We just heard that the Washington Post reviewed the third Y trade last week and gave it an A+!

So far I haven't been able to find the review online but here's hoping it'll pop up somewhere soon.

*warm glow*

Okay this steams my clams.

GWB laughs it up over WMDs

Every year there's this Press Banquet where the president usually goes up and makes a self-roasting styled speech. Maybe you remember the last one Clinton did that included a video of a day in the white house, complete with a bike ride down the halls, staring at laundry turning in the dryer and making a fake Oscar acceptance speech with a statuette swiped from Kevin Spacey. It was cute. So here comes Bush, not a funny bone in his body making cracks about looking for WMDs under his desk.

I can just see some Operation Freedom widow sitting watching the news one night when this segment comes up and then wondering if she saw correctly.

Will people please vote this jerk out of office? Or at least send him some pretzels?

The third Y trade including One Small Step and Comedy & Tragedy hit the stands last week. Go buy one for your girlfriend!

This weekend we saw a cool little movie called Bubba Hotep starring Bruce Campbell. It's no blockbuster but certainly entertaining. Campbell plays Elvis Presley living in a Texas retirement home plagued by an Egyptian mummy bent on eating the souls of the helpless residents. Some really funny moments highlighted by a surprisingly touching performance by Campbell. Recommended!


An interesting bit of news from down south.
Oregon county bans all marriage - period

Grrr. Taxes.

Oh it just gets better and better...
*sigh*

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find copies of Y? Or Doctor Who: The Forgotten?

The collected trades of Y and Doctor Who: The Forgotten are available at comic shops and many bookstores. If you don't see it on their shelves ask them about ordering one in.  You can also find them through Amazon. Hint: they make lovely gifts!

Will you be selling any pages from Y?

We're phasing out The Hellkitty Store but you will be able to purchase pages through Cadence Comic Art. Sorry, we aren't taking requests for specific pages because we don't have them all, some have been sold or some have gone to the inker Jose Marzan Jr. and it takes a while to sift through the boxes to see if what you're looking for is there.  What shows up at Cadence is what we sent over that month. 

Do you do commissions/sketches?

If you send a request to hellkitty3@hotmail.com I can give you a commission quote starting around $250 and going up depending on the size and how complicated the request is.  I can still do a quick convention style sketch for you for free (yes, free), though I have to warn you, there's a backlog right now and I'm doing my best to get them all out, all the while trying to work on my regular schedule of work.

Here's what you need to do for a free con style sketch.

Send your backing board and request (example "I would like a picture of Ampersand please") along with a self addressed stamped envelope to the following:

Pia Guerra

#169 - 2416 Main Street

Vancouver, BC

Canada

V5T 3E2

If you are from Canada please add a few stamps to the return envelope. People from the US or other countries can send me those international coupon thingies (NO MONEY!) if you can't get those don't worry, it doesn't cost THAT much for me to send boards in the mail. Of course if I suddenly become inundated with requests I may change that policy.

Please, please put a note on your package saying DO NOT BEND. The PO box I get my mail from will sometimes bend envelopes in order to cram it into that little mailbox and this will ruin your backing board. If you can, add a stiff board of cardboard in there that I include with the return art, just to be safe.

I promise to get these requests done as soon as posible. Those who have already sent stuff out I am currently working on them, sorry for the delay. If you've had an address change or need to contact me about your request you can drop me an e-mail at hellkitty3@hotmail.com and I'll do my best to get back to you asap. If you're looking to get one for a birthday or special event please write TIME SENSITIVE on the outside of the envelope and I'll do my best to get to them back to you in time.

Oh, and if your request is personalised please don't let me see it turn up on e-bay. It's incredibly tacky considering I've taken the time away from work to give you a free sketch. And those thinking of buying one on e-bay, come on.

What is a backing board anyway?

Backing boards are the acid free pieces of white cardboard you get with bagged comics to keep them from bending. If you don't have one of these you can send a sheet of bristol or art paper. 8x10 or thereabouts is a good size, it keeps postage low and reduces the chances of it getting mangled by the post office. Don't forget to add a piece of stiff cardboard for added security!

I saw an interview with you the other day and I really feel you'd be perfect for this book idea I have.

I'm currently working on a few projects so I won't be available for some time. You're still welcome to e-mail me but just to let you know I may not be able read pitches or proposals.

Can you give me information on submitting work to comic book companies?

The best advice I can offer here is to put together three to six sample pages (photocopies, no originals) of your BEST sequential art. The idea is to show off your range so make the pages interesting. Make certain you put your name and address on the back of each page in case the pages get shuffled about. The last thing you want is an editor discovering a random page, loving your work but having no idea who to contact.

Pick a title you feel best suits your style and look at the credits box, there you will see the name of the editor and possibly an assistant editor. Get the address off the disclaimer bar and send your samples c/o of the editor or assistant editor along with a brief letter stating your interest in submitting work and a self addressed stamped envelope. You won't be guaranteed a response but if they do have an interest the SASE will make sure you hear it. Some editors will look at work via e-mail but avoid clogging their inboxes with huge files. Either keep them under 500 kb or host the files on your own site and send in links.

Conventions are also a good way to get your stuff seen. It's a great place to talk to other creators and hear feedback. You may also run into editors willing to look at work. If you do, keep it short, show only your best work and LISTEN. Take whatever critiques/advice they give you and WALK AWAY. You'll probably be running into these people again and again in the future and you want to be sure you leave them with a consistent, professional impression of yourself. Many newbies get overly defensive of their work and in the process make asses of themselves (believe me, I've done it myself). You can bitch and complain with friends about your interview later.

Remember, there aren't a whole lot of bridges in this business so don't go burning them all willy-nilly and then wonder why you're not getting work.

Good luck!

I had a request to fix the blog because the text was a little unreadable on the grey background. I do like the opacity of the frame but it may not be showing up as well on other people's browsers. I adjusted it a bit but I'll have to play with the colours some more to get it just right. Thanks for your patience.

More on Shaun of the Dead. Last year I stumbled across a wicked show on Bravo called Spaced about a writer and comic book artist who pretend to be a couple in order to get a flat. The pacing was sharp with loads of pop culture references, everything from Resident Evil to Lara Croft to Scooby Doo and Evil Dead. Ian and I actually went out and got a universal dvd player just so we could get the season one and two discs from the uk (that and Futurama box sets that wouldn't be out in North America for a a couple of years yet). Anyone who came to the apartment would be subjected to at least a couple of episodes (sorry). We were really hoping season three would get made but it looks like the creators Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg went and got themselves a budget and created this film that seems to have the same lightning pace and quirky humour. If anyone hears anything about a North American release please let me know because I'm squirming with anticipation!

Spring kinda sprung rather suddenly here. It's as if the world (okay the pacific northwest) just up and decided it didn't want to be cold anymore. Cherry blossoms exploded out of nowhere a couple of weeks ago. That frosty nip vanished practically overnight, replaced by the light scent of daffodils. It's so damn nice. Another winter has passed.

Will someone please tell me when this movie hits North America?!
Shaun of the Dead

Okay, so here's the thing about insomnia. It sucks. You can be dead exhausted but no matter how long you long you lie there, nothing even remotely resembling sleep occurs. I thought I'd kicked it yesterday when I found a shirt and covered my eyes with it. Passed right out. Today I try the same. It worked for a while, I slept maybe an hour or two but then the scratching started. Kinsey, our cranky orange tabby decided that she HAD to be inside the bedroom and no door was going to stop her. First she scrapes the door, meows a bit. All stuff you can ignore. But then the real alarming sound: that digging, gouging scratching into the carpet that no matter how much you hate for aggravating your allergies with all it's dust and crap, you can't do anything about getting rid of it because it's not yours and if the cats keep at it you'll lose your damage deposit!

So in that heavily altered state that only two hours of sleep can put you in, you drag your screaming muscles to the door and let the little bugger in. Ah, it's over you think, you can get back to sleep now, but no. Now she's pacing around your head and mewling for attention! Sleep is officially out of reach because some part of your brain suddenly clicks into wake mode and starts THINKING.

THIS is the real culprit behind insomnia, not the scratching cats, or the birds outside or the neighbours downstairs who just can't have quiet sex and insist that everyone on the block knows just who the daddy is, no it's that little nagging voice in your head that can't stop babbling to itself like some toddler on a kool-aid high.

How do I network the old computer to the new one so I can transfer information without unhooking the monitor each time? I should go out to that dollhouse shop in North Van and find some crown moulding, maybe some wainscotting and while I'm there I should look into redoing the porch posts. So why DID Martha lie to cover up a crime she didn't commit? I need to install the Wacom software on the new machine because Robin is coming over to learn Photoshop this afternoon. The scanner is so old that it isn't recognised by Windows XP. What the hell do I do if she wants to scan something?! I'll just have to hook everything back into the old machine! So what's the point of hooking up the tablet then?! I need to do buy another pair of jeans. I spilled gingerale on my only pair last night. I need to do laundry so I have something to wear when Robin comes over! Shit! What was the name of that movie with that kid who stops talking to protest nuclear weapons? Something Somone and someone. Why am I thinking there's a flamingo in the title? There was a football guy in it, or was it basketball? And he dies in a plane crash that may have been caused by the CIA... what was the name of that girl who wrote the letter to Gorbachev protesting nuclear weapons? Samantha something. She died in a plane crash too. Or was it Breshnev? Dumb nuclear weapons. Dumb CIA. The Girl Who Owned a City isn't as much fun to read as it was when I was a kid. Was there some weird agenda on part of the author there? Something about private cities and earning values and militias? Dumb seventies social theoreticians corrupting young minds with weird libertarian propaganda disguised as cheesy post apocalyptic fantasy. I don't care if I am mean, Martha Stewart is a bitch. I need to start seeding the Tiny Tim tomatoes. And all that Lobelia needs to get put in. I have to figure out how to keep those fucking squirrels out of the Lobelia this year. Damn, when is the landord going to fix the balcony? It's rotting right through. And then those stupid closet doors. She never came to fix them like she said she would. I didn't push because the place is a mess. I should just yank them out and put in nice Ikea curtains with grommets. Fuck I hate grommets. Damn these shelves! Why do I own so much junk? I'd really like a house. Hardwood floors. No allergies. Lots of room for the cats. Doesn't feel like a damn prison.

Ladies and gentlemen, insomnia.

So I got up and installed the tablet. Whoever thought serial ports work better with tiny screws is just nutty. You THINK you can unscrew them with your fingernail or the edge of a business card but no way. You just end up with ratty looking business cards and dire need for a manicurist. Maybe I need more calcium.

Oh, yes that good news I was mentioning. It's pobably safe now to mention that the contracts from New Line finally came in after months of back and forth between the studio lawyers and the agent. That's what I love about the film industry, everything has to be done right away but regardless of the wonder that is FedEx when someone says you'll have papers to sign next week it still takes eight months to get it.

The producers are all nice people and Brian and I are really looking forward to see what they come up with. Sure there are never any guarantees with these things, it may sit on a shelf forever or have some egomaniac actor type step in and decide that there needs to be a wacky talking dog in there, but here's to hope on this lovely spring-like morning.

*yawn*

Oh yeah, the name of the movie was Amazing Grace and Chuck.