Jury Rigged Comics Blog

Moved

2009-06-27T19:32:00.002-05:00

I've moved the Jury Rigged Comics blog to a WordPress format at www.juryriggedcomics.com.

The RSS feed for the blog is here.

This blog will no longer be updated. Hope to see you on the other side.

Gem City Wrap Up (or Thank You Matt Feazell)

2008-04-07T10:35:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was the third annual Gem City Comic Convention in Dayton, Ohio at Wright State University. As always, Gem City is the most comfortable convention there is as guests are treated to cushy, executive-style office chairs. The independent creators’ room is in a conference room off the main dealers’ room. The show has gotten bigger and bigger each year. While the dealers’ room has always been hopping, what started as about ten creators in a small room, has turned into a couple of dozen small-press creators showing their wares. Out in the solarium/hallway is a great mix of old-time professionals (Marv Wolfman) and newer artists (Billy Tan).

PANEL represented at the show. Andy Bennett was a featured guest out in the solarium. Dara Naraghi, Tom Williams, Craig Bogart, and I kicked it in the independent creators’ room where, according to a disembodied voice over the PA, “the cutting edge of comics was occurring.” Molly Durst wasn’t set up to sell comics, but was there (and scored a sweet set of fuzzy dice, polyhedron style). Luckily, we got there early to set up since the tables, for some reason, are first-come, first serve. While it wasn’t a problem for the most part, there were some creators who showed up later after the tables were all taken; they were forced to take hastily set up tables shoved in the middle of the room. Maybe next year, the indie room will end up being two rooms.

There seemed to be a decent amount of traffic for a Sunday show on the nicest weather day of the year so far. There were the normal lulls in traffic at the beginning and end of the day. But while there were a lot of people in the room, it didn’t seem like many people were actually looking at the books, and they definitely weren’t buying.

I can’t speak for the rest of the guys, but sales were way down, especially compared to the last two Gem City shows. Even people who were familiar with the PANEL books and had bought them before didn’t pick up the new anthologies. In fact, if it wasn’t for Matt Feazell buying three Class of 2006 books for a dollar (and trading a Cynical Man for my Pyramid Story), I would have been totally skunked on the show. I blame the economy. We need to have another show after the economic stimulus checks come through.

Having said that, I did have a good time at the show. I was able to make a good bit of progress on a freelance editing job, so I technically didn’t lose money on the show. It is always good to sit down and chat with the PANEL guys, and the show is only about 45 minutes from my house. The big pile of comics that Craig got from Bell, Book and Comic were fun to look through.

Even though my sales were low, I’m not ready to give up comics, just rethink some strategy.

No Bankies for the convention, but here are a few quotes:

Dara: “Are we going to Chipotle for lunch?” trying to continue a PANEL con tradition, but we didn’t know where the nearest one was.

Young kid: “Is this appropriate?” while pointing at Craig’s newest Ineffables comic.

Sean: “What Sandman are you drawing, the Gaiman version or the gas mask version?”
Craig (with contempt): “The Ditko Sandman.”

Gem City Convention

2008-04-05T19:49:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the late notice, but tomorrow it the Gem City Comic Convention. I, along with members of PANEL, will be there. It is a great convention on the Wright State University campus in Dayton, Ohio. If you are around, stop by and say hi.

SPACE 2008 Wrap

2008-03-12T20:53:00.002-05:00

It's a little over a week after SPACE. Not too much to say that hasn't already been said by others. The show seemed slow. Not a whole lot of Jury Rigged Comics moved. I did better with the PANEL books, selling a few of each volume.

What was lacking in sales was made up for in the company of the PANEL folks. We had a good location and a nice set up. Two meals at Chipotle also made for a good time. It is nice that this is a show that is basically in my backyard and it is good to see some of the same folks every year, but in general, I'm there for enjoyment not sales.

Work has begun on Jury Rigged Comics #4. More news on that to come. PANEL has also started planning PANEL 12, debuting this fall.

The Gem City Comic Con is in a few weeks. Details on that soon.

SPACE This Weekend

2008-02-29T10:52:00.000-05:00

The comic convention season kicks off tomorrow with the SPACE show in Columbus, Ohio.

Here’s some info:

TONIGHT
PANEL presents Unmasked an art show at Monkey’s Retreat (1202 N. High Street)
8-11 pm

TOMORROW
SPACE at the Aladdin Shrine Complex near Easton
10-6 pm

TOMORROW NIGHT
Unmasked Part 2 at Momo2 (2885 Olentangy River Road)
8-11 pm

SUNDAY
SPACE at the Aladdin Shrine Complex near Easton
10-5 pm

I’ll be at table 106 near the rest of the PANEL folks. We will be debuting PANEL: Work, the 11th volume of the anthology. I will also have Jury Rigged Comics #3 for the first time.

See you there.

Reviews

2008-02-25T13:21:00.001-05:00

Some summaries of reviews of Jury Rigged Comics and other publications.

Optical Sloth recently reviewed PANEL X and said what we’ve all been thinking: “Well, it's about damned time they got to sex.” About Jury Rigged Comics creators: “Sean McGurr & Tim McClurg have a short anecdote called Third Moon From Endor, only loosely related to sex but the punchline is worth the ride.

Find the full review and reviews of all ten PANEL anthologies on the Panel Anthologies page.

Also catch Optical Sloth’s reviews of Jury Rigged Comics #1 & 2, Class of 2007 books, and Mini Ring King here.

On November 23, Dave Sim reviewed Panel 9 from Outer Space and Mini Ring King. He seemed to like both, saying of the latter “Very nice package, stylish and (as a ring fan in recovery) it attracted my attention.”

A few days later, Sim said about PANEL: Travel, “Those wacky Columbus, Ohio Panel guys get me every time."

PANEL/SPACE Parties

2008-02-16T17:25:00.003-05:00

PANEL is sponsoring two parties the weekend of SPACE. I'll probably miss the first but attend the second. Should be a good time. Image by Tom Williams, press release from Tony Goins.

To celebrate the 2-day Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo, Columbus’ own Panel Collective is planning two days of parties.

Friday, Feb. 29 – Monkey’s Retreat

Join us for an art show and mixer at Monkey’s Retreat in Columbus’ Short North area. Monkey’s Retreat has been Columbus's best source of underground comix, art books, martial arts supplies and more since 1975 – a perfect match for SPACE. We’ll have a keg, but once that’s cashed there are several cool bars and clubs within walking distance.

Monkey’s Retreat
1202 North High Street
Columbus, OH 43201
8 – 11 p.m.

Saturday, March 1 – Momo2

Panel is taking you back to Momo2 for this year’s SPACE party. Momo2 features bowling, billiards, karaoke, bubble tea and a fine collection of Asian gifts and novelties. Momo has easy access to highways and several restaurants and bars nearby.

Momo2
2885 Olentangy River Rd
Columbus, OH 43202
8 p.m. - ???

Panel is a Columbus-based group of writers and artists. It features several working comics professionals, and it will debut its 11th anthology, PANEL: Work at SPACE.

SPACE, the Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo, runs March 1-2 at the Aladdin Shrine Temple. It brings dozens of the best regional and national small press comics.

Pyramid Scheme

2008-02-12T22:06:00.002-05:00

For the next PANEL project--Work, the 11th volume--rather than put together a single book, we are packaging a bunch of books in an interoffice envelope.

I am fortunate enough to be working with Brent Bowman on this project, an idea I had kicking around in my head for a while. It is a triangle shaped book. I hope it isn't just a gimmick; I think the story is served by the shape. Both Brent and I added some neat little things to add to the story.

The book debuts at SPACE in a couple of weeks, but I'll sneak a few pages between now and then.

Here's the cover:

Manuscript Pages 5 & 6

2008-02-07T13:15:00.000-05:00

After a bit of a hiatus, The Manuscript, a Web comic collaboration between Steve Black and me, has returned with two new pages.

PANEL: Work (Vol. 11) Preview

2008-02-04T21:12:00.000-05:00

The 11th volume of the PANEL anthology will be premiering at SPACE the first weekend of March. This will be the eighth time I've contributed and the first time working with Brent Bowman, a talented artist who brought to life my story. More about it in a later post, but for now, treat yourself to the packaging of the next volume themed Work.

Each inter-office envelope will be custom made. I'm not looking forward to that; even split among the group, it will be a lot of work. Tom Williams put together the logo. Members of the group are putting together a wide variety of books/projects to stuff in there.

Columbus Comic Events

2008-02-02T21:51:00.000-05:00

The Wexner Center for the Arts has a bunch of cool events happening in May, 2008 in conjunction with a Jeff Smith exhibition:

Scott McCloud and Jeff Smith in conversation (Sat. May 10, 2pm)
Terry Moore (Thu. May 15, 7pm)
Paul Pope (Tue. May 20, 7pm)

Lots of stuff happening with Jury Rigged Comics. More details coming soon. I promise more regular posts.

Unmasked - Mid Ohio Con party

2007-11-09T07:24:00.000-05:00

For the second year, PANEL is hosting a pre-party before Mid-Ohio Con. The free party will take place on Friday, November 23, from 8 PM till midnight. The venue for this event will once again be the awesome Underground at Barley's Brewing Company Ale House No. 1.

The free party is open to all comic fans, pros, exhibitors, attendees, and friends and family.

New this year: Live Art Throwdown! Show off your art skills. All artwork will be auctioned at the con, with proceeds donated to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and The Hero Initiative.

Barley's is directly across from the convention center at 467 North High St.

Below is the show poster, featuring artwork by the insanely talented Tom Williams.

Quick Links

2007-09-20T20:56:00.000-05:00

Lots happening over the past few weeks:

Over at Optical Sloth, Whitey has reviewed the second issue of PANEL.

In a rare instance of cross-promotion, PANEL and Bob Dylan have gotten together to pimp each other's new projects. Check it out.

Friend of Jury Rigged Comics Dara Naraghi has a book coming out soon. Details available here.

Dara also is writing a few stories adapted from Cory Doctorow's work. They hit the stores soon.

PANEL has joined ComicSpace and our first, out-of-print issue will be available soon.

I previewed the image earlier, but now the final version of the Jury Rigged Comics logo is incorporated on the site.

First Look at New Logo

2007-09-17T11:58:00.001-05:00

Here is a look at the new Jury Rigged Comics logo, courtesy of Steve Black.

We're Still Here

2007-07-12T20:55:00.000-05:00

Despite the absence of new posts, Jury Rigged Comics is still hard at work. Thanks to Dara Naraghi of Ferret Press, Jury Rigged Comics books were available at Comfest in June. Thanks to those of you who picked up books. We hope you are enjoying them.

Jury Rigged Comics also has a shop set up at Etsy, a fun site here on the Internet.

And don't think we've forgotten what has made us famous: great comic book stories. As Panel prepares for their tenth anthology available this fall, Sean has written ten pages worth of stories to be illustrated by Tim McClurg for the book.

Also, Steve Black and Sean are working out details for a new series now. We are both excited about the potential for this book and hope to have more information in the coming months. In the meantime, look for the Manuscript to come out of hiatus soon.

SPACE Recap

2007-05-21T21:03:00.000-05:00

Whoops, I never got around to posting about the SPACE show in April. The two-day event was decent. While I didn't sell a ton of Jury Rigged Comics, the PANEL books flew off of our table and the tables of our fellow PANEListas. In fact, we sold out of the Plan 9 from PANEL anthology that we had at the show and I still don't have a copy. Here's a picture of me with my tablemate, Andy Bennett.

We are both messing around on our laptops instead of working.

The SPACE Launch Party sponsored by PANEL was also a load of fun, despite the video game tournament taking place simultaneously at Momo2. Thanks to everyone who stopped by the table and the party. It was great to meet you all.

I don't believe the Jury Rigged will be setting up at anymore conventions this year, but I am hoping to put together a few books and other surprises in the coming months. Look for more information soon.

SPACE Weekend

2007-04-19T10:35:00.000-05:00

This weekend is the SPACE show, a weekend I look forward to every year. In addition to showing off my new books, PANEL debuts a new book (Plan 9 From PANEL), and I get to pick up all sorts of small press goodness. This year, PANEL is also sponsoring a convention party on Saturday night. It should be a good time; Momo2 is a fun place with kareoke, bubble tea, bowling, and pool tables.

I'll be at table 100 with Tim McClurg and Andy Bennett. The rest of the PANEL folks will be all around us. Stop by and say hi!

Gem City Wrap

2007-04-16T21:45:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all of you who stopped by the table at Gem City on Sunday. We had a great time at a show. I was happy to be able to have Steve Black at my table with his great sketchbook "Black Book." For those of you who missed out on this exclusive book, there may be a way for you to procure it on this site. Look for details soon.

We had a good show. People picked up a wide variety of books, although once again the Class of 2006 books led the way. Hope you found something you liked and just a reminder that you can pick up any of our other books at the store.

More information about this weekend at SPACE coming soon.

Gem City Convention

2007-04-11T20:34:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that this Sunday is the Gem City ComicCon at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

I'll be there with my fellow Panelistas and Steve Black will be there from San Francisco where he will have exclusive copies of his sketchbook "Black Book." Should be a good time. I had a great time at the show last year.

Scott McCloud Lecture

2007-04-09T06:15:00.000-05:00

Dara and I hit the Scott McCloud lecture at Ohio State last week and as always, he gave an entertaining lecture. This is the third time I've seen him at Ohio State and McCloud presents a dense, image-heavy, fast-paced lecture, this time drawing from his latest book Making Comics, which I recommend reading if you have a chance.

On the other hand, I'd recommend that tOSU do a better job of staging the event next time. The Wexner theater where the lecture was wasn't large enough for the crowd (at least 25 people were turned away) and after the talk, no one seemed to know what to do with McCloud and all the people who wanted to get a book signed.

Check out the crowd here (courtesy of the McCloud blog), and notice the two handsome young Panelistas in the third row right of center (I'm the one with the big forehead).

McCloud is on a 50 state tour promoting this new book, so try and catch him when he is in your neighborhood.

Class of 2006, Volume 4 Preview

2007-03-23T14:05:00.000-05:00

The fourth, and potentially last, book in my series of quotes from students will be debuting next month. I'm putting the finishing touches on the book this weekend, but here is a quick look at the cover image by Steve Black.

Also contributing to the book are Andy Bennett, David Beyer Jr., and Tim McClurg. A reminder that the first three volumes are still available via the Jury Rigged Comics shop.

Comic Space - Jury Rigged

2007-03-22T05:52:00.001-05:00

Some how I have avoided the whole social networking Web thing. I don't have a MySpace account. I've never been on Facebook, and I couldn't tell you any of the other popular sites. But earlier this week, I broke down and set up a ComicSpace account for Jury Rigged Comics. I still haven't figured out how I'm going to use it, but having a presence there can't hurt...can it?

PANEL: Plan 9: Another Preview

2007-03-19T20:51:00.000-05:00

In addition to the four page story for PANEL: Plan 9 that I'm doing with Tim McClurg (see post below), I'm writing a script for a story that Steve Black conceived and is illustrating. It should be a fun story. Here's one of my favorite pages and you can see more at his LiveJournal.

In the Works

2007-03-07T21:52:00.000-05:00

For the next PANEL anthology, I'm working on a story with frequent collaborator Tim McClurg. Actually it is two, two-page pieces. Tim is publishing some of the panels on his journal and I'm finishing up the script this week. In the meantime, here are a couple of panels:
First we have Dwight Eisenhower taking an oath of office. I like Ike.

Next, we have Sputnik. Don't worry kids, it will all make sense when you read the story. And you haven't even seen the aliens yet. Look for the book in April.

Preview: Samurai Pledge

2007-02-19T10:55:00.000-05:00

Here is a first look at "Samurai Pledge," a short story based on an ancient Japanese myth in the next issue of Jury Rigged Comics. Art by David Beyer Jr. who did the art for Bridge War in Jury Rigged Comics #2.