Mid Month Warning

Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest: 

  

GALLERY SHOWS:

And here I thought I was going to have a breather from Gallery shows- no such luck!  The Portland Love Show has already hit me for piece of art but in this case it will on display on line.
This will be a first for me as I won't even have to leave the house to send it off!  For me being the workaholic that I am makes things even better but I have yet to figure out these works will be purchased on line for the orginal.  But this is a year of new things to learn about the art world and I am going to make the best of it.

  This also would be  the first I had been involved in but it would give the viewers a chance to see the  work when convenient for them but the question of how long would it be up for. 

  I will be finding out more as time goes on.

  The other is the HansPiration show.  
  I am looking forward to being in both of these show.  


THE CROSSOVER: 

Page 28 for the Tale of Two Jo(h)nnys
copyright 2012 Jason Z. Pott and Alan Bennett

Partial Inking on Page 30 of ToTJ
copyright 2012 Jason Z. Pott and Alan Bennett

Most of blocking has been completed for the book.  Hard pressed to finish this work.  I am looking at completing  this  book with all the hard inking by the end of this month and a quick scanning of the pages so I can add a digital middle ground grey tone to the work.  When this book hits the table it gonna hit with a "Whoowamp!"  So watch for it!

THE POSTIT ADVENTURES:

Where are we now with young cadet Johnny Vega and his exploits?  Starting with Page 33 

    Previously in Johnny Vega, Man. of the Future:  Attacker revealed!  After Johnny ruthless attack on campus by parties unknown Vega's plan to draw out the attacker has worked.  Unfortunately, other cadets are drawn into the intrigue.  And now...

, ,,

One of the biggest realizations on the Postit Adventures is the Pagination of the stories.  There has been talk of actually serializing Johnny Vega into a continuous comic strip on line.  This in of itself is exciting to think about but again only  talked about.  So I plan on having to two page numbers listed on the bottom of the pages as we near the end of the first 24 page run on Vega.  So to clear up any confusion the first number will be page number as it would appear as a printed issue. 

EMERALD CITY COMICON 2012: 

New guests are being added to this event and we are getting closer to the show.  Here is to keeping my fingers crossed for a successful show!  Corpse Cop and all!

COMMISSIONS: 

Commissions are currently on hold at this time.  Since my contract didn't specify a time frame for having it done, it works out well with the work on the Crossover taking place right now.

OTHER STUFF: 

No new stuff as of yet... but you never know with the bar doodles and keep coming.

OLD BBC BLOG

What a lot people I believe don't realize is "Tales from the Scratch Pad" are the new Black Box Comix Updates.  Check here if you want to see those old blogs.  That is of you want to read up on old stuff.

And so there you go.  A lot of things going on at Scratch Pad.

Second Week in

Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest:

THE CROSSOVER:

"Tale of Two Jo(h)nnys" for Weird Atomic Tales
copyright 2012 Jason Z. Pott & Alan Bennett

  Work on the crossover is kicking in high gear as the month of January rolls on in.  Hence many of the regular features such as the Postit Adventures are on hold for a small time so don’t worry there are many of those left to go.  These are crucial days for both NEOtrash Comix and Black Box Comix.  

  The reason I say this is as a owner and small time publisher you should always have a new group of products (in this case comics) for any up coming show you may be attending.

  Neither the boys from NEOtrash or myself like going to comic shows with chronic old issues of the past.  It just doesn't sit well with us. As collectors come by the tables that we have met in the past, we want you to know that we are not sitting around gabbing about “What ifs?” of characters for your hungry minds to ingest.

  What I can say is that the crossover is looking good.

  

HOWEVER,

"The Beginning of Ai" for Weird Atomic Tales
copyright 2012 Alan Bennett

  I will post one new image unrelated to the crossover because even though it is a related project to comics the book itself of Weird Atomic Tales It is a totally different kind of story line.  “The Beginning of Ai”

  The idea of Johnny Vega being written with an end in sight kinda of sadden me but with the time travel stories that had just been written up all starting with Adam Watson of Darkslinger Comics (check ‘em out their cool books.) he opened a pandora’s box of new concepts that I had wanted to play with.  Jason from NEOtrash had also chimed in on this and with the previous Vega comic strip of the “Transposition Machine” tied all of these concepts together.

  Throw in a healthy does of John Carter, Warlord of Mars, and you have the beginnings of what I call the “The Lost World Chronicles”  Familiar characters placed in alternate world settings.  

  Something to keep you interested.

But now I have kick it up a few notches on the crossover so till next week, I am outta of here.

the Year in Review 2011

Corpse Cop "Corpsecile"
copyright 2011
Alan Bennett

Well there Sports fans, Al here with the latest:

  It’s the end of the year and so thinking that I wasn’t going to post anything this sunday sounded like I was going easy on myself.  Nothing could be farther from the truth!

  THE CROSSOVER:  Is working hard as all the pages have transferred and being inked currently.  They are coming along very nice.

Weird Atomic Tales Tale of Two Jo(h)nny's page 19 panels 2,3 &4
Copyright 2012 Jason Z. Pott and Alan Bennett

  (Post a few pages here of the crossover.)

  There are no more gallery shows that I am aware of currently but you could never be to sure how that  is going to work around here in Portland.

  

  But since we are on the verge of a new year of 2012 I thought a review of the year previous might be in order So lets start off shall we.

  HIGHLIGHTS AND LOW POINTS OF 2011 - in reference to Black Box Comix.

JV# 4 Cover
Copyright 2011
Alan Bennett

Jan 1st, 2011 started off with the work of Johnny Vega, Man of the Future #4 was being worked on and a very proud moment as numerous people and projects had constantly tried to derail this character from seeing the light.  I have seen a number of comic character come and go with other indy companies but this guy just has the staying power.  To this date this is my personal triumph of comic work mirroring that which I grew up with.

  Also in this time I was given the chance to work on the Crossover between Black Box Comix and NEOtrash Comix.  Weird Atomic Tales hadn’t even been termed yet as a main title.

The First Gallery show began to rear it’s head in the month of February with “The Portland Love Show”  Along with several other hundred artists or so I worked hard on getting a Scratchboard piece famed and under glass for this show.

February also marked the printing of both Johnny Vega #4 and a full scratchboard Corpse Cop Story “Corpsecile” 

 


As March began to roll forward so did the Emerald City ComiCon 2011 and a booth set up as opposed to artist alley which had already filled up at the end of the last year’s show.

ECCC came and went.  and with it so did sales on Corpse Cop!  Every one of the issues I had ordered sold out in a day and half of a three day show.  WOW!  A lot of my friends were looking at me like “way to go Alan.”

In between shows there was another gallery show at the Globe.  April Fools Day Comic Illustration Art Opening (no fooling).  The Globe was the first featured Comic themed Art Show of the official Comic Book Month here in Portland. And of course for comic creators there is nothing better than having you art being shown while you can drink beer and hang out with your buds.

 

 

In the following two weeks we had the 2011 Stumptown show.  It had been a good show but there were many change up in the organization of the show and the placement of the venue itself.  However to friendships that had been formed over the months one of Jason’s friends, Denis Culver.

   Denis who had shared our booth at Emerald City who had missed out on Artist’s Alley had gotten into the Stumptown Show while both Black Box Comix and NEOtrash Comix had been denied entrance.  Culver had sold us the table and so we were back, in under the Radar as it were.

In April comics lost of it’s own, Ty Wakefeild.  A artist and friend who had taken up the challenge to bring his own fight with cancer to children who were fighting the same illness.  Ty wanted to inspire young people to fight as long and as hard as he could.  He will be missed.  And a constant reminder that fight for anything you believe in is worth fighting for.

"Reading to Run"
The Jess Jordan Collection

More commissions began to roll in as the months began to open up for the summer.  The DnD’rs I used to play with while living in Eugene had finally borne fruit as it was the hardest commission I had to work on.  The following commissions were a opened ended lot with a Fallmen sticker and a personal tattoo sticker and birthday present scratchboard piece entitled “Reading to Run”.

Tattoo Design for
Bradly Cooper  

DnD 4th Edition Commission

May 2011 OLYMPIA COMICS FESTIVAL  I traveled with the Guys from NEOTrash Comix up North again to this show.  I think of it as friendlier Stumptown Show.  Sold some art, bought some art, all of it good.

June was relatively quiet as months go but work continued with the cross over.

In July 8, 2011  Cerebrating the 4th of July came THE PORTLAND GUN SHOW art show. Again this was being held at the Globe.  This was a fun show - and the Pizza was good.

Another gallery show came up with the 88 STRONG show for me.  Something new to try out - painting.  Acrylics are not high on my list when it comes to illustrating with color but I learned all the same how to work the medium without the use of a airbrush.  

In the last days of September I headed back up north to Seattle with my good friend and soon to be co- creator Jason Pott for the second Jet City Comic Show.

It was a blast as we both manned the table at Jason unveiled his P.F.B. brown bag comic.  The Holy Grail of comic book artist challenge.

Then I learned that another show was being offered at the Goodfoot fast on the heals of the 88 STRONG show called the “THEREFORE I THINK, 5” show.  Separate and unique art from around town.  

During the time of November another friend of my mine and a inspiration to better work passed on.  His name was Hans Fuson and he will be missed.

Last month of December started off with the last art gallery show “The BIG 200 Art show”.  Apparently the show the big show got a bit to big for it’s own place and doubled in size.  This time I was ready with 10 pieces instead of 5 and knocked the sales out of the ballpark.  It was awesome.  

SO TOTAL IN ALL-

6 GALLERY SHOWS

4 COMIC BOOK SHOWS

4 COMMISSIONS

2 COMIC BOOK RELEASES

There  you go a review of the year past, now onto other things

The Postit Adventures:

   Deployment.  Only a few hours before Vega had been attacked brutally and left for dead on the campus grounds as a warning.  Holding a small group of cadets to silence Vega masks his injuries not wanting to tip his hat.   Vega has a plan to draw out the assailant into the open and find out who was behind his attack.  And why.   And Now....

Tales from the Past of Black Box Comix can be found here.

The Beginning of Ai- A bar doodle with color

This is a variant on Johnny Vega for Weird Atomic Tales

Copyright 2011 Alan Bennett

And with that, I am out here onto the drawing table.