Alternative Comics hitting the Wizard Comic Con this Weekend!

Scene from HEY APATHY! alternative comics

Wizard World Comic Con this Weekend!!!

Not to much artwork getting done today as I spent the better portion of the morning organizing my merchandise for this weekends Wizard World comic convention. Got a whole bunch of t-shirts and piles of comics packed in Tupper ware bins and ready to go. The show runs from Fri- Sat. at the Direct Energy Center over at the C.N.E. grounds. I haven't done any comic conventions since 2003 and have never attended a Wizard World event before but I expect it to be exciting. I'll be showcasing three comics and likely some live drawing during the Saturday portion of the con.

The first book is "The Last Optimist", a one shot graphic novel now in it's second printing featuring a lost soul as he attempts to find his way and deal with the monstrous metropolis. The 36 page black and white alternative comic is basically the prologue to the new HEY APATHY! series. I have been drawing some in-between comics as part of my online catalogue which will fill in the blanks between the first book and the newer ones.

 

The second book is HEY APATHY! book one. This book introduces us to the city of gears as it is under siege by an attack of the technological tentacles. Strange electronic devices are assimilating man kind in a surreal and extreme take over of the human mind. A tiny hero rises to retaliate but is quickly detected and forced into battle with three giant billboard-like Robots. The whole ordeal is told from the perspective of a young street artist as he performs live ink drawings in the middle of the chaos.

 

HEY APATHY! Book Two is the newest addition to the alternative comics mythology. This will be the premier showing of the book as I never exhibited when I was doing my street performances and it wasn't quite ready at last years Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. Book two is a story-telling extravaganza exploring the lives regarding a wandering Ronin and a group of misfit vigilantes intertwined in the historical politics of the City of Gears. Once again the narration comes from the vantage point of the little bald street painter as he attempts to share his crazy ink drawings and art with the denizens of the Gear. Each book in the series examine a different heroic persona from the imaginary metropolis while simultaneously revealing more about my true life experiences as a Torontonian street painter.

Wow life moves so quickly I forgot to mention that between yesterday's post and today's I also did a lecture and demonstration at the OASIS Alternative high school in down town Toronto. It was really fun and strange , all of a sudden I'm old and in front of a class instead of the little kid sleeping in the back! There was one guy snoring but for the most part I found the group attentive, interseted and really enjoyed the experience. My favourite part was how no matter how engaged I'd become with the youths if I looked any of them in the eye they would cross their arms and turn away. It must be fun and hard being a kid (not like I don't remeber, I never really grew up but I kind of wish I hadn't of grown old) HEY APATHY!