"Getting Graphic with Girls" & NYCC recap

At NYCC last weekend I was lucky enough to be on a panel with Cecil Castellucci (The Plain Janes), Colleen AF Venable (Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye), and Lucy Knisley (French Milk)!

Heidi MacDonald from The Beat was supposed to be our moderator, but due to a family emergency she had to bail at the last minute. Hence we were UNMODERATED! Which quickly became our new catchphrase.  (Special thanks to Colleen for handling the tech!) This actually worked out great.   Since we directed the discussion ourselves, it was like the audience was overhearing us having more of an informal conversation.  I didn't get any photos of us speaking, but believe me we had a great audience! Especially since it was the end of the show.

We covered topics such as how girls are portrayed in comics, how girls approach comics differently, our comic con experiences, our gateway into comics, mentors, our career paths & education expereicnes, what characters inspire us who we'd like to see get more attention (Like STATURE!), how DC & Marvel need to hire more female writers...

...and of course we discussed the notorious Catwoman cover!


What an insane pose, right?! Of course we had to try and replicate it.


Oh, and I should post some pics from the show! I'm proud to say that I was able to avoid entering the main floor the ENTIRE weekend.

I spent all my time in Artist Alley, which was moved to the North Pavilion this year. Being separate from the rest of the show, it felt like a smaller comic con within the bigger con. Which suited me just fine!

 

Here's me at my table! (Thanks for the pic, Bryan Wilson)

It was a great show for me! Sold lots of books, sent art off to some good homes, made new connections.... sold some new merch, some writer-fan-doodle composition notebooks:

I also heard some great stories from folks who were inspired by Page by Paige,  to get a sketchbook and start drawing again. Or they're planning a public project like what the Agents of Whimsy do in the book. How amazing is that?! To me this is the highest form of praise the book could get.  

And I've gotta say, my fans are super cute!

That includes the grown-ups, too!

 

Thank you everyone who came by, and my table-neighbors James Mascia & Michael Dolce for keeping things lively all weekend!

I'll leave you with this pic. I'm a sucker for Labyrinth costumes...

Currently Listening:  Billy Joel, lots of it.

Comics Quickfire!

In case you missed it at NYCC this year, 

here's the recap from the COMICS QUICKFIRE!

Our hosts were Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy) and Gregg Schigiel (Stuff Said Podcast).  Featured artists included myself along with Ryan Sias (Zoe & Robot), Mark Siegel (Sailor Twain), and John Green (Teen Boat).  Plus, a couple brave volunteers from the audience joined us on stage! 

We divided into two teams and  drew a 4-panel comic inspired by suggestions from the crowd. Okay, at first I was intimidated by drawing live in front of a big audience, but then you forget because you've just gotta draw FAST.

Dave and Greg translate our squiggles to the audience...

 

Here's the finished comic from our team: "Phoenix Rising!" It features giant cheese attacking Paris, and a surprising friendship between elephant and mouse.


 And here's the other team's comic about the battle between waffle and syrup. They might have won the most applause, but, hey, it's hard to draw anything in just 60 seconds!

At the end was the EPIC DRAW, which featured 15 elements suggested by the audience and drawn in just a few minutes by all of us in a flurry of markers.  The zombie about to eat Big Bird wearing platforms? Oh yeah, that section's mine.

 

This was a blast! Thanks everyone who came and cheered us on. And if you'd like to see pics from the last Comics Quickfire, check out my post from last year's Brooklyn Book Festival with Dave & Raina.

  (Photos by Me, Matt & Dave. And I swiped the header drawing from Dave.)

Currently Listening: Glen Hansard...Rhythm and Repose.

New York Comic Con THIS WEEKEND

It's that time of year again for NEW YORK COMIC CON!

I'll have a table in artist alley, so please come by and say hello.

And I'm pleased to announce I'll be in two-yes-TWO awesome panels:

 

Comics Quickfire!

Saturday October 13th, 
5:15- 6:15pm @ Variant Stage
Facebook Event
A fast-paced game show where volunteers are paired off with (or against) professional cartoonists in a series of fun-filled drawing challenges! Audience members will provide suggestions and add to the creation of totally improvised epic drawings! Featuring host Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy), Ryan Sias (Zoe & Robot), Mark Siegel (Sailor Twain), John Green (Teen Boat), Laura Lee Gulledge (Page By Paige) and more! Great for all ages!

Getting Graphic With Girls: 

Empowering Girls and Addessing Issues through Paneled Pictures

Sunday, October 14th.
4- 5:00 pm @ Room 1A01
Join some of graphic novel's best and brightest female writers/illustrators for a frank and lively discussion about creating comics for a young female reading audience and addressing the real life  issues that matter to them.  Featuring Cecil Castellucci , Colleen Venable , Laura Lee Gulledge, Lucy Knisley, and moderated by Heidi McDonald of The Beat.

Currently Listening: Mumford & Sons...Babel.