Stumptown & Bowler Hat Comics
October 2, 2007, filed under: Kid B., Studio, by Lex
Stumptown marks the end of my 2007 convention season, and I am happy for it. After missing my flight to Portland on Friday and arriving to the con a couple hours late Saturday morning, I was again reminded of the hassle of travel and am happy to hang up the convention bags for awhile. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy Stumptown–it was a good show and I saw many of the faces I met at last year’s con (I think I was one of the few cartoonists NOT from Portland). It was also a productive weekend in that I got a chance to talk-shop with my new publisher Bo Johnson (who I met at last year’s show) of Bowler Hat Comics.
Bo is the publisher of the new graphic novel imprint Bowler Hat Comics, part of the Ink & Paper Group; a cadre of publishers in the Portland area who have pooled their resources together to publish unique books, from fiction to non-fiction to graphic novels. I got a chance to visit their publishing house and see this think-tank up close. When I entered the door of their remodeled 1910 Victorian-house-headquarters I was greeted by a bowler hat on their hat-stand–pretty cool.
This is Bo behind Ink & Paper’s display counter of upcoming books…check it out: Kid B. front and center! The place is pretty cool, the foyer opens up into a welcoming area where all the titles are on display, it then moves into another area of the house where meetings and book releases take place. The meeting room is lined with windows and artwork hangs from the walls, this room has large window-doors which open onto a back porch. The gong is rung whenever they publish a new book!
Just a few steps from the open porch is a Japenese style fountain, complete with goldfish.
It seems like a great place to work and it’s nice to know that Kid B. has a home here. Bo is really dedicated to getting Kid B. the audience it deserves, as is Allison Collins, Bowler Hat’s marketing guru who I also met at Stumptown. I look forward to future meetings at their offices. Finally, the advent of Stumptown also marked the launch of the new BowlerHat Comics website, complete with preview pages and news of Kid B. and their upcoming illustrated novel Visibility.
Finally, after some consideration, I’ve decided to re-title the upcoming Kid Beowulf book (set to debut at Book Expo America next June). Formerly called Kid Beowulf: A Bard’s Tale the new title is now: Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath. The new title is a lot snappier if you ask me and it speaks to what the book is about (it also has a similar air to those famous Potter books everyone seems to enjoy so much). Overall, the weekend was very productive; it was good to be at Stumptown and even better to meet the crew of Bowler Hat Comics. I’m happy and excited to have Kid B. as a part of their organization and am confident it will do well in their hands.
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Hello,
It was great to have you in town, Lex. We’re all excited to have you on board at Bowler Hat and couldn’t be happier to be working with you on Kid Beowulf. The adventure’s just beginning!
Bo
Comment by Bo Johnson — October 2, 2007 @
Lex,
Glad that StumpTown 2007 was another fun experience. I think the new sub title does have a nice ring to it.
Comment by Brian — October 2, 2007 @
I love the new title! It definetely lends the reader to think that it’s a more action-packed story. Several of my friends here are looking forward to its being published!
Comment by Cesca — October 3, 2007 @
The title is 1,000,000 times better.
Comment by pumonkey hammockalot — October 4, 2007 @