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Superlative Heroes/Nefarious Villains Back to Back Book

June 8th 2016 Update

3 leather bound artist’s proofs now available.

Visit this link for more info.

Presenting The Union of Superlative Heroes and Order of Nefarious Villains book. Both sets of Victorian/Steampunk characters have been combined into a unique back to back book structure. This handmade limited edition of 100 measures at 7.25″ x 5″ and is covered in tan and black book cloth featuring gold and silver Lokta end papers. Covers are adorned with a hot stamped foil emblems representing each side. Hand bound with care and artistic precision by Julie Sullivan of Dancing Cat Bindery.

What follows is a small selection of pages from the collection of 48 total characters with bios, 12 episodes of action and enlightenment and a partial glimpse at 1 of the 2 whimsical novelty advertising pages.

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San Diego Comic Con 2011- Wrap Up

The San Diego Convention Center from our hotel’s front door.

Our last day started slow and showed all the signs of a general mood of winding down… until after lunchtime. The crowds and sales suddenly came to life and we ended up with our best day to date. So it was a great way to wrap things up for our second year in San Diego. The only regret from the experience was a lack of time to spend out in the exhibit hall visiting other booths and vendors. I took a bit of time during the morning lull to document a few of our neighbor’s booths. Be sure and visit their sites for more fun and wonderfulness.

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San Diego Comic Con 2011- Day 4

Peter Mayhew with his purchase of my “Hairy Trinity” print.

Another day of great sales with the added bonus of two great events. The first was the purchase of my signed print titled “The Hairy Trinity” by the wife of Mr. Peter Mayhew, a.k.a. Chewbacca. (Peter has recently undergone surgery and wasn’t able to walk the convention floor.) Shortly after the purchase I visited Peter’s signing booth to thank them both for the purchase and was invited to take a picture of Peter holding his print.

The second event was the purchase of one of my new Superlative/Nefarious books by a gentleman that showed an intense interest and asked several questions about the project. As we wrapped up the sale he presented his business card and identified himself as a project executive with Imagine Entertainment, the company founded by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. So perhaps my book will eventually work its way through the studio’s intricate project review maze.

More photos from the day:

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San Diego Comic Con 2011- Day 3

Today’s sales were a record for a single day’s effort for us. Thus we were both very focused on staying close to the booth. What follows are some additional shots around the convention floor before the doors opened, a couple of booth shots of talented folks (and new friends) and more costume fun.

(Click Photos to Enlarge)

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San Diego Comic Con 2011- Day 2

Day 2 at the convention was a busy one. Met lots of new customers and continued enjoying the energy and excitement all around us. What follows is a visual diary of shots of the convention floor and some of the great folks that came by the booth to both purchase and show off their costumes. Featured above: the fellows from Elope, a custom costume company from Colorado. They are the official outfitters for Pee-wee Herman.

(Be sure and click on photos for a larger view.)

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San Diego Comic Con 2011- Day 1

After successfully escaping the furnace hell of 100 degree heat in Dallas, we arrived in beautiful San Diego with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. We arrived at the convention center early this morning to set up the booth in preparation for the preview night this evening. The hall was still in major chaos with lots of exhibitors working out the details of their display booths among the constant din of forklifts, transport vehicle honking and crane activity. It’ll all come together at the last minute in the next few hours. What follows are a few shots of the hall during this preparation. Click on photos for a larger view.

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Thank you Harry

The recent release of the final chapter of the Harry Potter saga has caused me to reflect upon how J.K. Rowling’s magical creation affected me over a decade ago. In the spring of 2000, Warner Brothers was furiously at work on production for the first film episode. In conjunction with filming they were putting together an official style guide to distribute to merchandisers so that all the various products to follow would maintain consistency in their look. I was approached by an L.A. design firm that was working directly with Warner Brothers to contribute my digital scratch board style to a long list of preliminary designs. The task was an enormous undertaking: create over 50 finished pieces in a week.

Among the endless hours of work that week, one of the highlights was receiving a fax with J.K. Rowling’ signature next to her visual take on how she envisioned the sorting hat should look. The studio’s version was more of a puffy Disney-esque style that was changed to a leaner, pointy classic witches hat version.

(Upper right) Warner Brothers initial sorting hat design request that I worked up. Fax received of J.K. Rowling’s sketch of the sorting hat on the left and my version of the finished approved version from her on the lower right.

After the first batch was completed and approved, I received additional requests over the next few weeks that brought my total contribution to over 100 pieces. After the first film’s release, the marketing of products shifted dramatically from using illustration to using movie stills and photography. Before that happened there was a magical window of time when a trip to a (now defunct) Warner Brothers store in the mall yielded tables and racks full of items that sported my efforts on the project.

“Googie A-Go-Go” deluxe edition book

In addition to the small pamphlet version, comes a signed, limited edition (5) hand bound version of the “Googie A-Go-Go” book. This version has the same content as its small counterpart and includes electric blue and red book cloth cover, snazzy cut paper medallion on the cover and high quality 61 lb printed pages inside. 14 full color illustrations with humorous text. Book dimensions are 13″ x 9.5.” This deluxe fancypants version will be introduced at our Small Press booth (N-13) next week at San Diego’s International Comic-Con event.

Click Here To Learn More About This Edition

Slight Clutter Photography

Discover the magic imagery over at Slight Clutter Photography.

Chuck Chiles- “Slice of Pie” Sculpture

My good friend Chuck Chiles has been hard at work on a sculpture commission titled “Slice of Pie.” Created using highly polished stainless steel and walnut, it stands approx. 5 feet tall. The precise geometry and kinetic design makes for a fascinating visual treat. These photos were taken with it nearing completion. By this writing, it will have been crated and well on its way to a place of honor in the patron’s home at Lake Tahoe.

(Click photo for larger view)

Update! Chuck has had his marvelous creation installed in the patron’s house in a place of honor. Here’s a studio shot of the finished piece and a shot of the finished piece in it’s final place of honor. The repetitive design in his sculpture works perfectly alongside the rich pattern of the staircase.

San Diego Comic Con 2011

(Click small color floor plan map to enlarge.)

The time is drawing near for this year’s comicpalooza extraordinaire, located in beautiful San Diego. Next week, starting with Wednesday’s preview night, the event will run through Sunday the 24th. We’ll be in the Small Press area again, this time booth N-13. If you’re one of the fortunate 125,000 to snag a ticket to this awesome event, I hope you’ll drop by, say hello and peruse our table of silly goodness.

Since last year’s event, we’ve added to the mixture of Steampunk Monkeys and Sinister Simians with new card sets: Artistic Pets, a second set of Literary Pets, The Union of Superlative Heroes and the Order of Nefarious Villains. Limited edition The Big Bark Theory prints will be available. “The Hairy Trinity”and a collection of Superlative and Nefarious character portraits will be available in the form of fanciful signed metallic prints. Other recent additions to choose from will be the Monkey Memory Match Game, Googie A-Go-Go pamphlet book and a very limited edition Googie A-Go-Go hardbound fancypants edition.

Premiering at the show will be a back to back, hand bound, limited edition Superlative Heroes and Nefarious Villains hardback book. This uniquely bound book of Victorian superheroes and super villains will include extra characters not available in the card sets plus 12 episodes of action and enlightenment sure to please. All this and a whole lot more!

Derek Eads

Great visual character history of actor Johnny Depp by Derek Eads.

“Googie A-Go-Go” limited edition book

Introducing “Googie A-Go-Go,” a little book with a big serving of silly fun. 14 full color illustrations of a variety of imaginary Googie styled signs with humorous historical facts.

Limited edition of 50. Each book measures 4.25″ x 5.5″ and each is signed and numbered.

Printed on 80 lb. gloss book paper with a sturdy Classic Columns Red cover. Hand stitched with red thread.

Click Here to Visit the Etsy Shop and Learn More.

Machina Fatalis- Steampunk Guide for Comic Con

The folks over at Machina Fatalis have started compiling a list of Steampunk related booths and offerings for the upcoming San Diego Comic Con. The list includes a nice mention of what I’ll be offering. More details of my presence at the show soon to follow.

**June 8th 2016 Update**

3 leather bound artist’s proofs now available.

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June 8th 2016 Update