Hi, All:

We just finished a day of talking and networking and spreading the word at Wizard World Chicago 08.  Our table is next to Spinner Rack Comics and Tom Stillwell, so we were lucky in our table neighbors.

We got to catch up with lots of old friends, such as Tim Demeter and Mike Kasinger.  Benita and her spinning wheel were filmed for a television program, and we did an interview for Comic Related at http://www.comicrelated.com.  I suspect his interview, which will also include Warren Ellis, will be post tomorrow.  We were happy as well to catch up with Sketch Magazine’s Bob Hickey and Bill Nichols.  (For those who don’t know, I sometimes contribute to Sketch, so it was fun to network on future articles.)

For those of you who have asked when Benita will get her own blog and website, that’s getting top priority when we get home.  Also, we plan to finalize our online store and tease that merchandising beast into operation. 

I’m sure a lot more worth writing about happened today, but it’s all melded into a long, mental fog bank at this point.  If I forgot to mention anyone I saw today, sorry!

And to make things even better, Mr. Moore was lucky enough to get a five-minute interview of Warren Ellis, who is here with a HUGE line waiting to meet him.  This interview was part of last night’s podcast as well, so we are in excellent company.

The wonderful gentlemen with Blue Line Pro and Sketch Magazine, Bob Hickey and Bill Nichols, stopped by and spoke with Scott yesterday.  Scott has written a couple of recent articles about the web-comic scene for Sketch and they discussed future articles that they are interested in getting from Scott.  I think Scott already has his next one in mind and just needs the time to sit down and write it.  Check out Blue Line Pro and Sketch at www.bluelinepro.com.

As a fun side note, a young man with a video camera stopped by and asked it he could film me spinning and ask a few questions for a show of which he is part.  Of course, I said yes, because as much as I love promoting the comics, I LOVE promoting fiber related subjects.  The chance to pass on information about spinning to people who have never had the chance to see it done is a high priority with me.

Today is already off to a great start.  Having repeat customers from last year is a fantastic feeling.  Having enthusiastic repeat customers is the best thing ever.  Long live our fans!

Sitting next to us is Tom Stillwell of Spinner Rack Comics www.spinnerrackcomics.com.  He is a fantastic writer and his comic books always sell well and are fun.  He is also giving away coloring books and crayons, so the kids are flocking to him and bringing their parents.  Maybe when our newest story idea, an all-ages fantasy comic, comes out, well do coloring books as well.  Unfortunately, Johnny Saturn isn’t very conducive to children.  Can you imagine, “No, little Susie.  Blood is red not purple.  And that knife sticking out of him should be colored so that it is noticeable.”  Uhhhh….  No.

Don’t forget to stop by www.johnnysaturn.com and check out the new store that Scott is setting up.  It should be fully functional by the end of this next week.  So if you weren’t able to attend Wizard World Chicago, you still have the chance to purchase all the folio issues, the graphic novel, calendars (both Johnny Saturn and a Fantasy Art calendar (16-month, not 12-month)), fantasy prints, and our newest item, Ogre Ale bottles.  If you know of an ale maker who’d like a built in audience, tell them we need to talk!

And to make things even better, Mr. Moore was lucky enough to get a five-minute interview of Warren Ellis, who is here with a HUGE line waiting to meet him.  This interview was part of last night’s podcast as well, so we are in excellent company.

The wonderful gentlemen with Blue Line Pro and Sketch Magazine, Bob Hickey and Bill Nichols, stopped by and spoke with Scott yesterday.  Scott has written a couple of recent articles about the web-comic scene for Sketch and they discussed future articles that they are interested in getting from Scott.  I think Scott already has his next one in mind and just needs the time to sit down and write it.  Check out Blue Line Pro and Sketch at www.bluelinepro.com.

As a fun side note, a young man with a video camera stopped by and asked it he could film me spinning and ask a few questions for a show of which he is part.  Of course, I said yes, because as much as I love promoting the comics, I LOVE promoting fiber related subjects.  The chance to pass on information about spinning to people who have never had the chance to see it done is a high priority with me.

Today is already off to a great start.  Having repeat customers from last year is a fantastic feeling.  Having enthusiastic repeat customers is the best thing ever.  Long live our fans!

Sitting next to us is Tom Stillwell of Spinner Rack Comics www.spinnerrackcomics.com.  He is a fantastic writer and his comic books always sell well and are fun.  He is also giving away coloring books and crayons, so the kids are flocking to him and bringing their parents.  Maybe when our newest story idea, an all-ages fantasy comic, comes out, well do coloring books as well.  Unfortunately, Johnny Saturn isn’t very conducive to children.  Can you imagine, “No, little Susie.  Blood is red not purple.  And that knife sticking out of him should be colored so that it is noticeable.”  Uhhhh….  No.

Don’t forget to stop by www.johnnysaturn.com and check out the new store that Scott is setting up.  It should be fully functional by the end of this next week.  So if you weren’t able to attend Wizard World Chicago, you still have the chance to purchase all the folio issues, the graphic novel, calendars (both Johnny Saturn and a Fantasy Art calendar (16-month, not 12-month)), fantasy prints, and our newest item, Ogre Ale bottles.  If you know of an ale maker who’d like a built in audience, tell them we need to talk!

And to make things even better, Mr. Moore was lucky enough to get a five-minute interview of Warren Ellis, who is here with a HUGE line waiting to meet him.  This interview was part of last night’s podcast as well, so we are in excellent company.

The wonderful gentlemen with Blue Line Pro and Sketch Magazine, Bob Hickey and Bill Nichols, stopped by and spoke with Scott yesterday.  Scott has written a couple of recent articles about the web-comic scene for Sketch and they discussed future articles that they are interested in getting from Scott.  I think Scott already has his next one in mind and just needs the time to sit down and write it.  Check out Blue Line Pro and Sketch at www.bluelinepro.com.

As a fun side note, a young man with a video camera stopped by and asked it he could film me spinning and ask a few questions for a show of which he is part.  Of course, I said yes, because as much as I love promoting the comics, I LOVE promoting fiber related subjects.  The chance to pass on information about spinning to people who have never had the chance to see it done is a high priority with me.

Today is already off to a great start.  Having repeat customers from last year is a fantastic feeling.  Having enthusiastic repeat customers is the best thing ever.  Long live our fans!

Sitting next to us is Tom Stillwell of Spinner Rack Comics www.spinnerrackcomics.com.  He is a fantastic writer and his comic books always sell well and are fun.  He is also giving away coloring books and crayons, so the kids are flocking to him and bringing their parents.  Maybe when our newest story idea, an all-ages fantasy comic, comes out, well do coloring books as well.  Unfortunately, Johnny Saturn isn’t very conducive to children.  Can you imagine, “No, little Susie.  Blood is red not purple.  And that knife sticking out of him should be colored so that it is noticeable.”  Uhhhh….  No.

Don’t forget to stop by www.johnnysaturn.com and check out the new store that Scott is setting up.  It should be fully functional by the end of this next week.  So if you weren’t able to attend Wizard World Chicago, you still have the chance to purchase all the folio issues, the graphic novel, calendars (both Johnny Saturn and a Fantasy Art calendar (16-month, not 12-month)), fantasy prints, and our newest item, Ogre Ale bottles.  If you know of an ale maker who’d like a built in audience, tell them we need to talk!

Sunday, Benita and I had a lovely day. After eating breakfast, we spent a few hours at the Indianapolis Art Center. Benita brought her spinning wheel, and I brought my watercolors, and we enjoyed the beautiful light and moderate temperature in the formal gardens out back. The feelings of peace and wellbeing were wonderful, I must say!

I didn’t get to finish my watercolor, but I included the “in-progress” piece with a photo of the structure I was painting. Clearly I have many more hours of practice ahead of me, but that’s OK: I simply enjoy the act of painting in watercolors, so a long learning period is just fine with me.

This last piece, which is not representative of my normal style, is something I drew in open studio later that afternoon. I kind of like it, to be honest. It’s a bit surreal, but that’s a nice departure for me.

Good friend John Wilson has made “Johnny Saturn” today’s Sketchmag Spotlight over at the Sketch Magazine site.  We are, of course, quite honored.  Plus, he mentions Benita’s spinning wheel, which is a long-standing presence when we do comic shows.

You may have noticed that there is no Johnny Saturn store up.  I’ve had technical difficulties, to be honest.  I’ve tried to install Zen Cart three times, all failing, and the third time it took down the whole site for a while, forcing me to do a restore.  I can’t go back to eShop, because it did a real job on our database.  So, a store is coming, and it will be sooner than later, but I’m just not sure when exactly.

Over at Webcomics.com, I put Johnny Saturn up for a critique by my webcartoonist peers.  The advice and observations I’ve received have been invaluable.  I mention this because, if you think I’m above criticism, you are incorrect.  I will never be too good to stop working on improving the strip.  I consider myself to be a journeyman, and my masterwork is still out there, in the future.

Speaking of “Sketch Magazine,” I would like to make sure that at least all the readers of this blog know about it.  Having been published for well over thirty issues, and featuring interviews with many of the comic industries top stars, Sketch Magazine has offered valuable advice for learning cartoonist for some years now.  It has covered every aspect of the comic creation process in some detail, and it has adapted to the times by recognizing and offering instruction to the world on the rise of webcomics.  I have been very proud to be a semi-regular contributor to this fine publication, and I would strongly urge all learning cartoonists to buy or subscribe to it.  It’s available in virtually all comic shops, and online.

Scott.