The Sunday Spotlight: The ‘I Can See The Confidence On Their Faces’ Edition
by Richard Bruton
Another week, another Sunday Spotlight… dipping our toes into the puddle of comics news…
Hero Initiative art auction… Baltimore Comic Con – Sept 21…
The Hero Initiative is an essential charity doing great things for comic creators, providing them with essential funds to cover insurance and medical costs in an industry where these things can be so difficult. For example, just looking at the testimonials on their site, they’ve helped the likes of Russ Heath, Steve Gerber, and Gene Colan when they needed help the most.
At Baltimore Comic Con on 21 September there will be a huge Hero Initiative art auction of some absolutely gorgeous pieces from a host of artists, including Carlos Pacheco, Frank Quitely, Mike Perkins, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, and so many more. Unique pieces, gorgeous pieces, and all raising funds to such a good cause. Their also hosting creators all weekend, again raising funds for the charity.
But you don’t have to be there in person to take part and raise vital funds, as proxy bidding is running right now until 16 September.
But why wait – find out more information and donate here – https://www.heroinitiative.org/
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Pete Ashton’s history of (and in) zine comics…
Back when I was a youngster and working at Nostalgia & Comics, Birmingham, UK (now, sadly, Worlds Apart Birmingham), I managed to wangle myself into a position where the boss there gave me a lot of leeway with working with a hell of a lot of great Brit comic makers to get their wares on the shelves. This was mid-90s, and it certainly helped that it was the time of Paul Grist’s Kane, Gary Spencer Millidge’s Strangehaven, Paul Rainey’s Memory Man, Wiley and McKinnon’s Sleaze Castle, Nabiel Kanan’s Exit, and plenty more.
Ah, it was a wonderful time indeed. And then Pete Ashton walked in with a whole load more… Pete’s BugPowder zine was rather a thing in the history of comic zines, full of great comics from some great creatives.
Anyway, Pete’s started a site designed to catalogue what he has (and he has a LOT) and act as an online archive of the comics zine scene – definitely worth a look to see what’s there and to read some of Pete’s thoughts on things – BugPowder Zine Archive.
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Congratulations to Neill Cameron on finishing the epic (and absolutely brilliant) Mega-Robo Bros…
Neill Cameron‘s Mega-Robo Bros started in the Phoenix Comic in issue 113, February 2014, and it all came to something of an epic conclusion in last weeks Phoenix Comic – 267 episodes in all, making up seven already published books with the eighth and final book out in 2025.
I’ve told you all about it a couple of times here at Comicon (here, here, here, here, here, and here) and it’s been an absolute pleasure to be able to congratulate Neill on getting the whole series done – it’s been wonderful all the way through to the very end!
Over on his substack – sign up here – he points you to some of the media he’s been doing for the conclusion, you can find that on his Instagram, and we’ve embedded one below for you – have a watch! He also adds in some bonus commentary to some of the questions asked, such as this one…
‘PHOENIX QUESTIONER: How do you feel now that Mega Robo Bros is coming to an end?’
‘NEILL CAMERON: That’s a tough one. It’s quite a big deal. I’ve been drawing it for like ten years. I think when I was drawing the last few episodes, when they were on the drawing board, I was getting a bit emotional. Not gonna lie, I was getting a bit emotional. I was feeling really sad to be saying goodbye to Alex and Freddy and all these characters. But, now that I’m actually finished, pretty much teh second I finished drawing it… I feel great! I’m so excited. I finished my story. I got to the end. I got it over the finish line. I think it’s a really good ending, too, and I’m just excited for people to get to finally read it. I hope you feel the same way when you get to the ending!’
And the bonus answer…
‘Yes, I did feel great upon finishing it. But now, as it comes to an end in the comic, there… have been a few more ups and downs. This is a story I have been working on / pouring my entire heart and soul into for the last decade plus, that represents a significant chunk of my life and work and that is intimately and specifically tied up with my experience of parenthood, the most important parts of myself, my purpose in life and basically my entire sense of self.’
Now – go and buy the Phoenix and all of Neill’s books!
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Oh, in other Phoenix comic news… Kids aren’t reading comics, eh? Well, Jamie Smart’s Bunny Vs Monkey begs to differ…
Just as with Neill Cameron‘s Mega-Robo Bros, Jamie Smart‘s Bunny Vs Monkey is another Phoenix Comic strip and one that, to say the least, has taken off… leading to it being absolutely beloved by a generation of comic-reading children. Again, I’ve been telling you (and anyone who’ll listen) how good it is for a while now.
So, if the success of Raina Telgemeier, Dav Pilkey, Alice Oseman et al isn’t enough to silence those miserable old gits who keep telling us online that kids just don’t read comics any more and that comics just aren’t any good any more… give ’em this one…
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Rob Williams tells you just how to get your comic optioned for TV or the movies… or maybe not…
After the news that Rob Williams and Pye Parr‘s excellent new Image series Petrol Head had been optioned for film, Rob decided to sit down and write you a how-to guide for getting your comic optioned…
Excellent piece, well worth reading… and let’s keep everything crossed that Petrol Head gets it’s day in the movie/TV sun – although of course, as Rob points out, just because it’s been optioned doesn’t mean we’ll get to see it…
‘My social media thriller, the Vertigo series UNFOLLOW, has been optioned now… maybe 5 or 6 times (I’ve lost count). It is still yet to be made. But myself and the co-owner Mike Dowling get a cheque every now and again. Very welcome that cheque is too. From making a freelance writing life work perspective, these option cheques dropping periodically help keep your work going. Help pay the bills, give you the breathing space to be working on the next creator-owned book etc. They’re important. And the Company paying the Option fee means they’re still trying to get it made, in whatever form that might take. For the most part, companies don’t spend money unless they’re serious about developing something. So, option fees = hope.’
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Happy Birthday Sergio Aragones… 87 years of greatness!…
Yes, happy 87th birthday (on 6 September) to the great Sergio Aragones, a true cartooning force of nature, an artistic genius, creator of Groo The Wanderer, frequent and prolific MAD Magazine contributor, and so many other comics and strips besides.
Honestly, if you’ve never seen or read his work, you truly don’t know comics yet, and have such a treat in store…
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And finally… Jose Garcia-Lopez is THIS good…
This is one of those fabulous things that I’ve seen occasionally online, most recently shared by Aaron Meyers, an anecdote from Andrew Helfer talking about an undated visit to the DC Comics offices of Jean (Moebius) Giraud, when he catches sight of a Jose Garcia-Lopez Wonder Woman illustration…
And Moebius is absolutely right… given that this is what Garcia-Lopez’s art looks like… ‘son of a bitch’ indeed…
