This Labor Day weekend I’ll be exhibiting at the San Francisco Zinefest! The event is Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 4 & 5) at the SF County Fair building in Golden Gate Park from 11am-6pm.  Zinefest has been growing over the years and I hear it just keeps getting better. The show floor will be packed with Bay Area DIY artists of all stripes; if you’re a fan of the zine-scene or ever wanted to try it yourself this is the place to be!

I’ll have the usual slew of Kid B. merch on hand, including the newest book Kid Beowulf and the Song Of Roland, plus I’ll be bringing some exclusive preview pages of book three Kid Beowulf vs. El Cid!  Check out the site above for more details–the show is free and open to the public!

If I were to describe my own writing process I’d say I was part “Discovery Writer” and “Outline Writer.” I like to have a basic structure for the story I’m telling, but I also like to let the story reveal things to me along the way (a lot of times these discoveries fix my outline problems).

For instance, some secondary characters in the Kid Beowulf series are Emer and Ermlaf, two Heathobards who decide to follow Beowulf and Grendel from Daneland into France (book 1 into 2). Emer (the small one) and Ermlaf (the big one), function primarily as comic relief in the books and as foils for our heroes. The more I write them though, the more I’ve discovered that they have a much larger role to play in the Kid B. mythos, especially in Kid Beowulf vs. El Cid.  How far Emer and Ermlaf go into the series I’m unsure of, but I enjoy the dynamic between all the characters and am open to the possibilities.

In the meantime I’m continuing to read up on the writing process and have several blogs and podcasts on writing that I thought I’d pass along for other process junkies out there…

Cockeyed Caravan: a writing blog by an old college crony turned screenwriter Matt Bird. Matt has some well written and concise entries on the writing process worth reading. Updates frequently too!

see sara. see sara write: a blog by Sara Wilson Etienne, that also has some good entries on the writing process. I met Sara at Comic-con one year and she won me over with her shrewd purchase of Kid Beowulf! Sara just sold her book too–congrats!

Story Fanatic: Jim Hull’s really good essays on film and writing.

johnaugust.com: writing tips from screenwriter John August (I have no idea what films he’s written but I like his blog).

Art & Story: a really good podcast by comic creators Jerzy Drozd, Mark Rudolph and Kevin Cross. I’ve been listening to these guys while I draw–so much so, that it’s become Pavlovian and now I can’t draw without listening to them (a real problem if they run out of shows).

Writing Excuses: another podcast by writers and artists, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Taylor and Dan Wells. These guys are down and dirty, producing a show about writing that’s only 15 minutes long so we don’t procrastinate too long (damn them).

(PS: anyone happen to know what movie about writing “The night was moist” comes from?)

L to R: Mary-Ann (Gilligan’s Island), Jeannie (I Dream of Jeannie), Jamie Summers (The Bionic Woman), Samantha (Bewitched) and Marilyn (The Munsters). Caught up in the Cold War the girls are betrayed by double-agent and their one-time mentor, June Cleaver, and become entangled in a dire plot by the Soviets who are mixing Tiki magic with Space Race technology to take over the world! (At least, that’s how I saw it in my head).

This was a lot of fun to do–thanks Wahab! The pin-up will be in the newest issue of The Society of Unordinary Young Ladies due out this fall.

PRESS RELEASE–The Kid Beowulf Open!

En Garde Fencing proudly presents the first annual Kid Beowulf Open–a graphic novel fencing tournament! Saturday, June 12, cartoonist Alexis E. Fajardo will bring his all-ages graphic novel series, Kid Beowulf, to the En Garde Fencing Club in Santa Rosa, California. The event begins at noon and club owner and fencing instructor Jim Liebich will be conducting a free class for all attendees.

“I’m very excited,” says Jim. “Kid Beowulf is a great story, and hosting this fencing tournament is going to be so much fun.” En Garde Fencing marked its one year anniversary in its new location in May and continues to bring the sought after Olympic sport of fencing to the North Bay. The club features a wide range of students and fencing prowess; girls and boys, all ages and every level from beginner to seasoned amateur. It’s a diverse group of swash and buckle!

Among those fencers is cartoonist Alexis Fajardo, creator of the graphic novel series Kid Beowulf, which features its own brand of swords and sorcery. Inspired by the epic poem BEOWULF, Kid Beowulf follows the journey of 12-year-old twin brothers Beowulf and Grendel as they travel to distant lands and meet fellow epic heroes therein. Published by Bowler Hat Comics, book one “Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath” debuted in 2008 and this spring marks the release of book two, “Kid Beowulf and the Song of Roland”–which features fencing.

“Part of the story for the second book is Beowulf learning how to swing a blade, so I incorporated some fencing into the book,” states Fajardo. “I’ve been fencing almost as long as I’ve been drawing Kid Beowulf, in fact I based one of the lead characters in the new book on my old fencing instructor and I’ve also got a few well-placed cameos of my fencing buddies from the club here. It seemed like a great way to cross-promote the club and the books. I’m looking forward to the event!”

The Kid Beowulf Open takes place Saturday, June 12 from noon-1:30pm at 917 Piner Road in Santa Rosa. The event is free and open to the public. Fajardo will be sharing his work with attendees, signing books and doing sketches, while Moniteur Jim Liebich will conduct a free class for all attendees. And winners of the beginner tournament might just walk away with the much sought after Kid Beowulf Open Trophy!

I wanted to create an app that was more than just the comic and took advantage of the Iphone’s capabilities, including its access to multi-media and the internet. Each app features links to the Kid B. YouTube trailers, Amazon to purchase the book and other off-app links. I also wanted to make it as intuitive as possible and easy to use–above is the main menu page.

Instead of cramming an entire comic onto one tiny screen, we created a way to read the graphic novel that was tailored to the device. The entire app is read in landscape mode and scrolled through right to left.  I wanted to take advantage of the wide display so I cut-up each comic page to feature one panel per screen (one 60 page chapter equals roughly 400 screens). To help navigate through all those screens readers can scroll ahead in 1, 10 or 100 panel intervals. The app also has a nifty bookmark feature so you’ll never lose your place if a phone call tears you away.

We wanted to make the app interactive too, so we placed “easter eggs” throughout. Whenever a new character appears an “info” icon will appear that reveals who that character is and some background on them.

The links to the various Kid B. trailers open up automatically in YouTube.  Each app is a little different and features its own unique content, including links to Facebook, the Kid B. Cafepress Store, Bios and other goodies.

Here’s the real deal: each app is going for a mere 99 CENTS! How can you go wrong? Part 1 is available in the App Store now, so go ahead and give it a try. If you like it give it a good rating and spread the word. We’ll be releasing Parts 2 & 3 in the comic weeks and will announce them on the blog. Start downloading for your Iphone now, with some FREE Kid Beowulf Wallpapers!

This weekend will be an exciting one as I head up to Portland, Oregon for the Stumptown Comics Fest! Portland has deemed April COMICS MONTH and they’re sending it off in grand fashion with a slew of events all leading up to the fest. The most exciting and important event The Kid Beowulf and the Song of Roland Launch Party happens tomorrow night–and it couldn’t be happening at a better place: GRENDEL’s COFFEE HOUSE!

Grendel’s is located at 729 East Burnside Street in Portland, the book launch will start and 5pm and last until 6:30 or so. We’ll be doing a reading/slideshow from the book and I’ll be signing books through the evening. Grendel’s is offering some specials for the event and we’ll also be holding a raffle. Among the prizes include this framed original sketch I did especially for the signing (click to enlarge)…

Also raffled will be a set of  Kid B. Bronze Limited Edition Sculpts featuring Beowulf, Grendel, and Hama! The party will be a great time and everyone’s invited, so if you’re in the neighborhood drop on by! You can get more information at my publishers website here.

Saturday and Sunday I’ll be exhibiting at the Bowler Hat Comics table at Stumptown. I’ll also be on a panel Saturday afternoon with some grade-A cartoonists: Raina (SMILE) Telgemeier and Hope (CHIGGERS) Larson.

Finally, if you’re in the mood to see some original comics art from some of the exhibitors then check out The Stumptown Comics Fest Art Show, where we’ve got a couple of Kid B. prints up for your viewing pleasure. So if you’re in the Portland area this weekend and are looking for things to do, check out the book signing and the comics fest. I hope to see you there!