Guy Davis @ Motor City Comicon May 18-20

[Guy Davis]

Hi gang,
Sorry I almost forgot but this weekend is the big 3-day Motor City Comicon in Novi, Michigan. You can find more info about the show at their site~

http://www.chicagocomicfest.com/motor_city_comic_con/index.html

I'll be there all 3 days with some art for sale and also a few peeks to upcoming BPRD on display in the portfolio. If any of the Hellboarders are coming to the show, please stop by the table to say Hi! Hope to see you there.
~ cheers!
Guy

[SpydaWeb]

How about Guy Davis at Dragon*Con? :p

[Guy Davis]

Hi Spydaweb,
Never been to that show, but any convention where Scott Allie gets a Conan throne to lord behind can't be bad! ;) I'm going to try to hit more conventions next year, but with BPRD going monthly~ Motorcity will pretty much be the only show for me this year.

[Neil Hill]

I'm going to try to hit more conventions next year.

Now that....is GREAT news! Hopefully a West Coast Con or two, Guy? I'm sure you'll post your convention appearances as they occur, but I for one hope that you make it out West. :)

[morna]

Yo Guy! See you in a few days. Gary and I are leaving on our odyssey to the far and mystic east tomorrow. Woo hoo!


getting very excited!

[Mike Cross]

Good luck Guy (and David )with the show, and good luck Morna and Gary on your trip!

[Kelly Tindall]

The level of my jealousy is absolutely poisonous.

Have a good time, everyone, and to those of you who get to meet and hang out with Guy... Green eyes, over here.

[morna]

Good luck Guy (and David )with the show, and good luck Morna and Gary on your trip!

riiiiiight, I have to get a MG TPB for you too don't I!

better not forget. This will be my reminder! : )

[Maija]

I am also envious, though I can't be too much, since I got to have the experience last year (although without Morna and Gary). Maybe next year I will repeat it (or there's always the fall show, I suppose).

Eat an extra Big Boy waffle for me, Morna & Gary. ;)





Do you realize it's been almost a year since you were here for our Rocky Mountain adventure? Whoa.

[morna]

I am also envious, though I can't be too much, since I got to have the experience last year (although without Morna and Gary). Maybe next year I will repeat it (or there's always the fall show, I suppose).

Eat an extra Big Boy waffle for me, Morna & Gary. ;)
We will be thinking of you the whole time darlin' ... and we will eat many many big fat waffles in your honour... and drink many scotches and thick black beers and frosty Gin and sodas and toast to our absent friends every one!




Do you realize it's been almost a year since you were here for our Rocky Mountain adventure? Whoa.

wow really? I guess so! Hopefully we can make a brief driving trip out in the late summer. See what beautiful endangered specimens we can mow down.

in other news did I mention what I'm getting? I might've mentioned it once or twice

the coloured version that we've seen before
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/marquismidwifehumano.jpg
the inked artwork as I will get it
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/guymarquiscoverinks.jpg

and this little gem too...

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/Usagi_Fever_Dreamwithhanko.jpg


lucky (broke) me!!

[Guy Davis]

Thanks Mike, Kelly and Neil~
Not sure about any plans for next year yet, but I'll be sure to post when it gets near that time. Sorry you couldn't come this year Maija, hope you make it back to the show next time~ I won't even bug you about that Courtesan sculpt till then ;)

See you soon Morna and Gary~I have your artwork packed up and ready to go.

I'll be bringing a handful of original artwork for sale to Universal Machine and the first 2 issues of Garden of Souls. If anyone attending is interested in a certain page, feel free to email me at my website and I'll be happy to bring it along.
www.guydavisartworks.com

[morna]

ugh whose idea was it to be up at this ungodly hour!


anyway off we go

see you soon Guy!

[Swift]

im pumped for the con. my schedule doesnt permit me to get out to novi until sunday afternoon, so im sure everything is going to be picked over, but at least im not missing it completely. i hope youll still have some good art left guy.

[Mike Cross]

Ok, Monday..any con reports out there? Are Petersen and Davis putting together a team up book?

[Gary_B]

I guess I will do a little MCCC report on this thread since it is started. Morna and I arrived in Detroit after a long day of travelling on Thursday evening and have had a wonderful time visiting with David (Petersen) and helping him at his table at the Con. He has a great community of friends and had his table to with two other great artists. His Mouse Guard hardcover came out last week and there was a lot of interest from the fans. It was fun to watch him, Jeremy and Nate do sketches for fans over the course of the weekend.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/IMG_2564.jpg

The con is actually in Novi which is northwest of Detroit.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/IMG_2572.jpg

Shortly after we set up on Friday David was interviewed by a couple of guys who were preparing for a podcast.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/IMG_2599.jpg

It was great to see kids enjoying the con. David drew a great sketch of a mouse fishing for this little guy and he really loved it.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/IMG_2580.jpg

Morna and I soon went looking for Guy Davis and Stan Sakai. We found Stan first and while we were talking to him Guy came up and gave him a really cool Usagi/War of the Worlds drawing. Guy is a very easy person to talk with and I felt very comfortable chatting with him off and on throughout the whole weekend. I will post more images soon.

[Mike Cross]

Wow, Gary, are those pics from before the con opened? The aisles look empty! I always like seeing David's table setups, and the hardcover sure does look cool. Awesome to hear that Guy and David are real down to earth fellows ( though we always knew that ) and David's interviews are always a real treat.

[Gary_B]

Wow, Gary, are those pics from before the con opened? The aisles look empty! I always like seeing David's table setups, and the hardcover sure does look cool. Awesome to hear that Guy and David are real down to earth fellows ( though we always knew that ) and David's interviews are always a real treat.

The con is much smaller than SDCC but there were still plenty of people. These pictures were taken early on Friday morning and just before closing. Saturday was quite packed and Sunday was nice and manageable.

[Gary_B]

During one of my visits with Guy and his wife Rosemary we got talking about pets and I learned that they have a rabbit named Hazel (a male named after one of the Watership Down rabbits). The next day I asked guy to do a sketch for Morna and I and when he asked what we would like him to draw I requested one of those cool Victorian Cyborg guys that are appearing in BPRD: Garden of Souls and I asked that it be feeding Hazel. The sketch exceeded what I had imagined and as a wonderful bonus the rabbit was drawn by Rosey. Guy joked that he needed her help because his rabbit would have been too ugly.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/guymccc07.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/IMG_2645.jpg

Thanks Guy and Rosey!

[Mike Cross]

Like everyone else, they look like a lot of fun. Great piece of art there as well!

[Hellbaby]

Who's Guy Davis? I don't know a lot of people!

[Petersen]

I had a great time at the MCCC. Having Morna and Gary here to share in the fun has been great!

Stan Sakai an I met in San Diego and agreed to exchange pin-ups. Since then he and I have been e-mailing and it was great to see him again in person.

Sergio and I met through Stan at this show. He is a wonderful storyteller, and on a full range of topics. I could have sit and listened to his insights all night. And he passed along a bit of advice about being a writer/artist that I know I will think of the rest of my career.

I'm also an odd fan of voice actors. And there are few currently working that are on par with Billy West. His panel was amazing! It was like a stand-up routine, audio biography, tutorial to voice acting, and studio vocal session.
I was thrilled to shake his hand back at his table and get a photo with him (my first fan-photo-with-star)

http://www.davidpetersen.net/misc/stanmeserg.jpg

http://www.davidpetersen.net/misc/meserg.jpg

http://www.davidpetersen.net/misc/billywestme.jpg

http://www.davidpetersen.net/misc/billywestsig.jpg

[Jake Capps]

.............................edit

[Gary_B]

Bandit, have you ever heard the term "tease"?

[Gary_B]

Morna and I have really been into Usagi Yojimbo comics lately and we were excited to have the opportunity to meet Stan Sakai at the con.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/IMG_2577.jpg

He was selling signed character drawings that are more elaborate than a con sketch but are not pages from his comic. I bought this one of my favourite supporting character Gen.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/gen.jpg

On Sunday we asked him to do a sketch for us and he did this sweet drawing of young Usagi.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/youngusagimccc07pencilly.jpg

[Gary_B]

Morna and I went to Stan's talk on Saturday and he presented along side Sergio Aragones. It was a fun talk that was mostly taken up with questions for Sergio. I've been aware of his work for years but have never followed it. He is a fantastic speaker and one of those people who has done millions of things in life.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/IMG_2605.jpg

We asked him to do a sketch for us after having a long talk about the struggles of supporting yourself through art making.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/IMG_2624.jpg

He was very touched when I gave him a little glass paperweight that I had made and did this drawing for us.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/sergiomcc07.jpg

[Maija]

Great reports, guys! Those sketches are beautiful. I especially like Guy and Rose's collaboration on the cyborg and the bunny.

I looks like you had a wonderful time. I wish I could have been there too!

[Jake Capps]

Very cool stuff...those are some great sketches.

[Gary_B]

Great reports, guys! Those sketches are beautiful. I especially like Guy and Rose's collaboration on the cyborg and the bunny.

I looks like you had a wonderful time. I wish I could have been there too!

We really should go together one year. It may be smaller than SDCC but I had as much fun as I did in San Diego.

[Kelly Tindall]

My envy of you folks is almost as great as my joy for you!

[Tad]

I feel all maudlin and teary-eyed. Such love. Such art.

This shows the joy of smaller cons...where you actually get to spend time with people and chat. San Diego is such a zoo.

Tad

[morna]

Totally agree Tad. I loved this experience.

I swear that MCCC was more fun than SDCC! It was because of the people. Stan and Sergio, Guy Davis and Rosey, Jeremy Bastian, David Petersen and their goofy and talented buddy Nate Pride. What a great bunch. It was nice for Gary and I to be immersed in another branch of the art world. We had a great chat with Sergio about art and making a living by your artistic endeavors - and the challenges thereof. Man! The guy has so much exuberence - just like his art. Same with Stan. But different Stan has a calm centeredness and grace that is so well expressed in his work. The quality of line the economy of means that I've admired so much in artists like Matisse. Expressive mark making is a big deal to me in my own work and I really think an artist's character is reflected in their line. It was a great pleasure to get to know these characters. For me it's part of the reward of comics to have experiences like this from time to time and connect with fellow artists.

Is it too off topic to post the rest of my loot? it's mostly Stan art

[jnapper]

Is it too off topic to post the rest of my loot? it's mostly Stan art

Post! Post!

[morna]

I have become really smitten with Usagi Yojimbo and Stan's work so I had to buy a piece. I saw this on the Usagi Dojo and immediately PM'd Stan about availability because I'd fallen completely in love with it. Long story short - there were two people ahead of me who had expressed interest but in the end I lucked out. I picked it up as early Friday as I could. It's my favorite of all the covers Stan has done for Usagi


http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/uy101cover-colour.jpg

it wasn't 'till I got back to David's booth that I spotted this sweet little addition on the back:
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/uy101backwhole.jpg

I'm turning 50 in a minute and these next two were part of my birthday present from my awesome hubby. I love Usagi when he's pissed off and roughed up so this one was pretty much perfect.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/usagi.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/sasuki.jpg

This is a character called Sasuke - a sorcerer fox guy. I love the glowyness and the ethereal quality and the simplicity and the opposing spirals - beautiful!

[morna]

This one I bought for myself - I just couldn't walk away from it. The most popular villian in Usagi - Jei

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/jei.jpg

[Otto66]

Well, looks like everyone had some fun and scored
some nifty art. Thanks for sharing, Gary and Morna.

Oh, and David? Billy West use to do voices on "The
Howard Stern Show" that Sirius sometimes replays
on Friday mornings.

Darn shame. One of the more accessible Cons, right
in my own backyard, and I'm up in PQ. Rats!

[Mike Cross]

Those Sakai drawing are excellently awesome..great pickups you guys!

[Gary_B]

Sorry the picture quality sucks but here is a picture of the Hellboy that was walking around the con. Petersen's comment was "I didn't know that Hellboy had a twelve pack!"

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/IMG_2628.jpg

[jnapper]

Sorry the picture quality sucks but here is a picture of the Hellboy that was walking around the con. Petersen's comment was "I didn't know that Hellboy had a twelve pack!"

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/IMG_2628.jpg

Very cool :)

(Thanks for pic.)

[Mike Cross]

Also, pretty tiny Right hand o' doom..more like a Right Hand of Inadequacy, but good try.

[Kelly Tindall]

He makes up for it with MEGA HOOVES©!

[Neil Hill]

Yeah, I remember that guy dressed as HB from the local Cactus Con here in PHX in March. He really does get around!

Glad everyone had fun, and thanks for posting the stories and great pictures!

[Sparky]

Sergio Aragones is indeed a fascinating speaker and just an all-around sweetie pie. That glassblowing pic he did is so cool, Gary!

You guys are going to have to call your house the Stan Sakai Art Museum from now on.

[Hellbaby]

I have become really smitten with Usagi Yojimbo and Stan's work so I had to buy a piece. I saw this on the Usagi Dojo and immediately PM'd Stan about availability because I'd fallen completely in love with it. Long story short - there were two people ahead of me who had expressed interest but in the end I lucked out. I picked it up as early Friday as I could. It's my favorite of all the covers Stan has done for Usagi


http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/uy101cover-colour.jpg

I have that issue! My first Usagi Issue outside of collections!

[Jawa]

I'm all shades of jealous. I love that Cyborg in the garden sketch!

[gdeo]

Great stuff Morna...you get the best art pieces:D

[Kelly Tindall]

Did you guys n' girls hear about the jerk that tried to flip one of Stan's sketches on eBay? He actually scribbled out the dedication.

Now Stan and Sergio are saying that they're done with free sketches! Thanks for wrecking things, jerk!

Reminds me of the old saying. "You put a teaspoon of wine in a barrel of sewage, you still have a barrel of sewage. But if you put a teaspoon of sewage in a barrel of wine, you still get a barrel of sewage."

[Jake Capps]

That can't be true. People sell con sketches all the time on ebay. Why would this time be any different, and anger them so much. And who talked to them personally and uncovered this revelation?

[Petersen]

It's well documented that Stan has been taking measures to try to keep free sketches off ebay. (take alook at the usagi forum on www.usagiyojimbo.com although you have to register first)

He does them for fans and makes no profit on them. He has three criteria for them 1) must be on your paper, 2)no requests, 3) they must be personalized including the location it was sketched.

To sit for a con for 3 days and find that your cramped hand was doing free sketches for 'fans' and find those on ebay is frustrating...to find someone has defaced the sketch to obliterate the personalization (and make no mention of that in the listing) is offensive.

Stan and Sergio both had deadlines to meet at the MCCC. They worked on their books once they got back to their hotel rooms. For them do be doing free sketches for fans is generous. To have someone else make money on their good will is enough to make them want to stop.

[Maija]

That can't be true. People sell con sketches all the time on ebay. Why would this time be any different, and anger them so much. And who talked to them personally and uncovered this revelation?
More info here (http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/05/22/stop-ripping-off-stan-sakai-you-dolts/).

This time it's different because someone went the extra step of altering the sketch to hide the personalization.

It also just happened to a Jim Lee sketch (http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/05/23/more-altered-ebay-art/).

[Jake Capps]

More info here (http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/05/22/stop-ripping-off-stan-sakai-you-dolts/).

This time it's different because someone went the extra step of altering the sketch to hide the personalization.

It also just happened to a Jim Lee sketch (http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/05/23/more-altered-ebay-art/).

IMHO: Lying (misrepresentation) on ebay is wrong. Selling a sketch that you own (obtained by legal means) on ebay is not.

Edit: I also just looked at that Jim Lee link. Thats pretty funny. I mean it looks just like one of Lee's sketches. So many times while watching him sketch have I noticed his new method. Right before he finishes a sketch he rubs sharpie all over it for not reason at all.

[Maija]

Altering an artist's work is certainly misrepresentation. What I deleted from my original post was a note about the legal issue of "moral rights" that exists in most Commonwealth countries. I don't know if it exists in the U.S.

This case is a classic example (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_v._The_Eaton_Centre_Ltd.).

EDIT of my previous edit: apparently it DOES exist in the U.S. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_Artists_Rights_Act), but only for visual works. So what this guy has done is illegal.

[Jake Capps]

That can't be true. People sell con sketches all the time on ebay. Why would this time be any different, and anger them so much. And who talked to them personally and uncovered this revelation?

Also Kelly I was wrong & you were right. Thanks for letting us (me) who didn't know what was going on.

[morna]

http://usagiyojimbo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2951&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

http://usagiyojimbo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3027

we've had a lot of discussion on this topic over at the usagi dojo. I think it's unscrupulous to sell free sketches and unbelieveably reprehensible to alter an artist's work in order to sell it.

[Petersen]

I commisioned Nate Pride ( www.natepride.com )to do a "sketch" for me at the Motor City con. I told him to pick an alien race from Star Wars and make them a Jedi. He knocked this one outta the park!

although the wind was taken out of his sails to learn I had painted a Ithorian Jedi and that there was one featured in the Clone Wars Cartoon

[Hellbaby]

I commisioned Nate Pride to do a "sketch" for me at the Motor City con. I told him to pick an alien race from Star Wars and make them a Jedi. He knocked this one outta the park!

although the wind was taken out of his sails to learn I had painted a Ithorian Jedi and that there was one featured in the Clone Wars Cartoon

I like it!

[Jake Capps]

Very cool. They had them make this really cool sound that shook everything around them. Also I wonder why there are no Jawa Jedi?

[Mike Cross]

David, great idea..Hammerhead was always one of my toughest action figure..he used to take on Vader by himself..

[Otto66]

...and if ya want ta read what Brent Frankenhoff from CBG
wrote about the con, klick the link.
http://www.cbgxtra.com/default.aspx?tabid=42&view=topic&forumid=16&postid=27828

[Jawa]

Very cool. They had them make this really cool sound that shook everything around them. Also I wonder why there are no Jawa Jedi?

There are Jawa plumbers. Isn't that good enough? :)

[usagigoya]

Just a quick note to say that my nephew Nick and I had a real pleasure getting to meet both Guy Davis and David Petersen at the MCCC and that we both really appreciated the autographs and the sketches that they did for us.

I wish I could have managed a larger budget for spending while at the convention, because I definitely wanted to buy at least one of the Marquis trades from Guy while we were there.

A small sampling of sketches (mainly Nick's) we got at the MCCC:
http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/2707/mcccsketches4ja5.jpg
A sketch by Guy for Nick
http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/7564/mcccsketches3jf2.jpg
A sketch by David for Nick
http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/1620/mcccsketches11xf2.jpg
A sketch of Shi from Billy Tucci, aquired just before the convention ended

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/5543/usagismily2xo1.gif

[Kelly Tindall]

Ohhhhh, envy envy envy.

[Neil Hill]

That David Petersen sketch is flippin' fantastic! Man, I can't wait to see ya David at SDCC, as I'll definitely be hittin' you up for a nice MouseGuard rendition in my sketchbook. :D