NEAR THE FRINGE

Do you remember the first time you held those delicate, thin pages of sunburst color in your hands? They were a Daliesque fission of strange dreams and wish fulfillment, a multi-sonic synergistic barrage of chaos and joyful anarchy. Do you remember when comic books were fun, weird and dangerous? Discarded ray guns from other dimensions; cyborgs with nuclear hearts; multi-men with brimstone eyes. This was the wildness of my youth and when I look at the mundane and banal “art” in other media, it’s no wonder that comics have been a strange, twisted multiverse that I’ve yet to journey back from! 

Oh, hi! I’m Alex Smith! Sorry, I noticed you were wearing a Green Lantern t-shirt and I just went super-in on ya with my post-everything, retro-futurist take on the dream that is comic books! I am a writer, artist, DJ, activist, poet, singer (kinda--if you call screaming in punk bands “singing”) and I live in Philadephia, PA. Currently affiliated as a founding member of a collective of multicultural sci-fi and speculative fiction writers known as Metropolarity. I’d like to welcome you to my new endeavor for XION, a column I’ll call NEAR THE FRINGE. In this column I will be talking about the kinds of comics that are being made now that reflect the energy, spirit, and vehement independence of the comics that gang-jumped me into the medium in the first place! We’ll talk about issues like diversity, multiculturalism, space travel, encroaching dystopia as well as LGBT and gender and race issues, having fun along the way.

Before I go any further, I want to say that Near the Fringe is actually so named, not because our office is an asbestos lined, mildewing broom closet with a paint can for a slop bucket, where we share a cot with a guy named Sal; no, our beloved leader Shawn Alleyne, founder of XION Comic Book Network would never do that to us. *Cough cough* Please, if you will, imagine a barbed wire lined border on some outland in a far off dust strewn dystopia somewhere, or the moat outside of the great titanium walls the 1% will soon erect to keep the rest of us mutants, nanobots and vagabonds out of their controlled air utopia. It’s here where we’ll be unearthing the gems, like for instance the work of JOE KEATINGE (you liked that segue didn’t you?). Keatinge’s latest work is SHUTTER, a somewhat bizarre, kitchen-sink kinda tale, where the writer throws in pretty much everything he can manage: robot assassins, talking cat butler operating systems, tiger-head gangsters, and death oracles, all of whom center their activities around a young woman named Kate who has inherited all these freaks as remnants of her father’s anthropological lust for unearthing the strange and the unknown. Whew! Armed with a camera and her wits and the fact that she’s been doing this Indiana Jones styled maraudering since she was a child at her father’s side, Kate struggles to make sense of a world that accepts all these things as normal. Overall the pace of the book is super hectic, not as meditative as Keatinge’s GLORY was, or as deliberate as his other post-teen romp, HELL YEAH (all three from IMAGE). It’s LEILA DEL DUCA’s art and the strange, dark hues of OWEN GIENI’s colors that give the story it’s foreboding undertone. Were it not for an art team that sought to render each of the quirky characters with sincerity, “Shutter” would read a lot campier. The realistic dialog of the more human characters also helps rein it in. If you’re interested in exploring the works of Joe Keatinge, a writer whose women characters are well developed, “Shutter” is a great place to start.

OK, thanks for journeying with us out here Near the Fringe! Oh yeah, I’m also a writer interested in collaborating with artists! Check out some of my own short story work featuring all original characters here: http://theafterv3rse.tumblr.com/ Til DC hires another-- just one!-- writer of African descent, make mine.. Uh, I mean, see you on the Fringe!

May Editorial Letter 2012

To be honest, I had no idea what I was going to write about for this month’s Xion editorial. It was nearing the end of April, and I still hadn’t come up with a topic to discuss that had not already been mentioned. I read over the previous commentaries from Sha-Nee Williams and Mike Colston countless times, trying desperately to spark that something that made them recount with such fire and passion all the things that Xion meant to them, and the ways in which they’ve become better artists for it.  Reading their thoughts made one thing intensely clear for me.

Shawn was going to kick my ass if I didn’t turn in SOMETHING.

And then it hit me, like a proverbial ton of bricks. I started thinking back to the first time I attended a Xion meeting, what that experience was like, and how it affected me. I don’t know if it was the aesthetic nostalgia, or the fact that Shawn might have my face on the back of a milk carton by next week if I didn’t get to writing, but the memories of that day came flooding back.

I walked into the Xion meeting at Liberty Place in Philadelphia, my little sketchbook in hand, not really knowing what I was going to get out of the experience. There were tons of artists and writers there, good ones, and to be frank it was a little intimidating. But this is the part that let me know that Xion had the potential to be something bigger than all of us and at the same time successful because of all of us.

Artistic egos were thrown out of the window. People were humble, friendly, and eager to create. Everyone greeted me with open arms, came over to me to introduce themselves and take a look at my work. Some were impressed, and some pointed out where I needed improvement, but every nuance of my work that was given a compliment or critique came from a place of genuinely wanting me to be a better artist. I got the sense that Xion was about this all encompassing need for artistic growth fulfilled by the common desire to see your fellow artist excel at his craft. Simply put, it was about being better - and helping each other to do so.

Xion could be called a comic book group, an artist’s network, or a gathering of geeks who just never quite grew out of comics  (and who would ever want to). But these are just parts of a whole. What Xion really is, is you. It’s all of us. It’s that amalgamation of creative people whose common goal is to constantly get better at what they love to do. It’s something unspoken that we all have, and that you only experience when artists and writers come together in a network such as this one.

Catch us at a meeting in Philly or New York some time and get familiar. We would love to have you.

Now, on to more important things.

Who’s ready for Avengers?

-Kia Dunlop
Asst Manager Xion NYC Branch

The Paths Of Xion

A while back when I was still formulating exactly what Xion was, I decided that we should compile a sketchbook. Nothing too exciting, I know..people and companies release sketchbooks all of the time. That was when a Xion member, Omar Clifton, came up with the brilliant idea that every contributing member should create an artistic pseudonym for themselves--an "avatar" so to speak. From there, the idea bloomed into the concept that "Xion" could become an actually story element, and that we were all citizens of this new world.
   Sure enough, just as the movie Inception compared an idea to a virus, so too did this idea take root and infect everyone involved. Ideas started flowing and pretty soon we had developed a concept where Xion was a world outside of time and space, but yet was at the center of ALL time and space. A nexus for every thought, world, creature,  and idea to converge. This Xion world would be composed of a hodge-podge of every kind of reality there could be. In a sense, exactly what I wanted Xion to reflect in real life.  
   And it's right in our Mission Statement: "To build a support group for individuals thinking of operating in the comic book industry and those who actually are, as well as to build strong friendships and great business relationships. To promote the hobby and the artform of comics. To highlight the Indy Comic Book scene."
This isn't a blind contradiction-- Xion is about ALL comics and ALL creators. As much as I love reading new stories and new concepts, I love New Warriors and Ghost Rider. And as much as I love those characters, I love an indy comic called "Band"(by Christine and Erin Humiston) just as much as any comic out there now. I love knowing that the Street Team comic is all independently created, with independent creations, but best believe, if Marvel were to call me right now and offer me a D-Man one-shot(look him up), I'd jump on him in a heartbeat. And that's what Xion is all about. Being free to like whatever you like; to create whatever you want to create. To support your family by working for "the man", and go home and build your own worlds. Cause in the end, all paths lead back to Xion.

X marks the spot.
(thanks Mike. lol)

Shawn Alleyne
Xion Founder and President

For more of "Band", go to www.bandcomic.com

Convention Workshop

I realize alot of folks aren't able to physically make it to a Philly or New York meeting for our workshops, so what I want to do is start posting some of the info here on the blog.  Today's topic: "How To Prepare For a Comic Book Convention". While I'm no expert, I hope what I'm able to share is of some help. Also, small disclaimer, these are personal tips. In no way am I saying you will make a million at a show, these are just a few things that have worked for me. In addition, in light of the whole convention sketches/copyright thing, you will have todecide for yourself what you feel is right. Ok, enough babble, let's get into it.

How To Prepare For a Comic Book Convention

The first thing you have to decide is in what capacity will you be doing the show: As a vendor, a fan-boy, a showcaser, or a bit of all. It's best not to go as all 3, and for the purpose of this workshop I'll be discussing just from a Vendor's P.O.V.

There are 3 things you need to do:

1) BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF. If you're not ready to be behind a table selling stuff, you're not ready.

2) THINK OF THIS AS A BUSINESS! Treat it as such and be professional.

3) THINK OF THIS AS A COMPETITION! There are hundreds of other artists at shows, so be creative.

Herre are the other things:

A) Choose the right convention for yourself. This can mean a lot of different things to different people. You have to consider distance, your product, cost of table, travel, accommodations, how many days is the show, etc. You can find the right con by going to http://www.conventionscene.com/ and http://www.animecons.com/

B) Once you pick the right convention, make sure you know what you're offering. Are you doing commissions, prints, a sketchbook, all? One of the most important components you have to consider is whether you have a creator owned book or you're selling mainstream stuff.

C) Once you know what you're offering, make sure you have it. Figure out who's going to be printing your stuff.

D) Once you have that, it's time to think about table display. I recommend doing a demo display at your home first so you know how everything's going to look and fit.

E) As you think about THAT, think about what might separate you from other artists. Come up with some a fancy display; or do a raffle; or a buy one get one sale; etc.

F) Now that you have your stuff, figure out how much it costs and how much you're worth. You can base this off of how much your prints and books cost, how much you think you should pay yourself, how much other artists charge for the same thing, etc.

G) After that, it's a matter of filling in the blanks with a handy-dandy checkoff list. (See below)

1. Tape
2. Extra pens
3. Sharpies for autographs
4. Plenty of change and a cashbok/cash bag
5. Receipt book
6. Note book
7. Inventory sales sheet
8. Business cards
9. Bags for your stuff
10. Freebies(buttons, candy, etc)
11. Sign with your name and prices
12. Poly bags and boards(to sketch on or for your comic
13. Snacks(I recommend fruit, water, granola)
14. Gum
15. Mirror
16. Extra cash for spending
17. Camera or video
18. Charger for phone
19. Tablecloth
20. Sketchbook and drawing tools
21. Coloring tools
22. Comfy shoes
23. Contact sheet
24. Rubberbands
25. Reference
26. Clips
27. Batteries
28. Square
29. Misc- whatever pertains to you

H) Once you're at the convention, how you handle yourself behind the table is going to be just as important as what you have on the table.
-Make sure you make eye contact
-Make sure your hygiene is up to task
-Make sure you're friendly(try connecting with the person through shared interests, a joke, etc)
-Make sure you know your material and prices(put an extra sign behind your table)
-Make a deal, people love deals
-Make sure to greet everyone

-Make sure you scope out your neighbours. They might have great advice and you can make great friends. Also, you can compare product, prices, etc.

I) This is what is going to separate the business person from the fan-boy. If you're there to sell stuff, SELL STUFF. Don't go wandering off, or taking a whole bunch of pics, or get so wrapped up in your witty dialouge that you forget you're there to make money. There're ways to do it-- for example, Sunday is typically the slowest day of a con, so get there early and look around. Or have a friend come with you to hold down the fort.
This also what's going to separate the showcaser. If you want to present a portfolio, time it well. Read about portfolio submission, which is a whole another workshop. Remember, having your stuff at a show is already a submission. This also allows you to get feedback.

J) After the con is just as important. Make sure to contact everyone on your contact sheet list.

K) And most importantly, take every loss as a win. Learn from your mistakes and see what you need to do better next time--book the show earlier; get more product; stay at a different hotel, etc.

And that concludes my little advice column. I hope it helps. If you have any questions, let me know.

Shawn Alleyne

Xion Founder and President

February Art Jam Entries 2012

Welcome back peeps. The month is over and your February art challenge entries are in. You were tasked to draw yourself(i.e a self-protrait) as a superpowered person, to tie-in with the release of the new movie CHRONICLE. It was to be a more "realistic" take on your super-powered self in the spirit of the movie. And of course, this wasn't regulated to just the artists. Writers, were tasked to craft a short story and submit it also. Here's what we got.

Takeia Dunlop- Molecular deconstruction

Willie Smith - (right side, green pants) and his brother,  who's powers activate in the presence of each other. They have the ability to cause things(and each other) to spontaneously combust.

Omar Clifton- Weapon master





 

Antonio Clarke- Artistic Image Conjurer

Dar-rell Henderson- Dark Mage



Andy Seabert- Archer Extraordinaire

Great job everyone. Ok, here's March's challenge, suggested by our very own Alex Smith:
Ok, we all love a great action scene and the dynamic action pose, but what about the quiet moments? Part of being good at comics is the ability to show characters at those in between times, and this month Xion asks you to craft your favorite character doing the mundane. Peter Parker doing laundry; T'challa (Black Panther) fishing; etc, you get the idea. And of course, this isn't regulated to just the artists. Writers, concoct a short story and post a link to your blog or site with your finished essay.

A few things to remember:
* we'll be doing this every month
* writers are also encouraged to contribute, by submitting a short story or concept pitch.
* you can post your submissions on the Xion facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/groups/153014201477978/
or send them to the new email: thexionnetwork@gmail.com
* it's never too late to submit
* skill level is never a factor, it's all about having fun!

So let's see what you've got.

March Editorial Letter 2012

Recently, there have been two things that really got me thinking about my art career. The first was a quote from last month’s editorial by the great Sha-Nee Williams where she spoke about what Xion meant to her: “I networked with many people, became more outgoing with ideas, found great friendships and learned so much.” The second, was the whole Marvel Ghost Rider copyright issue. I started thinking, what exactly does this mean for me going forward?

Marvel reminded all of us that at the end of the day, business is business. Copyright and trademark holders have rights and they must do what is legally necessary to protect and exercise those rights. Let’s be honest, a lot of us are guilty of Copyright and Trademark infringement (in its simplest form) and yes, I did say “guilty”. Is there a commission of a Marvel or DC character in your sketchbook or on one of your many social sites? Are you doing commissions of characters you own or have a license to use in the Artist Alley at one of the numerous conventions? When you set up your table at one of these conventions are you displaying prints of your slickest Spider-Man, illest Invincible or that wicked Wonder Woman poster?

Maybe, maybe not. I guess the question becomes- are we going to continue to labor under the threat of Big Brother raining fire and brimstone down on the freelance artist for drawing their characters or are we going to create for ourselves?

Everybody is running around screaming the sky is falling and actually I want to personally thank Marvel for waking me up. Honestly, I will never work at any of the big companies (you might and I ain’t knocking you if that is what you're working towards) and that's okay with me...But nothing is stopping me from pursuing or living my dream of creating comic books. Dave Sims, Jeff Smith, Robert Eastman, and the founders of Image comics all had one thing in common- they all realized that when you work for the corporate machine basically they own what you create. The curtain has been pulled back and we ain’t in Metropolis anymore. It’s time to blaze the path to your own universe, create your own continuity, characters and stories.
We can be the creators of our own mythologies. We are the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby of our generation. Technology has really leveled the playing field to where we can create for a global audience. I don’t know whether the Artist Alley will change or people will stop drawing their favorite Marvel, DC, Image, etc characters, but we must all be aware that the comic book industry is run by corporations.

To quote from an OutKast classic “You need to Get up, Get out and Get something”, and I believe that is why The Xion Network was created. So we can help each other do just that. The reason I networked, put my ideas out there, gained friends and learned more about my craft was all in preparation from creating my own mythologies, and I encourage you to do the same. It's time to make it happen, “X Marks the Spot!”

Keep Grinding!

Mike “JMANARTIST” Colston
Proud Xion Member

January Artjam Entries!

As you may or may not know, every month here in the hallowed halls of Xion we host a different art challenge. For January  the task was to redesign any comic book character. It could've been anywhere from a couple of tweaks to a complete overhaul. It could've been a D-list villain all the way to an A-lister hero. Below are the entries for January.




Kamau Mshale redesigns Iron Fist.





Darr Henderson's Zatanna. Dar says, "I always wanted to see a gothed out Zatanna. I went through many backgrounds before I decided to make it look like she is promoting an act of some sort. Many other backgrounds I tried made her vanish but I think this is fitting and she stands out."



Sha-Nee Williams' X-23. Sha-Nee says she choose X-23 because "she is an awesome character and its my first time really drawing her. Also, I dont hear much about her in the comic world (or I've been living under a rock in that case)." She also says, " I added more stuff to her outfit to give her more of a punk rock feel."



Omar Clifton's take on Captain America. "I was going fir a more desert warrior style....thought about a riot shield but the disc is classic."

 





My early sketches of my New Warriors re-designs. Night Thrasher above. 



Marvel(formerly "Justice") I see Marvel as the most 'super-heroesque' of the team.

Mecca (formerly "Rage") The name Rage HAS to go above all else. I see him much more at peace now and determined to be a positive role model.

Namorita. I kept her pretty much the same as her last appearance but the biggest change will come in her power set. She should be an Atlantean Wonder Woman.

Nova. My inspiration for Nova was to get away from the space stuff. I see him as the cool jock that never picked on the nerd but still rides off on the bike with the chick.



Speedball. Speedball will go from his Penance funk back to a more fun-loving person. My inspiration is par-kour mixed with skater/hip-hopper.


And wait, what's this?! An entry from a writer-- Ben Rhine's take on Adam Warlock.

"Using funding appropriated during the second World War, what was to become Advanced Idea Mechanics gathered together what they could from Abraham Erskine's research as well as dutifully-scrounged notes from the labs of Nathaniel Essex into the structure and genetic exaltation of humanity. The work, as presented, would be to create the Perfect Human, a canned Bodhisattva.

The project called for two beings, one male, one female, at the behest of the director, who harbored strong resentment against his species for the atrocities to the Earth and to each other incurred during the war. The primary researchers, calling themselves the Enclave, went as far as to inject themselves with the Infinity Formula and otherwise augment themselves to devote themselves more fully to the project at hand.

From the sheer enormity of the task at hand, many Enclave members relinquished their humanity, if not their minds, in the midst of the Work at hand. Some came to resent the very species they sought to perfect in their research, and arguments spilled out onto the research floor.

Each of these conflicts and philosophical changes had their influence in the creation of the subjects. Eventually, over decades, the funds for the project ran out and the Enclave would have to observe their results as-is, allocating funds to more profitable research as AIM. The male subject, Adam, faced numerous questions involving purpose and morality, weighing the responsibility of an individual towards preserving life, consuming life to live, and coexisting with life as a member of a communal species, as a far greater specimen of that species, by those who had turned their back on this species.

A raid on the Enclave by the Serpent Society (over something silly, petty and selfish) gave Adam an opportunity to observe the world outside. His emergence would send forth an intense ripple in the fabric of the universe, but for nothing so grandiose as his own presence. As he learned of the massive imbalances and self-delusion that marked true humanity, he would come to learn that his entire creation, the entire reason that circumstance brought the project together, was to create a suitable host for the Soul Gem to enter reality, and that upon its completion Adam would become lost once more to confusion, without the watchful eye of the Enclave to observe and respond to his psychic needs.

It came to pass, rattling through in each painful, forceful evolution of his psyche, that the Soul Gem would complete itself within Adam and release itself from his being, to gravitate into the cosmic array of the Infinity Gems in a far off corner of the Universe. Unreconciled, unable to lead or to destroy his fellow humanity, Adam finally gave up on any promise he once had, taking the surname Warlock, or "Oathbreaker." He now wanders, finding small scraps of wisdom and experience, hoping to find some way to cope with the hole left where he once stood the Universal Soul in his heart."


Great job everyone. Ok, here's February's challenge:
This month Xion asks you to celebrate the release of the new movie CHRONICLE  with a depiction of yourself as a superpowered person. We're not looking so much for over-the-top costumes, but a more "realistic" take on your super-powered self to keep the spirit of the movie. It must also be a self-protrait. Aside from that, sky's the limit. And of course, this isn't regulated to just the artists. Writers, concoct a short story and post a link to your blog or site with your finished essay.

A few things to remember:
* we'll be doing this every month
* writers are also encouraged to contribute, by submitting a short story or concept pitch.
* you can post your submissions on the Xion facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/groups/153014201477978/
or send them to the new email: thexionnetwork@gmail.com
* it's never too late to submit
* skill level is never a factor, it's all about having fun!

So let's see what you've got.