The San Diego Challenge!

[Greg Hatcher]

Every year, the San Diego Comic-Con publishes a big program book full of fan and professional art, organized around five or six different themes of that year's programming. This year's themes and guidelines are now up here, (http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_progbk.shtml) and the deadline for submissions is April 1st.

Also every year, I do a drawing for this book; I usually pick the theme I can think of a joke for. This year I went with the Titans' 25th anniversary -- hopefully a jpeg is attached below. And finally, every year I issue a challenge to the rest of the CBR artists to give it a shot as well. You don't get any money but you do get your work in print in front of virtually every single person in comics. Plus it's fun. And -- this is new -- even if you're not going, you now get a comp copy of the book, too, apparently; I got one mailed to me with a nice thank-you note about a month after I got home last year.

So far, every year, CBR snubs me on this, but I always post it anyway.

[ScottDMSimmons]

Hi Greg,

I haven't had a chance to put anything together yet for this year, but I plan on doing so. I will probably go with Martian Manhunter, Krypto, or Titans. If I don't do Titans, it's only because I've already done many drawings of Gar.

I was published in the 2003 edition (the one with the Alex Ross cover). I missed the 2004 deadline, however, yet I still finished the piece for my portfolio.

2003:

http://www.scottdmsimmons.com/Vertigo-SS.jpg

2004:

http://www.scottdmsimmons.com/HBvsPop.jpg

Scott

[Greg Hatcher]

Scott, those totally rock, especially the Hellboy/Popeye one. I can't wait to see what this year's is... I was toying with a Manhunter/Krypto thing too but I couldn't think of a good gag.

[Greg Hatcher]

Well, a couple of my middle-school students are giving it a shot -- Melanie did a funny one for Johnny the Homicidal Maniac that I mailed off this morning, and Marisa is working on a Titans pic. I'll put some scans up when I get a shot at a decent scanner... they are really cute. Even Melanie's homicidal one.

[dougiemccoy]

OH MAN!!!! the deadline is next month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! crap i need finsh something for this and quick....i made it last year with one of my Usagi Yojimbo pics...hopefully this weekend......wish me luck

[Greg Hatcher]

Here's Melanie's, for the Jhonen Vasquez theme.

[Greg Hatcher]

And here is Marisa's Raven that she SLAVED over -- really, you never saw a twelve-year-old kid obsess so.

[Greg Hatcher]

As long as Scott put up his older ones I guess I will too. (Mostly I am enjoying fiddling with this scanner and teaching myself how to use it; our regular computer guy is gone today so I am playing with his toys.)

First up -- the Vertigo anniversary pinup I did for 2003.

[Greg Hatcher]

Here is another student pic, from a girl named Brianna Edwards, that was published in the 2003 book as well. Bri's fifteen and in high school now and very seriously pursuing some kind of arts career -- we keep in touch, she always comes and helps us work the table at Emerald City Con. This is not her best work but it pleased me that she made it into the book, and I had all the CBR artists that were there that year autograph it for her. One of these years we'll figure out a way to get her to San Diego with us as well.

[Greg Hatcher]

And here is my pic that I did for LAST year's book, combining both the Godzilla anniversary and the Supernatural Law one.

[Brandon Hanvey]

Your kids always impress me, Greg. I was no where near as good when I was their age.

[Greg Hatcher]

Your kids always impress me, Greg. I was no where near as good when I was their age.

Melanie is a FACTORY. I think she's published something like 200 pages in our class 'zine the last couple of years (about eight times as many as required in the class) and she's really getting to be very good. I just wish she'd work a little harder on her lettering.

But yeah, for twelve-and-a-half she is really something. Here are some pages from her latest opus -- this is just a sample excerpt, I think it ran about fifteen pages in all and it's serialized, she's probably doing another fifteen next month.

[Brandon Hanvey]

Melanie is a FACTORY. I think she's published something like 200 pages in our class 'zine the last couple of years (about eight times as many as required in the class) and she's really getting to be very good. I just wish she'd work a little harder on her lettering.

At least they are hand lettering. I cheat with my computer and fonts.

[DarkBlade]

Perhaps the married DarkBlade will prove to be more organized, and actually MAKE the deadling for once...

Doing a Troia/Wondergirl drawing. :) I hope.

[MacQuarrie]

The Comic-Con site says the deadline is now April 15, but I'm going to pretend it's the first. Otherwise I'll blow it again.