Too damn excited for next week’s Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC. This is one of the only conventions I do every year, and for good reason. Shelton Drum, Dustin Harbin and the rest of the gang from Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find put on a spectacular show, with the focus being comic books, comic book art and comic book creators. Didja see me mention video games or movies? Nope, and that’s what makes this show one of the best. It’s a great chance to meet your favorite artists and writers in a very low key, but personal atmosphere. If you’re not already going, GO! If you can’t go this year, make every effort to go down next year. Seriously, you will thank me!

Ok, so where can you find Vito (me), Rachel Freire and FCHS? We’ll all be in Artist’s Alley, at Table AA-323*, next to Thomas Boatwright (of Cemetery Blues and Edgar Allan Poo fame). You can bet, however, that I will be hanging at AA-312 (Mike Lilly), AA-408 (Tom Fowler), AA-613 (Jeremy Haun), AA-117 (Joe Staton), AA-712 (Khary Randolph), and AA-304 (Chris Samnee) and wherever Dean Trippe is** but truth be told, I’m always walking around because I’m a big fan too! Stop by all these tables and everywhere else for that matter! We will have plenty of FCHS on sale at the show for $15, so feel free to come get one signed by Rachel and me.

And do not miss your chance to own a Rachel Freire original when she donates art to the Art Auction on Saturday night. It’s the highlight of the show and you’re donating to a good cause. Oh, there are other artists donating too

Can’t wait to see you there!

*Click Here for a Map of the Show

**Just Announced – Dean is at AA-443

No Divert Your Attention this week. Instead, I wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate my good friend, and one of the handful of editors I’ve worked with, Michael Siglain, and his wife, Christine, on the birth of their daughter. Both mother and child are doing well, and daddy is on top of the world.

Congrats, Mike! Cigars will be handed out soon!

Normally, when I do these Divert Your Attentions, I get the inspiration from earlier in the week. Something happens, or someone says something, and I say, “I love that!” and realize I can write a thousand words on the subject and see if there’s some kind of collective admiration for that very topic.

This week, that didn’t happen. If it did, pffft, long gone now.

So I was in the midst of figuring out what today’s post would be and I just looked up at my computer and saw this:

I have a borderline idiotic love for Aquaman. He’s not my favorite character, by any means. That distinction goes to Dick Grayson and any of his noms de guerre. Or Ted Grant, the ever-loving Wildcat. Blue Beetle, Starman, the Question, Hawkman, even Doctor Fate all come before Aquaman, not to mention any of the characters I’ve created myself(ie, with super talented folks).

And yet, I feel bad for the character. He gets an incredibly bad rap. No one really likes Aquaman.

So, I went about collecting Aquaman, trying to find the great in the good. And what I found was a goofy character with an awesome costume, unreasonable powers, and a devoted following. Waid made him cool in JLA Year One. David made him edgy in his run on the series. Grant made him regal in his JLA. And Ross did him “justice” in his maxi-series. These are four of the top writers in the field, and each one found something about him that made him cool. Why couldn’t everyone else see this?

One of the hardest parts of creator owned comics, specifically, the creation part of it, is the process of making folks care about a character they’ve never heard of before. Think about Aquaman. Everyone has heard of him, and yet, no one cares about him. How hard of a process is this? Truly, if you aren’t in love with Aquaman, who has been on tv shows, cartoons, and DVD’s, how will I get you to love my characters?

The answer is simple. By embracing it. Hence my over-the-top acceptance of Arthur Curry, Orin of Atlantis.

So, I invite you to join us, the few, the proud, the Aquaman fans.

First off, visit the Aquaman Shrine, one of the most comprehensive Aquaman sites on the web. If you don’t like ‘im after this, give up. ‘Cause it’s gonna get goofier.

Adam P. Knave, editor of Popgun, took this ridiculous picture of me for his blog:

Aquaman Dance Party?

Aquaman, as referenced by Dave Chappelle:

Late Late Show host, Craig Ferguson, gets in on the act:

So does Jimmy Kimmel:

Aquaman PWNS in this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK6ls__DY9I

Finally, my friends at iFanboy (specifically, Conor) tell us what is wrong with Aquaman (wow, why didn’t I watch this first?) and tell us why he’s cool:

See? He ain’t all that bad!

Do me a favor and order FCHS Volume 1. You’ll love it! So, really, you’ll be doing yourself the favor!

I love the Little Rascals (or rather, Our Gang).  My childhood was probably shaped by a lot of the mischief that these kids experienced.  I bought the Complete Collection DVD a little while ago, and something occurred to me: Stymie Beard was a great comedic actor, and keep in mind, he started doing the shorts when he was FIVE years old.  He was really quite phenomenal, and while there are some blatant racist overtones, Beard’s charm wins you over every time.  I don’t think that even the most racist of supremacists could deny that the kid was, truly, funny.  But I’ve never been one to wonder what a racist thinks, so let’s move on…

He had a rough life, post Our Gang.  According to his Wikipedia entry, he had a heroin habit and was in and out of jail throughout his teens.  He did eventually kick the habit and would show up on both Sanford and Son and Good Times.  He died in 1981, seven days after his 56th birthday, and what a tragedy to have died at such a young age.  He definitely had more to give.

So, let’s take a second to remember one of the greatest child actors of the 20th Century:

Finally, I present to you the greatest moment in children’s television:

Finally, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t tell you that you can order FCHS right now via ComiXpress!

That’s how this should start, right? Because 20 years ago this month (eight days ago, in fact), ABC aired Twin Peaks, a show that was way before it’s time and still stands as one of my favorites. It remains a cult favorite, due to it’s quirky characters (some of the best in fiction) and it’s compelling murder mystery. However, if you’re like me and you’re around my age, you remember Twin Peaks for one specific reason:

Audrey Horne. Or, as she’s known in real life, Sherilyn Fenn.

Not having the benefit of an IMDB back when the show was out, Sherilyn Fenn appeared as if from nowhere, from some magical land where Jane Russell and Veronica Lake had mixed their DNA together. Looking at it now, she might have caught my eye in 21 Jump Street or maybe Just One of the Guys…but unlikely. I noticed her when she did this:

I also, very vividly, remember this:

When she asks, “Isn’t it just too dreamy?” I just about melt.

Here’s more of Sherilyn and Sherilyn as Audrey.

And just so you don’t think I’m painting this in retro-spectacles, here she is recently, still gorgeous at 45:

Dreamy…

Don’t forget to order FCHS!

It’s 2:45 PM on April 7, 2010. After being canceled by it’s original publisher, you may now order your copy of FCHS Volume 1 by clicking the image above. Feel free to crash ComiXpress’ servers. Much thanks and gratitude to Chris Pitzer and Jose Villarrubia.

Today, I became a self-publisher. Kind of fitting seeing as the MoCCA Art Fest is this weekend.

Without giving too much of a build-up, I’ll just tell you all of the things you should PRE-ORDER or Special Order at a comic shop near you, and some things you should bookmark…like, now.

*Out Now, POPGUN VOLUME 4:

READ: The Golden Mantis of Chinatown by Vito Delsante & Attila Adorjany (p 469/520).

To Order – Diamond Order Code: DEC09 0379
Amazon.Com

*Coming in AUGUST…SAVAGE DRAGON #163 (I kid you not):

READ: Faster Baby Yeah Yeah by Vito Delsante & Rachel Freire

Diamond Order Code: TBA

*News on FCHS coming! But in the meantime…

This is a big deal, folks. We need your help to make this book possible. The idea is putting comics in the classroom, and it’s a great idea. Please donate and pre-order your copy of the Reading With Pictures anthology (which has an exclusive FCHS story!).

*Online: Project: Rooftop.

(Red Cross by Dean Trippe)

New Column: RETROFIX. Bookmark the site and read about new characters that you can’t and wont see anywhere else!

Re: Your Perceptions of Me

To All That Are Concerned (and most that aren’t),

I would like to take this opportunity to tell you who I am. Or rather, I’d like to start with who I am not.

I am not a geek that lucked into the opportunities I have been given. I am not a dork in a store behind a counter with a grand plan to “save” the X-Men or some other valuable franchise. I am a writer, a writer who crafts stories. However, something troubling has been happening for the better part of my career. Most of you look at me and see my occupation, not my career. You can’t imagine me outside of my job.

You’re being prejudiced. And for an industry that prides itself on it’s ability to see past race, creed, sexuality, sex, and colors, that’s quite a charge. There are those who think that because I work in retail that I am unable to contribute positively to this industry. That because I sell comics for a living, I can’t give.

You’re wrong. You’re dead wrong.

I have fought for every opportunity that has been given to me, and there are those that have fought with me and given me those opportunities out of a belief that one person can do amazing things. That if given a chance, one person can spark a creative fire in others. That is the writer’s job, to strike a match and light a fire under an artist, a job I have performed many times over. But because I work in a comic store, there are those that think my opinion matters less, my imagination is shallow and my voice isn’t valid.

My professional writing career begin eight years ago on a whim, like many others have. A five page story that an editor saw as entertaining and worth printing. Since then, I’ve struggled. I’ve done a short story here, an anthology there, but when it came time to do something long form, doors closed. Publishers have gone out of business, titles have been canceled, stories have been pulled from publication. Most recently, my graphic novel, FCHS, was canceled as a result of low pre-orders. In and of itself, a book being canceled in today’s market isn’t shocking. What is shocking is that in an industry that cries out for something new, something that isn’t superheroes or the status quo, this book shouldn’t have failed. Quite the opposite, as we had a number of free previews for the book that, by all counts, have found their way into a multitude of hands. Something is wrong with the industry, and not everyone can see it. But that is a post for another time…

What I’m getting at is this: It’s not for a lack of trying. I am a writer. This is who I am. Doors open and doors close and doors remain ajar, but I always thought that these things would happen as a result of something I did or said. Instead, the situation I find myself in is one where these things are happening as a result of something I have no control over.

So, you, the comic industry, are leaving me no choice.

World domination.

Seriously, though, it may come to something like that, but not quite in the megalomaniac sense. I’m standing on the precipice of a world of my own making, as slightly psychotic as that sounds. What I’m proposing is this: creating a world of my own, worlds of my own, and inviting you, the comic industry, to come along and inhabit that world.

You wont let me into yours, but you are always welcome in mine.

(Heh…I almost wrote, “…you are always welcome in mind.”)

I look forward to seeing you there, even if you are dragged kicking and screaming into it.

Don’t make me drag you kicking and screaming.

October 10th was the date of the last post, and as you can imagine, a lot has happened since then. Let’s go through the bullet list:

1. FCHS Canceled – The announcement was made October 12 on the AdHouse blog. Since then, the number one question is, “What happens now?” To be perfectly honest, we don’t know. Rachel and I are discussing a few options, but unfortunately, no one has jumped to our “rescue,” as it were. That’s not entirely true. We had a few folks mention us on their blogs (Sean Collins and Tom Spurgeon immediately spring to mind), and without naming names, we were given two generous offers, one that can’t be done as of this writing (the other to be revealed at a later date). The book is done (read the complete first chapter here) and it will come out in some way, shape, or form. That much I can tell you. The road to print is one that I can’t see the destination from, but Rachel and I will still travel.

2. Stray: Scripting Complete – On a positive note, STRAY, my straight-up superhero story for [CLASSIFIED] has been written and is completed and is in the editor’s hands. Waiting for notes, but for the most part, my job is done (until the book is ready to be seen and I go into huckster mode). I’ve seen the first two pages and good gravy, you will be floored. Ladies and gentlemen, the game has been changed! As a postscript, if you’re not following me on Twitter or on Facebook, do so. I post character designs at least once a week. AND, there will be a theme song!

3. What is ECNOWRIYER? – Chris Arrant is an old friend. I think he did my first interview at Newsarama many years ago, and we’ve been friends forever on Livejournal. Chris is also one of the founders of The Chemistry Set. So, it stands to reason that if I were to work on a project with any other writer, I’d go to Chris first (if not first, definitely in my top 5). Chris and I got to talking about writing prose and we both agreed that it’s something we wanted to try. So, beginning January 1, 2010, we begin ECNOWRIYER, which is a play on NaNoWriMo (East Coast NOvel WRIting YEaR). We’ve hooked in pulp writer extraordinaire and another good friend, Bobby Nash and we’re all set to go. I’ll post my weekly progress here. Oh, and the book I’ll be attempting to write? STUCK, my old Chemistry Set comic! Feel free to join the fun!

4. Popgun Volume 4 – AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER NOW! After FCHS, I’ve learned my lesson! Order Popgun Volume 4 (Image Comics) at your local retailer today (order code: DEC09 0379)! I have a story with my good friend, Attila Adorjany, called The Golden Mantis of Chinatown (a quick sample can be seen here). The book clocks in at 512 PAGES and is bigger than previous offerings, so this is the best bang for your buck (29.99 of them). I’ll be doing some appearances to promote the book, and Tom Scioli and I are talking about appearing in the Pittsburgh area together! Tell your local retailer to get in touch with us! The book comes out (tentatively) on FEBRUARY 10, 2010!

5. “What happens now?” – There’s a lot of stuff on my plate, and that’s the odd thing about adversity and missteps and losing some of the battles; you, or at least I, hunker down and get back to work. And there’s a lot of work to be done.

Thank you everyone for your support and your kind words. Please stay tuned. There’s a lot of cool, unusual, fantastic things to come.

I swear.