Anyone in the Chicago area this weekend, stop by C2E2  and be one of the first to own a copy of Desmond’s Big Book Number One. This massive 200 page book contains over 130 Desmond comics with commentary from Joe Foo on plot and characters. Also featured are a lot of cool guest pin-ups by amazing artists like Jay Fosgitt, Denver Brubaker and Jim Anderson (just to name a few).

Desmond’s Big Book Number One will be available at C2E2 in limited quantities (mainly because Foo doesn’t own a big suitcase). You will be able to purchase this book from this site on May 1st.

First and foremost, let me say that I am really excited about this sketch! (despite the fact that it features my goofy mug)

It is one of my most favorite renditions of Desmond from one of my most favorite artists. (Can you believe he sketched this up during my presentation at AADL?) Jay Fosgitt is the very talent artist behind the very funny comic DEAD DUCK. Not only is he an inspirational artist, but he is a super nice guy too. Deviant followers can commission him for a sketch or just browse through his awesome portfolio at Fourpanelhero.

In other cool news, COMICS ARE GREAT! has posted the remastered episode 36 where Mike Roll and I were the guests for the week. Follow the link to watch the podcast. There are some cool features available on the CAG! site that weren’t available on the live feed. First of all, Jerzy posted links to almost every topic that we mentioned, including Chucky Finster! The second cool feature is that if you spread the word about the show through some form of social media (Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, Facebook, etc) you’ll be eligible to win the sketches that Mike and I drew live on the show. (Actually Mike’s is a better prize. He rocked that brush on camera.) Thanks to Jerzy Drozd and Matt Dubay for having us on the show. As I stated last week, it was a very fun time!

As always, thanks for stopping by and sharing the fun! Please feel free to follow me on twitter, subscribe to this comic, share this blog, and comment away!

I had a few functions in Ann Arbor this past week and it turned out being a very fun couple of days.

First off, I was featured in a Comic Artist Forum at the Ann Arbor District Library. I gave a slide presentation explaining my take on characters and how I develop them. This presentation showcased two things. The first thing I showcased was the evolution of Desmond. I showed the very first sketch I ever did of the little wolverine. I even showed a list of names I scrawled down next to a sketch when trying to decide his name. (One of the options was Elmer! Imagine how different he would have been had I named him Elmer!) I talked about how Desmond changed and evolved even before he hit the small screen in this web series and became the character he is now.

Secondly, I discussed the ups and downs that I faced in creating a new character named “Little Sister” for a graphic novel I would like to release next summer. I showed the progression of developing this character, spotlighting several dead ends I encountered and how observing real life helped me pull things together.

I had a great time talking and seeing a lot of good friends there. Thanks to Jay and Laura, Chad, Denver, Ryan, Jerzy, Jono, Jesse, Haley and Libni for coming out.

Afterwards, my wife and I enjoyed a delicious belated birthday dinner with my stepson Mackie at the Arbor Brewing Company. The next morning, my wife and I enjoyed a delicious greasy breakfast at the Fleetwood Diner.

Fast forward to Wednesday, when Mike Roll and I were guest on Jerzy Drozd’s podcast COMICS ARE GREAT. (whew, can I put more links in a post?) Both Mike and I had a blast tackling very hard hitting subjects as: using a brush to ink, traditional vs digital, Jerzy’s inability to draw a ferris wheel in three point perspective, getting lost in the basement of the AADL, lack of preparation and croquill pens being too noisy. If that wasn’t enough, I insulted first year CCS students, the Houghton brothers, Matt from the AADL and the entire country of Canada. I don’t know if I could have had any more fun in an hour’s time. If you want to check out the raw footage of the podcast, just go to this link: COMICS ARE GREAT.

So to sum it all up, thanks to everyone who opened some doors for me this week. Special thanks to Sharon Iverson and the Jerzy Drozd for the invites to these special events. Thanks to everyone who showed up for the support. Thanks to my wife, Patty for sharing the fun with me this week. Lastly, thanks to everyone for reading this post!

Guest artist Joe Foo will answer the question “What makes a good character?” In the process, Joe will show developments of a new character for an all new graphic novel he is creating. He will go in depth in his process of breaking down this character including the influences and inspirations behind it.

Joe will also discuss classic comic characters and draw parallels to his own characters like Desmond of “Desmond’s Comic.”

Join the Forum to get fresh ideas for your next comics or graphic novel creation. Drawing supplies will be provided, so drop in for drawing, learning, and sharing. This event is for adults and teens (grade 6 and up).

Visit http://www.aadl.org/events/list/0/56 for more info.

Every week, Desmond’s Comic is created on a MacBook Pro. There is no doubt in my mind that Desmond can be created on any other computer using any other operating system. However, there is something about the Mac that syncs with me as an artist. You can feel the entrepreneurial spirit of thinking differently. Going one step beyond the norm. Fulfilling that need of an artist to create as oppose to manufacture.

One of best statements I have heard over the past few days was from Kevin Pereira from Attack of the Show. He said that Steve Jobs was an artist and his medium was technology. From one artist to another, thank you Steve… not only for your products, but your artistic spirit. So here’s to the crazy ones, thanks for inspiring us all.

Here are a few other great tributes to Steve Jobs. (I hope to be able to add links as I find them.)

Mike Miahack

Krishna M. Sadasivam

French Paper Co.

Michael Pinto