Sketches From The Pittsburgh Comicon!

Again, sorry for the delay in posting these, I’ve been way too busy keeping the wheels of PKDmedia rolling. I shouldn’t use that as an excuse, but it’s true.

Anywho, here are the sketches that I got from various friends/artists at this years Pittsburgh Comicon. Have a look!

Lando Calrissian by Katie Cook

As I said in my previous post, Katie Cook is well known for her Star Wars artwork so I couldn’t wait to get a Lando sketch from her. She’s one of the few artists I’ve seen that use watercolors in their work, and the end result is beautiful. Plus, you gotta love the quote in this piece! The scan does this art no justice.

The Falcon by Dave Dwonch

My good friend and creator of the Gnome graphic novel (now out in stores!) put together this kick-ass piece of work. I’m not sure what kind of paper he drew this on, but it makes the sketch looks so cool. I love the detail on this one, especially the fro!

Iron Man by Super Ugly

I asked Super Ugly for a sketch of the Old School Iron Man, and he makes the Golden Avenger shine with no delay. The classic look with Super Ugly’s pencils does not dissapoint! The antenna with the communication static around it is great!

Han Solo by Ken Kayode

A cross between anime and conventional art for this rendition of our favorite space rouge. I saw Ken pencilling away at his table and got this sketch with color for only $8. Not bad, huh?

Wonder Woman by Stephanie Gabborin

Being right next to the Angry Gnome Comics booth, I asked Stephanie if I could get a Wonder Woman sketch and she said that she was more than up to the challenge. The last day of the con she hands me this sketch and I was ecstatic. Known for providing artwork for Angry Gnome Comics, one may not expect Stephanie to handle artwork outside of the horror genre, but she does a great job with superheroes too. You should see her rendition of the Joker, it’s nice.

If you ever get the chance to see any of these people at a con you attend, stop by their booth and get a sketch because their art comes from within and the result is a soulful display of art goodness. No lie.

I’ll be back soon. Peace.

-Shawn

Pics from the Pittsburgh Comicon.

Told ya I’d be back with pics!

Here are some pics of my table:

My table & me.

Mercury & The Murd Books, Soundtrack, and Dolls. Swag for everyone!

Exo-1 & the Rock Solid Steelbots Comics & Soundtrack. Maybe we’ll have toys for this book at the Comic Geek Speak Super Show. Hmmm….

My good friend Jack who provided transportation and comedy to our table. He was a great help!

And here are pics of all the cool folks that I either know or finally met at the Pittsburgh Comicon:

The Comic Geek Speak crew:

From left to right: Adam Murdough (aka The Murd), Bryan Deemer, Shane Kelly (sitting), Me, Brian Chrisman.

From Left to Right: Adam Murdough, Bryan Deemer, Jamie D (sitting), Shane Kelly (sitting), Me, Brian Chrisman.

Adam (From CGS) & Myself. Striking resemblance to Mercury & The Murd, no? Adam is the star of the Mercury & The Murd series.

“The” Peter Rios (From CGS) & yours truly. Peter is the star of the upcoming Exo-1 book that premieres in the fall!

Which book will stand the test of time? Peter thinks it’s Exo-1! I just want both books to sell!

Matt (From CGS) & myself. Look for us in the Direct-to-Video sequel of the Adam Sandler/Damon Waynans comedy “Bulletproof!” Ha!

I’ll be doing a review/spotlight on Comic Geek Speak in the PKDreviewzone (http://pkdreviewzone.wordpress.com) within the next few days or so. They’re a great bunch; they have a driven passion for comics like I’ve never seen before in my life! They’re a down-to-earth bunch and I consider them to be great friends. Their podcast (with over 400+ episodes!) is fun and they cover all types of comics from mainstream to indie. http://www.comicgeekspeak.com

The Geek Savants:

Dave Dwonch of Big Monster Productions (left) & Super Ugly (right). No words could ever truly describe this talented duo. Dave just had his Graphic Novel, Gnome published and released by Super Real Graphics. In fact, I did a review on Gnome in the pkdreviewzone (see: http://pkdreviewzone.wordpress.com) and he’s definitely someone to be on the look out for. His artistic touch is uncanny and I’ll have to post some of his sketches soon. He’s a real down to earth dude.

Super Ugly is a man of many trades. He’s an artist (got a cool sketch of Iron Man), an MC (part of the Unified School District w/member Ecto-one) and just a cool guy to know. His lyrical flow is off the charts and his words don’t get you hyped up then you need some Prozac. I’ll have a review of Unified School Districts “Brokedown Palace” soon.

Combine Dave and Ugly with fellow friends Grant and Brian, and they are known as the Geek Savants! They have a podcast that can be found at http://thegeeksavants.podbean.com/ . This podcast is not for kids and not for the faint of heart, but it’s hilarious! If you’re grown and have a sense of humor, check them out.

From Left to Right: Dave Dwonch, Me, Super Ugly.

Super Ugly’s rendition of Bizarro!

Angry Gnome Comics

From Left to Right: Shawn Gabborin, Me, Stephanie Gabborin.

I met Shawn & Steph at the PCC last year and they are truly wonderful people. My table was right next to theirs and we shared some laughs and snacks. Angry Gnome Comics deals and specializes in Horror comics (insert creepy/spooky sound here). They just released a new comic called “Short Stack” featuring 13 two page horror stories. They’ve also released the latest issues of Victor Season and Palm Reader as well. Plus, I got a sweet Wonder Woman Sketch from Stephanie which made my day!

Chad Cicconi

Without Mr. Cicconi there would be no Mercury & The Murd Issue #1. His artwork led the way and I’m sure he’ll be back for some more adventures of M & The M. He is currently working on “Baby Boomers” for AAM/Markosia which can be found here: http://markosia.com/Comics.aspx?ID=24 . He’s on the up and up and I’m glad that I’ve been able to work with him and hope to continue to in the future.

Kevin Freeman

Kevin Freeman is the Managing Editor of Ape Comics as well as the writer of Subculture which can be seen at http://www.subculturecomic.com, and issues 1-4 of the series are available for sale at http://www.apecomics.com/store.htm as well. Dave Dwonch, my friend Jack, Kevin and I had dinner on Friday night and his insight on the Comics Industry was well worth listening to.

Katie Cook

If you don’t know about Katie Cook…then what’s your problem?!?! 🙂

In all seriousness, Katie is a talented artist. She’s done sketch card work for Lucasfilm, NBC’s Heroes, DC, Topps Trading Cards, sequential work for Dark Horse for Myspace: Dark Horse Presents, and so much other stuff I could be here all day listing it. I met her and her husband/booth babe Ryan while at the PCC and they were uber cool. They even gave me a cookie. 🙂 Plus, I got the best Lando Calrissian Sketch ever from Katie!

She’s definitely an artist on the rise. If you get a chance to see her at a con, do so and get a piece of artwork. You won’t be disappointed. Katie can be found at http://katiecandraw.typepad.com/

Workshop 13!

From Left to Right: Seth, Stephanie, and Shawn of Workshop 13.

I had the pleasure of meeting these nice folk at Primanti’s back on Saturday night. I bought a copy of one their comics and I plan on reviewing it as well. Very nice folks, easy to talk to and passionate about comics! I do know that Shawn has a myspace site at http://www.myspace.com/shawnatkins

Identity Comics

From Left to Right: Joe Jaro, Bryan “Flash” Turner, Jerry “The Franchise” Gaylord, and Penelope Rivera.

I finally got a chance to talk to the ID Comics crew on Sunday morning, and let me tell you that they are a solid, cohesive art team. They have their own comics line, each artist has their own unique style and they also help people design their own custom comics for a fee.

They had a really cool art piece of Leonardo from TMNT posing with his swords in the rain. It was so cool.

I hope to see more from them in the future. You can check them out at http://www.youridcomics.com or at http://idcomics.deviantart.com/

Danielle Corsetto

I would feel like a complete jerk if I left the talented Danielle Corsetto out of my pics! Danielle is the creator of the popular comic “Girls With Slingshots” which can be seen at http://www.girlswithslingshots.com. I hope to give a review of GWS in the near future. It’s one of my favorite comics, and Vol. 1 of the collected strips are also for sale as well (http://www.daniellecorsetto.com/gwsstore.html). I’ll give a breakdown of what GWS is all about in a future review.

Her writing talents are sharp and her artwork is fun to view, plus she’s the only person I know that could put a talking cactus (Pedro) into a comic and have it all make sense. And Pedro isn’t even the major character! It was so cool to meet her and I wish her nothing but the best.

And there you have it. I hope to see all these folks mentioned at Pittsburgh next year or at other cons in the near future. Meeting (or getting to see) these wonderful people shows me that comics still matter and that the passion for the medium is not dying!

Talk to you soon,

Shawn

Pittsburgh Comicon Thank You’s.

We had a successful debut at the Pittsburgh Comicon, and I must thank Comic Geek Speak for giving Mercury & The Murd and Exo-1 props and for interviewing me before the Con came around. It really helped us out more than anyone will ever know. Thanks for being great friends and spreading the love of comics. Mad thanks to Peter Rios and Adam Murdough as well. Without them, there would be no PKD comics at all.

And mad shout-outs to Dave Dwonch (Gnome), Super Ugly (Unified School District) & Kellie (the Geek Savants Family/Big Monster Productions), Shawn (aka White Shawn) & Stephanie Gabborin from Angry Gnome Comics, Katie Cook, Kevin Freeman from Ape Comics, Identity Comics, TV’s Mario from Beauty & The Geek (aka the original Mario Van Peebles), Adam Withers & Comfort Love (The Uniques), Beau Smith, Darryl Banks, and Danielle Corsetto (Girls With Slingshots). Your artwork, insight, selling tips, suggestions and opinions truly inspire me. Seriously. It’s like having relatives you actually want to hang out and talk with.

I would also like to thank Jim Dietz of the Gypsy Cafe for the great food and drink on Friday night. It was awesome.

Everyone who stopped by the booth, whether you bought anything or not, thank you. Seriously. You made me realize that what has been created was worth the time and effort.

And next year at Pittsburgh we’ll have even more. If I forgot to mention anyone please charge it to my head and not my heart.

Thank you all. Pictures coming soon!

With sincerity,

Shawn

Just recovered from the Pittsburgh Comicon!

Hey everybody!

I got back from the Pittsburgh Comicon on late Sunday and I slept for the next two days. Being the first convention PKDmedia.com has ever been a part of; we had a great weekend and crushed all expectations!

My feelings before the Pittsburgh Comicon opened its doors on Friday were if we sold two copies of Mercury & The Murd and Exo-1, passed out some business cards and got some exposure, then I would be more than happy with the weekend.

We unloaded 40+ copies of Mercury & The Murd Issue #1 and close to 30 copies of Exo-1 & The Rock Solid Steelbots Issue #0. We got traffic from all types of folk, including women and kids which made me feel great to know that the comics aren’t read just by 30-something males. It was refreshing.

The best part of the weekend was when a father and son walked past our table and the kid glanced at the Exo-1 comic and his eyes opened up as wide as 20-inch rims. His dad kept him moving along, but before they were out of reach I asked the gentleman if his son wanted a free copy of Exo -1. The kid looked at his dad with a smile, his dad asked me if the book was safe (to which I replied that my books are all ages friendly) and I handed over a copy to them.

They said thank you, the kid was ecstatic and hopefully he’ll read it. Maybe it’ll be a bonding moment for father and son. Who knows? It’s a start.

We had a great weekend and it makes me feel that all the hard work that everyone has done in getting these books off of the ground was worth it. We’ll continue to press forward with new issues of Mercury & The Murd, Issue #1 of Exo-1, and possibly a few surprises by this fall.

I’ll return later on today with some thank yous and pictures. I promise!

-Shawn

We’re rollin’!

Hey everybody! Welcome to PKDmedia.com and our national debut to the world!

You know, I’ll be the first to say that I never thought I would see the day where I would have my own company. Granted we’re small beans right now, but in a few years I hope that we will be taken seriously.

We’ve still got a few kinks to work out on the site (in other words, if you see a blank page, that’s my fault. Ha!), but the rest of the site was designed by Steve Landsaw. I appreciate all of his hard work in getting us off the ground.

I also want to thank everyone that helped us get started with their hard work, insight and knowledge. Martheus Wade, Chad Cicconi, Wes Bernick, Dave Dwonch, Cory Bruce, Adam Murdough, Peter Rios, The Geek Savants, Comic Geek Speak, Half Hour Wasted, Geek Brunch, Joel McElwee, Angry Gnome Comics, Erica Hesse, Jed Soriano, Teri Archibald, and anyone else whose name I may have forgot to mention. Please charge it to my head and not my heart.

And a special thanks goes out to my lovely wife, Lee. Without her support, love and her believing in my dream, none of this would be possible.

I’ll be back shortly with another post. We’ve got a big event to get ready for this week so I need to get rollin’. Peace.

-Shawn