News Blog: 2004 Archives

     
11/12/04

Holey Moley is right!

Zowie, but the EMU comics symposium was awesome. Marie Severin lived up to her well-deserved reputation as the nicest person in comics. Al Feldstein showed the courage it takes to spit in the eye of the HUAC - by starting an even more 'subversive' magazine. Len Wein and I traded post-election sob stores over diet coke in Prof. Rubenfeld's living room, and Dave Coverly, Paul and I will be doing lunch soon. I feel so very honored to have been given the chance to meet such amazing and talented people. I feel like a hack by comparison.

In other news, I'm headed back under the radar for a while. There's ever so much work to be done on the next book. I probably won't be posting or be online much... these amazing creators have inspired me to chain myself to the drafting table!

One bit of news: Librarians -- if you're thinking of having me in to your library, you can download my brand-spankin' new contract over on my Appearances page.

11/10/04

Holey Moley!

Hey, Everyone! Long time, no update. Been very busy, hiding out and working on the next Vogelein book, and not spending a whole lot of time updating the website. Here's a quick newsflash:

Eastern Michigan University is holding a Comic Art Show right now -- and it's free to the public! The show features works by Jack Kirby (Co-creator and artist of Thor, the Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, and many others), Winsor McCay (Little Nemo in Slumberland) George Harriman (Krazy Kat and Ignatz) and dozens of others, including me, and my husband Paul Sizer! We're both incredibly honored to be invited to participate.

This Wednesday, there will be a comics symposium, including a panel that featured Len Wein, (creator of dozens of Marvel comics characters, including some guy named Wolverine), Marie Severin (one of the very few women to be a big name in comics since the early sixties) and Al Feldstein (EC's Horror comics, and later, the first editor of Mad Magizine) and -- gulp -- me! Come for no other reason than to see if I can make it through the whole panel without turning into a gibbering fangirl.

More info:

http://www.emich.edu/fordgallery/holeymoley.html

http://www.comicartville.com/holymoley.htm

Hope to see you there!

10/08/04

Wedded

Okay, so I'm back, and I'm married. And the house is still a mess. Not a disaster area, but there's still a lotta work to be done. Then, it's literally back to the drawing board. Hooray!

Happy autumn to you all!

7/25/04

Movin' Movin' Movin'

Just wanted everyone to know that I'll be out of touch for the next little while. Paul and I are moving into the new house, and as soon as we're done with that, we'll be getting married and going off for a week on our honeymoon. So don't expect to see too much of me online or around between now and the second or third week in October. I hope everyone will understand my absence -- it's all for a good cause!

The Vögelein store will be temporarily down for the next six to eight weeks -- but if anyone wants to order Vogelein between now and then, I encourage you to patronize the good folks at Amazon.com or Powell's.com. That'll ensure that your order will be shipped in a timely fashion.

Amazon.com

Powell's.com

In the meantime, the new PO box for the Kalamazoo address is here:

Fiery Studios
PO Box 51595
Kalamazoo, MI 49005

If anyone wants to track our progress on the house itself, you're welcome to come on over to the JanerBlog next door. I warn you, there may be a few cuss words involved, as getting this house ready for our move-in is quite the task.

Thanks for your patience with me as I transition into this new phase in my life. It's really exciting, and things are really great... it'll just take me a while to get settled back in to making comics.

Thanks also to everyone who's wished Paul and me well. We definitely appreciate all the good vibes!

Yours,
Janer

6/25/04

Bad Artist. No biscuit.

As of late, I've been a very Bad Artist. No, I'm not painting any velvet Elvises or anything, I've just been colossally unproductive.

I could make excuses all the livelong day, but that's not going to change the fact that I've got very little done on the next Vögelein book lately. Fortunately, that trend has seen a dramatic turnaround in recent days, and I got 2 pages fully pencilled, and started painting another, since the weekend. That's progress. Progress is good. So far there are about ten finished pages; this batch of three will make thirteen done. Of a two-hundred page book. So no, there won't be a new book anytime soon. I'm hoping that after the wildstorm that is this autumn passes by, I will pass a long, hopefully uneventful winter of painting away in my ivory tower.

But in the meantime, I have accomplished a whole lot of Important Real-Life Stuff. Like, I'm now a homeowner. I actually own a house. The house is a hundred miles away from me, and is full of other people at the moment, but I still own it. Gots the paperwork and everything. I have also just about completed our wedding plans, in less than two months. Yikes, but it takes a lot to throw a wedding.

Fortunately, Paul and I are both in the exact same mindset when it comes to weddings (Shoutout to our Deejay, Mister TiBook iPod, who will never ever ever play the chicken dance), and the plans are going far smoother than I ever could have hoped for (Look! The perfect dress, there on that rack!), especially since we're going to be married five months after getting engaged.

Things have finally calmed down and levelled out a bit, and I'm hoping to keep it that way over the summer. Sadly, in order to enforce this calm, I've cancelled my table space at both Wizard World Chicago and SPX (the latter of which is my favorite show ever), but it was time for tough choices and this girl picked her sanity over driving to Bethesda the weekend after her wedding. Look at it this way -- I'll sure miss seeing everyone, from Carla and Catboy to StanYan and Neil Kleid -- but if I stay home and work, as I desperately need to, V2 will come out a whole lot sooner, it'll look a lot prettier, and my tiny brain will not snap like a twig. All these things are good, so I'm just gonna run with that. I sure hope everyone else will understand!

5/25/04

JanerBlog's back

If you so choose, you can pop by my new blog and get a dose of liberal-leaning blather. If you just want Vögelein news, stay on this page.

5/13/04

Reports! Reports! Reports!

Ohkay, it's time for some reports! No, really. I'm out of my hole, like Punxsutawney Phil. What's that you say? Phil came and went two months ago? Well, that's about how long I've been out of the loop. For the last several weeks, Paul and I have been running all over the place doing shows and book fairs and school visits and chaperonings... and in the meantime we've also been getting engaged and been attempting to close on a house. Which may or may not happen, after all. So. Things've been quite quite busy, and I sure hope you guys haven't thought I was dead, or worse, anti-social by this point.

So, on to Reports. Let's do the oldest first.

April 16-18 2004: Penguicon

This one's easy; I've already given it to Comicon.com's Pulse. It's my long-overdue look at Penguicon, complete with pictures and Neil Gaiman's Glowing Eyes of Power.   Have a look!

April 22nd 2004: Ann Arbor Book Festival

The Ann Arbor Book Festival was a whole mess of fun. Curtis and Liz of Vault of Midnight had the comics pavilion hoppin', and people seemed really warm and receptive to the idea of comics as literature -- we got a whole lot of people who looked like they'd not laid eyes on a comic for twenty years stop and take a look at what we had to offer. Matt Feazell was there doin' his minicomics thing like only he can, Paul and I hung out for most of the day with Jim Ottaviani (Who has a brand new book out in this month's PREVIEWS magazine, and you should totally order it. It's about Neils Bohr.) and we got to meet Phoebe Gluckner, who's really nice. And she's moving to Ann Arbor, which is really cool.

I did a bit of a lecture, and recorded it on my minidisc player. Thus, you can listen to it in its entirety here. Right now, you pretty much have to download it, but we're working on getting BitTorrent set up so you can stream it.

May 8-11 2004: King Middle School, Portland, Maine

King Middle School So I didn't post anything about this because a) it wasn't really open to the public, and b) because I didn't want to jinx it! I kept waiting for the Reality Fairy to come by and hit me with her mallet, waking me from this too-good-to-be-true dream with a loud "Ha-Ha!".

King Middle School Seriously, though. Paul and I were contacted about six months ago by Kelley McDaniel, a Middle School Librarian in Portland, Maine. She wanted us to come out and speak to her kids about comics. At first we politely declined, as we're still saving for a house and distant shows like SPX. But no, she wanted to fly us out and put us up in a B&B because she thought we'd have something good to say about comics.

I only hope we lived up to her expectations, because we sure had a blast! Kelley took us around to lighthouses and beaches, and we got to walk around Portland's lovely downtown. I also succeeded in my goal of eating seafood for every meal.

King Middle School The attendees at the school were incredibly receptive, and Paul and I were really honored to have such a attentive and hardworking audience for both our lectures. Paul spoke on Monday, and did a Powerpoint presentation on Manga and LIttle White Mouse, then led a 3-hour workshop on how to do cartooning.

Tuesday was my day to speak, and I first did a presentation on How Comics Work, then a three-hour workshop on Making Your Own Minicomics. I was amazed at how fast all the students took to their pencils, and the quality of the work they produced in such a short time. One student even arrived with a hundred-fifty page graphic novel he'd written -- and it was better than some "professional" minicomics I've seen. That guy has a potential future in comics, that's for sure!

King Middle School In addition to the students, we were also joined both days by educators, librarians, and our sponsors, David and Sandy Perloff, who so generously made it possible for us to come to Maine. Some of the educators may be using comics to teach everything from Learning Disabled students to Science classes... and that's really the best success we could ask for.

May 14-16 2004: Motor City Comicon

Alas, I am too wiped out to do Motor City. I got off the plane from Maine (with the rain falling on it from Spain...) on Tuesday, and I just don't have the oomph to soldier on. Paul's a much better trouper than I am, and he'll have his booth there. I won't be there on Friday or Sunday, but on Saturday, I'll probably be hanging out around his table or helping Katie Merritt at the Friends of Lulu booth. See you there!

5/4/04
IT'S ABOUT DARN TIME!

'Nuff Said.

And for my birthday, I get to be the happiest woman in the world. I love you, Paul.

And thanks again, Pam. He was worth it.

4/28/04

Bizy Backson...

Hey, hey. Just a brief note to let you guys know I'm still alive and kicking... Personal stuff is eating my life alive right now, but trust me, it's all good stuff. I have a lot to say about Penguicon and the Ann Arbor Book Festival, and it's all positive! More soon...

3/28/04

Penguicon!

Hey, everybody. I'm going to be at Penguicon in about three weeks. It should be a total blast -- Neil Gaiman and Wil Wheaton are the guests of honor, along with folks like Sarah Zettel, Vince Locke, Jeff Bates and Steve Jackson!

Li'l old me will have a table in the Dealers' room, and will be slingin' the graphic novels alongside Paul Sizer. I'm also on a whole heap of panels... if you'd like my schedule, or would just like to see what kind of nifty panels will be going on, you can access it here.

3/28/04

First Annual BookFair!

And the weekend after Penguicon, I'll also be giving a workshop on making comics at the first annual Ann Arbor Book Fair!

Here's the press release, from good buddies Curtis and Liz over at Vault of Midnight:

Everyone get ready! The first annual Ann Arbor Book Festival is right around the corner. Taking place outdoors, in the State Street area of University of Michigan's campus on Saturday April 24, 2004 from 10am to 6pm, the Vault of Midnight will be hosting the comic pavilion and bringing you closer to the people who make some of your favorite comics.

On the comic stage we'll have:

At the comic pavilion we'll have signings all day: Please visit http://www.aabookfestival.org/ for more information!
3/8/04

Radioactive Isotopes

I have recently heard a few people start slagging on James Sime of Isotope Comics and The Comics Pimp fame. I feel moved to speak out about this not because I feel James needs defending (he's got a bat-wielding crew of Funwreckers who can take care of that) but because I feel strongly about the subject. And because I can; bully pulpit and all that.

Certain of the allegations revolve around the supposition that James only caters to books that fit his "Guns! Scotch! 'Splode!" exterior. Well, folks, I make a book about a *faerie*. A little tiny faerie with gossamer wings that flits through the air and looks angsty for a hundred fifty pages. I can't think of too many books that contradict James' image more, and he has gone out of his way to support my book vociferously from its first appearance. You know why? Because he liked it. He thought it was good. He certainly didn't decide to talk it up because he thought he could make a ton of money -- none of the individual issues ever came close to cracking the Top 300 list, nor has the graphic novel appeared on any Direct Market Radars. And it's self-published, so it's not like he was schmoozing for attention from an editor at a big company. No, he supported me because he saw a book by a creator that was working hard, and he wanted to give an unknown book a chance because he thought it deserved one.

For that, I am very grateful. I would not, however, be so eager to speak up for James if I hadn't met him in person. Whether on his message board, on the phone, at APE or in his store, James has never been anything but kind and courteous to me. Never a rude word, never a joke about my anatomy, my gender, the contents of my book or my finances, and has never shown me anything but respect. For that, I am even more grateful, especially after hearing some of the horror stories from fellow female creators and fellow small pressers alike.

Now, a lot of people take umbrage at James' bombastic exterior, from his suits to his hair to his wild parties. I can't argue that they're not, shall we say, industry standard. Some people have gone so far as to say this is all a marketing ploy. Well, I don't know how I can tell you this in a way that will make you believe it, but here it is: James is genuine. Those suits, that hair, those parties -- that's *James*. He does that stuff out of the goodness of his heart, because he wants to, because it's the way he has fun, and he wants to drag as many people along into his fun as he can. From my experience, I've never seen anything to make me believe otherwise.

Of course James is a showman. Of course he's trying to make money. He's a businessman for heaven's sake. Selling comics is how he pays his rent (and buys those suits, which can't be cheap). He's using his business as a grandstand for his beliefs, as is his right. He believes that comics deserve a bigger place in mainstream society, and he's gonna do whatever he can think of to get them there -- from handing comics about bike messengers to actual bike messengers -- to leaving comics on the BART for passengers to read -- to leaving "Too Much Coffee Man" in coffeehouses. He, more than many people I know in the industry, is walking the walk. There's so much talk -- but few people are so willing to put their words into action.

Comics has far too long been a big bucket of crabs. As soon as some people start to make a positive climb up, there's a writhing mass of negativity waiting to drag them back down. And you know what? That's dumb. It doesn't have to be that way. If you don't like James' techniques, the best way you can prove him wrong is to get out there and devise a marketing technique that's more effective. At least James is doing something positive -- if you don't like his style, come up with something you think is better. Write a comic. Draw a comic. If you don't have the money for self-publishing, do a mini-comic, or a web-comic. If you think you can promote differently or better, do so. The best revenge, after all, is success and happiness, not firing electronic arrows into somebody else's backside.

This advice goes out to readers as well -- you don't have to be a comics creator or retailer to be allowed to criticize James -- in fact, the majority of volleys I've seen have been from readers, comics buyers, James' intended audience. Instead of concentrating on pointing out the flaws in James' system, why not make a better one? Speak to your local retailers if you have ideas for promotions. Sitting around and stewing, or worse, spouting bile at someone who's only trying to make comics more successful does no one any good, least of all yourself. The more negativity and anger we generate in this field, the more readers we'll lose, the more retailers will lose heart.

Move forward. Use your energy, your beliefs, to do something positive in the field that you care so much about. People must care about it an awful lot to spend so much time flaming each other. Think about how much better off we'd be if all that time spent flaming was used instead to write reviews, or make underground newspapers, or create the next Great American Graphic Novel, or a blistering punk rock album.

James is out there putting action to words. He's doing what he believes in. What're you doing?

3/5/04

CBLDF

So, for the upcoming Penguicon convention, it looks like I will be asked to participate in a panel talking about the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Seeing this reminded me that I haven't posted anything about the CBLDF in, gosh, over a year now. This is bad, because the CBLDF is fighting for your rights and mine, and needs your attention and money now more than ever.

I know some of you are thinking, 'What am I ever going to do that I would need the CBLDF to defend me?" The answer, if you live in several states, including Michigan, is 'Buy comic books.' Recently, a piece of legislature passed the Michigan house and senate, and was enthusiastically signed into law by the otherwise-usually-rational Governor Jennifer Granholm. Here's the article outlining the CBLDF's involvement with the legislature, and here's the new law itself, House Bill 4360 (2003). It's in effect now, if you're wondering. Go 'head and read it -- the PDF's only three pages long.

What does this mean to you? It means that retailers now face a fine of up to $10,000 for even trying to sell a minor anything containing material outlined as "offensive" by this bill. Any magazine, any book, any video -- any comic book. That means that your retailers could be forced to stop carrying... oh, I'd say about three-quarters of the comics I read, from Colleen Coover's Small Favors (a girl-friendly adult comic, which *does* fit this bill's description of 'sexual' material) to Neil Gaiman's Sandman (which almost all would agree does not).

This isn't going to threaten big retailers. This is going to threaten comic stores and independent bookstores who don't have the deep pockets and lawyers that chain stores have. This is going to come down hard on people like Dan and Katie Merritt, who run the splendid store Green Brain Comics. Dan and Katie, because they are married and have a daughter, technically constitute a "Mom and Pop" store. Granted, Pop is six-foot-seven and has green hair, and Mom heads up a national comics organization, but hey. Dictionary says. These guys, our friends, our local comics stores, are the ones feeling the heat from this law.

Does this piss you off? It sure pisses me off. What can you do? Join the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund or buy some of their stuff. Join the ACLU, who is also fighting this bill. Both organizations say it's unconstitutional. I agree.

So what, you may ask, is Jane doing about it, that she is trying to get us to open our wallets for this cause? Well, due to a series of highly unfortunate family events (deaths, plural) I have been severely slacking in my social activist duties for the last several months. I have only been writing a few letters here and there... and it's time to get busy again! Therefore, I will be donating lots and lots of swag to the Penguicon CBLDF Charity Auction. The auctioneers are Neil Gaiman and Wil Wheaton. You could come and buy cool stuff there. It's sure to be a good show, if nothing else.

And if you want to know more about the CBLDF, and you live hereabouts in Michigan, you can come see the panel at Penguicon, too. At the moment, it's looking like it'll be on Friday evening.

2/25/04

Holy cow.

Hey, everyone. I've got some great news...

With the second printing ready to start rolling at any moment, the first Vogelein graphic novel has just been named to Booklist's Top Ten Graphic Novels for Youth.

I am incredibly happy and honored to be named to this list. Libraries have always been an incredibly important part of my life, and it's really thrilling to have received such an incredible response from the ALA. It's also perfect timing -- I can put the quote on the back cover of the second printing!

If anyone would like to see the article, it's on page 984 of the February 1st issue of Booklist.

2/20/04

I left my brains in San Francisco...

Home again from APE. As far as shows go, this one is sure hard to beat. Financially speaking, it wasn't very lucrative -- I didn't break even -- though I just about paid for my plane fare. I'm not choosing to look at this year's APE as a financial show, but rather as a PR move, and that by giving out a couple hundred free stickers and comics that I can raise some West Coast awareness for my little faerie book. It also seems like I was able to reach a lot of up-and-coming small pressers through the Self-Publishing 101 workshop, which is an excellent thing, and I count being able to help out the next batch of self-publishers as a home run, regardless of how the rest of the show went.

Now, on a social scale, this show was absolutely through the roof. I got enough partying and running 'round wedged into three days to last me a couple months, at least. This counted as a most excellent vacation, and I had a wonderful, exciting time. Here's the rundown:

Friday, February 20th

Friday was comprised primarily of travel, and involved Planes, Trains and Automobiles. I took a flight out of Detroit which landed me in Oakland around 10pm. I quickly learned that the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit system is one of the least-intuitive public transports I've ever used. No direct service to the Oakland airport means you first have to catch a shuttle bus, which uses a different tickets/cash system than the regular BART, necessitating two separate fare purchases while juggling tons of baggage. I was a little surprised -- the T system in Boston is interchangeable -- passes work on both busses and trains -- and that's what I was expecting to find. Additionally, the AirBART drivers seemed determined to see if they could get the bus up on two wheels when they rounded corners. The BART itself, however, was clean, fast and on time, three things I am especially fond of in public transport. Intuitive it is not. They only had one map on each station or car, (usually wedged way to one side and mostly out of sight. I mean, the eL in Chicago is noisy and stinky, but at least they label everything within an inch of its life...) and the "lines" were not color coordinated, nor did all of them run through the city. (?!) So, yeah, Dick, I'd give the BART a fifty-nine. It sounded good, but I couldn't dance to it.

Upon finally arriving at Civic Center, I was met by the incomparable Dan and Katie Merritt of Green Brain Comics in Dearborn, Michigan, who were kind enough to come and meet me at the station. We hoofed it back to the hotel, where we met up with roommates Lea Hernandez and Carla Speed McNeil, and next-door neighbors Trisha Lynn Sebastian and Harris O'Malley. We hung out for a bit, but Dan and Katie and I begged off pretty early, it being three am our time.

Saturday, February 21st

Up early in the morning, we performed a Viking Raid on the continental breakfast, pillaging muffins and coffee back to our room so that we could eat in peace whilst we got all primped and ready for our first big day. Joined again by Trisha and Harris, we started telling funny stories. And more funny stories, and more and more, until we were snorting orange juice and toast crumbs all over the place, laughing like a pack of hyenas. Poor Harris and Dan stood up well to the task of being the only two men in the 'henhouse', and had to withstand TMI Girly stories for most of the weekend. We loves you guys, and we loves you even more for sticking with us in our worst girly moments.

We finally got our act together, loaded all the stuff in a taxi van, and headed out to the show. Setup went quickly, and good thing, too, because all sorts of awesome people were there to greet and catch up with: Donna Barr and Roberta Gregory, Tom Beland and Lily Garcia, John "Bean" Hastings and Lovely Wife Terry, Larry Young, Batton Lash and Jackie Estrada (thanks for the shoutout, btw!!) -- the list just goes on and on. The show was a full third bigger than the previous year I attended, and it was a really high-quality bunch of exhibitors, with tons of new faces, especially from the LGBT community. There was a large new influx of queer and transgender artists and writers this year -- I'm guessing thanks in large part to guest of honor Alison Bechdel -- and it was a great thing to see, especially with all the hubbub in SF right now over the Gay Marriage issue.

The show took off and was great all day long -- I was flanked on all sides by great, enthusiastic small pressers and mInicomics creators, including fellow WEFugee benjones and the creators of a cool vampire comic called Blood Roses. Lisa Jonte and Madison Clell were out walking around, and stopped by to say hi -- neither of them had a table, and were just enjoying the freedoms of just being able to run around the show and actually -- gasp -- look at comics.

It was also a wonderful thing to give James Sime beer. I lugged two mixed sixpacks of Bell's Beer in my checked luggage for him, by way of saying thanks for all the great free PR he's done for me over the years. It's ever so nice when you know someone appreciates a gift you've given -- and there was no mistaking James' glee as he unwrapped each bottle. Slainte!

About halfway through the day, I left the table in the capable hands of Trisha Lynn, and headed out to the Self-Publishing 101 panel, where Harris, Rick, Justin and I spoke to a packed room. I was a little trepadatious about doing this panel, as the last time I had a panel at ConFusion several years ago, only one person showed up, leaving me and estimable interviewer Mark Bernstein feeling a little foolish. Not to fear-- it was standing room only, literally. We had a very responsive, very attentive crowd, and modrerator Mark Thompson did a fantastic job of asking very pertenent questions. I had intended to record the entire session, but thanks to the wonders of batteries, I only have the first fifteen minutes or so -- still, I cleaned up the file and took out a lot of the ums and mike noise, so it's a lot tighter than the actual first quarter of the panel... you can listen to the fragment in the new Audio Library section of the Self Publisher's Resource page. I got the chance to meet Justin Hall for the first time, and he was a really great guy -- we swapped comics and I can't wait to get reading his books -- they're travel journals from all the great adventures he's taken through places like the Amazon. No, not Amazon dot com, the actual Amazon. How cool is that?

So after the panel was over, we finished up the show and went to join the Big Gay Dinner, which met at the Metreon. Madison and I decided to be bad and defect from the main party because we wanted sushi really, really badly. So we went and got eggplant rolls (yum!) and then rejoined the rest of the gang for dessert. Then, forgoing the equally excellent CBLDF/Cartoon Art Museum fundraiser, Rich Watson, Madison and I decided to head out to see Keith Knight's hiphop band, Marginal Prophets perform at a tiny little nightclub on Folsom street. Holy crap, do those guys rock. Hard. We hung out for a set, danced a lot, got the blood moving, jumped up and down to killer hiphop, and admired the other lead rapper's Utilikilt. (woot!)

As though this weren't enough partying, we then piled back into Madison's civic (remember the pictures of all of us wedged in there last year?) and headed over to James Sime's Isotope Comics Lounge (thanks again, Madison!) where the party was still in full swing. I listened to Trisha's recommendation, and tried one of their specials -- a "Dark and Stormy", made from Ginger Beer and dark rum. mmmMMMmmm. As I suspected, James quickly materialized with a toilet seat, and asked me to vandalize my very own addition to the the world-famous Comic Rockstars Toiletseat Museum. Now, I know some of you are thinking... er, toilet seat? Yes, my friends, this is a great and wonderful honor -- my scribbles now hang alongside those of Warren Ellis, Darick Robertson, Judd Winick, Donna Barr, and Tom Beland. Word to the toilet seats.

ed So after defacing my bathroom fixture, Dan and Katie and Trisha and Harris and Rich and I all loaded ourselves into cabs and poured ourselves into bed once we reached the hotel, in preparation for another day. And the con was only half-over at this point!

Sunday, February 22nd

Another great day of sales and camaraderie on the sales floor. Thanks to Trisha, I got a chance to cruise the show for a bit at the very end, and go pick up some purchases of my own. I also probably frightened Lark Pien and her boyfriend again with my enthusiasm for Long Tail Kitty, but heck, that seems to be becoming a biannual occurrance as well. The show closed an hour earlier than Saturday, and after stowing our gear, we possed up a huge crew and headed out to The Stinking Rose for dinner. We ate garlic until it nearly killed us. We probably killed some others with our breath, that's for sure. The restaurant was on the edge of Chinatown, so we walked home, admiring all the cool streetlamps and buildings. I stared with longing at the Sushi Boat Restaurant -- someday I will eat sushi out of wee boats! -- but considering how full of garlic I was, I had to pass. After resisting two or three stores, we were finally drawn into a Chinese import shop, where I picked up all sortsa cool brickabrack that I didn't need but was pretty, as all proper brickabrack should be. On the way out through the gates, Denise put her beret and scarf around the guardian lion, who didn't seem to mind.

We then repaired back to the hotel room for another round of "Telling stories that nearly break Harris O'Malley", which seems to be becoming a habit as well, and finally to bed far later than we should have, especially since we had to be up at 3:30 am to catch the plane out at 6:30. Another suicidal AirBART run, another navigational crisis averted thanks to Lea's ten years of a priori BART knowledge (would somebody post friggin SCHEDULES for the dang thing?) and another plane ride later, and I'm home. Whew!

Thanks to all the friends who stopped by -- Van, whom I haven't seen in ages, and hope to see again soon -- and Benster from Colleen Doran's board, both of which were very bright spots of the convention. Also all the new small pressers who stopped by -- especially the Gear Bot boys and the wonderfully skully Order of the Fly gang -- it was great to meet you all. Sorry if I have missed anyone or failed to mention anything I should've (well, anything fit for publication on the blog, anyway *evil grin*) but it's late, and I'm whipped after jetlag, partying, and three hours' sleep. An APE to remember, surely!

1/19/04

APETastic

If you guys are so inclined, you can come hear me at a panel during the The Alternative Press Expo. Here's the info:

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21
3:15ñ4:15 p.m.: Self-Publishing 101
Learn how to publish your own comic book from four self-publishers and a distributor as they explain the secrets of this arcane and mazelike process. From creating, financing, printing, and promoting to getting your comic book into comic shops, this panel will lay out the basics. The panelists will tell you the mistakes not to make and where not to waste your hard-earned cash. Panelists include Harris O'Malley (Studio Underhill), Justin Hall (All Thumbs Press), Rick Spears (Teenagers From Mars), and Jane Irwin (Fiery Studios). Moderated by Mark Thompson of Cold Cut Distribution.

Harris is a downright great guy, I don't know the TFM crew that well, but when I spoke with them at SPX last year, they seemed like a really articulate, smart bunch of guys and I want to see them go really far. Their first issue also looked really good. I don't think I know Justin Hall, but I look forward to meeting him too.

Wish us luck!

1/19/04

Meet me in San Francisco

Well, it's official. I have the plane tickets. I was holding off on telling people, because I wasn't 100% sure I was going until I clicked the "Buy" button on the airline's web site. So. I am going to be at The Alternative Press Expo (APE) at the end of February. All you \\/est Coast Peeps come out and say hi, y'hear? It will probably be my last time out there until I publish the new book.

1/15/04

New Zoo Revue

The last week has brought three lovely reviews of Vogelein, all from Library-related publications!

From the January 2004 The Library Journal, page 78:

"This is a touching story, somber and reflective, and Irwin's exquisite, realistic black-and-white paintings fit the book's air of memory and strangeness very well. Recommended for teen and adult fans of prose fantasies in modern settings at all libraries."

From the No Flying No Tights website:

"When I settled down to read Jane Irwin's Vögelein, I suspected I was in for a treat, and boy was I right. Vögelein, the title character, is a true heroine: independent, strong-willed, but also at times naive, uncertain, and afraid without being any less strong... The artwork is all grayscale, and the somber quality of the solid and fluid art perfectly fits the tale. This volume acts more as an introduction to Vögelein and her world, and I can only beg for more!"

From the February 2004 Voice of Youth Advocates, Page 481:

"Irwin creates an original tale that harks back to good old-fashioned storytelling. Teens who grew up with fairy tales and fantasy will enjoy it ... It's suitable for middle and high school libraries, with some fascinating bits of history and watch making along with the gentle fantasy, and lots of snippets from great poetry of the past."

You can also go here to read the full reviews.

1/11/04

Not Dead Yet

Hello, Everyone.

No, I'm not dead, even after not posting for over two months. I hope everyone had a nice holiday season and got to spend lots of time with their friends and family.

The last six weeks or so have been very rough for me. At the beginning of December our group of friends was dealt a heavy blow. Our friend Steph lost a lifelong battle with a terminal illness, and most of the first two weeks of the month were taken up with memorial services and just being with one another. Steph was an incredible woman, and a shining example of humanity. She will be sorely missed.

Then the holidays happened. I had a wonderful Christmas with my friends and family, but I don't have to tell any of you how draining the holidays can be.

Most recently, we lost my dear Gramma Irwin, who passed peacefully on January 4th. She was 92, and I had made a point of visiting her as often as I was able for the last several years, usually once a week. I grew up next door to her, and she was always a huge and important part of my live. We will all miss her dearly, but simultaneously, we are incredibly happy that she is free of her earthly bounds and can be with the God she strived her entire life to see.

So.

It's been an interesting month or so. Thanks to everyone who's kept in touch, who's written about the Special Edition Hardcovers, who's sent encouragement to me to keep going. I appreciate hearing from you all.

And if the last month has taught me anything, it's never put off a chance to be with those you love. When you are faced with loss, you will never regret the times you spent together, only the times you did not.

Love to all, and a Happy New Year.

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My Other Blog
The JanerBlog

The JanerBlog is my personal blog, and unlike this newsblog, which I keep PG-13, is intended for readers aged sixteen and older.