Past, Present, and Future with...Joe Wos!

Joe Wos has been a professional cartoonist since the age of 14. His career path over the past 30 years has taken as many twists and turns as one of his mazes, as he finds new and innovative ways to pursue his passion for the cartoon arts.

Some highlights include spending 25 years touring nationwide as a performer, illustrating stories live as he told them; founding and running a cartoon art museum in Pittsburgh; illustrating symphony performances live with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; and exhibiting his art in museums worldwide. With MazeToons — a unique hybrid illustration that is part cartoon and part puzzle — Joe has fulfilled a lifelong dream to appear in the funny pages.

Joe has been drawing mazes since the age of 7 and is regarded as a master maze maker. In 2012, he created the world’s largest hand-drawn maze. Measuring at 140 square feet, it features more than 100 illustrations. The maze garnered international attention with articles in the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post and media coverage throughout Europe. One of his mural-sized mazes is on permanent display at StarKist’s international headquarters.

You can reach Joe at joe@wosisme.com or see his work at Wos Is Me.

Past, Present, and Future with...Joe Wos!

What got you into comics? Was it a specific issue, a certain person, a tv show, etc?

"Charles M. Schulz. I loved his work. Snoopy was probably the first thing I can remember drawing as a kid. As fate would have it I have been the visiting resident cartoonist of the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, CA for the past 15 years, an honor I have held since they opened! I visit for a week every summer and over Thanksgiving to teach workshops and do live demos."

What are you working on these days? 

"MazeToons. MazeToons is distributed worldwide by Creators Syndicate. It is the fulfillment of my life long dream to be a syndicated cartoonist. It's a lot of work 365 mazes a year. That's not counting the mazes I've done for my new books. I have two new books coming out from Barron's Books; A-Maze-Ing Animals: 50 Mazes for Kids, and Myths and Monster: 50 Mazes for Kids"

Do you have a dream project? 

"I'd love to do a book of mazes inspired by the work of Lewis Carroll. Few people know that besides being a remarkable writer he was a maze and puzzle maker."

What one piece of creative advice would you give? 

"Practice being lucky. Because you never know when an opportunity is going to come along and you have to be ready to take advantage of it when it does. "

Thanks Joe!

Past, Present, and Future with...Juan José Fernández!

Juan José Fernández is a visual artist and comics community organizer, most recently named as one of “Pittsburgh’s Creative Forces: 12 People to Meet in 2017” in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and one of seven 2016 Fuerza awardees by Café Con Leche for providing Pittsburgh Latinx leadership. A native of Venezuela, he resides in Pittsburgh where he co-organizes the annual Pittsburgh Zine Fair, writes and provides educational outreach for the Comics Workbook Workshop Residency in Swissvale, and leads the Pittsburgh Comics Salon. Juan studied at Linguistics at Carnegie Mellon Univeristy and Comics Making at the Center for Cartoon Studies.

You can reach him at fernandez.juan.j@gmail.com or see his work at http://juan-fernandez.tumblr.com/.

Photo Credit: Njamie Njie


Past, Present, and Future with...Juan José Fernández!

What got you into comics? Was it a specific issue, a certain person, a tv show, etc?

"Neil Gaiman’s Sandman in my high school library collection lit a fire in my heart for the form but it was finding the comics of Rachel Masilamani at Bill Boichel’s Copacetic Comics in Pittsburgh that got me to put pen to paper."

What are you working on these days? 

"I spin a lot of plates. I co-organize the Pittsburgh zine fair with Christina Lee, Raiona Gaydos and Maggie Negrete - foster a local space for incubating pittsburgh’s comics thinking through making called the Pittsburgh Comics Salon - I’m working on the 5th issue of Dog City, an anthology that I co-edit with. And a special project called “Field Station” that is in the stages of forming. I like to work on a lot of things at once, but above all with others. I remind myself often that in all of this, despite what people want to tell you in life, there is no finish line."

Do you have a dream project? 

"A daily strip that was my main source of income. It’s a pipe dream."

What one piece of creative advice would you give? 

"Be like water."

Thanks Juan!

#254 - The Skittles of Lightsabers

We had a great night recording live at Coffee Buddha. We want to thank Mike and the CB staff for hosting us.

HOSTS: Dan, Scott

COMICS: Batman #24, Darth Vader #1, Spencer & Locke #1, Kaijumax Vol. 2

#252 - Comic Mixer at Coffee Buddha

Dan and Jared were invited to Coffee Buddha for their after hours Comic Mixer with local comics creators Jeremy Baum and Nils Balls. We talked with Jeremy and Nils about their past and current projects and had a brief conversation about some recent comics.

Past, Present, and Future with...Byron Winton

Byron Winton, a Pittsburgh PA native, is a freelance fantasy and horror illustrator who has worked in the comic book, pop culture, and horror convention industries for many years. His amazingly detail rich paintings showcase creativity and precision. Byron paints popular culture imagery from memorable movies like Star Wars, Resident Evil, and Beetlejuice to name a few. He also conceives and executes mind-blowing original concepts of his own. He has worked for LUCASFILM, TOPPS, CALIBER COMICS, MOONSTONE BOOKS, the industrial bands REIN[FORCED] and TRAGIC IMPULSE, and several self-published authors.

You can see Byron's work at byronwinton.com and on the social media sites @byronwinton3

Past, Present, and Future with...Byron Winton

What got you into comics?

The art got me into comics. I had been drawing for a bit. Actually, I was a seasoned professional at 5 or 6 with my crayon masterpieces. The local grocery store had a comics and magazine display… I remember getting an issue of Action Comics with Superman on the cover. Don’t remember the number or much more of the specifics just the event. I think I got my ass beat for stealing it.

What are you working on these days?

These days I’m mostly working on a lot of film/television portrait drawing commissions. My Patreon page has been very active with me keeping my subscribers fulfilled. Last month I ran another Kickstarter that took a bunch of those drawings and made into my 3rd set of trading cards. I’m now working on getting all of the printed material together and in the mail. I run quick turn arounds with my Kickstarter. Since I do art full-time, I’m always keeping busy with projects… 95% of them for clients. I’ve been trying to wiggle in some of my own, but it’s been tough. My clients beat my ass for not being punctual.

Do you have a dream project?

I‘d love to see an art book of my paintings. Not a sketch book nor a self-published one either. That’s a dream project that’s so far far far down the road though. I really need to work extra hard on my productivity. At the end of every month, you guessed it, my ass is beat.

What one piece of creative advice would you give?

Don’t get your ass beat! Serious though… my creative advice... be persistent and consistent. Also, learn to love the struggle.

Thanks Byron!

Past, Present, and Future with...Rachel Masilamani

A cartoonist and librarian here in Pittsburgh, PA, Rachel has been creating comics since 1997. Her first collection, RPM Comics, received a grant from the Xeric Foundation and was named “Best Comic Book” by the Baltimore City Paper.  Her work has also appeared in Meathaus, Street Runoff, Graphics Classics, The Indiana Review and other anthologies.

(Photo credit Jen Greenwald/Comic Book Pitt)

Past, Present, and Future with...Rachel Masilamani

What got you into comics?

"Reading Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud.  Up until then, I read comics, but it didn't occur to me that I could make them myself.  It helped me understand how they are constructed."

What are you working on these days?

"I am working on balancing a day job, a toddler. art, and sleep!  I am also continuing to work on "Nonpartum", my series about contemporary pregnancy, birth and parenting at Mutha Magazine.  I completed an additional chapter earlier this year, and I've been making comics about America after the 2016 election."

Do you have a dream project?

"Yes!  I have been thinking about a big project for almost 20 years now.  I think of stories as very complicated puzzles that I need to solve before I start making them visible.  This one is still too difficult for me to construct, but I am getting there. For me, the work is 75% mental preparation."

What one piece of creative advice would you give?

"Try not to think about what other people will think."

Thanks Rachel!

#249 - Rant Night!

HOSTS: Dan, Jared, Scott

NEWS/TALK: PIX (Pittsburgh Indy Comics Expo) this weekend, new movie trailers (Justice League, Spider-Man: Homecoming), and TV shows (Marvel's Iron Fist, The Flash, and The Walking Dead [SEASON FINALE SPOILERS])

COMICS: Iron Fist #1, Booster Gold/The Flintstones Special #1, XO Manowar #1, and more

Past, Present, and Future with...Tim Aymar

Welcome to a new feature on Comic Book Pitt, "Past, Present, and Future with...". Every week we'll spotlight a different comic book creator, ask a few questions, and maybe get to know them and their process a little better. First up is Tim Aymar, writer/artist of his self-published book, ALIEN SCIENCE...

Past, Present, and Future with...Tim Aymar

What got you into comics? 

"A lot of things got me into comics, but I would say my earliest memories were the Adam West Batman show and the old Marvel cartoons from the 60s. They led me to seeking out the actual books. And then Star Wars led me to Al Williamson and his gorgeous science fiction art. From there, I learned there were insanely talented creators doing a lot of work for little money. There had to be some kind of pride in the comic book arts."

What are you working on these days? 

"I am currently working on a second issue of my comic, Alien Science (takes me a long time to do a book) as well as a series of comic art prints for a show I hope to have soon."

Do you have a dream project? 

"My dream project would be to actually start up my own comic book company, perhaps a Pittsburgh-centric publishing venue. I had a lot of respect for the underground comics creators and the eighties direct sale comic publishers like Eclipse, Pacific, and Dark Horse."

What one piece of creative advice would you give? 

"If I had any creative advice, it's that artists learn all the formal rules of design and composition, and storytelling, and then not be afraid to break those rules when the ideas come fast and furious. Comics are an art form as valid as painting and photography."

Thanks Tim!

#246 - 3 Rivers Comicon Preview!

Dan sits down with Jon Engel of New Dimension Comics to talk about the upcoming 3 Rivers Comicon! You can look forward to great guests, a cosplay contest, and more! 

YOU can be part of the 3RC Team. Volunteer opportunities are available!

Don't wait to buy tickets at the door! Get them early, avoid lines, and enjoy the VIP treatment!

Make sure to save the date! May 20-21, 2017

#244 - Twenty Formula

HOSTS: Dan, Jared

NEWS/TALK: Comic book lectures, comic book TV, news from DC movies

COMICS: Hellboy Winter Special, Invincible #133, Supergirl, Skybourne #3

#225 - 3 Rivers Comicon!

HOSTS: Dan, Scott

NEWS/TALK: A recap of the inaugural 3 Rivers Comicon. We'll just go ahead and spoil it for you, we had a BLAST!

#218 - Wizard World Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh's Independent Comic Scene panel

Over the years, Pittsburgh's blue collar roots have produced a strong, vibrant community of professional and independent comic book creators. Panelists Marcel Walker, Wayne Wise, Jim Rugg, and Scott Hedlund talk about the past and ideas for the future of comics made right here in the Steel City. Moderated by Dan Greenwald.

Special thanks to Mike Sorg of Sorgatron Media for putting together a great video of the afternoon's discussion.

#216 - Wizard World Pittsburgh

HOSTS: Dan, Jared, Scott

NEWS/TALK: Wizard World Pittsburgh 2015! Lou Ferrigno! James Marsters! Neal Adams! Rob Liefeld! Comics! Cosplay! Panels! Interviews!

CBP AudioBoo #80 - Avengers #247

Don't know what to do with your enemies once you defeat them? Well the Eternals have a solution for you...

CBP AudioBoo #79 - Avengers #246

Is She-Hulk a Sister Wife? Is Starfox a party crasher? Is the Vision a government stooge? The answers to those questions, plus much more await in this issue of The Mighty Avengers!

CBP AudioBoo #78 - Avengers #245

In this issue, Captain Marvel dies (but really doesn't), the Vision basically lets the enemy attack Starfox, and we find out that even male Dire Wraiths have women problems.
 

CBP AudioBoo #77 - Avengers #244

In this issue, the Wasp's body is bangin' in a two-piece bikini, Starfox makes things awkward, and the Vision consciously decides to damage Florida's aquatic ecosystem.

CBP AudioBoo #71 - Avengers #238

In this issue, She-Hulk experiences Gamma discrimination, Scarlet Witch ruins a whole apartment, and one villain roofies another.

#114 - Marvel Guys

Dan and Jared are joined by DJ Lunchbox, co-host of Pittsburgh's Wrestling Mayhem Show, writer of the blog, Thoughtful Riot, and co-creator of Monster Haiku, an illustrated book of monsters and haikus. The conversation varies, but it basically focuses around Marvel Comics, our history with them, what books we're reading, which ones we love and which ones we're not really that into.

Also, thanks to our friends at Random Distribution and AudioShocker for showing CBP love on their latest podcasts. Much appreciated!

Comic Book Pitt theme music is by Nik Furious. You can find more of Nik's music at NikFurious.com.

Thanks for listening!

#111 - No Consequences!

On this unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon, Dan and Duke are in the Pitt talking comics, both new and old. Aside from Duke's awesome haul of back issues recently procured from Pittsburgh Comics, they talk about All New X-Men #5, New Avengers #1, Star Wars #1, Deathmatch #1, Superior Spider-Man #1 (SPOILERS AT 1:00:30), and I, Vampire #15.

Comic Book Pitt theme music is by Nik Furious. You can find more of Nik's music at NikFurious.com.

Comic Book Pitt t-shirts are now available! Get one for yourself or that special nerd in your life.

Comic Book Pitt can be found on iTunes, on Facebook, and on Twitter. Email us at comicbookpitt@gmail.com or call our voice mail line at (412)450-0CBP (0227).

Thanks for listening!