STAPLE! Community Blog

2010-03-10T07:45:00.000-08:00

Great write-up in the San Antonio Current!

THANKS!!!

2010-03-08T16:58:00.002-08:00

In the few brief hours of consciousness that are available to me right now, I would like to thank all the people that helped make STAPLE! 2010 the biggest and best we've ever had.

Thanks to our sponsors, Austin Books http://www.austinbooks.com/ and Rogues Gallery http://www.roguesgallerytx.com/ for all their support and providing our awesome guests, and Jim House at ECPrinting http://www.ecprinting.com for the gorgeous STAPLE! programs.

Thanks to those wonderful guests, Guy Davis Andy Runton, Chris Schweizer and Jason Neulander of (the Intergalactic Nemesis) for the most entertaining and informative STAPLE! panels to date.

Thanks to the fantastic and dedicated staff:

Randy Lander for his guidance, promotion, guest interviews and hard work. Careful with those girl drinks, man.

Manton Reece for maintaining the website, handling a variety of technical issues, and always coming through in a pinch. I will make sure you get reimbursed.

Allison Andrews for the volunteer coordination, awesome graphic design, running errands and general sassiness. Great job, kid!

Mercedes Martinez and Zachary Kent of Dial A Stranger http://www.dialastranger.com/ for recording our podcasts, running our sound, moderating panels and other duties too numerous to mention. I love you guys.

All our awesome volunteers for your hard work at the show - couldn't do it w/o you!

All our amazing STAPLE! exhibitors for bringing their incredible talents and creations to the world. You are why I do this! http://www.staple-austin.org/exhibitors/

Franklin BBQ for the tastiest and smoothest post con dinner ever!

Kevin Peake, DJ Digg, DJ LD, DJ Net Wt and Ricky Valenzuela for getting together the always awesome Live Art Show!

KOOP Radio for all their support and getting out the word. 91.7 FM - don't move that dial!

The LEOG crew for the moral support and having me on not once, but twice! Y'all are the best!

Tim Harrison for getting me on KEYE - that was awesome, man!

My old buddy Todd for flying down from New York just to help out - now we're square, bro. Can't wait to see the documentary. Docu-comedy, more like!

Erik Stewart from the Art Institute Comic Book Society for their tireless promotional efforts. You guys are on point!

Derek Lackaff of UT for spreading the word and collecting the data. Can't wait to see what you got man!

Deb and Tony at the Monarch Event Center (now called Marchesa Hall and Theater). You guys did a great job and really pulled it out in the face of a lot of difficult situations. Great working with you and look forward to doing so again.

And OF COURSE each and every one of you who came out to the show. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it and will be back in 2011!

THANKS!!!

Chris "Uncle Staple" Nicholas

Staple 2010 video

2010-03-08T08:43:00.000-08:00

Hello independent comic enthusiasts,

The following is a internet digital video of STAPLE! 2010 available for viewing and also listening.

Comment please. I am lonely.

-Dave Sherrill

http://www.lookatmycomics.com

Geek Bombast's Staple Episode is online!

2010-03-07T17:24:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,

John Sitton from the podcast Geek Bombast here. I just wanted to let you know that we posted our newest episode, which was recorded at Staple! There are a bunch of interviews in the episode, and I think it's a lot of fun (though I may be biased).
Here's the episode description:

The gang decided to record this week’s episode at Staple! Come listen to interviews and discussions with such people as Paul Benjamin, Aaron Bir, Joe Eisma, Dave Justus, Tim Doyle, Jason Neulander, Scott Hinze, Paul Hanley, Cyrus of The League of Extremely Ordinary Gentlemen Podcast, and Chris “Uncle Staple” Nicholas!

Give it a listen: http://www.geekbombast.com/?p=368

TNM in Full Effect!

2010-03-06T07:58:00.001-08:00

Hey Staplers!
You know The New Movement by now. We're Austin Improv classes, we're austin comedy shows and we're totally going to have our own table today at the festivities. We'll have schwag to throw around and we'll even trade your email address for a pair of free tickets to any of our shows. We can also chat about whatever you like. Some of our favorite chat items today will be: professional wrestling, anarchy, canvas bags and lunch.

But we also have shows Wednesday-Saturday at 9:30p. (Our Wednesday show is 100% free, just arrive early). Thinking about learning how we do this stuff? That can be free too, just come any Wednesday at 7:00p!

Uncle Staple on the TV!

2010-03-05T08:09:00.000-08:00

http://weareaustin.com/content/video/?watch=1&cid=53261

Space-Gun Studios and Ruby Caston at STAPLE!

2010-03-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

Space-Gun Studios is hitting the road again for this year STAPLE! We'll all have copies of our books from ICBW (Jake Ekiss with Soloman Azua, Matthew Warlick with Senryu, Paul Milligan with God of Rock, and the anthology One Night Stand that we all participated in). Vinh-Luan Luu will have his new pinup book "Gun Gals | Blade Babes: Vol 2" as well as Gun Gals | Blade Babe t-shirts! And Evan Bryce will be on hand with some wicked paintings and his own sketchbook "Roman Thug Life".

Sitting with us will be artist Ruby Caston, she'll have her sketchbook on hand for sale along with prints!

Bear Quest debuts at Staple!

2010-03-04T00:48:00.000-08:00

Bears No Limit!

That's right! 80 pages of bear-mauling and 8-bit video game chaos all packaged and ready to go.

Come to Table 69, Gnourg Press, and check it out. I'll have the book, posters, and FREE little stand-up bears so you can play along at home. Head over to the website if you want a head start on the madness!

The Gold County Paper Mill's Table at STAPLE! 2010

2010-03-03T19:40:00.000-08:00

This upcoming weekend will be the third year in a row that the Gold County Paper Mill will be at STAPLE!

We'll have a lot of great stuff, including:

T-shirts screenprinted by Jak Cardini and Sarah Cassidy with our owl god (viewable [and purchasable!] on our etsy)
The Gold County Paper Mill Presents the DVD (viewable on our etsy), a collection of live performances and videos featuring Jak Cardini, William Cardini, and Dr. Chuch (some of which can be watched either here or here), and an interactive version of the comic Impossible Objects, where William Cardini illustrated lines from Jak Cardini's poetry
Print versions of the Impossible Objects comic
Jak Cardini Achieves the Narratological Singularity and There Is a Mars, two poetry chapbooks by Jak Cardini
Swimming at Work, a collection of short fiction by David Fullen
Screenprinted posters of William Cardini's one-page comic WITCH ATTACKS (previously published online at hahaclever.com) done by the super-talented Rand Renfrow
Other digital prints of two of William Cardini's one-page ATTACKS comics
Masks, TRANZ, and Froghead Hangover, three minicomics by William Cardini

We're also going to be splitting our table space with the greeting cards and fabric art of Glade Whitworth. We hope to see y'all there, we'll be at table 51A, right by our buddies the Poopsheet Foundation and the League of Extremely Ordinary Gentlemen. Also, when you check out the STAPLE! Program Guide, be sure to look for William Cardini's two-page comic alongside all the other talented creators!

Here's a short William Cardini comic to pique y'all's interest:

Manly Swag!

2010-03-02T21:25:00.000-08:00

I'd like to interrupt your regularly scheduled blog for this shameless bit of self-promotion...

Howdy folks! Just thought I'd stop by and give you a sneak peak at some of the goodies I'll have available at Staple! this year (click the images to see them larger)...
Prints

T-Shirts

... and lots more! I'll also be taking commissions for drawings. I'm Manly Art at table 6 in the auditorium. Hope to see you there!

nice...

2010-03-01T15:08:00.000-08:00

STAPLE! gets listed on io9.

New West premieres at STAPLE!

2010-03-01T12:29:00.001-08:00

New West, the latest series from Panel Press, will make its first appearance at STAPLE! We'll have the first issue of this post-apocalyptic western with a sense of humor at the 7000 BC table.

In a harsh, future western US, years after California has dropped off the map, a stranger rides into town — with trouble on his mind and a plan for vengeance. Download the prologue and stop by table #16 in the auditorium to check it out.

STAPLE! This weekend! Programming! Podcasts!

2010-03-01T05:30:00.000-08:00

STAPLE! This weekend! Programming! Podcasts!

We’re only a few short days away from the Sixth Annual STAPLE! Independent Media Expo! That’s right! The festivities start THIS weekend!

As always, we’re kicking things off in style with the traditional pre-party Meet and Greet at Austin Books and Comics, 5002 North Lamar Boulevard, this Friday, March 5th at 8pm. This is a great chance to chat with all your favorite STAPLE! Guests and Exhibitors in a casual setting at one of the best comic shops in the country.

Then Saturday morning, March 6, it’s STAPLE! Doors open at 11am, the show ends at 7pm and there’s great Programming all day! It starts off with two Q&A sessions: Guy Davis (BPRD, The Marquis) at noon, Andy Runton (Owly) at 1:30. Next up is a presentation by Chris Schweizer (Crogan’s Adventures) entitled “Twenty Common Cartooning Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them”, at 3pm. Last, but certainly not least, at 4:30 it’s an amazing performance of The Intergalactic Nemesis: The Living Comic Book – must be seen to be believed!

As if that weren’t enough, the party keeps on going that night at the Shangri-La, 1016 E 6th St. (just EAST of I-35) with the STAPLE! After Party Live Art Show and benefit for KOOP Radio, with DJ Digg, DJ LD and NET WT! Doors at 8, show starts at 10pm.

And if you just can’t wait for all the fun, then check out the STAPLE! Podcast page http://www.staple-austin.org/podcast/ where we’ve just posted FIVE brand new interviews with Guy Davis, Andy Runton, Joel Watson (Hijinks Ensue), Chris Schweizer and Jason Neulander (Intergalactic Nemesis), and get a little preview of all the great stuff coming up at this year’s STAPLE!

See you at the show!

Chris "Uncle Staple" Nicholas
www.staple-austin.org
http://www.myspace.com/staple_austin
http://tinyurl.com/yhw2h6n (Facebook)

STAPLE! The Independent Media Expo is the Southwest’s premier event for independently produced comics, zines, art, animation, games, crafts and more! The SIXTH annual show will be held on Saturday March 6th, 11am-7pm, at the Monarch Event Center, 6406 North IH-35 Suite 3100, in Austin, Texas. Admission is still only $5.00!

Did somebody say mini-comics?

2010-02-28T13:35:00.000-08:00

Rick Bradford and the Poopsheet Foundation will be at STAPLE this weekend with over 3,000 mini-comics and zines from the late '70s up to now starting at 2 for $1.00!

Come see us at Table 50 which we'll be sharing with zinester Alan Rankin.

Any orders from the Poopsheet Shop between now and March 4th can be delivered at the show to save shipping costs!

About us:
The Poopsheet Foundation is a central meeting place for small press comics publishers, artists, writers, readers and collectors. Our primary focus is mini-comics and their history, from their underground / newave "birth" in the '70s to the current scene of today. The site features mini-comics news, reviews, forums, a community blog and other cool stuff.

If you'd like to see your self-published/small press comic reviewed at PF just drop off a copy at Table 50 on Saturday!

STAPLE! 2010 Program Schedule!

2010-02-27T19:36:00.000-08:00

I don't believe a hero is going to save us

2010-02-27T11:25:00.000-08:00

At STAPLE last year I had a conversation with Will Terrell. He picked up a comic he was selling and said he'd drawn the whole thing in under 8 hours. He'd started a 24 hour comic, got 16 hours into it, and decided it wasn't what he wanted to do. So he did this one in the remaining time. He said he can draw a comic he sells for $3 in less than a day, but writing one takes him months.

And that got me thinking. I'm a designer of roleplaying and storytelling games; I'm good at engineering structures that inspire storytelling (see Bacchanal for an example). What if I designed something that helped artists create stories for webcomics?

And so I am. It's a deck of cards called The Well of Else. And I'll have my in-progress prototype at STAPLE to show off (we're at table 59, Half Meme Press & Cream Alien Games).

Here's how it works. You turn over a card and it tells you how to advance your story based on the cards you've already played out, based on the characters you've created, their personalities, and their relationships. If certain conditions aren't satisfied, you move down to the next instruction. There are several levels on each card. You'll either hit one with conditions you've satisfied, or you'll discard and draw another card. Maybe you create a new character. Maybe something transpires among characters you created previously. Have it happen in your webcomic. Trust the cards. They've got your back.

And they know the truth and lies of heroism. They set the monomyth aside, as a pattern in fiction with no relevance to how, say, America achieved independence, and create stories of epic cultural change that feel more like history than like Hollywood.

Anyway, here are some reasons to stop by table 59 for conversation:

The prototype cards are really really text heavy.

My goal for the next prototype is to have a vocabulary of iconic cartoons instead of text. If you're good at creating iconic graphics from text, I want to talk to you.

If you have creative energy from frustrations working under corporate leadership, I want to talk to you.

If you know anything about the relationship between George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, I want to talk to you.

If you aspire to having an ongoing webcomic, and you think you might want to help me understand how well the cards are working by giving them a try, I definitely want to talk to you.

Paul

Buffalo Speedway vol. 1

2010-02-26T15:28:00.000-08:00

Volume one of my series Buffalo Speedway will debut at Staple! this year. Check out this write up from Houston's Culturemap.

And check out my site: for Turbo Pizza.

Find me at table #76 (SuperMercado Comics), between super model Paul Bejnamin and super talented Chad Townsend.

-Yehudi Mercado

STAPLE! After party!

2010-02-26T13:46:00.001-08:00

Bringing Austin into the MYX …

2010-02-09T21:18:00.001-08:00

(…or is that the other way around?)

At the 7000 BC table — #16 in the auditorium — we'll be featuring MYX by Jamie Chase. Last year we premiered his sketchbooks, and now we've got the first three issues of his anthology of weird and creepy tales. Each one features a few self-contained stories and some guest writers, but all with the dramatic, stylized art that characterizes his work.

Read what he has to say about the comic in this interview with Sequential Tart.

Reinhardt District #2 at STAPLE

2010-02-09T12:49:00.000-08:00

Hello, all, this is Jose Esquivel, and I'll be back to STAPLE this year. I had fun last time and I'm looking forward to repeat the experience.

I'll be selling issues 1 and 2 of my comic book, Reinhardt District, and the remaining copies of Macabro, which was released on Indy Comic Book Week. You can find more about them at my blog.

See ya there!

Intergalactic Interview!!!

2010-02-09T11:13:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks!!!

As you know, we've announced that the Intergalctic Nemesis: The Living Comic Book will be performed at this years STAPLE! You may have wondered just what that means. Well, wonder no more!!!

Our friend Miracle Jones at the Fiction Circus has kindly provided us with an interview he recently conducted with Jason Neulander, creator and impresario of the Intergalactic Nemesis, in which he explains all this and more! Check it out HERE!

string #18

2010-01-31T10:38:00.000-08:00

Now available for download — the latest issue of string, the regular anthology of comics from 7000 BC.

Download a PDF of string #18 and check out future issues every month. In this issue, a new installment of Courtney and Jeff's Peoplings and Bram and Caleb's New West (see links below to download previous issues), and new work from Mayhem, Courtney, and Josh — plus a selection of comics produced at our jam at Artisan.

(If the link for the PDF isn't opening the file up for you, it might work better to right or option-click and download it to your computer.)

We probably won't have this issue printed in time for STAPLE!, but we'll have plenty of earlier ones that showcase the group's work.

Previous issues: string #1 | string #2 | string #3 | string #4 | string #5| string #6 | string #7 | string #8 | string #9 | string #10 | string #11 | string #12 | string #13 | string #14 | string #15 | string #16 | string #17

Comicpalooza Fandom Awards!

2010-01-29T08:41:00.000-08:00

Just heard from our friends at Comicpalooza in Houston. Their Fandom Awards are currently open for nominations! Nominations end Feb. 5, and Voting begins Feb. 12. One of the categories is designed to recognize small press - the "Best Comic Not Distributed by Diamond Comic Distributors." There are also categories for webcomics and web series. Follow this link to nominate your favorites!

More STAPLE! Guests!

2010-01-17T13:42:00.000-08:00

I’m very pleased and excited to announce two more great guests at STAPLE! - Chris Schweizer and Jason Neulander!

Chris Schweizer is the author of the "Crogan's Adventure" series of graphic novels, including the Eisner-nominated "Crogan's Vengeance" and the recently-released "Crogan's March," available in the spring from Oni Press. Each graphic-novel in the series features a look at a different member of the historic Crogan family, a bloodline chock full of swashbuckling adventurers, gunfighters, pilots, spies, ninjas, and smugglers. Chris is also a full professor of Sequential Art and Animation at the Atlanta branch of the Savannah College of Art and Design, and his comics have been published by Oni Press, Top Shelf Productions, Image Comics, Evil Twin Comics, and Nickelodeon Magazine, among others. Chris will be presenting an entertaining and educational cartooning lecture as part of the programming for this year's STAPLE!

For more about Chris Schweizer and his work visit: www.curiousoldlibrary.com

Jason Neulander is the producer, director, and co-creator of The Intergalactic Nemesis, a radio drama that got its start as a lark at Little City Espresso Bar and Cafe in Austin back in 1996 and since then has played sold-out shows at the Paramount and Hogg Auditoriums and toured to 30 cities and towns across the US. He also created the two sequels Return of the Intergalactic Nemesis and The Intergalactic Nemesis: Twin Infinity. With the "living comic book" version, Neulander has taken the artwork for the comic book series he scripted and combined it with the live show. The artwork, by Austin artist Tim Doyle (mrdoyle.com), is projected panel by panel as three actors, one foley artist, and one musician perform the story live. The Intergalactic Nemesis: The Living Comic Book is going to be performed in its entirety at the Long Center for the Performing Arts on Labor Day weekend 2010 and next year's Fantastic Fest.

See an extended preview of The Intergalactic Nemesis: The Living Comic Book performed live at STAPLE! For more info visit: www.theintergalacticnemesis.com

STAPLE! Independent Media Expo is now on Facebook! If you’d like to be a fan of STAPLE! on Facebook just got to http://www.facebook.com/stapleaustin to sign up!

More exciting announcements coming soon!

Chris "Uncle Staple" Nicholas
www.staple-austin.org
http://www.myspace.com/staple_austin
http://www.facebook.com/stapleaustin

STAPLE! The Independent Media Expo is the Southwest’s premier event for independently produced comics, zines, art, animation, games, crafts and more! The SIXTH annual show will be held on Saturday March 6th, 11am-7pm, at the Monarch Event Center, 6406 North IH-35 Suite 3100, in Austin, Texas. Admission is still only $5.00!

TABLE ASSIGNMENTS

2010-01-17T09:52:00.000-08:00