the con

okay...

so i got hit pretty hard the other day with the obligatory post-convention cold (known in some circles as the "con crud') and have been fighting it back with nyquil and oj and plenty of those amazing fisherman's friend cough drops and am finally back in service. not 100% just yet, but better than 60...

so the show was awesome and i got to hang with many wonderful people...and i forgot my camera. craig let me use his camera to take pictures of a costume or two--i'll post them when he sends them over--but the photos that follow are courtesy of the lovely suzanne wieringo and others. thanks, squeeze!



i put them in chronological, so this comes first as craig and i were once again visited by our pal caleb, impulse fan extraordinaire, this year decked out as the scarlet speedster's golden apprentice--kid flash! it was so great to see caleb again--and his mom and dad, mindy and john--as we loved his impulse gear so much last year that we were sure he was an over-sized shoe-in in the costume contest! alas, it wasn't to be--but caleb is always our first pick if we were running the show! excellent costume, buddy! see ya next year!







here's caleb at home, putting on some speed!







long story how we ended up here, but here are craig, kelly yates, rod hannah, and me at the hardrock cafe, inner harbor, baltimore. rod was our hero that night and we all ended up having a good time!







sunday morning at the broadway diner.
we have these things at conventions called the brotherhood of mike breakfasts where people who were friends with mike get together usually sunday morning and have breakfast together to relax a little and remember mike. there are a lot of brothers in the brotherhood and not everyone can make it every time, but we try. this year jamar nicholas suggested we trek on down to the broadway diner in baltimore (he saw it on the food network's diners, dives, and drive-ins) and so we did. glad we did! great food and lots of laughs--mostly from jamar who is hil. ari. ous.
this is jamar's friend, stu, jamar, me, craig, suzanne.







jamar showing us his speed racer pose.
suzanne has been replaced by matt.







sunday evening, after the show was over.
i split the show about a half an hour early to go have dinner with my two friends from high school, sarah and maryanne. when i got back to the hotel, i was invited by marc nathan--the man who runs and organizes the baltimore comiccon--and brad tree--the guy who coordinates that big octopus of a show--to go out with them and the few remaining guests for some late night cocktails and snacks. i was fortunate to cab over to the place with (comics royalty) walter and louise simonson! on the way in we took some pictures which weezie was kind enough to send over. (i just wish i had been awake enough to ask walter to take one of me and his lovely wife...)














and here's the only costumes i have for y'all right now.
ms. marvel (who turned many a head) deadpool and...are they calling her lady deadpool? i dunno. cool costumes though!





that's it!
have a great weekend!
smell ya later!
todd

sketches

okay...

back from baltimore and what a weekend! i had SUCH a great time hanging with so many friends...and got so wrapped up in making sure i had the buttons and the books and the display banner and whatever, that i forgot my camera. idiot!
of course, other people had cameras and i've asked them to send me some jpegs, but for the real con coverage, head over to matt's blog and see how it's done right~!
he makes it seem like you were there! thanks, brother!!

http://mafus.blogspot.com/




so while we're waiting for everyone to send me pics to put up on the blog--we've got friends and family and costumes and comedy--here are a couple of things i promised from last week...


i toldja that while i was down visiting with nick (cardy) a few weeks back that i taped him doing a course on cover design as well as a study--filmed over his shoulder--as he did a gorgeous head sketch of wonder woman! and then he proceeded to gift me with it. well, here it is, in all of it's beautiful nick cardy glory. he's just so...incredible!
(the dvd featuring this and more should be available sometime next year...!)









and while we're on the subject of sketches...
as you all know, i lost my best friend jake this past may and, here we are, nearly four months later, and i still don't make it through a day where i don't have some crazy moment sneak up and make me miss him like crazy. even coming back home from baltimore yesterday, i couldn't shake the feeling that he was waiting here for me and i couldn't wait to get home to him.
in time...
anyway, about a month ago i was "beeped" to the door by my friend and mail-carrier marilyn (this is a very small town) who will drive in the long driveway to the front door when there's an over-sized package or something. this day it was a mailing tube that made me wonder what i must have compulsively ordered on ebay the week before. i took it inside and opened it...and immediately started to cry.
someone--and they have chosen to remain anonymous for now--sent along this beautiful and unquestionably heartfelt sketch having heard about jake and seen several of the photos i'd posted. with a note that said that they were perhapanauts fans, that this (lovely) piece was done by the sender's daughter and that they hoped i didn't mind that they found my address somewhere on-line.
mind...?!

so, though i've sent a reply to the return address on the tube and still hope to find out who i can thank personally, i offer my thanks again here. it is framed now and hanging in the bedroom right over the spot where jake would sleep. when not actually in the bed. and kicking me out. which he did a lot of. when he was younger.





and so thank you again. i cannot describe the joy it brings and how touched i am by your kindness.


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and since it's all about lead today, look what alison found...!












































































gotta fly~!
smell ya later~!
todd

off to baltimore~!

okay...

i'm probably on the road by now, zooming down I-95, listening to the girl with the dragon tattoo (hadn't read it yet and have heard great things from reliable people--plus they're makin' a big deal about it in hollywood, so...i thought i'd listen to it before they ruin it.) (wow. am i getting cynical...?)

the car is loaded with all the stuff i said we were going to have the other day, but for those of you who are joining us late or any who might have forgotten, here they are again in no discernible order...



the exclusive 2010 baltimore comiccon perhapanauts one-sheet--featuring the maryland goat-man!








the all new perhapanauts pin sets!








logo pins!








the redesigned 2010 choopie butt card!








postcards featuring announcements for the perhapanauts:dark days trade (out september 22nd!)...








...and the perhapanauts:triangle trade (which you should get if you haven't got!)!






that's all i got right now!
i'll be traveling monday
so look for the next post on tuesday
featuring a very special gift i recently received
as well as the gorgeous nick cardy wonder woman sketch
i was talking about!
(and, no, while they could be, they are not the same thing!)
have a great weekend!
see ya at the show!
smell ya later!
todd

my trip to nick's and eric henson's haps pages!

okay...

as many of you know, i was away two weeks ago visiting my pal and comics legend, nick cardy. the plan was for us to get a chance to hang around a bit (since we had both opted to skip the convention circuit this year...) and for me to be able to (finally!) get nick on film telling some of his wonderful; stories about his life in comics and his time in the war (WWII, that is.) it also gave me a chance to play mr.fixit around his house a bit and help him organize some of his artwork and stuff.

while i was there we also played host to renee witterstaetter and michael golden who came by to help nick put together a lot of his unpublished artwork from over the years that renee intends to compile in a definitive book (or two!) on nick and his life as an artist. renee will also be producing a dvd (or two!) of nick using the very rough footage i took (her production editor better be a miracle worker!) as well as segment i filmed of nick giving a course in cover design (using many of his classic aquaman and teen titans covers!) and an over-his-shoulder, inside the artist's studio segment as nick masterfully illustrates a (gorgeous!) sketch of wonder woman.
(which i will show it to you next week 'cause...uh...he gave it to me.)

anyway, here are a couple of the pics i took, mostly of michael and renee looking on as nick "discovers" some wonderful treasures in his old portfolios.










i've posted many of nick's classic and dynamic covers here time and time again, so i won't repeat myself here--but here is a recent article that my pal (and baltimore comiccon coordinator and traffic manager extraordinaire) brad tree sent along to me last week.
check this out...


http://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com/2010/08/grooviest-covers-of-all-time-nick-cardy.html






oh, and here's a pic that renee took of michael, nick, and me.
(that dazed look on my face is 'cause i'm realizing that i'm hanging out with two of my absolute heroes!)
(i know...right?!)




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


a couple months ago, shortly after i lost jake, i was in a... harsh mood, i guess you could say. craig might tell you that i'm still there, but i hope it's getting better...
anyway, he sent me a pin-up from a guy he met at the boston show (...i think...right, craig?) that i was just in no place to really absorb and appreciate. craig said that we would use it as a pin-up in the upcoming series and i said, cool, 'tever, and filed it away, not really giving it a second look.
in the meantime, i've become friends with eric henson on facebook and was blown away by a kinda try-out page that he drew of our kids, the perhapanauts! i told him so and he told me that there was a second page--a splash--and i begged him to show me!
and now i'm showin' you!







wicked awesome, right?!

needless to say, eric and i are trying to find a way to get him on a perhapanauts back-up story!
probably in the same issue we feature his spectacular pin-up!

thanks, eric!
great job!

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

and for those of you who don't think that i've already dropped enough names with renee, michael, and nick...
sharon and i took terry out to dinner for his birthday the other night and i was thrilled that i could give him something that he didn't already have! (terry has everything--especially every toy you could think of! except...) a mcfarlane quick draw mcgraw/el kabong figure! at least, he thought he didn't have one...it could be in there, somewhere...
but, of course, terry always comes bearing some gifts of some sort for me--dvds of various seasons of various sitcoms from the fifties, duplicate JLU action figures that came in some shady ebay deal, same with old archie comics, pep comics, betty and veronicas. this time he handed me the latest issue of toyfare asking if i'd seen that somebody up there likes us! what a great thrill to be mentioned in their pages--but also to share a page with the likes of fringe, batman, she-ra, and william shatner! are we pop culture, or what?!




it says:
"Despite a highly erratic publishing schedule, The Perhapanauts is a dynamic comic book about mystery monsters joining forces for good. The Perhapanauts Vol.0 finally collects all the original hard-to-find miniseries into one cryptid compendium! imagecomics.com"

and that's it for me!
i got so much to do before i leave.
smell ya later!
todd

perhapanauts pins!!

okay...

making their debut at the 2010 baltimore comiccon this coming weekend...!

hot! new! crazy! perhapanauts pins!
1 1/4 in diameter--now you can cover your jacket, backpack, cap, or leotard with your favorite agents of the paranormal!

set A features
dover
karl the mothman
mg
and molly!



set 2 includes
the gremlin
choopie
big
and arisa!

each set also includes a perhapanauts logo pin!












the perhapanauts pin sets will be available when we get back in the perhapanauts store!
makes a great christmas gift for those paranormal people on your list!

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

and here, from my facebook friend, james stone, another clever tribute to mike...







my mom always thought we were channeling calvin and hobbes too--since i loved them so much!
thanks, james!
great job!


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

and here's a picture of a guy walking a penguin in new zealand...





HAPPY BIRTHDAY today to my pal, TERRY AUSTIN!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TERRY!


that's it for me!
smell ya later!
todd

the perhapanauts 2010 baltimore comiccon one-sheet!

okay...

on the heels of eric canete's beautiful tellos pin-up in memory of ringo last week, matt sent over this equally stunning piece by gabriel hardman also done in tribute to mike. gabriel is probably best known for his fantastic work on our pal, jeff parker's agents of atlas book, but matt says you should also check out gabriel's own book, heathentown--which i';m gonna look for next week at the baltimore convention.




thanks, gabriel!
it's always a wonderful feeling to see other artists illustrate your 'kids'...


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


though i'd originally said that i wouldn't be attending any conventions this summer, apparently craig and matt had other ideas, and so, with my badly-twisted arm in a sling, i'll be joining those two--along with a host of other perhapa-pals, suzanne, kelly, rich, leanne and rod, lauren, and on and on--next weekend at the baltimore comiccon! if you're in the area and have always wanted to see what a comics convention is about, i can't recommend this show enough. it's still about comics and the people who love them and hasn't gotten all hollywood and crazy. i love this show!

with that in mind, craig and i have put together a few fun new perhapanauts things to offer at the show, the least of which will be the new choopie cards to entertain and amuse anybody who gets too close to our table. they're free so come on by and pick one up!

we'll also have new perhapanauts buttons featuring your favorite paranormal characters from your second favorite paranormal comic book! we'll have more about them on monday! (they're way cool!)

exclusively, though, we'll be debuting the newest in our perhapanauts one-sheet series, this one--to appeal to the regional lore this time--we feature the maryland goat-man! i wrote some words, craig drew the art, and the coloring is by our pal, mike thomas!

it looks like this--




an exclusive to the show and with a limited print of 50, these are going to go fast!
if there are any left after the show, we'll make them available here in our perhapanauts store for those of you who can't make it to baltimore.


more on the cool con stuff later!
have a great weekend!
smell ya later!
todd

eric canete's tellos

okay...

first craig sent it to me, then brian, then matt, and i think i eventually got 9 jpgs of it...
last week, in honor of mike, eric canete posted this gorgeous tellos piece on his blog.



you can see more of eric's brilliant work at;

http://kahnehteh.blogspot.com/


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FCCR issue 2 is out NOW!!

you might recall last month when i sang the praises of the young staff of the new publication called First Class Comic Review...?
well, ellie and lily egleton are at it again this month with issue 2! and it';s twice as good as issue 1--mostly 'cause there's an interview with ME in there...! : )





you can read more about FCCR at their website listed below and order copies of the mag from their site!

http:// firstclasscomicreview.moonfruit.com/

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joke


A beautiful young New York woman was so depressed that she decided to end her life by throwing herself into the ocean. But just before she could throw herself from the docks, a handsome young man stopped her "You have so much to live for," said the man. "Look, I'm a sailor, and we're off to Europe tomorrow, and I can stow you away on my ship. "I'll take care of you, bring you food every day, and keep you happy." With nothing to lose, combined with the fact that she had always wanted to go to Europe, the woman accepted. That night the sailor brought her aboard and hid her in a lifeboat. From then on, every night he would bring her three sandwiches and make love to her until dawn. Three weeks later she was discovered by the captain during a routine inspection. "What are you doing here?" asked the captain. "I have an arrangement with one of the sailors," she replied. "He brings food and I get a free trip to Europe." "I see," the captain says. "Plus," (wanting to make a full confession, she adds) "He's screwing me." "He certainly is," replied the captain. "This is the Staten Island Ferry.

gotta roll~!
smell ya later~!
todd