May 2: Free Comic Book Day - Steve Conley, Thom Zahler, Sean Chen, and Matt Slay in MD

From Steve's newsletter:

The Middle Age Comic Book #1 is here!

As I've mentioned, I've wanted to make The Middle Age available to read in comic book form for the longest time! The books arrived and they look great! These editions will be mailed to my Patreon backers at the $10 tier and above. Shipping is free to supporters in the US.

I'll be sending emails next week to backers to make sure I have your correct addresses. If you're coming to my Free Comic Book Day appearance in Maryland this weekend, let me know and I'll hand-deliver your copy!

And speaking of Free Comic Book Day...

On Saturday, May 2, many comic book shops will be giving away free comic books! The shops often make an event of it and have big sales and bring in guests. This Saturday, I'll be a guest of Cards, Comics & Collectibles in Reisterstown, Maryland. I'll be signing and sketching all day. I hope to see you there!

and from Thom's:

Saturday is Free Comic Book Day… or Giveaway Day or The Artist Formerly Known As Free Comic Day. It’s the day you can, or more aptly, SHOULD, get thyself to a comic book shopatorium and try out some comics. For free. And then buy something, because these people are running small businesses in a tenuous economy and you’re not a monster. I’ll be at Cards, Comics and Collectibles in Reiserstown, Maryland. What time does it start? Who else will be there? Thom doesn’t read things! My friend just asked me to be there and that was all I needed to know. Check out the website for more information. Or find a shop by you. Or both! I’ll be there selling books and doing sketches and being generally talkative and charming. Come on by. I don’t have a book as part of the FCBD festivities this year. But Love and Capes was a frequent participant (four years, in fact) and did more to launch that book than anything else. And on Love and Capes’ twentieth anniversary I wanted to honor that so…

Baltimore Comic-Con 2021, day 1 - Masked Faces

 Late in the covid epidemic, a smaller show, but still requiring temperature checks, vaccination or a negative test, and masks.

All the pictures via Flickr.

 

 

Chris Schweizer

Ben Towle

John Gallagher

 

Elinda and J. Robert Dean 

 

Steve Conley 

 

Harold Buchholz 

 

Thom Zahler

Emily S. Whitten

David Peterson

Leeanne M. Krecic (Mongie)

Jim Shooter

Keith Williams and The Shadow

Glenn Hauman of Com!x

Daniel Krall and Mark Wheatley and their covid-19 children's book

Matt Slay

Don Rosa

Alex Saviuk

Bob McLeod

Michael Golden

Amy Reeder

Becky Cloonan

Joe Staton and Hilarie Staton

Dean Haspiel, Josh Neufeld and Whitney Matheson

 

Artist's Alley shots:

 

Dealers area:

Steve Conley on his Middle Age Kickstarter campaign

by Mike Rhode

Former NoVA resident Steve Conley is still in our hearts (and our pocketbooks) so we reached out to hear a bit more about his newest Kickstarter campaign to fund a hardcover collection of his The Middle Age webcomic.

What's The Middle Age?

The Middle Age is a fantasy, humor webcomic about a middle-aged knight stuck with a cursed, sarcastic sword and on a quest to rescue his love from dragons. The story launched in 2016 and has been lucky enough to receive ‘Best Webcomic’ nominations in both the San Diego Comic-Con International’s Eisner Awards and the Baltimore Comic-Con’s Ringo Awards.

Is the story open-ended, or do you have a limit planned for it?

It’s a novel-length story building toward a specific ending but there is has plenty of room to continue afterward. As of now, we’re currently four chapters in to a roughly twelve-chapter story.

You've done previous Kickstarters, including one for your green space monkey character Bloop - do they get less stressful? Have they all been successful?

Each one has been equally stressful and even though I’ve learned a lot from every campaign, every project has been different enough to create all new stresses. That said, the response to all three Kickstarter projects has been very kind and we’ve managed to reach each goal within 48 hours.

Is Bloop coming back? How about Astounding Space Thrills?

I would love to continue working on those but between The Middle Age and freelance work, I just don’t have the time. I’m hoping that as my Patreon support continues to grow, I’ll be able to afford more time to work on more stories.

Speaking of that, how is Patreon working for you?

I have to say it’s been wonderful.The sixty supporters I have on Patreon really help keep me going. The amount of money raised helps pay a few bills and the emotional support is tremendous. We’re now just 40 supporters shy of doubling the amount of The Middle Age comics I can produce each month. And I believe that having two episodes per week will do wonders for readership and help us just keep building momentum. Slow and steady!

Kickstarter for The Middle Age Webcomic

Steve Conley Kickstarts The Middle Age Volume One

Selected as a "Project We Love" by Kickstarter

Cartoonist Steve Conley has launched a Kickstarter campaign to produce a full-color, hardcover collection of his Eisner- and Ringo-nominated webcomic graphic novel The Middle Age.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/steveconley/the-middle-age-volume-1-hardcover-collection

The Middle Age follows the adventures of Sir Quimp of Grawlix. Quimp is an older knight who is stuck with a sarcastic, cursed sword, and is on an against-all-odds quest to rescue his love from dragons. Our hero, is "aided" in his mission by the cursed, talking sword Maledicta, the intoxicated wizard Melvwyn the Magnificent, two baby dragons Jarn and Nittles; and Waddlebottom, the Lord of All Ducks. So, it's a love story. And a buddy comedy. And a magic duck epic adventure!

The Middle Age launched in 2016 and has been fortunate enough to receive 'Best Webcomic' nominations in both the San Diego Comic-Con International's Eisner Awards and the Baltimore Comic-Con's Ringo Awards! 

This Kickstarter is to create a large (7.5x9.25 inches), full-color, hardcover collection of the first three chapters of the story.

Kind words for The Middle Age:

"Beautifully drawn and hilarious." ~ Tom Racine, Tall Tale Radio

 "…the strip is superb, combining clear, charming cartooning and funny writing with lovingly rendered details and excellent lettering in a way that I haven't seen since Walt Kelly's 'Pogo.'… I love it dearly." ~ Todd Klein

 "I love The Middle Age. Genuinely funny, and wonderfully illustrated. ...it's all super smart and fun." - Joshua Dysart 

"...this is a fun comic." ~ Fleen

This Kickstarter campaign will run until Wednesday, August 29 at 8pm EDT.

THE KICKSTARTER:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/steveconley/the-middle-age-volume-1-hardcover-collection

THE MIDDLE AGE WEB SITE:

http://middleagecomic.com/

KICKSTARTER VIDEO TRAILER (YOUTUBE):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0ORd9yw4Qg

Seth Goldman and Talkin' About Toons photos

Seth Goldman on his graphic biography of Honest Tea, "Mission in a Bottle" at One More Page Bookstore in Arlington. More photographs are here.

And two pictures of the Talkin' About Toons panel:




Talkin' Bout Toons panel with Matt Wuerker, Kevin Rechin, Steve Conley and Marty Baumann. NOVA Community College.

Oct 21: FIVE FANTASTIC CARTOON ILLUSTRATORS panel discussion

... also in Alexandria that day is Brian Biggs at Hooray for Kids bookstore. I think it will be possible to do both events.

Tyler Arts Life This coming Monday!!!!!! Join us for an informative panel discussion moderated by NOVA's Rachel Martin and Chris Choi with the following cartoon artists: Marty Bauman Artist at Pixar Animation Studios, and illustrator for Disney on such films as Toy Story 3 and Cars 2. Steve Conley Award-winning cartoonist, designer and co-creator of Comicon.com. His comics work includes Star Trek: Year Four, Michael Chabon's Escapist and his own self-published Astounding Space Thrills. Kevin Rechin Editorial cartoonist for USA Today, National Geographic, and the Wall Street Journal among others. Matt Wuerker POLITICO's editorial cartoonist and the winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning. Tyler Gallery, Room AT-270  7-9:30 pm Current Exhibit: Five Fantastic Cartoon Artists: A Look at Art, Process, Story, and Design For more information, contact Lisa Hill ehill@nvcc.edu or Britt Conley bconley@nvcc.edu

Conley's alternative 'Action Comics' No. 1

Artist Steve Conley shares with us this detail of a commissioned drawing of an alternative Superman via an alternative cover to Action Comics No. 1.  "Went with a strongman-style costume with vest and toned-down action," Steve said on his Facebook page. 

Courtesy of Steve Conley

FIVE FANTASTIC CARTOON ILLUSTRATORS! exhibit pictures

Steve Conley's Adventure Time comic covers.

I stopped in to the opening for the exhibit (details at the bottom) and got some shots of the gallery, curator Britt Conley and cartoonists Steve Conley and Kevin Rechin. Marty Baumann is in one shot, and I had put my camera away before Matt Wuerker got there. Nick Galifianakis is traveling, but had a lot of cartoons representing him.

Kevin Rechin.

Marty Baumann's work.

Matt Wuerker's work.

This is mostly an introductory show and all the art is reproductions. The students were enjoying it, and asking a lot of questions of the cartoonists.

Steve Conley and his new book.

More pictures are here.

FIVE FANTASTIC CARTOON ILLUSTRATORS!: A Look at Art, Process, Story and Design

FEATURING: The art of Marty Baumann (movie and advertising illustrator/Disney and Pixar), Steve Conley (Independent Cartoonist / Astounding Space Thrills, Bloop, Star Trek, Adventure Time, The Escapist etc.) Nick Galifianakis (syndicated illustrator for The Washington Post), Kevin Rechin (syndicated illustrator - Crock Comic Strip) and Matt Wuerker (2012 Pulitzer Prize Winner illustrator for POLITICO)

The Tyler Teaching Gallery (Room 270) at the Tyler Building at Northern Virginia Community College/Alexandria Campus. 3001 N. Beauregard Street. Parking lot B has paid parking $2.00 per hour.

On October 21st, a panel discussion will happen with the cartoonists at 7:30 pm.