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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| "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”.
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| Tattoo Design for Bradly Cooper |
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| 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
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....
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The Beginning of Ai- A bar doodle with color This is a variant on Johnny Vega for Weird Atomic Tales Copyright 2011 Alan Bennett |
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