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7/27/05: Bilingual Archie
- The Archie newspaper strip now appears in both English and
Spanish on the Creators Syndicate site. The example below was written
by me and drawn by Fernando Ruiz, while regular artist Henry
Scarpelli was recovering from surgery.
7/12/05: San Diego - Off
to San Diego for the annual Comic-Con! I'll look for you there. If I can manage it,
I'll write some reports from there on the BLOG.
7/2/05: Jughead# 166
is a good issue to pick up. For one thing, the comic convention-themed lead
story was intended to be out just in time for the San Diego Comic-Con, Which
it is! I love it when a plan comes together...
The second point of interest is the appearance of three
guest stars who make a cameo appearance. They are Keith, Jim and Allen,
the stars of the independently published 3 Geeks comic book.
And, as three comic book geeks, where else would they be but at a big convention?
The 3 Geeks are the creation of my friend and, coincidentally,
inker of the Jughead comic, Rich Koslowski. If you scroll down this
page, you'll find several mentions of Rich and his creations; I love 'em.
Let Rich tell you how this guest appearance came about, from this letter
he sent to his own readers:
Yes, it's true! It had to happen! the 3 GEEKS are making an appearance
in issue #166 of JUGHEAD! Why? you may ask....because millions of fans
worldwide demanded it, dammit!!! (And because my good pal, Craig Boldman,
wrote them into a story.)
This is quite a treat for me since I've been working for Archie for
about ten years now. It also caught me completely off-guard when I received
the penciled pages this week. I was stunned when I saw the 3 GEEKS in the
story! Stunned and delighted! I couldn't believe it and wasn't sure that
what I was seeing was true. Then I thought that Craig and Rex snuck them
in for a quick panel and that would be that. Then I read on and they were
actually in the story, in character, and played a significant role! Again...STUNNED!!!
Couldn't believe it.
Then I remembered.....back about 4-5 months ago a little email from
Craig asking if I would mind his trying to get them into a JUGHEAD story.
I said, "Of course not! More power to you! You have my blessing!"
but I never thought that Archie would approve it, to be honest, and quickly
forgot about it (I only have so many braincells left and need to save memory).
But, apparently Archie gave the "go ahead" on it and I couldn't
be more delighted.
So be the first in line when that issue hits the stands! It is penciled
by the talented, Rex Lindsey and inked by yours truly.
word,
Rich K
|
|
 6/26/05: The Great
Graphic Novel Experiment - On June 29 I'll be doing a Q&A (by
speaker phone) with a class on graphic novels at Quad City Arts
in Rock Island, IL. 'Graphic Novels' is one of five paid
apprentice programs there. For five weeks approximately 70 area young adults
between the ages of 14 and 21 come together to serve as paid apprentices
under professional artists to create works of visual, performing and literary
art.
Thanks to Jim Allen for the invitation. To learn
more about the program and the Graphic Novels course description, follow
this link.
Maybe next year I can be there in person.
6/13/05: Dew Action Sports
Tour - I spent the past four days in Louisville, KY at the Kentucky
Fair & Expo Center drawing caricatures of attending skateboard,
motocross and BMX fans in the MAD Magazine booth of the 2005 Dew Action Sports Tour.
MAD was one of the sponsors, and thousands of Mad magazines were given
away, and hundreds of caricatures were drawn on specially prepared Mad
layout pages.
  
Here are a few snapshots. I'll put some more on later.
 
This kid got my personal vote for Alfred E. Neuman lookalike
of the weekend.
The plug was pulled on the whole event around 6:30 pm
on Sunday when a tornado blew through town. There were still a few people
in line waiting to get sketches, so we found a corner of the floor in Freedom
Hall, where we'd been herded for shelter, and I finished up. Then got out
of there, driving back to Cincinnati through sheets of rain.
Thanks to Kris Longo of Mad, Jeff Hurlock of Renegade Marketing Group, and Tad Barney
and Tammi Esposito of The Nose Caricature Co.
6/04/05: Tony's Tips: Tony
Isabella was kind enough to include the Jughead team in his
list of "100 Things I Love About Comics."
6/01/05: The Reubens: There
will eventually be a full report, with tons of photos, of this year's National
Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards Weekend in Scottsdale, Arizona on
my companion website The
GLyph, but for now, here's one quick shot of a few guys from the
Great Lakes Chapter of the NCS: Foreground, from the left: Chapter Secretary/Treasurer
Ed Black; cartoonist Jerry Dowling; myself; and cartoonist
Daryll Collins. Daryll is the newly-appointed Vice-Chair of the
chapter, and I've been named the new Chairperson.
The figure on the far left, in the background, is also
a Great Lakes chapter member: Jeff Stahler, editorial cartoonist
for the Columbus Dispatch. He also does the daily panel,
Moderately Confused.
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Since I started up the new blog, I've been having trouble deciding what counts
as news and what counts as blog fodder. Better read both, just to play it
safe.
6/4/05: Jughead# 165
includes a showdown between Jug's No. 1 pest, Trula Twyst, and Jinx
Molloy, who spreads bad luck wherever he goes. There's also a story
featuring Hot Dog called "Wonder Dog," and one featuring
Mr. Lodge. It's called "Tisk task." As usual, all stories
are written by me, pencilled by Rex Lindsey, and inked bt Rich Koslowski.
This issue got a nice write-up from noted comics critic
Johanna Draper Carlson, on her blog, Cognitive Dissonance. Read
it HERE. |
 |
4/27/05: Free Comic Book
Day - SATURDAY, MAY 7: I've been invited back to the fine comics shop
COMICS2CARS
in Florence, KY for Free Comic Book Day again this year. Stop in, get a
free comic book, meet me and some other comics creators, and media guests.
It'll be a fun time.
COMICS 2 CARS 166 Mt. Zion Road, Florence, KY 41042
|
4/3/05: Nickelodeon mag:
A specially-prepared Archie gag, written by me and drawn by my newspaper
strip collaborator, Henry Scarpelli, turns up in the April issue
of Nickelodeon Magazine, on sale now. It's part of a larger feature
in which the magazine asks a number of cartoonists to provide their own
take on the old joke, "Why did the chicken cross the road?" Thanks
to Nickelodeon crew Chris Duffy and Dave Roman for puting
it together |
 3/26/05: Three Barbecues: That's the name of the imminent direct-to-DVD
film in which I play a small but inconsequential role. A new trailer has been released to promote the movie's
upcoming release on Film Threat DVD. Sorry to say, the two seconds of film
in which I appear -- dressed in a skunk outfit -- were held back from the
trailer so as not to dilute their impact. However, you can see me in the
background in this photo from the Cincinnati Enquirer, holding the "YOU'RE
SO FRENCH" sign. The trailer has some language of the F-word variety.
 3/17/05: I've Got a Pulse: I'm interviewed on The Pulse, which is a section of www.comicon.com, on the subject of Jughead and Archie
Comics. Nice job by Jennifer "Hot Dog" Contino, who interviewed,
and by Alex "The Great Curve" Segura Jr., who brokered
the deal.
I've been getting behind on the site, mainly because of
continuing computer troubles and time spent on the other site, The GLyph, but I'll get caught up.
3/3/05: Archie #555
features a couple of stories written by me. "That Guy"
is pencilled by Stan Goldberg and inked by Bob Smith. It has
to do with a girl who thinks she recognizes Archie, and his efforts to convince
her she's mistaken. "Phone Fun" is by the same team. The
other stories in the issue, are "King For A Day," written
by Bill Golliher, and "Modern Marvelous," by writer
Mike Pellowski. |
 |
|
2/20/05: Jughead #163:
Hey look, it's got one of those Segway things on the cover. I want one of
them, don't you?
Jughead's been getting some nice mentions around the internet.
In her online Cognitive Dissonance column, Joanna Draper Carlson
had this to say about Jughead #162: "Boldman does a terrific job
illustrating key personality elements of the various cast members. He obviously
knows them well and knows how to show them to the reader skillfully."
(full review here)
Then, about #163, she says: "Rex
Lindsey and Rich Koslowski do a good
job with both slapstick and expressive character dialogue, but it's Boldman's
story that pulls it all together." (full review
here) |
 1/28/05: Dateline
@#$%!: It's always a happy surprise when you discover that someone
whose work you like likes your work too. I was recently in contact with
cartoonist Fred Hembeck,
and he responded by saying some very flattering things about me on his
website. Fred carved out a niche for himself in the world of comics by
doing his own thing and doing it with good humor. As far as I know, no
one was looking for the type of thing that Fred does so well, but he managed
to win over all the big publishers. His work has appeared in DC Comics,
Marvel, Archie, as well as long runs in The Comics Buyer's Guide.
As far as I can tell, his cartooning style is an original. I can't trace
it back to anyone in particular. Can't identify the influences on his drawing
style. Maybe he'll enlighten us. Fred's blog entry about me is here.
Scroll down to Fred's January 25 entry to see what he has to say.
 |
12/22/04: New Jug: Jughead
#162 has arrived, just in time for peope who need last minute stocking
stuffers. As per usual, I wrote all the stories, and the art team is Rex
Lindsey and Rich Koslowski. "That Tears It"
finds Jug attempting to explain a new vocabulary word to Moose. "Snow
Day" is a timely story about the proper way to smack your frends
in their faces with snowballs. The best stories this time around ended up
in the back half of the book. In "Wrist Watching," Jughead
becomes a fashion model of a very specialized nature. And, in "Battling
Butlers," he serves time as a butler to work off a debt to Reggie.
On sale at your finer comic book emporiums. |
 12/11/04: GRAPHIC TAILIPOE: Many thanks to editor Bill Love
spotlighting my web strip, TAILIPOE,
in the very first issue of an important new magazine, GRAPHIC NOVEL
SCENE. GNC is the guide to Trade Paperbacks, Manga and Original
Graphic Novels. Graphic novels are the fastest growing segment of the industry
and GRAPHIC NOVEL SCENE provides the info that comics readers want
to know!
GNC also pays special attention
to libraries, which are adding graphic novels to their Young Readers departments
at a prodigeous rate, but whose librarians can use help separating the
wheat from the chaff.
So what does Tailipoe have to do with graphic novels?
Maybe GNC knows more than I do? Hmm...
GRAPHIC NOVEL SCENE is available
at your local comics shop, or direct from the publisher, bluelinepro.com
12/01/04: I was in such a
turkey-eating stupor that I didn't have time to mention prior to the event
that I was making my customary post-Thanksgiving trip to Columbus, Ohio,
to attend Mid-Ohio
Con. I had a great time, and got to see many old friends and talented
comics creators. I'll mention a few off the top of my head: Tony Isabella,
Roger Stern, Tom Mandrake, Jan Duursema, Justin, Matt Feazell, Joanne Ellen
Mutch, Chris Staros, Max Ink, Dan Davis, Rodney Tirey, Kim DeMulder, Thom
Zahler -- It goes on and on.
The ever-jolly Joe Edkin recruited me for a panel
on Aiming At A Younger Audience, and then signed me up to participate
in a convention tradition, a TV game show knock-off they like to call "Comic
Book Squares." It was lotsa fun.
I had the chance to spend a nice dinner chatting with
Stan Goldberg, the number one artist at Archie Comics. Stan's
illustrated many of my stories, but we've never had much time to visit
with each other. It was a treat!
Thanks, as always, to Roger Price for putting together
a top-notch show.
11/3/04: ARCHIE INTERVIEW:
The other day I did something I haven't done in quite a while: Punched
my name into Google just to see what's out there. Among other things,
I found an interview I did ten years ago, conducted by a writer named Kelly Boyer Sagert.
The interview originally appeared in a magazine, but now it has new life
on the web. The interview deals with my work for Archie Comics.
Take a look: CLICK FOR INTERVIEW
 10/28/04: BILL LIEBOWITZ:
I'm saddened to learn of the passing of Bill Liebowitz, owner of
Golden Apple
Comics in southern California. Bill was a great supporter of Archie
Comics, and often sponsored Archie events at his store and at the San
Diego Comic-Con.
Bill made occasional cameo appearances in various Archie
Comics titles, such as the recent Free Comic Book Day edition which
I wrote and Jeff Schutz illustrated.
My condolences to Bill's wife Sharon, and to all
of Bill's family and friends.
-CRB
Below: A photo from the
2002 San Diego Comic-Con, in which Bill conducted the Archie panel. From
left to right: Bill Morrison, Bill Liebowitz, George Gladir, Craig Boldman.
10/20/04: DR. LIGHT:
I happened upon my copy of the comic pictured at the right while looking
for art to go with the Julius Schwartz
interview I just posted. It's Secret Origins #37, 1989, and features
a story I wrote: "All Those Light Years Ago," which is
the secret origin of the villain, Dr. Light. Since Dr. Light figures
so prominently in the current DC Comics hot ticket series, Identity
Crisis, I thought I'd write a bit about it here.
Boy Editor Mark Waid had taken to doing theme issues
in Secret Origins, which customarily featured two stories. Apparently this
was the special "Losers Issue" of the title, and I trust that
the theme was meant to reflect the featured characters and not the creative
team. The subjects of both origin stories in the issue -- The Legion
of Substitute Heroes, and Dr. Light -- had achieved reputations as
laughing stocks over the years, and I did my part to keep that reputation
intact for the Doc, even though I've come to believe that it was somewhat
unfairly thrust upon him.
The issue sports a cover by the amazing Ty Templeton,
and he wrote and drew "The Secret Origin of the Legion of Substitute
Heroes." My half of the issue, the Dr. Light story, was penciled
by a fine young artist who passed away much, much too soon, Mike Parobeck.
I had the opportunity to meet Mike only once, at a DC Comics Christmas
party in Chicago, and he told me then that this story was his first professional
work. The inker of the tale was Ken Branch, and, as mentioned, Mark
Waid edited.
It was as much by fortuitous chance as anything that the
issue came out just before Christmas of that year, since the story contains
echoes of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Particularly
the character of Dr. Light's old partner, Jacob, who dies and comes back
resembling a super-heroic version of Jacob Marley, and who (we discover)
haunts Dr. Light whenever it gets dark.
As I said, I'm not sure that Dr. Light's reputation as
a washout was fairly earned. Light first appeared in the Silver Age, as
a villain in an early issue of Justice League of America (#12).
There he fared as well as any villain who came up against the JLA: he lost.
Of course, in those days, any villain who fought the Justice League
lost. As a matter of fact, any villain who fought any super-hero
lost. I believe the Comics Code Authority even mandated that the
Good Guys always had to win, so what made Light different from any other
Silver Age loser villain? Light was different from other DC villains of
the era in that he had no dedicated nemesis. Once he had his hat handed
to him by the Justice League, he became a roaming gnome, traveling from
one super-hero title to another, picking fights with heroes one by one.
He was everybody's enemy.
 One infamous showdown took place in The
Atom #8, in which he caught the Atom in a trap he called the "Lethal
Lightbulb." This trap has been branded as ludicrous and thrown back
in the Doc's face ever since -- you'll notice it gets parodied on the Ty
Templeton cover above -- but what the hey? Light was his theme, and this
wasn't so off the mark from what other villains were pulling in other books.
If anything, the constant derision this trap engenders seems as much like
a slap at the Atom as at Dr. Light. The subtext of Light's loser rep seems
to be "he couldn't even beat the Atom." But guess what? All the
other villains the Atom came up against in his book lost too. And trap-wise,
the Atom was always getting stuffed into wristwatches, stuck to automobile
tires, etc. This lightbulb thing wasn't so out of line. And, it's worth
mentioning that the lightbulb gimmick came closer to killing the hero than
many death-traps of the day. The Atom survived this one largely because
of sheer physical endurance, and he wasn't even conscious to see if his
last ditch effort to survive would actually work. So there.
Of course, once the "Loser" sign got taped to
Light's back, the notion gathered steam and writers began characterizing
him as a joke -- Light coming up short in a Battle Royale with Little
Boy Blue and the Blue Boys probably being the nadir. I guess it was
inevitable, in these more edgy days, that some writer would feel a need
to come up with an in-story reason for Dr. Light's sad state of affairs,
and so we end up with the mind-tampering explanation that's unfolding in
his latest appearance, in the Identity Crisis mini-series.
Dr. Light's origin had been told at least once before,
an entirely different version, in DC Superstars #14, 1977. That
tale, written by Paul Kupperberg and drawn by Dick Ayers
and Jack Abel, revealed that Light's technology came from Thanagar,
home-world of Hawkman.
My version of the Dr.'s origin was followed up on by John
Ostrander in an issue of Suicide Squad, in which Light's old
partner Jacob gets his revenge. Can't find my copy of that, so I can't
tell you what issue it was.
My Dr. Light origin story, as with most of the stories
I wrote at the time, was fairly light-hearted, befitting a character who
had acquired a reputation in the DC Universe as being a bumbling loser.
And now he's back, in Identity Crisis, doing the most awful
things! Tsk, tsk.
Above: The Atom not having an
easy time of it in "Lockup In The Lethal Lightbulb!" from The
Atom #8.
  
10/20/04: THE LATEST:
Jughead #161 is now out on the stands, with a pretty nifty cover
by Rex Lindsey. I wrote all stories in the issue: "Drummed
Out," in which Jughead loses his sense of rhythm, thanks to Reggie.
For Trula Twyst watchers, she plays a small but pivotal part in
this tale. Then there's "Pals and Paws," featuring Hot
Dog. Wrapping up the issue is "Freebie Jeebies," in
which Jug resorts to various disguises to score some free cocoa. All stories
are drawn by Rex and inked by my friend Rich Koslowski.
I have two stories in the latest Archie, issue #552:
"A Chance To Shine," in which Archie steps into the shoes
of "Mr. Shine," who closely resembles "Mr. Clean."
The final story in the issue is one of mine as well: "Plaidness
Madness," in which Archie and his friends must reeducate Veronica
and her fashion sense. Two other stories, not written by me, round out
the issue: "Big City Blues," by Mike Pellowski,
and "To Sleep -- Perchance," by Greg Crosby. All
stories are drawn by Stan Goldberg and inked by Bob Smith.
I also wrote the lead story in Archie & Friends
#86, "The Next Big Thing." The Archies are
surprised to learn that a tribute band is doing their act, and dismayed
when the tribute band takes work away from them. The art is by the Jughead
team of Rex Lindsey and Rich Koslowski. Rounding out the issue is a Josie
story, "Pussycats In The Dark," written by Abby Denson,
and an Archie story scripted by Bill Golliher, called "Parking
Problem."
 9/17/04:
Tailipoe World Famous! Tailipoe, the web
strip that originates from this site, has joined the lineup of comic strips
offered at World Famous Comics, "The Ultimate Comic Book and
Entertainment Website!" Tailipoe on World Famous will update each
Tuesday, just like on this site.
In addition to featuring a select group of comic strips,
worldfamouscomics.com offers regular columns on a wide range of
comic-relared subjects, and message boards devoted to well-known comic
book personalities such as Tony Isabella, Denny O'Neil, Jeff Smith,
Mike Allred, Tom Mandrake, Jan Duursema and others. It's worth checking
out; I'm in good company there. Thanks to webmaster Justin for making
it happen!
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 9/17/04: Jughead #160: Take a look at this Jughead cover. Isn't it a lovely shade of
pink? This is just one of the many computer problems I've been contending
with. I've got one of those nice new iMac G5's on order, but the
release date isn't until mid-October. So I'm hanging by my fingernails,
trying to keep this rusty old (three years) machine on life-support until
the new one arrives. Wish me luck! Oh, but that's not what this item's
about, is it? Let's try again:
9/17/04: Jughead #160: The
latest issue is out, with a double-length bout between Juhead and his nemesis,
Trula Twyst. The story is called "The Triple-threat Kiss of Trula
Twyst." If Jughead kisses her three times within 24 hours, he'll
fall helplesslt in love with her. And it might happen!
Other stories in the issue are "The Mysterious
Affair At Lodges's," in which Jughead plays a corpse at a murder
mystery dinner. Plus, "Double Talk," in which Jug attempts
to play both ends against the middle and get some free food from either
Pop Tate, or his competitor, Segarini.
As usual, the stories are written by me, drawn by Rex
Lindsey, and inked by Rich Koslowski. It's a pretty good issue,
so go get it!
 8/30/04:
Tailipoe Nominated! Just in time for my birthday
-- The Ignatz Award nominees have been announced, and I've
been nominated for "Outstanding Online Comic" for the
strip that I post on this very site, Tailipoe.
Bethesda, MD; August 26, 2004: The Tenth Anniversary
of the Small
Press Expo marks the eighth year for the prestigious Ignatz Awards. The Ignatz Awards, named for the character
in the classic comic strip Krazy Kat by George Herriman,
is a festival prize that recognizes outstanding achievement in comics and
cartooning. The ballot is created by a panel of five cartoonists and is
then voted on by the attendees at the event. This offers a unique reflection
of the views the professionals and their fans.
 7/16/04: San Diego Comic Con! I'm packing
my bags for the big convention. What big convention? Click HERE.
As far as I know, I don't have any panels lined up, though
that may change once I'm there. If anybody wants to reach me at the show,
leave word with artist Ron Randall in the show's Artist's Alley.
The extravaganza runs from July 21-25. I'll be there for
the whole convention, and will then travel north to spend a few days with
friends in Portland, Oregon. This will likely disrupt my Tailipoe
strip for a week, though I'll post it from the road if possible. Otherwise,
apologies and the story will resume as soon as I hit the ground back home
in Cincinnati.
| 7/18/04: Digest this:
That's me on the back cover of the new (August, 2004) issue of Reader's
Digest, of all places, courtesy of top illustrator C.F. Payne.
Chris does a regular feature called "Our America"
on the back cover of that magazine, and I happened to be handy when he
was shooting photo reference.
Reader's Digest is selling prints of Chris' great cover
illustrations at their website.
For a glimpse at the photo shoot that resulted in this
cover, go to this news item on my companion website, The GLyph. |
COVER DETAIL
I'm the one in the cap, eating something indeterminate
on a stick. The guy to my left, holding the all-day sucker, is another
fine Cincinnati-area illustrator, John Maggard. |
 7/8/04: The GLyph! In my 7/1/04 report,
I hinted about one more item of news that I was holding back. Well, now
that it's up and running, I can make it official. The GLyph is the new online newsletter of the Great
Lakes Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society. I put the site
together with help and contributions from many generous cartoonists and
supporters -- particularly Daryll Collins, who created our mascot
character that sets the tone for the entire newsletter -- and I'm happy
to finally announce the launch. While the site is meant for the members
of our chapter, it's open to the casual browser and visitor, so we'll strive
to include some content of interest for cartooning fans.
I've made The GLyph the first addition to the "Sidebar"
menu on my front page since I started this site, so it'll be convenient
to visitors to www.craigboldman.com.
 
7/8/04: I HAVE ISSUES:
Jughead #159 was released today. Turned out a good one; all the
stories seemed to click, esp. thanks to artists Rex Lindsey and
Rich Koslowski, who did their usual fine job. Rex is more than a
good artist, he's a very good cartoonist. The stories are "Pooch
Plot," an 11-pager with Jughead's nemesis, Trula Twyst.
Then there's "All Downhill," some nonsense with Jug and
a pair of skis, and "The Old Ball Game," a beach adventure.
I neglected to mention Archie #549, which came
out last week. I have one story in this issue, titled "Unbalanced,"
about a new mobile in the Lodge home. Stan Goldberg and Bob Smith
did the art.
 7/8/04: YOE! When the phone rings and
the voice on the other end says "What do you know about insects?"
it's probably a wrong number -- or it might be Craig Yoe. Craig's
one of the most creative minds in the creative mind business, and one of
the most cartooniest cartoonists in the cartooning business. When Craig
calls, I can usually expect him to have some sort of totally off-the-wall,
amazing and fun assignment for me. It was Craig who gave me the job of
writing Big Boy and Bazooka Joe, among other things. I've
been friends with Craig for many years, and as I recently told Frank
Pauer, the editor of the National Cartoonist Society newsletter, Craig
was probably the first cartoonist I met, period. He and his lovely wife
Clizia have had me to their home in upstate New York several times,
and it's always a swell experience. The place is full of great art and
books, as one might expect.
A quick check of Amazon.com turns up a lot more Craig Yoe books than
even I expected, so here's one at random, but go exploring.
Also, visit Craig's site, www.yoe.com Meanwhile, I've got to go brush up on insects.
 7/4/04:
BAD TIME STORY! The first Tailipoe Mini-Comic
is out, compiled from the first 12 strips that appeared on this website.
I had these available for my in-store signings on Free Comic Book Day,
but you can now experience a bit of that festive event for a buck. Buy one from my site and I'll sign it and do a
Tailipoe sketch.
7/4/04: HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! (Or,
happy post-Free Comic Book Day, if you prefer.) Both of Saturday's in-store
signings were big successes and great fun. Here are a few snaps from the
Comics 2 Cars extravaganza in Florence, KY. Thanks to the Comics
2 Cars crew for the invitation and the hospitality! Thanks also to Christina
Wald, Daryll & Marilyn Collins, and Rodney Tirey for coming out to
show their support!
| Right: That's me with Christina Wald, one of my usual
Wednesday 'Illustrator's Lunch' group, and David Michael Beck, the acclaimed
science fiction artist.
Below: Signing copies of my FCBD giveaway, "Archie:
I Was A Teenage Comic Book Character." |
|
 
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7/1/04: The first day of July
has been a little like Christmas -- A number of items I've been
waiting for all showed up today, on my doorstep, in my mailbox or on my
computer screen. Let's run 'em down:
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY COMIC:
I finally got to see the printed comic, and it looks good! Jeff Schulz
and Rich Koslowski did a great job on the art, so don't forget to
pick up a copy this Saturday, July 3. Scroll down a bit to read all about
Free Comic Book Day and my in-store signings.
NEWSPAPER COVERAGE: My local
paper, the Hamilton Journal-News did a phone interview with me about Free
Comic Book Day, and today's the day it showed up. Richard O. Jones
did a nice job of helping us spread the word. Here's the clipping.
MORE COVERAGE: Joe Field,
the California retailer who originally got the ball rolling about FCBD,
and who appears in a cameo role in my FCBD Archie story, sent me a clipping
from his own local paper, the Contra Costa Times. Joe's cameo is pictured
in the clipping. Here it is.
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3 GEEKS: Some time ago
I alluded to a project I did for Rich Koslowski. Well, a boxful of the finished
product turned up today, so I can only presume that it'll be on the shelves
of your local comics shop presently. It's The 3 Geeks Super-Sized Swimsuit
Spectacular! For those not in the know, The 3 Geeks is Rich's
hilarious, too close to reality send-up of comics fans.
I contributed a page to the 'swimsuit pin-ups' section
of this issue. In addition, I wrote and drew a three-page Geeks story. This
series is so perceptive and funny, I'm greatly honored to be asked to contribute
to its pages.
I mean, check that cover of the boys drooling -- not over
the bikini babe in the foreground, but over the latest issue of some Aquaman
clone. I don't laugh out loud over too much stuff I see in a comic book,
but this had me going. The lead story is a great chuckle as well. |
TRAVELTIME STORYBOOKS: Sort
of a 180-degree spin from the above, but here's a series of Bible-themed
storybook/CD sets that I did the illustrations for, and my comp copies
also arrived today. Awesome Bible Heroes, Awesome Bible Animals, and Awesome
Bible Kids. This is the assignment that kept me busy for the first
two months of the year. I did these illustrations completely on computer,
which was a change for me, but the quick turnaround called for it. The
booklets contain 20 full-color spreads of art each, and quick recaps of
Bible stories. Each booklet comes with a CD of original songs, one song
for each Bible story. You can order them at Amazon.
  
AND: There's at least one
more item I could report, but I think I'll let it wait a bit.
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6/21/04: JUSTIN GREEN:
Earlier this year I had the pleasure of doing the production work on a trade
paperback anthology of strips by Justin Green. This terrific collection
hits the stores in mid-July, but is available for pre-order on Amazon.com. Craig says get it! Here's what it's
all about:
JUSTIN GREEN'S MUSICAL LEGENDS by
Justin Green
$ 24.95 112 pages isbn: 0867195878 Publisher: Last Gasp
In these full-color strips from Pulse! magazine,
cartoon master Justin Green depicts the lives of some of music's most outrageous
legends, from old-time bluesmen to rock and roll icons. Whether it's Robert
Johnson's deal with the devil or the drug-filled spiritual quest of Jim
Morrison, Green's visual style distills biographical information into entertaining
eyefuls. Over 100 separate stories. Afterword by author and S.F. Chronicle
rock critic Joel Selvin. |
MEET CRAIG B.
6/12/04: CRAIG'S IN-STORE APPEARANCES JULY
3, 2004: FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Don't forget about this event, which
is coming up fast. The concept is simple: Go to your local comic shop,
they'll give you a free comic book. Many major publishers are producing
special editions for the event, and I wrote the issue being offered by
Archie Comics. Click the above link to get all the details.
I'll be signing copies of the aforementioned free Archie
comic at two comic shops on Free Comic Book Day. Stop in, I'd
love to meet you! Hopefully, I'll also be bringing the first batch of Tailipoe strips collected into a mini-comic,
and I'll be giving some of those away as well. Anyway, here's where I'll
be:
Saturday, July 3, 2004
Craig signs from 10:00
- 1:30
Also appearing: Great
sci-fi artist David Michael Beck!
COMICS 2 CARS
166 Mt. Zion Rd.
Florence, KY 41042
859-647-7568
Saturday, July 3, 2004
Craig signs from 3:30
- 5:00
LEGENDS Cards, Games
& Collectibles
2580 Dixie Hwy
Hamilton, Ohio 45015
513-844-2600
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6/3/04: Jughead #158
was released today, with the following stories, all written by myself and
drawn by Rex Lindsey and Rich Koslowski:
"Jug and the Giant Berry," in which the boys have to figure out what to do with an enormous
inflatable boysenberry that ends up on their hands; "Dress for Excess,"
which features pizza-maker Segarini, one of the recurring characters I've
brought to the Jughead comic book; "Cold Comfort," in which
Jughead makes trouble with a snow cone machine, and "Talk the Talk,"
in which Jug gets caught up in the doings between Archie and Veronica when
they get a new pair of walkie-talkies.
-CRB |
Also released: Jughead with Archie Digest Magazine
#193, which reprints a few I wrote that originally appeared in the
Jughead comic book: "Stomp!" and "Mr. Clean." Also an 11-pager called "The
Bad Old Days," which holds special significance for me since it
was drawn by the late, great, Dan DeCarlo. Dan and I worked together
on the Archie newspaper comic strip way back when, but he soon left that
assignment when health issues required that he lighten his workload. Since
then we crossed paths on rare occasion in the comic books. This was our
final collaboration, which Dan took on when a schedule crunch caused the
book's regular artist to take a break.
The issue also features an often-reprinted vintage story
called "Pizza Pirates," which I had nothing to do with,
but which contains one of the more disturbing images I've seen in a comic
book:
5/27/04: Archie #528
is out this week, with story credits split between myself and my friend
George Gladir. My stories are "Jack Attack," and
"The Show Stopper!" Art by Stan Goldberg and Bob
Smith. George's stories are called "The Big Rush,"
and "His Lucky Day."
Also, on the "Editor's Notebook" page of this
issue, editor Vic Gorelick makes mention of the upcoming "Free
Comic Book Day" event. I wrote (and Jeff Schulz drew) this
year's entry from Archie Comics, a one-shot called "I Was A Teenage
Comic Book Character." I'll do a proper description of it as the
day approaches, but in the meantime, here's a link to chew on:
JULY
3, 2004: FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
Incidentally, the FCBD issue was inked by Rich Koslowski,
who publishes his own comic book on the side, the always-funny "The
3 Geeks." I just finished writing and drawing a contribution for
Rich's latest project, and I'll have more to say about that as the release
day draws near.
-CRB |
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5/5/04: Tony Isabella,
"America's Most Beloved Comic-Book Writer and Columnist" did
a nice review of the new Archie issue (from the previous news item) in
his Tony's Online Tips column of 5/5/04. Tony also
points out that today is the birthday of Archie artist Stan Goldberg!
The column gives an overview of Stan's impressive career. I join with Tony
in wishing Stan the happiest of birthdays!
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4/21/04: I contributed
one story to Archie #547, which hits the stores today. It's a 6-pager
called "A Gaggle of Grief," and it's drawn by Stan Goldberg,
with inks by Bob Smith. I always consider it a good thing when Stan
does the art chores. Other stories in the issue are written by the great
George Gladir, and Greg Crosby.
Archie comics are carried in comic shops, as well as Kroger
stores, Borders and Barnes & Noble book stores, etc.
ALSO: The popular digest comics
published by Archie often contain reprints of my stories. The reprint stories
in the digests don't have artist/writer credits, so I'll identify which
stories were written by me as they become available. This month:
JUGHEAD WITH ARCHIE DIGEST #192:
"Snack Attack;" "To Dye For;" "It Takes Two to
Tangle;" "Jughead Snaps;" "Peek-A-Boo!;" and "We
All Shine On."
LAUGH DIGEST MAGAZINE #192:
"Potion Notion."
-CRB |
4/20/04: I've added: a few
new additions to the Tailipoe section
of the site. Closing in on the end of the first month of the on-line strip,
and I've been gratified by the response so far. I've managed to update
the unfolding story every Tuesday, as was the plan.
Check out the first of a series of Tailipoe e-cards. Consider yourselves beta testers
for this feature. I'm curious to see if the thing functions satisfactorily
on various computers.
Also, check out the new Special Links page in the Tailipoe section. I'll
be rotating the featured link here, and there are some surprising and charming
things coming up, so keep looking in.
Add a Tailipoe banner to your site from the banners page. I just added a new animated
GIF banner to the lot.
Finally, I've linked the Tailipoe page to a couple of
remote comic strip web pages, just to bring some fresh blood in. Those
are planetcartoonist.com, and onlinecomics.net. These are the vote-style web
pages, so if you click on the links from my side or theirs, the higher
a profile I get. You know how it works.
Thanks!
-CRB
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4/10/04: A red-letter day for
me! Or, should I say, a red-and-white checked-letter day, hee-hee! I finally
get to meet The Man face to face! Or, should I say, "The
Boy!" (I can keep this kind of stuff up all day, hee-hee!)
Yeah, BB blew into town and rang me up. He and I
go way back. Here I am, holding the 60th Anniversary Issue of the Big
Boy comic book, which I wrote. He owes his fame to me; I make him look
pretty good in that comic. For one thing, in real life the skin on his arms
is kinda loose since he's been cutting back on carbs.
My only complaint is, he didn't bring Dolly and
Nugget along. Anyway, I knew you'd want to see this meeting of juggernauts.
This is big! Or, should I say, "This is big, boy!" Hee-hee!
-CRB |
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4/7/04: Jughead #157
goes on sale today. This is the title that I write regularly for Archie
Comics. Pretty good issue, if I must say so myself -- The stories are: "The
All-Seeing Eye," in which Jughead gains a third eye; "The
Elevenaire II," sequel to "The Elevenaire," a story which
ran in Archie #545. A mysterious stranger presents Jughead with a gift of
$11.00; "The Big Bash," in which Jughead seemingly chases
Ethel all over town with a baseball bat; and "The Big Wheel"
-- Jughead attempts to master the art of turning a cartwheel and destroys
the school in the process.
All stories are drawn by Rex Lindsey and Rich Koslowski.
Go hunt up a copy at your local bookstore or comics shop. Thanks!
-CRB |
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4/4/04: I spent yesterday
at the Small Press + Alternative Comics Expo (S.P.A.C.E.) in Columbus,
OH. Got sufficiently motivated to commit to updating my new Tailipoe
comic strip on a regular & ongoing basis. Until further notice, consider
each Tuesday "Tailipoe Tuesday," and check back to see
how the strip shapes up. I've added it to the sidebar on the front page,
to make it easy to get there. This is still the first week, so you're getting
in on the ground floor.
Incidentally, I'm looking for a good cgi script, to update
the strip automatically. If anyone has a tip in that regard, please let
me know.
Site updates: I added a few new items to the links section,
and added a page of banners, so webmasters
can link their sites to Tailipoe.
4/1/04: Just in time for April
Fool's Day, I've uploaded the first salvo in one of my ongoing pet projects,
called Tailipoe. You see him pictured below. I've got several stories
in the works involving this character, and will post them in increments.
Access him through the portfolio section.
Or, more directly, here.
3/24/04: Hmm... I'm noticing
that, on certain browsers, this background pattern resembles the inside
of a chicken pot pie. I might have to make a change, but I guess I'll wait
a while and see if people consider that a drawback or a feature.
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3/21/04: Welcome; brand
new site, just getting off the ground. Lots to do, but it will shape up
in the weeks to come. Some of these pages will be pretty light on content
until I'm satisfied that most of the bugs are ironed out. Patience, patience.
If you find any broken links or technical problems, please
let me know via e-mail.
This site is here mainly to showcase my creative endeavors,
so please take a moment to check out my portfolio.
Thanks!
-CRB |
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