IF I FIND OUT YOU WENT TO SAN DIEGO AND DIDN'T COME VISIT ME AT THE FANTAGRAPHICS BOOTH, I'LL SOCK YOU IN THE MUSH

That being said, I do hope you'll come out to Comic Con and celebrate the near release of the graphic novel I created (with my friend GEORGE CHIEFFET) at the Fantagraphics booth. Publisher Kim Thompson assures me that there will be copies of our book, LUCKY IN LOVE, BOOK ONE: A POOR MAN'S BIOGRAPHY available , and I'd love to get your initial reaction to it. I'll even do a teeny Post-it note sketch for you, if you ask me nicely.
Here's a link to the Fantagraphics Booth schedule:

http://www.fantagraphics.com/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=Your-Fantagraphics-Guide-to-Comic-Con-2010.html&Itemid=113;

Looking forward to seeing you there. I'm including a little sneak peak image for you below, of a color study ace artist CARLY MONARDO did for my LUCKY promotional film (which I designed and the brilliant MIGUEL MARTINEZ-JOFFRE directed and animated). Carly and Miguel are two VENTURE BROTHER stalwarts, and the film is completed and quite brilliant. I hope to announce its appearance on the web sometime soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK KING KIRBY

I met Jack once.

I was at the San Diego Con years ago, right? And I'm standing near a crowd that goes around the length of the room, they're all there to see Jim Lee. And I don't want to see Mr. Lee, but to each his own. Then over the hall loud speaker, a voice comes on and sez, "Jack Kirby will be signing at such and such a booth in five minutes", and I'm like, OH SHIT~! I wasn't too far from that booth, and so I booked over there. I'm gonna meet the King, or, at least I hope to meet the King, because I figure there'd be an even bigger crowd for him than for Jim Lee.

So, I get to this booth, and there's like five people in line. To meet the King. And there's Jack, this tiny little old man, cute as a button really. But five people? Jesus, this guy's responsible for....everything in this room! 

But really, I felt lucky, because I knew I'd get to meet and speak with him.

So, it's my turn.

And I tell him how much I love his work, and ask him if he really felt uncomfortable rubbing the hump on the kid's back (his only biographical work was about his days as a Lower East Side street tough, and all the kids on the block would go to this humpbacked kid to get a little luck off of him). And Jack sez, "yeah, I didn't want to do it. I guess I was sensitive, y'know?" Cute as a button, this little old dude.

So I said to him, "Look, I just want you to know how much your work has influenced mine", and he realizes I'm a pro, and he looks at my pro badge, glances at it, and says to me, "thanks. I like your work too."

Which struck me as hilarious.