Amanda Visell and Michelle Valigura are building a toy army in Los Angeles. Robot Girl, shown to the left, is the first member of that army. For six years, Visell and Valigura worked in stop-motion animation as sculptors and fabricators. Together they formed The Girls Productions, where they create their offbeat paintings and objects, which [...]

I’m drawn to bright colors and shiny things; the booth at the Phoenix Comicon featuring Blazin’ Brandy had both. Blazin’ Brandy is a comic series co-created by writer Lesley Kainsel and artist Stephanie Lesniak, featuring a 16th century British runaway who winds up shipwrecked on an island full of hungry monsters. And these monsters are [...]

Sweet 7000 Baaadassss Comics (7000 BC) is a collective of Northern New Mexico self-publishers who have banded together to generate exposure for the members. Much of what the collective produces is experimental, addressing the idea of the comic book itself as an object of art, rather than a mere container of stories. 7000 BC is [...]

I said “hi” to Travis Hanson about twenty times at the Phoenix Comicon. Hanson’s booth was in a high traffic area: by the main walkway, next to Mike Mignola’s table, and right across from the concession stand. Despite the high traffic and craziness, Hanson didn’t seem to lose energy. Hanson operates Bean Leaf Press, which [...]

James A. Owen sold all of his copies of Here, There Be Dragons at the Phoenix Comicon by Saturday afternoon. He had to send someone to the nearest bookstore to pick up more copies. Here, There Be Dragons is an American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults nominee and is poised to fill the [...]

I talked to the several small press comic creators toward the end of the day on Saturday, the craziest day for any Con. I actually have no memory of these last interviews; but I know they happened because it’s all on my digital recorder. Listening to these for transcription, I was retroactively embarrassed because I [...]

This interview was conducted via AIM on Saturday, February 10. Pink Raygun – Let’s start with some basic biographical information – your name, age, whatever you want. Becky Dreistadt – If you want to be fancy and Elizabethan, my full name is Rebecca Elizabeth Dreistadt. But everyone just calls me Becky. I’m 20. Related Stuff:

George Perez was wearing one of the shirts his wife made for him at the Phoenix Comicon, this one with dinosaurs. Before the doors opened, he was outside the Mesa Convention Center giving autographs and talking to the fans waiting in line. I almost didn’t approach him for an interview because what could I ask [...]

Christine Bieselin, the assistant costume designer on 300, knows that her job is largely subliminal. “When no one is talking, and nothing is happening on screen,” she says, “you still see the clothing, and that says a lot about the character.” In addition to her work on 300, Bieselin was the assistant designer on Babel, [...]

Who knew that a cheerful guy in a bucket hat was responsible for creating some of Marvel’s most well known characters? When I approached Len Wein at the Phoenix Comicon, I really only knew about one character he had created. I was in for a serious comic history lesson. Related Stuff:

I noticed a girl at the Phoenix Comicon wearing a gorgeous mini-Kimono and Geisha-style hair ornaments. I didn’t know who she was, but her outfit was awesome, so I went to talk to her. The girl was Maral Agnerian, who is known online and in cosplay circles as Sarcasm-Hime. Agnerian is an illustrator, jewelry designer, [...]

Amy Reeder Hadley burned a hole in her favorite dress at the Phoenix Comicon in January, the very dress that shows up on Penny in chapter six of Fool’s Gold. Despite the loss of a very cute dress, Hadley was chipper and eager to talk to all of the fans that came to her table. [...]

With her series Off*Beat, Tokyopop artist and writer Jen Lee Quick has created a unique manga experience. Prior to Off*Beat, Quick worked on Once in a Blue Moon from Oni Press and published Soul Union, a fantasy comic which appeared in the Amerimanga anthology from I.C. Entertainment. At the Phoenix Comicon, Quick spoke to Pink [...]

Tess Fowler is a Los Angeles based artist with a number of opportunities opening up before her. You have seen her work in a series of collectible Lord of the Rings trading cards from Topps and another series of trading cards from Inkworks, Hellboy: Animated Storm of Swords. While at the Phoenix Comicon this January, [...]

Award winning actress Blythe Metz has been noted for her acting work in films Bred In The Bone (2 Disc Set)“>Bred in the Bone, The Craving Heart and The Nightmare Man. She’s also a painter, writer and a comic book fan. This past December, Metz’s submission for the role of Wonder Woman began circulating the [...]