Just to sum up

Since I took a road trip and drove to the SDCC (NY to CA), I haven't been able to get the previous shows uploaded. Also, you may not have received my message about the show's topics. On the 17th of July, we talked about the Hellboy movie and my co-host Brian Ferrera insisted that we touch upon my book and the SDCC. The following week (live at the SDCC) I phoned in and just talked about My new book "The Chosen Few" that premiered there (I'll post the link where to buy it soon). Tonight (July 31, 2008 ) LIVE on "The Comic Book Novice" radio program Brian and I will be talking more about the SDCC.

If you were there, call in and share your stories.

Not in New York? Not a problem, we have live audio streaming online at www.am1240wgbb.com

9pm Eastern Standard Time

Missed a show? Archives @ www.thecomicbooknovice.com

Now in our second consecutive year!

2 hours

That is the amount of time that I am going to have to sit in the hotel lobby tonight. "Why is that?" you might ask. well, (as I would reply) seems that the Hero Envy guys (which I am sharing a room with) are dead to the world (deep asleep) and the guys who are helping me out are at a club about 90 miles away, which translates to 2 hours waiting.

So in these two hours, I will tell you about my little trip. As many of you know I left from New York right after seeing "Dark Knight" (which was...looks like, my calls to the room got thru. talk more when I get the chance!


EDIT: The story continues.

I am back home now (partially recovered) so let me finish what I was going to say back then (afterwards we go back to our bi-weekly post schedule). "Dark Knight" (which was pretty good). The movie was a little long in the tooth, but over all a good movie. Even me who was not a fan of the first one, (nor of this whole re-boot) can appreciate a well crafted movie. So I left about 2am (if my memory serves me correctly) and headed out on my 11 hour trip to Ohio. not a bad run, no traffic and with Janet (my GPS) along for the ride, it was a breeze getting there. I actually took my time in the drive (stopping at a mall and a few diners) because I was expected on Saturday morning as opposed to Friday evening. Even with all my stops and laxed driving (which set the pace for the entire trip) I got there at 9pm Friday night. Saw my niece and stayed at her dorm. Hanged out the next day with her and her BF, then headed out at 4pm Saturday (which gave me 74 hours to do a 30 hour trip). Keeping with driving only 10 miles above the speed limit and stopping for rests and food. I got to my hotel a whole day early (give or take a few hours). Had I known I was going to get there so early, I would have stopped by the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas (or one of the many casinos I saw along the way). Gas wasn't so bad except for New Mexico where it was $4.50/gal. And there were no tolls except for Oklahoma which had 2 $3.50 ones. I saw Desert (now that's a first), Cacti (another first in nature, I've seen them in stores) and a giant sign for "Howe (photo of a Native American) cars (or maybe it was motors)". When I say "photo of a Native American" that's what was on the sign between the "E" of Howe and the "C" (or "M") of cars (or motors). I thought "Wow that's funny!" (in a non-pc way). But I think they were serious. The only traffic I encountered was in Phoenix AZ and that only took up an hour or so of my trip.
So Monday I was a the hotel and got my room. Not a bad little place. I was hoping to share a room with my co-host Brian, but he wanted "alone time" with his wife (and former co-host) Jess. So A single room for me!
Tuesday I decided to keep the car an extra day, and picked up my friends (one on Wednesday). Then chaos happened. The con was crazy! I think it is too big for it's own good.
Six days later I was on a flight home. We'll talk about the con on this week's show.

just a few mintes

I'm in the hotel lobby right now and I just want to mention (before the cab arrives) that I will be doing a live show from the San Diego con talking about my book which has arrived!

And I'm here!

Made it a whole day early. It wasn't so bad ('cept the sunburn part). But I think that if I ever do it again, more stops and taking in the lay of the land. Now that I have a feel of time/distance I can make adjustments.

A few things to keep in mind for a trip like this: Sleeping bag (just in case you get too tired on the road and there is no motel/hotels near by). Sunblock (for your "drivers' arm"). Cheap styrofoam cooler lined with a plastic bag (for drinks and ice). These were things that I learned along the way.

First stop

Hey! I made it to Ohio. So far I got a nice sunburn on my left arm. The last time I had sunburn (in my adult life) was about 7 years ago when I shaved my head bald and I forgot to wear my hat in the sunduring a parade. The drive wasn't so bad but my phone stopped working so the complete loss of communication was interesting. I managed to stop by my niece's school Central State University in Ohio. I am going to hang out for a while. Then another 30+ hours of driving from here to California.

July 17th show

In a few minutes, we here at "The Comic Book Novice" radio show will be talking about the new Hellboy movie!

9pm est live audio streaming at www.am1240wgbb.com

archives at www.thecomicbooknovice.com

I'm off to see the wizard

Yep, I'm leaving tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to find Internet access across the country so I can post where I am and where I will be at. But first, I have to do my show and then see a Dark Knight Screening. Wish me luck!

Tickets? Tickets?

A few things I wanted to say before heading out after the show. What a week I had. I got pulled over twice and got two tickets one for forgetting my insurance at home and the other for having a busted head light. Then, my car's rack and pinion broke (good thing I'm taking a rental) and I have been running around doing last minute things. Such as making sure that we have plenty of stuff to hand out at the con and (fingers crossed) getting that book there!

A nice thing that I discovered was a GPS. Now for those of you who don't know, that is a little device that you plug into your car and it uses satellite technology to tell you where on the globe you are (hence Global Positioning Satellite. It talks (named her Janet) and I can program directions and routes. the best of all is that when I miss a turn., it gives me an alternate route so that I can get back on track. Tested it out a few times (which was on reason I got pulled over in the first place) and it is about 98% accurate as routes go.

To comic or not to comic

I had two conversations with my publisher and it is still up in the air that my book will be printed by the san Diego con. Fingers crossed.

last year

I was talking with one of the guys that are going with me to the SDCC and the conversation came to the plans I had for this con a year ago. I had planned for a table, my 110 page graphic novel to be ready for sale, a bus tour from NY to Cali, and I had a completely different staff on the radio show.

I did plan to drive there and fly back, but beyond that, everything is completely different. I still am going, driving by myself (but flying back), I may or may not have a book ready in time, I have a small space on someone else's table, who just happens to be my new co-host Brian Ferrera from Terminal Press.

As I get closer (and more anxious) I wonder if I should go. I mean I am going, but should I go? I guess as long as I get some sponsors, it will be worth it.

2,900

Yep that is the approximate amount of miles I am going to be driving later this week. It's funny, the car rental is actually cheaper than a plane ticket (and my fear of flying makes it even more so) but the gas is going to kill me. I am flying back tho. That is because my need to get home as soon as possible trumps my fear of flying. All this is based on experience.

A few years ago I had an emergency and I had to drive 12 hours straight to Kentucky. Even tho I stayed there for a week, there was no way I could drive back home. Just wasn't happening...

So drive there, fly back.

It's real now

While I was waiting for the publisher to get back to me about the status of the book (printing wise), I took it upon myself to go to staples and print me out a "demo" copy. Nothing spectacular, just copies of all the pages in regular paper (8 1/2 x 11). That way I can see how it would look in a book format. Not too shabby. I showed it to a couple of people and a few of them said "Wow, now it looks real.". I have to say that yes, it does look like it is actually going to happen. after 10 years (or so) my book will get to be published. Even if I don't have the book for SDCC, which I will be super upset, It will get printed (along with the other four issues). So now this con which was supposed to be all about the book, is not starting to look like the other cons where it is all about the show. Not sure how I feel about that yet.

July 10th show

Tonight (July 10, 2008 ) LIVE on "The Comic Book Novice" radio program Join me, Mark Torres, our very own Movie Mike and Terminal Press' Brian Ferrera as we discuss the movie Hancock.

This will be a free flowing conversation so spoilers may be mentioned.

Have you seen the movie? What are your thoughts? Give us a call.

Not in New York? Not a problem, we have live audio streaming online at www.am1240wgbb.com

9pm Eastern Standard Time

Missed a show? Archives @ www.thecomicbooknovice.com

Now in our second consecutive year!

Check please!

OK, I just made my checklist and got my hotel info all straightened out.

Seems that I am going to be in two different hotels in the 6 days I'm going to be there. The good guys from Hero Envy are splitting a room with us from wed-sun morning. The "Sandwich days" (Tuesday and Sunday nights) are at another hotel equidistant from the convention center, just in the exact opposite direction.

So hotel: check
Car: check
Flight back home: check
book: ?

Have not heard from the publisher that they received my book.....

And they're off!

Yep, the pages have been sent to the publisher. Now it's all up to him...well, him and the post office/mail delivery service... well, him, the post office/mail delivery service and the printer...well, him, the post office/mail delivery service, the printer, and the hotel....

Let's just say that there are many more steps to be had before I hold a printed copy in my hand in California.

Every period counts.

So I was sending the pages to the publisher and I noticed one of the pages was missing a period in one of the balloons "Holy Crap" I thought and I went to check all the other pages There were quite a few that were missing things things that I missed the first time around (then again I did just glaze over it to make sure it matched up what I had done previously) So I went back and went over each and every page with a fine tooth comb so that the finished product would be as professional as possible It is alot of extra work for my (re)letterer to go back in and add a period here and there but it really makes a difference As you can see here I purposely left out all the periods (and a few commas) and you can see just how important a little dot can be

For those who want a side by side comparison:

So I was sending the pages to the publisher, and I noticed one of the pages was missing a period in one of the balloons. "Holy Crap!" I thought and I went to check all the other pages. There were quite a few that were missing things. Things, that I missed the first time around (then again, I did just glaze over it to make sure it matched up what I had done previously). So, I went back and went over each and every page with a fine tooth comb so that the finished product would be as professional as possible. It is alot of extra work for my (re)letterer to go back in and add a period here and there, but it really makes a difference. As you can see here I purposely left out all the periods (and a few commas) and you can see just how important a little dot can be.

First time for everything

With the pages finished, I decided to add the cover for the second issue to the book. I called in a favor from artist Jamie Fay (you can see his work here http://windriderx23.deviantart.com/ and at Drumfish Productions).

There was some mis-communication between he and I and he send me a finished piece without a preliminary sketch first! Well, as it usually happens, I wanted a few changes and Jamie would have to re-draw everything to accommodate me. That's not fair to him since it was a favor to me, so I did it myself. I have to say, I have no idea how anyone can "draw" using a computer and a mouse. It's freaking hard and oh-so time consuming. Using Photoshop, I added/erased a line here and there and it took me about 2 hours to do (and that was without a break). More power to all of you who do it....

At long last!

Finally, I got the last two pages to my book. My (re)letterer is working on it right now. We might just make it to the SDCC after all! If I was computer savvy in any way shape or form, I'd post a few pages here...

I say (re)letterer because I actually lettered the whole book using the Comic Book Creator program. It is right up my alley, however the format isnt really compatable with any other program and when I "publish" the book (meaning that I save it and place it in a file). So I had my former webmaster go back in and letter the book again. As an added bonus, he even improved on it a bit making things fit better, So I am happy.

Tickets please

So now that the car situation is taken care of, let's talk about the tickets. As most of you (should) know, the SDCC is not going to be selling ANY tickets on site. Meaning unless you buy them before, you are not getting in. As of right now, the web site says that they are all sold out.

I had planned to go to the SDCC since last year, and I sent in my application so I could get a table. It took them forever and I got turned down. Once I knew this bit of information, I immediatly bought 3 4 day passes (one for each of my "assistants" and one for myself. It was suggested that I try for a Press Pass. They are free, and they work just as well (if not better) than the 4 day passes. So I did. Just got my request under the deadline and now I had 6 passes! Refund time! Once again (with two of them anyway) I got in just under the wire and got my money back for them. However one person didn't get the info back to the SDCC guys in time so he decided to try and sell his pass on e-bay (which is legal). He got a couple of hundred for the pass where I only got my $75.00 back!

With my luck however, I bet that it wouldn't have worked out that way for me.

July 3 2008 show

Tonight (July 3rd 2008 ) LIVE on "The Comic Book Novice" radio program join Mark Torres and Brian Ferrara (Terminal Press) as they talk about the business end of comics.

want to share your thoughts? Feel free to call in! 1-631-888-8811

Not in New York? Not a problem, we have live audio streaming online at www.am1240wgbb.com

9pm Eastern Standard Time

Missed a show? Archives @ www.thecomicbooknovice.com

Now in our second consecutive year!

2 cars, one guy

So I did go and see that Hancock screening after all. While there I met up with and talked to one of the 2 other guys who are going to go to the SDCC with me. We had to work out the problem of getting my car back to a place where I can pick it up that's near the airport so I can drive home when I get back. See, I am driving cross-country and flying back. So I am going to rent a car to go. I had three places to choose from to get the car rental. 1) the place closest to where I live, 2) somewhere near the airport (which happens to be where a few of my friends live, or 3) near the radio station. Turns out the radio station was cheapest and most convenient. That makes the plan, go to the station, get new car and drive out to Cali. I needed my friend to go to the station and get my car. the problem is that he couldn't find another driver. But that's all worked out now. It's a good thing that I have many friends...

Arrested Development

Every time I write a blog, I try to be witty with my titles. Sometimes it works, sometimes, not so much. and then there are times when I just give up and put up a straight forward title.

Today (now follow me with this) I was thinking about my countdown. A song popped into my head. "The Final Countdown" by Europe. This song was played whenever Gob performed his magic act in the show Arrested Development. So there you go.

Today I am just organizing myself. Getting all the information in one place. If I'm up for it I might go to a free screening of Hancock. The thing is that it would be cheaper (because of gas and tolls) to just pay for the movie. Still no word from my publisher, which is bad. But he tells me that he has a special in with his printer which would give us a turnaround in a week.

Speaking of my publisher, he also happens to be inking the two pages that I need to finish the story. Turns out that he had a lawnmowing accident and sliced his had by sticking it into the blades....

Day one (30, 16 or 22 to go, depends on what you are counting)

So here we are in July. I just got home from my "day job" and I figured since there is no better way to document it (for me anyways). I decided to post each day till I leave for SDCC, when the SDCC starts and my SDCC wrap up show. Since they all are tied together, I figure why not do all three. So yes, you will be getting updates each day this month. Some will be bigger than others.

As of right now, I have two hotels that I am staying at, I have my flight to come back, I have my car rental reserved for the drive out there, and I have my press passes for the con.

Still waiting on two pages from my publisher so they can be lettered and then sent back to the publisher so he can have them for SDCC.