| Going To San Diego |
[21 Jul 2008|09:51pm] |
Below are the panels I'll be participating in at the San Diego Comic Con. Come say hi to me at these panels, or at the National Cartoonists Society booth, where I'll be spending some time.
ARCHIE GOES TO THE SAN DIEGO COMIC CON!
Spotlight on Victor Gorelick
Friday, July 25th, 1:00-2:00— One of the most prolific editors in comics, Victor Gorelick has entertained readers since 1958. Victor started as an art assistant at Archie Comics, since then he has served as production manager, art director, and managing editor before being named editor-in-chief. On hand to provide a retrospective of Victor's career are Fred Mausser, Archie Comics, VP sales; Mike Pellerito, Archie Comics managing editor; Betty & Veronica writer/artist Dan Parent; "Archie Freshman Year" writer Batton Lash; Jughead writer Craig Boldman; and Archie inker Rich Koslowski. The moderator is Finger Award–winning Archie writer George Gladir. Room 4
Growing up with Archie
Sunday, July 27th, 11:30-12:30— Archie Comics creative staff share inside perspectives on the creation of Archie, how Archie Comics has evolved, and why it dominates the newsstands and supermarkets in comic sales. Panelists include Victor Gorelick, editor-in-chief (celebrating his 50th year with Archie Comics); Fred Mausser, VP sales; Mike Pellerito, managing editor; George Gladir, Archie writer; Dan Parent, Betty & Veronica writer and artist; Tania del Rio, Sabrina writer and artist, Bill Galvan, “Archie Freshman Year” artist; Batton Lash, “Archie Freshman Year” writer; Craig Boldman, Jughead writer; and moderator Rik Offenberger, public relations coordinator. Room 4
|
|
| Crashing Twin Peaks |
[14 Jul 2008|08:54pm] |
I stumbled upon this photo at the Twin Peaks fan website, http://www.dugpa.com
Pictured from left to right are actors Al Strobel, who played one-armed Philip Gerard; Sheryl Lee, who played the ill-fated Laura Palmer; and Ray Wise, who played the even more ill-fated Leland Palmer, Laura's father.
The caption accompanying the photo read: "Below are some really cool photos that were taken at the Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me US Premiere in Snoqualmie (Washington) back in 1992. If you know who took these pictures, please drop me an email."
I don't know who took the photo, but I can add this: Between Al Strobel and Sheryl Lee can be seen an ear and a sideburn. That ear and sideburn belonged (and still do belong) to me, myself, Craig Boldman.
I was doing movie reviews for AOL at the time, and was pleased (since I was a great fan of the Twin Peaks TV series) to get press credentials to attend the Twin Peaks Festival to cover the release of this film. During the festival I met an entertainment reporter for the Toronto Sun named Claire Bickley. I had a car and she didn't, so I invited her to ride shotgun as we traveled from event to event at the fest.
The culmination of the festival was the premiere of the film, which was to be introduced by director David Lynch. Somehow Claire and I talked our way into the theater ahead of everyone else and found ourselves good seats. We actually weren't supposed to be there yet, since the event planners wanted to seat the cast members first and give photogs some time to snap them with no obstructions. Instead, Claire and I ended up being in a lot of peoples' photos, to their chagrin, I suppose.
|
|
| Don't Smoke! |
[07 Jul 2008|08:15pm] |
Here's a spot I did a year ago for the West Virginia Division of Tobacco Prevention -- Very different from the Non-Destructive Testing video I posted last week. The baby in this film cried like a banshee every time I picked her up. The director was able to salvage the one moment where she wasn't crying (she was catching her breath between cries) and used it here. In the shot where you see the baby resting on my shoulder, that's not me; it's the baby's father wearing my jacket. It was hopeless. Even so, the thing turned out nice.
Click the picture to see the video. You need Windows Media Player, I think.
|
|
| A.K.A. Prof. Norman Egbert |
[30 Jun 2008|07:05pm] |
After my post about "The Dying Western," I got some questions about my roles as 'guys in lab coats' and 'old guys dying of cancer.' As it turns out, a couple of those efforts have shown up on the Internet, so you can see for yourself. Here's me in a lab coat (looking very much like my character from the Speedway commercial), for an organization with the snappy-sounding name, The American Society of Nondestructive Testing. I'm in the first five minutes, but of course the entire video is educational and enlightening. (See http://www.asnt.org for more info about the group.)
Next week I'll see if I can post one of my 'dying of cancer' roles.
|
|
| Here's A Curious Thing - |
[23 Jun 2008|07:18pm] |
Tailipoe translated into Polish at the site www.joemonster.org
|
|
| The Dying Western |
[09 Jun 2008|06:10pm] |
So how's that acting thing going, you ask? Last night I attended the premiere of a short film I have a role in; "The Dying Western," part of a film showcase in Athens, Ohio. It was my first opportunity to see the finished product, and I must say I was very impressed at the way producer Colin Studebaker and director Michael Kortlander brought it all together. Rebecca Prewitt-Denney (pictured with me) was the female lead, and she did a fantastic job.
I'm starting to detect a pattern in the roles I'm getting. I tend to be cast in either of two types of parts: Guys in lab coats; or old guys dying of cancer. In The Dying Western, I'm the latter, but with a twist: My character is actually healthy, but likes to pretend he's suffering from various diseases. I'm 'Old Howard' at the beginning and end of the film. The middle of the film is a flashback to the early days of Howard's career in western movies, where he specialized in getting shot, hung, etc. 'Young Howard' is played by Mike Mihm, whom I have yet to meet.
For more about the film, visit
The Dying Western
|
|
| Archie's Pal Jughead #89 - Feb. 1997 cont. |
[02 Jun 2008|11:34pm] |
Oh yeah, one thing I meant to mention about the "Target: Jughead" story in my first issue of Jughead: The mysterious orange door pictured above. It's behind this door that the secret anti-Jughead organization, J.U.S.T., holds their meetings. In my art notes, I asked Rex to come up with a distinctive design for the door, and as you can see, he complied. The door was shown and mentioned in my first three issues, but the reader is never given an establishing shot, to identify the building on which the door hangs. That was meant to eventually become part of a secondary mystery, but it's one of those things I never got back to. Maybe I still will, eventually.
By the way, notice how I mention the color of the door in the caption box. Here's why: Whenever I wanted something in my story to be a specific color for whatever reason -- a gray cat, for instance -- I would make a note to the colorist on my script. And most time, I'd end up with a white, or orange or yellow cat, because the color notes on my script would usually get lost in the shuffle, and the colorist would never see them. So, I quickly learned to have the color mentioned in the dialogue or the caption of the page itself ("Isn't that a pretty gray cat?") to increase the chances that the colorist would get the message.
|
|
| 100 Issues of Jughead! |
[30 Mar 2008|07:18pm] |
If you've picked up a copy of the current issue of Jughead, issue # 188 (and why haven't you?), you may notice the small red number "100" under the signature of super artist Rex Lindsey. This is Rex's understated way of reminding me that it's a landmark issue: the 100th consecutive issue of Jughead by the Boldman/Lindsey team! To celebrate, I've broken open a 2-liter bottle of Big K Diet Cherry Cola. Congratulations to Rex, inker Rich Koslowski, editor Vic Gorelick -- and me!
The bad news is, with this issue, Jughead slips from 8 times a year frequency to bi-monthly. This means that not enough of you are buying this critically-acclaimed title from Archie Publications. Peel yourselves away from your computer, run to the store and pick up Jughead #188. And tell a friend!
The good news is, this landmark has got me feeling nostalgic about those first 100 issues. I'm going to be revisiting stories from those comics and putting my thoughts down here in the blog.
We'll start at the beginning, with the 3-issue epic that began in Jughead #89, and introduced Jughead's modern-day nemesis, Trula Twyst. The story's name: "Target: Jughead!"
Archie's Pal Jughead #89 - Feb. 1997
While I had written Jughead stories before, this was my first issue as the regular writer. The notion had been put forth by editor Vic Gorelick some months earlier when he, I and the rest of the Archie crew manned the Archie booth at Comic-Con International in San Diego. I had been writing the Archie newspaper strip for a while, and Vic thought that I might be able to write some funny stories for Jughead.
I rolled the thought around in my head for a while, and Vic and I mapped things out during one of my rare visits to the Archie offices in Mamaroneck, New York, a few months later.
Vic wanted to relaunch the comic with a multi-part story that could be seen as a bit of an event. One idea put forth was to have Jughead leave Riverdale for an extended period of time, on tour with a band. I wasn't keen on that because I felt that comics, being a 'soundless' medium, couldn't show off a rock band effectively. You wouldn't be able to hear the music!
Instead, I wanted to introduce a new arch-enemy for Jughead. Jug had always been portrayed as a bit cleverer than the rest. His sleepy looks and lazy manner had always belied his sharp wits. Certainly a schemer like Reggie always fell on his face when pitted against Jughead.
So, our new character would be someone whom Jughead could never quite get the best of. At best, their clashes would end in a draw. Someone who was seemingly just a little more on the ball than Jug. Someone whose motives were a bit of a mystery. And, our new character would have to be a girl.
And so onto the stage entered Trula Twyst , in a 3-issue story titled "Target: Jughead."
This story also featured a clandestine organization called 'J.U.S.T.' (the Jughead Under Surveillance Team). I'd wanted to revive the UGAJ (United Girls Against Jughead), a secret organization from the old comics that I'd had a fondness for, but Vic felt that it was old hat and opted for the updated version.
Quote from this issue: "If a guy can't trust his own subconscious, who can he trust?"
I'll continue this in the next entry...
|
|
| Cartooning Workshop |
[29 Jan 2008|07:50am] |
Beginning this Saturday, February 2, I'll be teaching a four-week cartooning workshop at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton, Ohio. The sessions run from 10am to 11:30 am, on February 2, 9, 16 and 23. For information, call the Fitton Center at 513-863-8873, ext. 110.
Here's a .pdf of the course catalog:
Cartooning Workshop
|
|
| The Blob! |
[24 Jan 2008|07:32pm] |
The blog, "Great Caesar's Post!" has done a brief bit on a Superman story I wrote entitled "Jimmy Olsen -- Blob!" from Action Comics #563, way back in 1985. In fact, this was my first published comic book story, and sent me on a detour of being a writer instead of my original scheme of being a comic book artist.
Allow me to quote from "Man Of Two Worlds," the autobiography of the late, great Super-Editor, Julie Schwartz:
"There are only two times in my entire career in comics that I can ever recall going with a story that was an over-the-transom submission -- that is, a complete story that was not solicited and approved in advance of it being written. [The first was Elliot Maggin's Green Arrow story, "What Can One Man Do?"] The other unsolicited success story ... was Craig Boldman, and he wrote a Superman story that featured Jimmy Olsen."
Yes, the story Julie refers to is the one in question here. "Jimmy Olsen -- Blob!"
Jimmy Olsen -- Blob!
|
|
| Review at Tony's Other Online Tips! |
[23 Jan 2008|09:07pm] |
And here's another, double-barreled review, by Tony Isabella at Tony's Other Online Tips, hosted at the Comics Buyer's Guide website.
Tony reviews Archie #581 and Jughead #186, both of which I wrote, as well as Betty #171, which I didn't.
Tony's Other Online Tips
|
|
| Books By The Banks, again |
[03 Dec 2007|10:35pm] |
A couple photos from Books By The Banks, the book festival held in Cincinnati, Ohio (see the previous post) on November 3. The event was a big success. Joining me on a panel called "So You Draw Cartoons For A Living?" were Jim Borgman, co-creator of the "Zits" comic strip, and Dave Coverly, who does the "Speed Bump" comic panel.
The panel was moderated by Albert Pyle, with the Mercantile Library of Cincinnati. Already looking forward to next year's fest.
|
|
| Borgman, Coverly, Boldman cartooning panel this weekend! |
[31 Oct 2007|06:17pm] |
"So You Draw Cartoons For A Living?" is a panel discussion with Jim Borgman ("Zits"), Dave Coverly ("Speed Bump") and myself (Craig Boldman, "Archie"), this Saturday, November 3, from 2:15-3:00 p.m. at the first annual "Books By The Banks" book festival in Cincinnati, Ohio at the Duke Energy Center.
Panel discussions with various authors will be going on all day (from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), and authors will be available to sign books and chat with readers. It's all free! See you there --
Full details at:
http://booksbythebanks.org
|
|
| Stage & Screen Update |
[30 Sep 2007|11:01am] |
1) My Speedway commercial's been airing over the last month, and getting very good coverage in this area at least. Among those who have gotten in touch to ask "Was that you in that commercial?" was underground comix great Justin Green.
2) The theatrical reading at the Fairfield Community Arts Center (detailed in an earlier entry) was quite successful -- for the most part. On the second night of the show, one of the actors got carried away and kept stepping on my lines. I looked like a goldfish up there; just opening my mouth and then closing it again, because the other actor kept steamrolling through. By the tenth (!) time in a row I was getting good and annoyed, and finally just did my bits whether she was talking or not.
|
|
| Jughead Review |
[30 Sep 2007|10:45am] |
Here's a nice review of Jughead #184. As usual, the issue was written by me, pencilled by Rex Lindsey, and inked by Rich Koslowski:
Jughead Review
|
|
| My Acting Career Creeps Along part 3 |
[20 Aug 2007|10:18pm] |
|
The Fairfield Community Arts Center in Fairfield, Ohio ( http://www.fairfield-city.org/Activities/cac/index.cfm ) will host a reader's theater, with the ongoing program's first effort taking place this weekend, Friday and Saturday at 8pm August 24th & 25th. The idea is to showcase works in progress by area playwrights. I'll be doing the narrator's role in two productions: "Mama's Bible," by Victoria Bailey, and "Teacher's Left Behind" by Bridget Ossman. For a $5.00 admission, you'll get to hear these scripts performed, and be offered a chance to interact with the authors and offer your valuable feedback. Come on, jump in your car, hop a plane, row a boat, etc. and plant your butt in a seat.
|
|
| My Acting Career Creeps Along, part 2 |
[16 Aug 2007|08:27pm] |
On Tuesday I was called to appear in a commercial for Speedway, a chain of convenience stores in the midwest. This picture was snapped on my way out of the studio. As you might surmise from the lab coat, I'm a scientist in this spot. The commercial will start running in September, I'm told, so if you live in a Speedway part of the country, keep a sharp eye out for my pretty face.
|
|
| My Acting Career Creeps Along, part 1 |
[15 Aug 2007|10:37am] |
Here's a snapshot from a remote set of "Joy," an upcoming film by Julie Marie Hassett from Red Love Films. That's me in the distance, behind the clapboard. I was called at the last minute to fill in a small part that was originally slated to be played by Peter Frampton, of all people. Peter had a schedule conflict when the shooting schedule was bumped, and there you have it.
Red Love Film
|
|
| Jughead Review |
[19 Jul 2007|08:17am] |
Here's a nice review of the Jughead 'Hamburger Fest' issue from Silver Bullet Comics.
Review
|
|
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
howlington's journal