Chicago's big alt-comix showcase is this weekend, Sat & Sun, at the the Center on Halstead. I'll be tabling and paneling. I'll have a full array of books and original art. Stop on by!
Just returned from New York City and the first promo for the new TRASHED graphic novel. Here's the cheap promo review copy of the book. And this one is really an uncorrected proof. No color, rotten paper, no editing or corrections at all. Little leery of letting something this rough circulate, but Abrams wanted something for Book Expo, the book industry's big trade show.
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| The Abrams booth. Very cozy. |
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| Hovering overhead, Abrams' gold seam. That's right, bitches, I've got Wimpy Kid money behind me! |
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| At the Abrams' garden dinner party. |
I was on a graphic novel panel with three other creators. Completely different works aimed at completely different age groups. Nice crowd. One woman, a librarian, helpfully pointed out that there already was a book about being a garbageman, released in 2013. I responded with an evil grin that my first garbage stories were published eleven BEFORE that, in 2002, and then again as a webcomic in 2009 and 2010. Wotta asshole. What was that about? Trying to embarrass somebody in a public forum?
Did a signing at the Abrams pod afterwards. Maybe 20 people lined up to get signed copies of the shitty review copy. Reflexively, I add a drawing to the title page, along with my signature, just like I do in Europe, where it's expected. The Abrams folks stared at me in disbelief. "You're doing a DRAWING???" my handler asked, in shock. "It's no problem," I answered, and it wasn't. I'm still putting the finishing touches on this book and after 6 months of marathon drawing, I'm in peak form. Besides, it was only 20 people and I've signed for 100 at single stops in France! But word spread fast, and the line grew to 30 and stayed there as more joined it. Still no problem, but the Abrams folks were freaking out. "We don't want you to hurt your hand!" Hilarious.
After an hour, they shooed everyone away. Cracked me up. But hit me up at CAKE and you'll get a drawing. No TRASHED yet– it's out in the Fall– you'll have to wait for SPX and NY Comicon for that.
