Here's
the banner Sideshow created to advertise
the Insanely Twisted Rabbit collectible, throughout
the web. Pretty neat!
April
25, 2003
The
first "Insanely Twisted Rabbit" sculpture
from Sideshow
Collectibles is currently being solicited in this
May's Previews.
Check it out on page 464! Because of the low quantity
being produced, they expect this item to sell out very
quickly. Here's the description I got from Sideshow:
One
day in 1991, while Michel Gagné was working at
Don Bluth Animation Studios, he saw a sketch of his
friend's pet rabbit. This sparked Michel's imagination
and he began compulsively scribbling dozens of deformed,
mutated rabbits, spawning a competition to see who could
draw the most twisted rabbit. Since that fateful day,
Michel has doodled hundreds of strange rabbits, eventually
publishing many of them in his book aptly titled "Insanely
Twisted Rabbits."
The
"Demon Dog Rabbit" evolved from one of those
little doodles into an exquisitely crafted polystone
figure. Hand-cast and hand-painted, this limited edition
of 1,000 numbered pieces brings to 3D one of the most
delightfully disturbing, yet imaginative collectibles
seen today.
April
20, 2003
 |
New
Addition to the Fan
Art Gallery
At
the Atlanta Comicon, a chap named Lucas
Ryan came by my table. He told me he
was a big fan of my work and asked me to look
at some of his sketches. I was blown away!! This
guy is a great draftman! His sketchpad was filled
with beautiful designs and caricatures. A few
hours later, Lucas came back with a little gift
for me... a caricature of myself as an insanely
twisted rabbit! |
April
16, 2003
-
ATLANTA COMICON REPORT -
We
had a blast! The organizers were all so nice and helpful;
they made it a delight to be there.
I'm so glad they selected me to be a guest of their
show. Here's the lowdown:
Thursday,
April 10: We took the plane from Seattle to
Atlanta and arrived at our destination around 6:00 pm.
We were greeted by the Comicon's chief of security,
who kindly drove us to our hotel in Duluth. Riding with
us was Terry Moore, the famed creator
of the excellent comic series Strangers
in Paradise. Terry is currently celebrating the
tenth anniversary of his creation. From our hotel, Terry,
Nancy (my beloved wife) and I, walked to the Roadhouse
Grill where we had a relaxing dinner. We chatted about
working in the comic biz, doing FX on The Iron Giant
(Terry's favorite animated film), and the various
progressions of our respective careers. Terry is a very
swell guy and a tremendous artist.
Friday,
April 11: First day of the convention. The
hall opened at 1:00 pm. We were at the table right next
to Mike Kunkel, creator of
Herobear
and the kid. Mike is such a nice guy; it was
a pleasure to have him as a convention neighbor. He
was promoting his new hardcover that compiles the first
5 issues of his series: a very slick package that delighted
all the Herobear fans. Our "Insanely Twisted Rabbits"
banner caught the eye of many unsuspecting attendees.
A lot of them came to chat with us and were delighted
when I offered to sketch for anyone who happened to
have a sketchpad handy. After the hall closed at 7:00,
we all headed to the Gaijin
Studio where food and drinks awaited us. We had
fun socializing with the many great artists who were
present. Back at the hotel, I had a pitiful game of
pool with the talented Mike Jantze (The
Norm), who ended up defeating me in the end. Truly,
we were closely matched in our inability to make a decent
shot!
Saturday,
April 12: The convention hall opened at 10:00
and my table was immediately mobbed by a group of animation
students. Their enthusiasm was very refreshing. I also
met two cool guys from The
Animation Nation Message Board, who are known under
the names Fooksie
(thanks for the mug) and LooseToon
(who provided the pictures you see here). Those guys
were a lot of fun to talk to. I sketched and signed
books, and everyone was very thankful. The Insanely
Twisted Rabbits
sculpture from Sideshow Collectibles was on display
at our table and was a massive hit, to say the least.
Too bad it isn't for sale yet.
At
2:00pm, I headed for the ASIFA room, where I was part
of a panel about "Animators Doing Comic Books".
The panel, moderated by Sarah Fay,
went extremely well. Mike Kunkel balanced
my insanity with mature reasoning, while
Stephanie
Gladden and Robert
Pope offered some good insights on the
business. The fan reaction was great. After the panel,
I rejoined Nancy at the table where sales were picking
up quite well. The doors closed, at 6:00pm, and Thom
Trainor (one of the organizer and a nice guy
to boot) took us to a Jamaican restaurant where we joined
the amazing Shane
Glines, Mike Kunkel, Thom's
wonderful wife Rhonda, and a few other
artists. The food was fabulous and so was the company.
Sunday,
April 13: Last day of the convention. I did
a one hour presentation (Inside the Animator's Studio)
at 2:00pm and the response was fantastic. Prelude
to Eden, as always, was a big hit. Back to
the table, I did more sketching and signing, and we
nearly sold everything we had shipped. I feel so blessed
to have such wonderful fans that support my work. Their
enthusiasm and kindness truly fuels my creative energy.
April
11 -13, 2003
I've
been invited to be a guest at the 3rd
Annual Atlanta Comicon. If you happen to be
in that area, at that specific period of time, please
come by and say hi. My beloved wife and I will have
a table in the guest section with a full inventory of
books and other goodies.
The convention will have lots of great guests and rooms
full of all kinds of illustrated literature. ASIFA
Atlanta asked me to take part in two of their events.
Check below for details.
ASIFA-Atlanta
at the Atlanta Comicon Convention
A
Weekend of Animation and Comics, Friday, April 11 through
Sunday, April 13 at the Gwinnett Civic Center
Fri
- 1pm-7pm
Sat 10am-6pm
Sun 11am-5pm
ASIFA-Atlanta
is sponsoring an entire room at the Atlanta Comicon
Convention! Join us for a full weekend of animation
panels and screenings with a special focus on comics.
Featuring animators and artists from local studios and
schools, special appearances by visiting guests, and
a plethora of information about working in the animation
and comics industries. All screenings and presentations
take place in the ASIFA-Atlanta room.
PRESENTATIONS
I'LL BE PARTICIPATING IN:
Animators
Doing Comic Books
Join visiting guests Michel Gagné, Mike Kunkel,
and Atlanta-based Stephanie Gladden and Matt Jenkins
for the ins and outs of doing double-duty in the fields
of animation and comic book art. We'll cover many aspects
of the comics industry such as self-publishing, self-promotion,
work-for-hire comics based on pre-exisitng animated
characters, and distribution. We'll also talk about
the crossovers between doing animation and comics.
Saturday,
April 12
2pm
Inside
the Animator's Studio with Michel Gagné
Join visiting guest, Michel Gagné, creator of
"Zed" and a top animation artist, for an "Inside
the Actor's Studio" style interview.
Sunday,
April 12
2pm
Check
the Atlanta
Comicon website for the full schedule of events.
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