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 ©2007 Comic Quest Creators Alliance

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!






---Chad Lambert




























--Max Ink















Slide show of photos from Mid-Ohio-Con:http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=maknbacon&P=&AID=4981373&Show=Y

Or just the images (for slower internet connections):http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=maknbacon&P=&AID=4981373&Pres=Y

Interview with Cint Basinger of Cosmic Moustache Comics

Interview with Chuck Haspel

EK Card and Comic Show (With Reptiles!) Morehead, KY

This what took place over the last weekend (September 22nd and 23rd) as Clint Basinger a comic artist and publisher of Backseat Drivers (Who I'd been emailing back and forth but was meeting for the first time, and I (Allen Freeman of Fan-Atic Press) drove from Owensboro, KY to Morehead, KY for the EK Card and Comic Show. Clint drive to Owensboro (He lives just outside Owensboro) and together we drove to Lexington. We went to Chuck Haspel's house where Chuck rents the downstairs of a nice house (1970’s?) in a nice neighborhood. Chuck and I had worked together on many commercial art projects over the years and comic books as he even helped me put out Slam Bang for a while. I'd not seen him since I moved to WA back in 1996. As we were following our MapQuest directions we were in his neighborhood and it said to go to the end of the road and take a left onto the road Chuck's house was on. We got to the end and the other road had no sign on it. But the house right there was the correct house number. So we called Chuck and he said, "Is there a old Cadillac parked out front." We said, "no". He said, "There is one in front of his house." We said, "Well it's not there now. " He said he come out front and look for us. We waited and no one came out from this house. Finally I called him back and we figure out that we needed to go around that corner and down a few more blocks, and then saw the correct house with the same house number as the one we were at. Oh, well.

--Left Chuck, right Clint.

He has two cats and no room for us to stay with him but we knew that and had planned to get a room at a hotel nearby. We saw his old west hand guns, and his shotgun and some of his art work here and there, under a pile of papers, against a wall, and some were on the wall. We also saw where he'd finally started working on the comic Captain Optimist #1 bringing back the character that we worked on (and put out 5 issues) back in the late 80's and early 90's. I take some photos and then we plan to all go see a movie.
--Chuck showing off his pistols.

Clint and I got a nice room at this place down not far from Chuck’s place. We got the room lined up then, with Chuck with us, go to see the movie 3:10 from Yuma. I’d seen it before but liked it so much I wanted to see it again.

--Boo, one of Chuck's cats

The movie was only $5 which was very cheap. Chuck loved it since he is a big Western movie fan (And Western History buff) and even owns 3 real pistols like the type from back in those days! With holsters! And Chuck owns a double barrel shotgun which he also keeps loaded…..(Another reason not to sleep over there.) Clint also liked the movie. Oh, and Chuck showed us his 3 guitars and even a ukulele someone had built for him.

---Captain Optimist (Chuck pencils/Allen inks)

We drop Chuck back at his house then go to our hotel as we are very tired. Clint and I talk comics and stuff till about 1:00am then decided we’d better get some sleep as we have to get up at 8:00 and get Chuck at 8:30am for the drive to Morehead, KY.

I’m shocked out of my sleep at 2:00am as there is a huge frat party going on right outside our door, to our right and above us. Seems we are in the middle of it. Super loud talking and laughing till about 3:00am….I kept thinking I’d stick my head out and tell them to get the hell out of here. But that would probably lead to the van getting smashed up. So that concluded my second night in a row with very little sleep.

Next morning we get Chuck and drive off to the show. Chuck assures us we don’t need the MapQuest page I’d printed out as he used to drive some delivery truck of some sort to that area all the time so he just tosses it down between the seats. We are still driving at 10:00am which is when the show starts. I asked if we missed the turn or something? Chuck says no as he is looking for exit 137. I then keep a watch on the mile markers and they go from 140 to 141 etc…and I mention that we must of passed 137 as the numbers are getting larger. Chuck agrees and we then drive another 8 miles trying to find a place to turnaround on this expressway. There is nothing. Finally a turnaround area but a policeman is right there having just pulled someone over…shit. So a few more miles and we see another turn around and illegally take it. Anyway we get to the show and it’s a nice new convention center. We go in and if you go to the right of the main table it’s the Card and Comic Show. If you go to the left it’s the Reptile Show! No kidding!

People are walking around in the comic show carrying snakes in containers they’d just bought at the Reptile Show! What a hoot! I can’t resist and go to the other side and take photos of the snakes, turtles, cats, toads, and other creatures for sale! That side is booming, hardly anyone is at the comic show. I see a guy with a flying squirrel on his arm, some people holding snakes, large tanks holding mice (Snake food I guess), and we see large snapping turtles and other interesting creatures. I'm also told there were some huge spiders on display and a python. One snake I saw had a price tag of $3000 on it.

---Allen tries out Clint's Cosmic Mustache

Meanwhile back at the comic/card show, I only sold some comics to Clint, Chuck and one other guy. But I did talk to a guy that says he has connections to getting stuff distributed internationally! Movies on DVD, and music CD’s for sure but he will look into books and comics.

---Clint's table

Clint on the other hand was doing OK and I saw him selling his comic series of 4 issues: Backseat Drivers. I read it all the night before and loved it. Very funny stuff. Strange but funny.


The event organizer had found a copy of Fright Night #12 and had me sign it. I donated a copy of Slam Bang to the event to be won from a drawing of the tickets sold but never hear them announce it. They do announce every 30 minutes about a snake they are giving away and pick a ticket and call out the winner. They do this at ear bleeding sound decibels all day long off and on.

--One of the many reptiles, this one cost $3000

We take Chuck back to his place in Lexington, KY, say good-bye, then drive to Frankfort, KY were I meet with a client and pick up some items to do art for another collector print. This time for Hygienists. So I now have all the dangerously sharp tools they use. I offer to give Clint a free cleaning but he just won't go for it so we drive off for Owensboro.

--Chuck's reptile mascot for next year's show. (Inks by AF)

=Allen 9-24-2007

Morgana X- The NOVEL is now OUT!

ALL NEW STORY! Yeah, baby, the Morgana X, 162 page novel (6" x 9") written by Christopher Moshier with a cover by me (Allen Freeman) is out at last! This tells an all new story about Morgana X including an origin! Finally! You thought you'd never see it? Well here it is. Morgana was created by me back around 1987 or so. With the help of Quinton Hoover providing the art for the comic books and with me doing the inking etc...we put out Morgana X for Cat's Paw Comics and later for Sky Comics. So she was in about 6 comics between 1987 and 1994. And finally here is her story! Chris has taken the best characters from the comics and added even more! A super space adventure of the sexiest, galaxy spanning, assassin ever! Oh, and that's not all. There is a 14 page comic story by Allen Freeman and Quinton Hoover from the Sky Comics Special #1 way back in 1994! Not enough? How about a 5 page art gallery of covers used and unused! Get this while it's hot! www.fanaticpress.com

Books I like

Wow, it is September.....

I'm getting some great strips for Slam Bang #3 vol III. Most of them are true stories or just so darn good I'll have to use them anyway! Don't forget end of this month is the deadline. Be in the issue! Do some good. Hug a tree. Draw on a tree, and send it in.

=A

San Diego Comic-Con 2007.....

Hey, I think I survived the 2007 San Diego International Comic-Con. I ran a booth in the small press zone and sold some Fan-Atic Press comics and mostly I sold the Dean LeCrone vs. The Mutants of Comic-Con DVD's. Yeah, I had a small DVD player running at the booth. Dean LeCrone the star of the movie also helped with the booth and we had tons of fun talking to the "stars" of the movie we shot there last year. They loved it! We even got them telling us what they thought of the movie on video. I'll be posting up lots of great comments and video at www.fanaticpressfilms.com soon. You can go there and see all the photos I took at the show this year. Got 200 photos up on Dotphoto. We really wanted to shoot another movie there this year but couldn't find anyone to relieve us long enough from the booth to do it. So we just shot a little here and there and I'll post it on YouTube and you can see it at the link above also.

The crowds were great on every day but Saturday. Yeah, that was a surprise. Turns out they were so afraid that the crowd was going to be too thick on Saturday they didn't sell any tickets at the door. So it was the least crowded day of the show. And everyone's day for slow sales so I heard. And it was true for us, Saturday was a bust. Sunday was very busy and we made up for Saturday.

We hooked up with Pirate Girl, Klingon, Girl that was with Fantastic Boy, Button Dude, Old Jedi, and more.....I even saw the guy that was at the end of our movie that Dean goofed on about missing the show and asking, "Where's my ticket?" And he had on the same shirt!

We sold a nice batch of the DVD's even though quite a few people would watch some of the movie and laugh and tell us how funny it is...only to wonder off and not buy one. We had the usual folks that say they will be back later. On Sunday there were a few of them that did just walk up and hand us money, so they actually meant what they said.

I saw lots of great costumes and got photos of most of them. Dean and I tried to go to one of the panels at the end of Saturday for the cast of the Sara Silverman show but the line was around and around the hallways and we gave up. That was the closest I've come to attending a panel in the 4 years I've attended the show. I did watch some of the panels highlights on www.ifc.com
site. I saw the one about the 25th anniversary of Blade Runner movie...that was cool.

I did have a celebrity sighting....I was just walking along and saw an interview in progress and it was Rosario Dawson! I got some great photos of her. I felt like paparazzi!

I had to buy another Teddy Scares bear for my wife Bonnie which was my only request from her this year. After lots of searching and looking in the program to no avail...I found them on Saturday and got the one she wanted. If you are not familiar with the Teddy Scares bears look http://www.teddyscares.com

I shot about 10 very crazy vader helmets and it turns out there are tons more and you can see them HERE!

I walked so much the first day getting the booth set up I'd rubbed my legs raw. I could hardly walk without pain. It was like a super atomic wedgy....this was so strange it had been a long time since that had happened to me. I'd been working out on the treadmill and to some Billy Blank's DVD's (TaeBo) and was in pretty good shape anticipating all the walking I'd be doing and lifting and dragging stuff around...but didn't prepare for the atomic wedgy! Anyway, I took it easy on the second day and soon recovered....I was very worried I'd miss the second day as walking only made it worse. But I was tough and pressed on.

On Thursday night of the con Dean took me to the meeting of the Southern California Cartoonists Society like we did last year. This year it was just a few blocks from the con so we walked there. Also this time there was no formal talk like before so we just met other members and chatted. Though they may have had more going on later, Dean and I had to split after a while since our hotel was 45 miles away and we needed sleep! I talked with Stan Yan, Michael Aushanker and Craig Boldman at our table and had a great time.


















I really missed not having the time to see everything like I did last year but still had fun and was glad our booth was so popular. All the stars that discovered we had the movie out flocked to our table and I'm sure that peaked some interest in the crowd to check out what we had going on there, thus increasing our sales even more.

There were lots of Artist Alley tables this year more than last time I think, and there was still a strong group of small press and Indy comic companies. I was really glad to see that it wasn't shrinking like I thought it would since the cost of the tables had gone up so much....in 2008 the prices are the same as 2007 for a Small Press Table so that is also good news.

I'll be reviewing tons of comics I picked up for review in my Small Press Newsroom Blog: http://smallpressnewsroom.blogspot.com and I was showing a copy of Ka-Whump! #2 around the tables and they all wanted to buy one. Unfortunately I didn't have any with me at the show. But I did give out info on how they could order one. I also played up Small Press Extra and showed off the cover I just did for their issue #6.

Before the Comic-Con I was in Seattle, WA seeing my kids who still live there, Brigitte 19, Alaina 22 and Dustin 24. I gave a talk to the Cartoonist Northwest group on Saturday the 21st and saw John Lustig and Wade Busby there. We had about 15 or more at the meeting and I gave a talk about my years in the gaming biz, commercial art work, and comics. (My son Dustin shot it all on video) Then I showed them the movie Dean LeCrone vs. The Mutants of Comic Con....and they loved it! I even sold some afterwards. They clapped at the end and all told me how impressed they were with Dean and my editing work etc....

After the meeting some of us met at the Hurricane Cafe for food and more talking. John Lustig showed me the newspaper cartoons of his Last Kiss I'd been coloring for him.

After this my son Dustin who was with me and driving me all round, took me to Kenmore, WA where I saw his band Violence Unfolds blow the roof off a small venue that also had two other bands play that night.

My friend Tim Jensen had joined us there and being a crack photographer he took photos of the band as I shot video. Then we played pool there for quite a while! What a night!

I'll be posting up some video very soon!

Now on to Wizard World Chicago Con in just a few days! This is my year of comic cons! I'm also now planning to have 1/2 a booth at the Mid-Ohio-Con in November in Columbus, OH.

==Allen
www.fanaticpress.com
www.fanaticpressfilms.com

Movie Premiere Huge Success!

Or see the Slideshow larger: http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=maknbacon&P=&AID=4553260&Show=Y

On June 2nd in Fallbrook, CA at the Mission Theatre at the "Comic and Animation Film Festival" was shown, for the first time on the big screen.....Dean LeCrone vs. The Mutants of Comic-Con! And it was a huge hit. Why? Because everyone there said so! They said, "I laughed till I had tears in my eyes!". No lie! They said that! And you can bet that Dean LeCrone, star of the movie, writer of the movie, and director (Plus the host for this event), was in tears. I'm Allen Freeman, the writer of this blog, and I was the cameraman/editor/designer/marketing guru/webmaster for the film and I was in tears! I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing! There was about 80 people in the audience and they were cat calling, whistling, laughing, and having a blast from the very start to the very end of the movie! They also loved Dean's hosting of the event, as he made fun of his helpers on stage (Robin: Brandon), commented about the guy in the booth (Chris) running the videos and movies, and kept the crowd in stitches right on up to the showing of the movie.

This movie was shot on location at the San Diego Comic-Con in July of 2006. Tons of time, airfare, blood-sweat-and-tears, went into this 41 minute movie and finally, on this day, it was all worth it! They liked it, they really liked it! I had thought they would as I'd shown the movie on a tiny 10" DVD player at my booth at the SPACE con in April to about 5 to 8 comic attendees and they loved it! They went on and on about how great, funny, inventive it all was. And sure, my relatives, parents and wife all said it was funny. But they had to. But having total strangers come up to me at the after-party of the Premiere saying,
"It was really great!"
"It should be on TV!"
"I was blown away!"
"I laughed till I cried!"

I'll post some photos here very soon to prove we had a crowd there. We had a storm trooper, and Robin and Batman, and the Autumn Fairy, and other costumed people in the crowd. Some for the show, some for the Masquerade contest etc....

I also got to ride in a limo for the first time. A very long black 2006 stretch limo. With Dean and me in the limo was Julie Coffman, Dean's date for the evening, and she sang two of the original songs for the movie! And we had Paul LeCrone in the limo, Dean's son of 13 who was in some of the extra features on the DVD. (You'll just have to see it.) One of my favorite stories (I have a bunch now) is where we needed some small bills to make change for when we sold the DVD's after the show. So the limo pulled up to a large grocery store in the very front. Bob the limo driver got out, came to the back near the store, opened the door and I got out. I went in and everyone in the store was looking at me. They were frozen....trying to figure out what star I was. Quickly I'm sure, they didn't recognize me, but they still were waiting to see what I was doing. I grabbed some water bottles and went to check out. The girl at the cash register was just starring at me. So was the girl waiting to bag the stuff. Then the cash register girl said, "That's all you came in for?" I said, "Well, actually I need some $5's for these $20's. She laughed and shook her head at the other girl. Then I ran out....I swear I didn't see anyone move the whole time.....HA!

I'll have some video clips of some of our limo experience here soon!

I flew in to San Diego from KY on May 31st, and Dean and I hung out at the Fallbrook Lodge. The hotel was so bad that Dean and I had to shoot a mock advertising commercial for the hotel! Right! I'll edit it and post it here soon! Yeah, it is pretty funny. The funniest part is that all the screwed up, missing, worn out, stuff we showcase about the Lodge is true! It was there! Ha!

I will probably add some of the footage of the Premiere and it's aftermath and put it on an extra DVD that we will sell separately from the movie. (The movie already has tons of extra features).
And in case you didn't already know, you can get the movie at: www.fanaticpressfilms.com

And yes, we are already getting orders online! And some emails praising the premiere and our movie! As we had a table set up at an after-party near the theater to sell the DVD's, which we did sell! Wow! Cool comments about the show, Dean's expert hosting job, our comic and cartooning portfolios and questions like: "Will you be shooting another con movie next month at the San Diego Comic-Con?"
Answer: YES!

Dean LeCrone LORD of COMIC CON!

==A

Dean LeCrone vs The Mutants of Comic-Con PREMIERE!

Dean LeCrone vs. The Mutants of Comic-Con --AT LAST!

(This is just a mock up of the box, may not be final design.)

I've been working day and night for the last few days (not to mention off and on for the last year) and I'm officially announcing that the DVD, "Dean LeCrone vs. The Mutants of Comic-Con" is finished. Well, the main 40 minute movie is done. Shot on location at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2006, this movie has been in production for almost a year!

Break out the beer!

The DVD will have tons of extra features that are not yet finished (extended interviews, a funky quiz, outtakes, and surprises!)....but I'm so excited about the main movie being done! A few lucky persons like Larned Justin, saw most of the movie at SPACE this year at my booth and from the responses I got it will be a huge hit! I'm not kidding, when 5-8 people all stand, eyes locked to the little DVD player, laughing every 2 minutes for almost 40 minutes....you know its got to be good! This is no ordinary con film. No, this is pure comedy by the masterminds of Dean LeCrone and Allen Freeman. Ok, I must admit that I only added to the fun factor with my creative editing skills, and by adding some of the ideas, most of the credit has to go to Dean LeCrone who improvised the interviews and antics on the film. And he later wrote tons of bits to enhance the footage taking it even farther! Even writing and singing songs! (But I don't want to give it all way...) I was mostly just the cameraman/tech-geek/designer in the background making all his ideas happen!


Anyway the movie "Dean LeCrone vs. The Mutants of Comic-Con" will have an official premiere in San Diego on June 2nd in a real theater thanks to the Fallbrook Film Club. (Checking to see exactly what the name of that group is...) More details as that happens! Oh, and it is planned to have showings in another location in May in San Diego (San Diego Cartoonists Society), and showings in a theater in Seattle, WA (Historic University Theater)....isn't that crazy? We are also trying to sneak it into some programming at the San Diego Comic-Con this year (but that's a secret)....wish us luck!

Anyway, the DVD will be taking advance orders at www.fanaticpress.com and www.fanaticpressfilms.com soon....and will be sold at our booth at the San Diego Comic-Con this year in July!

More news as it happens!

===A

SPACE CON #8 a Two Day Event! April 21, 22. Official Report.

Well where should I begin? First of all I had a very bad cold for almost 2 weeks before the SPACE (Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo) convention this year. (Held every year in Columbus, Ohio.) I had to get the video ready and make up some boxes to sell at the show. Chris Moshier had shot most of the footage last year at this convention and even edited the footage into a great 2 disk package! All I had to do was make up a box cover design, and a label design for the disks. I did get it all done but it was very tough when you are blowing y0ur nose and your head feels like it is the size of the EPCOT world display. I also had just gotten a new camcorder to try out at the con this year. So was busy trying to learn how it worked. To top it off my dad was in the hospital with a weak heart. Everyone told me to go ahead and make it to the show. I always love this convention and can't wait to see my old friends in small press like Tim Corrigan, Larry Blake, Matt Feazell, Bob Corby etc....and to meet up with writer Chris Moshier who writes for Fan-Atic Press. He and I met up there last year where he and his friend Mike Hutchings video taped interviews for me last year.

Anyway, I decided to make it to the show and it was as much fun as always and I'm glad I made it. I had to drive 5 hours that Friday, but the weather was great. In fact the weather was almost too good.

Chris Moshier on the left with Ken Henson of the comic HORACE on the right.

SATURDAY:
The first day of SPACE con was a slow start. We figured that most people were so grateful for the nice weather at last that they wanted to go outside and enjoy it. Sales on my books was an alltime low for SPACE con at least for Saturday.

The highlight of my day was when I played the DVD I'd been working on: Dean LeCrone vs. The Mutants of Comic Con. Where I filmed Dean a cartoonist who is also an actor who can improv extremely well. I filmed him interviewing costumed folks at the 2006 San Diego Comic con and we have the DVD movie about 90% done. Anyway I played it on my little DVD player at my booth and about 8 or 10 folks gathered around and laughed their heads off for the next 40 minutes! Some needed to be elsewhere and would start to leave but come back as they couldn't get enough of Dean and what he would do next at that con. It really will be a huge hit, I believe! A cult classic!

The crowd did increase and I also had a fan that had me sign about 10 of the comics I'd worked on and book covers I'd not seen in 20 years! That was a treat! I forgot to ask him where he found those comics.....

Craig Boldman writer for ARCHIE, and writer/artist for his own comics, gets interviewed.


Chris Moshier ran around to find certain creators that were on a list he had made up. He wanted this next DVD of SPACE to focus on the history of SPACE con, and have some more focused interviews on the founders of the convention and found out how it all got started. We used his tripod and my micraphone to get a more professional look to the video this time. We got some great interviews with such creators as: Bob Corby, Dave Sim, Tim Corrigan, Matt Feazell, and many, many others! I also ran around here and there and did some more mini interviews and tried to capture the look and feel of the convention this year. With 144 tables we were as usual only able to cover about 40 or 50 people if that. It is very hard to get around to everyone and we regret that we can't get to everyone, even when it is a 2 day event this time.

The night of the first day was to be the party at a place called MOMO2. Chris and I went to this party with Mike Huchings (who was in the POST SPEAK in the 2006 DVD) who helped us with the interviews a bit on Saturday afternoon and his girlfriend. MOMO2 was a teen hangout with computer games, bowling etc.....but we eventually ended up at the Applebee's resturant where we talked about the con and other pop culture.
Mike sporting his Fan-Atic Press t-shirt with his girlfriend. (I'm bad with names and can't remember her name right now, sorry.)

SUNDAY:
Chris had to leave and drive back to NY early on Sunday, so that left me to man the booth and try and video. Also I was on the panel "Old Timers Rant". Matt Feazell, Allen Freeman (that's me) and Larry Blake were to be on the panel but Larry couldn't make it so Tim Corrigan took his place. I tried to tape it but not sure if it turned out since I just set it up on a tripod and left it on. I think I got 1/2 of it before the tape ran out. Anyway the presenter or guy running the panel did a very good job. I'll find his name in the program and add it here later. Matt did most of the talking I think, and he was very entertaining. He even acted like an old man now and then, "You young folks don't know how great you have it now..." which was pretty funny. So the crowd which consited of Bob Corby, Dan W. Taylor and about 4 or 5 others were entertained and asked some great questions. It was the most fun I'd ever had being on a panel and I wasn't even nervous. My only problem was that my cold was still with me even though I thought I was getting over it. Halfway through the panel my throat went inside out on me and I felt like I had to cough. You know, the sort of cough that you feel will not ever end? I tried to hold it back and evidently wasn't doing very well and Tim gave me some of his drink. The water bottle machine was empty when I tried to get one right before the panel.

Dan W. Taylor artist and publisher

Then still struggling with the cough, Matt gave me a throat losenge! So they saved me. I recovered and was able to continue adding my great insight to the panel. We talked about some of the creators we wished were still producing comics like, Steve Willis, Ted Bolman, David Miller and more....

Larry Blake (L) with Tim Corrigan (R).

So I ended up selling enough books and DVD's to pay for my hotel for 3 nights (I only had to split it with Chris which also helped a lot!) and for my gas and food. So basically I broke even but made lots of new friends and contacts for future contributors to Slam Bang. I handed out flyers for the new Ka-Whump! #2 fanzine about small press comics, sold about 10 copies of the mag, and handed out my new postcards for Fan-Atic Press.

Microcosm Publishing were accross from my booth and seemed to get a nice crowd around their table off and on.

I'll be posting up some of the interviews and video footage here and there as I work on editing the DVD for SPACE CON 2007. Wish me luck! And sure, I hope to make it back to SPACE con in 2008! I love it! I still have my dumb cold a little as I can't shake it completely, my dad got out of the hospital and is doing better right now....in case you were wondering.

Here is an unknown comic fan with Larned Justin on the right. Larned and I went out to eat after the con on Sunday and chatted it up at Max and Irma's. Great hamburgers! And thanks Learned for helping me load my car after the show. I always bring too much stuff to this show.


Here is Tim Corrigan holding up a copy of Ka-Whump! #2. He said he was very impressed with the magazine and was hoping the small press community could support 3 zines about small press right now.

I have a few more photos that I may include here later. Mostly I was shooting video and will post up some of the clips here and there of the footage, so stay tuned!


----Allen Freeman 4/24/2007 www.fanaticpress.com

Additions and SPACE CON DVD 2006!

Yep, I finally finished SPACE CON 2006 the 2 Disk Set DVD. Chris Moshier actually filmed most of it, and edited all of it. A nice hand of applause for the man Chris!! Truly a masterpiece and the best film about a comic con ever. Yeah, maybe even better than the one I made of this convention the year before, just maybe. I created a cover similar to the 2005 one as they are a nice set for your DVD shelf. Hint, hint. And I made the labels for both disks. Yeah this is a 2 disk set. On Disk 1: PRE PARTY action at a hip night spot the night before the con. INTERVIEWS with over 40 creators at the show! With some samples of their work and their names pop up so you know who is who. POST SPEAK: this is where Chris, Mike Hutchings, Todd Ritter and I (Allen Freeman) just chatted about the convention after it was over and some other shows we have attended etc....while eating Italian food. DISK 2 contains; COMIC PANEL, the one called "The Business of Comics" hosted by Eric Adams, starring, Rafer Roberts, Allen Freeman (me), Pam Bliss, and Paul Hornschemeier. Fun and informative! DAY PRIZE: is where Dave Sim and Gerhard handed out some awards to books submitted to them last year. (Fan-Atic Press won one for a story in Slam Bang #7 vol II!). And last but not least PICTURES; which is a cool slide show of photos taken during the show! Whew! Now you see why it had to be on 2 DVD's! Read more about it at the official site: www.fanaticpress.com

And we are gearing up to attend SPACE CON 2007 this coming weekend! Woooo, and Chris and I'll be video taping some interviews again and this time it will be sort of a documentary of SPACE CON itself! This is year 8 of the show and we will have some footage on our next DVD sh0wing some of the old days as well as the latest show! We will have a booth again this year mostly showcasing the new DVD and some other Fan-Atic Press and Making Comics Studios books! Haven #2 will be out at this show! Chris will debut the book and have issues #1 and #2 for sale!

I'm getting a new camcorder to capture all of this footage starting this coming weekend and continuing to San Diego Comic Con, and Wizard World Chicago! It's the brand new Canon HV20 and I'm very excited. Shooting in HD will be new, and we will have the appropriate mic's etc...and lighting and do this stuff up right!

More news as it happens!

=A