Hey, where's my Zombie Marge comic?

Today is an all-Zombie Marge day. I'm running behind on Episode 18. I should be posting it, but I just starting to draw. Life gets in the way of the undead sometimes. So I've locked myself in the bunker to get caught up. But the truth is, it will be a few days before the next installment will be ready. For now, enjoy this ad from one of Marge's lucrative endorsement deals. If you're looking for a fun place to spend what seems to be an eternity, Marge recommends visiting Purgatory, voted the Crappiest Abusemant Park in America.

Tales from the Dealers Table!

We're back, safe & sound, inside the zombie-proof bunker, after a weekend at the Third Annual Cincinnati Comics Expo. And what a show it was! Andrew Satterfield, Matt Bredestege and their crack staff put together a great convention every year, while raising the bar each time. This year was no exception, with great events spread out over two days, plus Friday night's VIP events, if you want to get technical. The attendance was very good and our sales were strong. There's Daryll and myself, above, in the new booth, pushing Zombie Marge on an unsuspecting public. And, what do you know? She was a hit! That's Proofreadin' Dale Trush, below, making an impassioned sales pitch to a pink haired girl.

We had a choice spot in the first row of Artist's Alley, which was front and center on the convention floor, with the larger comic and toy dealers along the right and left sides. It worked for us, as we have very little down time when we we not talking to interested and curious customers. Daryll did get a moment to catch up on his life drawing, below.

And I spotted some great t-shirts and some interesting costumes. "Hey, Mr. Scarecrow! That comic is upside down!"

Now, indulge me while I name drop for a minute. We got to see some of our comic pals, Craig Boldman and Dustin Carson of No Gods. We made some new friends, like Rodney Fyke of Peanut, Puddin' & Jelly, Todd Goodman and Danial Frazier, and Mike Norton of Battlepug. And we had a blast hanging with Jon Lennon and Leo Perez of Cheese Lord Comics from Chicago. Great creators, one and all! 

And a big "Thank you!" to David Leighton, the official Zombie Marge photographer, for some inspired photo journalism.

Episode 17

FIRST     BACK     NEXT

This was a fun installment to work on, both the writing and the art. The location offered so many funny tangents. I like to start the first panel with a large establishing shot. In this case, the color rendering looked so good, I erased all my line work. This current series of strips begins to open up Marge’s back-story a bit and explain why she doesn’t quite act like your typical mindless, shambling, inarticulate zombie. We will even touch on her “mission” coming back to the land of the living.

And who’s this smart-mouth kid with the zombie fixation? It’s none other than Skip Wingus! That’s cute little Skip peddling his papers on the cover of Twelve-Way with Cheese at the left of this column. He’s grown into a pasty, sullen, emo tween who listens to The Cure and reads too much of The Walking Dead. And is he ever happy to make the acquaintance of  a real zombie! But how will Marge take to having an actual fan? Stop by in two weeks to see. As usual, to read all the strips, go to the archive in the right column.

SWAG!

We are just one short week away for the Cincinnati Comic Expo and expectations are running high here in the bunker. Zombie Marge will be well represented at the show. Table assignments just came out and we are very prominently positioned in the first row, center to greet the fans as they come through the door. Our new booth graphics will mirror the look of this blog with Marge’s lovely rotting face. I will be in attendance from the Friday night VIP reception, until closing time on Sunday. Joining me at various times during the weekend will be cartoonist extraordinaire Daryll Collins and our own Proofreadin’ Dale Trush, selling our usual array of goodies, Twelve-Way, Little Olden Books and SHAM Comics.

We will also be premiering several brand, spankin’ new Zombie Marge items this time. To tie into the blog, we have a mini-comic that collects the first batch of strips in a great little package. Signed art prints have been popular in the past and this time out we have a new Zombie Marge poster, suitable for framing. Just by stopping by the booth and saying hello, you can walk away with a cool little Zombie Marge pinback button for your lapel. And pick up a trading card while you’re there, both are free.

See you at the show!

Episode 16

FIRST     BACK     NEXT

What's that you say? "Where's that new story you promised?" Well, here it is! It features surprise guest genius, Stephen Hawking, and tells of his historic meeting with Zombie Marge. It's set to run for the rest of the year, unless the world comes to an end as predicted by somebody, somewhere! Enjoy!