[dc]T[/dc]he annual MSU Comics Forum is next month (Feb. 20th – 22nd). I’ll be appearing in Artist Alley (Feb. 22nd, 11AM to 5PM – Free admission!), and I cannot wait. However, as much as I am looking forward to Artist Alley, I’m even more excited about Stan Sakai’s keynote address on Friday, Feb. 21st (also free!)

I only got into Sakai’s long running Usagi Yojimbo comic series a little over a year ago, but it was love at first panel. Much to my added excitement, Sakai illustrated the poster for this year’s MSU Comics Forum—and it is gorgeous.

stan sakai msu comics forum poster

Poster by Stan Sakai. Image via the MSU Comics Forum site.

I got to see the posters up close over the weekend, as I helped stuff posters into tubes for mailing to comic shops and such around Michigan.

stan sakai msu comics forum

That’s a lot of posters. Photo by me.

Yeah, that’s about one thousand copies in the box. Thankfully, we did not have to mail out anywhere near that amount. The perk of knowing some of the minds behind the MSU Comics Forum, and being a part of the local comics scene, is I get asked to help. It is always a fun time when I get to hang with local comic pals Ryan Claytor, Jay Jacot, and Sherief Abouelseoud, even if we are working.

The highlight of stuffing all the posters was watching Ryan address poster tubes with his son, Owen, strapped to his chest. Dedication! Parenting!

ryan claytor

Ryan Claytor and son. Photo by me.

Ryan then schooled the three of us at pinball on his latest acquisition, Jubilee—with Owen still strapped to his chest, while playing one-handed. He rolled over the analogue scoreboard, getting somewhere around 140 thousand points. I think I maybe hit 20 thousand. Maybe.

Make it out to the MSU Comics Forum next month! Don’t forget, all the events have free admission–so there is no reason not to stop by Arist Alley and meet some great comic folks. I’ll be selling mini-comics and sketches in Artist Alley, so come say hi on Sat., Feb. 22nd 11AM to 5PM.

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Affiliate Plug: Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo Comics on Amazon