MY MoCCA 2004 QUICKIE REPORT

Last year I hailed the NYC MoCCA art fest as nothing short of "Comic Book Mecca." This year proved to be no different with the addition of another whole day to the MoCCA schedule. With more exhibitors and extra time to sample the various wares, this years show was nothing short of fantastic.

I had the added benefit of being able to exhibit this year, sharing a table with the Comic Art Guild (www.comicartguild.com). My art team on QUANTUM: Rock of Ages joined me as we sold copies of the book as well as plugged the guild and its various wares. It was great to hang out with fellow CAGers Keith Murphey, James Rodrigues, Tom Drew, and Alexis Ziritt. I had preview copies of QUANTUM #4 on hand as well as new colorist Jennifer Kwon. We had loads of fun getting the word out on the street and hanging with our independent comic creating counterparts.

I also had a chance to catch up with colleagues old and new. Among them, "Mortal Coils" scribe A. David Lewis, "Fade From Blue" creators Myatt Murphy and Scott Dalrymple, "A Sort of Homecoming" writer Damon Hurd, "NYC Mech" super-duo Ivan Brandon and Andy McDonald, "Stylish Vittles" publisher Tyler Page, "Runners" creator Sean Wang, and such comic luminaries as Buzz and Danny Fingeroth. I made it a point to catch up with creators whose work I had been hearing various rumblings about, such as Bosch Fawstin, creator of the very sharp and beautifully rendered "Table for One." Bosch turned out to be a really down-to-earth cat. His work is seriously top notch, and everyone should make it a point to check him out at www.boschfawstin.com. I also had the pleasure of meeting the beautiful and talented Sylke Scharrenbroich, who just happened to be a fellow New Yorker. Her book, "Time Exists so Everything Doesn't Happen at Once," is a gritty, sometimes painfully honest account of her life and experiences. Speaking of fellow New Yorkers, I finally ran into Astoria resident Robert Gavila. He debuted his work "Nisha" at MoCCA, and it was great to put a face to the name I'd been hearing about around the neighborhood. It was also my pleasure to catch up with Philadelphia comics sensation Pete Stathis, whose dark and dreamy "Evenfall" was recently collected into paperback format.

The MoCCA art festival also saw the unveiling of the Small Press Association's "The Guide" MoCCA Ad Book, and I also got to rub elbows with fellow SPAers Steve Noppenberger and Ron LeBrasseur. The book looked great, and we got the word of the SPA out to a lot of folks at the show.

All in all, the show itself was a complete blast. It's really great to see a collective of independent and small-press creators and their works. Unlike the mainstream cons, there wasn't an Imperial Stormtrooper to be found, and the female contingent that attended was both plentiful and attractive. I ended up getting some great sketches for the upcoming QUANTUM trade by Scott Dalrymple, Jason Narvaez (artist on "Mortal Coils"), "Java" creator Ken Okobiyashi, and Powersmith Studio's Carl Kent (check out the QUANTUM Yahoo group to see them). I don't know if stretching the festival out to two days helped or hurt sales overall, but I do know one thing: If I ever want to make the big bucks I simply need to stick to two formats.

Porn and Manga.

Anyway, that's my quick report. More later,

Philip

Well,
PopMatters.com, who totally skewered QUANTUM #1, gave us a significantly better review for issue #2. Go check it out here:

http://popmatters.com/comics/quantum-rock-of-ages-2.shtml

Hope all is well,
Philip

Here's a sneak peek of QUANTUM #4






Best,
Philip

It's my pleasure to report that WALT SIMONSON will be providing the foreword to the QUANTUM: Rock of Ages trade paperback to be released in October. Following is the solicitation for the August PREVIEWS:

QUANTUM: Rock of Ages – Act 1 collects the first four issues of Philip Clark’s mind-bending tale of alternate realities. Act 1 features retouched stories, a four-page bonus scene, character bios, a “making of” section, self-publishing tips, and sketches from comicdom’s hottest talent including DAVID MACK, JIM CALAFIORE, MARK TEXIERA, ANDY McDONALD, JAMAHL IGLE, ANDY LEE, SEAN WANG, and others!

Check the Cover Photos section of the QUANTUM Yahoo group for an image of the cover.

It's getting REALLY exciting.

For those of you who live in the NYC are there is a special promotion going on this week at 4 of the best comic book stores in the area.

Everyone who purchases a copy of Strangers in Paradise #66 will receive a free copy of QUANTUM: Rock of Ages #3. This is a local special that is taking place at the following stores:

Silver Age Comics
22-55 31ST Street, Astoria, NY 11105
(800) 278-9691 or (718) 721-9691

Midtown Comics - Times Square
200 W 40th St. & 7th Ave.
New York, NY 10018

Jim Hanley's Universe
4 West 33rd Street
(located off 5th Ave. / across from the Empire State Building) 
New York, NY 10001
Tel: 212.268.7088

Cosmic Comics
10 E23rd st., New York City, NY 10010

Supplies are limited so get to your retailer NOW!

Hey Guys,
Just wanted to start catching you all up on the latest happenings.
I'm proud to announce that JENNIFER KWON has come on board as series toner/colorist. This comes following our last colorist's sudden and unexpected departure. After posting a desperate ad on Craigslist, auditioning, and interviewing many local candidates, I was happy to select Jennifer as part of the art team. She has a great style, and seems hungry and eager for the work.
You can check out more about Jennifer here:

http://pratt.edu/~jkwon/

Well, thanks to Jennifer's hard work (she's going to turn around 28 pages in less than 10 days!) we are on track for getting QUANTUM #4 out pretty much on time. I will have a sneak peek posted on the site by the end of the week. The book itself should be available at the MoCCA art festival, and in stores the week of July 7th.
QUANTUM #5 will be delayed for a late September release, and will be the first issue to go out without Diamond's support. As a result, I will be putting an ORDER FORM in the back of issue #4 for both readers and retailers. Keep your eyes peeled for it.
Stay tuned for news about the QUANTUM: Rock of Ages trade paperback soon!

PC

Everyone take a moment out of your day to say a silent prayer for Ray Charles, who passed away today at the age of 73. Ray Charles's contribution to the world of soul music has left an indelible mark on the world, and he will be deeply missed.

---
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Ray Charles, who overcame childhood poverty, blindness and heroin addiction to help create soul music and become one of America's most beloved singers, died on Thursday at the age of 73 after a long fight with liver disease, his spokesman said.

Charles died at 11:35 a.m. PDT (2:35 p.m. EDT) at his Beverly Hills home, the singer's longtime publicist Jerry Digney said. Family members and co-workers of the legendary entertainer were with him when he died.

In one of his last public appearances, the singer-songwriter turned up in a motorized wheelchair for a ceremony in April conferring historic-building status on his longtime recording complex in a rundown part of Los Angeles.

Visibly frail, his voice reduced to a whisper, Charles' demeanor then was a far cry from the wildly enthusiastic performer known to millions of fans for more than half a century.

A prolific musician, Charles has been off the road for almost a year so that he could undergo a hip replacement. Unspecified complications forced him to scrap plans to resume touring with a performance in New York last month.

Charles, a pioneer of soul music whose biggest hits include "Georgia on My Mind" and "Hit the Road Jack," was a multiple Grammy winner who had been blind since the age of 6.

While known as "The Genius of Soul," Charles' music included standards, R&B, country pop and jazz.
---

Happy travels, Ray. If there's a rock-and-roll heaven, it's a hell of a band, and you just earned your seat at the nearest piano. Play on.

PC

Got some really good news today.

DAVID MACK has confirmed to provide me with some art for the back of the QUANTUM trade paperback I'm assembling for the fall. He's also provided me a nice little quote for the back cover:

"Philip Clark is an up and coming creator to watch out for"
-David Mack

All my schmoozing at cons is finally paying off. Expect a big announcement by next week.

PC

Hey gang,
The gifted and talented Alan Abbadessa over at www.13wasps.com has given us the thumbs-up over at his review board. Check it out:

http://13wasps.com/icom.html

Still recovering from birthday bliss. Will have big announcements soon. Stay tuned.

Philip