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	<title>Cool Jerk &#187; Takin&#8217; care of business</title>
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	<description>Comic Content for Malcontents</description>
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		<title>Cool Jerk&#8217;s comic-con commitments for 2012</title>
		<link>http://cooljerk.com/2012/01/cool-jerk-comic-cons-2012/</link>
		<comments>http://cooljerk.com/2012/01/cool-jerk-comic-cons-2012/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:33:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Our Man Horn</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Comic-con]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Denver Comic Con]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GeekGirlCon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[San Diego Comic-Con International]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Staple!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Takin' care of business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WonderCon]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cooljerk.com/?p=5518</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Since my checks evidently didn&#8217;t bounce, I can now share the official schedule of Cool Jerk comic-con appearances in 2012 thus far; Cool Jerk may attend a &#8216;con or two later in the year. (Any suggestions?)
Staple! • Austin, TX
March 3-4
We&#8217;ve never been to Austin or Staple! so we&#8217;re really looking forward to this little independent [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7171/6762541005_2f6d9687a9_o.jpg" alt="" width="432" height="464" /></p>
<p>Since my checks evidently didn&#8217;t bounce, I can now share the official schedule of Cool Jerk comic-con appearances in 2012 thus far; Cool Jerk <em>may</em> attend a &#8216;con or two later in the year. (Any suggestions?)</p>
<h3><strong><a href="http://www.staple-austin.org/"><span style="color: #ff0000;">Staple!</span></a></strong> • Austin, TX</h3>
<p><strong>March 3-4</strong></p>
<p>We&#8217;ve never been to Austin or Staple! so we&#8217;re really looking forward to this little independent show. We&#8217;ve heard nothing but good things about the city, the people and the attendees&#8217; appetite for comics.</p>
<h3><strong><a href="http://www.comic-con.org/wc/"><span style="color: #ff0000;">WonderCon</span></a></strong> • Anaheim</h3>
<p><strong>March 16-18</strong></p>
<p>This will be Cool Jerk&#8217;s fifth year at WonderCon! They moved the venue from San Francisco while the Moscone Center is being renovated, so it&#8217;ll be interesting to see who makes the pilgrimage down from the Bay Area.</p>
<h3><strong><a href="http://www.phoenixcomicon.com/"><span style="color: #ff0000;">Phoenix Comicon</span></a></strong> • Phoenix</h3>
<p><strong>May 27-30</strong></p>
<p>Really on the fence about Phoenix Comicon. The last time I tabled there (2010) it seemed more like &#8220;early Halloween&#8221; than a place for people to buy comics. So I&#8217;m likely giving it a pass.</p>
<h3><strong><a href="http://www.denvercomiccon.com/"><span style="color: #ff0000;">Denver Comic Con</span></a></strong> • Denver</h3>
<p><strong>June 15-17</strong></p>
<p>Cool Jerk has never exhibited in Denver, either&#8230; and that&#8217;s probably because Denver has never had a comic-con before now! The inaugural Denver Comic Con looks to fill the comic-con void in the Rockies, drawing in people from several adjacent states!</p>
<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong><a href="http://www.comic-con.org/cci/"><span style="color: #ff0000;">Comic-Con International</span></a></strong> </span>• San Diego</h3>
<p><strong>July 11-15</strong></p>
<p>Ten years in a row for Cool Jerk, in the same spot as always (Small Press K10, next to the restrooms and vomitorium)!</p>
<h3><strong><a href="http://www.geekgirlcon.com/"><span style="color: #ff0000;">GeekGirlCon</span></a></strong> • Seattle</h3>
<p><strong>TBD (October?)</strong></p>
<p>In lieu of spring&#8217;s Emerald City Comic-Con, Cool Jerk will be attending the second GeekGirlCon in the fall (<em>if</em> they hold a second con — stay tuned).</p>
<p>So mark your calendars, put in vacation time, book those flights and bring your wallets!</p>
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		<title>Buggin&#8217; out!</title>
		<link>http://cooljerk.com/2011/10/buggin-out/</link>
		<comments>http://cooljerk.com/2011/10/buggin-out/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 10 Oct 2011 01:26:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Our Man Horn</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Book signing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JustJenn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Takin' care of business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Comic Bug]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cooljerk.com/?p=5304</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Thought I&#8217;d do a quick recap of my Cool Jerk book signing at The Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach last Wednesday.
I arrived a bit early (I padded my drive time by an extra hour because it was raining pretty hard between San Diego and L.A.) and hung out with The Bug Crew— Mike, Jun and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 510px"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6220/6236372228_3e9db7c4a7_b.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6220/6236372228_3e9db7c4a7.jpg" width="500" height="276" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Click it for detail!</p></div><br />
Thought I&#8217;d do a quick recap of my Cool Jerk book signing at <strong><a href="http://thecomicbug.com/">The Comic Bug</a></strong> in Manhattan Beach last Wednesday.</p>
<p>I arrived a bit early (I padded my drive time by an extra hour because it was raining pretty hard between San Diego and L.A.) and hung out with The Bug Crew— <strong>Mike, Jun</strong> and <strong>Greg.</strong> By time I got my table set up, <a href="http://justjennrecipes.com/"><strong>justJENN</strong></a> and her youthful entourage (read: kids) arrived with boxes of cupcakes for book-buyers.</p>
<p>And let me tell you about the cupcakes. When I opened a box and peeked in, I burst into laughter. JENN had decorated each of the scrumptious red velvet cupcakes with a little Cool Jerk art element! So people could choose a Yuri Tomato cupcake, a Ghost of Paul Lynde cupcake or a projectile-puking Seashelly Dumpster cupcake (I ate that one). There were a couple <em>bonus</em> cupcakes adorned with images of my face and business card. (I worried if someone would choose those!)</p>
<p>Turnout was pretty good for a dreary* and humid Wednesday, and nearly everyone who stopped by the table and bought something was a new face! Thanks to <strong>Felix, Michelle</strong> and her family, <strong>Greg</strong> (and <strong>Alex,</strong> by proxy), <strong>Alan, Liz</strong> and <strong>Dianne</strong> (aka <a href="http://www.defectivegeeks.com/2011/10/05/new-comic-wednesday-comic-bug-batman-and-cupcakes/">Pirate Space Queen</a>) for adding Cool Jerk books to your Buy Pile this week! Also I got to meet comics writer <strong>Tracey Claverie.</strong> He was doing a signing for his comic, <a href="http://www.comicsmonkey.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5608">Scar Unit,</a> right next to me. When there were lulls in patrons we ended up talking about comics influences, inappropriate cosplay and the best cheeseburgers in the tri-county area. Good guy, that Tracey.</p>
<p>Thanks again to The Comic Bug and justJENN, without whom the signing wouldn&#8217;t have been possible.</p>
<p><em>*Steve Jobs, R.I.P.</em></p>
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		<title>T.C.B.</title>
		<link>http://cooljerk.com/2011/08/tcb/</link>
		<comments>http://cooljerk.com/2011/08/tcb/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:53:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Our Man Horn</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business cards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Takin' care of business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cooljerk.com/?p=5179</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[(That&#8217;s &#8220;Taking Care of Business,&#8221; as Elvis would say)
A couple weekends ago Darlene and I attended my 25th high school reunion in Carson City, Nev. This is the first one I&#8217;ve been to since the 10th in 1996 (I didn&#8217;t know there was a 15th, and I missed the 20th in 2006 because it was [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>(That&#8217;s &#8220;Taking Care of Business,&#8221; as Elvis would say)</em></p>
<p>A couple weekends ago Darlene and I attended my <strong>25th high school reunion</strong> in Carson City, Nev. This is the first one I&#8217;ve been to since the 10th in 1996 (I didn&#8217;t know there was a 15th, and I missed the 20th in 2006 because it was the same weekend as San Diego Comic-Con). It was a lovely affair, and I got to meet up and reminisce with many friends and former classmates, and even finally meet a few face-to-face for the first time. The festivities— ranging from a barbecue at Mark Funke&#8217;s home to golf and meet-ups at bars and restaurants— started Friday afternoon and lasted through Sunday. We only had time to socialize on Friday.</p>
<p>It was a lot of fun and doubly so to introduce Darlene to many kids (yeah, I know we&#8217;re all in our early forties… it&#8217;s a habit) I used to see in classes and pal around with. A couple kids (Wendy Johnston and&#8230; oh, jeez I forgot!) mentioned they still had my first business card from when I was a senior. Wow! How cool is that! Darlene hadn&#8217;t even <em>seen</em> that one before, so she suggested my next blog post should showcase my freelance business cards.</p>
<p>So here we go!</p>
<p><div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 510px"><img alt="" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6077/6080612144_52f071d3f8.jpg" width="500" height="329" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Ironically, I did get freelance work using this card. Go figure.</p></div><br />
Here&#8217;s my first freelance business card, from my senior year. &#8220;86 RULES, DUDE!!&#8221; Can you tell I didn&#8217;t have access to a Macintosh?? This little beauty was created with a Sharpie marker (a dull one, by looks of it) and was likely created in less time than it took for me to write this paragraph.</p>
<p><div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 466px"><img alt="" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6191/6080612164_757ef48dff.jpg" width="456" height="500" /><p class="wp-caption-text">These are so old, photo retouching was done with Aldus Digital Darkroom!</p></div><br />
I like to think I had other freelance business cards during college&#8230; but I did not. I probably used one of the business cards I created for the UNR <em>Sagebrush</em> newspaper staff, which also had a self-portrait on it. Regardless, here&#8217;s a set of six freelance cards from 1990 (photos taken by Greg Moyle).</p>
<p><div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img alt="" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6208/6080612154_c5210cb439.jpg" width="300" height="500" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Boy, those red acrylic arrows are heavier than they look!</p></div><br />
When I moved to San Diego in 1994, those cards became obsolete. I didn&#8217;t have freelance business cards until I started professionally exhibiting at San Diego Comic-Con in 2003, and I would just use Cool Jerk cards (reminder to self: do a blog post showcasing all <em>those</em> cards). But after I quit <em>The San Diego Union-Tribune</em> in 2006, I realized I needed a card that showcased my <a href="http://cooljerk.com/hornographics">mad infographics skillz, yo.</a> So that&#8217;s when I created the current card.</p>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>SDCCI ’11 photo recap!</title>
		<link>http://cooljerk.com/2011/08/sdcci-11-photo-recap/</link>
		<comments>http://cooljerk.com/2011/08/sdcci-11-photo-recap/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Aug 2011 23:51:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Our Man Horn</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photo recap]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SDCCI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Takin' care of business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cooljerk.com/?p=5090</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Because I forgot to have one taken last year, here&#8217;s a pic of me at the Cool Jerk table. There were lots of cool stuffs to get this year, including a dozen new Canvas Panels, two new styles of t-shirts and OMG Color! Vol. 1. I also introduced the Über Canvas Panel, a premium product [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6017/6007609776_aa15b356b5.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Because I forgot to have one taken last year, here&#8217;s a pic of me at the Cool Jerk table. There were lots of cool stuffs to get this year, including a dozen new <strong>Canvas Panels,</strong> two new styles of t-shirts and <strong>OMG Color! Vol. 1.</strong> I also introduced the <strong>Über Canvas Panel,</strong> a premium product I&#8217;m offering that you can order with <em>your</em> favorite strip! Here&#8217;s a pic of me WEARING A COLLARED SHIRT!! with long-time reader and pal <strong>Richard Foley,</strong> who always makes a harrowing pilgrimage to Comic-Con! <em>(Holy shit I look just like my Commentary avatar from 1996!)</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6016/6006761690_41654bcea3.jpg" alt="" /><br />
And surprise! Lucky Cool Jerk readers and patrons got a delicious Cool Jerk sugar cookie, courtesy <a href="http://jennywennycakes.com/">Jenny Wenny Cakes.</a> They were in extremely limited quantity and you pretty much had to buy something from me or cash in your Subscriber Coupon to get one!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6127/6006855906_56387eee41.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Our tablemate to the left was <strong>Jose Cabrera</strong> (<a href="http://cryingmachoman.com/">Crying Macho Man</a>), who was without his wonderful wife Naomi this weekend. Instead, he partnered with<strong><a href="http://www.jimlujan.com/"> Jim Lujan</a></strong>, an animator and all-around funny guy. To our right was <strong>Ben Seto</strong> and his bro-in-law <strong>Patrick.</strong> Ben&#8217;s comic is <a href="http://www.blacksheepcomics.com/">Skull Bunnies</a> and Patrick was representing his wife&#8217;s <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/raindrops23">pillow-quilting</a> gig. Above is a drawing Ben did of Puppy!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6142/6006855884_39d3f9f7c4.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Here&#8217;s <em>one</em> of Darlene&#8217;s obsessions this year: <strong>Tokidoki&#8217;s Marvel Frenzies.</strong> She was determined to not leave Comic-Con without getting all of the Fantastic Four. Mission accomplished!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">That&#8217;s all well and good, but I know why you&#8217;re here— to see all the crazy costumes!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6012/6006760708_9da87edee3.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Let&#8217;s start with a mash-up. Here&#8217;s Star Wars meets Pulp Fiction.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6028/6007000509_7b669c607f.jpg" alt="" /><br />
And here&#8217;s one for the ladies! Say hello to patriotic and sparkly vampire R.Patz (&#8220;Twilight&#8221;) wearing Captain America shorts HA! MADE YOU LOOK!!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6022/6006214631_788476aa06.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Here&#8217;s a trio of Doctor Who cosplayers: <strong>TARDIS, River Song</strong> and <strong>Amy Pond</strong> (in her policeman&#8217;s get-up). I&#8217;m happy to report Doctor Who cosplayers were abundant this year, and there wasn&#8217;t a single Johnny Depp/Capt. Jack Sparrow to be seen!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6141/6006216019_021558a540.jpg" alt="" /><br />
I always felt safe, knowing <strong>Nick Fury</strong> and his <strong>S.H.I.E.L.D. agents</strong> were on patrol.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6008/6006760158_b53bb84db7.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Here&#8217;s <strong>Doctor Doom,</strong> quenching his thirst. I like how the monarch of Latveria is such a bad-ass that he can walk around with a handmade Wolverine man-purse and no one&#8217;s gonna get in his grill.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6014/6006855868_6826ce6eb3.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Here&#8217;s <strong>Firestar</strong>, Alpha Flight&#8217;s team leader <strong>Vindicator</strong>, H.A.M.M.E.R. Deputy Director <strong>Victoria Hand</strong> and… some gal in a red dress.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6022/6006761584_d85983a4fc.jpg" alt="" /><br />
This is great! Here are about half of Darkseid&#8217;s Female Furies (<strong>Big Barda, Lashina</strong> and <strong>Granny Goodness</strong>). I&#8217;ve seen other pics online that includes Darkseid himself, along with Mad Harriet and Stompa (they might&#8217;ve all been at Starbucks or in the bathroom at this time).</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6145/6006218421_ded62a90e1.jpg" alt="" /><br />
The following photos I like to call &#8220;Crappy Old Nikon Blur-O-Rama!&#8221; Here&#8217;s <strong>Jason Isaacs</strong> (l.) of the Harry Potter films, and <strong>Rowdy Roddy Piper</strong> (r.), notorious for drop-kicking Cyndi Lauper back in the days of MTV/Wrestlemania.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6141/6006218519_a08f0e3e9f_z.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Here are some professional cosplayers: On the left we have <strong>Kit Quinn</strong> as <strong>Dr. Mrs. The Monarch</strong> (along with <strong>The Monarch</strong>). On the right is <strong>Yaya Han</strong> as the Asgardian warrior <strong>Sif</strong> (along with an unidentified <strong>Black Cat</strong>).</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6009/6006215221_84c30805a2_z.jpg" alt="" /><br />
As Darlene and I took the trolley to the convention center one morning, we shared the ride with <strong>Thor</strong> and another <strong>Sif, Scarlet Witch</strong> and <strong>Jessica Nigri</strong> as <strong>Anya Stroud</strong> from Gears of War 3. (You might remember Jessica as <a href="http://cooljerk.com/2009/08/sdcci-09-photo-recap/">Pikachu</a> a few years back.)</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6137/6006218655_ea61a83c4f.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Here are some characters I&#8217;ve never seen cosplayed (l to r): <strong>Galacta</strong> (the daughter of Galactus) and <strong>Rojhaz</strong> (from Marvel 1602), animated-style <strong>Beetlejuice</strong> and<strong> Lydia Deetz,</strong> <strong>Judy and Jane Jetson</strong>. Bravo, all!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6122/6006218057_6040841309.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Darlene took these pics of probably the biggest gun on the floor.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6121/6006762426_18f50e8be0.jpg" alt="" /><br />
One of my favorite crossplayers, Nicki Catterlin as <strong>Booster Gold,</strong> who ditched Skeets this year and is instead joined by BFF <strong>Blue Beetle</strong> (played by Mary Stanfield). <a href="http://cooljerk.com/2008/08/sdcci-08-photo-recap/">Here&#8217;s</a> Booster and Skeets in 2008.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6146/6006214985_319f791c72.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Not to be outdone, here are some more crossplayers. Actually, they&#8217;re cosplaying <strong>DC&#8217;s Earth-11</strong> heroes <strong>Green Arrow (Little Hotshot), Batwoman (Tallest Silver), Plastic Woman, Vixen</strong> and <strong>Flash (Catherine Pow).</strong> Kit Quinn was pulling double-duty this weekend as Superwoman <em>(not pictured).</em> More pics of them at this year&#8217;s WonderCon <a href="http://cooljerk.com/2011/04/wondercon-2011-recap/">here!</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6138/6006759306_852beaf4fa.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Bring on the mutants! Here we have <strong>Dark Phoenix, X-23, Wolverine, Emma Frost</strong> and the <strong>Beast</strong> (doing the splits). Beast might look familiar— <a href="http://cooljerk.com/2006/07/sdcci-06-photo-recap/">here he is in 2006.</a></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6137/6006214795_739256a352.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Saturday was interrupted by some cosplayers who got into a fight outside of the convention center.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6026/6006215043_8f17480197.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Here&#8217;s <strong>John Layman</strong> and <strong>Rob Guillory,</strong> fresh off their second Eisner Award win in as many years. And by &#8220;fresh&#8221; I mean &#8220;hungover.&#8221; If you&#8217;re not reading <strong><a href="http://chewcomic.blogspot.com/">Chew,</a></strong> you should.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6145/6006215781_4c52b8c6f8.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Say hello to <strong>Chris and Heather Barber,</strong> friends and former <em>Union-Tribune</em> co-workers of ours. This was their first SDCC and they LOVED it! <em>(Also pictured is their entourage whose names I forget.)</em></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6135/6006216357_7f4d1af0c5.jpg" alt="" /><br />
<strong>Sean and Lacie</strong> came by with a print-out of the <a href="http://cooljerk.com/2011/02/collect-em-all/">Cool Jerk strip</a> I sneaked them into earlier this year, and I signed it for them. Lacie has come by the table probably every year since 2003, and Sean the year after (I know this because they&#8217;ve been subscribers that long). I&#8217;m a little sketchy on the details, but I think one of those Comic-Cons was one of their first dates… and they married last year!</em></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6006/6006216603_53213998f2.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Darlene and cartoonist <strong>Emi Lenox,</strong> discussing the convention, fashion tips or food. It was cool to meet Emi, especially after reading her book <a href="http://www.emitown.blogspot.com/">Emi Town.</a> We&#8217;re glad she took some time to hunt us down and say &#8220;Hi!!&#8221;</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6018/6006759404_0abc3e8a94.jpg" alt="" /><br />
As you can tell, <strong>Thor</strong> was a pretty popular costume choice this year. The best part of this photo is the guy in the background peeing on the wall. <em>(Joke— don&#8217;t sue, Mr. Allegedly Peeing in Public Guy.)</em></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6147/6006216113_9f4bd4e317.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Here&#8217;s a couple who Darlene officially refers to as &#8220;Sexy Chewbacca and Emo Han Solo.&#8221;</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6137/6006761206_b4c34df2cf.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Isn&#8217;t he the most adorable lil&#8217; serial killer you ever did see??</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6128/6006759604_0d4044dc0e.jpg" alt="" /><br />
I love having cosplayers pose with my books. Here&#8217;s <strong>Tootsie,</strong> one of the best and most original costumes of the weekend! She told us &#8220;Some people think I&#8217;m cosplaying Ugly Jessica Rabbit.&#8221;</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6140/6006760442_9815bcb148.jpg" alt="" /><br />
And here are… well, I actually don&#8217;t have a clue. Let&#8217;s call her <strong>Silver Bodypaint Alien Sexbot</strong> and her friend <strong>Ms. Fishnets.</strong> I took a photo of Ms. Fishnets holding my book Bimboozled <a href="http://cooljerk.com/2010/07/sdcci-2010-photo-recap/">last year,</a> when she was dressed either as Emma Frost/White Queen or just forgot to put on all her clothes (the jury is still out). Note the dude in the background also taking advantage of the photo-op (yes, they were wearing thongs).</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6028/6006215917_52dc76e8b9.jpg" alt="" /><br />
I think what we need is a palate-cleanser. Here are three lovely Disney princesses— <strong>Ariel, Belle</strong> and <strong>Snow White.</strong></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6003/6006675667_c855b3a05e.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Darlene got to wander the exhibit hall quite a bit, sometimes to find friends, run errands, get lunch or do some shopping. One thing I look forward to each year is getting the new ashcan sketchbook by <strong><a href="http://www.justsayah.com/">Adam Hughes.</a></strong> This year, Darlene was able to get Adam to do a sketch for me. She called to ask who I would want. I always wanted an Adam Hughes sketch! My mind started to race— Should I ask for one of Darlene&#8217;s or my favorite characters like Susan Storm or Barbara Gordon? Should I ask for someone obscure like Aurora of Alpha Flight? I decided on <strong>Puppy</strong>&#8230; and voila! <em>*kermit flail* HOLY CRAP ADAM HUGHES DREW MY CHARACTER! *gets the vapors, faints*</em> </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6001/6006855914_a2e3ee63a2.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Darlene also got to meet comics demigod <strong>Walt Simonson.</strong> &#8220;He was really, really nice!&#8221; Darlene says. She told him that I thought his run on Thor was one of the defining moments in Marvel Comics. He asked where I was and Darlene told him I was working my table. AND I WAS! <em>>sob!<</em> I met Walt back in 1985— he graciously autographed for me my set of every Thor comic he&#8217;d written and drawn (up to that point) PLUS drew a Thor for me on a comics backing board.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6022/6006759506_a939a57ffd.jpg" alt="" /><br />
OK. Show of hands— who remembers &#8220;V?&#8221; I&#8217;m talking the original series from the &#8217;80s, not the remake from last year. These guys rocked the freaking casbah. They even brought rats to snack on!</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6148/6006761980_6368a38f30.jpg" alt="" /><br />
No convention is complete without a zombie outbreak in the Gaslamp Quarter.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6009/6006760914_e0c977a689.jpg" alt="" /><br />
As we were eating dinner <em>alfresco</em> outside Ralphs, <strong>Aquaman</strong> and, um, <strong>female Aquaman</strong> wandered by. I hope they weren&#8217;t offended— we were eating fresh-fried swai.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6149/6006759118_c2f0a11a22.jpg" alt="" /><br />
The end of the show. Here we are, packing it up and hauling it out. BONUS: I&#8217;ve attached my only existing photo from SDCCI 2003, the first year Cool Jerk exhibited in Small Press. Darlene hasn&#8217;t changed one bit in nine years!</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6002/6006761038_4eaee9cd73.jpg" alt="" /><br />
As Comic-Con drew to a close, another life goal of mine was achieved. After years of searching, I finally found<strong> Waldo.</strong></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">For more coverage, check out Darlene&#8217;s food-related Comic-Con blog post <a href="http://myburningkitchen.com/2011/08/01/culinary-culture-in-comics-comic-con-2011-wrap-up/">here!</a></em></p>
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		<title>SDCCI ’11— I survived!</title>
		<link>http://cooljerk.com/2011/07/sdcci-11-i-survived/</link>
		<comments>http://cooljerk.com/2011/07/sdcci-11-i-survived/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 2011 23:30:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Our Man Horn</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[San Diego Comic-Con International]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SDCCI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Takin' care of business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cooljerk.com/?p=5072</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
San Diego Comic-Con International 2011 is in the rear-view mirror, and I caught the ConSARS/Nerd Flu as always. But I battled it hard and as of today, I&#8217;m nearly back to 100%! Lots of fun, but lots of work. It&#8217;s actually pretty grueling to work a convention, especially when it&#8217;s the hemisphere&#8217;s largest. Darlene and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img alt="" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6021/5986186576_3f9b385c03.jpg" class="alignnone" width="500" height="434" /><br />
<strong>San Diego Comic-Con International 2011</strong> is in the rear-view mirror, and I caught the ConSARS/Nerd Flu as always. But I battled it hard and as of today, I&#8217;m nearly back to 100%! Lots of fun, but lots of work. It&#8217;s actually pretty grueling to work a convention, especially when it&#8217;s the hemisphere&#8217;s largest. Darlene and I took a slew of photos and I’ll get to those later in my annual SDCCI Photogasm Recap, as usual.</p>
<p>This year’s ’Con I debuted <strong><a href="http://cooljerk.com/2011/06/omg-color/">Cool Jerk OMG Color! Vol. 1</a></strong>, two new t-shirts and a dozen new varieties of <strong><a href="http://cooljerk.com/2011/07/cool-jerk-and-sdcci-2011/">Cool Jerk Canvas Panels</a>.</strong> I was cautious of the economy and that I wasn&#8217;t offering a $12 book this year, but I must&#8217;ve hit the right chord with attendees because this year was my second-best in nine years of tabling in Small Press! Huzzah! That means I&#8217;m having THREE toppings on my pizza tonight!</p>
<p>This year’s coupon — available ONLY to subscribers — was like &#8220;Let&#8217;s Make a Deal.&#8221; With a coupon, you could either get a couple bucks off anything on the table, a character sketch or Door Number Three — <em>the mystery gift!</em> One reader got a Capri Sun. Another got an out-of-print limited edition Cool Jerk ashcan from 2007. Another got some Cool Jerk Post-It Notes and another got Puppy thong undiepants. Such is the way I thank you for supporting small press and independent cartoonists, and for being a subscriber!</p>
<p>ALSO— did you get a Cool Jerk cookie? Attendees who checked in at my table via foursquare and bought something got a free Cool Jerk cookie, courtesy <strong><a href="http://jennywennycakes.com">Jenny Wenny Cakes.</a></strong> They were delicious!</p>
<p>The main attractions at Comic-Con were the &#8220;Twilight,&#8221; &#8220;Torchwood,&#8221; &#8220;Doctor Who&#8221; and &#8220;Glee!&#8221; panels, along with pretty much every upcoming movie in the next 12 months (&#8220;Avengers,&#8221; &#8220;Men in Black 3,&#8221; &#8220;Amazing Spider-Man,&#8221; the next Dark Knight movie, etc.). There was no shortage of Harry Potter or Captain America fans, either. In fact, I can&#8217;t recall seeing a single Johnny Depp wannabe from the &#8220;Pirates of the Caribbean&#8221; series. Maybe that&#8217;s all played out??</p>
<p>It&#8217;s always exciting to visit with friends who I usually only see at Comic-Con: <strong>Richard Foley &#038; Karen, Jay Halili and Jamie Lim, Marc Mason, Eric and Jocelyn, Wendy the Rollergirl, Lacie and Sean Youtsey</strong> (married since last year&#8217;s &#8216;Con), <strong>Dennis Schamp, Kim the Catgirl &#038; her mom, Bethany &#038; Denzel and Marcus, Brian G., Marian, Bridget and Josh, Larry C., Dan B., Nathan, Barry, John, Ben, Joesph, Shaylan and Ty</strong> (of the Poway Posse), LEGO Maniac <strong>David Oakes, Jonathan Solomon, Peg and Ken Gartin, Mason, Erin, Linda, Jenny, J.P., Dana and her pal who loves Scooby-Doo, Demeterius, Brian G.,</strong> a slew of former co-workers (<strong>Heather &#038; Chris Barber, Michelle Breier, Rose &#038; Jeff Dillon, Luis Monteagudo, Cristina Martinez Byvik, David Poller</strong> and <strong>Steve Schmidt</strong>), <strong>Apri, Steve Yatson</strong> and <strong>Fahim Niaz</strong> from Poser/Manga Studio. I also met <strong>Marianne</strong> (Gina&#8217;s neighbor), <strong>Brian Guthrie, Kalyan Pokala, Liz Ohanesian, Melodie Tao, Lauren &#038; Dom</strong> from Australia, <strong>Sarah</strong> from Poway, <strong>Greg S., Randy, R.C., Lee Anne Moore</strong> and her Oceanside posse, <strong>Makenna</strong> and <strong>Jonathan</strong> and jeez probably a hundred other attendees! I also spotted <strong>Armando</strong> (who <em>always</em> stops by but this year we missed each other) and cosplayer pals <strong>Kit Quinn, Tallest Silver, Betty Felon</strong> and <strong>Jessica Nigri.</strong></p>
<p>I got to see/say hi to/chat with colleagues <strong>JustJenn, Eric &#038; Jodi Kurland, Sarah Kuhn and Jeff Chen, Daniel and Dawna Davis, Ryan Claytor, Ben Walker &#038; Amanda, Jose Cabrera, Bavarian Erin and Superfro, Deb Aoki, James &#038; Rebecca Hicks, Audra Furuichi and Scott Yoshinaga, John Layman, Keith Knight, Chet Phillips, Justin Orr, P.J. Perez, Leslie Levings</strong> and <strong>Allen Passalaqua.</strong></p>
<p>I also got to meet fellow creators <strong><a href="http://neilsegura.blogspot.com/">Neil Segura</a>, <a href="http://www.emitown.blogspot.com/">Emi Lenox,</a> <a href="http://geeksinlovecomic.blogspot.com/">Sarah and Beau Straub</a>, <a href="http://www.jimlujan.com">Jim Lujan</a></strong> and our neighbors <strong><a href="http://www.blacksheepcomics.com/">Ben Seto</a></strong> &#038; <strong><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/raindrops23">Patrick.</a></strong></p>
<p>It’s nearly impossible to mention you all. I hope I didn’t leave out anyone who’s reading this!</p>
<p>Special thanks goes to the other half of Team Cool Jerk, my wonderful wife <strong><a href="http://myburningkitchen.com/">Darlene!</a></strong> She&#8217;s becoming a veteran at table management and many people came by specifically to meet her in person. MWAH!</p>
<p>Photos to come!</p>
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		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Cool Jerk and San Diego Comic-Con 2011</title>
		<link>http://cooljerk.com/2011/07/cool-jerk-and-sdcci-2011/</link>
		<comments>http://cooljerk.com/2011/07/cool-jerk-and-sdcci-2011/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:15:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Our Man Horn</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[San Diego Comic-Con International]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SDCCI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Takin' care of business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cooljerk.com/?p=5052</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s that time of year! I&#8217;m talking San Diego Comic-Con International, and Cool Jerk will be there OF COURSE!
So I bet you&#8217;re wondering, &#8220;What&#8217;s at the table THIS year, homeslice?&#8221; Well, I have a few offerings that will likely make you squeal &#8220;OMG!&#8221;

The first is the debut of Cool Jerk OMG Color! Vol. 1! Sorry [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s that time of year! I&#8217;m talking <strong>San Diego Comic-Con International,</strong> and Cool Jerk will be there OF COURSE!</p>
<p>So I bet you&#8217;re wondering, &#8220;What&#8217;s at the table THIS year, homeslice?&#8221; Well, I have a few offerings that will likely make you squeal &#8220;OMG!&#8221;</p>
<p><img alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3267/5862414576_ed55a685b9_m.jpg" class="alignnone" width="240" height="187" /><br />
The first is the debut of <strong><a href="http://cooljerk.com/2011/06/omg-color/">Cool Jerk OMG Color! Vol. 1!</a></strong> Sorry about all the exclamation points, there. It&#8217;s a companion comic that contains EVERY Sunday-sized strip from Hodabeast and Chickadoowa… IN COLOR FOR THE FIRST TIME! Now that they&#8217;re in hand, I can attest that they look specTACular! They&#8217;re $4 each UNLESS you buy a Canvas Panel, T-shirt or both Hodabeast and Chickadoowa&#8230; then it&#8217;s FREE! (One freebee per qualifying purchase, please, since the print run is EXTREMELY LIMITED to 100 copies!)</p>
<p>- &#8211; - &#8211; -</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6136/5958742384_9f302cb4a7.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="334" /><br />
Another item that&#8217;s perfect for your house, office or motor home is the <strong>Cool Jerk Canvas Panel.</strong> I&#8217;ve added a dozen NEW panel choices to the series I started <a href="http://cooljerk.com/2010/07/get-bimboozled-at-sdcci-2010/">last year,</a> and I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;ll want to buy 8-9 at a time! $15 each.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6029/5958742378_509cec3fe0.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="334" /><br />
ALSO for the first time this year, I have a premium item for SDCCI— the <strong>Longform Canvas Panel!</strong> This is really limited to what you see here, in both black and white variations. They run $60 apiece. <em>NOTE: Want <em>your</em> favorite strip on a canvas? Worry not— I will also take orders at the show!</em></p>
<p>- &#8211; - &#8211; -</p>
<p><img alt="" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6150/5958236415_4f4c215155.jpg" class="alignnone" width="500" height="231" /><br />
And did I mention T-shirts? Yes! Available in a myriad of sizes for both guys and gals are TWO shirts! The <strong>20th Anniversary CJ shirt</strong>, which has probably your favorite character on it (trust me on this) and the <strong>JERKea shirt</strong>, which I beta-tested last summer to overwhelming acclaim! The CJ shirt runs $15 and JERKea is $20.</p>
<p>- &#8211; - &#8211; -</p>
<p>I also have all the other items you&#8217;ve been jonesing for in years past, incl. ALL my books, Sharpie original art breakdowns, stickers, buttons and the like. We&#8217;re in the same spot we&#8217;ve always been, right by the Sweaty Cosplayer Hose-Down Station. Here&#8217;s a little map I whipped up while you were clipping your toenails.</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 510px"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6011/5958075175_d4cb85e418_b.jpg"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6011/5958075175_d4cb85e418.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="306" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">(Click it to GET INTO THAT BAD BOY!)</p></div>
<p>- &#8211; - &#8211; -</p>
<p>And starting tomorrow, be sure to check in to my table via <a href="http://foursquare.com/venue/25840425">foursquare</a> for a special treat!</p>
<p>Hope to see you there!</p>
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		<title>Horns team up to conquer Reno!</title>
		<link>http://cooljerk.com/2011/03/horns-to-conquer-reno/</link>
		<comments>http://cooljerk.com/2011/03/horns-to-conquer-reno/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Mar 2011 20:19:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Our Man Horn</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Book signing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reno]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sundance Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Takin' care of business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cooljerk.com/?p=4339</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ll be having a book signing at Sundance Bookstore in Reno, Saturday, April 16! Christine Kelly has been a friend of Cool Jerk since my first book and Sundance was the perfect venue for my first Northern Nevada signing. And speaking of friends…
Nancy Horn — owner of DISH Cafe — agreed to partner with me for [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;ll be having a book signing at <a href="http://www.sundancebookstore.com/"><strong>Sundance Bookstore</strong></a> in <strong>Reno, Saturday, April 16!</strong> Christine Kelly has been a friend of Cool Jerk since my <a href="http://cooljerk.com/shop">first book</a> and Sundance was the perfect venue for my first Northern Nevada signing. And speaking of friends…</p>
<p><a href="http://myburningkitchen.com/2010/03/29/omg-omd-and-ddd/"><strong>Nancy Horn</strong></a> — owner of DISH Cafe — agreed to partner with me for the signing. And by &#8220;agreed&#8221; I mean &#8220;succumbed to blackmail.&#8221; See, Nancy and I go WAY back. Back in the college days, we both worked for the <a href="http://nevadasagebrush.com">UNR Sagebrush</a> (she was the variety editor and wrote a food column, and I was production director, page designer and staff cartoonist). In fact, SHE&#8217;S responsible for the <a href="http://www.cooljerk.com/docfinale1990.html">&#8220;death&#8221; of Doc Splatter, back in 1990.</a> Well, we&#8217;ve both pursued our dreams, and over the past several years she&#8217;s become a foodie luminary in Northern Nevada. You might&#8217;ve eaten at DISH, read about her in various regional and national publications or even seen her on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLGVgOv7gkk">Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.</a> Well, she&#8217;ll be there with Cool Jerk-related desserts that&#8217;s still under wraps at this writing. But I guarantee it&#8217;ll be fun and flavorful.</p>
<p><div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 329px"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5219/5511915399_43f4a5d5c4_o.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5219/5511915399_3cb2e23a4d.jpg" width="333" height="500" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Click it to see all the deets!</p></div><br />
Here&#8217;s how I&#8217;m folding the comics-and-cuisine thing together into a riot-inducing, must-not-miss event: <strong>For every Cool Jerk book you purchase, you get a DISH coupon for FREE EATS!</strong> I&#8217;ll only have a couple/few dozen coupons so it&#8217;s first come/first served, and there&#8217;s a limit of four tickets per person.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ll have all four Cool Jerk and Doc Splatter books on hand, ready to personalize to you with a sketch. Also, I&#8217;ll be bringing buttons, stickers, t-shirts, original art sketches and <a href="http://cooljerk.com/2010/07/get-bimboozled-at-sdcci-2010/">canvas panels.</a> It&#8217;ll be like a micro comic-con, but with free admission and free food!</p>
<p><div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 177px"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5511897189_209ffc5256_b.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5511897189_209ffc5256_m.jpg" width="167" height="240" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Click to enlarge!</p></div>The signing is only two hours (1pm to 3pm) so be sure to schedule your appetite accordingly!</p>
<p>ps Nancy Horn is no relation, actually, but my for-realz sister <em>will</em> be there!</p>
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		<title>Horn draws all over The Rack</title>
		<link>http://cooljerk.com/2010/10/horn-draws-all-over-the-rack/</link>
		<comments>http://cooljerk.com/2010/10/horn-draws-all-over-the-rack/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Oct 2010 00:16:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Our Man Horn</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inside the Artist's Studio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Making comics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Takin' care of business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Rack]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cooljerk.com/?p=3505</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m sure many of you have seen my recent guest-artist run with comic writer Kevin Church (The Rack — Halloweek). If not&#8230; GO THERE FIRST BEFORE YOU READ ANY MORE OF THIS.
This is Kevin&#8217;s and my third annual Halloween collaboration, and since I detailed how I create Cool Jerk a few months back, I though [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m sure many of you have seen my recent guest-artist run with comic writer <strong>Kevin Church</strong> (The Rack — <a href="http://www.agreeablecomics.com/therack/?p=1143">Halloweek</a>). If not&#8230; GO THERE FIRST BEFORE YOU READ ANY MORE OF THIS.</p>
<p>This is Kevin&#8217;s and my third annual Halloween collaboration, and since I detailed <a href="http://cooljerk.com/2010/03/break-it-down-for-me-fellas/">how I create Cool Jerk</a> a few months back, I though I&#8217;d share how I did these strips for Kevin. It was a bit of a departure for me, in several ways.</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 510px"><img alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1182/5122079724_e4edc9e898.jpg" width="500" height="347" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Lookin&#039; Sharp(ie)</p></div>
<p>First, I&#8217;m working with someone. Crazy! Kevin types up his screenplay (for lack of a better layman term), detailing each panel, caption and sound effect. Kevin even went so far as to include hyperlinks to source images, in the event I didn&#8217;t know what type of gun or video game I was supposed to draw. So for this Halloweek, there were five screenplays.</p>
<p>Another difference from my Standard Operating Procedure is that I&#8217;m working with characters not my own. Now, this happens all the time in comic books, but rarely for me. So I plowed through <a href="http://www.agreeablecomics.com/site/?page_id=428"><strong>The Rack Year One (Mostly),</strong></a> Kevin and regular series artist Benjamin Birdie&#8217;s first volume of The Rack, and worked up my own variations of his characters. It&#8217;s kind of fun to play in someone else&#8217;s sandbox every now and then!* </p>
<p>The most-obvious aspect of Halloweek that differs sharply from Cool Jerk is&#8230; <strong>Sharpies.</strong> When I cartoon for myself, I use brush and ink; always have (well, since 1988&#8230; and I use <strong>Koh-I-Noor rapidographs</strong> or <strong>Sakura Pigma Micron pens</strong> for Doc Splatter). But, a couple years ago, I did the <a href="http://cooljerk.com/media/"> 24 Hour Comics Day</a> challenge all in Sharpies. It allows me to adopt a loose and manic style which works great for Doc Splatter, plus it saves my hand from cramping up (which can happen if I use the brush for too long). Each Halloweek strip is about 98% Sharpie, and 2% Photoshop trickery and retouching.</p>
<p>Finally, The Rack uses a <a href="http://www.comicbookfonts.com/index.html?sid=0001954XJiKELPICsA3m3A1">Comicraft</a> font called <strong>Monologous.</strong> Thing is, Monologous doesn&#8217;t have a lowercase, so I have to use Comicraft&#8217;s <strong>BlahBlahBlah</strong> for those instances. (I also snuck in a tiny bit of <strong>Hornopolis</strong> hee hee. Look for it.)</p>
<p>The actual cartooning process was similar to Cool Jerk. Penciled roughs, printed panels, lightbox, Macintosh post-production, etc.</p>
<p><div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 510px"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/5122079732_b75462831f_b.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/5122079732_b75462831f.jpg" width="500" height="329" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Click it to huge it up!</p></div><br />
Thanks to Kevin for another harrowing week outside my comfort zone, and to Benjamin Birdie for clearing a week from your regular schedule.</p>
<p>*I recently did an <a href="http://www.alertnerd.com/?p=3577">illustration</a> for <strong>Sarah Kuhn</strong> of her characters, featured in her witty and delightful book <a href="http://www.alertnerd.com/?page_id=3552"><strong>One Con Glory.</strong></a></p>
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		<title>You know, I should do this more often&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://cooljerk.com/2010/09/i-should-do-this-more-often/</link>
		<comments>http://cooljerk.com/2010/09/i-should-do-this-more-often/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Sep 2010 23:36:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Our Man Horn</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bimboozled]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Comic-CAN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[M-Theory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tabe BBQ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Takin' care of business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cooljerk.com/?p=3479</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I had a book signing for Cool Jerk Vol. 3: Bimboozled this past Saturday at M-Theory Music here in San Diego, and it was the best three+ hours I&#8217;ve had since my written driver&#8217;s test! Like I mentioned earlier (see the previous blog post), I wanted to have a consolation &#8216;con — a &#8220;Cool Jerk Comic-CAN&#8221; [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I had a book signing for <strong>Cool Jerk Vol. 3: Bimboozled</strong> this past Saturday at <strong><a href="http://www.mtheorymusic.com/">M-Theory Music</a></strong> here in San Diego, and it was the best three+ hours I&#8217;ve had since my written driver&#8217;s test! Like I mentioned earlier (see the previous blog post), I wanted to have a consolation &#8216;con — a &#8220;Cool Jerk Comic-CAN&#8221; — for local friends and allies of Cool Jerk who couldn&#8217;t make it to Comic-Con this past summer. So I set up a mini-version of my SDCCI &#8220;tablescape&#8221; and sold some books!</p>
<p>Now, I&#8217;ve done a few book signings over the past 3-4 years, but this one was special for a few reasons:</p>
<p>• I used Facebook and Twitter (in conjunction with the weekly Cool Jerk e-mailer) to get the word out. Likewise, Darlene also contacted a few of her local friends via her food-blogging and comics aficionado circles. Believe it — those two worlds overlap!</p>
<p>• Darlene managed to get San Diego&#8217;s premier mobile cuisine (read: taco truck) <strong><a href="http://www.tabebbq.com/index.php">Tabe BBQ</a></strong> to partner with us for the first 90 minutes. AND — to sweeten the deal — I whipped up some Taco Tickets for book-buyers (buy a book, get a free taco).</p>
<p>• M-Theory Music also has a weekly newsletter, plus a calendar of events (like mine) on their website.</p>
<p>• San Diego City Beat ran a blurb about the signing in the most-recent issue.</p>
<p>It was a synergetic synchronicity of comics, music and delicious Asian-fusion cuisine! Not a bad way to spend a warm autumn evening in America&#8217;s Finest City!</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 510px"><img alt="" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4126/5034170897_13a0ff2fe4.jpg" width="500" height="442" /><p class="wp-caption-text">With Chef Todd of Tabe BBQ. Me with burrito, Todd with Bimboozled.</p></div>
<p>Thanks to a chunk of the Poway Posse — <strong>Nathan, Joe, Ben, Barry, Mack</strong> and rookie inductee <strong>Gary</strong> — for coming down to get Bimboozled! Also, a contingent of former <em>Union-Tribune</em> colleagues showed up to get the &#8216;Jerk (<strong>Chris, Steve, Janine, Anna, Mike, Jenny, Sandy, Ani</strong> and <strong>Bruce</strong>). <strong>Bethany Jordan</strong> and her friend <strong>Joey</strong> came by, as did <strong>Alex Gamboa</strong> and Darlene&#8217;s high-school video instructor, <strong>Mr. Lakin</strong> (and his entourage). I also finally got to meet the hilarious and enigmatic food-and-pop-culture blogger <a href="http://pinkcandlesatridgemonthigh.blogspot.com/"><strong>Canine Cologne</strong></a> (also with entourage). And, lastly, thanks to <strong>Rick</strong> at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/M-Theory-Music/36382197317">M-Theory Music</a> for hosting the event, and to <strong>Chef Todd</strong> and <strong>Matt</strong> from <a href="https://twitter.com/tabebbq">Tabe BBQ</a> for making it 40% more awesome (and 100% more delicious)!</p>
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		<title>Only a nobody walks in L.A.</title>
		<link>http://cooljerk.com/2010/08/only-a-nobody-walks-in-la/</link>
		<comments>http://cooljerk.com/2010/08/only-a-nobody-walks-in-la/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Aug 2010 02:00:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Our Man Horn</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bimboozled]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Comic Factory]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Meltdown Comics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Port of Subs]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Takin' care of business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Comic Bug]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cooljerk.com/?p=3314</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Had a nice, busy Cool Jerk-related day yesterday. Comic-Con is barely a week in the rear view mirror, but that doesn&#8217;t mean I rest on my laurels until the next convention or store signing. Oh no. I loaded up the car and headed up to Los Angeles. Mission: Bimboozled.
My first stop was Tustin. No, wait. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Had a nice, busy Cool Jerk-related day yesterday. Comic-Con is barely a week in the rear view mirror, but that doesn&#8217;t mean I rest on my laurels until the next convention or store signing. Oh no. I loaded up the car and headed up to Los Angeles. Mission: <strong><a href="http://cooljerk.com/2010/07/you-got-bimboozled/">Bimboozled.</a></strong></p>
<p>My first stop was Tustin. No, wait. My first stop was <strong><a href="http://cooljerk.com/2010/01/i-am-a-whore/">Port of Subs</a></strong> in Oceanside. Gotta eat some #8 for breakfast! (I considered sending JustJenn a photo, as is tradition.)</p>
<p><img alt="" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4864301221_b9574598ca.jpg" class="alignnone" width="500" height="335" /></p>
<p>OK. My first Bimboozled-related stop was <strong><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/comics-toons-and-toys-tustin">Comics Toons and Toys</a></strong> in Tustin. The owner — Matt Powers — and his #1 henchman Ken Rolow have long been allies and advocates of Cool Jerk. In fact, my second-ever store signing (in Dec. 2005) was there. Their inventory showed Hodabeast only, and Matt was kind enough to add Chickadoowa, Bimboozled and Doc Splatter Ominous Omnibus to their store. Yay!</p>
<p>My next stop was in Pasadena. I&#8217;d been to <strong><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/comics-factory-pasadena">Comics Factory</a></strong> a few times, the most recent time I spotted a copy of Hodabeast on their shelf. So I introduced myself to George (the owner) and let him know I have three more books! He took a stack off my hands, cut me a check and we wished each other a good day.</p>
<p>Like a moth to a flame, I can&#8217;t get within a 20-mile radius of Burbank without stopping in to <a href="http://myburningkitchen.com/2006/06/07/behold-the-mighty-potato-ball/">Porto&#8217;s Bakery</a> for some lunch (potato ball sandwich) and to one of my all-time favorite comic shops: <strong><a href="http://www.artoffiction.com/HOS_index.html">House of Secrets.</a></strong> Erik and Paul have been staunch supporters of Cool Jerk for years, and they hosted a <a href="http://cooljerk.com/2010/01/cool-jerk-conquers-house-of-secrets/">store signing</a> for me in January. Their clientele are loyal and friendly. All Erik needed to see was one copy of Bimboozled and nothing need be said by me, as he just said &#8220;let&#8217;s do it.&#8221; And now House of Secrets has the full Cool Jerk library.</p>
<p>Off to <strong><a href="http://www.meltcomics.com/blog/">Meltdown</a></strong> on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. I &#8220;officially&#8221; met Leslie (creator of the <a href="http://www.beastlies.com/">Beastlies</a>), whom I&#8217;ve seen and said &#8220;hi&#8221; to a few times at Comic-Con over the years. Unfortunately, the head cheese Chris was recording a podcast so I was unable to strike up a partnership. I left copies of three books for his consideration, and a promise to contact him when it&#8217;s not so busy. (Meltdown does have a couple copies of Hodabeast in stock)</p>
<p>It wasn&#8217;t the smartest plan to drop in on comics shops on a Wednesday, aka New Comics Day. The busiest day of the week. But it was necessary, because my NEXT stop was <strong><a href="http://thecomicbug.com/">The Comic Bug</a></strong> in Manhattan Beach&#8230; and thus the true reason for the trip north.</p>
<p>Unlike the other shops I visited, this one wasn&#8217;t about Cool Jerk. It was about <strong>JustJenn.</strong> Darlene&#8217;s and my friend Jenn was having a store signing (is that the right term?), selling her stationery, pads, buttons, badges, posters and related handmade design collectibles and ephemera. And cupcakes. Ohh-h-h-h. The cupcakes.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4864919844_dd3a3c71be.jpg" class="alignnone" width="500" height="335" /></p>
<p>Besides being an outstanding <a href="http://justjennrecipes.com/">food blogger</a> and <a href="http://www.justjenndesigns.com/">graphic designer,</a> Jenn also bakes a mean cupcake. The ones she was selling (or giving away as samples, or with purchase) were meticulously decorated with some of the more popular Marvel or DC superhero logos. </p>
<p><img alt="That Superman logo was a jaw-dropper!" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4864919912_ea81f772d1.jpg" class="alignnone" width="500" height="359" /><br />
That Superman logo was a jaw-dropper.</p>
<p>Not only did she make up one special for me (Fantastic Four logo), but the cupcakes themselves were &#8220;Horn Specials&#8221;  — <strong>Red Velvet with Cream Cheese frosting</strong> and <strong>Ovaltine with Ovaltine Ganache frosting.</strong> (They&#8217;re nicknamed &#8220;Horn Specials&#8221; because Jenn did these exact cupcake varieties for Darlene&#8217;s and my wedding last summer, minus comic logos.)</p>
<p>Jenn already <a href="http://justjennrants.blogspot.com/2010/08/look-up-in-sky.html">blogged</a> about the event, so I won&#8217;t steal her thunder. But from my side of the table, it was a lot of fun. I saw a bunch of friends, most of whom are on Twitter (@sarahkuhn, @fakejeffchen, @foodlibrarian, @waffles) and met Jenn&#8217;s friend Cheryl (who bought a set of Cool Jerk books from me curbside at Jenn&#8217;s suggestion) and Jenn&#8217;s grandmother, aka <a href="http://www.justjenndesigns.com/gifts/og/ogroadtrippin.htm">The O.G.</a> </p>
<p>For 12 hours yesterday, it was like a bonus sixth day of Comic-Con. Sure I sold a bunch of books, but I also bought more comics than I did during comic-con. I also met friends, made new ones, helped support a pal. Good day.</p>
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