“Latta’s work has that underground feel to it in its tension between slacker sleaziness and cute figure work.” -Rob Clough
Oh, hello! I didn’t see you there. I guess I was too busy reading comics to notice you coming to this blog. Y’ see, it’s hard for me to do much else but read funnies after getting back from Heroes Con.
Travelmates/bedbuddies Brad McGinty, J. Chris Campbell and I met up and made the trek up to North Carolina- Oh wait, is Charlotte in North Carolina? I’ll have to ask our Father-figure slash roomie and all out organizer-for-us, Rob Ullman, when I get a chance. At any rate, we made the trek up to the greatest comic convention in the world, Heroes Con. What makes it so great, you ask? Some nerve! Well, I mean like, besides the fact I get to see my favorite people in comics and/or world, I get more comics than I can shake a limited edition light saber sword at. Anyway, I am getting ahead of myself.
We came rollin’ up in my ’97 Corolla on Friday morning and decided to bite the bullet and park in a 20 dollar parking lot. I mean, like, dudes. We hadda lot of crap to carry, and I doubt you’d mistake Brad, J.Chris and I as people from your gym. (Rob Ullman, maybe, but still.) As it turns out, we didn’t move my car for the weekend so we got to slip out on Sunday sans paying for parking. Looks like we won this round, Heroes. Haha!
Friday was a bit slow on sales for all of us, well, everyone I talked to, but honestly, I didn’t notice. I don’t even think I was behind the table all that much,leaving my good friend Shannon Smith to man the table we shared as I was making the rounds and seeing what’s new with all my comic buddies. “Not much” was the resounding consensus. Comic people are so modest. I was pleased and surprised to see so many of my Athens pals (Robert Newsome, Patrick Dean, Joey Weiser, David Mack and Drew Weing) also seated in Indie Island. No wonder this show feels more like home that my hometown show ever does. Burn, Dragon*Con, burn!
That night Rob, J.Chris, Brad, Shannon and I met up with another good friend and favorite person in comics, Ben Towle, and had a costly dinner at some Chinese restaurant. Well, costly for us poor folks. We discussed comics(duh) and the breasts of our waitress and how they were all hanging out and stuff. Later on, we had a screening of Brad’s brilliant cartoons in the Dollar Bin suite. It always sounds funny to say, but sometimes I forget just how brilliant Brad really is. His cartoons slayed, and unlike last year, security didn’t squelch our party down plans, and party down we did,man! We drank like it was going out of style, just like comics books. We all woke up with hangovers the next day and ahead of schedule. Oh well, what can you do?
After a little hair of the dog, we got it together with some bagels and coffee and hit the convention. We got to see our pal, Ashley Holt, which of course, was really nice. Homeboy is smart. Also, I got to spend time with my sister Sally Bloodbath and her boyfriend Matt Wiegle which was also very nice. Jeez, I need a thesaurus. Sales were pretty darn good, and I musta done, like, zillions of sketches.
That night we made our annual trek to Phat Burrito where I got to spend some time with Sally, Matt, Liz Ballie, Jackson New Jersey’s very own Meghan Ansbach and her boyfriend Lee. We mostly discussed records, n’ things, which was a welcome change from the 34 hours of comic talk. Ah, who I am kidding? We talked about comics too. Also, during the course of the evening, Brad, J.Chris, Rob and I had a beer with Tom Spurgeon and talked about the Atlanta comic scene. Surprise, surprise. I had only negative things to say about it. I read Comics Reporter daily, so this was a highlight of the show for me.
Later on that night, I got a chance to smoke a little grass* with my man P. Cleland and another unnamed cartoonist.
*Just kidding. We’d never really do anything illegal on the top of a parking garage.
Sunday is my shopping day, so shopping I did. I bought some weird, wacky comics for a dollar a piece, like this weird Daffy and Roadrunner comic (all the Looney Tunes birds,together at last!) and some peak Carl Barks Uncle Scrooge comics, because I can’t come home without duck books. Speaking of which, Boom! Studios was there with there new Disney comics, which I am a big fan of, especially the Euro duck stuff. Man, that’s some cartoony goodness! I love it. Love it, I say. We need more like that. I heard a DuckTales book is around the bend.
It’s always depressing packing up after this show, and this year was no different. I would say though, without a doubt this was my best year at Heroes. The con was stress free, and I sold a metric ton of crap. What more can I ask for? This is sleep-away camp for nerds that never went to camp.
Welp, that’s about it- Oh wait, I’d love to mention a few more fine people. Warning: more plugs than Steve Carell’s hairline up ahead.
Ken Dahl, M.K. Reed, Evan Dahm, Pale Rider crew, Gabriel Dunston, Chris Pitzer, Dean Trippe, Jason Horn, Van Jensen, Rob Venditti, Travis J. Hill, Jamie Walker, Boom!, Tom Bancroft, David Mack, Dollar Bin Podcast (Adam,Ted, Brian, Kris, Devin, Brandon), Mr.Phil, Martin Steenton, Andy Ruton, Heather McKinney, Stephanie Gladden, John Miller, Chris Schweizer, Duane Ballenger, Rich Barrett, Erakis Pemeza, Shawn Daughhetee, Scott Elingburg, Justin and Jason Gammon and Jamie Ouzts extra special thanks goes out to my man Dustin Harbin for inviting me to be part of Indie Island. See ya next year, sucker.
Tune in soon for more news on the next Rashy Rabbit!
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Posted in comic convention, comics, comix, Heroes Con, Indie Island, Rashy Rabbit, reviews, Uncategorized
Tagged comic convention, comics, Heroes Con, Indie Island, Rashy Rabbit, reviews
“Whilst not entirely profane, there’s absolutely no shortage of butt-hopping, drug dabbling and all other manner of lunacy for the adults grown children out there; kind of like an inverse Looney Tunes episode, with all the sex and drug references on the outside, for a change.” -Martin Steenton.
“Latta tells his tale like a knight of his cartoon realm. His entertaining adventure is in constant motion, but never feels rushed.” -Richard Krauss, Midnight Fiction
Now’s your chance to own an original-hand-painted Rashy Rabbit lunchbox for a low, low price.
All proceeds go to marijuana and firecrackers.
Thanks W.C Warner at Alcove Gallery!
“I thought everything came together nicely in the end, but that sort of thing is only possible with an excellent beginning and middle. Yep, that’s my bit of wisdom for the day. “
-Kevin Bramer Mini comic maven and critic.
Man alive! Does the onslaught of cool crap from Lattaland ever stop? NOPE! Well, okay, sometimes.
Rashy Rabbit buttons are now available.
“Rashy has evolved from an edgy underground comix rabbit to more of a Smurf with rabbit ears. And it works.” -Shannon Smith cartoonist/funnbook critic
Truth is always stranger than fiction. I mean, like, I guess. That’s what I’ve always heard. I dunno.
What I like about the “truth” is that it gives you a nice jump off point for writing. I often wonder what *Insert your name here* would do in a house fire, or in drag? Or a house fire in drag!
I guess this is the reason mostly of the characters in Rashy Rabbit are based on real people I know. *Disclaimer* Any Similarity to Persons Living or Dead Is Purely Coincidental.
Anyway, some of these extreme personalities are hardly exaggerated for print. “Benny” was based on probably the worse person I have ever met, and had the displeasure of befriending. Honey Bunny was based on- well, lemme put it this way, her name has been changed to protect the innocent.
Probably the character about whom I have gotten the most comments is the truest to the source material, Jimmy. I have known Jimmy (real name) for about 12 years, and yes, he really drives a van, dumpster dives and eats roadkill. Not that I am judging, no sir. I obviously respect those that decide not to join the hustle and bustle of the rat race, and instead, eat and live like rats. I kid, I kid. But it’s all true.
Sometimes people joke about me putting them in my comics. The problem with that is most of my friends have far too similar views as my own, which makes for a dull contrast with Rashy. For a character to work well, he/she has to be proactive, which Rashy is clearly not. Of course that hasn’t stopped me from drawing people I know as rabbits in the background.
When the dust has settled, and my comics are filling a landfill somewhere, I hope Jimmy’s offspring will find these comics and be proud of their jackrabbit poppa. I know he’s proud!
READ ABOUT JIMMY IN “A RABBIT IN KING ARTHUR’S FOOD COURT: A RASHY RABBIT ADVENTURE.”
“It’s real nice and refreshing to see someone working outside the box for the sake of doing what he wants the way he wants ta do it. It’s remarkably easy to go broke doing comics these days, especially the more original stuff like this.”
-Mike Hoffman: Artist/Hero.
Rashy Rabbit Droppin' Anchor.
7"x8" 32 pages B&W $4.00
A Rabbit In King Arthur's Food Court: A Rashy Rabbit Adventure
7"x8" 32 pages B&W $4.00
Redskin Rashy
7"x8" 32 pages B&W $4.00
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