MECAF!

MAINE IS PRETTY:







AND WE HAD FUN:









MORE?

TIRED. NO MORE CONVENTIONS UNTIL SEPTEMBER.

Regular People in Portland!

I guess I haven't written about this here for a while, but I spent a big chunk of last year working on a short animated film, Regular People. And I just learned that it was accepted to the Portland Underground Film Festival. They're gonna show it on June 12th at 9PM at the historic Clinton St. Theater in Portland, OR..

The film is also looking for a little financial help, so we can afford the entry fees to other film festivals, and we're offering lots of thank you gifts in exchange for your help- zines, books, t-shirts, copies of the DVD, etc. The fundraiser ends on June 1st. Thanks!

Home again, Away again

I went to New York for a long weekend to visit my parents. They've been planning this vacation to the big city for three years now, and the trip was kinda of a whirlwind.

Apologies to all the city friends I didn't get to hang out with- I only get to see the family maybe 2 or 3 times a year, and there wasn't time to make the rounds and see everyone.

I am ALMOST DONE with spring convention season. Just MECAF left to go! I'm really looking forward to it, it's pretty relaxing so far as conventions go.

Come see me this Sunday at the Ocean Gateway in Portland Maine, I'll be tabling with fellow CCS alums Caitlin Plovnik and David Yoder, and will be bringing along books from Katherine Roy! I'll have plenty of copies of Sir Christopher, Woman King, Tragic Relief and what's left of the Tragic Relief t-shirts.

Hope to see you there!

I have a weird name.

This has been happening more often lately, and I figured it was time to say something. I totally appreciate the links (you guys are awesome) and it's not as bad as when my name was misspelled on my high school diploma...BUT...

It's C-o-double L-double E-n. I know that there's like nine different spelling variations for this name, but this is the way everyone else does it, and I'm just a big follower.

Then it's Frakes to rhyme with "lakes", not Frankes to rhyme with hotdog. Same with this guy:

Flakes is way off. Though I have been known to tolerate the nickname Corn Flakes.

Okay, glad that's over with. Now next time this come up, we won't even have to discuss it. I can just refer you back to this blog post.

TCAF 2010 recap

TCAF was easily the best-organized and friendliest show I have ever attended. The exhibitors were all kept informed of the show details by like a million e-mails that Chris Butcher sent out, and the show was free and well-publicized for the general public, so they all knew where to find us and didn't have to wait in lines or anything.

I drove up with Jon Chad, Joe Lambert, and Alexis Frederick-Frost, and we stopped for the night in Buffalo to meet up with Stephen Floyd and JP Coovert of One Percent Press. I enjoyed Buffalo for its cheap-but-delicious restaurants and friendly cats.

The show was held in the Toronto Reference Library, which is an amazing facility. There are plenty of rooms for programing, lots of signage, multiple indoor water features (!!) I had total library envy. Next year I need to go back during regular hours and take more reference photos (I work at a library, and we're always talking about redesigning our weird little space).

Jon and I shared a half table on the 2nd floor, in the Webcomics room. There were some problems with this:
1) This was the first year TCAF had done the separate room thing, they told us ahead of time that it was an experiment.
2) Jon and I don't really have webcomics. I mean, I published Sir Christopher on the web (which was my reason for moving to the new room) and Jon had planned to have something online by then, but life got in the way.

So, we were a little out of place, and it felt like some attendees- who are use to shiny Lulu.com books and lots of plushies and t-shirts - didn't really know what to make of us.
THAT SAID, my sales were about the same as I made at smaller shows like MECAF last year, so no complaints, and I would take the same space next year if a similar deal was offered.

The other half of table #211 was being run by Evan Dahm of Rice Boy. I've been a fan of his work for a while, so it was great to get a chance to meet him and buy some books before he sold out.

Sunday I was on a panel, "The New Graphic Novelists: New Creators Transforming the Medium," with Joshua Cotter, Colleen Frakes, Ryan North, Dash Shaw, and Raina Telgemeier, and moderated by Eva Volin. It went pretty well, I was really intimidated to be on a panel with such talented and established cartoonists, but Eva was a great moderator and the audience was very tolerant of my ramblings.

After the show, we took a quick side trip to Niagara Falls- because Michelle Ollie said she would be very disappointed with us if we didn't. Who'd have thought falling water could be so amazing?

So in short- great weekend, go to TCAF next year, very tired, see more photos here.

Last TCAF post, I swear!

Here's kind of a map of where you can find Jon Chad and I at TCAF in Toronto this weekend (click to enlarge)

Did I mention TCAF is free? And it takes place in a library? It's like all of my favorite things put together.

Tragic Relief on Midnight Fiction

Jon and I met Richard Krauss of Midnight Fiction at Stumptown, and he was nice enough give us a mention on his blog. Thanks, Richard!

Tragic Relief #8- REVENGE!

It's way past my bedtime. Too bad sleep deprivation isn't a suitable excuse for calling out to work.



BEHOLD, MY GIANT HEAD! And a new comic.

I've decided to start putting out issues of "Tragic Relief" again, for a bunch of reasons you probably don't care about. Gonna shoot for four issues a year. This one will be coming with me to TCAF in Toronto this weekend! Hope to see you there.

TCAF in Toronto this weekend!

Hey Canadians! I'm heading to TCAF this weekend with Jon Chad, Joe Lambert, Alexis Frederick-Frost and David Yoder!

Jon and I will be on the 2nd floor, at table #211 (I'll post the map in a few days).

And I'm on a panel...With Dash Shaw, and Raina Telgemeier!? I'm not entirely sure how I ended up on the list with this awesome group, but it's kinda terrifying.

Come watch me pretend to know what I'm talking about:

LEARNING CENTRE 1

Located at Toronto Reference Library 789 Yonge Street
1st floor, in the main atrium space

The New Graphic Novelists: New Creators Transforming the Medium
Sunday, May 9th, 2:15 – 3:15pm, Learning Center 1

There is a pantheon of great graphic novelists — folks who started thinking about comics as singular, book-bound creations. But that concept has shifted since its conceptualization, and a collection of young creators are pushing the medium in fantastic new ways. Creators Joshua Cotter, Colleen Frakes, Ryan North, Dash Shaw, and Raina Telgemeier will discuss their experiences producing comics that alternately defy and embrace the term ‘graphic novel”. Moderated by Eva Volin.

Jon and I will have all the usual books, plus I'm bringing a new short 8-page mini called "Revenge"

These'll just be a dollar. Or maybe free, if I'm in a good mood.

Hope to see you there!