Merry Christmas to All!

Howdy to the Texans, merry Christmas to all, happy holidays to those who prefer, and LOK VAH KOOR to all Dragonborn!  Hope everybody's had a great day!  It's been a great low-key Christmas day here in the Beaver den.  Not only that, it's been a great year.  Under the banner of CCP Comics I've gotten to do a lot of traveling to comic-cons; I've gotten to meet a lot of great people (and who knows, maybe you were one of those people); I've gotten Reichenbach #1  of 4 released, and I've gotten to do a lot of drawing!  Now here we are near the beginning of another busy year. Should be Good Times!

Many thanks to all of you who've supported CCP Comics so far by buying an issue, who hang out with us on Facebook or GPlus, who've dropped by our tables at a show, or who just keep the comic-culture at large alive so we can keep doing what we do.

Your next chance to see us in convention-mode is at New Orleans Wizard World, going down January 28~29 -- Be there!  Do it for Lou Ferrigno.  Or William Shatner, or Stan Lee or Adam Baldwin or Bernie Wrightson.  How about Norm Breyfogle, or Rob Guillory or George Perez?  They'll all be there.  Hell, they even have Doug Jones booked!  The Pale Man himself!  I've met the guy; he's seriously one of the sweetest people on the planet -- And you can see that for yourself if you come to New Orleans!  And hey, while you're there, drop by our tables and see what we're up to :)

Take care,
~Chris Beaver
Staff Artist

Hark, come and see.

Let me tell you what I know, then I'll tell you what I think.

I know for a fact that CCP Comics is on the cusp of being something very, very special.

I know that without you: our faithful fans, family and friends, we wouldn't even exist.

I know that the team of creators that we have in our bullpen are ready to shake the foundations of the comic book world.

These are the facts. They cannot be denied.

Here's what I personally think-

With writers like Rob Bass, Brad Ellison, and myself, we are doing absolutely everything we can to branch out into every single limb of literature that the comic book medium will allow – which is to say, limitless.

We have artists aplenty who are smashing out new prints, sequential books and personal projects that have made headlines on CNN and Comics Alliance. Our travels have been all over the country to provide you, near and far, with awesome, mind-bending and soul rending comic books.

You can trust that we will travel on our own dime to bring this work to you. Our creators will work well into the night listening to our own muses until they yearn for an intermission and it will all have been worth it if we can simply offer you a moment in your busy day where you are able to escape the shackles monotony and the gray skies of a less adventurous world than the one which resides in your imagination.

I think we, CCP, are willing to do everything in our power to provide independent comics a haven in the fantastic and storytelling a security.

We do it because we were born to create.

We do it to find a completion in ourselves.

We do it for you.

Spread the word.

I know CCP is on the rise; and I think you want to be with us during the coming advent.

-Seth Humble

Co-Editor of CCP Comics

Two Places at One Time!?

Do the laws of physics no longer apply to the madness that is CCP Comics?  Well yeah, but for the first time the group divided in order to attend two conventions at the same time - the Albuquerque Comic Expo (ACE) and the Texas Comic Con in San Antonio.

The San Antonio crew which consisted of artists Tommy Shelton and Tommy Philips and writers CS Humble and Rob Bass.  Many prints were sold, and they successfully promoted Reichenbach and SSDG! to the masses!

The rest of us made the 14 hour drive to Albuquerque (ABQ) for ACE (thanks to McLain or beloved EIC for driving the crazy train).  By the rest of us I mean: McLain McGuire (and Marti Garcia), Sam Lotfi, Eroll See, Vo Nguyen, Chris Beaver, Ryan Alexander, Matt Capmbell, and me (Rita Moore).  As we were joined by fellow artist Greg Harms and writer Luke Donkersloot, we dominated almost an entire row of artist alley.  Good times were had by all but we discovered quickly ABQ goes to sleep early, like around 7-8pm, so no late night partying for us.  However, the artists did gather round for some late night drawing throughout the weekend.

Now we take a break from the convention scene so that we can prepare for the highly anticipated Wizard World Chicago ComiCon.  Keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates and details!

Whew! What a busy month...

Let's start off with discussing Free Comic Book Day (FCBD).  FCBD, if you're not familiar, is a day where participating comic retailers distribute for free certain comics and promo items produced by publishers and creators for this occasion.  This year is the first year CCP Comics set up camp at Austin Books and Comics (ABC) doing free sketches for all of the FCBD patrons.  Amazingly, all morning long and well into the afternoon there was a long line wrapping around the building for about a block.  I'd say this was like the comic book industry's version of Black Friday...but on a Saturday...  We had Sam Lotfi, Tommy Shelton, Chris Beaver and Vo Nguyen (and me!) doing free sketches while writers/creators CS Humble, Rob Bass, and McLain McGuire were promoting new CCP Comics, particularly Dead Robot.  Around noon, after our podcast (that mysteriously vanished) I had to bail and head over to Tribe Cards and Games to do some free sketches and promote Dead Robot there too so I cant attest to the goings on at ABC later that day.

So this past weekend, CCP rocked the Dallas Comic Con so hard, that 7 tables could barely contain the levels of awesome radiating from our people.  Just when you thought you've seen what CCP artists have to offer, Tommy Phillips busts out with these Star Wars themed metallic etchings.  That's right.  This kat took a blade and scratched a design into a metal plate and they looked AMAZING.  Then we had Matt Campbell blow in from Denver, CO some of the coolest prints (like Beast dunking Kobe Bryant's face off).  Other artists present were Sam Lotfi, Chris Beaver, Kris Cagle, Tommy Shelton, Vo Nguyen, (and me!) and Greg Harms (who somehow ended up a few aisles away).  Writers Rob Bass, CS Humble, Ryan Alexander, Brad Ellison, and McLain McGuire.  We stayed consistently busy both days of the convention but absolutely the best person to add to YJ -- I mean -- the coolest part of the weekend was broadcasting via Ustream our interview with Todd Nauck!  If you haven't heard it yet, do your ears a favor and hear it HERE.

This coming weekend, we're off to Houston for Comicpalooza.  Hopefully, Sunday night I can blog about the experience otherwise you'll have to wait until Monday.  Right now, it's a quarter after 2 and I'm fading fast.

-Rita

Bayou Con

This past weekend we attended Bayou Con in Lake Charles, LA.  Although, the convention itself was a little slow due to the raging Contraband Festival outside, we still had a good time meeting a few excellent artists and interesting people.  One of those excellent artists and very interesting people is Mr. Rob Guillory who joined us for our first ever Ustream broadcast, CCP Comics Un-Bagged.  Oh, I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let's start from the beginning...

Friday morning, we begin the not-very-long-but-not-so-short drive to Lake Charles.  Not very much to say about the trip except for the FANTASTIC fudge at this gas station near Beaumont.  By Friday afternoon, we were checked into the pretty sweet hotel room that was significantly larger than we normally have our sleepovers in and provided a cozy atmosphere for our Ustream broadcasts to come.  After setting u at the convention, we went forth is search of food...and alcohol.  Our first stop, Steamboat Bills.  Personally, I had the baked potato drowned in shrimp etouffee which was delicious.  My compadres however, participated in the mass genocide of hundreds of craw fish leaving no survivors in their wake.  The staff at the restaurant were fantastic with the service and were very nice to us.  After our feeding, we searched for some beer.  Our search took us first to an Exxon that offered little more than the usual big three (Bud, Miller, and Coors) and some stank beer.  The store clerk spoke a lot like the cajun in the Waterboy movie and couldn't direct us to the nearest liquor store in any discernible manner.   Somehow, we ended up in an unsavory part of Lake Charles at a bar that, at first glance, was easily mistaken for a liquor store.  After getting some directions we finally found a liquor store that had a pretty decent selection of beer.  With our bounty in hand (and a few losing lottery tickets in the trash), we made our way out of that area and back to our hotel were we shared some laughs, some beers, and some sleep.

The morning started early for most of us since Brian, Eroll, Seth, Ryan, and the Castros came in around 7:30 am. After a couple of hours, we made our way back to the convention.  During the course of the day,  we held two panels which entertained between two and ten eager minds thirsting for knowledge of self publishing and creative techniques.  The day passed slowly as I and a couple other artists added more artwork to our portfolios.  Some of us went from table to table checking out other fellow artists and vendors.  When Rob Guillory came, some of our members hung out at his table and got acquainted.  The convention director started shutting down the event at 6pm after which we escaped with Rob Guillory back to our hotel to conduct our first ever Ustream Broadcast of CCP Comics Un-Bagged which can be heard HERE.  The broadcast felt very natural and was conducted smoothly by CCP writer C.S. Humble.  I won't go into details, you'll have to listen to the broadcast to know what we talked about.  After bidding Rob Guillory good night, we hightailed it back to Steamboat Bills to feast again upon some excellent cajun cooking and hundreds more doomed craw fish.  We returned to the hotel room and conducted another broadcast just for fun and to introduce the present members of CCP Comics which can be heard HERE.  We had a bunch of fun with this broadcast and hope you do too.  After a whole bunch of goofing around, we called it a night, preparing ourselves for the day ahead and the not-very-long-but-not-so-short drive back to Austin.

Sunday morning came and we loaded up the vehicles with our bags and went to the convention.  Not much happened through the day, but after a few hours we said farewell to our host and made a B-line to Steamboat Bills.  Most of the staff recognized us and made us welcome as we ate our last meal in Lake Charles.  The trip back was as unremarkable as the trip to Lake Charles except for the stop at the gas station near Beaumont where we had gotten the fudge mentioned previously.  The only difference is that I (and a few of the others) crowded around a coin machine uses the quarters you put in the machine to push other quarters over a ledge and into a pocket in front of you. After winning a couple times, everyone was getting into it with Seth playing with quarters he "found on the floor".  Finally, playtime was over and we pressed on homeward bound.

All in all, we had a fun weekend but now, we must prepare for Free Comic Book Day.  Join CCP Comics at Austin Books and Comics this Saturday, May 7th for a day of fun as ABC provides the free books, CCP provides the free sketches, and Best Petite Sweets provides the most delicious sugar-free treats you'll ever stuff into your mouth!

-Rita

A Word on Our Agenda

Whew.  Busy, busy, busy these next couple of months.  Take a look at our agenda for our updated conventions schedule. 

Alright!  Two things I really want to talk about is CCP Comics will start their own broadcast channel via UStream and our plans for Free Comic Book Day.

Our broadcast (as I'll call it until we can decide on a name for our broadcast) will be accessed through the downloads section of our site and will occasionally feature a special guest!  Of course, announcements for our broadcast times and topics will show up on the main page of our site.  But what if you can't join us for the live broadcast? Don't worry!  We'll record it for you! 

Now Free Comic Book Day.  For the uninitiated, participating comic stores give away specially marked Free Comic Book Day comics which include previews to upcoming titles or storylines, whole first issues, half issues and more from mainstream publishers and independents!  Austin Books and Comics will host their Free Comic Book Day with CCP Comics as their guests!  Most of your favorite CCP artists will be there hard at work with free sketches for the fans (a schedule will be posted closer to Free Comic Book Day on May 7th).  CCP creators are expected to appear in other comic shops around Austin which will also be announced as schedules and locations are confirmed.

In two weeks, CCP Comics will rock the faces off the people of Louisiana at Bayou Con in Lake Charles.  Rumor has it, our EIC McLain is going to get us a very special guest for our first broadcast that weekend.  Have I said too much!?

Speaking of saying too much, it looks like I'll be posting on the blog every weekend from now on.  I hope you guys enjoy my prattle!  stay tuned next week! Or sooner perhaps....

-Rita

Electron Boy

On April 29th, 2010, a wish came true.

13-year old Erik Martin of Bellevue, Washington had been battling severe health problems since the day he was born but was lately suffering from extreme fatigue brought about by paraganglioma, a rare form of cancer with tumors that secrete proteins causing his heart rate and blood pressure to fluctuate dramatically. Two years earlier, Erik was on the operating table for thirteen hours while doctors performed a complicated procedure that concluded with the removal of a tumor the size of a lemon from his spine. But the cancer eventually returned, this time in eight separate locations in his body.

Erik loves superheroes. Like millions over the course of the past seventy years, he thrills to their exploits any way he can get them. Through comic books, playing with action figures, even up on the big screen. The first Spider-Man movie might be his favorite. So, when the Seattle chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation asked Erik what they could do for him, he didn’t have to think twice. “I wish I was a superhero.”

Wish Manager Jessie Ellenbaas and a couple of dedicated volunteers threw themselves into the challenge of providing Erik with the experience of racing through the city and saving the day in a manner that wouldn’t exhaust him. After a few days, they came up with Electron Boy, a new identity for Erik, a superhero who had energy to spare.

On that last Thursday in April, Erik got a phone call from Spider-Man informing him that the Seattle Sounders were being held prisoner in Qwest Field by someone called Dr. Dark and that only Electron Boy could save them. A DeLorean pulled up in front of Erik’s house driven by one Moonshine Maid, and before he knew it, Electron Boy was catapulted into “the best day of my life” as he rescued his local Major League Soccer team before finding out that Dr. Dark and his sidekick Blackout Boy were holed up at Puget Sound Energy and threatening to disconnect power to the entire city. He stopped them there, too, and the chase eventually led to the Space Needle, where Electron Boy used his lightning rod to subdue the villains, accompanied by the wild cheers of the crowd drawn by the motorcade of twenty-five police motorcycles, a white limousine for his family, and, of course, the DeLorean.

Any concerns about Erik not having enough power to make it through the day proved unfounded as he capered about the plaza in front of the Space Needle afterward, posing for pictures, flexing his muscles, and spending some time perched atop a Bellevue PD motorcycle gazing out upon the city that he protected. Electron Boy had given him all the energy he needed.

---

I saw the Seattle Times story on Saturday, two days after Electron Boy’s debut, and it crushed me. It wasn’t even all the time and energy that all of those folks at the Make-A-Wish foundation and Seattle Sounders and Puget Sound Energy and the actors and volunteers and spectators had put into the day. What really got me about the whole story was what it proved, right out there where anybody could see it, pure objective truth, that our imaginations are pure and boundless and can take us anywhere that we let them, no matter how much these bodies might fail us, that even if you’re born without a right atrium and ventricle in your heart and no spleen and all your organs on the wrong side of your body and are extremely sensitive to the touch and you beat cancer once when you’re eleven and then it comes back again when you’re thirteen, you can overcome all of that, because you still have the power to do anything, become just who you’ve always dreamed of being. A woman will come to your hospital room with some crayons and get you to design your own costume and, before you know it, Spider-Man’s calling you up for help, you, and Moonshine Maid’s pulling up in the DeLorean and you have to hurry because there’s no telling what Dr. Dark is going to do next, but it’s going to be all right, nothing you can’t take care of, because you have all the energy you’re ever going to need, right there crackling at your fingertips.

The day after reading about Electron Boy, I asked some friends if anyone was willing to provide the art on a short story about him. Matt Campbell said yes in less than an hour. Two days later, he had the script. Chris Beaver chipped in with some inking and design work, Rita Moore colored a few pages, Matt colored the rest, and McLain McGuire put the words right where they were supposed to be.

The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be moved. That’s what those hundreds of people did on April 29th, the ones who planned it and the ones who had no idea what they’d signed up for but were standing in the streets, cheering Erik on to victory. What the thousands of people around the world who’ve been touched by the story have been doing ever since, what we tried to do in these pages, mining out a few panels of real estate for Electron Boy in the medium that spawned him, and what you’re doing right now, reading these words, thrilling to the tale of a real-life superhero.

-Rob Bass
Writer - Electron Boy
CCP Comics

Read ELECTRON BOY #1 for free at http://ccpcomics.com/electronboy.  

The option to purchase the book is available.  

All proceeds benefit the Martin family.

Welcome to CCP Comics' very own blog!

Check here for our newest news, reviews, events, and updates to our website at www.ccpcomics.com.  You'll notice a couple helpful features here like the invaluable events calendar (and agenda for those of us who prefer the list look!) that outlines all of our scheduled events.  Something to keep in mind about our calendar is that we are always adding new conventions and community events, usually at least 30 days prior to the event or convention.  At the bottom of the page, we have a list of links that will give you more info about events or CCP Comics affiliates. We also have a link that will allow you to follow us on Facebook or share our blog article with your friends on Facebook.  Every so often, we'll change the survey up to either get your opinion on an issue, gather some information, or to just be fun!

In order to ensure that this blog gets updated often, there are four of us who will be writing it - McLain McGuire (Editor in Chief), C.S. Humble (Lead Writer), Rob Bass (Lead Writer), and Rita Moore (Lead Artist).   We hope you all enjoy!

-Rita