Blue Line Pro Sketch Card Event for Cancer: Collaborations

By Bill on March 11th, 2010
Posted In: Uncategorized

I’ve had different inkers express their willingness to  ink a card or two of another artist.  Over on the Comic Related board, here’s the thread I started for the Event. http://www.comicrelated.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7813&pid=47379&st=40&#entry47379 so, if you’re up for penciling some cards and having other inkers try their hand at inking a card, let the collaborations begin, starting with Post #47.

Bookmark and Share

”Comment

Make Some Changes

By Bill on March 10th, 2010
Posted In: Uncategorized

Something might be holding you back from your goals.

What is it?

Is it some other goal?

Is it Life?

Your life in general is the most important thing; making comics is just part of that, a component. You have figure out what’s really important and work on that.

If you  have to make some changes to your List, do it.  These things can be like a puzzle, like a Rubik’s Cube, so think about your next move and keep the next one after that in mind. There will be change, so remember that and adjust for it

Have a great and productive day.

Bookmark and Share

2Comment

Making Changes

By Bill on March 9th, 2010
Posted In: Uncategorized

What changes do you need to make?

Whether it’s something with your schedule or something with your life, ask yourself: What do I need to change to improve my life?

Well?

So, what do you need to do to make it happen?

It might be something that you can do today, so why don’t you? We’ve talked about this stuff so look into the heart of the matter and make those things happen! You can do it.

You really can.

Bookmark and Share

1Comment

Who Are Your Mentors? Tommy Cockriel

By Bill on March 9th, 2010
Posted In: Uncategorized

Sometimes you have an impact on someone without really realizing it. And this letter from Tommy hits me right in my Comics Mentor heart. Thanks, Tommy. :)

In 1987 I was in Jr. High School. I had learned through a friend at school that there was a store in the next county that only sold comic books; a store called “Cliffhangers”. Such a simple idea seemed to good to be true. I had spent my life up to this point collecting my comics from convienent stores; which had the tendency to be hit and miss. So the next weekend my dad drove me the thirty miles to the comic store. I walked in and you could almost here the blood pressure increase in my body. I was clutching the latest copy of Fangoria; which had an article about an upcoming zombie comic entitled “Deadworld”. I asked the man behind the counter if he had the comic and he answered “No, but I can get it.” He told me it was a mature readers title and cleared it with my dad to order it for me. So once, maybe twice a month I went to the comic store anticipating “Deadworld” being there. It took about three months to get there so in the meantime I bought every back issue of “G.I. Joe” and “Amazing Spiderman”; I could afford. The man behind the counter commented that if I liked “Deadworld” I might check out “Marshal Law”. So I gave it a shot (pardon the pun, to all you Marshal Law fans) and I was immediately hooked. This wasn’t what I was used to at all. It was at this moment that I had discovered the diversity of the medium. And my love of the printed page began. All over again.
 
This guy behind the counter, well I was convinced he knew everything about comics. He never talked down to me even though I had lists of questions and was pretty ignorant about comics. We shared an enthusiasm and appreciation. He turned me onto Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns”, Alan Moore’s run on “The Saga of the Swamp Thing” and “Watchmen”. I didn’t know comics could tell these type of stories or hold art that was really “Art”.  What this man behind the counter did was open my mind with illustrated literature. Suddenly I realized that all the stories that I wanted to tell could be told like a movie on paper. This comic store man saw me through Spiderman’s wedding and the “Batman” movie, and most importantly he took a kid as seriously as he did grown ups in his store.
 
There is no need to list the comic book legends of the Golden, Silver and Modern Ages here. If you love comics then you know them already. But what most might not realize is the unsung hero’s of the comic book industry. Those men and women that run the stores, answer the questions and make a person’s day just by being open. One man did that for me. Essentialy he changed my life. Just by making a recommendiation. Batman might one day save Gothman City. Spiderman might hang up his tights because there is no more bad guys to web up. But a real hero, like the man behind the counter of the comic shop “Cliffhangers” when I was thirteen, he made a lasting impression on me. And coutinues to help others find their way. While you might not have a t-shirt with his symbol on it, he is no less a hero. That man was Bill Nichols. Thank you Bill.
 
Tom Cockriel–co Founder Hell’s Attic Publishing


Bookmark and Share

2Comment

Start It Up!

By Bill on March 8th, 2010
Posted In: Uncategorized

Time to shake off the old dust of last week and kick up some new! Break out your pencils, pull out your Blue Line Pro Bristol boards and start making some comics!

Pull out those notebooks and re-read notes from those stories you wanted to do, or the ones that  you started and never seemed to have time for.

Start feeling the magic of creating again! Do you miss it? Then do it! Recapture that feeling! I want you to want to recapture that feeling!

And if you’re in the middle of a project, keep the creative energy going. It’s too easy to burn yourself out, so try to find the fun in it. Look forward to being done, so that you can get to something else.

Look around you. Are you surrounded by others who are trying to accomplish the same things? Find a good forum like the one at Comic Related http://www.comicrelated.com/forums and feed into that idea that you are part of a creative community.

Encourage others.

Love it (again).

Bookmark and Share

”Comment