Technically, since moving to Cincinnati, Chicago is no longer my hometown show. But despite the distance, it still feels like it. I left Thursday morning, making my way diagonally across one of the least interesting states in the Union in which to travel. Arriving in the afternoon to the convention center in Rosemont, just outside the city by O’Hare Airport,  I drove into the back of the con center, unloaded, and made my way across the street to the Crowne Plaza. There, 2 of my roommates, the fabulous Kramers, were already waiting. It was great to see them. Sarah had some room cookies ready, which were much appreciated. Pat Loika, Andy Jewett and myself were set up together along the back wall of the Artist Alley. Adam Witt was going to be with us too, but circumstances prevented that, so he consigned his space to his girlfriend Anne, who used the space well. You can see all my pics from the show on my flickr account. (more…)

I can’t visit Chicago without having some of that delicious deep dish! After the show, I traveled with Andy, Pat, the effervescent Brian Defferding, his girlfriend and friend(sorry, names are escaping me, you know who you are!), to Gino’s East, my preferred pizza joint when at this show. They tell us the wait is 40-60 minutes but 10 short minutes later and we’re at the table. Pat is intolerant of the tasty deep dish, but Andy and I split a pepperoni supreme and it was delicious. The company was good, Brian and his friends were a nice addition and they had some fun stories to tell. Then on to the Hyatt. One great thing about having the show up by O’Hare Airport in Rosemont is that there is pretty much only one place that everyone goes to for after dinner festivities, so we can all rub elbows together. I meet lots of folks at the show floor but I also make many new friends after hours. Sometimes I’m stunned by how many people I didn’t see at the “Red Bar’, as it’s called , and then the next day, tell me they were in attendance all night! The theme for that night at the Hyatt: Kindergarten Teachers are Slu-huuts!! (you have to say it out loud.) If you want to know the full story, go ask Zack Kruse or Andy. (more…)

Saturday night dinner: Andy recommended Maria’s, a nice Mexican place just up the street. It was a great restaurant, elegant without being pretentious. The food was terrific in that slightly higher end Mexican style, but with really decent prices. The low lights and wondering musician with light finger picking on his acoustic guitar made for a relaxing atmosphere with a touch of class. We had a big group, a dozen of us that evening. The lively conversation was at times humorous and enlightening. Back to the Hyatt once again where I just have to give thanks to Zack and Ben for bringing your backpack to the Hyatt! (more…)

I am now accepting sketch pre-orders for Pittsburgh Comicon (Sept. 11-13) and Windy City Comicon (Sept. 19). If you’re going to either of these cons, you can email me with a pre-order, which I will have finished and available to pick up at my table. I will be doing sketches at my table as well, but this helps me keep up with the demand I often receive and the sketches typically turn out better when I do them at home. The price structure is as follows:

Head sketch: 9×12, ink and grey tone= $15
Mini Commission: 9×12, ink and tone= $30 for the 1st character, $10 each additional.
Full Commission: 11×17, ink and tone= $100 1st character, $30 each additional.

You can pre-pay via PayPal to avoid carrying so much cash at the con, or you can pay me when you pick it up at the show. Just send me an email at [email protected]

Space is limited, so sign up early!

Here’s a few examples( you can see more on my art blog):

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For you regular readers, you may notice that the “home” page now has two options: “Newest Comic” and “Start at the Beginning”. We added this to avoid spoiler material for new readers. So, if you’re looking for the latest page, click on “Newest Comic”. If you’re new and want to start at the very beginning, select the obvious choice of “Start at the Beginning”.

When reading the comic, you can go forward or back through the pages by clicking the guns labeled “next” and “back”.

Also, you may or may not know that as you’re reading each page, you can click on the page’s image to see it enlarged. This may help if you think the font is too small to read.

J.