WWK Book Release Party - The Music!

I am pleased to officially announce the music line-up for the Wonka Wonka Kochalka book release party on Friday, March 30th at the Wild Goose Creative! The party kicks off at 7pm and the live music entertainment begins at 9pm. I am soooo fortunate that three out of the four acts actually appear/are referenced in the book itself!

Elijah Aaron & The Saturday Giant appear on the “Folkadelic” sign outside Wild Goose Creative on page 1

Here’s a great example of Elijah Aaron’s style, performing "Give it Soul" in the snow (in C-Bus!). http://www.youtube.com/user/eliguy/v

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“When Death Comes” is from the 5-track EP of the same name. You can view the kick-ass video here and buy the album here.

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and  Jason Quicksall actually performs his song, “Comic Book” on page 10 of the Wonka Wonka Kochalka book itself.

Jason Quicksall performing “Comic Book” at Rumba Café. How much more meta can one comic book be??? Jeez.

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Here’s The Salty Caramels’ video of their “signature” song about C-Bus’s premier Ice Cream Shop- Jeni’s

Rounding out the evening’s entertainment will be Bree Frick and Molly Winters (which are 2/3 of The Salty Caramels). They’ll be playing under the name The PSYCHOTIC BLONDES. 

I’m determined to include these girls in a future chapter of Blink, so stay tuned!

Wonka Wonka Kochalka—The Gallery Show Postcard!

I just put in an order to local printing company Legendary Ink (no relation) for lots and lots of 5”X7” postcards and got a great deal on the price! (I’m going to totally BLANKET this city with info about this show!) Thank goodness for the total success of the Kickstarter Campaign so I can afford this kind of publicity. (I even managed to include a bit of recognition for the Kickstartin’ Blink readers who helped make this possible on the card ). Much of yesterday and a bit of today was spent laying the groundwork for the March 30th Book Release Party. It is going to be an absolute BLAST of a party! I’ll update more about it when plans get finalized.

I also set up a Facebook Event page for this “Wonka Wonka Kochalka” Gallery Show that’s happening all through March at the Wild Goose Creative.

Here’s the nitty-gritty info:

**Gallery Night Reception**
Thursday, March 15th 7p-9p

A relaxed evening of comics and conversation. Copies of "Behind the Sketchbook: The Making of Wonka Wonka Kochalka" will be available for There will be complimentary food and drinks as well as free BLINK mini comics!

***BLINK: "Wonka Wonka Kochalka" Book Release Party! ***
Friday, March 30th 7p-11p

This is it! 8 years in the making, Max Ink's "Wonka Wonka Kochalka" will be released to the world!

And here's the blah blah blah stuff:

Over 30 pages of original comic book art from the newest chapter of Max Ink's BLINK graphic novel will be on display at the Wild Goose Creative. "Wonka Wonka Kochalka" is the first chapter in the graphic novel, BLINK: SO IT GOES. The art will be on view through the month of March.

Max Ink's BLINK comic book series is set in the neighborhoods of Columbus and features "slice-of-life" stories about three charming characters, Hank, Sam and Blink. Since its inception in 2003, BLINK has showcased numerous Columbus landmarks and hang outs such as Goodale Park, Stauf's Coffee House and the Park of Roses. "Wonka Wonka Kochalka" is no different: the 32-page story is set the Wild Goose Creative and the Rumba Cafe.

Ink's work has received much praise over the years, with many reviewers commenting on the beautiful art and real-life dialog. But the

characters themselves are the focus in BLINK; to the point where they seem "less like characters and (more like) people you could easily know.” The style and tone of Ink's stories is "smooth and natural, and just happens. It's real life right on the printed page." One reviewer even likened reading BLINK to "a refreshing adult beverage — relaxing, comfortable, and yet eye-opening in noticing the world from a new perspective."

The BLINK: WWK @ WGC exhibit features all the pages from the "Wonka Wonka Kochalka" chapter in sequence, so viewers can actually read the comic in its entirety on the gallery wall! Each piece of sequential art measures 14" X 17" and is drawn in pen and ink. The printed book will be available for sale on March 30th.

Shooting for the Stars

Blink’s Super-Keen Wonka Wonka Kochalka Kickstarter Campaign is approaching its FINAL WEEK and there’s still time for you to participate!

Yes, the initial goal has already been reached, and I am astounded by the support I’ve gotten from Blink readers thus far. Seriously, you guys are the greatest!  I’ve gotten a few question over the past few weeks and I want to address them while there’s still time.

First of all, THIS CAMPAIGN IS NOT A CHARITY. All the money that’s raised through this Kickstarter campaign will go towards funding my various Blink related expenses (the printing of books, posters, t-shirts & promotional materials as well as costs involved with putting on the Blink Gallery Show in March at the Wild Goose Creative). After the campaign ends on Jan 31, the total amount raised will be deposited into my bank account (minus the percentage that Kickstarter keeps for services rendered).

You can contribute any amount ($1 or more) to the campaign and there are lots of options for people who want to give more (and if you give more, you get more). The bottom line however is that I’m essentially asking people to pre-order the “Wonka Wonka Kochalka” book for $10 (which includes shipping*). The book is going to be over 60 pages and if you’ve enjoyed Blink so far, then this new stuff is sure to knock your socks off. 

Now, one of the “premium” rewards is a painted color version of this Blink Star Wars homage poster. I’ve had this drawing around for a couple of years and figured I might as well put it to good use. So I contacted my friend Matthew Swift and asked him to make this drawing of mine look more like the original (with color). Matthew is a professional colorist—he works with DC and Marvel and a few other comic companies, so he knows his way around a color pallet. (Check out our last Blink collaboration here.) I’ve seen a snippet of the final and it’s gonna look SUPERB!! In fact, I am so pleased with what a good job Matthew’s doing, if I reach 200% of my goal, I’m going to add an oversized postcard version of the final painted poster to anyone who pre-orders the book. 

So, if you haven’t become a Blink backer yet, there’s still time! I’d love for you so to put your name on the 2-page Kickstarter “Thank You” spread that will appear in the book when its printed in March.

*Please add $5 if you live outside the U.S.

Interviews-A-Plenty

Yowza. I've been interviewed twice in the past week and a half! 

I already mentioned Interview #1 here on Saturday, but just in case you missed it, it can be read at Best of Columbus, which is a new-ish website showing off what cool stuff & people Columbus has to offer. 

Interview # 2 was conducted & filmed at Packrat Comics in Hilliard, OH just this past Sunday while I was hanging out with my cartoonist friends from the Sunday Comix group. 

And both interviews mention my Kickstarter Campaign! 

The Pen Is Mightier…

(This blog post is dedicated to the hundreds of comic book letters columns that I read and enjoyed but never wrote in to and the handful of ones that I did)

I don’t buy serialized comics these days. I wait until I can read the completed story from beginning to end and, as a result, I have four bookcases full of graphic novels (both original GNs and trade paper back collections of comic books). Like most good old-time geeks, I also have comics stored away in longboxes (four of them, coincidentally); old comics that I have either not yet to get rid of or will never get rid of.  One of the cool things about those serialized comics that I’m missing out on is the letters columns. There are still some comics that have letters columns (like  Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo and NIX Comics Quarterly, edited by Ken Eppstein), but I think a lot of readers letters have been relegated to message boards, Facebook pages and blog comment sections. “So it goes.”

Like the others, I use Facebook and Twitter and this blog/website to keep in touch with readers of Blink, and I’m grateful for the feedback I receive, the comments, the “likes” and the retweets are all very nice. But you know what I’d love more of?

Letters.

I’d love to get more letters.

Letters akin to those old school fanboy / fangirl ones that appeared in Marvel or DC comics.

And do you know what? I want to PRINT those letters in the Blink comic books. I’ve done that in the past way back when I was printing the Blink books as photocopied digest books, but as Facebook and Twitter have grown, the length and substance of letters of comment have dwindled. I’m not harping on the lack of input from people who read and love Blink, but FB comments like  “Cool!” and “Love it!!! XD” aren’t really going to make for interesting reading in a letters column.

Now, I’m not asking for this as an ego boost kind of thing. What I’m looking for is a way to incorporate the community of Blink readers into the Blink books themselves. I’ve been thinking about this for a while now and I even have a name for the letters column: PLATONIC SOCIAL INTERCOURSE. The plan is to have a 3-page PSI letters column in the individual chapters (more pages if I get enough letters), along with my usual Creatorial and Sketchbookery / Story Notes sections.

I have a couple of letters in the PSI queue right now, but I’d like a few more.  You can either send me a letter through postal mail, email, FB, or use this contact form.

To give you a taste of what you can expect to see, here’s a sample of what will appear in WWK:

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I often go out and about to work on drawing Blink—usually at a library or a coffee shop. So long as wherever I am is well lit and not too busy, I can get my work done. I like the flow of people around me while I work, and most of the time I am left to my own devices.

However, being as I am creating art in a public place, from time to time there are people will notice me and notice what I’m doing and maybe take a passing glance or proffer a comment or question. Typically, I will explain what I’m doing (making comics) and ask the person if they read any comics. I’d estimate that half of the time the answer is “no” (which I appreciate) and the other half is '”yes” (which I love). Whether or not they read comics, I offer them a free Blink mini comic and autograph it with a sketch as a sign of appreciation for their interest.

There are times when their interest in my work is a step above curious and that’s when I offer them a copy of BLINK: SO FAR. (I keep a few stashed in my backpack for such occasions.) There have been times when people have bought the book on the spot (which is awesome) and other times when they decline (which is understandable). On a few occasions, the people are genuinely enthusiastic about the book, but have no funds with them. And so I give them the book—with the mutual understanding that they’ll pay me when they can.

On a recent afternoon, while working on Blink at Stauf’s Coffee House in Grandview Heights, I struck up a conversation with a pleasant young lady, Norah who noticed my work.  Although the chat was brief (she’s a freshman at OSU and had homework to finish), she was one of those people who was “a step above curious” and a lover of comics, which prompted me to give her a copy of BLINK: SO FAR.

Later that evening, I received an email like none I had ever gotten before--

Dear Max Ink,

I cannot tell you how happy I am to have met you at Stauf’s! It was really the most wonderful timing and I want to tell you why. Somehow, over the past few months, I have found myself in this ugly depressed state. It is the most unusual thing. I've always been very happy, and curious, and quietly silly, but lately, it's been hard to keep hold of these innate Norah qualities. I have felt very alone because I have known no one else who thinks like me, until this evening when I met Blink. Without a doubt, “Blink” is the loveliest comic in all the world. Reading it has given me a revitalized sense of self, which I really needed at this time. Please allow me to pay you back for the book.

Wishing you all the best,
Norah

You know what, Norah? There are lots of times when I feel the same way about the comic, and I create it. Thank you so much for your letter—your response is one of the key reasons why I write and draw Blink. It is my sincerest wish that you find some people with whom you can relate to in a mutually understanding way. However, as a supplement, I’m happy to continue making this “loveliest comic in the world” for you and anyone else who’s interested.

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So…

That’s the sort of letter writing  and response that I’m wanting for Blink’s Platonic Social Intercourse letter column. Of course, I don’t expect `em all to be that naked and heartfelt—but I’d love honest letters, thoughtful letters, letters written with sincerity and curiosity.

Or jokes.  That’d be nice, too.