Fundraiser for Vets @ the Dallas Comic Con

Hey gang,

I wanted to make sure you were aware that I (and my family) are putting together this year's charity event at my home town convention, the Dallas Comic Con.  The event is being held to raise funds and awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project.

We are putting together a Live Art Event and Auction, which will take place on Saturday night, May 19th, from 8pm to Midnight.  It will take place in the lobby area of the ALoft Hotel in Las Colinas...

...which is right across Hwy. 114, from the Irving Convention Center (where the DCC is being held).

If you're wondering why I took this on, it's because I had met a women (Tammy Earehart) at last year's Wizard Mid-Ohio Convention, who was a beneficiary of the WWP and who was soliciting donations for the charity.  Talking to her, it really hit me what a critical function the organization served....helping Vet's and their families recover physically, emotionally and financially from the trauma of the last decade of war (many of which who had fallen through the cracks of the services provided by the veteren's administration).  So I decided it was a cause I wanted to champion and try to focus the resources of the comic artist community to generate funds for this very critical cause.





There will be a dedicated table on the show floor all weekend long, that will have materials about the WWP and be selling items who's proceeds will go totally to the WWP (including a limited edition print that I'll be designing). 
Then we'll do the Live Art Event & Auction on Sat. night.  It is a Live Art Event, because there will be artists on hand creating original pieces of art right before your eyes...which will be auctioned off at the conclusion of the evening.  Participating artists, include:  Brett Peeples, Michael Champion, David Rodrigues, Eddie Medina, Lawrence Alexander and Gershom Wetzel (with more being added). 

It's also an Auction, because we'll also features a bunch of real cool artwork up for auction, donated by some of the biggest names in the comic industry, including:  Dirk Strangely, Brian Pulido, Norm Breyfogle, Bob McLeod, Barry Kitson, Greg Horn, Marat Mychaels, Bernard Chang, Steve Niles, Bernie Wrighston, Leinil Francis Yu, Dong TenNaple, Jerry Orway, Arthur Suydam and your's truly (with more being added almost daily)!

To keep up with images of donated artwork and follow recent developments, LIKE our dedicated Facebook fanpage at:  http://www.facebook.com/ArtistsSupportingWWP

If you're an artist and would like to become involved, email me at: headpress1@gmail.com

If you're a vet and would like to volunteer to help organize the event and/or come and hang out in full gear to promote it, also contact me at: headpress1@gmail.com

If you cannot be at the event, but would just like to support the WWP's mission, visit this page to donate cash directly to them:  https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/group-fundraising/TexasArtists/

Hope to see y'all there!

RJ Luedke
www.bobtheartist.com & www.headpress.info

RJ Luedke Guest Artist @ ConCarolinas in 2012

Hey gang, just wanted to make you aware that I've been honored by the fine people at ConCarolinas Convention, by being named their Artist Guest of Honor at this year's show!  The show runs from June 1st from the 3rd and is being held at the Charlotte Hilton University Place.

ConCarolinas is a general multi-genre multi-media convention. They called themselves a sci-fi convention but in truth they cover all speculative fiction - science fiction, fantasy, horror and comics. They host a variety of fandom related events and guests, including gaming, discussion panels, costume events, music events like Klingon Karaoke, charity auction, SCA events, fan groups like the 501st Stormtroopers, Starfleet, and Klingon Assault Group, and something different every year.

Part of my duties as the guest artist, was to design the artwork on their program cover.  It turned out so well, that I'm also making the art available, as a limited edition 11 x 17" print.

If you cannot make the convention, or would like to order your copy in advance, go to (Order Now).

Also, the original artwork for this piece will be available for purchase during the con's charity auction!

I Look forward to seeing all my Southeastern friends and fans!

RJ Luedke

www.bobtheartist.com & www.headpress.info



Odds and Ends...

Hey Gang,

As we embark upon 2012, a lot of stuff is already cookin' in my world.  So I thought I'd share a bit.

A. Noted horror author, Sue Dent, (who I lovingly refer to as "Queen of the Christian Undead"), has contacted me about adapting her fascinating Novelia, "Electric Angel", into a graphic novel.  After reading it over, I jumped at the opportunity to work on one of Sue's properties....'cause I've long been a big fan of her work.

As part of the financing for the project, Sue is currently running a Kickstarter fundraising campaign.  Here is a link on YouTube.   If you're already a fan of Sue's or just a fan of my work, check it out and if it sounds interesting see what you can do to help insure this collaboration can happen!

B. I've made an addition to my 2012 appearance schedule.  The same weekend I'm going to be at the Sci-Fi Expo (at the Irving Convention Center, Feb. 11th-12th), I'm also going to be exhibiting and painting live at the fourth annual Underground Art show.  The event will take place just south of Downtown Dallas, at the Southside @ Lamar Complex and run from 8pm-12midnight on Sat. Feb. 11th.  So hopefully, I'm going to be seeing a lot of old friends from the DFW area!

I'm going to be doing the finishes on a multi-media Joker illustration I've designed, so come on out and scoop up the original piece...which will eventually be made into a limited edition print!


ArtLoveMagic is the promoter/producer of this event and it promises to be a wonderful evening of food, drink, art and entertainment with over 100 artists and performers.  The show has grown exponentally each year it's been held and they're expecting in access of 1200 people this year!  FYI...if you'd like to get first shot at all the art for sale and like a private room to chill out in (as well as free food and drink) snag of the 200 VIP passes for the event!

C. This last item is still in it's formative stage, but I've been granted permission to hold a charity event at this year's Dallas Comic Con (May 18th-20th @ the Irving Convention Center) to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project (which generates funds to help out wounded vets and their families).  It's going to take the shape of a live art event/auction, where many of the attending artists will be creating works live and (hopefully) many others and the attending celeb's will donate other items for auction..


As the details begin to come together you'll be the first to know!

R.J. Luedke
www.bobtheartist.com
www.headpress.info

My 2012 Appearance Schedule

Hey gang:

I'm putting the finishing touches on my initial 2012 travel/appearance schedule.  One or two of these may drop off and there will most definately be a couple more added as we move into the new year.  But this gives you a good idea of where I'll be planting my flag in 2012!

Jan. 6th-8th    Amazing Arizona Comic Con (Mesa, AZ)

Jan. 28th-29th   Wizard New Orleans Comic Con

Feb. 11th-12th    Sci-Fi Expo (Irving, TX)

Feb. 17th-19th    MegaCon (Orlando, FL)

March 16th-18th   Wondercon (Anahiem, CA)

March 23rd-25th   Aggiecon (College Station, TX)

April 13th-15th    C2E2 (Chicago, IL)


April 20-22nd     CapeCon '12  (Cape Girardeau, MO)

May 18th-21st    Dallas Comic Con (Iriving, TX)

May 25th-27th    Comicpalooza (Houston, TX)

June 1st-3rd    Con Carolinas (Charlotte, NC) *Artist Guest of Honor and program cover artist!

June 9th-10th    Albuquerque Comic Expo

June 15th-17th   Denver Comic Con  (Denver, CO)

June 22nd-24   Texas Comic Con (San Antonio, TX)

June 29th-July 1st     Florida Supercon (Miami, FL)

July 11th-15th     Comic Con International (San Diego, CA)

Aug. 9th-12th     Wizard Chicago Comic Con

Sept. 8th-9th    Baltimore Comic Con

Sept. 14th-16th    El Paso Comic Con

Sept. 29th-30th    Wizard Mid-Ohio Con (Columbus, OH)

Oct. 11th-14th    New York Comic Con

Oct. 19th-21st   Fan Days Dallas (Irving, TX)

Oct. 26th-28th  Austin Comic Con (Austin, TX)

Nov. 9th-11th Memphis Comic Con


Nov. 30th-Dec. 1st   Wizard Nola-Con (New Orleans, LA)

Also....Wizard's Big Apple Con dates TBA. Other events will be added as they are scheduled.

Hope to see alot of old and new friends out there this year!

RJ Luedke
http://www.bobtheartist.com/ & http://www.headpress.info/

Coming To ComiKaze Expo

Hey gang,

Just added a new event to my appearance schedule...the Comikaze Expo, which is going to be held the weekend of November 5th and 6th at the L.A. Convention Center.

Stan (The Man) Lee's going to be in the house, along with a whole bunch of movie and TV stars, not to mention some top flight comic artists and writers.

I've been commissioned to create this promotional poster for the event (see below) which I believe will be given out to certain VIP ticket holders and available for purchase for others (but I'll update that as more info becomes available).  But either way, there will be only limited quantities of the design available, so make sure to bring your copy by my table in artist alley to have me autograph and personalize it for you!

I look forward to meeting all my friends from the west coast! For more information or tickets, see: http://www.comikazeexpo.com/

RJ Luedke
http://www.bobtheartist.com/

A New Tradition in Memphis!?

I'll be one of the featured artists at the second year of this event....

Hope to see 'ya there!

RJ Luedke
http://www.bobtheartist.com/

An October to Remember

Hey gang, after a relatively quiet couple weeks...which fortuitously came at a perfect time, because it allowed me to work on storyboards and character design for a Christian animation series...I'm fixin to go back out on the road and hit 4 different conventions in 4 weeks during the month of October.

Here's the rundown:

The Nashville Comic Con


At the TN State Fair Grounds

Oct. 1st-2nd.

For more info: http://www.comiccitytn.com/Nashville_Comic_Con.html


Fan Days Dallas

At the Irving Convention Center

Oct. 8th-9th

For more info: http://www.scifiexpo.com/DCC/fandays.html


Memphis Comic Con

At the University of Memphis

Oct. 14th-16th

For more info: http://www.memphiscfc.com/


Wizard's Mid-Ohio Con

At the Greater Columbus Convention Center

Oct. 22nd-23rd

For more information: http://www.wizardworldcomiccon.com/home-midohio.html

If you live in or around one of these fine cities and are interested in a one-of-a-kind commission or sketch, make sure to message me in advance and I'll make sure to have it ready for you at the show!  Also, I'll have plenty of the award-winning Eye Witness graphic novels as well as my fan-favorite character prints and posters.

 Hope to see 'ya-all out on the road!
RJ Luedke
http://www.bobtheartist.com/

Christian Creators Represent at Comic Con Int'l

Hey gang,

There going to be a pretty impressive lineup of creators/publishers with spiritual based books/comics/short films at this year's Comic Con International later this week.

My friend Scott Shuford, at Front Gate Media, has put together this very all-inclusive press release of the people and events:

San Diego, CA – Arguably the largest pop-culture, entertainment event in the world, THE COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL: SAN DIEGO 2011 kicks off this week with sellout attendance of more than 125,000. The CHRISTIAN COMIC ARTS SOCIETY (CCAS) in partnership with CHALICE PRESS will deliver top talent and projects to create impact at the event. Comic-Con International: San Diego (Comic-Con) is the largest comic book convention of its kind in the world.

Christian Comic Arts Society, presented this year in partnership with Chalice Press, is hosting three events as part of the official Comic-Con programming, and will exhibit throughout the convention in a CORNER BOOTH SPACE #P-08.

CCAS will be giving away copies of “MARVELOUS MYTHS: MARVEL SUPERHEROES AND EVERYDAY FAITH,” an outstanding review of the Marvel universe published by Chalice Press. While supplies last, all CCAS event attendees will receive a copy of the book, and booth visitors can sign up to win copies during hourly drawings on the exhibit floor. Events include:

Christian Comic Arts Society Open Meeting. Thursday, 7/21/11, 7:30p.m. – 9:30p.m., Room: 24ABC

Hosted by CCAS members Kevin Yong (Ragged Capes) and Ralph Miley (New Visions Anthology) of NewCreationNow.com, fans and creators alike are invited to join an informal after-hours time of Christian fellowship, networking, laughter and prayer as we “talk shop” about the Christian comics movement.

Spirituality in Comics: Is Mass Media Our New Church? Saturday, 7/23/11, 6:00p.m. – 7:00p.m., Room: 4

In comics, movies, and even Broadway musicals like “The Book Of Mormon”, spiritual themed work seems to be unexpectedly coming from the least religious of sources. Join panelists including SERGIO CARIELLO (The Action Bible), RUSSELL DALTON (Marvelous Myths: Marvel Superheroes and Everyday Faith), BUZZ DIXON (Serenity/Hits & Misses), and MIKE SHIELDS (Blue Blazes) as they discuss how a new generation of comics and pop culture are exploring timeless truths.

Christian Comics: The Calling of the Artist, Sunday, 7/24/11, 2:30p.m. – 3:30p.m., Room: 23ABC

What unique challenges do artists face in developing work for both mainstream and religious audiences? How can “Christian media” avoid becoming just a pale imitation of its secular counterparts? Join panelists SERGIO CARIELLO (The Action Bible), ERIC JANSEN (Missions Press), STEVE BLOUNT (Kingstone Media), ROBERT LUEDKE (Eye Witness), JOHN SHORE (I’m OK–You’re Not), MIKE SHIELDS (Blue Blazes) and moderator BUZZ DIXON (Hits & Misses) as they discuss the challenges and rewards of following the call of personal faith and the creative arts.

“MARVELOUS MYTHS: MARVEL SUPERHEROES AND EVERYDAY FAITH” shows us that Marvel superheroes are more like us than we may think. What really makes someone a hero? In the early 1960’s, the image of a superhero was someone with a square jaw, a muscular build, and a quick smile whose biggest personal problem was trying to keep their girlfriends from guessing their secret identities. Then, writer Stan Lee and artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko created a group of superheroes who revolutionized comics. These heroes, including The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, The X-men, Iron Man, Captain America and others, were not perfect heroes who lived in a perfect world, but fallible people with physical ailments and personal problems like our own.

Each chapter of Marvelous Myths reflects on the heroes’ most famous adventures and discusses the ways in which we are called to overcome many of the same types of obstacles they face as we strive to carry out the ministries to which God calls us. While the authors and artists who created them did not intend to write explicitly religious stories, their tales of imperfect heroes who try to do the right thing despite the many challenges they face provide us with the opportunity to reflect on our own faith journeys as we strive to live heroic lives in the real world.

CCAS members are creating additional impact through Comic-Con related activities:

Created by The JESUS Film Project in association with Brethren Entertainment, Barry Cook (Director of Disney’s “Mulan”), and Tokyo’s renowned Studio 4°C, “My Last Day” is a short film of regret, repentance and redemption. This 9-minute animé unfolds through the eyes of a criminal who receives the same brutal crucifixion sentence as Christ. The criminal’s own guilt causes him to realize Christ’s innocence. See it at www.tinyurl.com/jfmylastday.

Kingstone Media, a central Florida publisher with three primary imprints, will be exhibiting at the event in Booth #5531. Kingstone Comics publishes faith based comics and Biblical worldview graphic novels. Galaxy Comics produces sci-fi and action-adventure graphic novels. Bay Forest Books is the cinematic fiction imprimatur with stories that will move you and characters you will never forget. Get more at www.KingstoneMedia.com. See Kingstone’s Steve Blount at the Sunday panel event.

Blue Blazes, a 168 Project 2011 Finalist, will screen their short film at the CCI-IFF July 22nd, and 1140a in the San Diego Marriott Marina. Mike Shields, (Producer, Director), Amber Greenlee (Storyboard Artist) and Blue Blazes himself, Robert Adan will be available to answer questions about this unique speed filmmaking competition, as well as the movie itself. Also see Shields at the Saturday and Sunday panel events.

Hitting up Comic-Con for the first time, Lamp Post can be found at Small Press Table Q-08. Creators Jerrell Conner (Revelations: The Prophets), Brett Burner (Hand of the Morning Star), and Dan Conner (Heaven Forbid) will be on hand to sign books, give portfolio reviews, and do sketches throughout the show. New books from the following series will be available at the show: Toned: Comics in Black and White, Revelations: The Prophets (featuring a backup of The Cardinal), Heaven Forbid, Finding Elim, God’s Love is Like a Conjoined Twin, Pakkins’ Land, and Parable. For more, visit Lamp Post, Inc. at http://www.lamppostpubs.com/.

The Red R (also known as Revelations) is a movement of artists who aim to revolutionize how biblically related stories are told to cast a bigger net and reach a wider audience. The Red R Movement brings the highest level of art (and beyond) to present the world with the Hope and True meaning that only the greatest stories every told can deliver. Their post-apocalyptic graphic novel series “REVELATIONS: The Prophets” has released six books and will debut the NEW 7th INSTALLMENT at San Diego Comic-Con along with a new animated short. Visit them in the Small Press area at table Q-08. For more info, visit http://www.theredr.com/

He outraged parents, ticked off networks, and delighted young fans with thought-provoking classic episodes of G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Batman. Now Buzz Dixon is launching a line of Young Adult novels based on his bestselling SERENITY Christian manga series as well as brand new tales of faith and courage in a challenging world. “The surest way to get into trouble is to speak the truth, and everyone I’ve ever worked with has found me to be a troublemaker!” said Dixon. Meet Dixon at the Saturday and Sunday panel events. See more at http://www.snokiestories.com/

New from Kingdom Comics, The Kingdom Zone is a 64 page graphic novel anthology that consists of 7 different short stories with a “Twilight Zone” flair coming from a Biblical perspective. Several Christian artists within the industry have contributed their talents to this graphic novel, which will be an ongoing series with new stories every issue. Brian Bradley is the publisher of Kingdom Comics which began in 1999. His first publication, entitled THE ANOINTED 7 has been an ongoing series. Additional titles include “The Lucifer Chronicles”, “Pledge Of Allegiance”, “Code:Evolution”, and various anthologies including “God Works” dealing with prison issues and which is a popular resource within the prison system.

Writer/illustrator, Robert James Luedke, will return to Comic Con International after a two year absence to share his award-winning Eye Witness graphic novel series and be a featured member of the CCAS panel on Christian comics and graphic novels. Luedke will feature his new, limited edition, signed/numbered Eye Witness Slipcase Collection at Comic-Con 2011. Eye Witness, which premiered at Comic Con in 2004, has won five indy book awards and been named a finalist in 5 others, making it one of the most recognized and decorated series in the brief history of Christian themed graphic novels. His book “Unknown God” was named as a finalist in the category of Novella in the 2011 Indie Book Awards. Luedke and the series has been featured in media from coast to coast (both Christian and secular), including: LA Times, Washington Post, AP, Fox News, Publishers Weekly, Christianity Today, World Magazine, Comic Buyers Guide, Wizard Magazine and USA Radio Network. See more at http://www.headpress.info/

From Wonder Woman to Green Lantern to Jesus Hates Zombies, HOLLYWOODJESUS.COM covers it all. The action at Comic-Con is naturally a huge shaping force in what the comic-reading world talks about. “We continue to be excited about the spiritual conversation the comics world has with our culture,” said Greg Wright, Editor-In-Chief. “Arnaldo Reyes, our Comics Editor, is always looking for new talent and new product to showcase the spiritual nature of comics.” HJ’s latest comic reviews can be found at http://live.hollywoodjesus.com/?page_id=378

ABOUT CCAS:

The Christian Comic Arts Society (CCAS) was formed in 1984 to locate and link Christians who are interested or active in the comic book/strip medium. It sponsors Alpha Omega, the APA of Christian comics and Christian comic displays at various comic conventions across the country. The Goal and Purpose of CCAS is to support Christian professionals, hopefuls and enthusiasts within the Comic Book and related industries, accomplishing that by providing opportunities for the following: 1. The sharing of the Christian message and our Christian faith, primarily within and through the comic book industry and art form. 2. Mentoring, training, friendship and networking. 3. The collaboration on and creation of visual storytelling. The CCAS is governed by a volunteer board which includes Eric Jansen (Missions Press,) Scott A. Shuford (FrontGate Media,) Geoff Strout (Artist,) and Kevin Yong (New Creation Now) along with numerous volunteer committee members from the comic industry and the Church.

For more information on the Christian Comic Arts Society, go to: http://www.christiancomicarts.com/ , Facebook.com/ChristianComicArts , or Twitter.com/ChristianComics.

For more information on the Comic-Con International: San Diego, go to: http://www.comic-con.org/

For more information, please contact:
Lori Lenz – FrontGate Media

714-553-5181

Lori@FrontGateMedia.com

Busy Weekend in DFW

Hey gang

I'm going to be out and about and pretty busy this weekend around the DFW area.

Beginning Saturday morning (though Sunday) I'll be exhibiting my Eye Witness graphic novel series and my all-new collection of iconic comic and pop culture art prints, at the Bigger-Better Dallas Comic Con (at the state of the art Irving Convention Center).

Saturday night, I'll be one of the featured local artists creating an original piece of artork for auction to benefit Heroes for Heroes.

Come on by and score a one of the kind piece of original art...and help entertain our troops through your efforts!

Hope to see many of my friends and fans sometime this weekend!

R.J. Luedke
http://www.bobtheartist.com/

6/11/11....Just wanted to share with ya'll, the finished piece of art I rendered for this event:

Ready For Con Season (Updated)

Hey gang,

Been working feverishly to get my act ready for another convention season...which for me will kick off next week at the C2E2 Convention in Chicago.

Besides continuing to promote the award-winning Eye Witness graphic novel series (and the signed and numbered slipcase collection), I been working hard, (and having a blast, I might add), creating an ALL-NEW portfolio of original art and limited edition prints.  And in the spirit of the times, here's the final addition to the initial offerings...which will be premiering next week:

So if you hail from the Chicago land area (or the Midwest) come find me in the artist alley area (I'm at table J7) at C2E2 at the McCormick Place in Downtown Chicago.

.......AND HERE'S AN UPDATE, 3/24/11*******

Totally sold out of the "Winning Duh" print in Chicago and had lots of requests for the image on a T-shirt ('cause I was wearing one that I made as a promotional tool).  So coming up at this weekend's Megacon Convention (in Orlando....Orange Co. Convention Center/West Concourse), I'll have an EXTRA LARGE supply of the prints and about 20 of the T-shirts (so don't wait too long in the week to come find my table).

R.J. Luedke

http://www.bobtheartist.com/

Kicking Off the '11 Con Season in Style

Looking forward to meeing all my midwestern friends and fans during my first visit to the C2E2 2011convention, (which is one of the nations fastest growing pop culture events) on the shores of lake Michigan in Downtown Chicago, March 18th-20th.
 

I'll of course have plenty of the limited signed/numbered editions of the Eye Witness slipcase collection and a whole selection of never before seen prints (and original art) of some of the most beloved (and sometimes quirky) pop comic and pop culture characters.

To view more of my commission/print artwork, visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eye_witness/

...and if you are interested in commissoning me to do a piece of original art based upon a particular character or actor for you, (to pickup at the show), please email me at: headpress1@gmail.com, and we'll discuss what you're looking for and pricing.

To find out more about the C2E2 show, visit:
http://c2e211.mapyourshow.com/3_0/exhibitor_details.cfm?exhid=326739

Hope to see many of my midwest friends and fans there!

R.J. Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/

Eye Witness in the Media

Hey gang, just to update you on what's been happening lately, now that we are winding down from the 7 month long, Unknown God tour.

Over the last couple weeks I've been interviewed on a number or radio programs around the country about our latest release, The Collected Eye Witness Slipcase Set.

Here's a podcast of an interview I did on the Family Life Network last month:

http://www.fln.org/media/family-life-podcasts/detail/bob-luedke-eyewitness-book-4/

Here's one I did last week for the Messiah's Branch radio program:

http://branch.podomatic.com/entry/index/2010-11-22T21_09_39-08_00

...and coinciding with my appearance at the upcoming Wizard world Atlanta Comic Con, I'll be interviewed live on WATV's "Atlanta Live" program on Fri. Dec. 3rd at 7pm.

Enjoy, share them with a friend and post any comments.

R.J. Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/

Unknown God Tour Interview: Dallas Comic Con

Hey gang, just got wind of the YouTube posting of an interview I did for the website TheSpectralRealm.com at the 2010 Dallas Comic Con.

*Also, editor Eric Shirey just posted his review of the entire Eye Witness series.

The interview did by Eric ran in two parts (since I had to stop the interview in the middle to answer questions at my table). Enjoy!

Part One:



Part Two:

Unkown God Tour at Chicago Comic Con

Hey gang, just wanted to share my thoughts and some pics from this year's Chicago Comic Con.


I had not did this event, (which has previously been known as Wizard World Chicago), since 2006. That year I was quite disappointed with the event, my sales and the lack of foot traffic...which probably explains why I stayed away so long.


But this year's show was quite a different experience for me. There was significant foot traffic in the artist's alley area all 3 and 1/2 days of the event and Saturday's crowds reminded me of a day at Comic Con International (in San Diego) with isles so filled with people it was difficult just to try to move through the hall.

In 2006, it seemed that the crowd was very indifferent to Eye Witness, which I basically determined by the few number of people that actually stopped to ask about it or grabbed a free poster. While during this year's show, it seemed many more people were interested in finding out just what the heck it was about, stopped to hear my pitch and gobbled up the free Unknown God Posters as fast as I could autograph them. And of course, when more people stop to take a look, that meant many more purchased.


There were a number of "brother creators" were in the house this year also, which gave me an opportunity to refer people I knew were in search of comics and GN's with Christian or spiritual content, to their tables. There was Dr. "Solo" Perry of Honors Studios, with his War in Paradise comic...which. if you haven't seen it, is a beautifully rendered story of Angels and Demons which is reminiscent of the widely popular Archangels comics of the '90's. Got a chance to briefly meet Marc Moran, who shared with me his massive Conqueror and Conqueris graphic novel...can't wait to give it a read. I also got a chance to touch base briefly with the gang over at Kingdom Comics...who had a whole table of different faith based comic offerings. Also a big shout out to Martin Oakly and George Macas, who were also in attendence selling (literally) tons of comics they had just purchased!



As with most major conventions this one was loaded with people in costumes. There was the requisite Joker in the Nurses uniform and Captain Jack Sparrow, groups of characters from the World of Batman and X-Men, as well as two guys who created home-made Iron Man and War Machine armor, that I would have sworn was the product of Marvel studios. But this was the only one I felt compelled to run out and get a picture of.

This young girl was the perfect Hit-Girl!








As with any of the Wizard promoted events this one had a real nice assortment of celebrity, movie and TV guests. But the biggest surprise along those lines was an appearance on Saturday morning by the newly convicted ex-governor of IL, Rod Blagojevich. He was there to sign autographs, have your picture taken with him and in general attempt to start building his new war chest for his second trial. Granted I did not leave my table to go see how many people actually gave this "character" their money, but when they announced his arrival most in the hall let out a thunderous boo!

But as this picture here shows, even pro. wrestlers enjoy the Eye Witness series! If you don't recognize him, this is the legendary, Raven, of the WWE, getting his copy of book one!


Overall this was a very fine show for me...the best outside of the Creation NW music festival...in amount of sales. Now I'm really looking forward to the next Wizard sponsored shows I'll be doing in the fall leg of the Unknown God tour, in Boston, Austin and Atlanta!


R.J. Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/

The Unknown God, Summer of Festivals Roundup

Hey gang,

I wanted to give you all an update on the other big event that went on last weekend (July 21st-24th) besides Comic Con International, 2010. I'm referring to the Creation Northwest Music Festival, which bills itself as the nation's largest. Now, since I've also attended Cornerstone and Sonshine Music festivals over the past month, I'm not sure I would agree with that bit of hyperbol. But what I can tell you is this, that as someone who was an exhibitor at these three events, Creation did indeed blow the others two events away in terms of sales for us!

I tried to corner the promoter into giving me final attendence numbers, but he wouldn't share that info (said it was still be compiled). But according to one of the other people running the show, it looked liked it was going to be a bit under 20,000 (but that estimate was made on Friday morning...with two more day's walk up traffic to be counted).

Out of the three events Cornerstone had the most exhibtor space (one large tent and one smaller one), but the downside was you had to brave the heat and considerable dust and the smaller tent got considerably less traffic then the main tent (which was were I was unfortunately positioned). We had heard from many attendees of past events that they didn't even know there was a second tent!

Sonshine had their exhibitor area in a converted hockey arena, so the elements were a bit more controlled, but still a bit toasty, as the main doors were open to the outside, so if there was AC you couldn't feel it.

Likewise, Creation has their exhibitor area inside a building with doors open to the outside. But since the outside temp for most of the weekend was in the mid-80's with not a whole lot of humidity, it was very pleasant.

Out of the three, Creation had the least amount of space for exhibitors and also the least amount of stages for bands and as a result the people in attendence seemed to hang out in the exhibitor areas quite a bit more each and every day. Customers cruising the exhibitor areas seem to wane a bit each day the other two events went forward. Not so at Creation, as traffic stayed consistent right up to the late afternoon the final day...when some exhibitors began tearing down.

But for us, when all was said and done, we did about the same volume of sales at Creation, that I did the last time I exhibited at Comic Con Interantional (in 2008). So, I was quite pleased. Cornerstone came in second (about $300 behind) and Sonshine was a distant third. That's even more impressive when you consider that we did that volume at Creation with basically about a fifth of the potential audience (20k verses 120k at CCI)!

A constant theme I heard from people of all ages is, "I love the idea of Christian based comics and graphic novels and didn't know there were any out there!"...and these were Christians! So I think this type of venue is ripe for more publishers of Christian based properties to share their books next season, 'cause there is a whole group of people looking for this type of material, but not finding it in their local bookstores (or comic shops).

Food for thought, for sure!

R.J. Luedke
www.headpress.info

Project Comic Con, Posts Interview

The promoters of the upcoming Project Comic Con 2, (in suburban St. Louis, MO), have graciously posted an interview they did with me a couple months back. The piece does a very nice job in covering my brief history in the medium.

http://projectcomiccon.com/?p=1258

Enjoy and share with a friend...I think this event is shaping up to be a very nice convention, since it is firmly focused on comics rather than movies and TV. It has a pretty strong lineup of creative types, but promises to be intimate enough to get some real quality time with your favorite artist, writer or indy publisher.

R.J. Luedke
www.headpress.info

Late Edition to the Unknown God Tour

Hey gang,

Talk about your basic last minute addition to the Unknown God tour...I'll be going to San Antonio this weekend for the Texas Comic Con.

Visit their website for full details:
http://www.texascomicon.com/index.htm

Hope to see any of my south Texas friends there.

R.J. Luedke
www.headpress.info

Bob's Washington (and East Coast) Adventure

Hey gang,

I wanted to share a bit about what I've been doing between my convention stops at Heroes Convention and the Philadelphia Comic Con.

First of all I had an opportunity to get back on line, thanks to the generous offers from Best Buy and got a fairly decent Compaq laptop (which I believe in now a part of HP) for less than $400.

Then I've taken the four days between events to literally stop in each major city between Charlotte and Philly, to visit and leave book samples with as many comic shops as feasible (thank God for Google Maps....a few years back this kind of thing would have just been too labor intensive to put together)!

Being a former retailer myself, it's always a blast to see the very different character of shops around the county and how different they can be right within the same city...as well as how the store owners/mgr's greet and deal with people who walk into their stores. I'm happy to report that out of the 30 odd stores I visited, only one shop (and store owner) was rude to me and wouldn't even except my book sample (he told me he doesn't sell anything over $10...and all the Eye Witness books were $13.99 SRP). Yeah right! But as a professional courtesy I won't name the store, but only let you know it's in Raleigh.

But on the other hand here's a list of stores I would definitely seek out, if I needed my comic and/or GN fix and found myself in one of these cities:

Chapel Hill Comics (Chapel Hill, NC)
SciFi Genre (Durham, NC)
EG Comics (Vienna, VA)
Nostalgia Plus (Richmond, VA)
Laughing Ogre (Fairfax, VA)
Heroes Aren't Hard to Find (Charlotte, NC)

One final note. During one of my two days in the Washington area, I decided to do a bit of sightseeing, since I had never had the opportunity before in our nation's capital. Coming into the city I lucked into a parking place right along one of the main streets next to the Washington monument and better yet, it was free parking....score!

I went on my way to see the Wash. Monument, toured the Smithsonian Natural history Museum and made myself walk the approximate 1 mile distance to the Lincoln Monument(which I just had to see). During that last hike I made a point of making sure all was well with my vehicle and making sure there it was still where I left it. It was.

On my way back to my truck though, I noticed a lack of cars parked along the street I was parked on and became concerned. A brisk walk ended up becoming a jog, which turned into an outright sprint, when I saw several motorcycle cops along the block where I was parked and only a handful of cars still parked. Yikes!

I was in full panic mode as I was sure the spot where I left my truck was now vacant, but kept sprinting forward as I saw there was a blue vehicle up ahead (but it looked like a van). But I kept running forward just in case (rather than stop and talk to the cops) and to my relief it was my truck and the tow truck was lining it up to haul away next!!!! I ran up and told him in a breathless manner, "Dude, that's mine,"...and to my total surprise he just said, go ahead and take it!

I soon learned that where I was parked was legal parking, that is until 4:30 to 6pm...and at that moment it was 4:45pm. Wow...what a bullet I dodged. That would have put a serious black cloud over this trip if I would have just taken my time to get back to the spot.

Today starts the Philly CC...more to come

R.J. Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/

A Heroes Con Overview

Hey gang,

The first stop in the Unknown God tour is now behind me.

I started the trip out on a dubious note by having my laptop die on me the first night on the road. But truth be told, it was a 10 year old Compaq who had served both me, my wife and my daughter faithfully...so I think you could say it just died of old age.

Our first stop, Heroes Con in Charlotte, was wonderful on a couple levels. First of all I got a chance to reacquaint with a lot of old friends in the comic industry (Brian Stelfreeze, Gary Fredrich and Bernard Chang to name a few). Secondly, I was pleasantly surprised by how many of my Facebook friends stopped by to say hello (and pick up a copy of Eye Witness).

The show was a bit slow on Friday and Sunday, but Saturday had a pretty strong turnout...as you can see from the pics I've included in this post.

This show is defined by it's old-school style in that it is a comic convention that actually still focuses on comics and comic creators. There was many, many talented creators and their indy creations on hand, but at shows like this...when I'm on my own...I just didn't get much of a chance to visit many tables. But I must say if you want to relish in all things comic related, I'd add this convention to your schedule next year!

Coming up next....Philadelphia Comic con

R. J. Luedke

http://www.headpress.info/

Unknown God has Arrived!

Hey gang,

Advance cases of Eye Witness: Unknown God arrived last night at 8:30pm (nothing like cutting it close...thanks UPS for that ulcer).

So I'm off to Heroes Con this morning for the Unknown God World Premier! I'm at... AA737, so make sure to look me up if you're attending!

FYI...I give Josten's Printing a big thumbs up of the quality of their job, their customer service and the speed in which they worked (contact me if you need a referral).

Hope to see ya' all in Charlotte this weekend!

R.J. Luedke
www.headpress.info