I’ve got two items to share with you today. The above sketch is something I’m thinking about working up for this year’s HEROES CON program book. Every year, Shelton Drum (HEROES founder — both the show, and the store HEROES AREN’T HARD TO FIND) has a theme for his shows and his program book. This year the themes are SPIDER-MAN in his black costume to tie-in with the SPIDER-MAN 3 film and SILVER SURFER in celebration of the FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER movie debuting this summer. It’s also HEROES CON’s Silver Anniversary. 25 years of the most fun, fan-friendly comic book show in the country. That’s one heck of an accomplishment. This will by MY 22nd time at HEROES. I went to my first HC back in 1985 with my buddy Paul Rogers– who now owns his own comic book store back in my old stomping grounds of Lynchburg, Virginia. We were both enthusiastic fans back then… and now we’re both grizzled old veterans of the comic book industry. There wasn’t a show in ’86 (never knew why…) but I’ve been there for every show since its resurrection in 1987. That’s a lot of HEROES CONS.

I got a wild hair this past weekend and decided to try coloring the FLYBOY sketch I posted here last year (March 9, 2006 to be exact). I always liked the way that sketch came out and I’ve always had the thought deep in the back of my mind to color it. I’m so far behind in my deadlines on SPIDER-MAN/FF that I’m going to be working on the damned thing all the way up to the show this year… and I don’t see myself having the time to put together a sketchbook this year or work up any pre-show illustrations to sell. Things are just too tight at this point. So I’d like to have a large variety of prints to offer in case folks might be interested in that kind of thing. I thought that FLYBOY would work well for that.

My brother Matt– aka MAFUS– has started his own blog. I’m glad to see him do this… because blogs can be not only a fun thing to do– but can be at times cathartic. I know it’s been that for me on many occasions. Matt’s a great writer, and I’ve encouraged him to pursue that from time to time. I’d love to one day see him write his ‘great American novel’… or write comics. He’s full of terrific ideas and he has a great ear for dialogue. So go check out his blog… he’s just getting started… and I can’t wait to see where he goes.

OK… I need to get back to the grind.

This is Entry 376.

Mike