Secret Identities is an Asian American superhero comic anthology done by asian creators, including fellow CE alum and writer Amy Chu.
The book is a follow-up to the earlier groundbreaking anthology using the comic format “to upend, re-envision, re-imagine – to shatter – the distorted and negative images that have shadowed Asian Americans since the earliest days of arrival in this country.”
In addition to DaFu and Amy, the anthology includes the work of: Alice Meichi Li, Eric Kim, GB Tran, Jeremy Arambulo, Jerry Ma, Johann Choi, Kripa Joshi, Louie Chin, Robin Ha, Saumin Patel, Jamie Noguchi, Ming Doyle, Jef Castro, Tak Toyoshima, and Glenn Urieta.
The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) will also be exhibiting some of DaFu's artwork as part of the Alt.Comics: Asian American Artists Reinvent the Comic Book exhibition, on view from September 27, 2012 through February 24, 2013, featuring art from the anthology.
Alt.Comics showcases the efforts of Asian American artists to establish a new and authentic identity by subverting stereotypes and juxtaposing disparate images. The exhibition focuses on alternative and independent comic spaces, particularly in the hubs of San Francisco and New York, which produced many of the most prominent artists in the independent scene. The exhibition features work by DaFu as well as Gene Luen Yang, Derek Kirk Kim, Thien Pham, Lark Pien, Jason Shiga, GB Tran, Jerry Ma, Larry Hama, Alex Joon Kim, and Christine Norrie.
MOCA is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution that presents the living history, heritage, culture and diverse experiences of Chinese Americans through exhibitions, educational services and public programs.
Congratulations, DaFu, on the anthology and the exhibit!
If you want to make comics, write or draw comics, or improve as a comics creator, you'll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!
Several of the scripts contained in the book were workshopped on the Creators Workshop, and Amy is offering a three-month membership in the Creators Workshop as an incentive!
Girls' Night Out: Tales of New York is a collection of short comics in honor of New York City, with a little something for everyone - action, adventure, drama, humor.
The book will be a 36 page full color, digest size (5" x 8") comic book with five stories written by Amy, and featuring art by CE Art Moderator Gannon Beck, Craig Yeung, Louie Chin, Brian Shearer, and Cabbral.
The Kickstarter has already garnered more than 100 backers toward its overall $4,800 goal.
In addition to the book itself in print and digital form, those pledging can receive other incentives including home-baked cookies, signed, limited edition Painkiller Jane color prints by Jimmy Palmiotti, lettering services from Amy, original art commissions, a script critique by CE staffer and former Marvel Editor Nicole Boose, and much more!
With about two weeks left, there's still plenty of time to jump on this Kickstarter for Girls' Night Out: Tales of New York!
Or check out the video right here:
Best of luck to Amy with the Kickstarter!
If you want to make comics, write, draw, letter, and color comics, or improve as a comics creator, you'll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!
Baltimore Comic Con 2012 was another big success for Comics Experience alums and Workshop members, and a great time as well.
Our second annual Baltimore "Comics Experience Meet-Up" happened Saturday night at Tír Na nóg.
More than twenty people showed up to talk comics (and more) including alums/Workshop members Chris Lewis, Elizabeth-Amber Love, Gannon Beck, George O'Connor, James Babbo, Janine & Ken Frederick, Joe Sergi, Joey Groah, Neil Fisher, Nick Dedual, Rich Douek, Rob Anderson, Ryan Murray, and Scott Dubin.
After the meet-up, some folks headed to other locations, including the Hyatt Bar. CE alum Amy Chu was there, post-Harvey Awards ceremony, and even filed her own "Convention Bar Report" after the fact on The Beat. You can read her report right here: On the Scene: Baltimore Comic-Con Night -- Part I.
Another highlight of the convention for many members was Tom Brevoort's Marvel Boot Camp panel.
For two hours, Tom shared the presentation he gives to new Marvel Editors each year. This was the first time the session had ever been given outside of Marvel, and attendees were asked to purchase tickets to benefit the Hero Initiative.
It was a very informative session and more than ten pages of comprehensive notes on the session are now available to our Creators Workshop members in our "Convention Panel Notes" thread. (You can see a screen capture from our forums of that topic and a few others below.)
Finally, the convention was a success for our members exhibiting at the show, with heavy crowds through most of the weekend. Some members were exhibiting at a con for the first time, while others are old pros at the convention circuit. One member, Chris Lewis, travelled all the way from Germany to debut his new comic, Drones!
Other Comics Experience-related exhibitors included Comics Experience coloring instructor Chris Sotomayor, Joe Sergi (Aliens Among Us), George O'Connor (Healed), Joey Groah and Gannon Beck (both of Space Corps), Amy Chu (Girls' Night Out), and James Babbo (The Moses Militia).
To check out more information on all these projects, including trailers and cover art, check out our pre-convention blog right here!
Thanks to all our members who attended the meet-up. It was great seeing everyone!
Hope to see you at our next Meet-Up at NYCC 2012...
If you want to make comics, write or draw comics, or improve as a comics creator, you'll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!
Baltimore Comic Con 2012 is this weekend, September 8-9, 2012, and a bunch of Comics Experience alums and Creators Workshop members will be attending and exhibiting!
In addition, we'll be holding a Comics Experience Meet-Up on Saturday night. If you're an alum and don't have the details, drop an email to rob@ComicsExperience.com.
Here's a run-down of some of the CE folks exhibiting at Baltimore!
Comics Experience Coloring Instructor, Chris "Soto" Sotomayor will be exhibiting at Artists Alley table A231.
CE alum and Workshop member, Chris Lewis, will be flying in all the way from Germany for the convention to premiere his new comic book Drones.
Drones is described as "The War on Terror - Now Playing in Las Vegas!"
Chris was recently interviewed on Liberation Frequency, where he discussed Drones and the impact of Comics Experience on his work.
Check out the comic book trailer below or visit www.epigamics.com for more info.
Chris will be exhibiting at the Epigamics table -- A5 -- in Artists Alley.
CE alum and Workshop member Joe Sergi will be exhibiting, showing off the latest Elevator Pitch Press anthology, Aliens Among Us.
Joe was a writing contributor as well as editor of the book, along with numerous other Comics Experience writing, art, and lettering alums and Workshop members -- including the cover shown by CE art alum, DaFu Yu.
Joe will be exhibiting in Artists Alley at table A105.
CE alum and Workshop member George O'Connor will be exhibiting, showing off his now-completed 5-issue miniseries Healed. In Healed, when all life-threatening diseases and illnesses are suddenly cured, it leaves confusion and chaos in its wake.
Reviewer Blair Butler of Fresh Ink Online and G4TV wrote it's "Fun, West Wing-type dialogue and I love the stories at play here."
An 8-page preview is available at www.homelesscomics.com and here's a brand new video preview:
You can find George at the Homeless Comics table -- A92 in Artists Alley.
CE alums and Workshop members Joey Groah and Gannon Beck (also on our staff as our new Art Moderator!) will be premiering the zero issue of the book Space Corps.
Gannon publishes and provides all interior art (as well as some stories), while Joey has also written a story inside. Space Corps is an ongoing comic series which gives the account of a platoon of Space Marines fighting in a planet-hopping campaign in an intergalactic war.
You can find Gannon and Joey at table A253 in Artists Alley.
CE alum and Workshop member Amy Chu will be offering her short story collection Girls' Night Out as well as CE alum Georgia Lee's scifi thriller Meridien.
Girls' Night Out is a collection of short stories written by Amy, each with different artistic teams. Georgia’s Meridien City follows a space detective in a world where the upper class dominates the only habitable living space on the planet.
You can find Amy at table A253 in Artists Alley with Gannon and Joey!
CE alum and Workshop member James Babbo will be debuting his new comic, The Moses Militia.
The Moses Militia is set during World War II, where four Jewish soldiers are determined to stop a Nazi alchemist’s plan to kill Winston Churchill with the undead. And it's set in Nazi occupied Casablanca!
The cover features work by Bill Wylie, Mark McKenna and our coloring instructor Chris Sotomayor. You can read more about the project right here!
You can find James at table A-56 in Artists Alley!
Best of luck to all our alums attending and/or exhibiting at Baltimore Comic Con!
If you want to make comics, write, draw, letter, and color comics, or improve as a comics creator, you'll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!
Episode 1206 of the Vodka O'Clock podcast, hosted by CE alum and Workshop member Elizabeth Amber-Love, recently featured two more CE alums, Amy Chu and Georgia Lee from Alpha Girl Comics. It was a Comics Experience trifecta!
Amber and her guests offered an inside perspective on making comics from women that have started their own imprint, Alpha Girl Comics.
Their work features a variety of genres and subject matter that appeal to teen+ readers of either gender, while being female-friendly, but not female exclusive.
Their creative teams include male contributors such as CE coloring instructor Chris Sotomayor, CE Workshop member and letterer E.T. Dollman, Editor Paul Allor (the CE Book Club Manager and alum) and others.
According to Amy Chu on the podcast, "We’re definitely into promoting positive female role models in stories...Ultimately we want a good strong protagonist that isn’t going to end up in a refrigerator."
Recent Alpha Girl projects include Amy's Girls Night Out, a collection of short stories by different artistic teams, and Georgia’s Meridien City series about a space detective in a world where the upper class dominates the only habitable areas on a planet.
If you want to make comics, write, draw, letter, and color comics, or improve as a comics creator, you'll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!
We're pleased to announce that writer Alex Wilson (a Comics Experience alum and Creators Workshop member) and artist Silvio dB had their submission, "The Time of Reflection," selected as one of the two finalists for the MCM Expo Award For New Visionaries (sometimes called "The Huntsman's Challenge" or the "Eagle Awards New Talent Competition").
The final winner will now be determined by a vote.
Please VOTE HERE before May 7, 2012! It only takes a few seconds.
"The Time of Reflection" was shortlisted in both categories of art and story and can be viewed in full on the Eagle Awards voting website OR on Alex Wilson's website right here.
The winning story will be included in May’s MCM London Comic Con show program, printed in conjunction with Snow White And The Huntsman from Universal Pictures. Universal will also provide a selection of prizes.
The contest, judged by Steve White, Tony Lee, and Mark Buckingham, required a dark fantasy story (complete with five pages of color art!) with only a month from announcement to deadline. Two other Creators Workshop members, Paul Allor and Amy Chu, also were named to the judges' shortlist!
Congratulations, Alex and Silvio! And good luck in the voting process!
If you're going to the C2E2 Convention this weekend, make sure to check out the Comics Experience panels, as well as exhibiting instructors, alums and Workshop members!
Here's where you can find everyone:
Art instructor and pro penciler Robert Atkins will be exhibiting at table N5
Writer Amy Chu (alum & Workshop member) will be at table D6, with copies of her comics Meridien City (1 and 2 in one volume!) and Girls Night Out. That latter volume is edited by CE staffer Paul Allor, who will also be in attendance at the show.
Artist Carl Peterson (alum and Workshop member) will be at table A14.
Writer and IDW Editor Bobby Curnow (alum and pro critiquer on the Workshop) won't be there in person, but you can pick up an ashcan preview of his new Battle Beasts series at Diamond Select Toys, booth 311.
Plus, don't miss our panels hosted by Comics Experience founder, and former Marvel and IDW Editor, Andy Schmidt along with Robert Atkins!
Comics Experience: Comic Art and Storytelling
Friday, April 13, 2012
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM in Room N426b
The greatest Comic book minds of our time divulge the greatest secrets of all time. Join us for the top tips for telling a clear and great story in comics. How, as an artist, do you approach great looking art and telling a story? How's it different from illustration work? What is the process used by most working professionals? These insights are not to be missed.
Comics Experience: Building Your Art Portfolio
Friday, April 13, 2012
3:45 PM - 4:45 PM in Room N426c
The most useful panel you’ll ever attend as an artist. Let’s cut through everything else and get right to getting you work! How to prepare your portfolio: what to include, where to get good scripts to draw from, what NOT to include, and how to handle a portfolio review in a professional manner (in other words, how to turn a negative into a positive!).
We hope to see you there!
If you want to make comics, write, draw, letter, and color comics, or improve as a comics creator, you'll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!
We're thrilled to share the news that submissions from THREE Comics Experience alums and Workshop members placed in the Judges' Shortlist!
In the category of Best Story, CE alum and staff member, Paul Allor, placed third with his story "The Edge of the Village," with art by Dwa, and colors by Donna Gregory.
And also in the category of Best Story, CE alum Alex Wilson tied for fourth place with his story, "The Time of Reflection," with art and colors by Silvio dB!
The art by Silvio dB in Alex's story ALSO tied for third place in the second category of Best Art! (Shown at left.)
And also tying for third place for Best Art was a submission by yet another CE alum, Amy Chu, entitled "Long Live the Emperor," featuring art and colors by Cabral! (Shown below.)
To have stories submitted by three Workshop members and alums take FOUR of the spots on the Judges' Shortlist is quite an accomplishment.
We want to send a big congratulations to all those named, as well as to all our Comics Experience alums and members who submitted to the contest, despite the tight submission deadline!
Keep making comics!
If you want to make comics, write or draw comics, or improve as a comics creator, you'll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!
On January 27, 2012, the Eagle Awards and MCM London Comic Con announced a new competition for comic artists and writers.
The "Huntsman's Challenge" competition called on comic creators to submit a completed five page story, in color, with a plot relevant to a dark fantasy setting. The catch? All submissions -- of finished stories -- had to be submitted in a month, with a deadline of February 29th.
Despite the short deadline, members of the Comics Experience Creators Workshop community were up to the challenge, with no less than FOUR members submitting completed stories!
Since the winners haven't been announced, we're only going to share quick peeks at early character designs or panels representing each story, but it looks like a very interesting range of dark fantasy stories were submitted!
Here are the entries from Workshop members (in alphabetical order by title):
Bonita and the Creature
Writer: Joe Sergi
Artist: DaFu Yu
Colorist: John Hunt
Letterer: ET Dollman
Edge of the Village
Writer/Letterer: Paul Allor
Artist: Dwa
Colorist: Donna Gregory
Long Live the Emperor
Writer/Letterer: Amy Chu
Artist/Colorist: Cabral
The Time of Reflection
Writer/Letterer: Alex Wilson
Artist/Colorist: Silvio dB
The competition is to be judged by Titan Publishing senior editor Steve White, bestselling writer Tony Lee and Eisner-winning artist Mark Buckingham.
The Judges will select two winners: one for best design and art, and another for best writing. Both winning teams will be nominated for a new Eagle Award, the MCM Expo Award For New Visionaries and have their story included in the MCM London Comic Con show program. Both winners will also be invited to the 2012 Eagle Awards ceremony and after-party, along with industry passes to the full London Comic Con weekend.
We wish everyone the best of luck in the competition!
If you want to make comics, write or draw comics, or improve as a comics creator, you'll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!
The comic book, A Visit to the Museum of Chinese in America, was produced by Amy and Louie for the museum's 2011 gala event.
According to Amy, the co-chair of the museum was looking for something different to put in the goody bags for their annual black tie fundraiser.
"I suggested that they do the history of the museum in comic format," Amy said.
"I had seen Louie Chin's work at MOCCAFest earlier this year [in 2011] and thought his style would be great for this project. He was a gem to work with, even insisting on hand lettering it himself."
You can read the full comic book on Louie Chin's website right here.
Congrats, Amy and Louie!
If you want to make comics, write, draw, letter, and color comics, or improve as a comics creator, you'll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!
In this guest blog, Gerald von Stoddard, Comics Experience alum and Creator’s Workshop member, talks about the 1st Annual Coast City Comicon (November 12 & 13th), sponsored by the comic shop Gerald founded in Portland, Maine.
This November 12th and 13th, a dream that we had as fledgling comic shop owners is coming to fruition! Finally, after all these years, we will be hosting what we believe to be a real celebration of comics in all their glory: a true comic con!
Our inner nerds can barely contain themselves as the 1st Annual Coast City Comicon finally takes flight at the historic Eastland Hotel in downtown Portland, Maine.
It has always been Coast City Comic’s mission to support not just the mainstream, but the local/indie talent as well. This convention will maintain that same attitude; a real DIY event celebrating comics, pop culture, science fiction and vintage video games.
Comics Experience founder Andy Schmidt--former Marvel and IDW Editor--will be in attendance, discussing Comics Experience and participating in the Breaking Into Comics panel, which includes Womanthology creator, Renae de Liz and her artist-in-arms husband Ray Dillon as well as author Alex Irvine and Top Cow artist Chris Dibari.
There will also be a Self-Publishing 101 panel that was initiated and will be moderated by Comics Experience alum and Workshop member, George O’Connor. Many very talented locals and Comics Experience members will be part of this informative discussion on publishing one’s own work in today’s comic market.
In July, I joined the Comics Experience Creator’s Workshop, mainly due to being so impatient as I waited for the Intro to Writing class to begin. What I did not expect was to be welcomed so openly and warmly. It was here that I began to work out my first creator-owned comic, Deadboy.
Members were brutally honest and helped me give shape to the idea, and as a result, the first issue will be debuting at the Convention. I have also begun work with Workshop member, Ken Frederick, on a project titled AM.NESIAC and hope to be debuting our 6-page pitch as well. His awesome artwork can be seen as part of Workshop member Paul Allor’s creator-owned project, Clockwork.
In response to such support, I wanted to do something to give back what has been so freely given to me, so I have opened up a section for Comics Experience alumni and Workshop members to show off their creator-owned books at my expense. So far, our Comics Experience guests will include: Amy Chu (Meridian), George O'Connor (Healed), Janine Frederick (Awaken), Joshua Dahl (Rapid City), Ken Frederick (AM.NESIAC), and Rich Douek (Gutter Magic), in addition to Comics Experience founder, Andy Schmidt. If you’d like to come and be part of the Comics Experience Workshop tables, feel free to grab your schwag and head up to Maine and join us.
The festivities will be kicked off on November 11th with a special Nerd Rave featuring Portland sensation Waranimal at Space Gallery. There will also be a Drink and Draw at a local pub and all are welcome to attend. It will be a great way to meet some awesome local talent here in Southern Maine.
We’ll also be hosting the premiere of the remastered 35mm cut of Blade Runner in celebration of the release of Exegesis by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and giving away all sorts of Phillip K. Dick books as door prizes! There will also be a PKD panel discussion with writer Alex Irvine, Zack Handlen of the Onion AV Club, Sam Pfeifle from the Phoenix, and others!
I hope to see as many of you as can make it. Just bring your awesome self’s and we will take care of the rest!
If you want to make comics, write, draw, letter, and color comics, or improve as a comics creator, you'll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!
New York Comic Con starts tomorrow, and Comics Experience alums and Creators Workshop members will be everywhere.
By our last count on the Workshop forums, more than 30 members will be attending! And quite a number of folks will also be exhibiting at the show as well.
Alum and Workshop member, Shaun Noel, will be showcasing his book, City of Walls, which you can check out at Booth 2546.
Alum and Workshop member, Monika Smyczek, will be at Booth 3047 with Moxie Comics.
And Booth 2939 will have a slew of Comics Experience creators and books, including:
Joe Sergi, Eric Drumm, Neil Fisher, and Dan Rivera of Elevator Pitch Press (see Dan Rivera's recent Guest Blog right here). Joe Sergi will also be joined by Comics Experience alum, DaFu Yu;
Janine Frederick, showing off her preview of Awaken!
This is just a sampling -- stop by and check out all these booths and ask them about Comics Experience!
If you want to make comics, write, draw, letter, and color comics, or improve as a comics creator, you'll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!
Comics Experience Writing alum, Amy Chu, has released a comic book short story, titled Closure, which was written as part of a 9/11-related writing challenge on the Creators Workshop several months ago.
I was surprised at how emotional I became during the writing process. During 9/11 I lived in lower Manhattan and watched the towers fall outside my window.
All I could think about at the time were the people in the building, and how my husband had turned down an offer from a firm on the 103rd floor, and ever since I have avoided revisiting the coverage of those events, especially around this time of year. So I suppose the title of this story “Closure” has meaning for me personally as well.
With story by Amy Chu, art by Silvio DB and lettering by Creators Workshop member E.T. Dollman, Closure is currently available on Amy's website, NerdyGal.com.
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