The November Mid-Point

Hey there sports fans Al here with the latest:

"DEFENDER"  5"X7" Pen and Ink with Colored Marker
2012 copyright Alan Bennett and BBVA

CORRAX THE SEEKER NEWS:

Prototype Cover for CTS #3

Prototype Cover for CTS # 4

As things begin to move towards that slowly vanishing National Holiday known formally as Thanksgiving work on the CTS issues 2-4 are beginning to really pick up.  Issue #2 has already having the base flat colors applied to it and onto the shadows and highlights.  Issues 3 and 4 have both already had their covers transfered to bristol already and pages 1 though 5 for issue #3.   This means I am keeping on track for my deadlines.  It also gives Jason a completion of this first solo comic featuring Corrax. 
  As a suggestion by my friend Dax he felt that that doing completed small story arcs like what you find on British Television like what they show for a Clive Owen detective series called "Second Sight".  A self contained series without over lapping internal plotlines like you find with traditional American comic book storylines or tv series.
At least it seems to be that way these days.  
"A.I.  Wars" is most definately the follow up to "Cosmic Confrontation".  I am still looking for a common thread to string along together but it should be Corrax all the same.  I continue to keep dropping in bits of Johnny Vega in because he is a central part in the Corrax Universe.  No other character I have created or for the length of time I have worked on means so much to me as the Man of the Future. But so many failed attempts on working on him that he just never quite got off the ground. But even though he is central to Corrax I keep his appearances to a minimum because of the inner turmoil that Vega brings to the story.  I guess in a way he would be like Captain Pike from Star Trek The Original Series to Corvis Corrax being Captain Kirk.  A lot of my closer friends know this about me and how much that character meant to me to work on and for me to walk away from him was really hard to do.   But you never know if Vega or Jd'rel will make future appearance down the road.
And there are some ideas with these two and something to have Corrax deal with.
An interesting situation to say the least for him and anyone he maybe involved with and dealing with the Johnny Vega story called "Tin Man". 

GALLERY WORK:

Well of this day I am looking at dropping off the ten images to be placed in the BIG 300 show coming up in December.  It's been a little hard with the weather because of the varnishing  that I have been doing outside.  Not easy to do in cold weather.  Maybe one day they will make a varnish that goes well in cold weather.

STRANGE LIFE THINGS:

As it would happen I happen to work at an art store part time to help defer the amount of money that I spend on art supplies which is a great help for me but every once in a while a person will come in and totally take me by surprise.  This person was an old friend of mine from Eugene that I had lost contact with years ago named Shannon Moxley  aka Partuch now.  Now Miss S (as I like call to call her) has changed into a successful self employed woman here in the City of Portland from the beginnings in Eugene as a young Salad bar attendant at Sizzler so many years ago.  She runs a PR firm here in town and is sometimes associated with Stumptown Comics Fest here.  Well I may get into talks with her for next year as far as dealing with a release party of sorts for the "Dreams of Elysium" Graphic Novel when it is done.  Besides that I need a venue that can house the large panels of scratchboard I plan on using for the story.  Shannon may have a few ideas on that.

If anything it will be nice to reminisce with an old friend over coffee and play catch up.

MONSTERS AND DAMES SUBMISSION:

Well getting up this morning I received and email from Jim Demonakos of  Emerald City Comicon | Convention Director informing me that the submission that I had worked on and turned in on their regular scheduled submission for Monsters and Dames book for 2013 had been turned down.  At first I thought "Man, I busted my ass working on that peice but then I realized that this frees me up to sell the work and prints at the show which really for the show is a bonus because I would actually making money off the print than a free image walking around the show floor amongst 79 other artists.  This work has got to stand out from the rest of them.  Nothing against them but the work is strong and this piece is one my strongest yet.  This was email as it was sent to me....

"Hello!

I want to thank you for submitting a piece to the 2013 Monsters & Dames art book.

 Unfortunately, if you’re receiving this e-mail, your piece was not chosen by our committee to be included in the 2013 book.

 This year saw the highest number of submissions we have ever received, over 145 pieces were submitted for consideration. At 80 pages, that means almost one in two pieces won’t fit in.

 It’s my unenviable job to be the one to have to send out this letter, but I sincerely want to thank you for submitting and encourage you to once again submit for 2014, as the theme is always the same and we do it for a great cause.

 Happy Holidays and see you very soon for the 2013 show, it’s shaping up to be our biggest yet!

All my best,

Jim"

I am sure that this was a regular form email sent out to a lot of the other artists that were not selected for the book but at least now I know now what I can sell at the show.   Their loss.

And the Kid marches on!