Bali Sketchbook: Part 2

Fact versus fiction

This cartoon by friend, collaborator, and writer-translator extraordinaire Hanvey Hsiung perfectly conveys my biggest on-going challenge in researching VIETNAMERICA. This exchange occurred at my wedding between Hanvey (H) and my father (T):

Bali Sketchbook: Part I

The lingering hangover of SDCC

This was a great "welcome home" surprise: thanks to Martin Wong at Giant Robot for including my two cents in their latest issue's SDCC coverage. Check it out to taste the blood, sweat, and tears of me and eleven other Small Press exhibitors as we pursue total world domination.

Bali says relax.

Still shaking the sand out of everything I packed after an awesome wedding and awesomer honeymoon. I'll post sketchbook stuff soon, but mainly wanted to say that I won't be exhibiting at next weekend's SPX due to an unquenchable desire to get back to work on VIETNAMERICA after a month off. I will be attending, though, so look forward to hobnobbing with kindred spirits one last time before we all go into a winter work hibernation.

Gone fishin'.

There'll be total blog silence until late September on accounts of my nuptials next week and resulting honeymoon. If three weeks in Bali don't make me go bamboo, I should have a buncha sketchbook stuff to post upon my return. Until then, here's another illo for the next issue of Colorlines.

My spot in comic's pantheon is sealed for all eternity!

While livin' up the Comiccon high life in San Diego, I asked Fred Van Lente—fellow Brooklyner and writer of Marvel Adventures IRONMAN and many other rip-roarin' comics—why his doomed doc and I share the same first name: "I needed someone Vietnamese and yours was the only one I could spell." Yeeesss!!!

SDCC: I hardly knew ye.

Over a week's past since the mecca of geek pop culture celebration, and I'm still recovering. This perfect summary of trying to be noticed on the gargantuan convention floor is brought to you by Tammy Stellanova, fellow comic self-publisher and goldfish cracker-providing small press neighbor:

Seriously: could/would you edit something that looked like THIS?

Just had a fantastic meeting with my editor and, thankfully, she CAN and WILL. This bodes well for me staying on schedule with VIETNAMERICA, and a great note to pause on as I head out to Comiccon Wednesday.

And now back to our regular scheduled programming

If you're braving the glorious 4.5 day carnage that is San Diego Comiccon next week, find me in Small Press again at table P6. As per tradition, I'll be exhibiting with this bad ass. SDCC is just so ridiculously over-the-top that you can't help getting sucked into its senses-shattering black hole, and it's the closest thing I get to a vacation outside of Le Big Crapple... just me and 1000 of my closest Stormtrooper pals.

These NYC peeps are also making the cross-country trek so be sure to check them out at SDCC, too: Indie Spinner Rack, Comic Book Comics, Johhny Hiro.