yaytime

Find me at MANGA NEXT this weekend in East Rutherford, NJ--I'll be in the Artist Alley selling books and t-shirts, and doing commissions!

manganext.org/
Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel & Conference Center
2 Meadowlands Plaza
East Rutherford, NJ

Look for the ASTRONAUT ACADEMY banner!

If you are looking for a fun podcast about comics, art, story and more you should check out COMICS ARE GREAT hosted by Jerzy Drozd!

I'm a guest on two episodes:

Comics Are Great Episode #3: Mary Sue
comicsaregreat.com/?p=820

We break down what is and isn't a Mary Sue and whether or not people overuse that phrase. I reflect back on the Avatar create your own character/cookiedough bender debacle in Nick Mag! Also, is SuperMan a Gary Stu?

Comics Are Great Episode #2: Magic is Real
comicsaregreat.com/?p=767

Extensive conversation about Avatar the Last Airbender, what makes Tranformers cool, the role of fantasy and how to write stories that kids actually want to read.

And lots of other random stuff too! Check it out!

comicsaregreat.com/

It was so hard not being at Comic Con last year! But I'm heading back next week and couldn't be more excited! I'd love to re-connect with old friends and meet as many new people as possible! Let's high-five, discuss Wizard Rock and complain about movies together!

Best place to find me is at the Comics Bakery booth in Small Press L-06. I'll be sharing the table with John Green,  Marion Vitus and an amazing illustrator named Amanda Sartor.

And what about Raina Telgemeier? She's be at the Flight Comics booth (#2235), which will have a special Scholastic/Graphix section (featuring Kazu Kibuishi and Jake Parker!). I'll also be swinging by there from time to time since I've got a story in Flight Volume 7!

FRIDAY: Raina and I will be drawing at the Cartoon Art Museum Booth for their annual Sketch-A-Thon!
3 – 4 PM
Booth #1930

SUNDAY: Raina, John and I will also be doing an interactive comics drawing panel called:
Kids Draw!
12 - 1 PM
Room 30CDE

It will be fun for kids and adults of all ages. We'll be doing improv comics based on people in the audience and their creative suggestions. Bring your friends!

May 18th is the book store release of Zuko's Story, the prequel manga to THE LAST AIRBENDER. Co-written with the brilliant Alison Wilgus and illustrated by the amazing Nina Matsumoto this book sets up events in the film but ALSO expand on many things introduced in the TV Series (of which we are all huge nerds). The manga is sorta like an "inter-dimensional bridge" where the movie and show universe start to bleed into each other. So, hopefully Avatar fans will appreciate all the hard work we put into it and catch all the little nods and easter eggs we included.

There is an exclusive preview of the comic over at MTV Splash Page:

splashpage.mtv.com/2010/05/12/…

BONUS: You can listen to Alison and I talking about the Zuko manga and also the film adaptation manga (that comes out in June) over at the Avatar Portalcast:

web.me.com/avatar_ftw/PortalCa…

This weekend Raina and I will be attending the inaugural C2E2 Convention in Chicago, IL!

We'll be set up in the Artist Alley, at Table K6. Look for the brand-new giant SMILE banner! We'll have a plethora of goodies for sale, including hardcover editions of Raina’s Smile & BSC graphic novels, Life Meter, Agnes Quill, Teen Boat and Astronaut Elementary mini-comics, t-shirts, original art, buttons, Wizard Rock cd’s; the works!

Our schedules for the con are as follows:

Friday 12:15 - 1:15: I will be on the panel, The Magic of Reading from the Creator’s Perspective. Room E352.

Saturday 6:10: Raina will be participating in the Iron Artist Tournament, on the Variant Stage. Please cheer her on as she does battle with the likes of Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother, Sandman)!

Sunday 11:00: I'll be on a panel called Avatar: The Last Airbender - Beginning and Beyond, that takes place in room E350. It will be hosted by and feature a live comics reading (involving Zuko vs Sokka!), debut Puppetbenders craziness by   and a cosplay competition with lots of prizes! Also a sneak peak at the new Last Airbender Zuko Prequel manga (that I co-wrote)!

Check out the flyer: yaytime.com/postimages/avatar_…

Sunday 12:30: Raina will be speaking on the panel Graphic Novel Events for Your School/Library. Room E267.

Sunday 2-2:30: SMILE, LIVE ON STAGE!! Raina will be performing a scene from Smile, live on stage, with a few other actors reading different parts. On the Variant Stage.

In between all that, we will be at our table all weekend. Please come by and say hello! Tell us the best place to get pizza! Share anecdotes about Second City!

And if you live in the Chicago area or are still in town, we’d love you to come out to our big event Tuesday evening at @ Challengers Comics + Conversation.

Check out the flyer for that: goraina.com/postimages/challen…

Audiovisual Audacity with Raina Telgemeier and Dave Roman!

Challengers Comics + Conversation.
1845 N. Western Ave, Chicago, IL
Tuesday, April 20
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Here is the official description:

KIDS OF ALL AGES:  Do we have an event for you!  Straight from New York, we've got authors RAINA TELGEMEIER (Smile, Babysitters Club) and DAVE ROMAN (Astronaut Elementary, Agnes Quill) giving an exciting sight-and-sound heavy presentation for young and old alike. HEAR Dave and Raina read from two of their all-ages graphic novels!  SEE accompanying slideshows of both books!  TASTE some cool snacks!  SOME ACTION that signifies getting copies of SMILE and ASTRONAUT ELEMENTARY signed by the authors!

It's going to be a fun night, so bring the whole family!

And after that... it's on to Portland, Oregon, for the Stumptown Comics Fest! Like Wandicorn would say, "Let's tear it up!"