Showing posts with label aquaman shrine special citation of merit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aquaman shrine special citation of merit. Show all posts
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Operation USA Original Art Auction FINAL!
The final bidder for the original pencil art piece was F.O.A.M.er Mac Schafer, with a winning bid of $42.77!
The final bidder for the original inked piece was F.O.A.M.er Craig McGinnes, with a winning bid of $60.00!
That brought the total brought in to $102.77, and with the Shrine rounding up, we made a donation to Operation USA's Japan Relief Efforts of $110.00:
Since both Mac and Craig were already F.O.A.M.ers, they can't be inducted because of their donations. But Craig McGinnes is hereby awarded The Aquaman Shrine Special Citation of Merit:
Before we go, we can't forget artist Dan Schoening, whose generosity made this whole auction possible! For providing the two pieces of artwork, Dan is hereby inducted into F.O.A.M. and awarded the Citation:
That brought the total brought in to $102.77, and with the Shrine rounding up, we made a donation to Operation USA's Japan Relief Efforts of $110.00:
Since both Mac and Craig were already F.O.A.M.ers, they can't be inducted because of their donations. But Craig McGinnes is hereby awarded The Aquaman Shrine Special Citation of Merit:
Mac already has one of these, too, so he will be getting a "Grape Job!" sticker in the mail, as promised.
As a bonus, Mac & Craig will also be receiving a copy of Aquaman: Deepwater Disaster book, provided by the generous folks at Capstone Books!
As a bonus, Mac & Craig will also be receiving a copy of Aquaman: Deepwater Disaster book, provided by the generous folks at Capstone Books!
Thanks to Dan, Mac, and Craig, and everyone who submitted a bid, they were very much appreciated. You all helped us get to the final donation!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
2010 New York Comic Con
The firs thing I did once arriving at the Jacob Javitz Center was find the press room and pick up my press badge. That was done easily, with a minimum of fuss (always a good sign) and once I had my shiny press badge dangling from my neck I hit the con floor.The first thing I usually do when I first walk in the door is hit Artists Alley to find someone to get an Aquaman sketch from. But AA wasn't in its usual spot in the hall, and, try as I might, I couldn't find it, at all. Confused, I decided to walk the floor some more figuring I'd have to stumble on it eventually, right?
My first stop was at the Moonstone/Captain Action booth, where my pal Ed Catto was hanging out. A couple of months ago Ed had asked me to write up a one-page piece on the Aquaman/Captain Action connection, which ran in Captain Action: Season 2 #2:
(I'm only showing a small part of the piece because I want everyone to go out and buy the book!)
Ed asked if I could sign some copies of the book, which I was happy to do, though it felt a bit weird--me, autographing something? But my ego quickly conquered over that feeling, and after I signed a couple of copies, Ed had me pose with the lovely and sweet Lady Action:
After that, I visited the booth of my oldest friends, Kubert School (rah) brethren Chris Wichtendahl, who was promoting the approximate seventeen thousand projects he has going at any given moment. I asked him (and his lovely girlfriend Misty, who I was meeting for the first time) where the hell Artists' Alley was, and he decided to get up and show me where it was.
Turns out the con decided to give AA its own room at the show, which was cool because it meant a lot more space. The only downside was, to get to it, you had to go down this twisty-turny alley that reminded one of the place Joe Chill shot the Waynes. But once you made it through there (after fighting off some Morlocks), you ended up in AA!
Chris and I stopped by the table of another Kubie vet, artist Dan O'Connor. I hadn't seen Dan in over twenty years(!), but it was sort of amazing how it seemed like very little time had passed. We traded artist horror stories (of which Dan has too many) and generally caught up.
While we were talking, my pal and Aquaman Shrine Patron Saint Paul Kupperberg stopped by and said hello, and he showed off his super-awesome sketch book. Momentarily considering running off with it, I decided that was not the way to go so we posed for a pic together instead:
(I realize no one will be looking at me in this photo)
After that, I visited the booth of my oldest friends, Kubert School (rah) brethren Chris Wichtendahl, who was promoting the approximate seventeen thousand projects he has going at any given moment. I asked him (and his lovely girlfriend Misty, who I was meeting for the first time) where the hell Artists' Alley was, and he decided to get up and show me where it was.
Turns out the con decided to give AA its own room at the show, which was cool because it meant a lot more space. The only downside was, to get to it, you had to go down this twisty-turny alley that reminded one of the place Joe Chill shot the Waynes. But once you made it through there (after fighting off some Morlocks), you ended up in AA!
Chris and I stopped by the table of another Kubie vet, artist Dan O'Connor. I hadn't seen Dan in over twenty years(!), but it was sort of amazing how it seemed like very little time had passed. We traded artist horror stories (of which Dan has too many) and generally caught up.
While we were talking, my pal and Aquaman Shrine Patron Saint Paul Kupperberg stopped by and said hello, and he showed off his super-awesome sketch book. Momentarily considering running off with it, I decided that was not the way to go so we posed for a pic together instead:
Hmm...I wonder how Paul would look in a Captain Action costume?
Shortly thereafter, Chris went back to his booth and I wandered AA some more, looking at the various artists tables. I didn't have a lot of money to spend, sketch-wise, which means bypassing some of the really big-name people who were there whose work I love.
But I got lucky--I happened to see the work by an artist I was not familiar with, a guy named Josh Ellingson. Josh had a really beautiful, clean, crisp style, so I asked if could do an Aquaman piece for me. He readily agreed, and left to let him get to work.
While I was wandering, I saw The Master--Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. Some day I hope to get a sketch from him, but for now I had to come up with some other reason to go and bother him with my fanboy ramblings. I did just that, by explaining the Shrine to him and getting him to sign this:
...yes, a F.O.A.M. certificate signed by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. Off to the framing store!
After shaking The Master's hand and thanking him, I made my way to the DC booth and took some pics of the toys on display, including the new Aquaman and Mera figures:
...wow, three members of the Aqua-Family in one toy assortment. That has to be a record.
While wandering some more, I took pics of a lot of the cosplayers, and there were some really good ones:
...I told these two I was happy to see them getting along well enough to go to a con together. That is one adorable Star Sapphire!
After making my way through the aisles of book publishers (where I made some great contacts re: my Hey Kids, Comics! book) I stopped at the Stone Arch book, where superb artist and all-around cool-guy Art Baltazar was signing copies of the DC Super Pets sneak preview they were giving out. Art was doing little ten-second sketches in each book, and I got an original Aquaman (and seal!):
...I cannot wait to get my hands on these books, they look so damn cool!
I then went back to Artists Alley, where Josh had finished his Aquaman sketch. As expected, it ended up being all kinds of awesome:
...I love this happy Aquaman and his squid pal. A great piece!
Afterward, I stopped by the Sequart booth where my pal, Richard Bensam, was promoting his new book Minutes to Midnight: Twelve Essays on Watchmen. I was happy to see the book was selling like the proverbial hotcakes, and even happier to learn that he was hard at work on a piece for my Hey Kids! book. Ginchy!
By about the mid-afternoon, with the hall very crowded, I began to get a little tired of being there, so I started working my way out the door. But not before I met up with F.O.A.M.er Joe Slab, who had just finished attending a panel with Geoff Johns.
We met (appropriately) at the DC booth, and we talked about the secret mission I had clued a couple of FOAMers in on: a week or two ago, Dan Didio agreed to pose for a picture with a FOAM certificate if someone asked him to at the con. Considering that a magnanimous gesture, considering all the shots he's taken from fans (including me), I really wanted to pull this off, somehow.
So I asked a couple of FOAMers who I knew would be at the show to bring their certificate and have it at the ready in case they saw DD at the show. Not being a panel guy, I didn't have that opportunity, but Joe did, at a panel that took place after I had left. On my ride home, I got a text from Joe saying he got the photo!
I was thrilled with Joe's enthusiasm and extra effort for the Shrine, and on Saturday morning this was waiting for me in my inbox:
This made my day--partly because of Mr. Didio (all is forgiven, sir) and partly because of Joe. His is truly a Friend of Aquaman!
But Joe wasn't the only FOAMer who was snapping pics of this historic moment. Joshua Rainey was there, too (in his AquaHoodie!) and got an ever clearer shot:
...outrageous!
I had to skip the show on Saturday, but I returned Sunday, and that turned out to be a good thing: various people who were there on Saturday told me the hall was packed beyond belief, to the point where you simply couldn't move, at all. That kind of stuff drives me crazy, so I'm glad I wasn't there. Sunday seemed pretty crowded too, but there were spots where you could break from the pack and get where you needed to go.
Sketchbook-wise, I decided to do something a little different: instead of looking for another artist to get a sketch from, I went back to Josh Ellingson and asked him to do a second piece for me, this time of Mera. Josh was a little unsure what Mera looked like, but I had thought ahead and brought a comic for reference.
With my book once again in Josh's hands, I focused on meeting up again with Chris, Dan, Ed, and Richard, as well as with some first-timers: I got to meet F.O.A.M.er Derek Richardson for the first time, while he was in line to meet J.Michael Straczynski. Derek was the generous soul who purchased a whole mess of stickers for me to distribute to other FOAMers for the big comic con sticker giveaway!
I also met up with the Schafer family--Mac, Katy, Hunter, Hannah, Tory, and Skye. They are one big Aqua-lovin' family, having sent in numerous items to the Shrine, both official and homemade. Katy took a pic of me with Mac and the kids, and then it was my turn:
Hunter even had a gift for me, two brand-new artistic efforts by him of Aquaman and Mera:
I love(d) it, and its a perfect companion piece to the Aquaman. I thanked Josh again for his great work, and made a beeline for the door.
On my way back to the Port Authority, I couldn't help but notice something. On my way to the con, somewhere around 38th street, I passed by a guy, looking the worse for wear, leaning none-too-steadily on the hood of a car that I'm pretty sure wasn't his. He had what looked like a bottle of something (Mr. Pib?) in a paper bag at his feet. Okay, nothing terribly alarming here.
But I happened to walk the same streets back, and there was the guy, in the same exact position, four hours later. He's probably still there as you read this.
All in all, I had a really good time at the show--I met up with some old friends, met some new ones, and made some what could be important contacts for my Hey Kids! book. And its all because of the Aquaman Shrine--and what all of you have helped make it become--that I got to get in, for free, early, which for me is a big plus when doing these shows.
Never in my wildest dreams when I absent-mindedly started this blog on a quiet night in 2006 did I think it would still be going strong, four years later, with no signs--or intentions--of stopping. The Shrine's audience is bigger than its ever been, and the number of F.O.A.M. members is now a small army.
The Aquaman Shrine doesn't generate any income for me (I don't run ads on the site, never have, although that is something I have considered), so due to some financial limitations, I had to scale back some of the more...grandiose plans I had for the Shrine in 2010. Some ideas got, er, watered down, some plans got put off entirely.
But without me asking, all you AquaFans have really stepped up to the plate. If some piece of Aqua-News breaks on the web, I'll get half a dozen emails about it within minutes. Some new Aqua-Item comes out, I can rest assured I'll be getting photos of it so we can talk about it here. The sheer scope of what the Shrine now covers is staggering to me, and its almost entirely because of all of you.
My sincerest, deepest thanks for all of your continued interest and enthusiasm in the Aquaman Shrine. 2011 will be Aquaman's 70th year(!!), and I am hoping that we'll be able to capitalize on that, with some really cool stuff I have in my head that maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to make happen here.
Semper Aqua!
Post Script: In recognition of their extra-special efforts in service of the Shrine, F.O.A.M.ers Joe Slab and The Schafer Family are hereby awarded the Aquaman Shrine's Special Citation of Merit:
Shortly thereafter, Chris went back to his booth and I wandered AA some more, looking at the various artists tables. I didn't have a lot of money to spend, sketch-wise, which means bypassing some of the really big-name people who were there whose work I love.
But I got lucky--I happened to see the work by an artist I was not familiar with, a guy named Josh Ellingson. Josh had a really beautiful, clean, crisp style, so I asked if could do an Aquaman piece for me. He readily agreed, and left to let him get to work.
While I was wandering, I saw The Master--Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. Some day I hope to get a sketch from him, but for now I had to come up with some other reason to go and bother him with my fanboy ramblings. I did just that, by explaining the Shrine to him and getting him to sign this:
After shaking The Master's hand and thanking him, I made my way to the DC booth and took some pics of the toys on display, including the new Aquaman and Mera figures:
While wandering some more, I took pics of a lot of the cosplayers, and there were some really good ones:
After making my way through the aisles of book publishers (where I made some great contacts re: my Hey Kids, Comics! book) I stopped at the Stone Arch book, where superb artist and all-around cool-guy Art Baltazar was signing copies of the DC Super Pets sneak preview they were giving out. Art was doing little ten-second sketches in each book, and I got an original Aquaman (and seal!):
I then went back to Artists Alley, where Josh had finished his Aquaman sketch. As expected, it ended up being all kinds of awesome:
Afterward, I stopped by the Sequart booth where my pal, Richard Bensam, was promoting his new book Minutes to Midnight: Twelve Essays on Watchmen. I was happy to see the book was selling like the proverbial hotcakes, and even happier to learn that he was hard at work on a piece for my Hey Kids! book. Ginchy!
By about the mid-afternoon, with the hall very crowded, I began to get a little tired of being there, so I started working my way out the door. But not before I met up with F.O.A.M.er Joe Slab, who had just finished attending a panel with Geoff Johns.
We met (appropriately) at the DC booth, and we talked about the secret mission I had clued a couple of FOAMers in on: a week or two ago, Dan Didio agreed to pose for a picture with a FOAM certificate if someone asked him to at the con. Considering that a magnanimous gesture, considering all the shots he's taken from fans (including me), I really wanted to pull this off, somehow.
So I asked a couple of FOAMers who I knew would be at the show to bring their certificate and have it at the ready in case they saw DD at the show. Not being a panel guy, I didn't have that opportunity, but Joe did, at a panel that took place after I had left. On my ride home, I got a text from Joe saying he got the photo!
I was thrilled with Joe's enthusiasm and extra effort for the Shrine, and on Saturday morning this was waiting for me in my inbox:
But Joe wasn't the only FOAMer who was snapping pics of this historic moment. Joshua Rainey was there, too (in his AquaHoodie!) and got an ever clearer shot:
I had to skip the show on Saturday, but I returned Sunday, and that turned out to be a good thing: various people who were there on Saturday told me the hall was packed beyond belief, to the point where you simply couldn't move, at all. That kind of stuff drives me crazy, so I'm glad I wasn't there. Sunday seemed pretty crowded too, but there were spots where you could break from the pack and get where you needed to go.
Sketchbook-wise, I decided to do something a little different: instead of looking for another artist to get a sketch from, I went back to Josh Ellingson and asked him to do a second piece for me, this time of Mera. Josh was a little unsure what Mera looked like, but I had thought ahead and brought a comic for reference.
With my book once again in Josh's hands, I focused on meeting up again with Chris, Dan, Ed, and Richard, as well as with some first-timers: I got to meet F.O.A.M.er Derek Richardson for the first time, while he was in line to meet J.Michael Straczynski. Derek was the generous soul who purchased a whole mess of stickers for me to distribute to other FOAMers for the big comic con sticker giveaway!
I also met up with the Schafer family--Mac, Katy, Hunter, Hannah, Tory, and Skye. They are one big Aqua-lovin' family, having sent in numerous items to the Shrine, both official and homemade. Katy took a pic of me with Mac and the kids, and then it was my turn:
Hunter even had a gift for me, two brand-new artistic efforts by him of Aquaman and Mera:
I dig the fingerless gloves--makes complete sense!
(On a separate note: these look like the kind of pieces that were in my portfolio when I applied to the Joe Kubert School. Hunter, you are way ahead of the curve!)
Having said my goodbyes to the Schafers (who were going on a tour of the DC offices the next day; gee Mac, could you be my Dad?), I had a little more time to kill, so while meandering I snapped some more cosplay photos:
(I apologize both you, the Shrine readers and to Power Girl for this lousy photo--it was a great costume and I'm not doing it service here)
(On a separate note: these look like the kind of pieces that were in my portfolio when I applied to the Joe Kubert School. Hunter, you are way ahead of the curve!)
Having said my goodbyes to the Schafers (who were going on a tour of the DC offices the next day; gee Mac, could you be my Dad?), I had a little more time to kill, so while meandering I snapped some more cosplay photos:
I did see a couple of other amazing costumes that, for one reason or another, I didn't get pics of--a Kingdom Come Superman, several other Wonder Women, a couple of Green Lanterns, even Cloak and Dagger(!).
There was one cosplayer that left even an old hand like me a little startled--a woman in trenchcoat, covered from head to foot in bodypaint, looking sort of like a Rogue-colored Navi. But I couldn't help notice--she was topless. I did like a double take, trying not to stare but I couldn't believe that this woman was walking around the con in an open trenchcoat, a tiny pair of panties, and that was it. I can only hope she never got anywhere near the Schafer family.
Realizing that would probably be the most surprising thing I would see at the NYCC, period, I made my way back to Josh Ellingson's table, where he handed me back my sketchbook, this time with a new Mera in it:
There was one cosplayer that left even an old hand like me a little startled--a woman in trenchcoat, covered from head to foot in bodypaint, looking sort of like a Rogue-colored Navi. But I couldn't help notice--she was topless. I did like a double take, trying not to stare but I couldn't believe that this woman was walking around the con in an open trenchcoat, a tiny pair of panties, and that was it. I can only hope she never got anywhere near the Schafer family.
Realizing that would probably be the most surprising thing I would see at the NYCC, period, I made my way back to Josh Ellingson's table, where he handed me back my sketchbook, this time with a new Mera in it:
On my way back to the Port Authority, I couldn't help but notice something. On my way to the con, somewhere around 38th street, I passed by a guy, looking the worse for wear, leaning none-too-steadily on the hood of a car that I'm pretty sure wasn't his. He had what looked like a bottle of something (Mr. Pib?) in a paper bag at his feet. Okay, nothing terribly alarming here.
But I happened to walk the same streets back, and there was the guy, in the same exact position, four hours later. He's probably still there as you read this.
All in all, I had a really good time at the show--I met up with some old friends, met some new ones, and made some what could be important contacts for my Hey Kids! book. And its all because of the Aquaman Shrine--and what all of you have helped make it become--that I got to get in, for free, early, which for me is a big plus when doing these shows.
Never in my wildest dreams when I absent-mindedly started this blog on a quiet night in 2006 did I think it would still be going strong, four years later, with no signs--or intentions--of stopping. The Shrine's audience is bigger than its ever been, and the number of F.O.A.M. members is now a small army.
The Aquaman Shrine doesn't generate any income for me (I don't run ads on the site, never have, although that is something I have considered), so due to some financial limitations, I had to scale back some of the more...grandiose plans I had for the Shrine in 2010. Some ideas got, er, watered down, some plans got put off entirely.
But without me asking, all you AquaFans have really stepped up to the plate. If some piece of Aqua-News breaks on the web, I'll get half a dozen emails about it within minutes. Some new Aqua-Item comes out, I can rest assured I'll be getting photos of it so we can talk about it here. The sheer scope of what the Shrine now covers is staggering to me, and its almost entirely because of all of you.
My sincerest, deepest thanks for all of your continued interest and enthusiasm in the Aquaman Shrine. 2011 will be Aquaman's 70th year(!!), and I am hoping that we'll be able to capitalize on that, with some really cool stuff I have in my head that maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to make happen here.
Semper Aqua!
Post Script: In recognition of their extra-special efforts in service of the Shrine, F.O.A.M.ers Joe Slab and The Schafer Family are hereby awarded the Aquaman Shrine's Special Citation of Merit:
Congrats everyone, and thanks again!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
DC Universe Aquaman Action Figure by Mattel - 2010
But I didn't find this on my own--no, a week or so ago F.O.A.M.er Derek Richardson left a comment on the Shrine's Facebook page telling me that he saw one of these at a Target near him. He asked if I wanted him to go back and pick it up for me. I told Derek that I'd love that, but I didn't hold out much hope it would still be there by time he went back.
Little did I know, in the time between his comment and my Debbie Downer response, Derek already had gone back to the store, found the figure, and bought it! OUTRAGEOUS!
Derek promptly packed the figure up and sent it to me, and now it's all mine! And, oh man, do I love this baby. It's Classic Aquaman, done in that JLU style I dig so much. I couldn't bear to open it up, so I'm going to keep searching for another one to open. Normally I'm not so fussy with my Aqua-stuff by I just dig this too much not to own two (or three, or four...).
But this wasn't the only cool thing Derek has done for the Shrine recently. Last week, I launched the Agents of F.O.A.M. initiative, which involves distributing Aquaman-themed stickers at various comic cons. I mentioned there were two ways to contribute: 1)Make a $5 donation via Paypal to help cover the costs of making the stickers, or 2)Purchase the sticker sheets yourself and send them to me.
Derek chose choice #2, but he went further: he bought and sent to me three packages of stickers, of which I was to use to send to other Agents of F.O.A.M.! That means I'll be able to create 180 stickers, with very little cost to me. Again, outrageous!
So, to that end, I'm issuing Derek a special commendation, what I call The Aquaman Shrine Citation of Merit:
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