X-Ray Studios

Reviews!

2009-11-30T22:46:29Z

Obviously, I'm a bit behind in regards to posting... anything. We could spend all day discussing where I failed, and where you failed. The best I can say is that I accept your apologies and promise that I will forgive you again in the future, when I once again stop posting with regularity.

First, a blast from the recent past. Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade continues to garner positive reviews.

Notes On the Art Of Writing

"I really enjoyed the storyline and recommend it."

Then we have reviews of our second issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Chris's Invincible Super Blog

"The Diamond order code you want is AUG09 0192."

The Arrowcave

"Thanks for all the GA love, guys!"

Every Day Is Like Wednesday

"That is a very good plot for a comic book right there."

But Before I Kill You

"GOOD COMIC AHOY."

BW Media Spotlight

"[...]someone at Warner Animation must greenlight this comic as an actual episode!"

Comixtreme

"Walker and Jones have a gift for all-ages superheroes, and it really shows here. Rating: 4.5/5"

CBR/Robot 6

"I just loved the sheer infectious nature of the story."

The Pull List Podcast

"I gave this four stars. A very strong four stars."

Gaijinside

"It’s as fun as you’d expect."

And finally, a few reviews for issue 2 of The Incredibles.

Comixtreme

"This isn’t just one of the best of the Boom! Kids books, it’s one of the better superhero comics being published today."

BW Media Spotlight

"I constantly have to fight to find anything wrong with this comic."

CBR/Robot 6

"I love the book's universal sense of humor"

Not a review, but there's some nice discussion over the issue at Scans Daily.

And that's all I can find right now. October and November have been a bit crazy, and there appears to be no end in sight for the madness of my schedule. Hopefully, I can clean up my act a bit and get back to doing some regular posting.

Incredibles issue 2 - In stores now.

2009-11-12T02:07:25Z

The second issue of The Incredibles is available of today. It's written by me and Mark Waid, and illustrated by Marcio Takara. I'm crazy behind schedule or I would say more. Like I might talk about the reviews for the latest issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and Like how the wedding and honeymoon went (they were awesome), or about my upcoming projects that are probably top secret or about how I plan on being drunk and wandering the streets of El Cerrito tonight.

Good times.

Here's a link. To be honest, most of what is in that link is a lie. The description of the story does not match anything in the book and the cover does not represent the issue at all. The website also fails to credit me. All of these things can likely be traced back to one issue. Solicitations for comics are due well in advance of release. That copy was written before I was brought on the book and that cover was commissioned also before I was on the book. So there you go.

New comic and...

2009-11-01T15:18:19Z

My second issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold is in stores now. The cover has Batman as a giant monster fighting a giant Atom. The issue is illustrated by Eric Jones. Our next issue is Christmas and features Adam Strange, we took the month of November off for a variety of reasons. I'll post a cover image of the newest book later. Right now I'm busy. Belinda and I Just got married and we're currently flying across the country.

Writing quote for the day...

2009-10-22T02:31:31Z

"Hold on... I know these chickens."

Incredibles #1 - Reviews!

2009-10-16T21:33:51Z

I'm a bit behind in posting. This has been a crazy roller coaster of a month so far. Regardless, here are the reviews I have found for issue #1 of The Incredibles.

Graphicontent: "Perfect for all ages -- and I mean that: all ages."

Breakfast For Dinner: "This title is a natural for me. I was excited while reading it and I’m excited for the next issue."

CBR: "Where Mark Waid and Landry Walker shine here is in nailing the voices of the characters."

BW Media: "What they got right: Everything"

Stroller Derby: "This is a pretty good all ages book."

This one isn't a review, but the nice folk over at Scans Daily discussed the first issue here.

So people like the book. However, there were also some concerns noted by the reviewers above. As seen below:

Breakfast For Dinner: "There is something about this issue, either how the plot is structured or all the new characters tossed into these 22 pages, that suggests maybe Waid is trying to write this title for kids."

And:

CBR: I read the first two pages half a dozen times and I'm still not entirely sure why the family is going to the mall in order to then go to the doctor's office (which isn't at the mall).

(For those that haven't read the issue, the first two pages in question can be viewed and judged here.)

That's about it. I think it's important to give a fair spectrum of public opinion rather than just highlight the most positive quotes. Overall the reviews are positive even when bundled with specific concerns, and I think that some of said concerns will be resolved as the series progresses.

Time (and future reviews) will tell.

Incredibles #1 - In stores now!

2009-10-07T16:55:24Z

Another new comic out today. This time it's my first issue of the Incredibles, co-written with the relatively unknown Mark Waid. Check out a preview of our collaboration here.

It's unusual for me to have two comics come out in such rapid succession. Knowing that the two books would cross paths like this, I purposefully choose a different writing style for each. Batman is my first real attempt at a narrative voice. Something I purposefully avoided for almost 20 years of comics writing. Early on, I felt it would be a crutch. Now it's just fun. The Incredibles is more traditional writing for me. Lots of characters, arguing with each other. Anyone familiar with my pre-Supergirl work should find the pacing and style of this familiar.

I don't know if familiar = good. In fact, I hear it actually breeds contempt.

Batman reviews!

2009-10-06T17:26:59Z

Well, our first issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold has been on shelves for a few days, and we now have some reviews. It's a bit of an exercise in anxiety, waiting to see if people like or hate your work. I mean, I wrote this book back in April. Eric finished drawing it in... May? I don't know. I don't really pay attention to what Eric does.

Anyway... this issue seems like a relic of the distant past to me. I'm currently working on my issue for next April and May concurrently. This thing? Ancient. That said, I think it may be one of our more fun issues of Batman. And by fun, it probably has our most bizarre moment. A moment that almost everybody who reads it comments on.

I'm talking specifically about this:

People seem to like the Penguin getting hit in the face with a seal. Anyway, here's the reviews:

Too Dangerous For A Girl

"it's a fast, fun ride by Eric Jones and Landry Q Walker"

Every Day Is Like Wednesday

"Landry Walker’s set-up is pretty clever and I greatly enjoyed seeing Jones’ takes on so many of these characters..."

Scifi Pulse.net/

"Not bad for a comic based on a cartoon, actually."

But Before I kill You

"It built up to an ending which I'm admitting being moved by, and it sold it for me."

BW Media

"I predict awesomeness every month."

Exile In Geeksville

"It’s all about bringing in the new readers. – Grade A-"

There's also a nice conversation on the DC message boards here.

So there we go. Next Wednesday I think my (real) first issue of the Incredibles will be released, and we'll have a new issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold out near the end of October.

In stores now!

2009-09-30T17:49:31Z

Our first issue of "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" just arrived in stores. It seems like a long time since we had a new release. Particularly when you consider the volume of work we've been doing. I'm up to the May issue of Batman with scripts and the January (or later) issue of the Incredibles.

FYI: Yeah... our Catman is a bit different from the one on the show. This book was actually finished before that episode aired. However, that doesn't mean we don't have a plan...

Doesn't mean we do have a plan either.

Anyway, new issue. Go get it. Read it.

Batman... before Brave and the Bold.

2009-09-17T17:51:50Z

We're now less than two weeks away from the release of our first issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. So it seemed like this would be the appropriate time to start making some Batman related posts.

When we announced our work on this book, I mentioned that Eric and I had already been developing something conceptually similar to the current Brave and Bold animated series. Well, I found some of the images. This was very much a work in progress, but I'm going to share it anyway.

Above is the first batch of images Eric created. He was shooting for a 1960's approach. But I wanted to see a bit more of a 1950's lantern jaw look. So this was his next batch:

I was of the opinion that this Batman was to smiley.

We envisioned the series would be titled: Batman and Robin. Robin would have been a key player in the series. But, having just come off of a Supergirl series, we would likely have avoided Batgirl.

Our intent was to revive some of the long lost TV show Batman villains, along with certain iconic trappings of 1950's-60's Batman. It would start off as goofy weird fun, but edge a little to the creepy side by the end of the series. Batman: The Brave and the Bold is a different animal. As it is based off of the current cartoon, we have a little less latitude than we might on a series we created. But sometimes imposed structure strengthens artwork rather than curtailing it. Eric and I work well with guidelines, and we're having tremendous fun on the series. Eric just finished drawing his third issue, and I'm writing my 6th, with at least 3 more mapped out.

Zombie gallery.

2009-09-16T00:00:21Z

SLG recently held a zombie themed gallery show in their lounge like studio/office. Featured heavily at the show was the work of Belinda Adams and Pannel Vaughn.

It was a good sized turn out, despite the fact that one of the other galleries had arranged to have the street in front of us closed to promote their event.

Branwyn and Drew. Branwyn has no idea the horrible fate that will soon befall her.

Pannel discussing his work. I think this is when he sold one of his paintings.

Jose harassing Belinda as she tries to work.

Me harassing Belinda as she tries to work. But I'm allowed as I'm going to marry her.

Branwyn meets her dark fate. Captured on canvas forever as a zombie (painted by Belinda during the show).

Comix4Sight auction!

2009-09-06T01:12:10Z

During the madness that is San Diego ComicCon, Gail Simone approached Eric about creating an original illustration for the Comix4Sight auction benefiting comics writer John Ostrander. John has been battling glaucoma for years now. And s it says on the Comixs4sight website, if he loses the battle he loses his eyesight.

John has undergone surgery, and so far things seem to be going well. But the medical costs are quite high. Hence: the auction.

So Eric has illustrated a full splash page image of Supergirl from our Cosmic Adventures series.

This is now up on eBay, and the bidding his pushing the piece forward fast. To date, Eric has sold very little original art. This is an opportunity to own a a rare original image (not reproduced in print anywhere) and help a comics writer very much in need.

Even if this particular piece is out of your range, check the other items listed. There's a Tiny Titans original drawing by Franco Aureliani, a Daredevil study by Bruce Timm, original Mickey Mouse Sunday comics art by Jim Engel and much more. Apparently you can even be written into a comic by Ed Brubaker.

And if you don't want to participate in the auction, you can also donate directly via the PayPal "Pay" link on the website sidebar.

And please: Spread the word!

PAX (Penny Arcade Expo)

2009-09-04T23:01:22Z

Eric is currently in a Seattle, conducting a live demonstration of Nintendo's new Flipnote Studio software for the DSi. My understanding is this event should be uploaded somewhere online by Nintendo. If and when I find it, I'll post it for anyone reading this blog to see.

In the land of people not being flown to conventions in Seattle, I have just returned from the convention I was flown to in Michigan. I participated on a breaking into comics a writer panel with Daniel Way - a man who is possibly the strangest combination of congenial and intimidating. I had a great time, it's rare I get to socialize with other writers.

Here's a photo of the panel, as seen through my eyes:

I also got to stay up late hanging out with Tommy Lee Edwards. One of three people I have met personally who truly appreciate the artistry of Doctor Who. I took a picture of Tommy, but all that the camera captured was a swirl of time and space.

Speaking of Doctor Who, here's a shot from my birthday a couple of nights ago:

My friend Jon provided the cake and the alcohol. Good times.

More on the subject of the Disney Marvel purchase.

2009-09-01T09:13:33Z

I see many people in many places speculating that Disney purchasing Marvel will result in a "softer" Marvel. On one hand, I must point out that in one of our Disney comics, we included:

A son killing his father.
A man beating his wife.
A woman transforming into a haggard corpse shrieking for the death of her child.
A man having his eyeball removed.
Physical torture.
Psychological torture.
Police brutality.
War. Death. Insanity.
And more...

On the other hand, I must say: Great. Let's scale it back a notch. What is wrong with making these comics acceptable for all-ages again? It worked fine for decades. Now we face a dwindling and aging readership. A medium that is a shadow of what it once was. And what do people cry out against? The idea that characters that were created as all-ages entertainment might actually cater to all-ages again?

Seriously?

I'm all for adult entertainment. Personally, I like to read comics where girls with ridiculously inflated breasts in chain mail bikini's kill their enemies with razor sharp weapons carved from baby skulls. Or whatever. But there is an appropriate time and place. I'm not sure that the mainstream comics world is where the "edge" people fear Disney will curtail should have ever been honed.

It really doesn't matter. Disney isn't going to force mouse ears on Wolverine and Spider-man won't be in the next High School whatever. But maybe down the road we'll see the company edge back over the line a bit.

How the Disney/Marvel deal will affect the world of comics..,

2009-09-01T01:24:42Z

OMG!! The sky has fallen!!

And I should know. I've been on airplanes all day.

Seriously Internet... There are fun things to do. You can't survive on hyperbole alone!

Incredibles...

2009-08-27T05:09:00Z

So the cat is out of the bag. Or some such saying. I'm working on "The Incredibles" for Boom! Studios. Specifically, I'm co-writing the series with Mark Waid. By co-writing, I mean Mark has carefully crafts a plot, and I do my best to destroy it. He then takes the mangled story back and nurtures it to health. It is returned to me and I stab to death. And so on...

It's been a great creative exercise and a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the writing process.

The first issue of the new series is out now (issue 0), and it sets the stage for more weirdness and action to come. Now, I didn't actually write anything in that issue on the shelves today. It may have my name in it, but that name is a lie. My involvement starts with issue 1, on sale at some nebulous point in the future. But this issue is the starting point, and should not be missed!

In other news, my non-stop mad tour of the country continues. I'll be in Traverse Michigan for a convention for a few days. That's Friday the 28th through Sunday the 30th. So if you're in the area, find the convention and say hello.

All-ages panel

2009-07-26T20:34:17Z

This is my view right now.

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From the great beyond...

2009-07-26T05:29:27Z

Dinner with the guys.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

Because people dressed like tigers are scary.

2009-07-26T03:02:11Z

Seriously.

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Living...

2009-07-25T21:25:31Z

The hotel room is starting to feel like hone. Probably because I packed a microwave and my X-box. I'd post more, but I have zombies to kill.

A couple more days and I will leave this paradise behind.

That's the paradise over there in the corner against the window. A fold out camping cot. I am truly in the lap of luxury.

Someone staying with me decided to dress like a tiger. I don't know why. I don't think he was even going to the convention.

I had more to say, but the I remembered that none of this is real.

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Comiccon

2009-07-25T07:42:08Z

Five days in. Limited Internet and email. Panels and meetings and signings all go well. I have purchased many toys. I have eaten little food. Food costs money that could be spent on toys.

Just a few more days... After months of prepartion. Then I think I will finally take a couple nights off work to do all the things I never ever get to do.

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San Diego ComicCon -Signings and panels.

2009-07-16T20:37:41Z

So I guess I should do what other people are doing and post information about where you can find Eric and myself during the week long madness that is San Diego ComicCon.

We will be doing a daily signing session at the SLG booth. That's the awesome booth right next to the DC Comics booth. Hard to miss.

Thursday 1:00-2:30
Friday 11:30 - 1:00
Saturday 5:00-7:00
Sunday 11:00-12:30

Additionally, Eric and I will be participating in two panels:

Friday:

4:30-5:30 - Spotlight on Landry Walker and Eric Jones— The creative team behind SLG Publishing's Little Gloomy series and the recent Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade for DC Comics discuss all of their work, past and present, including the upcoming run on Batman: The Brave and the Bold series. Landry Walker and Eric Jones discuss the pitfalls of working on all-ages books as well as developing their own properties for animation. Room 3

Sunday:

1:30-2:30 Comics and Graphic Novels for All Ages- It’s true! There’s a wealth of great comic books series and graphic novels out there for comics-loving kids of all ages-so much so, that Comic-Con presents its second big panel of the day on the topic! Moderator Randy Duncan (co-chair of the Comics Arts Conference) talks with Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!), Kazu Kibuishi (Amulet), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Eric Jones and Landry Walker (Supergirl, Little Gloomy), Jeff Smith (Bone), and Alexis Fajardo (Kid Beowulf) about comics for everyone!
Room 3

...

Yup. That's where we will be. Come see us. Discuss things with us. If you attend, I will whisper to you the one true secret to successfully gaining employment into the comics industry. Maybe.

And don't forget, we will have limited edition signed prints. First come first serve.

We will also have a variety of comics on hand to sell and to sign. Trade paperback collections of Tron: The Ghost in the Machine and The Super Scary Monster Show. Not to mention an assortment of issues of Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade.

Spend!

Tron: The Ghost in the Machine - TPB

2009-07-11T02:06:36Z

In stores now!

"Collecting all six issues of the six issue series TRON, based on the classic movie and hit video game! Inspired by TRON, Disney's groundbreaking science-fiction motion picture classic, TRON: The Ghost in the Machine takes place in present day, over two decades after the events of the film. Jet Bradley, son of the original TRON programmer Alan Bradley, has recently escaped the computer world. But his experiences within cyberspace have left him emotionally scarred — vivid nightmares plague him, and he's become paranoid and unstable. He shuns technology wherever possible, leaving him effectively crippled in the modern world. And now something within the computer world wants him back!"

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures - Production art... Part 11 - The End

2009-07-10T20:05:01Z

So... let me frame things a bit.

Eric and I had been working on comics for over 15 years. Many of those years were spent working on Disney Adventures. Once Little Gloomy and Kid Gravity had been picked up by the magazine, we had quit our day jobs and dedicated all our energy to comics creation.

Then, at the end of 2007, Disney Adventures folded. We were still very busy working with 1492 Pictures on Little Gloomy for the small screen, and there was some comfort in knowing that this work would keep us afloat... for a little bit.

Flash forward to February of 2008. WonderCon. We have no jobs. No money and no immediate prospects. So we turn to long time aquaitence Bob Shreck. It really was a whim. We had nothing prepared and though we had known Bob for many years, asking for work from someone I think of as a friend is not a thing I like to do. It feels... I dunno. Not something I like.

But we asked. Because we were desperate. So he recommended the Johnny DC line. There was (at the time) a bit of a push to expand. He offered to set up a meeting with Jann Jones for us. It was more than we hoped for and we seized on it immediately.

We had 24 hours. We needed to prepare. So we took a look at what else was coming out from Johnny DC. Turns out the big thing being pushed at the time was the work of fellow former Disney Adventures creator Art Baltazar and his coworker Franco. These are two people we had already been having dinner with annually at ComicCon. When Disney Adventures put out a call for new material, it was Art's Gorilla Gorilla and our Kid Gravity that were picked up. When Disney released collected volumes of previously printed material, Kid Gravity and Gorilla Gorilla were top of the lists.

So the familar work of Art and Franco bolstered our confidence. We realized that the best thing we could do at this stage is what Art and Franco were doing. The same thing they had been doing, only with DC characters.

We had just come off working on Kid Gravity. Kid Gravity had always been slightly inspired by Superboy. Superboy was, to the best of our knowledge, legally unavailable. Besides, we were more inclined to work with a female lead. So... Supergirl. At this point, we're maybe 2 minutes out of our brief discussion with Bob. Lots' of time to prepare, right?

While seated at the SLG booth, Eric started drawing. This is what he came up with first:

Cute, but too Kid Gravity. Besides, when you're pitching to a new editor, it' smart to show versatility. So Eric went back to the drawing board and...

To much belly shirt. To old. I pushed Eric to draw something inbetween the two styles. Bear in mind that Eric had spent years drawing characters with really big heads. He wasn't particularly comfortable with the more realistically proportioned character designs.

But he persisted. And this was the result:

This was more like what we were looking for. But we still wanted to hedge our bets, and Eric had time for one more drawing.

You will please notice that this is not Supergirl. Better safe than sorry. But to be honest, I'm not a fan of Batgirl in any of her forms, with the possible exception of Betty Kane.

The next day we tracked down Jann for our meeting. The rest I have talked about elsewhere on may occasions. Her eyes lit up when she saw the Supergirl samples. Turns out she had been seeking someone to create an all-ages Supergirl book, and the person she had in mind had declined the day before our meeting. She called up Dan Didio (he was elsewhere at the convention) and showed him the art. He picked the third design, the middle school style Supergirl.

So we went home and concocted the pitch for the series and after one rewrite, it was picked up very quickly for a mini-series.

We were lucky on alot of levels. It was an amazing turn of events considering we were at an all time low. Supergirl was our last stab effort. If we hadn't found work that weekend, we were going to have to exit the world of comics.

Not that the industry isn't still a scary place. I was unemployed again from the beginning of December 08 until the beginning of April 09. All while anxiously waiting to see if our series was well received or not. I know in the world of the internet, people review comics readily and casually. If you're a reviewer, remember that on the other end of your review might be someone anxiously nail-biting. You're criticzing their jobs, after all.

Luckily, the series was very well received. So my nails have started to grow back in place. Also: The tremendous buzz around the series has helped Eric and I with other work. I've actually found myself at a point where I'm working on two comic series at once. I'm busy... but I really can't complain. And frankly, I have the readers and reviewers to thank for it. Thanks readers and reviewers!

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures - Production art... Part 10

2009-07-09T19:15:35Z

I said I would be posting the last installment of this blog series tomorrow. This is true. But that doesn't mean I can't post something today as well. So here I am. Posting.

First up we have some more Supergirl.

Yup. That sure is Supergirl. Note: These images have been slapped together kinda randomly. All of the above were drawn before the series began, with the exception of the bit with Comet the Super Horse. I think that one was drawn last fall, well after production on the series was under way.

Now, one thing that's been all over the internet lately is the issue of Supergirl's shorts. Not my Supergirl, mind you. No... I'm talking about the mainstream DC comics Supergirl currently crafted by comics creators Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle.

That Supergirl, long considered overly sexy, has recently taken to wearing bike shorts under her skirt. We first saw this with the work of Renato Guede.

And more recently with the work of Jamal Igle.

Of course, our Supergirl wears tights under her skirt, so we circumvented the controversy a bit. Just a bit, mind you. There were websites chock full of outrage over the tights (though mostly over her lack of boobs). But it wasn't as bad, mainly (I think) because our Supergirl is younger. Therefore people felt a little creepier vocalizing their outrage. Also, there is the out of continuity aspect. People were less offended as the "real" Supergirl wasn't the one wearing tights. To that I just roll my eyes. I am not a believer in slavish dedication to continuity. And I'm not willing to buy in to the notion that one execution of the character is inherently more important.

Anyway, neither Eric or my myself came up with the tights. Those were introduced by Rikki Simons during the pitch process. Rikki provided color samples and I gave him two choices. Full blue dress, or red skirt. He took creative control and went with red skirt and blue tights. We loved it immediately. It made sense. Our Supergirl is young, inexperienced, insecure and unsure. A short hand to show this lack of confidence is for her to cover herself up a bit more modestly. So with that in mind, it was a very conscious choice to have Belinda Zee fly around without tights. The choice in uniform for a character is not one of fashion. We shouldn't look around and justify our decisions based off of current trends. The uniform should reflect the psychology of the person behind the uniform. Therefore advancing the story. Writing isn't just the placement of words or even the construction of a plot. It's everything. Every nuance. Every camera angle. Every expression.

And to weigh in on the shorts controversy. I like the choice. It allows Igle to draw more fluidly, with more energy. But more importantly it suggests that the "real" Supergirl has grown up a little. So the decision works visually and subtly.

Alright, tomorrow I will post the original 3 images that landed Eric and I the Supergirl job. Be warned: they are nothing like what appears in the book.

But for now, I will leave you with what I had in mind before I concocted the concept of the Moon Gang. I have a thing for imaginary rabbits.

I'm a big Captain Carrot fan. Origially, I considered a different direction with Supergirl's imaginary world. But Eric and I (along with artist Mike Shoyket) had just explored something similar in Tron: The Ghost in the Machine. Subsequently, a different direction was required.

Enter the Moon Gang. Blatantly inspired by our brief time working with the Beagle Boy's on a re-imagining of Scrooge McDuck.

You haven't seen the last of them. Mark my words.

Supergirl and Batman limited edition prints!

2009-07-08T18:40:21Z

San Diego Comic Con is almost upon us. Subsequently, Eric has illustrated two limited edition prints. These were meticulously colored at the last minute by long time collaborator Rikki Simons.

These will be signed and numbered and about 11 x 17. We'll mostly be camped out at the SLG booth, which is right next to the DC booth. I know that many people who read this blog will not be able to attend the convention, unfortunately we really, really cannot distribute these outside of a very limited number (for promotional purposes) during the show.

For those here for a specific purpose: The last entry of the Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures art blog will be posted on Friday.