Appreciation Week, Part 2!

Welcome back to my Week of Appreciation!  This week, I'm saying thanks to the people and places that have made this summer a great one for Amazing Arizona Comics.  Today: Comickaze Comic Books and More in San Diego!  

Tens of thousands of pop culture enthusiasts flock to San Diego every July for the big comic con, and this year I was no exception -- except, I wasn't headed to the heart of the action in the historic Gaslamp District.  Comickaze Comic Books just a few miles away was hosting a remote artists' alley at the same time.  The opportunity both to be in town yet be away from the claustrophobia of the con really appealed to me, so my incredibly talented buddy Dave and I hit the road for sunny San Diego that fateful weekend!

Fun Fact: Dave drew the cover for Amazing Arizona Comics #28, featuring Speed Cameron and Santa Claus fighting zombies on the light rail! Find his work at The Vasic -- it's the best brushwork you'll see in comics this side of Paul Pope.

Comickaze is nestled in a Naval barracks-turned-shopping complex called Liberty Station, and the grounds are very cool.  I didn't realize we'd be so close to the San Diego Comic Art Museum.  I've read so much about that place, especially since TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman seems to help curate.  I spent an awestruck hour in there, marveling at the Kirby and Dave Stevens originals in the gallery, and chuckling at the familiarity of Eastman's messy studio (pictured below).  For a comic book lover, it was a quiet, spiritual experience, in contrast to the hustle and bustle of the con crowd.

Not that they didn't come in due time. WildStorm Productions hosted a signing at the museum that night, and fans eager to see Jim Lee and company started lining up early. Dave had a chance to meet some of his idols in the industry, so it was a great taste of comic con culture all around.

Comickaze is a cool shop, lined with an extensive selection of graphic novels -- and their kids' corner is very cool.  That day, they were wisely playing YouTube clips of Marvel's TL;DR on a TV monitor; I had never heard of that series, but what a fun way to tease and promote books in a comic shop. Thank you, Comickaze, for a great day in San Diego!

Shout-outs to my friends the Berreths for letting us crash at their place, and to Ruben and Jessica for hanging out.  See you again soon!

Next: 9!

Friend of Amazing Arizona Comics: Brent Otey

In the hopes of updating my blog more regularly, I'll be talking about other people's stuff for the next few weeks -- the friends of Amazing Arizona Comics.

Brent Otey is the oldest friend of Amazing Arizona Comics.  He and I self-published comics as K.O. Comix at the turn of the century, and he drew a story I wrote called Little Christmas that acts as the precursor and outline for Santa's current adventures with the Arizonauts.  That's why Brent had to be the first of my guest cover artists this year, and he set the bar way too high.

Amazing Arizona Comics #19, available with #20 & #21 in the Buy the Comics tab above!

It's a ghost town of a blog, but you can see the old K.O. Comix stuff online.  Good luck with that.

Brent took me to my first comic con -- the San Diego Comic Con, where, in 2000, we walked right up to the ticket booth on a Saturday morning and bought passes to get in.  The good ol' days!  Since then, we've exhibited at, oh, probably a dozen shows together, from San Diego, to the Alternative Press Expo, Tucson Comic Con, and recently the Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con.

K.O. Comix at the Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con.

Simply put, Brent is one of the smartest, funniest, kindest guys I know -- and his masterful ability to draw just about anything oozes all of those traits and more.  Do yourself a favor: visit his website, follow him on Instagram, and buy his opus, the graphic novel 10, immediately.  Even if he and I weren't friends, which would make me a poorer man, I'd be a fan -- so you should be, too!