Come see us at Booth 4920!

My wonderful husband and minion, James, has ascended to a higher level of existence and become one with the bookbinding gods. Here’s a sneak peek at the fruit of his divine labors. Behold the hand-bound limited edition of Little Vampires and Friends, the sequel to Little Vampires. This edition is limited to a run of 100 copies, and each comes with a signed custom sketch. We will be premiering these at Comic-Con, but worry not! We’ll be selling them online shortly after that event.

We’ll also be premiering new button designs at Comic-Con! The spice is the merch, the merch is the spice, and the merch must flow! Yes, you can now have a Low on Whimsy pin to proudly wear beside your Talentless Hanger-On pin. Because nothing makes you lower on whimsy than being a talentless hanger-on.

Follow Lunasea Studios on Twitter! @rhicks and @jhicks

San Diego Comic-Con is right around the corner. We’ve had a small press table at Con for the last two years, but this year we have a booth! We need the room, because we keep cranking out cool stuff for you Lunatics. If you’re lucky enough to have a badge for this year, be sure to see us at Booth 4920, in the Fantasy Illustrators section in the D-G wing of the San Diego Convention Center.

Here’s a sneak preview of my Comic-Con exclusive print! These are a limited edition of 100, signed and numbered by me, your humble artisty person. The art measures 7×5, and will be in a black 10×8 mat with backing board. Each print comes in a protective bag, and only costs $10!

We’re also working hard on making the hand-bound Little Vampires at Play books, which will be premiering at Comic-Con. I’ll keep you posted on their progress, and on the progress of our other cool merch. But if you just can’t wait for Lunatic Updates, you can follow James and I on Twitter: @rhicks and @jhicks.

Greetings and salutations Lunatics! It’s officially summer, when all the craziness we’ve been working on over here in Lunasea Studios comes to light. There’s so much I want to reveal, but some projects are still in those fragile development stages. But here’s what I can tell you . . .

Project Elohim

Project Elohim issue 6 is being printed! Finally, I know. We’ll have it ready for sale at San Diego Comic-Con International July 22-26. We’ll also have it for sale online around that time. You can get issues 1-5 now at the Lunasea Studios store, and issues 1-3 collected in trade paperback format.

Little Vampires and Friends

The sequel to Little Vampires, Little Vampires and Friends, is ready to be printed. It features the Little Vampires chillin’ with their buds Frank and Wolfie.

So where’s it at? Pssst. Come here. Closer. I’m going to let you know the plans for the book.

My fabulous talentless hanger-on of a husband, James, is working on making a hand-bound version of Little Vampires and Friends. Little Vampires began as a hand-bound book at San Diego Comic-Con International 2007. So to honor it’s history, we’re doing the first run of the sequel as a hand-bound book. The goal is to have them ready for Lunatics to slobber over and buy at Comic-Con. And yes, we’re thinking pre-orders for those poor souls who can’t make it to sunny San Diego this July. You shall be kept posted, whether you want to be or not, bwahahaha.

So what about a larger print run of hardcovers, like we currently have with the Little Vampires books? Here’s where you really have to lean in, ‘cause I’m seriously whispering this.

I’m working on submitting Little Vampires and Friends to an agent. For those of you in the industry, you know what this means. For those of you who aren’t in the industry, it means I’m trying a more traditional publishing route for the Little Vampires sequel. Ideally, an agent would take me on and get my book published by a larger publisher. Then I’d be in the big box bookstores, would become world famous, yadda yadda millions of adoring fans and rolling in cash yadda. That’s the dream, anyway. It could take years to get an agent’s attention. It could happen overnight. It could never happen.

So I can’t say right now how long it will take to get Little Vampires and Friends mass produced. But I want Little Vampire fans to be able to enjoy the further adventures of the diminutive nosferatu before that unknown and possibly never time. Hence the hand-bound version of the book.

I am considering throwing in an exclusive print with purchase of said hand-bound book. I think it should include all three monsters, (Little Vampires, Wolfie, and Frank). What would you Lunatics like to see the friends doing?

Little Vampires Toy

Remember that toy we were getting made? That awesomely adorable plush Little Vampire? There was some drama involved in getting it manufactured. *sigh* But I sprayed some Drama-Be-Gone, and we should be getting Little Vampire plush dolls in September. I know, that’s so far away! But we should have them for sale during that lucrative Halloween to Christmas season. *twiddles fingers evilly* And yes, there will be a pre-order available to Lunatics!

What, you want a sneak preview? If you insist.

Painting

Despite being constantly in a state of crazy busy, I get bored easily, and keep trying new stuff. I think I have Artist Deficit Disorder. Wait, maybe that’s why I’m always crazy busy . . .

Anyway, I did a sketch of Frankenstein, and realized that it might make a cool painting. So here’s a sneak preview of my first attempt at a big ole acrylic piece. It’s still a work in progress, of course, but I already know what I’m going to call it. When completed, it shall be named Frankenlichtenstein. Yes, it’s an art geek joke. Yes, I am an art geek.

Thanks to Emo and Norma and Mike for being my painting inspirations. If I only get as half as good as you guys, I could die happy.

Monsterpalooza Shout-outs!

We had a great time at Monsterpalooza last month, so I wanted to give some quick shout-outs. Our neighbor was the amazing fantasy sculptor Jason Hite, and his model making partner Jason Bonham. What is it with me meeting guys with the same names? Gerry and Jerry. Jason and Jason. Who’s next? I want a Roger and Roger team, just so we could all get an infinite walkie-talkie loop going.

More shout-outs to the Worst Show on the Web, for interviewing the Worst Interview on the Everything, me. And thanks to Angie for giving my art prints the love. And all the love to Batton Lash and Jackie Estrada, creator and publisher of the classic Supernatural Law. It’s always amazing talking to people who have been in the business longer than I have . . . wait, that’s everyone. When they talk to me like I’m a peer, that’s just freaking amazing with extra amazing sauce.

But the biggest shout-out goes to Bela Lugosi Jr. He bought a Little Vampires book for his son. So yes, Dracula’s grandson owns my book. I don’t know what’s cooler, that, or having the blessing of Dracula’s son.

Any convention with a giant monkey is a good convention.

Next Lunatic Update: the scoop on Comic-Con!

We’ll be at Monsterpalooza in beautiful downtown Burbank this weekend, Friday the 29th through Sunday the 31st. Come see uspalooza! Look for the Little Vampires banner. 

Look ma, my name’s on TV!

James and I packed up the Mini to head to Super-Con in San Jose this past weekend. This time the drive through Central Valley was greatly improved by a stop at Pea Soup Andersen’s. We love road-side America stuff, the kitschier the better. And a Scandinavian-themed restaurant sporting a windmill and trying to make pea soup seem like the most bomb diggity soup ever is pretty kitschy.

Lunatic Love

New fans! Old fans! Super-Con gave us a great mix of both. Shout-out to new fan Joanne! Super-Con was Joanne’s first convention, and she asked me to draw Darth Vader and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in her first sketch book. Her family and friends stopped by the table later to enthuse over the sketches and talk comic books and lumpia. This, as they say, was very cool.

Big shout-out to some of the original Project Elohim fans, Jerry and Gerry. Special thanks to Jerry for giving me the opportunity to draw my first donkey. And silly baby faces to new Little Vampire fan, Gerry’s daughter, Delilah. The cute is strong with this one.

Music makers and dreamers of dreams

Most of our NorCal buds were in the big tent. Emo and Chemix of Emonic brought the family, and the Nor-Cal Horror Cult were in the house with their Hot Zombie Chicks and Brains. Cody and Sheatiel of Binary Winter were there, along with Super Searnold. And Jack Shen stopped by the booth to give James an opportunity to confirm that yes, it was indeed ungodly hot outside.

I’m a big fan of Alexis E. Fajardo and his series Kid Beowulf, so I was thrilled to see him there. He’s now being published by Bowler Hat Comics, and you can get a copy of Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath at their website.

The Con Life

Searnold was nice enough to invite me to participate in my first Drink and Draw. A Drink and Draw is exactly what it sounds like. You go to a bar, you bring some paper and your favorite pens, and you draw. I was a little nervous, ‘cause really amazing artists like Cody and Emo were at the San Jose Bar and Grill. But hey, I can only get better through practice. And despite getting the thumb on the wrong side of the hand, I can draw fingers that rival Mignola’s.

I have included a picture of my drink, and one of my draws.

Convention Review

Super-Con was okay for us this year, but nowhere near the level of success that Phoenix and Emerald City were. The crowd at this convention was very focused. They seemed to be at the con for one purpose only, such as to get a sketch from Adam Hughes, or check out the Anime Pavilion. There didn’t seem to be a lot of willingness to try something new from the Small Press area. The people that did try us out were very cool, but there needed to be more of them. The con was also very retailer heavy.

We’re keeping it local this weekend! We’ll be at the Encinitas Street Faire on Saturday, April 25th and Sunday, April 26th. We’ll be in space 812, between H and G Streets on Coasty Hwy 101, facing west. 

Come see us!

The Lunasea crew will be at the Fangoria Weekend of Horrors this weekend! Come see us at table 22. 

Wow, I just discovered our contact form has been silently broken for I-don’t-know-how long. I added a new feedback link that does work, so if you’ve tried to contact us and didn’t get a reply, please give it another shot.

My convention reports are now going to be divided into sections. This should allow you to navigate to the stuff that interests you most. Not that you wouldn’t want to read every word of my flowing prose. Who wouldn’t? 

Lunatic Love – This will be where I give shout-outs to the fabulous fans, old and new, that came to see us at the convention.

Music Makers and Dreamers of Dreams – In this section, I’ll be giving my fellow creative people the love in the hopes that you’ll check out their work.

The Con Life – This is where you’ll get to read about the crazy cool stuff we experience at conventions.

Convention Critique – My fellow creators, this section is for you. Here’s where I’ll give my overall impression of the show from the point of view of an exhibiting writer and artist. 

Lunatic Love 

Thanks to everybody that came by our booth at ECCC! You made Saturday the single busiest convention day we’ve ever had. Amazing! The bladder of steel that I developed from teaching came in handy, let me tell you. 

Special shout-out to Uber-Lunatic Victoria and her family. Victoria is one talented kid, and I’m not just saying that because she loves Little Vampires, Wolfie, and Frank. That just means she has impeccable taste. Her awesome talent is totally separate from that. Keep sketching, girl!

Another shout-out to Warm Fuzzy Stomach Guy. After buying a Little Vampire T-Shirt and Supermanning into it in the nearby restroom, he returned and asked me to do a sketch and pointed at his torso. I thought I would be sketching on the shirt. It wouldn’t be a story worth telling if that were the case, now, would it? I approached with the Sharpie, and he hoisted up his shirt with a proud “Yoink!” I got to draw on his warm, fuzzy stomach. That’s a first for me, ladies and gents. I have drawn on man flesh. 

Read More »

The Lunasea Studios crew will at ECCC! Come check us out at Booth 1006.