Monday, July 31, 2006

July 31st, 2006: HisSpace

I was talking to Brian Kirby this morning, taking notes on what he, Joe and Patty have been up to these days so I may convert their tales to comic strips... and he told me he had signed up with "MySpace."

He asked me to tell all of you "hot & sexy Pirate Cove fans" to come check out his MySpace and to feel free to request him to be your friend. After viewing his page, I don't think you'd need to worry about his denying your request.

You can search for his page via his e-mail address of YoBigPoppa69@yahoo.com or use this addy directly:

www.myspace.com/PhatPoppa

- J!

Thursday, July 27, 2006

July 27th, 2006: Comic Con Wrapup 2006!



We came. We saw. We had a blast!

The San Diego Comic Con 2006 is now a thing of the past. A fond memory filled with fun, frolic, food, and... uh... gimme something else that starts with "f." Fortification! Yeah, that'll do...

The Pirate Cove Crew arrived on the scene early Thursday morning, collected our badges, and hurried over to the Small Press Area. Much to our delight, we discovered we were on the far right of the convention center, facing the Cafe Express and dining tables. Our neighbors, Poseur Ink, had already arrived and set up, bemoaning the fact they couldn't continue to make use of our table & chairs. Further in the other direction was Studio Foglio, which was a special treat for Joe as Phil Foglio's work has been influencing Joe since the mid 1980s! Other new friends and familiar faces found among the Small Press Pavilion were Matt Doughty, Team Atrox, Onion Head Monster, Domestic Abuse, Sugarfree Comics, Miller & Mullet, and Strongarm Labs which had some OUTSTANDING posters for sale!

OK, now that you've exhausted yourself by checking out all those links, we return you to our previously scheduled Blog entry!

So where was I? Oh, yes! It was Thursday morning and by the time Noon rolled around, we'd been visited by many rabid Pirate Cove fans and even MORE Comic Con visitors who had never heard of Pirate Cove before. Considering we gave away over 400 copies of the giveaway comic during the course of the show, I'd say we managed to convert more than a handful of 'em.

The Pirate Cove Crew this year, in case you were curious, were Joe D'Angelo, Randy Carter, Joy McLean, and Mark McLean. They're in that picture up there. Mucho thanks to Gregg for the photographical assist!

Friday and Saturday got very very busy. Joe attended a couple webcomic panels and Randy attended panels for Battlestar Galactica and Stargate. Joy ate lots of crab from Joe's Crab Shack. Mark ate everyone's leftovers. And prompty threw up on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, back at the Pirate Cove table, we were visited by several celebrities! David Arquette popped in to purchase an official Pirate Cove Pumpkin T-Shirt (and proceeded to shout at his friend who was halfway across the hall "HEY, CHRIS! YOU WANT A PUMPKIN SHIRT, TOO?") and film composer Christopher Young stopped by to pick up all of our new material. And Joe met some guy who created a little TV show you may have heard of called "The Simpsons." (Thanks to Scott for that handy camera!)



But the real celebrities were the Pirate Cove fans Joe and Randy had the opportunity to chat with. We discussed whether or not the house in Las Vegas was insured for water damage, whose bedrooms got blown out by the molotov cocktails, and exactly how cute a couple Louis & Edre make.

Saturday night found us all stumbling around the Gaslamp District after a healthy dinner and napkin fight at Dick's Last Resort. It was nice to see them serving Fat Tire beer at Dick's!

And then... it was over.

With a mixture of sadness and relief, we all cheered the announcer who, at 5PM on Sunday afternoon, said "Comic Con 2006 is now over. Congratulations, all you survivors!" Within 10 minutes, the entire Cafe Express dining area became devoid of tables, the main lights went out, and the carpet was being rolled up. We packed up our gear and last minute purchases, bid a fond adieu to straggling friends, and hopped on the shuttle back to our hotel. A short five-hour drive in traffic later, and we were home. Where we passed out. For several days.

I'm always left wanting more after Comic Con. There's ao much to do... ao much to see... ao much to buy... and even being there four full days just doesn't seem enough! Problem is, I doubt I would survive if Comic Con were extended to two full weeks!

A huge hearty THANK YOU to everyone who supports our insanity, to everyone who stopped by Small Press Table M-11, and to the friends who are always willing to lend a helping hand! Let's do this again next year! And in the meanwhile, let's see what other shows Pirate Cove can turn up at in between!

Viva Las Vegas!

- J!

Monday, July 17, 2006

July 17th, 2006 - Comic Con Job 2!


Two bits of news for ye today! First and foremost, let's discuss the THIRD new item you'd find at the PIRATE COVE table at the San Diego Comic Con this year: Comic Con Job 2! It's an all-new 22-page story that picks up right where last year's convention comic left off! Joe has managed to hunt down his super-rare THUNDER GOD convention exclusive... but is he prepared to face the most horrific phenomenon known to comicdom? The OBSESSED FAN?? Nope, probably not.

Comic Con Job 2 costs $1 for the average passer-by, but PIRATE COVE fans can get their copy for FREE by printing out the cover image in the upper left and presenting it to any PIRATE COVE table employee!

Second bit of news: if you're visited the PIRATE COVE website today, you may be suffering from flashback syndrome. That's because, for the next week, we will be recapping strips from the vault, dating back to 2001! It's all leading up to "Episode 28: 'Till Death Do Us Part" which begins on Monday, July 24th! It's a great way for current readers to refresh themselves on a few important plot points and for new readers to get up to speed without having to read 1500 past comic strips (not that we don't recommend you check those out if you've never read them!)

I'll be back next week with a convention report!

Viva San Diego!

- J!

Monday, July 10, 2006

July 10th, 2006 - Pirate Cove: The Coloring Book!


As promised, here's another preview of what you would find if you happened to stroll past the PIRATE COVE table at the San Diego Comic Con next week! The Pirate Cove Coloring Book contains 19 black & white line drawings, culled from years of convention sketches, random doodlings, and promotional works. The Coloring Book sells for $1 so adjust your budgets accordingly ;)

But the Coloring Book isn't all you get for your hard earned cash! While supplies last, we'll even thrown in a box of crayons so you can start coloring Brian in his Bigfoot costume right then & there! NOW how much would you pay? Well, it doesn't matter because we won't accept anything more than the cover price.

"Is there anything else, Joe? Is that ALL you'll have at Comic Con?" you ask.

Maybe. But probably not. Come back again next Monday and perhaps I'll have another preview for ya! Let's see how much work I get done this week...

- J!

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

July 5th, 2006 - Countdown To SDCC


Wow. Just... wow. I looked at the calendar last night. The San Diego Comic Con is only 14 days away! Holy Bejeezus. Time flies! Next thing you know, I'll be posting a blog about how fast Comic Con came & went!

So let's see... what's on tap for Small Press Section Table M-11 this year? For starters we've got our annual giveaway comic, meant to draw in a few suckers - er - READERS who don't want to plunk down a buck or two for whatever I happen to be selling without getting a taste first. This year, the giveaway book contains an abridged (a word which here means "edited" or "chopped down to fit") version of Episode XVII: Reality, Blurred. A few panels were altered and some dialogue was modified in the hopes of making the book a little more coherent but otherwise, it's the same thing you'd find in the Archives section. It's got a neat little cover featuring new artwork of Woody, Joe, and Norm (or is that George?)

What else would thee find if you ventured our way during the show? Stay tuned! More will be revealed next week!

- J!