Where did June go?! And now July is quickly evaporating and Comic-Con is upon us… like, next week!!

I won’t officially have a Jane’s World booth down at Comic-Con, but I will be signing books for a few hours on Saturday at the Prism Comics booth. I’ll be signing books on Saturday from 1-3 pm. The Prism booth has expanded to include three booth spaces: #2049/2146/2148

There will be portfolio review opportunities at the Prism booth.  Portfolio review is provided exclusively for those interested in applying for Prism’s Queer Press Grant. Potential applicants are encouraged to read the grant guidelines online before coming to the Con.

Check out their website for the entire “Gay Agenda” for Comic-Con 2010. You can download this handy PDF of everything going on at the Con that’s gay friendly and/or just gay in general.

I’ll also be on a panel Thursday night:

Thursday 6:00-7:00 Writing Queer: Creating and Writing LGBT Characters– Creating genuine and well-rounded LGBT characters is a profound challenge for writers, as they must give voice to a population whose stories have been kept hidden for so long.  How do writers, both queer and straight, as well as mainstream and independent, create narratives that reflect the diversity and humanity of LGBT individuals, as well as the obstacles that face them?  Moderator Justin Hall (Glamazonia, Prism Comics’ Talent Chair) leads a spirited conversation with some of the best writers working in comics today: Paige Braddock (Jane’s World), Howard Cruse (Stuck Rubber Baby), Gilbert Hernandez (Love and Rockets), Greg Rucka (Detective Comics), Gail Simone (Wonder Woman), and Judd Winnick (Pedro And Me) Room 32AB.

For Peanuts fans, there will also be a 60th anniversary Peanuts panel on Friday.

2:00-3:00 Peanuts Turns 60- On October 2, 1950 the Peanuts comic strip launched in seven American newspapers. Little did anyone know the impact this comic strip would have around the world for decades to come. Nearly 60 years later, Peanuts appears in over 2,200 newspapers, in 75 countries and 21 languages. The animated specials have become a seasonal tradition and thousands of consumer products are available in every country around the world. Moderator Jerry Beck (animation historian/cartoon producer/consulting producer to Warner Bros., Universal, and Disney), Comic-Con special guest Jeannie Schulz (widow of Peanuts creator Charles Schulz), Paige Braddock (creative director of Charles M. Schulz’s studio in Santa Rosa), Andy Beall (fix animation lead for Ratatouille, Wall-E, UP), Stephan Pastis (creator of Pearls Before Swine), and Marge Dean (general manager, W!ldbrain Animation Studios), present an in-depth foray into the work of Charles M. Schulz and what new things fans can look out for from Peanuts. Warner Premiere is joining the celebration with a sneak peek of something all new from Peanuts that fans won’t want to miss. Room 25ABC

Thank you Greg Burgas for digging into the comic book archive and writing a review on the big Jane’s World Omnibus Collection. You can check out Greg’s review on the Comic Book Resource website at: A Review a Day: Jane’s World Volume 1

As many of you know, my day job is with “Peanuts,” at Charles Schulz’s studio in California. If any of you work in the business or licensing sector you’ve probably already heard the recent news that Peanuts just went up for sale. More accurately, it was the licensing company that has managed Peanuts since it first launched 60 years ago, United Media. The Schulz family partnered with a New York brand management company called, Iconix, and bought Peanuts back. The deal officially closed this past Thursday so this has turned out to be one of THE most hectic weeks of my professional career. Maybe the only time that I can think of where things were busier was at the start of the Gulf War when I was working in the Graphic News department at the Chicago Tribune. Anyway, for all of you who might be Peanuts fans out there, it’s going to be an interesting transition period for these classic characters and all of us who work with them. As a result of all this craziness I’ve barely gotten to work on my own stuff lately, but I’m happy to be here and happy to help transition Sparky’s (AKA: Schulz’S) work into a new era.

Now for a big subject change…

I have been having a really good time imaging what sorts of high jinx Jane can get into in zero gravity… that’s fun. And I’ve also been having a great time coming up with cool vehicles that will appear in MARS 2. Here’s just a sample… I like to call it a “Rocket Moto.”

As you know, I was selected to be one of the jurors this year for the “Doodle for Google” competition. The top 40 Regional Finalists have been unveiled and it’s time for you to vote on the top 40 doodles. Starting at 6:00 a.m. PDT today through May 25th at 5:00 p.m. PDT, you can cast your online votes for your favorite Regional Finalist’s doodle (one from each of the four grade groups). On May 26th, Google will announce the national winner at an awards ceremony in New York City, and the winning design will appear on google.com on Thursday, May 27th. The national winner will also receive a $15,000 college scholarship and $25,000 towards a new computer lab for their school.

So, support these kids. Cast your vote!

My official quote regarding this event:

“When I was a kid, hoping to be a cartoonist some day, Schulz and Snoopy were very inspirational to me. Now, as Creative Director of Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, it’s my continuing goal to explore new ways, through education, publishing and new media, to allow Charlie Brown and Snoopy to continue to inspire young people to be creative and to create their own characters and stories. I’m honored to be selected to judge such a great event for Google because I think endeavors like this build confidence and give kids access to different ways in which they can achieve their dreams.”

Animated still photography of Jane’s World Cartoonist, Paige Braddock. Animated in After Effects by Jules Tortolani.

Thanks to Tiny Heroes for giving our Martian Confederacy book a great review. It’s the perfect sort of story to get readers excited about book 2. Heck, it even inspires me to get crackin’ and finish inking pages. Most of book 2 takes place off world, which is giving Jason and I great opportunities to create unique environments in space. Here’s a sample of one of the “approach shots” to a space outpost… think strip mall in space.

Me, age 8, obviously BEFORE my discovery of Converse Tennis Shoes.

It’s my birthday tomorrow. Usually, I’m giddy with anticipation for the new pair of Chuck’s I inevitably pick up on my birthday… usually in a color that I don’t currently have in my collection. But for some reason, this year I’m just not excited about the big day. What’s up with that? Am I really finally growing up?… to the point where a birthday is just another day? How sad.

In two weeks I’ll be in NYC for the Doodle for Google event, as previously mentioned, I’ll be one of the judges. The contest is for kids (obviously) so the folks at Google asked me if I had any art that I’d done as a kid that I could share… something for the kids to see that I might have done when I was their age.

Well, as luck would have it, my dad had recently sent me this drawing of a stressed out Snoopy he’d dug up. The date on it was October 1973… that would mean I was 10 years old. Pretty wild that I was drawing Snoopy and dreaming of working for Snoopy one day. Too weird.  And a testament to any of you who don’t believe in destiny! (Lex.)

I guess a birthday is a good time to reflect on where we’ve been, where we’re going and where we’d like to end up.

An early morning view of Osaka from the 24th floor. (Except that Jane looks a lot more awake in this photo than I am right now!)