usagiguy

Bears for San Diego

2008-07-17T14:45:10Z

Daughter Hannah is working on her Girl Scout Gold Award--collecting teddy bears to donate to the South Pasadena Fire and Police Departments. Bears are given to comfort children after traumatic experiences, such as home fires or domestic disturbance calls.

She has contacted churches and other organizations in the area. If you would like to help, and if you will be at the San Diego Con, bring a new teddy over to our booth--#4906. It is listed in the exhibitor's guide under "Stan Sakai".

Thank you.

Obon

2008-07-16T20:36:50Z

I will be doing a signing this Saturday evening at a Japanese Obon Matsuri (Festival of the Dead) in Pasadena, CA. Also there will be Disney cartoonist and old buddy Willie Ito. Willie has illustrated a children's book about the Heart Mountain Internment Camp in Wyoming.

We'll be there sponsored by Heritage Source, a mail-order bookstore that specializes in Japan-related books. They ship all over the world. Here is their website:

http://www.heritagesource.com/

Getting ready for San Diego

2008-07-14T14:14:26Z

I finally finished the art to Usagi Yojimbo #115. Now I can start thinking about the San Diego Con. It usually takes me a full two weeks to organize books, sign and sketch in everything, and draw commissions. However, I've only got a week this time. I don't even know what my inventory is like. I do know I'm out of Book 10. That might be the only one that is currently out of print. I don't keep track of printing schedules, but I do know that Dark Horse is going back to press on four UY trades. The Book 22 trade hit the stands a couple of weeks ago, but I'm not sure if I will get the hardcovers in time. UY 113 comic should be coming out during the con.

Time to get into Con Mode. I'll be at corner booth 4906 in the fantasy artists section as in past years. Some of the artists usually around me are Charles Vess, Mark Schulz, Bill Stout, Jim Silke, Mike Mignola, Geoff Darrow, Gary Gianni and Scott Morse. Stuart Ng Books is just kitty corner away. I'm going to miss Dave Stevens. He was usually next to Stout, but had been absent the past few years. I'll try to make it to his tribute panel, which is right after the Jack Kirby tribute panel.

I'm on the Groo panel at 1 pm on Thursday. I would also like to attend the Floyd Norman spotlight. He is one of the greats in animation, and a terrific speaker. I also have a Saturday morning signing at Dark Horse.

This will be my 30th consecutive SD Con.

Dave

2008-07-11T15:29:11Z

The CAPS meeting last night was to remember our friend Dave Stevens who passed away earlier this year. It was very well attended by industry pros. A panel consisting of Bill Morrison, Scott Shaw!, Mark Evanier, Russ Heath, Bill Wray, Jim Silke, William Stout, and Paul Power told how they met Dave and stories of their studio mate. Then it was open to the floor for others to say a few words about Dave. Some stories were funny, others were hilarious, and some were very touching. He was a terrific artist, but he was also a great guy.

If you think Dave was a handsome man, Scott revealed he was even better looking as a woman as he found out when Dave was dressed for a Halloween party by two transvestites. Ed Wood himself was at the event. Bill Wray told of how Dave was stalked by Michael Jackson after storyboarding Thriller. Dave enjoyed going to diners, and at one time revealed he wanted to give up art for a no-pressure job as a short order cook. Mark chimed in that it would have taken him three weeks to make a meat loaf, but it would have been the best meat loaf you ever ate.

People brought Dave originals, about two dozen, that covered his history from Russ Manning assistant, to early Hanna Barbera days to The Rocketeer, to Raiders of the Lost Ark storyboards, to an oil painting done in his last few months. There was an auction of three signed prints with the proceeds going to hairy cell leukemia research. The one signed by Dave and Bettie Page went for $1300.

Other pros in attendance included Paul Dini, Sergio Aragones, Bob Chapman, Marv Wolfman, Bob Foster, Carol Lay, Floyd Norman, and Kazu Kibiushi. We all raised a toast to Dave at the end of the night.

There will be a Dave Stevens panel on Sunday morning at Comic-con. Please attend if you're able to.

Tomoe's Story

2008-06-20T14:39:20Z

FedEx just delivered copies of my new book, Usagi Yojimbo Book 22: Tomoe's Story. It reprints UY #90-93 of the Dark Horse comics, and the three Fantagraphics Color Specials. However, I could not find the original art for the first Color Special (drawn 20 years ago), so had to redraw the 20 page story. It was interesting to see how my art has changed over the years.

Heidi MacDonald wrote the introduction. Usagi has never been compared to Elvis on a black velvet painting before. Ha! I love it. One thing that I have been very proud of with the books is the caliber of introduction suppliers, which have included: Stan Lee, Will Eisner, Jack Davis, Lynn Johnston, Sergio Aragones, and film makers John Landis and Alejandro Jodorowsky.

It is also gratifying that almost all the books are currrently in print. When they fall out of print, they are usually reprinted in 6-8 months.

Cyd Charisse

2008-06-18T14:56:16Z

Cyd Charisse passed away at age 86, due to a heart attack.

Ironically, we are going to a stage production of Singin' in the Rain tonight.

Sketchbook 5

2008-06-13T16:44:45Z

Like so many artists, I have been printing up sketchbooks every year to sell at conventions. Here's the cover of this year's book. As in past years, it contains little seen or never published drawings and roughs.

Nilson

2008-06-09T18:01:52Z

Here is an unpublished painting of Nilson Groundthumper done in 1982, two years before the first Nilson and Hermy story was published in Albedo comics #1. Whereas my Usagi Yojimbo is about feudal Japan, the Nilson stories, for the most part, takes place during the same time in Europe.

Nilson predates Usagi Yojimbo by many, many years. In fact, Usagi was to have been a secondary character in the Nilson epic. The entire story would have taken about 2,500 pages, and would have told the story of why there are animal-animals, why there are funny-animals, and the rise of the humans. It would have started off with short humorous stories, turning into longer, more dramatic, story arcs spanning an entire generation. The entire thing was to culminate with the anthromorphs making their last stand in a castle that looked much like the abbey at Mont St Michele (I was very excited when I finally got to visit that site in France).

I finished about 100 pages of Nilson stories for Albedo, Critters, and the UY Color Specials. As I said, Usagi was to have been a character in the Nilson story, and would have been introduced at about page 1,000. However, I fell in love with the samurai rabbit after I completed his first adventure, so I pretty much sidelined Nilson. I've since completed about 4,000 pages of Usagi stories. The last remnant of the Nilson epic ironically appears in UY Book 1. I drew Lord Hikiji, the main political power in UY and who would have been the major villain in Nilson, as a human.

The painting was done with acrylic paints on an 8x10 inch canvas board.

Michetz' Usagi

2008-06-02T15:41:47Z

It may surprise many to learn that my favorite artist of the samurai genre is not Japanese but Belgian. Michetz, with writer Bosse, does a wonderful series of albums titled "Kogaratsu", the story of a wandering (human) samurai. I first saw Mitchez' work when I bought a b&w English edition of The Blood Lotus. Geoff Darrrow sent me eight color albums when he was living in France, and I was totally blown away by them. I have a dozen Kogaratsu and his two volumes of Tako on my book shelf now, and look for anything new from him whenever I travel to Europe. A few years ago, I was given a beautiful oversize original Kogaratsu drawing that was used as a print.

Mitchez has a reputation of being a bit of a recluse, but I was looking forward to meeting him when he and I had a two person exhibition at the Japan Tower in Brussels. The Tower is adjacent to the royal resident, and has an entrance, called the Queen's Door, that connects it to the private garden so that the royal family can visit the Tower at their convenience. It was locked when I visited. Anyway, I was looking forward to meeting Mitchez, but he did not attend the opening.

My second trip to Belgium was for the birthday of my publisher, a good friend of Mitchez. Unfortunately, again, he chose not to attend. Mitchez does like Usagi, though. He has done quite a few drawing of my rabbit ronin, all specific scenes from stories.

Eisner exhibit

2008-05-29T17:03:19Z

I went to the opening of the Will Eisner exhibit last night at Storyopolis in Studio City. Sergio, Mark, Tom, and I are working on a 5 page story for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and this seemed a good chance to exchange pages. Mark's assistant brought over the pages Tuesday night, and I was to give the lettered pages to Sergio Wednesday. However, halfway to Storyopolis, I remembered those pages were sitting next to the front door 10 miles behind me. Nothing to do, except turn around.

There were quite a few comic book folks in attendance at the exhibit (name dropping time): Bill Morrison, Batton Lash, Tone Rodriguez, Bob Foster, Scott Shaw!, James Owen, and others. Jackie Estrada (coordinator of the Eisner Awards), Denis Kitchen (Eisner agent), and Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragones (Eisner friends) spoke on a panel to a standing room audience (there were no chairs). Denis was especially interesting because he had a business as well as personal relationship with Will.

The exhibit was inspiring. I had never seen so many Eisner originals in one place--walls and walls of it, from his Spirit newspaper days to his more recent work, rough sketches to finished inks to paintings. I had never seen Will's pencil layouts before. Many of them were framed along with the finished art. I was amazed at how tight his roughs were. Mine tends to be little more than stick figures.

Mark Evanier, Paul Levitz, Sergio Aragones

Kazu Kibuishi

Will was a true gentleman. I once sent him a birthday card, and a week later received a thank you note. When the San Diego Con was honoring Will I did a Spirit drawing for the con book, and I received another thank you card from the man. I got to know him, and he graciously wrote the introduction to Grasscutter, my 12th Usagi collection. I won one of my Eisner Awards for that, so was able to thank Will publicly for being such an inspiration. I even had him sign my award for me (I'm such a fanboy).

The most intimidating panel I was ever on was pretty early in my career. I was scheduled with Will, Stan Lee, and Neal Adams. I have no idea why I was put on with these veterans. I said a few words, then kept my mouth shut the rest of the hour listening to the others and their stories about the "old days."

The exhibition will be up for a month or so. If you're in the area, take a look at it. It is well worth the time. Here is the link:

http://www.storyopolis.com/gallery_events.html

Happy Birthday to me

2008-05-25T15:49:45Z

Yep. Another year.

I have been given a number of caricatures over the years. Here is one of SimpStan by Bill Morrison. It seems appropriate for this day.

Whenever I travel, it takes as many days to get back into my regular routine. If I'm gone for 10 days, it takes about 10 days to get back on schedule, mainly work-wise. In the past 3 weeks all I've gotten done was the 8-page story for DH Presents and a cover. I had also been laboring on the art for UY 114. Yesterday, I pencilled 8 pages. Hopefully, the slump is over. That is the best birthday present I could give myself.

More Sergio

2008-05-18T13:55:56Z

It was posted on one of the Groo forums that I've put up some unpublished Sergio Aragones art, so now I feel obligated to post a few more.

Here's another one of his famous crowd scenes. Each is more crowded than the last. I think this was drawn in 1998.

This one, from 1983, is an early Groo drawing, but it's one of my favorites. You can see how Groo has changed over the years. His face is a bit more "roundy" now.

Here's something you don't see very often--a Sergio pencil drawing. His pencils are usually almost nonexistent. A circle with a big nose could be Groo. A circle without a nose could be a charging army.

And this is what was on the back of that penciled drawing. Sometimes the backs of Sergio's pages are even better than the front. There might be studies of warrior women, or, in this case, Japanese joinery. I remember getting pages from him after his trip to Tahiti. There were watercolor paintings of landscapes and beautiful sunsets.

Oh, here's the link to that forum:
http://feargroo.proboards2.com/index.cgi?

Color Usagi

2008-05-17T15:28:58Z

Here are a couple of color Usagi pieces from Ken Steacy and Olivier Vatine.

I knew of Ken Steacy's work since Star Reach first serialized The Sacred and the Profane in the early 1980's. I met him a couple of years later in LA--probably at a CAPS meeting after the San Diego Con.
We were both invited to be guests at a convention in Winnipeg in 1990. I was probably there with Steve Rude. We traveled to a bunch of conventions together at that time. Anyway, Ken was looking through my portfolio and suggested an art trade, to which I quickly and enthusiastically agreed. He could not decide between two pieces, so I told him to take both. He promised to give me a drawing the next time we saw each other. True to his word, a few months later at the 1991 San Diego Con, he gave me this beautiful airbrushed piece. Yes, it is an actual colored piece, this is long before Photoshop was around.

Vatine is one of my favorite French artists. For me, he is right up there with Moebius and Loisel. He is best known for Aqua Blue, though I prefer his westerns Adios Palomita and Angela. I also have Pink Planet, a beautiful artbook. I was at the 2006 Angouleme festival, signing at my publisher's booth, when someone came up to me and said, "Vatine likes your work. He did this for you." I marveled at the art, but, by the time I looked up, the guy was gone. I have no idea who he was, and I have never met Vatine, though I would like to. I love this piece.

Vatine did the festival poster for the 2006 Quai de Bulles in St Malo.

Published Usagi

2008-05-16T15:38:18Z

Here are three published Usagi drawings by two creators--Frank Miller and Guy Davis.

Frank did this as a cover to Dark Horse Presents. I inquired about the original, and was told, "Frank does not sell his originals..." I was actually relieved, because I knew I could not afford it. "...but he wants to GIVE you that piece." Wow. I returned the favor a couple of years later by giving him a Sin City drawing I had done for a Dark Horse convention giveaway comic.

I have been a huge Guy Davis fan since I picked up the first issue of Baker Street. Since then, he was the artist for Sandman Mystery Theater, his own Marquis, and is currently drawing Mike Mignola's BPRD. We have traded a bunch of sketches, pin-ups and story pages over the years. I was very intimidated when I first saw him in person--a big guy clad in black leather, chains, and an orange mohawk. He turned out to be a truly nice person--even today without that mohawk.

Space Usagi

2008-05-15T14:45:38Z

Here are two Space Usagi drawings by Geof Darrow and Tom Fowler.

I love Geof's insanely detailed art. He worked on the Matrix movie, and comic series Bourbon Thret, Shaolin Cowboy, Hard Boiled, and Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot. Also, a hell of a nice guy. My strangest Geof Darrow moment was when I was a guest at a con in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and he showed up. I did not recognize him at first, because it just seemed so out of place for him to be there. It turns out he grew up there, and was visiting from France where he was living at the time. He saw I was going to be at the con, and dropped in. We share a love of old samurai movies, and he gave me a bunch of posters for chambara flicks.

Tom would make the trek down from Canada to San Diego every year. The con has gotten so big, though, that we have not had a chance to get together for the last couple of years. He is about the only cartoonist I know that looks comfortable in a suit.

Three for Trilogy

2008-05-14T15:19:16Z

I don't ask for Usagi drawings in these art trades. I take whatever is given to me. However, very often, they do draw Usagi, for which I am always grateful. I really enjoy seeing other creators' interpretations of my character.

Today I've got Usagi drawings from three of my Trilogy-mates. In 1997, Linda Medley, Jeff Smith, and Charles Vess pooled their resources and launched the Trilogy Tour. They hit the major US conventions in a united front garnering lots of publicity and increased sales. They doubled the number of creators in 1998 with Trilogy 2 by inviting Jill Thompson, Mark Crilley, and me to join them.

We met for the first time one humid summer day in an old warehouse in Virginia where we worked for a week on strategy, building 6 8'crates and 2 12' crates, props (including giant styrofoam standing stones), and a 16' aluminum and chicken wire framed tree. The tree became our centerpiece, and the interior was large enough for a meeting/storage room. There was also a ladder with which one could climb to the top for a very nice overview of any con. The entire display took 8 full hours to set up, and 8 to break down.

We kicked off the tour at Heroes Con, went on to Wizard Chicago, and San Diego, and finished off at Mid-Ohio. It was my most aggravating year in comics. It was also my most favorite year. I wish I had kept a journal of the entire experience as Mark did. Someday I'll have to write down what I do remember.

I ordered a copy of Bone the first time I saw it advertised in The Comics Journal. Jeff says I was the first comics professional he had contact with. This drawing was done at the 1992 San Diego Con--the first he ever attended.

I thought Mark was the most dedicated artist of all the Trilogy guys. He was constantly drawing, and filled sketchbook after sketchbook. He was also a very good friend. Unfortunately, I've lost touch with him since he had left comics to pursue prose writing. He has a few series for the growing teen market: Akiko, a continuation of his comic/graphic novel series; Billy Clikk, a sci-fi series; and Miko Falls, a 4 book graphic novel series. I do keep up with his career by buying all his books.

What can I say about Charles Vess, except he is one of the best fantasy artists around and he is a hell of a good guy.

Here are some links (with photos) of Trilogy 2. This year marks its 10th anniversary.
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/9205/trilogytour/tritour98/hconinterview.html
http://www.glasswings.com.au/comics/sdcc1998/
http://www.usagiyojimbo.com/conventions/sdcc-1998.html
http://www.usagiyojimbo.com/casl/letters/specials/trilogy2.html

More Usagi drawings

2008-05-13T16:25:31Z

I'm on a roll, so here's a couple more Usagi drawings by other creators:

Travis (Wildcats) Charest and his wife were guests at the Gijon, Spain comics festival along with Sharon and me. They are very nice people (as were the other guests). It seems that whenever we do these art trades I get the better end of the bargain.

Here's another Sergio piece. How many of his characters do you recognize? I include this one to segue to the next drawing.

This one is not Usagi, but it is a neat piece--Groo penciled by Sergio and inked by the late, great John (Conan) Buscema. We were guests at the comics festival in Bergen, Norway in 1999. John was an extremely gracious man, a very proud Sicilian. You will really have to enlarge it to see Sergio's pencils. Just keep clicking on the drawing.

Usagi drawings

2008-05-12T14:59:37Z

I've gotten a fair number of Usagi drawings over the last couple of decades from friends and fellow cartoonists. I posted a couple of them last month, and I think I'll turn this into a semi-regular feature. Here are a couple of old drawings by two very good friends--Peter Laird of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Sergio Aragones of Mad, Groo, and (currently) The Spirit.

Click on the drawings to see a larger image.

Peter did this at the 1985 San Diego Comic-con, when it was still at the old downtown Convention Center. Both the Turtles and Usagi had been around for only a few months. I believe we were all at the San Diego Hotel. It was THE hotel to stay at, right across the street from the tattoo parlors and bail bondsmen. This was the first time I had met Peter and Kevin, though we had exchanged letters and admired each others' work.

Sergio is one of my oldest and dearest friends, ever since I found his name listed in the phone book. Don't bother looking though. He pulled his name from the listing soon after we met. I have a bunch of his drawings, and he has a lot of mine. He did this one in 1999.

Hulk Cover

2008-05-11T15:50:49Z

I turned in my Samurai Hulk cover this past week. My editor at Marvel was leaving for another job, and Friday would be his last day so I wanted him to see it before he left. This project has a new editor, but it still has not been put on the schedule, so I don't know when it will be published.

Orphan works act

2008-05-10T14:39:38Z

I had heard about the Orphan Works Act, making art theft legal. I am not a lawyer, but basically, if an "infringer" wants to use any piece of art but cannot locate the creator after what he himself decides is a "reasonably diligent search", it is orphaned and is up for grabs.

I received this from the National Cartoonists Society yesterday. Part of it has been edited out, as it may pertain to members.

"The NCS Board and Stu Rees (NCS legal counsel) are taking the unusual step of urging you to write Congress in opposition to the pending Orphan Works Act of 2008. If enacted, this radical legislation will undermine key elements of your copyright protection. The House and Senate have different versions of the bill, and there are likely to be some modifications, but nothing under serious consideration makes this legislation remotely acceptable.

To take action, simply click this link

http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/

and select one of the form letters. We recommend the letter titled “For Visual Artists – Any Image Can Be Infringed”. All you’ll need to do is add your contact information at the bottom of the page and press “Send Message”. It’s as easy as it is important.

/s/ Jeff Keane, NCS President
On behalf of the National Cartoonists Society

/s/ Stu Rees, Attorney for the NCS"

The above link also explains how the bills will affect visual artists.

Click here to see a copy of Senate version of bill S 2913 The Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008:
http://www.sellyourtvconceptnow.com/orphan/The_Shawn_Bentley_Orphan_Works_Act_of_2008.pdf

Here is the House version of the Orphan Works Act of 2008:
http://www.sellyourtvconceptnow.com/orphan/The_Orphan_Works_Act_of_2008.pdf

Stockholm

2008-05-09T18:28:06Z

Stockholm, Sweden April 24-29, 2008

I arrived at Arlanda Airport at about 10 AM Thursday. The flight from Warsaw was only three-quarters full, so baggage claim went quickly. I exchanged euros for crowns because it was about 1 for 1, whereas the dollar was half that. Anders from the Culture House met me, and we bussed the hour into Stockholm. We walked over to the comics and graphic novels library at the Culture House in downtown, where I met Kristiina, the head librarian and director of the SPX. The graphics novel library is separate from the regular library, and contains English and Swedish comics and albums. I wish we had libraries like this in the US!

Anders and I took a walk to see the cherry blossoms. It is said that there are three days of cherry blossom viewing. If that is true, then we were there on the third day. It was beautiful, with everything in full bloom. However, there were a few sprigs of green leaves just starting to emerge.

Anders

Stockholm on the east coast of Sweden, is built on a series of islands connected by bridges. We continued past the royal palace and the Old Town, past the statue of St George and the dragon, to a great vegetarian buffet restaurant overlooking the bay. I had never been to a European vegetarian restaurant and everything was unfamiliar to me, but delicious.

We retrieved my bag from the library, and walked the kilometer or so to the Scandic Hotel and checked in. I was on the fourth floor (fifth in the US). The hotel had an elevator, but I preferred taking the stairs. The best thing about the Scandic is that it had a couple of public computers with internet access. Friends in Poland had been sending Sharon progress reports of my travels, but now I could communicate with her myself.

Axel, aka AT73, from the Usagi website had come up from southern Sweden to spend the weekend in Stockholm. He met me at my afternoon book store signing in Old Town, and would be my guide for much of my stay. I walked back to the Culture House to meet NouNouHau, a group of four mangaka from Japan. I, very regretfully, had to decline an invitation from Watanabe-san, the secretary of the Japanese Embassy, to join him and NouNouHau for dinner. I was just too tired. Jet lag had rapidly caught up to me, so I ate a reindeer sandwich in my room and went to sleep.

I went down for an early breakfast served smorgasbord, of course. There was a small container of caviar paste. I like fish eggs, whether they are Iranian caviar, ikura, or tarako, but I have never had caviar paste. Nor did I know what to put it on. I took a small dab anyway, and had it with a soft boiled egg. It was pretty good, giving it a salty and sweet taste. I had it for breakfast every morning, along with my croissant, sausage, and fruit.

I had most of Friday free, and spent the day wandering around the city. I went to the beautiful city hall, to the palace to see the changing of the guard, and to Old Town. There were very pretty blue flowers growing wild wherever there was an open patch of grass. A local told me it just is not spring without those flowers. In the evening, there was a short meet and greet at the Culture House, then I had my best night's sleep since arriving in Europe six nights ago.

Palace guards

From outside the palace

Neat blue flowers

I met Axel Saturday morning, and we walked over to the Vasa Museum on the island once used as the king's hunting preserve. The Vasa is a 17th century ship whose maiden voyage lasted all of 20 minutes. She sank like a rock in 1628. The brine of the Baltic Sea had preserved her, and she was dredged in the 1960's and the museum was built around her. She is a beautiful ship in remarkable condition. We took a ferry back to one of the mainlands, and lunched at the Opera House cafe. I had a delicious smoked herring sandwich.

The Vasa

Axel

Waiting for the ferry

We got to the Culture House at noon, just in time for the tenth annual Small Press Expo's opening ceremony. Besides myself and the Japanese contingent, other guests included Top Shelf's Chris Staros, Patrik Norrman (who I had met when I was in Norway), and Norio Torimotoi. Torimoto Sensei is designated an origami master-- one of ten in the world. He did a presentation and two workshops, and I was at all of them. There was an exhibition of his work that included origami portraits and dragons, a huge winged horse, and the Swedish hero Nils Holgersson flying on a goose, each made from a single sheet of paper.

Me, pretty redhead, Chris Staros

Torimoto Sensei

The SPX had two halls for publishers to promote and sell their books, and a stage for interviews and presentations. Admission was free to the public. I made the rounds to the various publishers and creators' tables. There was a group from a cartooning school whose work I was impressed with. I did a signing, where Horst, my Swedish publisher, introduced himself.

Horst

There was a light rain, and through the windows I could see a demonstration in the central square below. People were running in a huge circle carrying Chinese flags. It was very well organized and orderly, so I wasn't sure if it was pro- or anti- China.

I did an interview/presentation Sunday afternoon, followed by a signing. The Expo ended Sunday evening, and I joined a group that metroed to the Blue Door, a Swedish restaurant. I had lamb meatballs with potatoes, and lingonberry drink.

Anders met me at the hotel on Monday morning and we walked over to the sightseeing boats for a one hour tour of some of the islands that make up the city. We walked past the cherry blossoms again, and saw that most of the pedals had already fallen and green leaves had taken their place. He took me to the main library where there was a special exhibition on Selma Lagerlof, the creator of Nils Holgersson. Anders and I lunched at the Grone Jagaren (The Green Hunter), where I had isterband sausage with beets and potato salad. Quite good. We continued our walk to a junior high school where I did a presentation for an art class.

Just a few days later, and most of the blossoms had fallen

Stockholm from the water

I met Axel at the hotel in the evening, and we walked to the Grand Hotel for a real Swedish smorgasbord. The restaurant had a very nice view of the palace, and I enjoyed seeing the shadows change as the evening progressed. The Swedish flag was raised, signifying that the king was in residence. The buffet was great with three kinds of smoked, as well as poached, salmon. There was also reindeer sausages and smoked reindeer. The pickled herring was delicious. I particularly enjoyed the sorbet dessert.

Smorgasbord!

I checked out of the hotel by 4 am Tuesday, caught a cab to the Central Train Station and rode the Arlanda Express to the airport. It is a 20 minute ride, and you get a refund if they are more than 2 minutes late. I exchanged my crowns for dollars, and was surprised at how much I got. My Scandinavian Air flight was supposed to leave at 6:30, but I was getting worried when we were still on the runway at 7. I had little more than an hour for my connection, and did not want to miss another flight. The plane got into Frankfurt at 9. I quickly went through passport control right to my gate, where my flight was already boarding. I had an aisle seat, and the flight was uneventful. I was able to thumbnail my 8 page story. We arrived in LA at 12:30 pm. I caught the Flyaway bus and Metro, and was home
by 3.

Stockholm is a beautiful city. People ride bicycles everywhere. There are even racks of bikes for rent on the streets. Those that do not ride, walk. I must have easily walked 5 miles each day, a good way to work off all that food I've been eating. Thanks have to go to Anders and Kristiina at the SPX for inviting me to be a guest. Special thanks to Axel for showing me around the city, as well as treating me to some wonderful meals.

Poland

2008-05-04T16:02:03Z

Poland April 19-24, 2008

I had been invited to be the guest of honor at the Swedish Small Press Expo in Stockholm. Since I would be in that part of the world, Egmont Polska, my Polish publisher, invited me to return to that country for a few days of signings and interviews. In the 5 or 6 years since Usagi was first introduced in Poland, all 21 books and Space Usagi have been published. Tomoe's Story comes out in the US in July, and it is already scheduled for November in Poland. My last trip to Europe was about six months ago, and much has happened in terms of air travel. Three airlines had declared bankruptcy, security had tightened, and, just last week, American Airlines had canceled about 2,000 flights. I had traveled a few days ago to Vermont, then on to Oregon, and back to Los Angeles. The Vermont/Oregon leg took me 29 hours to complete because of weather, so I was not looking forward to flying again so soon. I would be taking a United Airlines flight from LAX to Frankfurt and would have 40 minutes to rebook at Lufthansa-Frankfurt, get to my gate, then continue to Warsaw. I was told this would be no problem. No problem at all. There would be plenty of time.

Day 1-2: In which I miss my flight
I left LAX early Saturday afternoon. The flight to Germany went smoothly. I received my seat assignment at the gate at LAX. They did not have aisle seats, but I was given a seat next to the aisle in one of those extra-legroom rows, a $200 value on one of these flights. I had to write two stories on this trip--an 8 pager for Dark Horse Presents, and a 60 pager for a special project. I started on the longer story, and had most it it written by the time we landed. I don't sleep much on planes.

I had never flown to Frankfurt, so had no idea of the airport layout. I thought it would be a matter of walking over to my gate, checking in at Lufthansa, and flying out. The reality was, I had to go through passport control, check in at Lufthansa in the main lobby, and go through security. It took me an hour to get to my gate, and, of course, my flight had already left. I rebooked on the next flight, leaving three hours later. I tried calling Tomek, my editor, but could not get through. I hunkered in for a long wait, hoping someone would meet me at the other end.

The flight arrived at Chopin Airport at 7 pm Sunday. I exchanged some dollars for zlotys. When I was here almost 4 years ago, I had gotten almost 4 zlotys per US dollar. Now I got 2 for 1. I bypassed passport control, because I flew in from another EU country. Tomek was waiting for me outside of baggage claim. When I was not on my original flight, he inquired if I had rebooked for another. We went to his home for a delicious home-cooked meal with his wife, two children, and friends.

I got to the Campanile Hotel at 10:30, brushed my teeth, and fell asleep.

Day 3: In which I get no soup
I was on a 9 hour time difference. It takes my body clock a few days to adjust when I travel, so it was not surprising that I woke up at midnight. Though tired, I did not fall asleep again until 3, and by the time I was in a deep sleep, my alarm woke me up at 6. I breakfasted, and took a walk around the hotel area. The local train station and an open air marketplace was nearby. It was a beautiful day, and I would be blessed with wonderful weather for most of my trip. In the next week I would hear, "It was raining and cold last week." or, "There was snow on the ground not long ago."

Tomek and Kasia met me in the lobby at 9. Kasia would be escorting me to Krakow. A newspaper journalist arrived a short time later for my first interview of the day, and a television reporter and crew arrived 30 minutes later.

I checked out of the hotel, and Kasia and I taxi-ed over to the Central Train Station for the three hour ride to Krakow. A writer for a Japanese fan magazine accompanied us to Krakow and conducted an interview in our compartment.

We arrived at 2, and Kasia and I taxi-ed to the Hotel Campanile Krakow. The weather was sunny and warm, so we lunched outdoors. I had a fetuccini alfredo with smoked duck, asparagus and parmesean.

Kasia and me in Krakow

Krakow is a beautiful city, untouched during the wars. Part of the original city walls still stand, but a park was established in those sections that were torn down. Wawel Castle sits on the hill overlooking the town. The huge Cloth Hall is in the middle of Krakow's large central plaza. It now houses a vast multitude of shops. I bought some amber jewelry, gifts for the family. I really noticed the weakness of the dollar. Prices seemed to have doubled since the last time. An unexpected drawback to the weak dollar is that it is now just as economical for English speakers to buy American editions of books, rather the translated Polish ones.

We met my translator, Artur, at the hotel, and we went through four more interviews--two for radio. Artur was born in Poland, but his family had escaped and eventually made their way to Seattle. He is back working on his PHD. He took us on a tour of the city, including the window of the monastery where Pope John Paul 2 (a hometown boy) would lean out to talk to the people. There is a life-size picture of him in the window as if addressing a crowd. Then Artur led us to our next stop--a cafe/meeting hall. There was another interview, followed by a Q&A and a signing.

By 8:30 we were on our way to a restaurant noted for its "down to earth Polish food". I had the baked pig's knuckle. I knew it as a German dish but had never had it. I had also asked for soup, but our waiter said, "No. No soup for you. Knuckle." He gave very good advice. The pig's knuckle was huge--more than a kilo (2.2 pounds), and came with a side of fresh horse radish. It was delicious, but there was quite a bit left over. We also had bread with lard and cracklings. Salt from the local mines could be sprinkled on the lard for taste. Tomek called to tell us that this morning's TV interview ran on the evening news in Warsaw.

Day 4: In which I get punched in the gut
Intellectually, I had known about Auschwitz. I had read books, seen documentaries, seen it referenced countless times in movies and television. But knowing about it and being there, however removed by time and circumstances, are two different things. Yesterday, Artur had said, "Going to Auschwitz is like getting punched in the gut." It is true, but I did not know when the punch would come, or how forceful it would be.

Auschwitz should be alone and lonely, so I was surprised to see a community around it. It looks inviting at first, with its neat rows of red brick buildings and lush green lawns, almost like a college campus. But the horror builds on itself. It builds when you see the electrified barb wire fences, the guard towers, and as you pass through the gates with the slogan, "Work will set you free." It builds as you walk through the prisoners' line up yard, pass the gallows, and enter their barracks. It builds when you see those empty cans of gas crystals, pass the medical experiments building, the torture cells, and see the Death Wall. For me, the punch came as soon as I set foot in the room of hair. More than a ton of human hair, bleached gray with time, behind a glass wall. This was just a small part of the hair that was collected and shipped or would be shipped to mills for making cloth for uniforms. The punches continued through the rooms of suitcases marked with their owners' names, displays of clothing, eye glasses, and the hall of shoes, It was a pummeling by the time we entered the gas chamber and crematorium. We took a break--we had to take a break--after that.

But the Nazis were not killing fast enough, so they build Auschwitz 2 at nearby Birkenau. Now, instead of hundreds, they could kill more than four thousand a day. Auschwitz 2 was set apart from any community, with railroad tracks going straight to the dividing platform. Doctors would quickly evaluate each person. Those that were fit would be ordered to the barracks. Those that were not--pregnant women, children, the infirm-- were sent to the gas chambers disguised as showers. Just their ruins remain, having been destroyed by the Nazis toward the end of the war to cover their crimes. Most of the wooden barracks are gone as well, but the brick ones remain. It is a huge camp, to match the size of the atrocities committed here. The conditions were worse than at the first camp. I was glad the clouds had rolled in, making for a dreary day. Yesterday would have been too nice a day for Auschwitz. A short, light rain began to fall as we left.

Auschwitz 2

barracks

Auschwitz Memorial

We arrived in Katowice (Ka-toe-wit-se) a little later than expected. Humbert and a co-worker from the Imago book store had picked us up in Krakow, and were our drivers today. I had my first interview over lunch at a Russian restaurant. I had a stew, but not like any I had ever had. It was a dry stew, with grilled meats and vegetables. Then it was off to Imago for the signing, followed by a public interview and Q&A at a conference center that was organized by members of the science fiction book club. I was given an anthology of SF stories written by Polish authors, in English. Then it was off to another Russian dinner. I had peppered duck baked in honey. It was a curious blend of savory and sweet. I drank blackberry juice.

Polish fans

Day 5: In which we return to Warsaw
Kasia and I took the 9 am train to Warsaw, a three hour journey. We caught a cab from Warsaw Central to the Marriott Courtyard, literally meters away from the Chopin Airport terminal. We lunched in the restaurant. I had pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon, with beets.

Kasia had to leave, but first introduced me to Johanna who would be my escort in Warsaw. I had a newspaper interview in the hotel lobby, then we taxi-ed to a bookstore for a television interview and signing. Tomek dropped by to say farewell. It was his wedding anniversary, so could not accompany me today.

We metroed to my next signing at a store in the central metro station. Post signing, an interview for a children's TV show.

We dined with Jarek, my Polish translator. He is a science fiction novelist, but works on Usagi because he enjoys my stories. I had the baked goose with julienne beets, and creme brulee with strawberries.

Day 6: If it's Thursday, it must be Sweden
I checked out of the hotel at 6, and walked across the street to the terminal. I was taking an 8 am Lot Polish Air flight to Stockholm.

Most of Poland was a blur. I was there three full days, with 15 interviews and 5 signings in three cities. However, I had a great time. The people there are wonderful, and Krakow is one of my favorite cities. Thanks have to go to Egmont Polska for inviting me over and taking care of me, and to the Polish contingent of the Usagi Dojo for meeting me in Warsaw. You can see through my work that I love history. I never imagined I would ever make it to Auschwitz, but it was the high point of this trip.

I did write that 8 page story. The plot for the 60 pager however, turned out to be too long. I will serialize it as a three-part 72 page story, maybe in a year or two.

Here are links to a few blogs about my trip to Poland:
http://motywdrogi.pl/2008/04/23/stan-sakai-w-warszawie/
http://anime.com.pl/Stan_Sakai_w_Katowicach,gallery,browse,608.html
http://anime.com.pl/Stan_Sakai_w_Katowicach,gallery,browse,608,2.html
http://radoslaw-czyz.blogspot.com/2008/04/stan-sakai-w-komikslandii.html
http://picasaweb.google.com/zuzia.bluszcz/StanSakaiWKomkslandii
http://komiks.nast.pl/galeria/5/962/Stan-Sakai-w-Polsce/
http://komiksyinietylko.blox.pl/2008/05/Stan-Sakai-w-Warszawie.html

travel woes

2008-04-17T15:46:35Z

I am a thesis advisor for a student at the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont, so it was not totally unexpected that I was invited to be a guest artist to the small college last week. I was also to be a guest at the one day Portland Comicbook Show in Oregon a couple of days later. American Airlines had cancelled 1900 flights last week, but I was flying on 3 different airlines none of which was American. I was more concerned with the tornadoes and thunderstorm in the midwest. However, the flight to Manchester Airport in New Hampshire went smoothly even with the connection in Chicago.

I had a great time in White River Junction, where the school is located. To say that it is a small town would not be exaggerating. Across the street from the CCS is a typewriter sales and repair store! Here's a couple of photos of the downtown:

Despite the "Do Not Enter" sign, the Polka Dot Restaurant was pretty decent. It is an old time diner where the waitresses call you "Sweetie" or "Cupcake".

The CCS is housed in an old department store.

I was quite impressed with their facilities, and more impressed by their curriculum and students.

Anyway, it all went well, until my Friday flight to Portland, OR.

Bryan dropped me off at the Manchester Airport at about noon (9 am Pacific Time). I had a couple of hours before my flight, so started thumbnailing UY 115. We boarded as scheduled, but sat on the tarmac for more than an hour. There was a line for gates at Philadelphia, so we sat on the tarmac there as well. I ran to my connecting gate just in time to see my next flight backing away.

I had two choices: wait for a direct flight the next day, or catch a connecting flight from Las Vegas that would reach Portland at 2:30 am. I chose Vegas. I made calls to tell Dark Horse, the con organizers, and Sharon about my change in plans.

Again, we boarded on time, but, because of the weather, there was a queue of two dozen flights waiting to take off. It was more than a two hour wait for us. We got to Vegas 20 minutes before my flight. With luck, I might make my connection. We waited to deplane. And waited. And waited. The hatch was stuck. It took 20 minutes for US Airways to get the door open. By then, my midnight flight had left.

I could catch a 8 am flight by way of Phoenix, or wait for a 11:30 am direct flight to Portland. I chose the direct flight. Again calls were made to inform people of my new plans. By this time, my cell phone battery was depleted, but the airport rechargers did not fit my model. So my calls were very short: "Hey, I'm coming in tomorrow afternoon. Bye."

I thought about catching a cab to Vegas, getting a cheap room, and maybe taking in a show or something. Mark Evanier would have done this. In fact, he probably would have relished being stuck in Vegas for 11 hours. I was never a big Vegas fan, so I found a quiet corner and worked. By the time the sun came up, I had thumbnailed UY issues 115 and 116.

2am at McCarran Airport

I finally reached Portland at 2:00 Saturday afternoon, about 29 hours after I checked in at Manchester. I was met by the show organizers, checked into the hotel, then was whisked away to see a performance of Cirque du Soleil. It was incredible. I had been wanting to see this, but never before had an opportunity. Sure, they're in Vegas as well, but I was in no mood last night.

The Portland Comicbook Show went very well. It had a nice dealers' room, and I did a presentation. That evening, I had dinner with my editor Diana Schutz, designer Cary Grazzini, and Matt Wagner at a terrific seafood place at the top of the city.

Matt had the opakapaka

I went to Dark Horse on Monday. The last time I was there was about 1994 or '95, before they became my publisher. I had a great lunch with Mike Richardson, got to see the facilities, and met people who I only knew by name.

My flight to Burbank that evening went very well. It was a great trip, aside from the Manchester to Portland leg, of course.

Now I've got to finishing inking UY 113 before I leave for Poland and Sweden on Saturday.

Radio

2008-04-05T14:23:19Z

I'm being interviewed at noon Pacific Time on the radio today on KPCC's Offramp. In Southern California, it is 89.9 on the dial.

On the internet it is:

http://www.scpr.org/play/live.html

You can used iTunes, windows media player or their player.

It will be rebroadcast Sunday at 8 pm.

Usagi banner

2008-04-02T14:46:33Z

A couple of weeks ago Peter Laird, co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, sent me the Usagi banner, a prop from the third movie--the one the Turtles go to feudal Japan. What, you say you're a big TMNT fan, have seen the film a dozen times, and have never seen the banner? Well, it's there--hanging in the hall where they have a big fight against samurai. However, you could not see the banner the way the scenes were shot. But it's there.

The banner went on to hang in the Mirage Studio offices for a few years, then Peter decided to take it down. Including the hanging cord, it's about 9 feet long so the only wall in my house tall enough to accommodate it is the stairwell. There it hangs. I'm standing on a chair in the photo.

Hopefully, I'll see Peter when I fly over to Vermont next week.