Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Home Sweet Home!

Larry Marder and Dark Horse Publisher, Mike Richardson

After almost a month of continuous movement--I'm home! And catching up on my sleep. Tomorrow I'll be back in my studio and get to the thing I like to do more than anything else--draw Beanworld.

Thanks to everyone who wrote in the last few days. I am really excited to be going to Dark Horse. I had a great day of meetings at their offices on Monday and the future is looking very exciting, not just for comics but other things too. As soon as there is something to say; you will be the first to know.

The above is my new poster. It went on sale at Stumptown. As soon as I can get some envelopes for it, I'll post a way for you to get them directly from me.

If you haven't already, go check out the Beanworld animation that Fashion Buddha Studios made in like three weeks. Kudos to Robert, Indigo, and Erica for bringing the little guys to life. Below is a scan of a quicky model sheet I did for them on the plane on the way to Boston only like 3 weeks ago!


Finally for today--I've posted a new photo set on Flickr--Larry Marder's Springtime Travels. I'm slowwwwwly catching up.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Beanworld Going To Dark Horse!

Yep. It's true.

Comics.
Toys and Collectibles.
Entertainment.

Steve Duin of the Oregonian did a nice write up of today's panel--including the announcement above and includes the following summary:"Dark Horse plans to republish the first 21 issues of Tales of the Beanworld, possibly in deluxe hardcover editions, then deliver Marder's new adventures sometime in early 2009. Diana Schutz will edit."

I'm really very excited to be affiliated with Dark Horse. I've admired Mike Richardson and his crew from across the playing field for two decades and have always had the greatest admiration for the entire Dark Horse team.

Today I gave the first solo Beanworld panel presentation in over 15 years. It covered a lot of ground, and I'm almost certainly going to be giving it again at SD08. Also revealed was the name of the up-coming NEW graphic novel: "Remember HERE when you are THERE."

Also had the world premiere of a one minute Beanworld animation by the talented folks at Fashion Buddha Studios. As soon as it is posted on their site, I'll be sure to let you all know about it and tell you the back story behind it!

The biggest and most amazing thing that happened today, however, was meeting Mark Irons aka Half for the very first time. Half is the guy who bravely put together BeanWeb. We had an incredible conversation before and after my panel.

It's getting late but I really wanted to get this up tonight. I'll be back to share more with you very soon. Also breaking today is a piece about me and by me at CBR--orchestrated by George Khoury.

I'm going to bed--I'll be at the Dark Horse offices tomorrow and home (at last) on Tuesday. I'll be summarizing the entire continuum of the last 3 weeks then.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

If Today Is Thursday--Then This Must Be Portland.


"Wahoolazuma!" as the Beans are prone to shout now and again. When Diana met me at the airport--she greeted me with the words that are the title of today's post.

I'm in Portland.

I'm here for Stumptown Comic Fest.

It's my first real convention appearance with my own table in almost a decade.

I will have all sorts of leguminous goodies to give away and sell.

Will be rolling out some new silly, modestly priced collectibles and even a new FREE Beanworld Action Figure!

I have a box full of most back issues and some trades Volumes #3 and #4. Well, if you are at the show--come by and see!

My panel is on Sunday @ 1 p.m. in the Idaho Room.

I'll be giving a presentation of Beanworld--Past, Present, & Future.

Gonna make a big announcement.

Gonna show you some things you might not expect to see.

My panel got a really nice mention from Steve Duin --Seven Reasons to Love Stumptown.


Monday, April 21, 2008

Where is Dandy Don Simpson?

Frank Miller, Don Simpson, Colleen Doran, Larry Marder, Jeff Smith sometime in the '90s


Well...The photo from yesterday's post was from last week--the photo above was from the last decade. Not sure what year, but I believe it was at a Chicago Comic Con. I do declare, Colleen hasn't aged a day.

Recently, a whole bunch of us from the '80s alternative scene and the '90s self-publishing movement, some of whom were Don Simpson's closest friends, realized that none of us has heard from him in several years and none of us seem to have an email address for him.

Anyone have any idea where Dandy Don may be?

If so, please let me know at larrymarder@gmail.com!

Sunday, April 20, 2008

I'm At JFK Waiting For My Flight

Frank Miller, Larry Marder, Colleen Doran, and Jeff Smith at the RASL Launch benefit for the CBLDF.

What an incredible week.



The high point had to be this article in the New York Times that linked to this gallery on ComicSpace--chock full of Beanworld drawings.

Along the way over the last 10 days I spent quality talk-time with Neil Gershenfeld and his wonderful family, Alan Gershenfeld, Carly Shuler, Heidi MacDonald, Charles Brownstein, Greg and Elizabeth of CBLDF, Jeff Smith, Neil Gaiman, Jeff "JahFurry" Newelt, Collen Doran, Paul Pope, Joey Manley, John Nee, Paul Levitz, Mike Richardson, Jim Valentino, Kris "Editor Girl" Simon, Doug Rushkoff, Brian Haberlin, Scott McCloud and Ivy, plus many many more.

I've got a bunch of pictures and I'll get 'em up this week before I start clicking more next weekend at Stumptown.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Today Is Wednesday, I Think.


As I posted yesterday, last night I participated in a CBLDF Drink & Draw Fund Raiser. The room was jam packed full of New York comics artists, fans, the press, and bloggers galore. I really didn't know that many of the cartoonists (because they are so young and most of them starting reading comics after Beanworld went into hibernation after TOTB#21.

One of the sponsors of the event was ComicSpace. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I'm on their advisory board and really exciting things are developing in that corner of the comics universe. Their reboot is coming over the horizon and I'm quite certain I will have a whole lot more to say about it in the near future.

It was just one of those nights where I really felt like drawing and I cranked out a lot of drawings in marker and in pencil. Some of them are scattered about in the photo above.

This drawing of Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen was my favorite drawing of the night.

Heidi covers this far better than I can @ The Beat.

Also....tonight I'm going to be at the CBLDF Jeff Smith RASL Release Party.

Wednesday, April 16
Coolture Spain
409 W 39th St (between 9th and 10th)
New York City8:00 PM to 11:00 PM

$25 -- General Admission: Includes 8PM admission to the party; an exclusive RASL print signed by Jeff Smith, CBLDF gift bag, and Open Bar.

25 bucks getting you a signed print and beer and wine in support of a great organization and comic book sounds like a great deal to me!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Where I Will Be Drawing Tonight!

TONIGHT!
Tuesday, April 15.CBLDF's DRINK & DRAW!

Tax Day is Over!

Now drink up with NYC's best cartoonists and party for a good cause!
Featuring Jeffrey Brown, Molly Crabapple, David Finch, Dan Goldman, Dean Haspiel, Alex Maleev, Paul Maybury, and dozens of NY's Finest Cartoonists.

(And me in from California!)

Sponsored by ComicSpace.com and Image Comics, premiering Paul Maybury's graphic novel AQUA LEUNG. Additional support provided by ACT-I-VATE, The Daily Crosshatch, SMITH Magazine & JahFurry

7:00 to 11:00 PM at Village Pourhouse
64 3rd Avenue at 11th St,
Drink Specials all night!
$5 Suggested Donation; $20 for VIP Schwag Bag

Sunday, April 13, 2008

If it's Sunday, I must be in New York

But I've been to a whole lots of places and visited a whole bunch of folks since I last posted.

As you know, I made a pilgrimage home to visit family and celebrate my Mom's 80th birthday and my Dad's 93rd. My dad's mind is quite sharp and he asked me a lot of penetrating questions about all of the activities I'm involved in that made me pause and think hard in order to properly answer. He may be older now but he is still as wise as he ever was.

Bernie and Larry Marder
Cory had an A&K meeting during the week and we were in the so-new-it's-not even-finished Trump Hotel downtown. The hotel is right on the Chicago River next to (or depending on your point of view-behind) the site of the old Chicago Sun-Times building and plant. It is smack dab in the middle of the Michigan Avenue neighborhood where I worked from 1976 to 1991.

While Cory was in meetings, I roamed North Michigan Avenue neighborhood. I wasn't the slightest bit surprised that virtually every place that I once liked to go was gone. Except for the Billy Goat Tavern (seen below) there was not one place left that I used to lunch at during my decade and a half tenure in the area. Ahhhh, but the Billy Goat was the same. I ended up going down to lower Michigan Avenue (under the street) twice to eat there--indulging on their delicious "dooble-a cheezboorgas.


The Chicago Tribune plaza by the river is where I wrote a lot of Beanworld. The Chicago Public Library had occupied a big ol' old red brick building that was called the Mandel building and it was tucked behind the Trib building. It was a quiet place overlooking the river and the red bricks of the Mandel Building really soaked up the sun's heat and so I was a great place to wander off to and get away from the big city hustle and bustle of Michigan Avenue only a few hundred yards away. It was so peaceful to look through the brass rails at the river and the enjoy the way the sunlight reflected off of the buildings across the river. And after dusk, at night, if I tilted my head to the right, I could see Wrigley Building all illuminated and white

The Mandel Building is long gone replace with a modern building and the entire plaza is dominated by NBC's retro-ish Chicago center. The area where I used to write is hardly quiet or hidden any more. It's a thoroughfare for tourists now but the buildings across the river are still more or less the same. It felt great to just observe it all for a while and marvel at how many amazing things have happened to me and Beanworld when I used to jot my notes on this spot three decades ago.


The view across the river I looked at
as as I wrote many pages of Beanworld in the '70s and '80s.


The Wrigley Building that was always on my right as I drew.
The glass monolith to the left of it is the Trump.

I also had had a grand time visiting Gary Colabuono, my old pal and former employer at Moondog's Comicland. Gary and I sort of shared the same brain for a few years and we did some incredible marketing projects together. I would never have gotten my position at Image Comics if it had not been for the attention some of those projects received.

Gary Colabuono and I at Lou Malnati's--my personal favorite Chicagoland pizzaria!

We accomplished a lot of business and had a bunch of fun together. Gary is now a marketing honcho at Incredible Technologies and he brought me up to date on the various projects he is juggling and managing. It's clear we are both still successfully developing the ideas we incubated together in the early '90s. Gary may be in the gaming business, but he is still a true comics guy through and through

Also saw my cousin, children's author, Janet Nolan, and her husband, Bill. I enthusiastically recommend her books A Father's Day Thank You and The St. Patrick's Day Shillelagh. We compared notes on the quirks of our respective branches of the publishing field.

Janet Nolan and Larry Marder

Then Cory and I headed home to California, where I stayed exactly three days before heading to Boston. That is a story in and of itself and now I'm in New York and will tell you what's up in my next post.

Stumptown Note: My presentation will be on Saturday, April 26th in the Idaho Room from 1:00 to 1:45. An announcement you've all been waiting for will be made at that time!

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

A Teaser Actually On Tuesday!

For those who have been asking "Where are the web comics?" Well...here is something that give you a good taste of what they will look like.
Meanwhile, I'm pressing forward on my presentation at my panel at Stumptown at the end of April. More on this as it gets closer.