Free Comic Book Day: See Me at Red Fox Comics and Clem’s

by on April 14, 2015 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, News

 [dc]O[/dc]ne of my favorite days of the year is nearly here: Free Comic Book Day. Comic book shops around the country offer up free comics to everyone on Free Comic Book Day. It’s a fun day to celebrate comics, make new fans, and lure back old ones.¹

I’m splitting Free Comic Book Day between two Lansing comic shops: Clem’s Comics & Games (8:00 AM to 10:30 AM), and Red Fox Comics (12:00 PM to 4:00 PM).

fcbd logo

FCBD logo.

When is Free Comic Book Day?

Free Comic Book Day is always the first Saturday in May each year. This year, Free Comic Book Day is Saturday, May 2, 2015. Check your local comic book shops to see if they are planning events (not every shop participates in Free Comic Book Day).

What is Free Comic Book Day?

As the name implies, Free Comic Book Day is a day where comic shops give out free comics. This doesn’t mean every comic in the shop is free. Nope. The free comics are specifically for Free Comic Book Day. What I like about the Free Comic Book Day comics is they are one-shot issues and often combine more than one story.

Free Comic Book Day is a great way to sample new comics or to introduce people to comics who might not normally read them.

Free Comic Book Day 8:00 AM to 10:30 AM – Clem’s Comics & Games

I’m back to Clem’s Comics & Games once again for their annual Free Comic Book Day event. Clem’s is located in downtown Lansing on Washington Square (216 S. Washington Sq., Suite B, Lansing, MI, 48933) and always draws a big crowd. I’ll be one of a few artists in attendance throughout the day. Plan on arriving early if you want to make sure to get your pick of all the free comics.


Free Comic Book Day 12:00 PM to 4:00 – Red Fox Comics

The second leg of my Free Comic Book Day 2015 tour is at Red Fox Comics on Lansing’s West side. Red Fox Comics is (723 Brookside Dr., Lansing, MI, 48917) next to Outback Steakhouse. Bring me a rib eye and I’ll give you something. I’m only slightly joking (I do love rib eyes). Doors open at 12:00 PM and the event goes until 4:00 PM.

This will be Red Fox Comics’ first ever Free Comic Book Day event, so please come by and visit.

What I’m Selling on Free Comic Book Day

My offerings will be pretty much what I had for sale at the MSU Comics Forum in February (mini-comics, prints, watercolor cartoons, random commissions), but with one new item: a coloring book.

Here’s an early version of one of the drawings.

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Big Robot On Campus: My College Comic Strip

by on April 7, 2015 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, News

[dc]A[/dc]s I did a bit of Spring Cleaning the other weekend, I found a couple of issues of my alma tomater‘s underground newspaper. Inside the issues were two strips of my college era comic strip, Big Robot On Campus.

big robot on campus

It’s something all right. Via my Instagram.

A Long Time Ago

I drew these around 2002-2003, and can’t remember the last time I even looked at them. The strip, such as it was, starred a cast of goofy robots in college. Yes, a college newspaper comic strip about characters in college.

It’s a cliché, sure, but it helps to know one’s audience—and being at a loss for other ideas at the time, I decided Why Not. I’m sure both readers enjoyed my lampooning college life over the course of two, maybe three, comic strips.

Name Game

In the first comic strip, our hero Broc (get it? Big Robot on Campus? Broc?) moves to his (well, its I guess) dorm: Arnold J. Rimmer Hall.

Yes. A Red Dwarf reference. Ground breaking material in the early 2000s, I’m sure. I remember fighting (well, talking several times) with the editor of the underground paper about the name ‘Arnold J. Rimmer Hall.’ There were concerns ‘Rimmer’ was a sex joke, but I said it was merely a reference to a cult British sci-fi comedy show and blah blah blah fine get out of my office.¹

Assemble Your Crew

The second strip, without dishing out boring details only two people will care about, drew inspiration from my friends, roommates, and general college shenanigans. We meet Broc’s supporting cast: Steve (with a look inspired by the Skutters on Red Dwarf), Cid (Ho ho! A Final Fantasy reference?!), and Popa a pop vending machine bot who ‘rigged himself to dispense beer.’²

big robot on campus

Love that Iron Maiden font, bro. Via my Instagram.

You Can’t Do That in an Underground College Newspaper

I drew a third comic strip, but I’m at a loss if it ever saw print. I remember the editor took issue with my using a Mountain Dew logo for a joke (and referencing Pepsi Blue). Using the logo in such a way was not allowed the editor told me (we were a Pepsi campus).³

Here’s a scan of the original comic.

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Art Supply Review: ArtBin Storage Box

by on March 31, 2015 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, News, Reviews

[dc]I[/dc] love buying art supplies: pens, pencils, markers, even brushes. The problem is, where do I store them all? When I’m home, it isn’t too much of an issue, but if I’m on the go, especially at an appearance, I need my art supplies portable.

Time to Upgrade

For years, I used a beat up pencil pouch I bought for a couple of dollars at an office supply store. It worked, but it wasn’t the best as I bought more pens and pencils. I almost always needed to dump out the pencil pouch’s entire contents to find one item.

I decided to upgrade. I bought an ArtBin storage box.

artbin storage box

My ArtBin storage box or case, whatever you wanna call it. Photo by me.

Everything In Its Place

Not only did I have a better storage solution, but I could keep my various pens, pencils, and brushes separated and organized. No more wasted time searching for a certain sized Micron pen or even my kneaded eraser in the black void of the pencil pouch.

The ArtBin’s translucent casing allows me to see where the items are, and the three separate storage areas let me keep everything organized.

Portable

Getting one of the larger tackle box looking ArtBins tempted me for a minute, but I wanted something I could easily toss into my backpack. After last year’s convention season, I knew what art supplies I usually needed at shows, so I didn’t need an ArtBin to hold everything—just the essentials.

I’m happy with the ArtBin size I bought, which measures about 12.5” x 4.9” x 1.8.” It’s large enough to hold the art supplies I need, but small enough it can easily fit in my backpack.

artbin storage case

My ArtBin storage case. Kitty sticker sold separately. Photo by me.

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Friday Six: The Sculptor; Pratchett; Sketching

by on March 27, 2015 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, Friday Six, News

[dc]S[/dc]ix things on my mind or worth mentioning. In no particular order, because I dislike Top (whatever) Lists as much as you. Hey, at least it ain’t a slideshow!

friday six clattertron

Five isn’t enough and seven is excessive.

[ ] Shape Up: I finished reading Scott McCloud’s The Sculptor (remember, I went to his signing here in Lansing). Wow. Great storytelling and very beautiful. Plenty of feels. I got weepy more than once.

sculptor comic

Image via Amazon.

[ ] Fillings: I read an article once about an artist/cartoonist who said he always tries to fill the pages of his sketchbooks. He’ll even draw over what’s already on the page in some cases.

Ever since I read the article, I have tried to do the same. His point was to not treat his sketches as precious darlings, but rather what they are: rough sketches and practice. It’s a good mindset, as it leaves you more open to experiment.

[ ] Digital Sketching: Speaking of sketchbooks, I keep digital versions on my Surface. I create a new blank document in Clip Studio Paint (aka Manga Studio) and just draw. When the page gets filled, I increase the canvas size (usually just the height) and keep drawing.

Doing this helped improve my drawing on the Surface, for sure.

[ ] Pratchett: With the passing of fantasy author Terry Pratchett, I realized the last time I read one of his Discworld novels was several years ago. Far too long. I’m reading Guards! Guards! now.

While I didn’t first read Pratchett until after I finished writing my fantasy humor novel, his work at least let me know there was an audience for such a thing—which was perhaps his biggest influence.

[ ] Behind the Scenes: A photo on my Instagram of thumbnails and the ‘script’ for this week’s comic.

A photo posted by Daniel J. Hogan (@clattertron) on

[ ] Live Alive: I went to a live figure drawing class on Wednesday night. I enjoyed myself, and I might go again soon–it certainly was a different vibe than the drink an’ draw crowd (way more serious).

It’s good practice, although I drew less of the model and more of my own characters using the model’s pose–which is good practice too.

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