We Should Do This Every Year, Without The Almost Dying Part

The live art show and auction for Dave went so insanely well I could hardly believe it. Despite a) getting lost on the way to the store (as A.C. pointed out it was probably karmic payback for laughing about Dana getting lost earlier in the day), b) having a splitting headache the entire show and c) then getting so ill by the end that I thought my head was going to split open and vomit was going to erupt forth like some sort of grotesque human volcano it was probably one of the most fun and exhilarating nights of my life. There were so many incredible people there and there was just so much energy you couldn’t help but ride high on it all night long.

I spent most of the night running around, putting up art for the auction, making sure people had supplies, making sure people had food and chatting it up with almost everyone in the place. Sure it was tiring but it was a good kind of tired. A few times I got a chance to get away from the crowd by ducking into the store’s back room, which folks soon began referring to as “backstage”. I was hanging out backstage. I am a rock star.

Aaron Wilson, of Geek Like Me fame, proved that he isn’t just an amazing artist; he’s also an amazing musician and did an incredible job opening for 100 Damned Guns. Then Dave and the boys took the stage and just rocked the house. Even sans drummer (who had a baby… or his wife did… or something) they are still one of the best live bands I have ever witnessed and by the second song the whole place was moving to the music.

Once the music was over the show began to wind down and I helped Dana do a few vocal auctions on some of the last live art pieces to be finished that night. First up was an awesome John Constantine pinup by the sickeningly talented Kevin Steele. That piece went for a pretty penny and after the show the woman who bought the piece gave it to Dave as a gift. So cool. Then we auctioned off a really nice piece by
Space Gun’s own Vinh-Luan Luu, which didn’t go for nearly as much as it should have. The final vocal auction was for a huge Baroness painting done by Jake Ekiss (also a Space Gun alum), which was one of the most beautiful pieces of the night. It took him almost the entire night to finish the piece and boy did it show. Aaron Wilson bid on and won the piece and then very generously donated the piece back to us to auction once more. For that, Aaron is my new hero. Sorry, Superman.

There was one last raffle for a giant piece featuring art by all of the artists at the show, which we almost forgot to get Dave to draw on! Following that was the announcement of the winners of the silent auction and then, sadly, the show was pretty much over. Those of us that put on the show, along with the fashionable and fashionably late David Hopkins, hung out for a while, drinking (well, I wasn’t drinking as the jackhammer in my head threatened to kill me if I did) and talking about the show, comics and other geekery. The highlight of the conversation was probably the idea for the comic creator HeroClix including a Rob Liefeld game piece whose anatomy is all screwed up and whose feet are obscured by a cloud of smoke, the Bob Kane game piece which was actually a Bill Finger piece with Bob Kane’s name scribbled over the top (if you get that one you’re a NEEEEERD) and, my personal favorite and brainchild of Hopkins, the baseless Stan Lee game piece which could be attached to the backs of other, more talented creators! Yes, it was good night. Despite feeling like death and getting lost (AGAIN!) on the way home.

A huge thank you to everyone who came out and made the show such a great time and a huge success for us at Stumblebum and more importantly for Dave Sherrill and his lovely, wonderful wife Melissa. Thanks to artists like Vinh-Luan Luu, Jake Ekiss, Brock Rizy, Kit Lively, David DeGrand, Barry Rodges, Chris Medellin, Kevin Steele, Aaron Wilson, Kirk Chavarria, David Gaitan, Steve Erwin, David Hopkins, Katie Cook, Jess Fink, Aaron Brassea, Eric F. Myers, Lonnie Allen, Joseph Bergin, James O’Barr and so many more I’m probably forgetting for which I deeply apologize. Thanks also to all the members of 100 Damned Guns for playing an awesome show (even Dillon who was there in spirit), the awesome staff of
Excelsior Comic Gallery for hosting the show and much more, Titan Comics owner Jeremy Shorr for all his generosity, Richard Neal, Dan Koller, Mark Hay and Scott Hinze for helping to spread the word, A.C. Hall for making sure sh*t got done and for running around more than I did, all of Dave’s friends, many of whom are also great friends of mine, and to everyone else, friend or total stranger, who showed up and donated to help out one of the coolest people I know.

Last, but certainly not least, big props to Stumblebum’s own whip-cracking editor, Dana Place, who was the brains behind this whole shindig. In spite of the obstacles in his path he put together one of the coolest shows I’ve ever been to. He deserves a raise.

Now if you’ll excuse me, it sounds like they’re playing the “get off the stage, blabbermouth” music.

Return of Quick Bits!

Since I’m trying to keep this column short I’ve decided to bring back a feature I used to use back when I first started this column – Quick Bits! It’s more like a news brief, hitting the major headlines and such, without any long winded “opinions” by some tool (a.k.a. Me).

1. Mark Evanier, perhaps most well known by comic fans for his work with Sergio Argones on Groo The Wanderer, has announced that he is working on not one but two Jack Kirby biographies. The first, titled Kirby: King of Comics, will be what Evanier describes as “a simpler but quite complete version of the Kirby biography” packed with tons of rare, full color Kirby artwork. That version will be released in October of this year. Down the road, at least another year or two, Evanier will publish a “gargantuan, Galactus-sized bio for the hardcore Kirby fan…the kind of person who wants to read every little detail of the man’s extraordinary life”. Oh, oh, I do!
2. Ale Garza has been announced as the new regular artist for the Supergirl ongoing series. When asked how long he’ll be on the book Garza replied that he would be on for at least three issues. Wow, what a commitment. As for his take on Supergirl – “I approach her for what she is – a somewhere between 16-18 years old, bitter, jaded teenage girl. She's not happy to be here, at least not yet. I get the feeling that she just wants to find a place for herself in this world.” Yeah, that sounds like Supergirl to me. Jackass. Oh wait, there’s more – “I see her as being one of these cool, I don't give a shiz, emo type kids you see running around. I mean obviously, how emo can she be wearing, red, yellow, and blue, and sporting a ton of blonde hair, and blue eyes? But I think if she could she'd dye her hair black, and sit in her room listening to songs about crying over old NES games.” LAME! Wait, did he just say “shiz”? Somebody get Dean Trippe on this book, STAT!
3. At a press conference for the movie adaptation of Frank Miller’s 300, producer Gianni Nunnari announced that he is currently working on film version’s of Frank Miller’s Ronin and Warren Ellis & Chris Sprouse’s Ocean. Ronin has been essentially confirmed with Stomp the Yard director Sylvain White announcing that he is directing the film. Warren Ellis, however, denied that a film version of Ocean is in the works, stating that neither he nor Chris Sprouse have been approached by any production companies attempting to acquire media rights. Which is a damn shame, because Ocean would make an amazing movie. Do yourself a favor and read that book immediately.

That Time Of The Month

DC Comics Solicitations for May, 2007

Marvel Comics Solicitations for May, 2007

In Case You Didn’t Know…

There’s more proof that the lateness epidemic is getting waaaay out of hand. It’s been almost five months since the start Geoff Johns and Richard Donner’s highly anticipated run on Action Comics with superstar artist Adam Kubert and in that time the trio have produced only two issues with the third supposedly arriving in stores on the 28th of this month. After that? Well, guest creative teams are handling the next four issues of the series! Seriously, is it even worth having a “superstar creative team” if they can’t pump out more than three issues in a five month period without then having to take a three or four month long break?

The Only Comics That Matter

Last Week –
Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil by Jeff Smith
Fell #7 by Warren Ellis & Ben Templesmith
Iron Man: Hypervelocity #2 by Adam Warren & Brian Denham

This Week –
Stormwatch: P.H.D. #4 by Christos N. Gage & Doug Mahnke
Casanova #7 by Matt Fraction & Gabriel Ba
Astonishing X-Men #20 by Joss Whedon & John Cassaday
Nextwave: Agents of HATE #12 by Warren Ellis & Stuart Immonen

Next Week –
The Spirit #3 by Darwyn Cooke & J. Bone
New Avengers: Illuminati #2 by Brian Michael Bendis, Brian Reed & Jim Cheung

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If you have any interesting news, rumors, lies, etc. about comics and think I should know about it too just email me at thesuperleezard@yahoo.com.

Read more dumb crap written by me at www.livejournal.com/users/superleezard.

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