ONE DAY COMIC EXPO IN LONG BEACH

Three weeks or so ago, Long Beach, Ca was badly hit by the storm. Two days ago, there was flooding again after a heavy rain. Hopefully two weeks from now, there will be some nice sunshine for comic book lovers as LBCC holds it One Day Comic Expo, Feb. 20 from 10 am to 7 pm at the Long Beach Convention Center.
Lots of cool goods, superb line up of artists and anything comic books await you in this event. So come and join us before the Big Event in October!

Coming March 17 !!!

Fraction Brings Back the Pryde of the X-Men
by Dave Richards, Staff Writer
Posted Jan. 15, 2010/ CBR

It's the Return of Kitty Pryde in "Uncanny" #522.Since her first appearance in Marvel Comics' "Uncanny X-Men," #129 Kitty Pryde has operated under a variety of different heroic monikers, such as Sprite, Ariel and Shadowcat. Throughout the years, the young mutant's costumes and code names may have changed, but the qualities that made her a hero, like her kindness and her courage, never did. One of Kitty's most heroic moments came at the end of writer Joss Whedon and artist John Cassaday's acclaimed run on "Astonishing X-Men," when she used her mutant phasing power to save the Earth from a giant bullet that an alien despot had fired at it.

This act of heroism separated Kitty from her teammates, and for some time now, she's been trapped inside the gigantic bullet as it continued its journey through space. This March, after spending several years in her interplanetary prison,Kitty comes home in "Uncanny X-Men" #522. CBR News spoke with writer Matt Fraction about the return of the fan-favorite character.

Kitty's exile into space occurred in 2008's "Giant Size Astonishing X-Men" #1, but plans for her return were in the works even before that issue hit stores. "It's been at least two years, maybe even longer. I want to say it was my first X-Summit, where I brought up the idea," Fraction told CBR News. "I knew very early on that Magneto was coming back and would become part of the dynamic of the X-Men. I knew what he was up to and what his personality would be. I also knew how that would complicate and and challenge personal relationships and, ultimately, he would have to demonstrably make good.

"The X-Men may not have reacted by thinking, 'He's here. Let's punch him!' But they still don't trust him. So I wanted to build that [trust] by having him give a gift to the X-Men, who are now his people, in the form of Kitty. It felt very right in this weird, full-circle way," Fraction continued. "It brought all these people back and made sense; especially with the way things are with the current 'Nation X' storyline and the emotional and character arcs we've been telling for the past eight months."

Before Fraction implemented his plan to bring Kitty back to the X-Men, he sought out feedback from a fellow creator. "I called Joss Whedon and ran it by him. I enjoyed and respected the job he and John did on 'Astonishing X-Men,' so his approval meant a lot to me. I felt like I was asking if it was okay if I dated his daughter," Fraction joked. "I wanted to make sure that the guy who wrote Kitty's exit approved, and when he said he liked what we wanted to do, it fired me up to do this crazy story."

Kitty's return comes at what seems like a busy time for the X-Men. "Uncanny" #522 is the final installment of the current "Nation X" arc, a story which has found the X-Men dealing with Magneto joining their ranks, the threat of a mysterious new set of enemies and the infrastructure problems stemming from the move to their new island home of Utopia. "Issues #520-521 are kind of the wrap up to 'Nation X,' and #522 serves almost as an epilogue or a coda. Everything but the X-Men and Magneto story is resolved by #522," Fraction explained. "In issues #520-521, the other storylines terminate and everything focuses down to just Magneto and Magneto's return. Magneto problematizes the question of what exactly Utopia is. As 'Nation X' progresses, Magneto will realize that it's going to require deeds, not words, from him. So he decides to present a gift to the X-Men."

Kitty Pryde's return isn't just a present for the X-Men - Fraction is excited about the character's return as well. Fraction says that he finds the character very compelling for several different reasons. "I don't want to say too much and tip my hand, but she's the one who started off as a kid. For so many of us who read the X-Men chronologically, Kitty was the one who was our age. She was a sidekick-type character at first, but she was also an advocate for us. And, since Kitty, there have been a number of characters for younger readers to identify with, like Jubilee, Armor and Pixie," Fraction said. "Plus, Kitty was a voice of sanity and sweetness. She was incorruptibly good."

Earlier this week, Marvel released this trailer promoting Kitty's returnThe story of Kitty's return will be fully told in "Uncanny X-Men" #522, but the issue also seeds future plot lines in which the character will figure prominently. "The issue has a cliffhanger for the ages, as we go rocketing into the events of 'Second Coming' [A crossover event between all the X-Titles which kicks off in March and completes the "Messiah" trilogy of X-crossover stories.]," Fraction remarked. "So we wrap a chapter and get a glimpse of a new one before heading into 'Second Coming.'"

Kitty doesn't play a huge role in "Second Coming," but Fraction isn't bringing the character back only to let her recede into the background. "'Second Coming' is really the story of Cable and Hope, but Kitty will be very important after," Fraction stated. "Kitty being back is a big part of our next year. With where we are in 'Second Coming' and then coming out of it, Kitty's return couldn't come at a better time for all involved. So she's coming back right as there's a giant Kitty-shaped hole in the X-Men."

Two artists are helping Fraction bring to life "Uncanny X-Men" #522, and the writer has been very pleased by the work done by both of them. "It's an extra sized issue. Whilce Portacio is doing the main story. An X-Men legend is coming back to tell the story of an X-Men legend coming back," Fraction said. "We also got the opportunity to do an eight page bonus story with Phil Jimenez. This was a very special issue that was really important to me and I'm very proud of the way it turned out."

Kitty Pryde's return comes at a pivotal point for both the X-Men and the larger Marvel Universe. After she and her teammates face the challenges of "Second Coming," they'll find themselves standing alongside the Marvel U's other champions in a new "Heroic Age."

"The coming 'Heroic Age' is fun because it gives us some possibilities that we've not really had in a long time. Issue #526 is our first issue set during the 'Heroic Age,' and we have a couple of guest stars," Fraction said. "The issue is about two characters who have recently had a momentous scene together, and we follow each of them dealing with the ramifications of 'Second Coming' and other stories like 'Siege.' They both encounter characters in their respective halves of the book, and that helps to queue us up with where we're going. So it's fun. I wrote #526 over the holidays and thought it was a blast because you get to see some characters you don't normally see get together. So, in a way it feels like the X-Men have been invited to a much bigger party."

Sketching ....

Lots of sketching brings you to your goal .....

NEW PLANS FOR 2010:

Watch out for it!

Happy 2010 everyone! More comicbook stuff for our New Year!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

HULK # 18 NOW ON SALE

Whilce Portacio Returns To Marvel To Begin The Fall Of The Hulks
Get your first look at While Portacio's mind-blowing art from HULK #18

Posted: 2009-11-17/ Marvel.com

Whilce Portacio Returns To Marvel As "Fall of The Hulks", the most important event in Hulk history, descends on the Marvel Universe, the man named Samson is either our last hope...or our greatest threat! In HULK #18, a can't-miss prologue to "Fall of The Hulks", from superstar, Eisner Award-winning scribe Jeph Loeb, artistic legend While Portacio, inker Danny Miki and colorist Dean White, the truth behind Samson is revealed! Whose side is he really on? What's his connection to the coming Gamma-charged change in the Marvel Universe? And how does it set the stage for a shocking murder in FALL OF THE HULKS GAMMA? Find out in HULK #18!

Jeph Loeb's interview at CBR:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=24080

Artist for a Cause

Filipino comic book artists unite for heroic cause

Enlarge By (Clockwise from top left) Baldisimo, Medina, Yu, Tan/Portacio, Suayan, Ibarra, Padilla, and David (center) Professional artists from the Philippines present art that will help those within their creative community whose lives and homes have been devastated by recent floods.

By John Geddes, USA TODAY

Comic book artist Whilce Portacio is a man on a mission. Actually, he's a man on several missions.

As one of the co-founders of Image Comics and a participating creator in the Image United comic-book series, Portacio has a schedule filled with daily artistic duties and deadlines. He is one of the most well-known and sought-after artists in the comics industry today. He's successful, has a wonderful family, and loves the work that he does. Portacio, however, is compelled these days by a higher calling.

Whilce Portacio was born and currently resides in the Philippines. He is immensely proud of his Filipino heritage and is delighted to talk in lengthy detail about the country, its history, and — most importantly to him — its people; specifically, its artistic community. Within this community, Portacio has, at various stages of his career, been a student, teacher, mentor, pioneer, and now, benefactor.

Portacio has two parallel missions: one, to establish the first professional network of Filipino artists and two, to activate this network for charitable causes. The network's main goal is to unite Filipino artists in order to gain recognition within the creative industries while, at the same time, creating career paths for future generations of art professionals.

In order to advance careers, Portacio insists, roots have to be planted and a legacy of respect has to be established. That respect begins with taking care of influential yet under-recognized Filipino artists of the past. Many of these artists were at the top of their fields in the '60s, '70s and '80s but are now living without insurance, sick, poverty-stricken, and in homes that were ravaged by floods in 2008 and 2009.

"This whole thing started from a charity effort that (Image co-founder) Marc Silvestri and I were involved in for an event called KomiKon back in October," Portacio explains. "Marc and I did a jam (collaborative drawing) for a charity auction. The money that was raised went directly to flood relief in the Philippines."

The event had a profound impact on the artist. "It got the gears clicking in my mind and I thought to myself, why can't we get all the veteran and current Filipino artists together to do things like this on a regular basis?"

Portacio is spearheading the development of this network. He sees it as a necessity if the Philippines ever wants to put itself on the map as being the significant hotbed for artistic talent that it is. "There are professional Filipino artists working in almost every creative industry, from movies to gaming to comics to graphic design. And I'm not just talking at the hands-on production level but really high up in major studios and corporations."

All too often, he contends, once many of these talented individuals find success, they don't feel a need to provide support for younger artists back in the Philippines who might want to follow in their footsteps.

"Nearly every time a Filipino artist makes it at the professional level, he or she feels like they've just re-created the wheel. We're an isolated country; one that's been conquered many times by empires and nations throughout history. I don't want to call it a defeatist attitude, but for whatever reason, there's a tendency in our professional psyche that says you have to leave the Philippines if you want to be successful on the world stage. That produces a brain-drain, so to speak, and leads to talented Filipino artists leaving without establishing a legacy of success for future artists to look up to. I want to change that cycle; change that perception."

Portacio believes it's high time that the creative core of the Philippines came together to provide inspiration to future artists while showing respect and care to past generations. The network, he believes, will help on both of these fronts.

"These older artists are too often forgotten. After reaching the pinnacle of their careers, being as popular as rock stars, they fall from the spotlight. Their talents aren't demanded any longer. That's not to say their work has diminished at all, it's just that times and styles change. These great artists fade into obscurity."

The charity portion of the network will help these artists live more comfortable lives.

"We're working on an event right now called Renaissance. It's a charity auction that's going to be held on Jan. 9 that will provide money to some of these artists who have fallen on tough times. I got the top Filipino artists together to create pieces for this auction. Their mission was to create a Filipino superhero. I told them, 'You're world-class artists, make a character that kids in the Philippines can look up to, can be inspired by.' I want these kids to see artists creating heroes that look like them and that live and interact in local places that they recognize. It's a key part of establishing that sense of history, pride and legacy. If we can do that while providing support for artists in need, then we're accomplishing two worthy goals at the same time."

Portacio would ultimately like to use the network to set up an artistic academy where the older and contemporary artists can teach rising generations.

"The charity work is a helping hand, it's a short-term fix. I like to look at the long-term, though. I want to give these older artists who have all of this skill and knowledge an opportunity to pass on what they know to the kids. I want the modern-day guys to come back and show kids how to make it in today's creative industries. As teachers, they can provide direction. As mentors, they can provide inspiration."

There's a message that Portacio hopes this professional artists' network will provide to future Filipino artists. "These artists don't have to move away to make it big. The proven talent of today and tomorrow exists here in the Philippines."

If the network is successful, Whilce Portacio will surely be seen by artists in the Philippines as the comic-book creator who became a real-life superhero.

IMAGE UNITED GOLD!

Image United # 1 Collectors' Edition in Gold Foil Embossed Logo. Cool - 24 k gold : )

WHILCE AT GOLDEN APPLE-CBR Holiday Con

Please join the Golden Apple-CBR Holiday Promotion this Saturday, Dec. 12, from 11 am to 5 p.m. Golden Apple is also celebrating their 30th anniversary.
Whilce will be joining other artists from Top Cow, Boom!, Aspen, Radical, and Archaia in their holiday promotion mini con at the parking lot adjacent to the Golden Apple shop (7018 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles Ca. 90038. Call # 323-658 6047 for details). Whilce will join the Hero Initiative booth for signing.
So please stop by Golden Apple and join the fun!