Well it's about time. . .

Merry Christmas everyone!

SCC Draw Off: "K. Scott's Goblin"

Here are the results from our latest "Draw Off". Scott provided a short description of a character he's been developing. Each member of the group then had 15 minutes to put Scott's ideas to paper. The final image was the one Scott selected as the most fitting. What do you think?

And the winner is. . .

 

Next Meeting

12noon on Saturday, 15 December 2012 @ Epicurean (Van Ness/UDC metro stop, Red Line)

Be sure to RSVP @ the Square City Comics Meetup Page.

Next Meeting

3pm on Saturday, 17 November 2012 @ Epicurean (Van Ness/UDC metro stop, Red Line)

Be sure to RSVP @ the Square City Comics Meetup Page.

Sh!t Just Got Real (aka SSC Project Updates)‏

Here are two recently inked pages from "The Quest." (Fwiw, these are the two pages I brought to today's SCC Meet-Up). There's not a lot of dialogue on these pages.

 I'm posting them because I hope the storytelling aspect of the art is good enough to make up for my lack of dialogue. Please feel free to let me know your thoughts. . .

Next Meeting

3pm on Saturday, 27 October 2012 @ Epicurean (Van Ness/UDC metro stop, Red Line)

Be sure to RSVP @ the Square City Comics Meetup Page.

24 Hour Comic Continues

It Begins!

Got a question or comment? You can post it here, on Youtube, or tweet it to @squarecity!

24 Hour Comics Less Than 24 Hours Away!

Em here! Tomorrow is the start of the annual 24 Hour Comics Day!  For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, the goal is to write and draw a 24 page comic in its entirety within a 24 hour period.  No nap breaks, just a straight 24 hours.  I participated last year (and you can read my comic here), but this year, we're getting together and making a party out of it!

This is a challenge I personally recommend to anyone looking to break into comics.  It's tough, but it's a liberating exercise in story-telling.

And, for your enjoyment, we're going to be streaming the whole event right here!  Come back at 11 am EST tomorrow morning to watch us fight off sleep deprivation in the name of comics.  See you then and good luck!

SCC Draw Off: "Ninja Turtles"

I think everyone can agree that the last meeting was the best SCC has yet to see! There was an incredible turnout (at least for us) of 11 people! Not to mention there was quite a high level of talent and experience amongst the newcomers.

What better way to conclude this glorious meeting than with a good ol' fashioned SCC Draw Off? (Answer: There is no better way to end an SCC Draw Off). Previously, on SCC...Emily had won the Draw Off with her adorable terrifying demonic my little pony (which I seem to have misplaced for the time being...doh!). As such, she chose Sailor Moon as the most recent Draw Off subject. Unfortunately, a significant portion of the group didn't know what Sailor Moon even looked like (I, shamefully, am not amongst them). And so a new subject was elected....the Italian cuisine-devouring, sewer-dwelling reptiles that everyone loves: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Master Splinter was pleased with the results...

And the winner is....NAAAATHAANN RAAAANKIINNN!! (I hope everybody understands that Leeroy Jenkins reference. For those that don't, please proceed to this video: Here). Anyways, thanks to all the newcomers for joining us. We hope to see you guys at future meetings!

Interesting Perspective from JH Williams III

If you have a few minutes, check out this blog post from JH Williams III on the purchasing trends among comic book consumers.

TL/DR Summary: Comic book readers still overwhelmingly choose to buy non-creator-owned comics from the big publishing houses. And it's a shame we aren't giving independent comics more support when they are the breeding ground for the most ground-breaking material.


In other words: "Start buying indie comics, or stop complaining about the lack of originality in the medium."

Next Meeting

3pm on Saturday, 27 October 2012 @ Epicurean (Van Ness/UDC metro stop, Red Line)

Be sure to RSVP @ the Square City Comics Meetup Page.

Next Meeting

3pm on Saturday, 29 September 2012 @ Epicurean (Van Ness/UDC metro stop, Red Line)

Be sure to RSVP @ the Square City Comics Meetup Page.

Baltimore Comic-Con

This time of year, our stomping grounds become one happening place! With three conventions in a row (Baltimore Comic-Con, SPX, and Intervention), it's my favorite time of the year. This weekend, it's Baltimore Comic-Con. We didn't have a table at this show, but that didn't stop a few of us from making it there as attendees.

For me, BCC isn't a show for it's panels. In the past three years that I've gone, I've never found many that I just HAD to go to. I go to this show for the dealer room and to meet other creators in Artist Alley and the Small Press tables.

First stop was to say hi to an old SCC member, Eric Guerrero! It was good to see him again and I picked up a print of his awesome rendition of Skottie Young's Oz characters!  He also had prints from Runaways, Sandman, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and more!

I came across Jamal Igle who's Kickstarter for Molly Danger was recently successful. I stopped over to congratulate him and got a free signed poster of the comic. Due to come out in January, keep your eyes peeled for this pint-size superhero!

I remember discovering Action Lab Comics last year and picking up a preview edition of their series "Princless." This year, they had the first book up for grabs, so naturally I grabbed it! I feel like the "princesses taking charge and saving themselves" idea is really popular right now (I can think of at least two other comics that are using it), but I really don't mind, especially when they're this well drawn/written!

Like history? Like zombies? Like history AND zombies? Check out FUBAR, a collection of short comics set during World War 2 with added zombies! These guys have released two such books and this year debuted their third. American History Z covers just what it sounds like: the history of America with zombies, spanning all the way from viking landings in the year 1001 to family life in 2009.

If you're like me, you can't get enough of Sarah Ellerton's art! Known for webcomics like Inverloch, Dreamless, and The Phoenix Requiem, Ellerton got picked up by Th3rd World Studios to work on Finding Gossamyr with David A. Rodriguez. A fantasy story that combines math and magic? This should be interesting!

Anyone looking to break into comics should be following the guys over at ComixTribe. With the slogan "creators helping creators make better comics," this group has created a community of independent creators and provide multitudes of articles breaking down both the artistic and business sides of the medium. Probably their biggest release of the year, Scam recently hit the stands. A heist story with superpowers, this one sounds promising!




What's a comic show without a Blind Ferret booth to peruse? I missed seeing these guys last year, but they've finally returned! It's a good thing I had put a 1-book limit on myself for the show, or I would be totally broke right now! With 13 books out for just one of their webcomics, it's hard to keep up! This year, they've also released a card game for the series (not yet available online, apparently) which I picked up. Can wait to try it out!

I recently became friends with the creators of Shadowbinders, a fun steam-fantasy webcomic. These guys also just had a successful Kickstarter to print the first six chapters of the story in one book! It was great to meet them in person! They put together SO much amazing merch for their booth! Handmade hats, huge buttons, bookmarks, trading cards... If there was an award for booth swag, I think I'd give it to them!





There is now a networking site specifically for comics! ComicWow officially launched at the show and I talked to them about their plans for it and what this site will do for independent creators. Check it out for yourself and connect with fans and creators alike!

Lastly, I discovered a title I was previously unaware of: Drones. This was a buy based mostly on shiny factor.  I took a flip through the book to find a bold use of color (they used hot pink in a chase scene and it WORKED) and I'm a sucker for a great coloring job.  Also, there's a goat, and according to the creator, he's a very important goat.  I picked up their package deal: both issues of Drones, a special black and white copy of #1 (highlighting the great inking job), and a collection of shorts with the author had participated in.




Did you attend Baltimore Comic-Con? Pick up anything I missed out on? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Next weekend in Small Press Expo, where we'll have a table for the second year in a row! See you there!

Come Visit Square City at SPX 2012

For the second year in a row, the comic creators at Square City Comics will have a booth at the Small Press Expo (SPX). We will be sharing the space with our West Coast affiliate, and Manga superstars, "Wayward Studios." Please come out on September 15th and 16th to meet the group, share your portfolio, and pick up a copy of the still-hot-off-the-presses Square City Comics Anthology Vol. 1, featuring the art and writing of our entire lineup of creators!



This is truly a must see event! It's the only time we will be at SPX until next year's SPX (presumably). Nowhere else on this particular weekend will you be able to find all the creative minds at Square City in one place at the same time! So come out and see us!

And be sure to RSVP at our shiny, new SCC Meetup Page!

Next Meeting

3pm on 26 August 2012 @ Epicurean (Van Ness/UDC metro stop, Red Line)

Show up at 2pm if you are at all involved with SCCvSPX_2012

Be sure to RSVP @ the Square City Comics Meetup Page.
 

SCC Draw Off - "Venom"

After a very productive meeting on June 23rd, we had yet another draw off of epic proportions as a sort of "closing ceremonies" ritual. The honor of choosing the topic fell to Scott, for his impressively gritty "Rorcat" drawing from the previous meeting. This time, the topic of choice was none other than the slime-slobbering, brain-eating, Spider-man-hating symbiote known as "Venom". Aaaaannd here are the results!:

^ a frighteningly good submission by Scott

^ by Emily (with strategic use of an eagle to conceal his feet)

^ A solid drawing for not knowing who Venom was

^ My preccccioouuusss....

^ by Mark (attempt #1)

^ by Mark (final submission

^ Venom just wants to be accepted for who he is!!

^ WINNER!: by Brian (me!)

As the gold goes to....the Venom with the largest neck muscles (mine!).

On a side note; Gabby Douglas vs. Venom on the gymnastics floor routine. Who would win? Bear in mind that while Gabby does have years of training and experience under her belt, Venom possesses a certain graceful allure that even most world-class athletes would find difficult to compete with.