Tuesday, October 23, 2012

NYCC Cosplay pics: Enjoy.

Since the poem/photo post bombed, I'm just going to keep it simple and post some picture from the New York Comic-Con for your viewing pleasure.


Guess who?


Macho Man Randy Savage was a favorite and the dude had his mannerisms down.

 
The theme song to Super Mario bros. was going through my head all day.


This was an elegant costume and her makeup was perfect. The hair sold it though.


Back to the Future meets Beetlejuice as Marty McFly was right on time and we didn't even have to say Beetlejuice three times to get him to appear.


It's Grey Becker picking a winner of the t-shirt raffle. He looks so happy doesn't he? Why my face is squished up? I have no idea.

 
A bit of the old Red, White and Blue. I don't think that's regulation for Captain America but we'll let it slide. This time.


Her colored contacts were creepy but then again not many dudes were looking at her eyes.


Yes I know it's not at the con, but I'm proud of my dog Ziggy as he qualified for Westminster.

So thanks for taking a look and please feel free to check out the superhero spoof web-comic strip http://DamnHeroes.com and at the top right there's a box with links to the comics The Ascendant and Horsemen. Also have a look the YA paranormal novel The Cell as a link to that is up there also. It's about a 17 year old comic book artist who loses his way until a call comes from beyond the grave.

And if you happen to be on Facebook, you can "like" the pages for The Cell, The Ascendant and Horsemen.

Cheers!

Friday, October 19, 2012

#NYCC review: part 2. Poem style w/photos

A con review poem and pictures of the New York Comic-Con included.

NYCC redux

The hoard of faces smiled, sneered and looked
away with purple eyes and lips dried by passion
They descended bearing gifts, donned in leather and lace
holstered guns gleaming soft lights dangled by their sides
ancient swords slung across backs weary with waiting
but they found the desired cut.

Orcs and Batman fought over the essence
called autographs as
Wolverine, The cast of Bleach, and Lex Luthor
texted to allies where Bruce Campbell and Stan Lee
were spotted roaming though the last bastion called
the V.I.P. lounge


Loki danced with Thor's friends
as the revelry of Asgard fell among mortals
the rainbow bridge Bifrost was
laid flat upon a stretch of New York City
that day.

Certainly Spider-Man crawled the walls
waiting in line for the bathroom but
few villains, even Dr. Evil, tried to sabotage
the celebration of individuation.

  
Hayao Miyazaki would have been proud
that Princess Mononoke protected
this forest of dreams as the play
and themes slipped out from the seams.

It was creation.
It was celebration.
It was pageantry.
It was mystery.
It was joy.

There were giveaways.


There were more.


And we, one and all, all and one
put on faces for the faces that we would meet
and through Artist Alley's transient streets
we gorged upon the delight of others who willingly
sacrificed time for our viewing pleasure.


With all good things, an ending is sure to come
but memories with such insolence will
not fade when burned so brightly
from the flash and awe of those
who risk to become gods
even if for only a day.



In the end, a beginning...    

And never get between a chicken and his bounty.


Yes. I posted that photo before
but it 
bears 
repeating.

Cheers!

By Joshua






In the enda beginning

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

#NYCC review: from behind a table.

This will be one part in a series of posts about the New York Comic-Con aka NYCC with a few choice photos of the event starting with a few Cosplayers. My favorite of these was the Boba Fett Chicken from Family Guy's homage to Star Wars.






So, here's the deal. This was the first time Mark and I had been behind the safety of "the table" at a convention. It allowed for sitting, which was nice, considering this show was more densely packed than Times Square on a Saturday night. Actually, think New Year's Eve in Times Square but mix it with Mardi Gras and Halloween. Nutty I tell you. Nutty. At one point, I think there were more people crammed inside the Javits Center in NYC than the entire population of West Virginia's second largest city Huntington. Why do I know that? Random bits of information tend to get lodged into my head but that's neither here nor there. Sorry. I digress. On to the show review from the other side.

I couldn't have been more impressed with the passion the fans brought. The costumes were for the most part original and well executed. Some people came all four days in four different get-ups. The pageant of joyful quirkiness and mirthful individuality was on full display. It honestly made this sour old dolt smile on more than one occasion. And that is a feat considering I am going through some rough times with family health issues. Plus I'm a jaded smirker who's normally unimpressed with just about everything but not this. I was utterly uplifted by the fans of all shapes, sizes and personality. Pure beauty. Were there a few people who scared me? Certainly, but not because of their costumes. In every large group, you are going to get a few unstable characters but the great thing about the crowds is that they tend to push those who lurk along. Over all. I was jazzed to be part of it.

As I said, Mark and I were behind a table for the first time in Artist Alley. Our neighbors were Mike S. Miller and Norman Lee. Two of the nicest artists you could ever meet. Both men are talented to the point of striking envy among us mortals. We mostly talked to Mike as he was directly next to us. He's done some killer work for DC Comics and some astounding pinups. He had one illustration titled "The Working Dead" of zombies at work in an office setting that basically had everyone who passed by remark in a flattering way. Followed by a chuckle of course. The dude has chops so look up his work on Deviantart and he's on Facebook. Norman is on Facebook and Deviantart too. He's a well known inker who does work for Marvel Comics among others. But he doesn't only do inks. His original work is just that, original. Buy their stuff.  

The event staff was on the ball and kept the crowds moving. We didn't have the greatest of spots but we were located near great artists so that helped drive traffic. It was a wonderful learning experience and good times were had by all. We sold lots of comics: The Ascendant and Horsemen. Damned Heroes a web comic that we were promoting did exceptionally well and was received with praise. Couldn't have asked for a better time. I must also say that the bathrooms in Artist Alley were well maintained by the custodial staff. That must have been a Herculean task and they deserve much credit. Here's me with the novel The Cell.


And my favorite photo is this one of the DC comic book character Raven as it looks like a spell was cast and everything around her is going in a fast-forward blur. 



Please check out the comics we took to NYCC by clicking the links in the top right box titled Comics, Novels and Web comic. You can see what The Ascendant, Horsemen, The Cell and Damn Heroes look like and if you wish please purchase them. The web comic is free btw. 

Sorry if you didn't get to go NYCC. It was amazing, enthralling and plain fun. A special thanks to our buddy C.B. Cebulski for coming by and for also inviting us a party. 

In the next few posts, either Mark or I will talk about setting up, travel, food, encounters and other miscellany involving the convention. Plus more wonderful photos.



   
        



Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Press Release. #NYCC and Aegis Creative Enterprises


Aegis Creative Enterprises at New York ComicCon!

New York ComicCon (#NYCC) is finally here! For the better part of the last year, we have been preparing for NYCC. Everything from writing/editing scripts and working with our artists on the finished product to getting the comics printed and even setting up a mock table in Mark’s living room. And we couldn’t be more excited to see it all come to fruition!

You can find us in Artist Alley at table W16. We will be making the print debut of both The Ascendant and Horsemen. In addition to the comics themselves, we will have signed and limited edition artwork from both books!

Since we truly appreciate everything our fans have done to help get us to NYCC, we will be running an exclusive raffle for anyone who stops by and buys a comic. Every day there will be t-shirts for lucky winners, culminating in two one-of-a-kind pieces of original artwork done by our artist Christopher Hanchey!

Just in case you miss us at NYCC (either you can’t make it or just got too busy with panels and cosplay), here is link where you can pick up The Ascendant and Horsemen: http://tinyurl.com/cq9k2xw. Both print and digital copies are available. Josh's YA Paranormal Fantasy/Sci-Fi novel, the Cell, is available on Amazon: The Cell: Joshua Jones, Amazon.com: Kindle Store

In addition to launching the print version of the Ascendant and Horsemen at NYCC, we are also welcoming our new web comic, Damn Heroes, to the Aegis family. Limit edition prints of the first strips will be available at the con. You can see them online at www.damnheroes.com.

Can’t wait to see you there!

-Mark and Joshua

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Happy pub day and #NYCC here we come.

We here at Aegis Creative are pleased to announce the release of The Cell, a young adult fantasy.


Lives and dreams can be cut short by death, but the biggest tragedy for those who survive is not taking advantage of second chances.

In the paranormal YA novel The Cell, seventeen year old Les Logan is an aspiring comic book artist who begins to doubt himself after Aki Kubo, his friend and creative partner, dies in an accident in which Les is involved. From beyond the grave, Aki contacts Les through a cell phone and tells him there’s a problem. Aki can’t cross over because a girl named Rachel is wasting her second chance at life after receiving his donated liver. Les must help her so Aki can move on to the afterlife.   
There are a few big problems: one, if Rachel doesn’t move on with her life soon Aki’s spirit will disintegrate. Two, there’s a limited amount of time and they can only communicate via cell phone. Three, Les hasn’t driven since Aki’s accident. And finally, a devious scientist named Professor Gluck finds out about Aki and wants to capture the ghost in the cell phone so to prove his theories about the paranormal. He gives Les a job so he can keep an eye on him and set a trap for Aki.
Les enlists the aid of his two off-beat friends and sets out to discover a way to save Rachel but encounters with Professor Gluck stand in his way. When these friends believe in each other, and do what they think is right, not even a mad scientist can stop them from saving the living as well as the dead. In essence, this is a rescue tale. Les must rescue Rachel but by doing so he also rescues Aki and his own dreams for the future.
Thank you for your precious time and we hope you pick up a copy as it just dropped. 




Happy reading and reviewers are welcome to query and possibly receive either a print, a pdf, or a Kindle (.mobi) copy. Please email us at aegispub <at> gmail <dot> com and we'll see what we can do. 

PS: Come see us at NYCC aka the New York Comic-Con at table W16 for free goodies and other such wonderment. And we accept gifts. Especially money ;)