33 posts tagged “comics”
A few months ago I presented at a comic conference in Second Life. Check out the article and mention here:
http://www.comicbookbin.com/SecondLife004.html
"Anthony Fontana discussed the challenges of using Second Life to market comics, an activity which Fontana has pioneered and which is still very much in its infancy."
Sick on 24 Hour Comic Book Day 
I recently could not participate in a 24 hour comic book day held by the Bowling Green Comics and Cartooning Club on November 10th, 2007. Here's the deal...
On a recent flight from Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio I drew this short comic (60 minutes) on a barf bag I found in the pouch of the seat in front of me. After I finished, I left it in the pouch for another passenger to enjoy.
Jasyin and I would like to thank everyone who supported us... not just by buying our stuff but with all the kind words of encouragement. We'd also like to thank all the artists and writers in artist alley we met who were very welcoming to us n00bs. Keep an eye out on my blog here as a video will be forthcoming.
Highlights of the weekend were:
- Changing my sales strategy from 'sit back and relax' to screaming "LOOK AT MY BOOK" to any passerby. The first person I tried it on bought the book.
- Seeing so many con-goers in costume.
- Hanging with the Chicago famous DJ C.Y.NOT - who I gave a shirt to
- Trading my book for some really great work by artists and writers that have been around a lot longer than I.
- Barking at my isle
- Getting our booth interviewed on TV... twice.
As far as being behind the table at a convention, I learned a lot. Here are a quick few notes of what I saw and would like to bring next time:
- an easle for artwork, tshirts, poster, etc...
- table banner/ color tablecloth
- book displays
- original art from the book
- sketches, sketchbooks, art of other characters (not my own)
- a preview edition of my book (like the one that can be found at www.anthonyfontana.com) for cheap or free
- schwag - free posters, postcard, minis, CDs, etc...
I haven't read Watchmen in about 15 years. The last time I ready it I was definitely too young: I didn't get it, I struggled through it, I thought it boring. Picking it back up I realize the patience it does take to read this work. It's much like a 1000 piece puzzle where you have to sort a lot of pieces before you can start putting them together. I also remember thinking how the cold war angle seemed a bit dated. The so-called war on terror makes it every bit as meaningful now.
Akira 2... I have no idea what to expect. I am more fascinated by the classic manga style of Katsuhiro Otomo than the story, I think. A well sized book at 301 pages, seem like it will go quick as the many pages have under 5 word balloons and minimal detail in traditional black, white, and benday dot graytones. I recently was introduced to Manga Studio and I would love to see examples from it compared to Otomo.
The Salmon of Doubt: I picked up Douglas Adam's last book after hearing Intellagirl mention his insights in this book into virtual environments (like Second Life), avatars, and future communication. It will be the last of these three I get too. The rest of my summer reading consists of research papers, SLED emails, and a few longer texts I may not make it through including works by Edward Hall, Yochai Benkler, and Alvin Toffler.
I also saw Spidey 3 on Friday. I paid for my $10 dollar tickets, spent at least that much at the concession stand, laughed at scenes nobody else laughed, and laughed harder when the group of 10 year old boys in front of me told their friend to "stop clapping" when it was over. Even they knew how bad it was. Going to see it made me feel as American as American gets... just like Spidey in front of the American flag.
(As a public service announcement: The above three books cost $0 as I got them from my friendly neighborhood hero, the library. This library provides free books, music, and movies. It is where I will be borrowing future box office hits such as "Pirates 3", "Transformers", and "Harry Potter 8" as I have spent all my movie money for the summer on Spidey 3. Support your library, donate a book, CD, or DVD today!)
Chris Ware's animated segment from the Showtime series: This American Life.
Check out my 24 hour comic MY MUSE(L/INGS) over at my comicSpace page. This book was completed last Saturday (2/17/07) as part of the Bowling Green Comic and Cartooning Club's first bi-annual 24 hour comic book day. 11 of the participants finished with 24 complete pages! This was my first ever 24-Hour comic.
This comic explores my fears of having all female offspring 5 days after finding out the sex of my 2nd child. Relies heavily on the history of art and violence.
If I find the time I'd love to add value to this work and release it as a print on demand version. Keep an eye out.
On Sunday at 2 and 3pm, on the NMC Campus in Second Life, I hosted several chats on the topic of "Site-Specific Comics."
Site-specific comics are comics designed to exist IN a certain place. The artist may take that place into account while composing the piece and the comic may therefore in some way affect that place or space. Think airplane emergency instructions. Or the comic hung in a classroom that tells you how to perform the Heimlich manuever.
For NMConnect, the largest symposium of artists in Second Life to date, I created a site-specific comic entitled "Hello n00b", inspired by my 2005 digital image "I'm still a n00b." In this comic, seen in the previous post here on the blog, the big yellow entity named "n00b" begins to emerge from the 2D image into the virtual 3D world of Second Life. I, in my virtual avatar, come face to face with an entity of my imagination and realize... this is just the begining.
We are just beginning to understand the potential of the comics medium for communication of information and how it will add to the history of art. We are also at the dawn of virtual worlds and digital social networking. The possibility that these two mediums may cross again and create even more exciting artforms in digital storytelling is extremely high.
One of the outcomes of the chat was an idea for a HUD, or heads up display (a window of sorts seen in your Second Life client), made up of screenshot comics that is an easy and helpful tutorial for Second Life. Perhaps this is something that is automatically attached or 'worn' at first birth into the game or something that can be picked up at the welcome center. Either way it would be an easy and understandable way to learn the basics of the virtual environment without having to sit through a video. Afterall, comics are read at your own pace rather than determined by creator, as in a video.
I have also been toying with the idea of uploading THE DOGS into Second Life once I publish. A copy would cost around $5 US dollars, the same it would be for a downloadable version, about $1000 Linden dollars. It would also work as a HUD where each page was clicked to turn. I'm still in the planning stages, but I'd be very happy to hear from any Second Lifer who has either purchased, published, or would be interested in a graphic novel in world.
