Was able to make it over to Alternative Press Expo 2004, in San Francisco, on Saturday. Very…Alternative, eclectic, and … (can’t think of a word that conveys a spirit of creativity/passion/strangeness/street-level honesty/realness…and beauty).

From the two Comic-Cons (2001 & 2003) and this Alternative Press Expo (2004) I’ve attended, my favorite thus far is yesterday’s Expo. Why? Mainly it’s the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) factor. I was able to converse with the likes of Jane Irwin (Vöglein), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder series), Tom Beland (True Story Swear to God), and Lea Hernandez (Cathedral Child, Clockwork Angels, et al). These greats in the self-publishing / Alt-Press biz actually had time to chat, joke around, and allow me to get a sense of genuine, artistic enthusiasm each of them possess.

Jane is a true jewel of a person. She loves books!! She reminds me of someone else I’ve met back at Comic Con 2003…one who has the same honest eye contact that can seemingly discern the true meaning of things. Colleen is that sort of a person. They both have “the artist’s eye.” Carla was very friendly too and I wish I could have spent more time talking with Tom Beland. Lea Hernandez made me laugh. We talked about Texas, New Orleans, and my home state of Florida. Sigh. I think I need to whip up a batch of Jambalaya.

I was also able to listen in on the panel discussion, Self Publishing 101. Mark Thompson, Jane Irwin, Rick Spears, Justin Hall, and Harris O’Malley shared their views and opinions about “how they did it.” Tremendous. Informative.

Although I still consider myself a “newbie” to all these comic going-on’s, the thing that most pleases me is the growing reinforcement that there are more artists in our world than are realized, even to some who do not consider they have a creative voice or bone in their body. If people can just get it out of their heads the word “Can’t” and focus on the word “Do,” I think an artistic renaissance is just waiting to happen.

I found out a very dear friend, Carlos, passed-away on Wednesday. I will miss you my dear friend. May your humor and love of life, live on in others. God Bless.

Exclusive Preview: Ghost in the Shell Sequel and Series Arrive

An article on IGN.com FILMFORCE: A nice heads up on a Ghost in the Shell TV show coming out on DVD and a following Ghost movie sequel. The downloadable (58 MB) QuickTime trailer looks awesome!


http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/492/492420p1.html?fromint=1

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