by John | Nov 4, 2010 | Blog
Costumed fans are the norm at most large comic book conventions. But the Long Beach Comic Con seemed to have an unusually large number of costumes–many of them were truly spectacular. I suspect it had something to do with the convention being held Halloween weekend.
In fact, kids were let in free on Halloween. And many exhibitors (including myself) had candy on hand for trick-or-treaters.
To see more photos, check out the Long Beach Comic Con photos on the Last Kiss Facebook page.
by John | Nov 2, 2010 | Blog
Click to enlarge.
I’m proud, pleased and happy as a rock star in a room full of groupies to announce that Dark Horse Comics has licensed Last Kiss comics for a variety of goodies. Right now you can order a fabulous book of Last Kiss sticky notes (sorta like Post It Notes, but cooler because they’re funnier!)
Likewise, you can order a Last Kiss metal case to carry around your credit cards or business cards!
And, most delicious of all, you can get a Last Kiss mug to jolt yourself into caffeine bliss!
If you’re ordering through a comic shop, here are the Diamond Preview codes for each item:
NOV10 0055 —— Last Kiss Coffee Mug
NOV10 0056 —— Last Kiss Sticky Note Book
NOV10 0057 —— Last Kiss Metal Case
Prefer to order your goodies online? Retail rapture is just a click away at Dark Horse’s online partner Things From Another World even offers a 20 percent discount off the suggested retail price: sticky note book, metal case, or mug.
by John | Oct 24, 2010 | Blog
Welcome to Zombie Week–my first week-long celebration of Halloween. (And possibly the strangest thing I’ve ever done with Last Kiss.)
If you love it then Mike Pascale (creator of the infamous Bru-Hed) deserves the credit. It was his idea and he did all the work to transform old romance art into ghoulish horror. If you hate it then it’s my fault–because I went along with it.
I’m not sure how Mike got the idea to redo some of my romance art with the walking dead, but I do remember the instant he suggested it. We were walking back to the San Diego Convention Center after a memorable, late-night dinner. (So late that I was too tired to wait for a seat at any restaurant. So we had sundaes at an ice cream shop instead. Yum!)
Anyway, we’re having a perfectly normal sugar-fueled conversation about comics, life, and the universe, when all of a sudden Mike says, “You should do zombies!”
And I cleverly responded, “Huh?” (more…)
by John | Oct 21, 2010 | Blog
Sunday at 2 p.m. PDT (5 p.m. EDT) Last Kiss colorist Allen Freeman will be interviewing me for an hour (or more) on his podcast show. To listen in live (or later after it’s archived) go to: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/89106
If you’d like to take part and ask me some questions, call (724) 444-7444 during the show and (when prompted) punch in 89106 for the Call ID code.
I expect we’ll be taking questions about halfway through the hour.
by John | Oct 3, 2010 | Blog
My packing list for my Artist Alley table (D13) at the New York Comic Con:
Fabulous Last Kiss t-shirts, totes bags, cards, prints, pocket mirrors, comics and other goodies that I’ll be selling all three days (Oct. 8-10) of the convention? Check!
Special appearance by Supernatural Law creator Batton Lash (Saturday Oct. 9 only from 1-2 p.m. and from 3-4 p.m.) Check!
In addition to his Supernatural Law series, Bat is a long-time writer of Archie and Simpsons (Bongo) comics. So there’s lots of cool stuff he can sign for you.
Bat’s connection to Last Kiss? Well, frankly none–so far. But one of these days I’m going to rope my pal Bat into writing or drawing something for Last Kiss. So see him now while he’s only semi-famous!
by John | Aug 26, 2010 | Blog
Last Kiss has been appearing in Germany since late last year and last week we passed a bit of a landmark: over 100 Last Kiss strips have now been translated into German.
Why German?
Well, I’ve been writing Disney comics for over 20 years and Disney comics are still very popular in Europe. So my name was known there even before I started Last Kiss.
One German site even devoted a whole page to my life and work. The site’s owners (Gerd Syllwasschy and Peter Kowalewski) eventually became big fans of Last Kiss and…well, suddenly I’m in German–three times a week!
My thanks to Gerd, Peter, Joachim Stahl, Constanze Maier, and the other translators for making me (possibly) funnier than I am in English!
by John | Aug 17, 2010 | Blog
Last Kiss art is unofficially endorsed by Superman--both of them--at Comic-Con.
I had a super time at Comic-Con International. In fact, from a professional standpoint, it was easily my best show ever!
Nothing is ever a done deal until you’ve signed the contracts and cashed the checks, but I had some incredibly encouraging talks with editors and publishers. I’ll know more in a few weeks, but frankly–short of shoving money into my hands–I couldn’t have gotten a better response from the editors I talked to.
L to R: Me, Stasia Kato, and Kevin Boze at the Last Kiss/Virgin Project table.
Actually, I did have a lot of people shoving lots of money into my hands back at the Last Kiss table. Despite the economy, sales were extremely good. My two biggest sellers were the Last Kiss tote bags (see below) and the unmatted Last Kiss art prints.
My table mates and friends Kevin Boze and Stasia Kato were both delighted and dismayed to sell every single copy of their books, The Virgin Project & The Virgin Project 2 by early Sunday. (Next time they’ll bring a lot more.)
New Last Kiss fan Steampunk Rogue (Tanya Cyr) clearly needs "something" extra to make her costume work.
Ahh! Problem solved. Tanya shows off her new Last Kiss tote bag.
More to come when I’ve got a bit more time…
by John | Aug 12, 2010 | Blog
Things have officially gotten weird. My cat (Cous Cous) is now starring in an episode of Mark Monlux’s webcomic The Return of Stickman!
Or rather Mark informs me that “your cat inspired this strip.”
Close enough, pal. Personally, I’d never consider suing you for libel. I’m not so sure, though, about Cous Cous.
by John | Aug 5, 2010 | Blog
Worship me or I'll crush you!
Many thanks to everyone who saw my recent post about my cat Cous Cous and commented here or on Facebook about how beautiful/adorable/magnificent she is.
For those of you who expressed concern about her size. Well…
She’s not quite as heavy as she looks. She weighs 15 pounds (down two pounds from a couple of years ago) and she could probably stand to lose another pound. But according to our vet she isn’t actually obese.
She’s almost certainly part Maine Coon and those cats are huge. Bigger than some dogs. Smaller than your average tractor trailer.
by John | Jul 22, 2010 | Blog
My schedule at Comic-Con will be in flux each day, but here’s what I know so far:
Friday: I’ll be mostly at the Last Kiss table #E8 (between the 600 and 700 aisles) except for my signing at the World Famous Comics booth #5660 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Saturday: I’ll be mostly at at the Last Kiss table #E8 (between the 600 and 700 aisles) except for my signing at the World Famous Comics booth #5560 from noon-2 p.m.
Sunday: I’ll be mostly at the Last Kiss table #E8 (between the 600 and 700 aisles) except for my signing at the World Famous Comics booth #5560 from 11:30-1 p.m.
