SLAM BANG COMICS: Year Wrap Up / Mid-Ohio-Con Report 2007 -Allen Freeman

2007 Wrap Up

Well this year I put out Slam Bang #2 vol III and I just put out Morgana X the paperback novel written by Christopher Moshier. I also put out Dean LeCrone vs. The Mutants of Comic-Con (DVD).

My father-in-law passed away in August, this was rough on my wife for sure but we knew it was coming since he was diagnosed with cancer in April. And it was advanced. We are planning a trip to Michigan between Christmas and New Year for her to see more of her relatives and for me to see MI for the first time. (I'll take tons of photos.)

I’m assembling a large 176 page anthology The Comic Eye, for a comic company, Blind Bat Press. They don’t know Adobe In-Design so I’m helping them out. The book looks great with lots of fantastic contributors. It is already mentioned in Diamond's Previews I think. I’m also starting to put together Slam Bang #3 vol III, the Mostly True Stories issue. Hope to have it out early 2008.

I’m back writing again. I haven’t written much since the Morgana X comics in the 90’s but now I’m writing a comic called

DEAD RANGER for The Comic Quest Creative Alliance group in Indiana that I’m a part of. Should be very interesting. The comic will be out by Free Comic Book Day (May 2^nd I think.)

Mid-Ohio-Con REPORT

I had a blast at Mid-Ohio-Con, Nov 23-25th. I was to split a table in the Artist Alley with Clint Basinger of www.cosmicmoustachecomics.com but the guy next to us never showed up so I got a full table to myself! I sold lots of Slam Bang and a few of the Mutants movie! I was sitting on Sunday drawing an alligator with goggles and outfit like a WW1 pilot flying some old contraption and people kept saying, "Wow, that's pretty cool." And

---Clint Basinger

before I had it inked in someone bought it from me! Clint is always drawing and getting attention so I tried it and it worked. Usually I'm too lazy to do it but will do it from now on. On Friday the day the vendors get to look around Clint and I bought a comic from Steve Rude and he signed it. Wanted an autograph from Micheal Golden, as I've always been a big fan of his. But he was charging way too much for it. You had to buy something $20 to $30 to get the autograph. I was stunned. No matter how famous I get. (Or don't get.) I'll never do that. You can't piss off your fans. That is #1.

I got photos of lots of stars from the Bronze Age Marvel days as you'll see from the photo links I have here. I got to meet Max Ink, who gave me his BLINK digest, who says he will contribute to my Slam Bang book. His work looks great! I saw Matt Feazell who bought my Mutants DVD. I went over and spent the money at

---The elusive Matt Feazell

his booth getting his Official Death of Antisocialman BODY BAG. A collection of 12 mini comics for $7 and I got two color sketches for $1 each. Plus a few other minis. I'll be reviewing all this at my Small Press Newsroom soon. I got to talk to long time small press creator and publisher Bruce Chrislip. He was telling me how Steve Willis was having a bad year. Got a divorce etc....Saw Chad Lambert, a great comic book writer for many different projects and companies. My booth was back to back with Bob Corby's Back Porch Comics booth and he and I got to talk. His daughter was going to run the booth (Attracting more comic buyers than Bob.) but she was sick so Bob had to do it. He had a new anthology out that looked good. I didn't get a copy since he was almost sold out. I'll see more of him in 3 months at the SPACE Con which he organizes every year. Love that show.

I got some photos of the original Santa and Rudolf from the 1963 cartoon! My wife is crazy about that cartoon and collects Bumbles. You know, that adorable, goofy abominable snowman.

--Bruce Chrislip

Other names at the con: Brian Hurtt, Craig Boldman, Hamtramck Idea Men, Herb Trimpe, Keith Pollard, Mark Evanier, Nic Halvert (Pickle Press Comics), Rich Buckler, Sergio Arogones,
Steven Black, Steve Rude, Terry Huddleston (a very funny new comic book printer, Imaginary Concepts Printing Solutions), Tony Isabella, actor who played The Silver Surfer, The Defuser, Jesse Rubenfeld, and more! Whew!

Comics I got at the show to review: The Faustians #1(Pennydreadfull Press), Into The Dust #1, #2 (Jesse Rubenfeld), Safewords, The Serial Squad, Woodboy, The Invisible World (Bad Place Productions), The Gardian Line ALPHA, Joe and Max #1, The Seekers #1, #2, CODE, Genesis #1, #2 (The Guardian Line), Runner's Paradox with music CD (Steve Peters-Awakening Comics), Blink-Barefoot in America-Breakfast in the Park (Max Ink), Official Death of Antisocialman BODY BAG, The Amazing Cynicalman #18m, #19 (Matt Feazell-Not Available Comics), The Wrecking Crew #1 (Triumvirate Publishing).

---Bob Corby signing the annual T-Shirt of the con.

I'll be making a point to attend and probably setting up a table at the Mid-Ohio-Con in the future as I had a great time and saw a lot of great comic creators there. Now, if I can only figure out why they didn't have a "free table".

---Your average fan of Slam Bang

Nick Halvert helping out a Booth Babe

---Original Santa and Rudolf from the cartoon of 1963. Here is the story: After the cartoon was made the puppets were thrown in a pile by the door of the studio. A worker there asked, "What is going to happen to the puppets?" They told him they were to be thrown away. So he grabbed up 9 of them. Unfortunately he still didn't know quite what he had. He gave them to his kids to play with and they eventually destroyed all but Santa and Rudolf, which were in bad shape. The puppets were not made to last or be played with. Years later the guy sold the 2 puppets and they were purchased and refurbished by a company that knew what they were worth!