Infertility isn't a four letter word, but damn, if it doesn't feel like one.

Our hiatus from the blog has lasted much longer than either of us anticipated.  I am back with a post that has nothing to do with either comics or music.  We are nearing the end of National Infertility Awareness Week founded by Resolve: The National Infertility Awareness Association.  

A few months ago, I received a diagnosis of infertility.  That diagnosis was probably a few months overdue, but I ignored what my body was trying to tell me because I didn't want the diagnosis that to me meant I was broken and defective.  I still feel that way some days, but I have found an amazingly supportive community online of women in the exact same situation.     Finding that community has enabled me to slowly come out to people about my own struggles with infertility.  

The current estimates are between 1 in 7 and 1 in 8 couples are dealing with infertility.  However many of those couples suffer in silence and, believe me when I tell you there is suffering.  Infertility has been one of the more painful things I've dealt with in my life.  We are still early in the process and don't yet have a clear answer as to what is causing the infertility.  I waiver between hope and despair each month as to modern medicine's ability to solve this issue.  

I don't share this brief bit of my story for pity or solutions, I share for others like me who have been enduring a painful silence to say that you're not alone and there is support out there, don't be afraid to look for it.

On that note, I'd like to share some links that I've found both helpful and comforting:

• Bitter Infertiles Podcast: the title is slightly misleading as the podcasts I have listened to have not felt bitter, but enlightening and educational.
• Redbook's The Truth About Trying: Redbook has put together a series of videos from women, men and couples discussing their struggles with infertility.  It's inspiring and will probably make you cry.  I know I did.  It also has a nice blog roll.
• There are also Facebook groups like Infertility Awareness and Infertility Awareness and Support Group started by women going through their own infertility and reaching out to support others.  

~Heather 

Upcoming Event: SPX 2012

SPX 2011

Outside of HeroesCon, my favorite type of comic shows are the small press shows.  I adore mini-comics.  Small press shows are a mecca of mini-comics.  The Small Press Expo (SPX) is two glorious days of mini-comics and other wondrous indie comic finds. 

It's a big year for SPX with a rather impressive list of special guests: Daniel Clowes, Chris Ware (one of Seth's favorites), Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, Adrian Tomine, and Francoise Mouly. 

There's a big list of exhibitors this year (they sold out all of their table space!).  While I can't include everyone here I would like to highlight some of our favorite people, especially the North Carolina creators heading up this year. 

Some Favorites:

Animal Alphabet Mini Comic Cover by Ben Towle

• Lamar Abrams: In the aftermath of HeroesCon, it dawned on me that I totally missed seeing Lamar and his smile at this year's con, but never fear, SPX draws near so I can see what new fun he's bringing to the world of comics. 
• Adhouse Books: Chris Pitzer is sure to have an awesome collection of indie books.  We were lucky enough to pick up a copy of Jim Rugg's Notebook Drawings at HeroesCon and if you haven't flipped through this wondrous, pink spiral notebook yet, do yourself a favor and head over to Adhouse for this and more! 
• Alphabet Press: Back in 2011, a drawing challenge was issued by Rob Ullman and Ben Towle: each week following the letters of the alphabet, new animal drawings would be created and posted on tumblr.  The participation seemed to grow each week and when the end of the alphabet was reached with the animals, AlphaBeasts was born and then followed AlphaBooks which is currently ongoing.  This year at SPX, you'll find a table dedicated to these AlphaProjects with works including mini comics, postcards, flashcards, and prints from artists like Ben Towle, Rich Barrett, Sam Wolk, Issac Cates, and Rob Ullman. Some of the participating artists that are unable to attend SPX will be mailing Alphabet items in to the table organizers making this your one stop alphabet mini stop at SPX!
• Last Dollar Comics: At the last SPX, this was on my list for one comic: "Don't Mess with the Pink VooDoo Bunny", however instead of coming away with one comic, I walked away with the Total Package of all of his comics, plus a toy surprise.  It was awesome and I'm looking forward to visiting Last Dollar Comics again this year. 
• Alec Longstreth: I'm not sure it is possible or wise to discuss Alec without mentioning what might be the most well known beard in indie comics (maybe in all of comics).  Just do a google image search and you'll see what I mean (some people even keep time based on that beard!) [Update: I was informed via twitter that the beard is no more! A moment of silence for the beard.]
• Nobrow Press: If pretty European comics and art books are your thing be sure to stop by the Nobrow table and delight your eyes. 
• Chad Sell: Admittedly, I did not discover Chad through my normal comic channels, but rather Drag Queens.  One of the queens competing on the last season of RuPaul's Drag Race tweeted a portrait done by Chad and I knew I had to see more. I ordered both 30 Queens and Shadow Play and loved both books.  I cannot wait to come home with 40 Queens and maybe some prints for my Drag Race loving law partner and friend, Paula. 
• Ed Piskor: Ed might just be one of my favorite guys in comics.  He's super nice, interesting to talk to and has an extensive collection of Public Enemy attire.  Beyond that, he's just had his hacker web comic, Wizzywig published in a sweet hardcover.  Be sure to also check out Ed's Hip Hop Family Tree over on boingboing. 
• Jim Rugg: What is with these guys from Pittsburgh? Could they be any nicer? Not only is Jim talented on the page, but he shares the knowledge on his new podcast, Tell Me Something I Don't Know.  And as mentioned above, be sure to stop by the Adhouse table and pick up Jim's beautiful Notebook Drawings and marvel at what he does with a ballpoint pen. 
• Top Shelf Comics: Not only does Top Shelf have an excellent all ages comics section, but their graphic novels of late are nothing short of amazing.  If you haven't picked up Jeff Lemire's The Underwater Welder, be sure to stop by their table for a copy or two. 
• Ron Ullman: Do you like pretty ladies? (who doesn't?) You should stop by to pick up some pretty ladies of your very own from Rob (his are much less maintenance than real women).  Rumor has it that you may even be able to pick up some pretty lady art to wear, just in case you missed the super cute HeroesCon Indie Island shirt by Rob this year.  
• Joey Weiser: One of my favorite mini comic series has to be Mermin.  I love that adorable little sea creature on land.  If you haven't read Mermin yet, you're in luck as there are now five issues out for your reading pleasure. 

North Carolina:

Not only do all of these guys hail from North Carolina, but they all participated in the Alphabet drawing projects.  

AlphaBeast prints by Rich Barrett

• Rich Barrett: Based in Charlotte and member of the local sketch group, Sketch Charlotte, Rich is in the progress of publishing a graphic novel both page by page on the internet as well as in print.  Nathan Sorry is a twist on a 9/11 story in which the title character believed killed in the Towers is actually on the run with money and fake identity that he accidentally procured.  Rich plans to have both volumes one and two as well as Alphabet Press items.  This is his first time setting up at SPX. 
• Henry Eudy: Also planning his first time behind the table at SPX is another Sketch Charlotte member and one of the funniest and self-depreciating guys I know, Henry Eudy.  Henry will have a selection of minis, prints and original art.  
• Ben Towle: Ben is manning the Alphabet Press table, but he'll have some non-Alphabet related books with him (if not displayed on the table). Be sure to ask for Strikes, the Star Wars fan comic written by Ssalefish Comics' own Bret Parks and illustrated by Ben. 

I cannot wait to explore all the tables at SPX and fill my bag with mini comics wonders.  Be sure to check back here the week following SPX to see for yourself everything we picked up!  Seth and I will be there to check out the best indie comics around, and will have plenty of info and postcards about the Heroes Pop Swap, Charlotte Mini Con and HeroesCon '13.  If you see us make sure to say hello. 

Where:
Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center

5701 Marinelli Road.
North Bethesda, MD 20852

When:
Open to the public Saturday and Sunday, September 15 and 16, 2012.

Hours:
Saturday, September 15: 11:00 am - 7:00 pm
Sunday, September 16: noon - 6:00 pm

Admission:
One day memberships: $10.00
Weekend memberships: $15.00

Collected at the door the day of the show

Country Law Shack Intellectual Property Law: Sketch and Learn

Whether an artist or a writer, you know your work as a creator has value, but you may not be aware of how to protect your work legally.  You may not know what steps to take when you discover someone using your work without permission.  If you draw sketches or publish sketchbooks with licensed properties, you may be wondering if you are exposed to legal action for something you drew with innocent intentions. 

You can learn the answers to the above questions and more on August 23, 2012 at very first Country Law Shack Intellectual Property Law: Sketch and Learn during Sketch Charlotte's regular Thursday night meeting.  Paula Yost, United States Patent and Trademark Attorney, will be giving a free presentation on how to protect yourself, your art, and your talent. You will learn information you would normally have to pay for in a legal consultation and be able to ask questions in an open forum.  In addition, the Country Law Shack will be offering group discount rates for all IP work for qualified group members. 

If you are unable to attend this presentation and would like to have one for your own creators' group, please contact our office to set this up.  We will travel within reason to meet with your group. 

 

Feel free to send advance questions to paula@countrylawshack.com

You may also contact us by calling the Country Law Shack at 704-436-2214 or by emailing Heather at heather@countrylawshack.com

Sketch Charlotte meets on Thursday nights in various locations in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The August 23 meeting will take place at Showmars located at 2004 East 7th Street, Charlotte, NC 28204 across the street from Heroes Aren't Hard to Find.  The meeting will start at 6:30pm and end at approximately 9:00 pm.  Both Paula and Heather will be available for questions following the presentation. 

Comics Review: Chew

Art by Rob Guillory

Let me begin this review by saying, "Terence Hoskins, you were right.  I should have been reading Chew way before now.  You are a genius among men and your comic advice is not to be ignored."

Flipping through Previews a few months ago, I stumbled upon a cover of a comics I knew I must own, Chew: Secret Agent Poyo.  There was a wonderous rooster with metal parts.  Perhaps some of you are unaware of my love of giant metal chickens which started with this blog post. (This one shot just came out and reading it made me furiously happy.) How was I *NOT* reading a comic featuring a homicidal cybernetic rooster?!? This was a situation that needed to be remedied and fast!

Thankfully, Seth works at an excellent comic shop and loves to make me happy by bringing me glorious comics and Chew: Volume One was in my hands before I could fret too much over missing out on Secret Agent Poyo for so many months.  (Can I side-note for a moment on how much I love trades? Don't get me wrong, I love my single issues, but as far as being able to read through 4-6 issues with no ads in a sitting, trades are sheer comics pleasure.)

On its face, the premise of Chew isn't one I would typically select for myself.  It's rather gory when you contemplate special agents of the FDA that solve crimes (i.e. icky murders with yucky dead bodies) by biting the evidence.  That's right, they bite into those aforementioned dead bodies, chew them to pick up what looks like psychic visions or memories from that rotting flesh.  Grossed out yet? Here's the thing that makes Chew work for me: rather than super realistic way too detailed close of art of horror/crime books, these books have a lovely cartoon style to them.  Biting into some dead guy's arm looks funny rather than vomit inducing.

Chew also brings an interesting state of affairs in that after a particularly bad bout of bird flu, chicken consumption is now illegal in the U.S.  This explains why as mentioned above the FDA is now investigating things like murder.  There's a booming and dangerous trade in outlawed chicken.  You might be thinking, "Outlawed chicken?!? How interesting can that be?" Well, like anything enjoyed widely by the public, demand causes a black market to spring up.  Chicken is the new heroin and the dealers take their business very seriously.  There's also an undercurrent of a government conspiracy leading to the ban of chicken.

Chew assembles a fun and interesting cast of characters from Tony Chu, our lead character and Special Agent of the FDA due to his cibopathic abilities to his partner, John Colby, who becomes cybernetic after being critically injured during a stakeout to Special Agent Mason Savoy, another cibopath gifted with a fabulous mustache as well as Tony's brother, Chef Chow, who rebels against the chicken ban and his love interest, Amelia Mintz, a food critic.

All around, this is a fun read despite of the perhaps disturbing nature of the story.  I have now read the five volumes of trades that have been released to date and am eagerly awaiting the release of the sixth!  Chew is written and lettered by John Layman and drawn and colored by Rob Guillory.     


Bonus Review: Chew: Secret Agent Poyo is one of my favorite one-shots ever. "Poyo is just really, really bad ass." Writer, John Layman, took the words right out of my mouth.  This one shot focuses on Poyo's journey from fighting chicken to special agent.  It's wondrous and you should go by it now. 

Kickstarter Plea: Go back the Heroes Doc (please!!!)

I have a somewhat selfish plea for all of you: go back the Heroes Doc on kickstarter.  As of the writing of this post, the project is not fully funded and it deserves to be.  Am I coming from a bit of a biased stance in encouraging you to spend your money on supporting this documentary? Perhaps, but that doesn't make it any less worthy of your hard earned dollars. 

Some of you might be wondering why this would be a biased plea and I am happy to disclose my connections to the documentary.  Many of you know that Seth works for Heroes Aren't Hard to Find and I've been volunteering at HeroesCon since 2008 working myself up from volunteer to convention staff.  The wonderful guys behind the documentary have not only filmed interviews with both Seth and me, but our wedding reception in the Heroes store as well.  Of course, I am hoping to see those interviews and a joyous occasion in our lives captured in this documentary, even if only at a glimpse.  

However, I would be remiss not to tell you about all the hard work and long hours this crew has put in capturing, well, all the hard work and long hours the staff and family at Heroes puts into the running of both the store and the con.  Jere and Randy, two of the guys I know the best, actually managed to beat Seth and me to Heroes events (and we're generally the earliest ones there).  There have been lots of early mornings and late nights involved just in the filming of the Heroes Doc.  I can only imagine the time that will be put into editing all the great footage they've captured in what is sure to be a wonderful end product.  

You might be wondering what these guys have been recording since August 2011.  The answer would be a lot.  Not only did they cover special events like the Pop Swap, the annual December sale, the Mini-Con and Free Comic Book Day, but they captured the true behind the scenes work that gets comics from Diamond to your reserve bag every Wednesday.  There's a lot of work to make sure those copies of Wolverine and the X-Men, Wonder Woman, and the Walking Dead end up in the right bags as well as the shelves each week.  I've only assisted in the pull and re-order sorts and I got my fair share of paper cuts and chipped nails making sure comics get in their correct places.

Of course, the documentary captures all the work behind HeroesCon from all the prep the staff does to the actual convention itself.  There were somewhere between five to seven cameras capturing all the action of the 30th Anniversary of the show.  They were recording confessionals with attendees, guests and staff throughout the weekend.  I really want to see those cosplayer interviews I caught glimpses of from the Info Booth!!

Most importantly, the Heroes Doc captures the best part of Heroes Aren't Hard to Find: the family element.  I'm not talking about the biological connection between Shelton and his two kids, Shelley and Winslow, who both work at the store, but rather the feeling of a family you choose amongst the staff as well as the creators and fans that flock to HeroesCon each year.  HeroesCon is like a family reunion with all the relatives you like the most (ok, maybe with a drunk uncle or two thrown in, but hey, we can always use more humor in our lives).  I felt that connection more than ever last year, following the unexpected loss of my mother a week before the con.  No matter which direction I turned, someone was waiting with a hug, a kind word, something to eat or just a familiar smile.  Like any wonderful family, Heroes takes care of its own.

With that, I ask you sweetly, to make your way over to kickstarter and help the hard working guys behind the Heroes Doc fund this project that is so very close to our hearts here on the Exile blog.    

Further On Up the Road

Seth moderates the BPRD Panel at HeroesCon (l-r: Seth, Mike Mignola, Jason Latour, Paul Azaceta, James Harren)

I should start by publicly acknowledging my wife for picking up the bulk of Exile writing for the past few months.  As many of you know, I stepped away for a bit to help wrangle the behemoth that was HeroesCon's 30th Anniversary.  Since many of the con's highlights from her wrap up post were ones I shared, I won't talk too much about my own experiences from the con.  It's always humbling to help people further their comics experience, and always an amazing thing to talk, often about normal, day-to-day things with creators whose work I respect so much.  Conversations with experienced creators are always something that help build my confidence in my own work.  It's like studying at the feet of more learned people.  After recovering from this year's con, I'm excited to be back working on my own ideas again.

So what does that exactly entail?  One thing I've learned from my past experiences in music is not to show all my cards too early.  I feel comfortable in saying that at this point, I do have some other creative projects that I'm actively working on.  'Active' is the key word here because, often, past projects rarely got beyond the thinking or planning stage.  Learning about the craft of comics writing has been a challenging and rewarding experience.  Understanding that there are fundamental differences between comics writing and songwriting or journalism is an obvious but necessary lesson.  It's still probably premature to talk specifics about exactly what stories I'm working on, but those will come to light when it's time to talk about them.  

In the meantime, I'm going to continue to figure out ways of how to use things like poetry in a visual form.  It's also important that I continue to minimize the amount of unnecessary dialogue and verbal description.  This is, after all a visual medium, and far too many writers forget that.  Things like that seem silly and obvious, but look around the comic shelves and you'll see plenty of examples of excessive writing.  I'm learning that the best thing a writer can do when contributing to a comics story is to present an open enough idea that will be enjoyable for an artist to illustrate, then offer up ideas for different options of how to approach it.  This is, I suppose, a supplementary effort.  I don't ever want an artist to feel like I'm dictating every motion and pose on a page.  At best, it's some kind of collaborative result where writer and artist both feel like they're contributing to something bigger than the individual parts.

     

     There are a few different comic stories being worked on at the moment, I can at least say that.  I'm also still happily writing for the Heroes Blog, though some of my specific roles there will be changing a little bit in months to come.  It's all for the better, and all out of an effort to maintain enthusiasm for this medium I love so much.  My writing for Exile should be picking back up again, too.  I've started several little articles on music and comics, and hope to post once every week or so over the summer.  As for music, that boat may have finally sailed...or maybe it's more apropos to suggest I've lowered the anchor.  Both a lingering injury to my left hand and a recurring bout with tendonitis in my right wrist have limited any kind of productive work on the music front.  I'm slowly coming to terms with this, though I don't think I'll ever completely get music out of my system.  Maybe I'll get back around to it at some point.  Until then, there are other stories to tell. 

Heather's HeroesCon 2012 Wrap Up Report

Wow, another HeroesCon in the books and what a giant entry in the books the 30th Anniversary Show is.  I decided the easiest way to break down everything was a mirror of My Top 10 Things to Do with my list of favorite things from this year's show.  

1. Matthew, the Make-A-Wish Child:  HeroesCon was honored this year with the presence of a very special guest.  His name is Matthew and while he's not a name most of us would recognize, this little boy was the highlight of the weekend.  Matthew is 5 years old and has a terminal illness.  His wish was to meet Spider-Man.  I hope Matthew had as much fun meeting Spider-Man as we all had meeting him. 

Matthew and his family aren't the only families out there that need a wish granted.  Be sure to check out the Make-A-Wish Foundation page for all the sweet stories and ways you can help kids like Matthew make their wishes come true.

2. Friday Night's Drink and Draw:  With the second year behind us, I think we can now label this an annual event.  Thanks to everyone's art contributions, we exceeded the amount of money we raised last year for Team Cul de Sac.  Seth and I came away with some great art, including coasters by Evan Dorkin, Roger Langridge, Amy Mebberson, and James Silvani as well as a sketch portrait of Richard Thompson by first time attendee, Nick Galifianakis. 

3. Saturday Night's Art Auction: Speaking of great art, man, was the Art Auction full of it this year.  Seth and I opted to go paddle-less this year and just enjoy the auction without our competitive natures (ok, mostly my competitive nature) running away with us.  This also meant I had one had free for a beverage and the other for my camera.  The camera came in handy when Stan Lee surprised us with a visit.  After a greeting to the enthusiastic audience, Stan signed a beautiful piece by Phil Noto, then stepped back to enjoy the bidding process.     

4.  My Panels: Andy Mansell assigned me to two wonderful panels this year.  Last year would have been my first time moderating a panel, but I was too overwhelmed to take part.  I think that worked out for the best as my first panel was comprised of some of the nicest people in comics: Roger Landridge, Amy Mebberson, James Silvani, and Ramon Perez.  Not only were they so very easy to moderate, but each of them signed and sketched a Muppet on the panel sign that was outside my panel room.  I cannot thank Andy enough for the opportunity to moderate as well as making sure I got that sign.  My second panel with Skottie Young was also great.  Skottie is a joy to talk to and the audience had a lot of excellent questions for him. 

5.  Little John's Jack Daniels Chocolate Chip Cookies: Back around Christmas, Little John tweeted about making Jack Daniels Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I was so intrigued, that I wanted the recipe.  Unfortunately, this is a secret family recipe so I was not able to make these cookies myself.  However, while I was working at the Small Press Check-In on Thursday, John presented me with a dozen of these cookies for my very own.  Not only did these cookies make a wonderful snack for everyone working in Registration, but they also made a wonderful breakfast on Friday morning.  I hope these cookies become a HeroesCon tradition. 

6.  Small Press Check-In: Boy, does HeroesCon have a great group of creators setting up in Small Press each year.  I enjoyed meeting so many of them as they checked in on Thursday.  Everyone was nice and excited about participating and I was excited to hear how many of them were setting up for the first time this year.  It's great to see everything that bring with them from zombie kitchen wares to adorable stuffed characters to mini-comics and prints. 

7.  HeroesCon Volunteers: Did you know that Heroes Aren't Hard to Find has less than a dozen staff members? They all do a very impressive job, not only day-to-day, but also harnessing a con that exploded to over 25,000 attendees this year.  They couldn't do this without the tireless efforts of the volunteers that come from all walks of life to help out.  From line capping to greeting attendees to wrangling creators for their panels, no job is too big or too small for these ever capable volunteers to tackle.  Y'all are amazing!

8.  Awesome t-shirts: We had some great shirts this year, so great that we sold out of more sizes this year than we have since I started working at the Info Booth in 2008.  Both Jaime Hernandez and Rob Ullman gave us some great ladies to wear on the Con shirt featuring Love and Rocket's Maggie and Hope and the Indie Island shirt featuring a cute red head surrounded by super indie comics (including Love and Rockets!).  We also featured a uber-comfy Heroes Aren't Hard to Find tee and a Fun Run tee with art by Eric Cante (which did sell out completely). 

9.  Indie Island: Oh, Indie Island, what little free time I did have on the con floor was spent with you.  Oh, how I love your mini-comics, beautiful prints, and friendly and talented creators.  My favorite pick up of the con has to be the Retro Circus tote bag from Stephanie Buscema.  I started using it the Friday I bought it and it now makes my trips to the post office so much more fun.  If you missed this most useful and cute item, never fear!, it's available for purchase here. 

10.  Appreciation of the Earlier Generations of Creators: I love when our comic elders appear at the con and get the reception they deserve.  While I missed Irwin Hasen to the point of tears this year, it was nice to see the fans turn out for Walt and Louise Simonson, Nick Cardy and oh yes, Stan Lee.  I hope we'll all continue to appreciate these great creators.   

Bonus Pick: Pinky's tacos at the "Dead Dog" Party.  Pinky's set up a taco bar this year and it was so very delicious.  I partook of both the fish and tofu and loaded those suckers up with cheese and veggies.  I could have eaten a dozen of those and passed out happy.  (Well, I probably would have passed out from sheer exhaustion at that point anyway.) 

What to see more? Be sure to check out my flickr HeroesCon Collection for Days Zero-Three of HeroesCon as well as the evening events.