get regular, quality artists and writers (yes, writers) so they could earn a decent living. Newsprint costs also went up. And don’t forget that the old model took returns of old, unsold issues which effectively increased the cost to cover those unsold units. Sales were also dropping, so to maintain some profitability, prices had to go up. That made the old model unworkable where casual readers could drop a buck and still get 2 books. At specialty stores, people who wanted to buy could get and reserve what they wanted. Since they had the interest, they would spend the money. Of course, it limited access to newer readers, eroding the long term market, which is why you are now seeing Dollar comics showing up at Walmart and still more digests.

Didn’t Didio complain recently that people were buying the old stories in trade paperbacks instead of the new stories? On the other hand, we are the old fogeys living in the past who keep buying the art.

Don’t forget that the calculation includes graphic novels, many of which are reprints of old comics. And some of that manga is a version of superhero comics, like One Punch Man.

Honestly, I remember when Miller’s Daredevil came out, and I liked it. Don’t forget it was a different time, and in my opinion, there wasn’t nearly as much variation in styles for mainstream books back then. Eastman’s art is adequate, but not in the same category as the big two require.

I carry a lot more than, that. The bag seems to weigh a bit more than 4 lbs., but not a lot more. I carry copies of reprint books for artists to use as models, one or two pads of paper (different sizes), top loaders for art I may buy, various brushes and pencils if an artist needs them, and lunch for two because I can't stand the food at those places, along with snacks and some drinks (in a separate bag which I can hand carry). I would say closer to 25-35 lbs, total.

I had tried to get a first printing when they were first announced, and they sold out immediately. Ended up with a second printing, and a first printing of issue 2 (as well as the others). The parody concept was so awesome back then, it sold itself.

You were more blunt than I was, but yea.

I think it is too ideosyncratic to blend with their house styles, particularly in this day and age where artists who draw like Jim Lee seem to be the rage. But, he may have different artistic styles we are not used to seeing,

I also bought the one Glen recommended. And yes, it is excellent. But, it is heavy, particularly after loading it up. My back was sore for days. After a while, I carried by the hand grip.

Sure. A job is a job. Better to have too much than too little.

Went to NY Comicon, and did not get what I wanted--yet. I had asked Dan Quintana for a full figure drawing of the Phantom Stranger, but he didn't have time to do it. He did, however, do a rough head shot for me, and I am making arrangements for an ink commission with a wash effect. For now, this is his rough head shot, which is quite nice for what it is.

Just posted the Jason Shawn Alexander purchase.

I broke with my usual practice of just buying Phantom Stranger artwork to get this piece by Jason Shawn Alexander at the NY Comicon. It is from a Batman book called Endgame, and I love the duality in the image with the Joker in it. This thing is big: roughly 15" x 24". I am also gettng a Phantom Stranger commission from him in a few weeks. He was a lot of fun to talk to, by the way.

It didn't go the way I wanted. I decided to get two nice pieces: Dan Quintana and Jason Shawn Alexander. Both agreed to do something on Thursday, and I thought I would pick them up on Sunday. Then continue shopping on Sunday. Neither one was done. They were also late on Sunday, so I missed the chance to get a nice one by Peach Momoko because by the time they got there, there was no time left in her schedule. Likewise, I was too late for Jim Mahfood, who was adding color to his commission work. But, I did get a head shot by Quintana which I will post, and a page by Alexander which was not the Phantom Stranger which I will also post tonight. As for Quintana and Alexander, Alexander will send me something in a few weeks ($500 or so), and Quintana will do a regular ink commission for $850 with a wash effect. Peach will have to wait. Her stuff is stunning, although, it is not the sort of moody effect I like with Phantom Stranger commissions.

If you want to draw a simple word balloon, and don’t want to freestyle it, start br drawing an oval of the approximate size you will need for the text. Then, draw a separate, long thin triangle which will later connect the speaker to the oval. You can reshape it by touching a point and pulling with the cursor to add the bends you want. Move the triangle to the correct position on the oval and merge the two. Then, play with the points until you get the right shape you want, or add/subtract points.

Boxing adds space which could otherwise be used by characters (or drawing larger ones).

There are so many app.’s out there, I wouldn’t be surprised if you couldn’t find one which allowed you to paste in some font characters in a raster format (eg, ordinary jpegs), which then traces the form and generates the font.

Start with the Windows fonts. Here is one site listing various forms of predesigned fonts. Just be careful you don't accidentally get malware with a download. https://www.creativebloq.com › download-free-fonts-resources-912696 You can also try programs like Prototypo to design your own.

Her work is terrific. I also looked at some other pages she has for sale. One interesting aspect of her work is that she can create art in a wide variety of different styles. I had been thinking of asking her to do a 1 person jam consisting of 5 different Phantom Strangers, all in different styles (e.g., standard heroic, anime, “Sienkewicz”, cartoon, “Wrightson”). She could,too.

When I was at the NY Comicon on Thursday, I saw Colleen Doran. She had done the following female Phantom Stranger for me a few years ago, and had recently tweeted it out. Apparently, she got over 2,000 likes for it, including one from Neil Gaiman.

You would probably get a better result if you use the tracing function in Adobe Illustrator for the word balloons and substitute a different font. That way you could scale it up with no loss of clarity. For fonts, they are easy to get.

Why are they all cloudy if posted from photobucket?

I was there, too, and spent almost the whole time in artists alley. Didn’t even make it into the main room. BIGGEST Disappointment: Parking. I prepaid on Spot Hero, but when I got there, I was turned away and told all spots were filled. Time to contact the credit card company.

I don’t think selling to buy or visa-versa is wrong, but when someone buys something on day 1 for, say, $100, and then tries to sell it on day 2 for $300, at what is then over-market, I definitely like to read about that. It serves as a warning, and is somewhat funny, too, particularly if it doesn’t sell. Schadenfraude. Or, it is a reminder of a good deal we all missed.

I have never had a failure, but I know a lot of people haven’t been that lucky. There is a Facebook group dedicated to it. Maguire is slow, but I am disappointed that he did that to you.