The iFanboy Interview
April 7, 2010, filed under: News, Studio, by Lex
iFanboy, a popular comic book podcast show, recently went to WONDERCON and came back with a flurry of interviews, one of which included me! I was excited, since the iFanboys generally focus on mainstream Marvel and DC books, but they took some time out of their hectic schedule to visit Artist’s Alley where I was exhibiting.
It was a rare joint interview between Darwyn Cooke, myself and iFanboy, Ron Richards.
FYI: Cooke’s a total camera hog, I couldn’t get a word in edge-wise.
Wondercon Approacheth!
April 1, 2010, filed under: News, Studio, by Lex
This weekend I’ll be exhibiting at Wondercon in San Francisco, I’ll be in Artist’s Alley at table AA049 and I’ll have a slew of great things to show-off at the table, among them pre-release copies of Kid Beowulf and the Song of Roland!
My publisher sent me a couple of copies just the other day and the book looks pretty bad-ass if I do say so myself! It’s 272 pages of swash-buckling adventure, with a beautiful, full-on wrap around cover, french flaps, and a spot-gloss to boot!
Not to mention that “hot-off the press smell” that is oh, so redolent. The books are $18.00 each and we’ll only have 2 cases on hand so get ‘em while you can! (The official release is later this month).
I’ll also have the full trio of Limited Edition Resin Sculpts: Hama, Beowulf and now Grendel! Each sculpt is masterfully sculpted and painted and now available to add to your mantle. Painted sculpts are $45.00 each and bronzed editions are $30.00.
Finally, I’ll be previewing the long-awaited Kid Beowulf App! Book 1 Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath has now made it into app form: the 208 page graphic novel has been transformed into 3 sleek downloadable apps, featuring clean, crisp graphics, links to comic book trailers and podcasts and lots of unique original art made exclusively for the app! Come by the table and I’ll show you the apps in action!
Of course, if you’re not able to make it to the show, you can still get yourself a copy of Kid Beowulf and the Song of Roland long before anyone else does–just order it right here! I’ve set up a whole new store through paypal which allows you to order a copy of the book directly from me. I’ll be happy to sign the book and ship it your way. All proceeds help fund more Kid B. goodness. Sculpts are also available for purchase in the new store too!
See you at the con!
“Release the Podcraken!”
March 24, 2010, filed under: News, Studio, by Lex
I was recently featured as a guest on the most excellent joint venture podcast Tall Tale Radio/Comics Coast to Coast. Tom Racine hosted a round-table discussion with myself, Justin Thompson and John Sanford. We chatted mythology, comics, THOR, and the upcoming Clash of the Titans (among other things). The conversation even veered into off-beat Happy Meal territory (?!), but eventually came ’round to some good ol’ fashioned Kid Beowulf talk! Thanks for the plug boys! You can listen here or click the banner above.
Million Dollar Baby
March 11, 2010, filed under: News, Roland, Studio, by LexJust when I thought I wouldn’t have much to blog about this week, I come across this odd bit of news: apparently Kid Beowulf and the Song of Roland is listed for sale on Amazon for $999.00! Act fast though, because there’s only one copy left (it’s being sold from a reliable seller–97% positive–and it’s in “acceptable” condition). Now some of you may think that’s a little pricey, but consider the first appearance of Superman (Action Comics #1) just sold for a cool million and a short time later, Batman’s first appearance (Detective Comics #17), sold for 1.5 million. $999.00 is a steal! You can order right now, while operators are standing by…
(For you cheapskates out there, rest assured we’ll have plenty of copies in 3 short weeks selling for a bargain basement price of $17.95).
Cuba Part II: Dedete & Animation
February 3, 2010, filed under: News, Studio, by Lex
The very same day we visted Palante we also went to another Cuban newspaper Juventud Rebelde, the back page of which features editorial cartoons in a feature called Dedete. Originally Dedete (named after the pesticide “DDT”), was a paper of it’s own, but a few years back it was consolidated into the larger paper, Juventud Rebelde. Dedete has been around since 1965 in some form or another and is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Where the humor and art style of Palante was more cartoony and less political, Dedete had a very editorial bent to their comics and humor (they’re caricactures in particular reminded me of David Levine’s). Below is a copy of Humor Rebelde, an anthology which features cartoons from some of Dedete’s top contributors.
Just like our new friends at Palante, the crew of Dedete was warm and inviting and very interested to hear about cartooning in the states and how it was similar (or different) from Cuba. We ended the meeting with some socializing (which for cartoonists means we drew each other), below is Humberto Lazaro’s (Laz) take on yours truly.
One thing I love about these offices is there’s always a mural to take a photo in front of! Here’s the whole Dedete and Snoopy Goes to Cuba crew. Later that week they ran an article about our meeting and used the photo below and I’m sure glad they did–that newspaper helped me get out of US Customs (customs officials are very suspicious of cartoonists).
Finally, before we left for our shores Laz did another piece of commemorative art for us, featuring the entire Snoopy Goes to Cuba crew (Sparky included!).
You’d think it would be difficult to top our first day, after all we toured two different newspapers and met a bevy of terrific and talented cartoonists but our second day was perhaps even better, as we were lucky enough to visit Estudios de Animacio!
Located in Havana, this is one of the few animation studios in Cuba. The studio has been producing films for the past 20 years, though many of its producers have been in Cuban animation and comics since the 1960’s–most notably, Juan Padron, creator of one of Cuba’s most famous films, Vampires in Havana (which you can watch instantly on Netflix!). Juan Padron is also the creator of Elpidio Valdes, another animated legacy, about a Cuban freedom fighter in the 1800’s. Below is another terrific mural featuring the studios most famous characters.
It was a thrill to walk the halls and hear the history of this animation studio. The animators include both men and women of all ages and they work in a variety of formats, from traditional 2D animation, Flash, stop-motion, and most recently trying their hand at CGI. We were lucky enough to watch a reel of their work and I was struck by the diversity of it, not just in the stories, characters and subject matter, but also the quality of the animation, which rivals anything here in the states. Here is the bullpen with some animators hard at work…
The lead animator of this young crew was thrilled to meet us, in particular Jeannie Schulz–apparently he was more than just a casual fan of PEANUTS.
Justin and I had to verify the quality of the tatoo, and his leg is now at the Studio for approval.
Like their newspaper counterparts, it was frustrating to hear how the U.S. embargo affected their work, and to a larger degree for animation, since much of their production relies heavily on computers and cameras (the embargo penalizes any countries that trades or sells with Cuba); any equipment they might need to make their films comes at a much higher cost for them. Similarly the distribution channels for their films are much smaller; outside of Cuba, their films are mostly seen in the occasional animation festival. Despite these impediments, the quality of their work and dedication to their craft could not be questioned–they clearly love what they’re doing.
Storyboards from their upcoming film “Celine.”
Finally, a glimpse at one of the funnier shorts that we saw in their reel. The cartoon below is a precursor to Vampires in Havana, and it’s hilarious!
Cuba Part I: Palante!
January 28, 2010, filed under: News, Studio, by Lex
We hit the ground running on the first day and visited a Cuban humor publication called Palante. Palante has been around for nearly 50 years and is the premier newspaper for comics (its format is similar to Funny Times in the states). We met in a conference room where we learned about the history of the paper and met many of the cartoonists, whose ages range from 25 to 75–generations of cartoonists contribute to Palante!
Palante did a spread on Charles Schulz and Peanuts back in the 80’s
We also introduced ourselves and told them a little about our own work–at the Schulz Studio, but also our individual projects: Viva Kid Beowulf!
Afterward, we were asked to draw some momentos for them…Justin and Hilary, are hard at work!
As per usual, Tom did some terrific caricatures…
One of the artists I had the pleasure to meet was Enrique Lacoste. Enrique does political and editorial cartoons, but is also the creator of a comic book series called Wankarani, about a young Peruvian boy and his pet jaguar. The book seemed like a lot of fun and reminded me of my own work.
Another member of Palante was gentleman cartoonist, Francisco Blanco Hernandez of the well-regarded Cuban comic Ay Vecino.
Francisco had lots of wonderful stories to tell, one of which involved a mural he painted of his characters in the famous Cuban bar, La Bodeguita (one of Hemingway’s favorite spots). The cartoonist genes run strong in the Hernandez family, as Francisco’s son, Jr. is also a cartoonist and member of the Palante squad.
Francisco at La Bodeguita…Ay Vecino is above
The moment we entered the Palante offices, we were greeted by Peanuts artwork, which was done by this fellow, Jose Luis. Here Jeannie gives him a pat on the back for all his hard work!
Jose also has a wicked sense of humor, as displayed by some of his comics below…
We spent a good two hours enjoying the history and people of Palante–it’s an impressive crew of dedicated cartoonists and later that week we rejoined our Cuban cartoonist compatriots for dinner, drinks and drawing. Before we left the offices, we took a group photo in front of wild mural in their office lobby.
Finally, here’s a caricature battle featuring Tom Richmond vs. a Palante cartoonist…damn, these guys are good…and quick!
UPDATE: Mercedes Torres, the managing editor of Palante adds to the discussion with her own blog entry.
Kid B. Goes to Cuba
January 27, 2010, filed under: News, Studio, by Lex“Work for Snoopy–see the world!” That was what my boss told me when I got the incredible job at the Charles Schulz Studio three years ago. At the time I thought it was a joke, but I should have known she was serious; in that time I’ve made trips to Japan and Europe and I just got back from (of all places) Cuba! It’s amazing just how far that Flying Ace flies.
Spearheaded by Jeannie Schulz (Sparky’s widow and all around friend to cartoonists), a rag-tag group of cartoonists headed to Havana, Cuba for a week to meet artists, cartoonists, animators and all around good people from those tropical shores. The side streets of Havana (as well as those of US/Cuban relations) were expertly navigated by Paul Bardwil, who has done a number of trips to Cuba already. The cartoonists in question included myself, Justin (”Mythtickle”) Thompson, Hilary (”Rhymes With Orange”) Price, Brian (does just about everything) Narelle and Tom (MAD Magazine) Richmond. Tom did an excellent recap of the trip on his blog and I urge you to read it if you want the real skinny on the trip.
Rather than repeat what Tom posted, I’m going to focus on the artists we met, so stay tuned for some Cuban cartoonist profiles! (The above image is a parody of Camilo Cienfuegos & Che Guevara bounding through the jungle from the Museum of the Revolution in Havana–click to enlarge).