• My CBT interview on Globecat is up. If you want to check it out, it’s here.
• Fall trend I’m kind of into: ombre. Reminds me of Perrin from 2001 (2000?) Haven’t picked anything up, but I’m keeping an eye out.
• Too old for HL yet, but still cool: Crayon Rocks
• We’re shopping for a chair for HL. I put four options on his Amazon list here. Moms and Dads out there: any thoughts? Suggestions?
• NPR did a piece on Gaiman’s THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. Check it out here. (I was honored to have been sent a .pdf file of the book to read before it went to print. Unfortunately, I was a little too raw after the birth of my own son for a story that opened with a toddler in peril, but I have since, uh, girded my loins, and had another go and I must say that (unsurprisingly) I love it. I’ll write more in good time, but for the moment: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.)
• We’re having a very hippy dinner tonight. Fraction’s father would be appalled. Luckily, he’s not dining with us this evening!

Jeffery Klaehn has a blog, wherein he has posted excerpts of interviews with a number of comics folks, including Fraction and me. I can’t remember how long ago we did this interview, but I sound horribly pretentious. (I totally name-dropped Neil Gaiman, btw. As in, “Neil Gaiman once told me…” You can go ahead and shoot me int he head right now.) (Not that I don’t adore Gaiman — I do, absolutely. But really. That was just tacky.)

Fraction comes off far better and, as always, his interview is worth your time. I’m thinking in particular of social fiction and science fiction as illustrated by Warren Ellis’ HELLBLAZER piece “Shoot” and TRANSMETROPOLITAN #40.

(It’s a little beside the point, but if I haven’t said so recently, I’ll say so now: I remain in awe of Ellis’ talent.)

Anyway, the blog is here:

http://jefferyklaehn.blogspot.com/

Happy anniversary.

Well, we’re here. The first year that we haven’t gotten cards or gifts or made plans. We talked about it, assured one another that we were still in love but teething and work and errands and sick dogs and travel and mouse attacks and taxes and, I dunno, household chores or something have all conspired to leave us too tired to make a fuss. Right now, anniversary plans just feel like one more thing on the already novella-length to do list.

Despite my usual lack of filter, I do see (I can be taught, it seems) that it would be inappropriate to go on at length or in detail about how much you mean to me, how very proud I am of you or how catching your eye across the room still makes me giggle like a little girl who kicks her toes in the dirt as she lifts her skirt to cover her eyes.

So I won’t do that. I’ll just say that I love you. And thank you for picking me.

‘Invincible Iron Man’ Writer Matt Fraction Talks Comics/Movie Crossovers & Previews Issue #6

David Riches and Matt Fraction

…at FanExpo Canada. I don’t know who took the photo, but David sent it to me. Thanks, David!

• If I hadn’t voted for myself (What? I totally voted for myself.) I would have voted for this cupcake. (I also think this one is hilarious.) You should still vote for me, however.
• Manolis put up a fan page for Fraction on Facebook.
• I think we’ve settled on golden vanilla cupcakes with raspberry buttercream frosting (from BAKING WITH AGAVE NECTAR) for HL’s birthday. Tick tock. Gotta get on that.
• If you’re a Sasa Lisi superfan, email me (my name on gmail) and put Sasa Lisi in the subject line. I have something cool for the first person to respond.

• I love this picture.  And speaking of the X-Men, thanks to Ian Brill for pointers to these two articles. 
• I somehow missed this Splash Page piece on Casanova when issue #14 first came out. 
• Tori Amos on The Comic Book Tattoo.  (Wherein I have two stories: one with Andy MacDonald and one with Laurenn McCubbin, whose blog is now fixed.)
• Seriously, can anyone hook me up with a fan scan of any of Toru Shinohara’s work…? 
• I almost did “horror anthologies” for my I [HEART] Comics piece, but I went a different direction at the last minute.  I’m left wondering, however, if my beloved HOUSE OF MYSTERY and HOUSE OF SECRETS books hold up.  Hm.  What about PLOP!, hm?
• I totally want to join the Iron Cupcake Challenge.  EDITED TO ADD: I totally did. 
• Women I left out of the “Women” section of the I [HEART] Comics piece because I was going on too long already: Natalia Knight/Nocturna and Vampirella.

• I usually come down against Cruelty to Animals.  It’s not a controversial position I know, but this morning, where my own canine household members are concerned, I’m rethinking it anyway. 
• I’ll be appearing, along with Tori Amos (!!), editor Rantz Hoseley, moderator Douglas Wolk, David Mack, Ted McKeever and Elizabeth Genco on the CBT panel at SDCC to ‘launch’ the Comic Book Tattoo.  Yeah, that’s right.  My 22 year-old self thinks my 37 year-old self is cool at last.
• Heroes Con remains awesome.  I apparently don’t have it in me to do full con reports anymore so if you’re looking for that sort of thing I’ll point you towards Tom Spurgeon’s full report and collective memory links page.  For my part, I enjoyed myself immensely.  Many thanks to Sheldon, Dusty and their crew.  A couple of bits worth mentioning: 
  • I met Kathryn Immonen (and Stuart!) in person, at long last.  Turns out she’s just as lovely as I’d imagined.  More so, even.  
  • My favorite exchange of the Con:
    • Matt Fraction: Kathryn came by while you were gone.  
    • Kelly Sue: Did she say anything about meeting up later?
    • Matt Fraction: No, but she gave me a Slim Jim and a knife.
  • Fraction said the collaboration panel he did was the most craft-intensive panel he’d ever been on and possibly the best.  I was minding the table, so I missed it but The Dollar Bin recorded it and posted it here. 
  • Newsarama documented my potty mouth on the Creative Household panel here.  (Incidentally, Russ Lane came up and introduced himself later.  What an interesting guy — turns out he lost 200 pounds five years ago.  TWO HUNDRED POUNDS.  I find that fascinating and inspiring.  It takes such courage and faith to make profound life and identity changes like that.  Russ writes some about his accomplishment here. )
  • Steve Niles and I talked a bit more about a project he suggested that’s got my wheel’s turning.  That’s all I can say without jinxing it, but yeah.  Wheels: totally turning.  
  • Sarah Wilkinson and I also chatted about doing a little something together.  I think I know what it’s going to be, but again with the jinxing.  
  • Fraction’s parents made us all FRACTION t-shirts, which might have been the cutest thing ever.  (Well, next to the little boy dressed as Iron Fist.)  The genesis of the idea came from a photo of Fraction and his dad when Matt was about three.  They’re wearing shirts that say “Fritch” and “Little Fritch.”  We’ve now got a shot of Fraction, his dad and Henry in shirts that read “Fraction,” “Dad Fraction” and “Lil’ Fraction.”  We’re going to frame the two together.  
  • I adore Ivan Brandon and Rick Remender.  Can I just say that?  Cool.
  • I didn’t do a lot of shopping but I did pick up this print by Imaginism for Miss April.  (I nearly picked up one of a Lady Snowblood-esque kimono-clad woman wiping blood off her sword for myself, but I couldn’t think of where I’d hang it.  And — go figure — it’s not on their site.  Alas.)
  • Miss April also scored a monster print moleskine cover by Sarah Dyer.  
  • Introduced myself to Chris Sims from the Invincible Super Blog.  I find that guy’s blog utterly hysterical.  And clearly he’s got great taste: Fraction’s Thor: Reign of Blood is his Pick of the Week.  
• Speaking of Fraction’s books this week, did you all pick up his Young Avengers Special? I know I’m not unbiased but I particularly loved this one.  
• I’ll probably add more to this post as I think of things.  
• Okay… back to work.  

Fraction and I are headed to Charlotte tomorrow for Heroes Con! Woo hoo! If you’re going to be there, please stop by and say hello. We’ll have books and buttons (W.A.S.T.E. and E.M.P.I.R.E., but we’re running low, so you might want to swing by early for those) and possibly even some Casanova t-shirts if I can twist Fraction’s arm. (Wish me luck.) Details on Upcoming. Details on Heroes Official Site. Oh! And come to our panel, please!A couple of other tidbits you might have missed:

• Fraction answers 7 Questions for the Newsarama blog.
• Gillen writes about the Marvel nerd herd.

More in a bit…