A Zita the Spacegirl Halloween Special

Oh hooray, it's Halloween!

I know I said I’d be posting pictures of Superman today, but those will have to wait. I had forgotten the special Halloween post I’ve been planning! I wanted to highlight the great Zita the Spacegirl costumes (and crafts) I’ve seen this month. Here are the pictures:

First Zita cosplayer at New York Comic Con (more pictures here).

Zita and Mouse visit Casablanca Comics!

Another Halloween Zita!

Here’s a Zita the Spacegirl Halloween pumpkin craft from the Houston Academy:

Finally the picture below is my wife, Anna, in the original Zita costume:

So, Happy Halloween everybody! Here are a couple more seasonal treats for you. It's not bobbing for apples but we do the best we can here on the internets:

Out of It video by Fallulah (featuring monsters by post-it master Don Kenn)
Monsters and Men Little Talks video
In the Night, by Basia Bulat

And October Country, a seasonal poem by our old friend Tom Riley.

Zita 3: Kinda Mostly Done

Last week, after about a year of work, I sent Zita 3 off to the good folk at First Second. It’s strange and sobering and a little bit magical that all that work can fit onto a tiny little storage device.

Is the book finished? Well, not really. I still have to work on the cover illustration for one thing. And once turned in a graphic novel still has quite a journey to go through before it hits the shelves of the local libraries and bookstores. About a year’s journey, as a mater of fact. The First Second blog has been featuring a series of posts about what, exactly, goes on in that hidden year between the time a book is turned in and the moment it’s released to the world. If you’re interested in the publishing process it’s a great little “behind the scenes” look at what goes in, and what comes out. Here’s a link:

FIRST SECOND: BEHIND THE SCENES

And, in particular, this post: "The Publishing Process: a Timeline"

MY NEXT POST: PICTURES OF SUPERMAN.

Comic Con Comics: Part Two

This weekend I will be at Casablanca Comics in Portland, Maine (information here), along with my pal Zack Giallongo! Do I have any readers from Maine? Will I see you there?

And now... more Scribbly Memories from the New York Comic Con:

Comic Con Comics: Part One

Some scribbly memories from New York Comic Con...

In the First Second Booth:

(Wooo! Brian Froud!)

(Wooo! Zita Cosplay!)

Comic Con’s A’Comin’!

The (awesome) image above was created by Mark Lewis who has a cool drawing blog where he recently reviewed Zita. On his blog you can see the whole Zita poster, in all it’s deco glory. and without the WANTED bar pasted over the top. 

 Today I’m getting ready to head up to New York Comic Con. I’m packing my masks, my story squares and my juggling rings. Why do I need these things? Come to one of my presentations and see! Here are some of the places you might catch me over the weekend:

Saturday 11:30am: author signing at the First Second booth (#1214 on the show floor)

Saturday 3pm to 5pm: Goup Author Event at Books of Wonder (located on 18th West 18th street). I will be with cool guys Zack Giallongo, and Jorge Aguirre

Saturday 7:45 to 8:45 pm: NYCC Panel “The World of Graphic Novels

Sunday 10:45am: NYCC Panel “Comics to Grow On”

Sunday 12-1:00pm author signing at the First Second booth (#1214 on the show floor)

Sunday: 1pm to 2pm: “Ben Hatke’s Three Secrets of Comics” on the NYCC stage.

Sunday 2:30 to 3:30pm: Author Signing at Autographing Table 2

Sunday 2:30 to 3:30: “Kids Read Comics” with Zack Giallongo, George O’Connor, Jorge Aguirre

This is going to be a busy weekend you guys!

The Road Goes Ever On (and on and on)...

Hey everybody! Here's a ghost pooping ectoplasm on a robot's head:

I like to make my blog posts a little classy, you know? Also Halloween is coming!

I'm getting ready for New York Comic Con which is coming up next week. I'll be super busy that weekend but if you'll be in the city, there will be plenty of opportunities to say hello. I'll be at the First Second booth, visiting Books of Wonder, speaking on panels and even visiting the New York Public Library again. Anyone out there going to be in town? Should I post my whole schedule?

Until then I'll be continuing the coloring of Zita 3. Just a few more weeks to go...