Tony Fleecs' pages are below, as promised. Only two pages are finished, the rest are rough, and the postcard was never integrated into the art. It was based on a postcard that something like, "I have this really irrational fear of traffic lights falling on my car." Tony decided to juxtapose someone's real fear of commitment against something irrational.
I think enough time has passed (about a year?) and I can now share these pages. I have to share them, honestly, because it's a shame they're hidden away on my hard drive in a folder labeled "PostSecret Project"; they're just too good.
A while back Frank Warren of PostSecret fame and I were toying around with the idea of taking the Postcards concept to PostSecret postcards. I got some friends together and put together a couple of pitch pages for the project. The result was something magical but, sadly, it just didn't work out.
Well, bellow is the story Micah Farritor illustrated. Tony Fleecs put some pages together as well and I'll show them tomorrow...
Comics professionals should head over to http://www.eisnervote.com and vote for this year's Eisner recipients. I'm not going to beat around the bush – my book Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened has been nominated for Best Anthology and any votes that can be thrown my way would be appreciated. I really don't want folks to blindly vote for the book, however – I want you to know what it's about, see if it's your thing, and, if so, give it a vote. Therefore I'm reposting all of the reviews and features with artwork or full-stories from the book. Give it a look if you have the time, pick up the book at your local comic shop, bookstore, or library if you feel so inclined, and then make up your mind.
I got the news of the nomination on Friday and I've been dying to talk about it. I told a few people, of course. My parents, Robin, and my friends Gennaro and Marcelo. Some of my DC Conspiracy crew. Some of the guys from the book. And I called up Tony Fleecs' mom to tell her the good news, as well. Feel free to listen to that little exchange.
Oh, and I guess I also told Robin's family. And some of the other people I'm currently working with on other projects. And I might have mentioned it to everyone that was sitting at a bar in Boston on Saturday. And Sunday. And a couple of my friends in DC. Like, all of them.
Ok, so I guess I didn't really wait to talk about it. At least I didn't post anything online.
But, look, I'm excited. I mean, really excited. This book started as a labor of love over two years ago. I got folks on-board quickly and they put a lot of energy into their stories. I put a lot of it together intending to self-publish it. Random House came along and picked it up but instead of simply handing it off I shook a lot of hands and did a lot of press and tried to get folks excited about this book.
It's just nice, at the end of all that, to be nominated for the crème-de-la-crème of comic awards. I now know why people say it's an honor to be nominated.
The other anthologies nominated this year are all top notch. Best American Comics, 24Seven, 5, and Mome. You know it's a good year for anthologies when Popgun, Flight, and Hotwire Comix didn't get a nomination. So, I'm honored – thanks to the judges and to all the folks that supported the book. See you all in San Diego!
Let's face it…the Holiday Season-- is upon us. I know, I know…I don't like it either, but the Holiday Season-- starts as soon as the Toys 'R Us Wish Book is sent out and, well, it's sitting on my desk.
So with the Holiday Season-- comes the need to get in the Holiday Spirit--. Decorations, fruit cake, ugly sweaters, office parties, and, of course, gift giving.
Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened makes a great Christmas gift as it is. It features stories from some of comic's most-gifted creators. The book features tales of romance, mystery, heartbreak, and adventure. It has a cover that makes gift-wrap unnecessary. It's a great book for tried-and-true comic fans, people who are looking to branch out from the superhero stuff, people who are new to comics, and people who are simply into good stories, whether it's a comic or not.
So…it's a great gift, yes. But I have a better gift…I have all of these signed and sketched-in copies of Postcards lying around. Sure the book looks great, but wouldn't one that's covered in signatures and sketches look even better? That's why I'm going to give you all a chance to swap your copy of Postcards with one of these rare copies.
Here's the deal. Buy a copy of Postcards between now and December 15th and send me proof of your purchase. A copy of the receipt is probably the best way to go about it but feel free to be a little creative if you like. On the 15th I'll randomly select four people that purchased the book and get them a signed and sketched-in copy of Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened.
So give someone a one-of-a-kind gift that they'll love forever. Or, you know…keep it for yourself and give them the copy you bought at Barnes & Noble. It won't be one-of-a-kind but they'll still love it forever.
Jason Rodriguez's graphic novel anthology Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened was the subject of a five-minute video pod now airing on Al Gore's Emmy-winning TV station, Current TV. The documentary, produced by Gabe Uhr, follows Rodriguez around to antique stores and local watering holes as he buys postcards, talks about comics, and shares drinks with his fellow Washington DC-based creators.
To find out if you have Current TV in your home and to see when the pod will be airing, go to http://www.current.com/tv and look for "Wish You Were There." Current TV loops their pods so that the piece will play at different times on different days. If your cable company does not offer Current TV, or if you'd rather just stay seated at your computer, you can also view the pod at http://current.com/items/86441551_wish_you_were_there.
If you enjoyed the Current TV pod, feel free to visit the Eximious Press YouTube channel (http://youtube.com/profile?user=EximiousPress) where Rodriguez posts weekly videos that focus on used postcards and storytelling.
I will be at table C6 this weekend selling copies of POSTCARDS. I'll also be trying to sell off the remainder of my Western Tales of Terror issues for $1 a pop (or free if you buy POSTCARDS). Come on by!
I know you probably hear graphic novel and think: comic book, superheroes, men in tights, gore, geeks, teenagers. While that may be true of many, this one sets the golden standard to be something better.
