September 23, 2008
Northbound

   I'd never before travelled outside the USofA for a show, but I have to say that the comic fans in Toronto were a real treat to meet! Longtime pal and native Canadian Jason Armstrong suggested I come up for one of the major conventions for years, and this past August, I finally took him up on it. The last time Karen & I went north of the states was a decade ago, for Jason's wedding to the lovely Susan! Since then there's now two additions : Kate, 6 and Nick, 2.

   The Armstrongs were kind enough to invite us to stay at their house for the full week we'd be in town and frankly, we didn't want to leave! The subway system was conveniently a couple blocks away, so before the convention weekend, Karen and I would do the tourist-y thing on a double-decker bus. And manoman! The weather was soooo cool and comfortable! Toronto's Autumn is a month or so ahead and it was a welcome change from the humidor that is Florida. Why complain about the heat if we live in Florida during the Summer? Because years ago, we bought a house and as everybody knows, the housing market is for shit right now!

   Anyway, both Jason and Susan are excellent cooks and spoiled us as if we paid for a fancy Bed & Breakfast Inn. I certainly ate healthier than usual. Just so you don't think Karen & I are complete moochers, we did kick in for groceries and various sundries. What impressed me most was how much Kate and Nick love reading books! The trips to the library were times of happy anticipation. The kids do watch some tv, but rarely, and frankly, I found it inspirational. Btw, if you've read Jason's Image GN, Ferro City (ferocity, get it?), you may suspect that it's no coincidence that the female lead's name is Kate.

   During the 3-day Fan eXpo, Jason and I did a ton of sketches and shook many hands. I didn't take a lot of photos of new pals Yanick Paquette (who asked me if I was exclusive to DC-what a rush to hear that kind of question!), Stuart & Katherine Immonen and old pals Dexter Vines and Bob Layton, because I tend to prefer a silly narrative if I'm going to subject you, gentle reader, to the blog equivalent of home movies.
   A heartfelt thanks to the Armstrongs for the kindness and merrymaking that provided Karen and I with the best week of 2008!

   As I write this, yet another Crossgen Comics alumni is moving away from Florida. My inking pal Dave Meikis, of Runaways & She-Hulk fame. On occasion, we've ghosted for each other in times of deadline crisis. Our ink-slinging sensibilities are similar enough that we could pull off aping each others' work, but I'll miss our lunches at the daytime-only restaurant that was a halfway meeting point. Guess my frequent customer card won't have any new holes punched in it any time soon. Dave and I can babble about comics for hours, and many a time, we've done so over the phone while inking, so at least we'll still have that! Happy trails, Dave!

   Funny aside: Well, not that funny, just kinda neat. When I was working on Flash #244, the script had mentioned a unspecified food delivery guy who was going to walk into a scene of horror. In the final version, Alan Burnett specified: "Hello! It's me. The pirogi guy. I got your lunch order. Hello?"

   This may be the first time I've ever seen the word perogi in a comic book! For the tragically uninitiated, a pirogi (or pierogi) is a large ravioli-shaped pasta filled with mashed potatoes & cheese, best served fried on a skillet with onions! It's one of my favorite dishes and every time I go to visit the folks in Pittsburgh, I have the "Pierogi Lady" deliver a batch frozen for me to take back to Florida.

   Speaking of the latest issue of Flash, I'd like to give a shout out to soon-to-be-superstar inker, Rebecca Buchman, who pitched in when the deadline got tight. She did several pages, and I'd defy anyone to tell who inked what.

   Read of the Month:
   The long-awaited sequel to The Plain Janes, Janes in Love (DC/Minx, $9.99), hit the streets last week and it's a bittersweet read. I really feel for the characters during their good times and bad. This is one of those OGNs that I would buy monthly, but the careful craft and volume of pages takes time, so I'll impatiently wait for a third volume if Castellucci & (fellow Pittsburgher) Rugg decide to do one.

   Webmeister Chris & I've added a TWELTH commission page with a couple new ones, both by former Daredevil artists, Gene Colan & Dave Ross. Check 'em out! Now!
 
 
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