Janet Hetherington & Ronn Sutton at Fan Expo Canada Sept. 1-4, 2016

Next weekend is Fan Expo Canada, taking place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from September 1-4, 2016. Ronn Sutton and I are back again this year, and if you are at the con, we want to see your smiling faces!



Janet Hetherington (Artists Alley, P9B, South Building) - I will be bringing prints of my artwork from THE SECRET LOVES OF GEEKS GIRLS, copies of INFECTIOUS, OR SQUID-TONGUE SLEEPWALKING MONSTER APOCALYPSE, copies of ETERNALLY YOURS: ILLUSTRATED STORIES OF ETERNAL ROMANCE, DVDs and more. I will be taking commissions for artwork. Autographs are free!

Ronn Sutton (Artists Alley, P10A, South Building) - Ronn will be bringing prints of his artwork for MY FAIR ZOMBIE: THE MUSICAL (from filmmaker Brett Kelly), ELVIRA: MISTRESS OF THE DARK, VAMPIRA, and SPACE GIRL. He will have copies of LUCIFERS SWORD MC and VICTIMS OF WAR, and more. Ronn will be taking commissions for original artwork.  Autographs are free!













PLUS!


Be sure to check out the special screening of GHASTLIES by Brett Kelly on Friday morning in room 707 at 11 am. GHASTLIES is an 80s-style horror film that's sure to be a cult favourite... in fact, I play a cult member in it! Visit Brett at his table in the North Building.

Gene Day Awards for Canadian indie comics creators open for submission

The Joe Shuster Awards has announced that it is now accepting 2012 self-published works by Canadian creators for consideration in 2013. 

Dark Fantasy by Gene Day

The Gene Day Award for Self-Publishing honours Canadian comic book creators who self-published their work during the previous calendar year. The award includes a bursary of $500.

In order to qualify, a creator must be a citizen and current resident of Canada. Anyone who writes and illustrates a comic book of their own creation (includes creative teams) and publishes and sells that comic independently of any other publishing company and did not currently have said works originally distributed by a third party distributor may submit their publication for review. (For example: If the comic was solicited and distributed by Diamond, then it is not eligible for this category. If the comic was only dropped off at local comic shops and/or sold them at conventions, then it is eligible.)

• Format and content is at the discretion of the creators.
• Must include new content, not reprinted material from other sources (such as webcomics).
• There are no language restrictions for this award.

All entries will be reviewed by an independent jury. Entries will be judged individually based on originality, literary and artistic merit, and overall presentation.

Entries should be sent to:

GENE DAY AWARD

C/O THE COMIC BOOK LOUNGE

587A COLLEGE STREET

TORONTO, ON

M6G 1B2

Closing date for submissions: May 16, 2013.

The finalists will be announced before the Awards ceremony and the winner will be announced at the Joe Shuster Awards ceremony in August 2013.

About Gene Day

Gene Day (1951-1982) began his career in the Canadian alternative comix scene. In the seventies he began his own publishing imprint, Shadow Press / House of Shadows and put out over twenty issues of Dark Fantasy, a horror/fantasy/sci-fi digest that featured the early writings of Joe Lansdale, Charles De Lint, John Bell and Charles R. Saunders, among others; a short-lived comic publication, Out of the Depths and various other one-shots, portfolios, and prints. Day drew for the Skywald magazines Psycho and Nightmare from 1974, as well as the Canadian comic anthology, ORB, and Mike Friedrich’s independent comics company Star Reach, contributing to the Star Reach anthology, Image and Quack. Day did illustrations for fantasy role-playing games and had a collection of his comic stories, ‘Future Day’, published by Flying Buttress Press as a hardcover graphic novel in 1979.

He was a longtime inker on Marvel’s ‘Master of Kung Fu’ title by Mike Zeck, starting in 1976 and later took over as full penciler on the series. He also inked on the licensed ‘Star Wars’ series, pencilled by Carmine Infantino, as well as ‘The Mighty Thor’ and ‘Marvel Two-in-One’ featuring ‘The Thing’. From 1985 to 1986, Renegade Press published four issues of Gene Day’s ‘Black Zeppelin’, an anthology series primarily featuring stories and painted covers Day completed before his death, as well new contributions by Sim, Bruce Conklin, Augustine Funnell, and Charles Vess. More of his work appeared posthumously in Caliber Comics’ anthology series Day Brothers Presents, which also featured the work of Day’s artist brothers, David and Dan Day.

Dave Sim credits Gene Day as his earliest and most influential mentor and the inspiration for his own self-publishing efforts. Gene Day was inducted into the Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame in 2007.

About The Joe Shuster Awards

Established in 2004, The Joe Shuster Awards are Canada’s first national award recognizing outstanding achievement in the creation of comic books and graphic novels and are named after pioneering Toronto-born artist Joe Shuster who, along with writer Jerry Siegel, created the iconic super-powered hero, Superman. The name is used with the approval of the Estate of Joe Shuster – Michael Catron, Estate Agent.

For more information contact info@joeshusterawards.com

http://www.joeshusterawards.com

Very Sketchy debut at Ottawa Comiccon

With Ottawa Comiccon opening its doors at 9:30am to a sold-out Saturday crowd today (May 12) at the CE Centre, I'm happy to have a new sketchbook to offer in addition to original art, Eternal Romance comics and commission sketches.

The Very Sketchy 2012 Black & White sketchbook reproduces unpublished art as well as several parody pieces that appeared in the San Diego Comic-Con Program Book and other places. There's even a poem about a certain Caped Crusader.

If you are coming, Be sure to drop by table 914 to see Ronn Sutton and me. Ronn will have his popular Excerpts sketchbook with a different original art rough in each copy,  Elvira, Mistress of the Dark and Honey West artwork & comics, and we'll be happy to discuss out forthcoming Honey West / Kolchak the Night Stalker crossover comic book from Moonstone.

-- Janet Hetherington

OIAF adds new category for video game animation

Cyanide Studio's Game of Thrones

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) has announced the creation of a new category, specifically created for video game artists. The Best Non-Gameplay Animation category is the first of its kind to be featured at any animation festival.

The OIAF created the Non-Gameplay Animation category in response to industry needs from video game animators, who lacked a competitive forum to display their work.

"Since the mid-1990s, we've been trying to find a way to seamlessly integrate videogame animation into OIAF competitions, ” says Festival Artistic Director Chris Robinson. “We found that the best way for us to acknowledge the outstanding work being done in gameplay animation was by encouraging the submission of non-game play components.”

Examples of non-gameplay animation include:
• Trailers previewing a new video game 
• Cinematic cut scenes, a break in the gameplay action that is used to further the plot of the video game

All entries for this year’s competition must be received by May 18, 2012. The deadline for preview DVDs is June 1. There is no entry fee.

Industry professionals are hailing the creation of the new category.  Yves Bordeleau, studio director at Montreal’s Cyanide Studios, the company behind the upcoming release of Game of Thrones, says that the artwork present in video games plays a vital role in promotion of the product and deserves to be recognized.

“I am really happy to see this new category addition for competition at the Ottawa International Animation Festival,” says Bordeleau. “As video games evolve, the need to immerse the player into complex worlds is now mandatory; hence the importance of high quality cinematic cut scenes. Be it in-game or pre-rendered, the value of these ‘non-gameplay’ sequences is so great that they are very often part of key promotional activities like game launch trailers and viral videos.”

Cyanide is an independent and privately held video game studio. Based in Paris, it was created in 2000 and has risen to become one of the most productive game development studios in France. Since 2007, the company has maintained a facility in Montreal.

The OIAF is one of the world’s leading animation events providing screenings, exhibits, workshops and entertainment since 1976.  OIAF is an annual five-day event bringing art and industry together in a vibrant hub and attracting more than 28,000 artists, producers, students and animation fans from around the world. For more information, visit the OIAF website at: www.animationfestival.ca.

Plympton's IDIOTS AND ANGELS screens October 6 in Big Apple

Oscar-nominated director Bill Plympton has an exclusive engagement opening on Wednesday, October 6, 2010, of his Terry Gilliam-sponsored animated feature IDIOTS AND ANGELS (run time 78 minutes) at the IFC Center, 323 Sixth Avenue at West 3rd Street, NYC.

Bill Plympton and Postcard

IDIOTS AND ANGELS is a black comedy about a man's battle with his wings and his soul. The feature will be preceded by Plympton's new, multi-award-winning animated short film, THE COW THAT WANTED TO BE A HAMBURGER, which won the Grand Prize for animation at the Florida Film Festival.

Plympton will make personal appearances at the last screening of the day on Wednesday, October 6, and Thursday, October 7, followed by a Q & A. The animator will be signing postcards at this event and there will be a quiz and signed poster and DVD prizes.

Tickets: $13 general admission.
$9 seniors (62+) and children (under 12).
$8 for IFC Center members.
$10 for discounted group tickets
(Group Tickets by arrangement email: pbscreenings@gmail.com.)

The IFC Center is located at 323 Sixth Avenue at West 3rd Street, NYC
Box office #: 212 924 7771. Web:  http://www.ifccenter.com

For more information, visit http://www.plymptoons.com/news/appearances.html.

Elvira Charms Crowd at Montreal Comic-Con

Fans line up for Elvira

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (Cassandra Peterson) was a key draw at Montreal Comic-Con on September 11 and 12, 2010. Appearing in trademark black gown and bouffant hair, the Queen of Halloween charmed the many fans who lined up to get autographs and photos.

Elvira was extremely sweet with her fans, who loved telling her how beautiful she is and how excited they were to meet her in person.

Elvira charmed her fans

As reported at Sam Tweedle’s Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict website in July, Elvira is returning to TV on September 25.

Ronn Sutton and I were seated right beside Elvira, and were happy to enjoy interest from her admirers as they looked through our artwork, asked questions and snapped up copies of the Claypool Comics issues of Elvira: Mistress of the Dark that we had worked on, as well as Ronn’s original comic art pages.

Ronn Sutton signs artwork

Montreal Comic-Con was a smaller show in comparison to Comic-Con International in San Diego or Fan Expo Canada in Toronto, but it still drew lots of genre-hungry con-goers who turned out in costume and went shopping for cool merchandise.

As for me, I purchased an “alien” egg, a Star Trek phaser replica and two communicator pins. I also got to “bump” fists with actor Brent Spiner, who played Data on ST:TNG (that’s Star Trek: The Next Generation for you non-Trekkers). Spiner was a headliner too at Montreal Comic-Con, along with Billy Dee Williams and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca).

Costumed fans enjoy Montreal Comic-Con

Because we were seated next to Elvira, Ronn and I were a distance away from Artists’ Alley, where Marvel artist Leonard Kirk and other comics artists were seated. Our friend, science fiction artist and Godzilla collector extraordinaire Jean-Pierre Normand, was also exhibiting there and reported brisk sales.

Montreal was short, sweet, busy and fun!

New Janet Hetherington Art for Wonder Woman Day V

I'm contributing two new pieces of original full-color Wonder Woman art for Wonder Woman Day V, to be held on Sunday, October 24, 2010.

One piece of this art will be auctioned off in conjunction with the Portland event held from 12 noon to 6 pm at Excalibur Comics, 2444 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, Oregon, while the other will be auctioned at a parallel New Jersey event held at Comic Fusion, 42 Main St., Flemington, New Jersey.

Wonder Woman Day V is deemed a part of national Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This is the fifth year that organizer Andy Mangels has called upon artists to contribute Wonder Woman art for this important cause. Past contributors have included Adam Hughes, Gary Frank, Nicola Scott and many more.

The first four years raised over $89,000 in aid of four domestic violence programs.

The community-based event, from which 100 per cent of proceeds go to registered 501(c)3 charities, is meant as a celebration of the Wonder Woman character and the heroic values shown throughout her history, and of upholding those same values within the greater community.

However, Mangels says that this is the last year that the event will be Wonder Woman-specific. The website states: “Join us for the FINAL celebration of Wonder Woman Day as it metamorphosizes towards the future... art auctions, guest creators, and costumed characters will mark this as one of the year's most heroic events!”

Visit the website (http://www.wonderwomanmuseum.com/WWDay5/WWDay5.html) for details of the events, auctions and details on how you can bid on the Wonder Woman Day V art. -- Janet Hetherington

Reminder: Upcoming Convention Appearances!

Janet Hetherington (Eternal Romance, Elvira) and Ronn Sutton (Honey West, Elvira, Fear Agent) will be appearing at the following conventions:

Can-Con 2010 (Ottawa): August 20: Janet will be appearing with writer-director Lloyd Deane to talk about her role in the short science fiction film M-THEORY.

FanExpo 2010 (Toronto), August 27-29: Janet & Ronn will be in artist's alley. Come by to for great original art or to chat!

Montreal Comic-Con 2010, (Montreal) September 11-12: Janet & Ronn will have a table. Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) will be there too, so here's your chance to get original Elvira comic book art pages from Ronn and get them signed!

Art Show - B15

Art is hung in the Comic-Con International Art Show, panel B15 in th Pavillion under the Sails. All original!

Photographed with permission of the friendly Comic-Con International art show staff.

San Diego Hot! Hot! Hot!

Countdown to Comic-Con... arrived in San Diego and the city sights and palm trees beckon from outside my hotel window. This hotel has some very cool eagle stonework on the building. The weather outside is hot, but then again so was Ottawa when we left. Trying to shake the traveller's fatigue and go exploring.

Tomorrow I hang my artwork in the art show and the con begins with preview night!

Janet Hetherington Art in Comic-Con International Art Show

Janet Hetherington (Eternal Romance, Elvira) will be displaying original art in the Comic-Con International San Diego Art Show (July 22-25, 2010).

Art will feature Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Wonder Woman, Legionnaire Idol and Golden Age (shown here).

If you're going to San Diego, be sure to check out these original works in pen & ink, marker and pencil crayon.

Janet and Ronn Sutton (Honey West, The Phantom: Generations, Elvira, Fear Agent) will also be appearing in Artists' Alley at FanExpo in Toronto and Montreal Comic Con.

RONN SUTTON ILLUSTRATES FEAR - BOTH REAL AND IMAGINED

Artist Ronn Sutton hits front pages with his courtroom drawings of alleged terrorist

Artist Ronn Sutton has switched from drawing pure science fiction fantasy appearing in FEAR AGENT #22 (Dark Horse Comics), out June 2008, to illustrating the epitome of true fear – alleged Canadian terrorist Momin Khawaja.

Khawaja's trial began this week in Ottawa, and Sutton's courtroom art has been featured on the front pages of The Ottawa Citizen, in the National Post, online and on television.

"The challenge of courtroom drawing is to get a good likeness and depict the environment in an accurate way, often in a very short period of time," Sutton says. "It's very different from drawing rocket ships or comic book heroes."

Security has been greatly enhanced for this trial. Khawaja faces seven terrorism charges related to an England terror plot, foiled in spring 2004. Six hundred kilograms of ammonium nitrate fertilizer was to set off violent fireballs to kill and incinerate people inside "soft" public targets, as well as gas and electric utilities. Five Britons, all Muslims of Pakistani descent, were convicted in a London court last year for their roles and sentenced to life. Khawaja stands charged, among other crimes, of using the basement of his family's suburban Ottawa home to build up to 30 remote-controlled devices to transmit radio signals to the bombs' detonators. More details are emerging as the trial continues.

On a more pleasant note, Sutton's artwork is also being showcased in the comic book back-up story, "The Good Guys," appearing in FEAR AGENT #22, out as of June 25, 2008, from Dark Horse Comics. The script by Hillary Barta (who also inked the story) pays homage to classic science fiction, and Sutton interpreted the tale by drawing Wally Wood-inspired aliens and 1950s-style spacecraft.

Sutton and Barta are teaming up on several other science fiction and horror projects, yet to be announced.

Ronn Sutton will be attending FanExpo in Toronto, appearing in Artists' Alley, from August 22-24, 2008.

HETHERINGTON & SUTTON @ NEW YORK COMIC CON

Ronn Sutton "Vampira: The Movie" Tribute Art Print offered at show

Ottawa, Canada -- Comics creators Janet Hetherington (Eternal Romance) and Ronn Sutton (Fear Agent, Liberty Girl) will be making their first convention appearance the year at New York Comic Con, taking place at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York from April 18-20, 2008.

Both artists will have artwork available in Artist Alley, where Janet and Ronn can be found at table spots E25 and E26.

“I have a lot of new color pieces that I worked on for this show,” Janet says. “As always, Ronn has terrific comic book pages available -- including fun and sassy original Elvira pages.”

Janet scripted stories for the Elvira, Mistress of the Dark comic book (Claypool Comics) for six years. Ronn pencilled Elvira for nine years, and is now working on such projects as Liberty Girl (Heroic) and Fear Agent (Dark Horse). Ronn’s art appears in the Fear Agent #22 (June 2008) back-up story, “The Good Guys,” scripted and inked by Hilary Barta.

Ronn’s artwork is also being showcased as a New York Comic Con exclusive. The Ronn Sutton Autographed "Vampira: The Movie" Tribute Art Print -- a beautiful tribute to another legendary horror host, Maila "Vampira" Nurmi -- is being offered at the Camp Festival Booth (900-A). (Sadly, Maili Nurmi passed away on January 10, 2008.) The print, which is autographed by both Ronn and by documentary filmmaker Kevin Sean Michaels (Vampira: The Movie), measures 11” x17” and is being offered at $20.

After New York Comic Con, Janet and Ronn’s next appearance will be closer to home. On May 3, 2008, for Free Comic Book Day (FCBD), the creative duo -- in conjunction with activities organized by Bill Chappell, owner of The Hobby Centre / Comics Cave -- are scheduled to appear at both the Alta Vista Library and the Greenboro Library in Ottawa, Canada, to display art and talk comics with kids of all ages.

Free Comic Book Day is an international annual event that allows children to choose a free comic book to keep and read. In addition to Janet and Ronn’s appearance at the libraries in Ottawa, Bill is planning to have costumed characters on hand to get children excited about reading comics and about Free Comic Book Day.

Images:
Fear Agent #22 art by Ronn Sutton and Hilary Barta. © 2008 Rick Remender, Tony Moore, Hilary Barta, Ronn Sutton
Vampira: The Movie art by Ronn Sutton. © 2008 Kevin Sean Michaels.

Agnes Culpepper Needs You!

This is a call to support two of my comics projects!

I have two comics proposals in the running at Comic Creation Nation at http://www.zeros2heroes.com/. This is a community-based website where members vote for their favourite comics "pitches" to be turned into comics.

There is a lot of work involved to create and post the pitches, including a complete 22-page script. I have two projects in the running -- AGNES CULPEPPER (a supernatural comedy) and EVOLUTIONARIES (a super-hero adventure, co-created with Ronn Sutton).

Please take some time to visit the website, register, rate the pitches and cast your vote by collecting your favourites in the "Swag Bag" and then ranking them in your collections area. Every vote pushes a project up the ranks in the chart.

You might also want to check out the art galleries by Ronn (Evolutionaries, Storytelling) and me (Girl Power, Thrilling Romance).

Thanks in advance for your support!

Cheers,
Janet (BestDestiny)

New York! New York! April 2008

Great news! Ronn Sutton and I will be appearing in Artist Alley at the New York Comic Con from April 18 to 20, 2008. Ronn and I will have lots of original art on hand and we'll be doing commissions too. A press release about the event follows.

Norwalk, CT, March 6, 2008: The New York Comic Con (NYCC) today revealed the complete roster of the comic book legends, luminaries, and Rising! stars who'll appear in its 2008 Artist Alley. The 2008 New York Comic Con takes place April 18-20 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City and features Guests of Honor including Mike Mignola, Grant Morrison, and T.M. Revolution.

Artist Alley is a division of NYCC's Exhibition Hall reserved for comic book and pop culture creators -- both legendary as well as emerging -- and is a unique arena that allows for creators and fans to personally interact. Highlights from New York Comic Con's Artist Alley include Mark Buckingham, C.B. Cebulski, Colleen Doran, Danny Fingeroth, Bob Layton, Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, Monte Moore, Rags Morales, John Romita, Jr., Jim Shooter, and Jim Valentino.

Everything we do at New York Comic Con is about experience," Show Manager Lance Fensterman said. "While the show is only three days in April, we endeavor to create something that'll remain for a lifetime in memory, and out of everything we're planning, it's the talent and interaction in Artist Alley that may be many attendees' favorite memory."New York Comic Con 2008's Artist Alley is the result of months of work from NYCC's team and also one of NYCC's most-asked-about attractions.

The complete listing is available now at newyorkcomiccon.com and also appears below…

NEW YORK COMIC CON 2008 ARTIST ALLEY
Bob Almond Franco Aureliani Dick Ayers Michael Bair Matt "Batt" Banning Jason Baroody Chris Batista Carolyn Belefski Steve Belledin Dan Berger Rich Bernatovech Simone Bianchi Jake Black Greg Blazer Anna Warren Boersig Jon Bogdanove Ken Branch Ivan Brandon Mark Brooks Charles Brown Mark Buckingham Rich Buckler BUZZ James Campbell Nick Cardy Joshua Carter John Cebollero C.B. Cebulski Justin "Spanky" CermakPhillip Chan Jeff Chandler Bernard Chang Sean Chen Cliff Chiang Dan Chinchester Kari Christensen Lawrence Christmas Tom Chu Matthew ClarkPhillip Clarke Classic Comics Press Olivier Coipel Eugene Commodore Amanda Conner Darwyn Cooke Dan Cooney Ed Counts Molly Crabapple Illustration Wes Craig Carlos d'Anda Peter David Albert Debnam Nelson DeCastro Todd Dezago Marko Djurdjevic Michael Dolce Derec Donovan Michael Dooney Colleen Doran Dale Eaglesham Tommy Lee Edwards Steve Ellis Steve Epting Mark Evanier Jesse Farrell Ray Felix Will Finan David Finch Michael Finger Danny Fingeroth Ramona Fradon Gary Friedrich Jose Luis Garcia Lopez Ron Garney Michael Gaydos Randy Gentile Keith Giffen Sam Girdich Basil Gogos Dan Goldman Dan Goodsell Keron Grant Michael Grassia Scott Grimando Geoff Grogan Peter Gross Yvel Guichet Brad Guigar Wesley Gunn Brian Haberlin Carissa Halston Ryusuke Hamamoto Craig Hamilton Scott Hanna Jesse Hansen Fred Harper Dean Haspiel Lewis Helfand Clayton Henry Janet Hetherington David Hillman Bryan Hitch Greg Horn Richard Howell Mike Huddleson Jamal Igle Phil Jimenez Geoff Johns Veronica Jones JG Jones Kris Justice Paul Michael Kane Eric Kayser Joe Kelly Carl Kent Karl Kerschl Barbara Kesel Danny Kimanyen J.J. Kirby Blair Kitchen Douglas Klauba Chirstopher Knowles Jim Kyle Andy Lanning Serge LaPointe Bob Larkin Steve Lavigne Jim Lawson Bob Layton Jim Lee Fred Van Lente John Paul Leon Tim Leong Rob Liefeld Mike Lilly Lisa Lin John Livesay Mike Lopez Aaron Lopresti John Lucas Julian Lytle Kevin Maguire Jason Martin Ron Marz Jason McKee Mike McKone Frank McLaughlin Bob McLeod Steve McNiven Jason Millet Welson Miu Richard Molinelli Christian Montalvo Steve Montano David Montoya Monte Moore Mark Morales Rags Morales Alex Morrissey Patricia Mulvihill Steve Murphy David Nakayama Daniel Narkrosis Todd Nauk Shaun Noel Dan Nokes Oliver Nome Steve Noppenberger Steven O'Connell Michael Avon Oeming Ken Okabayashi Denny O'Neal Joshua Ortega Jean Claude Padilla Jimmy Palmiotti Yanick Paquette Dan Parent Andrew Pepoy Marcos Perez Khoi Pham Caleb Prochnow David Quiles Rodney Ramos Tom Raney Jon Reed Robert Reilly Ivan Reis Michael Renzine Dan. H. Richards Rivera Martin Robaszewski Andrew Robinson John Romita, Jr Shane Rooks Craig Rousseau Stephane Roux Josef Rubinstein Steve Rude Michael Ryan Mark Sable Steve Sadowski Daniel Salgo Alex Saviuk David Seidman Dave Shelton Jim Shooter Ryan Sias Joe Simon Walter Simonson Louise Simonson Joe Sinnott Louis Small Timothy Smith Tom Smith Solero Christian Spollen Joe Staton Christina Strain Ronn Sutton Arthur Suydam Jonathan Syphax Craig Taillefer Eric Talbot Billy Tan Mark Texiera Art Thibert Andie Tong Willard Torres Gia-Bio Tran Steve Uy Tom Valenti Jim Valentino Fred Van Lente Ethan Van Sciver Ceasar Vargas Samuel Vera Dexter Vines Peter Vinton Steve Walker Emily Warren Lee Weeks Graig Weich Graig Weich Scott Weinstein Chris Weston Renee Witterstaetter Bob Wiacek Keith Williams Ven Yann

ABOUT NEW YORK COMIC CON
New York Comic Con is the East Coast's biggest and most exciting popular culture convention. Our show floor plays host to the latest and greatest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, and television. Our panels and autograph sessions give fans a chance to interact with their favorite creators. Our screening rooms feature sneak peeks at films months before they hit either big or small screens. And with dedicated professional hours, New York Comic Con is bringing together the major players in the entertainment industry. New York Comic Con is the second largest pop culture convention in America and the only one that takes place in the comic book, publishing, media, and licensing capital of the world -- Gotham City. Further information can be found at newyorkcomiccon.com.

ABOUT REED EXHIBITIONS
Reed Exhibitions is the world's leading events organizer. In 2007 Reed brought together over six million industry professionals from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held in 38 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and organized by 39 fully staffed offices.Reed organizes a wide range of events, including exhibitions, conferences, congresses and meetings. Its portfolio of over 500 events serves 47 industry sectors, including: Aerospace & aviation, automobiles, building & construction, electronics, energy, engineering, entertainment, environment, food & hospitality, gifts, healthcare, IT, jewelry, life sciences & pharmaceuticals, property, manufacturing, medical education, packaging & converting, printing & visual communication, security, sports & recreation, travel.Working closely with professional bodies, trade associations and government departments Reed ensures that each and every event is targeted and relevant to industry needs. As a result, many Reed events are market leaders in their field. Reed Exhibitions is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a FTSE-100 company and world-leading publisher and information provider. In 2006, Reed Elsevier made adjusted profit before taxation of £1,052 million on turnover of £5,398 million.

Happy Holidays!

Ronn Sutton and I wish you a happy holiday season!

To see how this e-card went from sketch to colour version click here.

Cheers, Janet

Teen Dream 2: Beautiful Eyes!

As a kid, I really enjoyed reading Mad magazine. I particularly liked the TV and movie parodies, and the take-offs on advertising. As a teen, I created my own whacky ad. For this cartoon, I actually inked it with a Speedball pen with real india ink! Here's the silly ad, "For Beautiful Eyes," coloured and re-lettered.

Enjoy!
Janet


To see a larger image of this cartoon, visit: http://www.ronnsutton.com/blog/BeautifulEyesc2.JPG

A Teen Dream: Comics!

Long before I created Eternal Romance, at the age of 14 or 15, I wrote and drew a five-page romance comic -- on typewriter paper, inked in ballpoint pen! I recently ran across this early effort, and thanks to modern technology, I have scanned in, coloured and re-lettered this heart-wrenching story of teen angst entitled: "Four Eyes but One Heart!"

Enjoy! Janet

P.S. Be sure to check out the coloured, serialized Eternal Romance comics at www.MyRomanceStory.com! -- JLH

Larger version: http://www.ronnsutton.com/blog/4eyes1c2.JPG

Larger version: http://www.ronnsutton.com/blog/4eyes2c2.JPG

Larger version: http://www.ronnsutton.com/blog/4eyes3c2.JPG

Larger version: http://www.ronnsutton.com/blog/4eyes4c2.JPG

Larger version: http://www.ronnsutton.com/blog/4eyes5c2.JPG

Women of Comics II Coming in June!

Over 20 female comic book writers, artists, and editors will come together June 9-10 at Women of Comics II - part of the 2007 Paradise Toronto Comicon.

Women of Comics II will showcase female talent and creativity in what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry. Sponsored by All New Comics Inc., the symposium will feature signings, portfolio reviews, panel discussions, and direct interaction with the artists.

This year, the spotlight is on Minx, a new graphic novel imprint from DC/Vertigo aimed at teenage girls. Designed as an alternative to traditional teen books and Manga, Minx is a series of paperbacks by writers and artists from both the comic book world and young adult fiction. "We're really excited about the material, and we've got a lot of great writers and artists who are really passionate about the stories that they want to tell", says Shelly Bond, group editor at Vertigo.

Minx debuts with the May 16 launch of The Plain Janes, written by noted Canadian young adult novelist Cecil Castellucci (Boy Proof, The Queen of Cool), illustrated by indie favourite Jim Rugg (Street Angel), and edited by Bond (who came up with the idea for Minx). Both Castellucci and Bond are featured guests of Women of Comics II.

The story follows a girl named Jane, who leaves the city for suburbia after a terrorist attack. In the school cafeteria she meets three girls named Jane who are anything but ordinary. They form a group dedicated to creating acts of anonymous public art as a form of political protest (P.L.A.I.N - People Loving Art in Neighborhoods).

On working on The Plain Janes, Castellucci says:" It would have been really nice growing up to have had comic books (written by women or men) that told the kinds of stories that I longed to read. I hope to do many more graphic novels involving the Janes and perhaps one day I'll get to do a regular monthly series of my own!"

At 176 pages with black and white interiors and slightly bigger than a comic book digest, the line is more in step with Young Adult paperbacks. Each title also includes previews for three other Minx books as a special bonus and retail for 11.99 each.

The following is the full 2007 Women of Comics II guest list. For more information, visit http://www.womenofcomics.com:

Shelly Bond
Cecil Castellucci
Svetlana Chmakova
Danielle Corsetto
Tania Del Rio
Janet Hetherington
Faith Erin Hicks
Joan Hilty
Liana K.
Kiss Machine Presents
Michèle Laframboise
Tara McPherson
Robyn Moore
Patricia Mulvihill
Christine Norrie
Nicola Scott
Gail Simone
Tara Tallan
Diana Tamblyn
Raina Telgemeier
More to come!

The 5th Annual Paradise Toronto Comicon runs from June 8-10 in Hall C at the Direct Energy Centre on the CNE Grounds.

About All New Comics Inc.
Canada's newest online comics shop is a joint venture between Peter Fisico, a veteran comic book retailer, and web expert Brian Garside. Visit www.allnewcomics.com for more information.
About the Paradise Toronto Comicon
The home of the Joe Shuster Awards and the premiere gathering of creators and retailers in the comic book and graphic novel field in Canada, the Paradise Toronto Comicon is the brainchild of organizers Peter Dixon and Kevin Boyd. From June 8-10, the convention will host over 150 creators and their work alongside dozens of retailers promoting a broad spectrum of offerings.

A Note from Bloggerland
I will be moderating and participating in a number of panels. For the programming schedule, visit http://womenofcomics.com/calendar.asp


Also, be sure to drop by Artists' Alley for original art and comics by Janet Hetheringon and Ronn Sutton! The Supergirl, Wonder Woman and Vampirella art shown above is a pen-and-ink commission piece by Janet Hetherington.

A Word (or Three) of Welcome

Hello, my virtual friends.

While blogging is not new, it is new to me. And while I have had a website (www.best-destiny.com) to showcase my comics and other work, I never quite had the nerve to create a blog.

Until now.

I will be posting things that are of interest to me, and they just might be of interest to you.

More to follow. Thanks for checking in.

Janet