Events

Ancient Futures Status update

| Aaron McConnell

The photo collage above includes pictures from Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) where Steven (writer) and I (artist) introduced readers to our first printed volume of Ancient Futures and we’re happy to report it was warmly received, including enthusiastic response to the visuals as well as the catchy tagline for the book “Afropunk Assassins at the end of SpaceTime!” Other creative individuals (photographers, sculptors, actors, tarot readers, cosplayers) are getting involved in the project and we’re very excited to witness its development in ways that we couldn’t have imagined when Ancient Futures started about 2 and half years ago.

Absent-mindedly, I don’t think I’ve shown photos of the first printed Volume 1 on this blog, so here are some long overdue images to give you an idea of what the 40 page printed book looks like. For those who missed Volume 1, there is a reward tier that offers both this issue and Vol. 2. and the print edition of the first issue is running low, so get it while you can.

There are still 2 rewards for original art available in the Sketch Cover tier. You can expect those one-of-a-kind originals to look something like this:

Our status for the Kickstarter is currently under water with 8 days remaining. Not sure if we’ll be able to make this, so please consider spreading the word to anyone you can think of who might be interested in this project. The cost of a 40-page graphic novel is rather high these days and since we’re self-publishing this series to retain the rights we need to find people who believe in and are willing to invest in the project to make the printed book a reality. Thank you for your time and consideration.

PODCAST Appearance!

| Aaron McConnell

Steven and I were honored to be on the comic and pop culture podcast Blue Tiger Revenge last night. It was a fun conversation that reveals how Steven and I started working together on Ancient Futures and includes some of Steven’s recitation of the lines from the book. Very entertaining stuff, if I do say so myself. Host Tadd Galusha has been working in comics about as long as I have and we know each other from years back, so he had very specific and relevant questions about the drawing process and working in comics. Check it out here: https://bluetigerrevenge.substack.com/p/18-aaron-mcconnell-and-steven-white 

The Ancient Futures Kickstarter is counting down its final hours as I type this, so please hop aboard ASAP if you’d like to support it. We are so grateful to our backers and look forward to fulfilling the rewards in the coming months.

There are still 2 Original Art rewards available to purchase, Ancient Futures artworks drawn by Adam Benet Shaw and Dustin Weaver. This is a unique opportunity and I’m selfishly hoping that someone purchases these so that I can see their artistic interpretations of the characters from the book.

Ancient Futures Kickstarter is live!

| Aaron McConnell

Dear subscribers and comic lovers,

I’m excited to announce the launch of a passion project I’ve been working on for over a year with a writer in Chicago Steven White, aka Seven, on this Valentine’s Day, 2022. What started as weekly zoom meetings to exchange story ideas and concept drawings organically grew into a compelling narrative as characters began to form and ideas bubbled to the surface brought about by the challenging and perplexing times we were experiencing in our collective lives. This story feels very “of the moment” and Seven and I wanted to find a way to bring an audience along with us as it forms rather than keep it hidden away until the entire story has been written and drawn. The hope is to keep it alive and growing in dialogue with reader interaction. Kickstarter seemed like an appropriate choice and so today marks the christening of our ship Ancient Futures as we embark into the great unknown. I hope you’ll check it out and consider joining us on the journey. We have a 40-page Part One that is scheduled to print this spring and ship this summer if the Kickstarter is successful, and we hope it captures your imagination as much as the creation of it has for Seven and myself. Thank you! http://kck.st/3oLKLgi

a new project and a humble request

| Aaron McConnell

I haven’t been blogging much over the course of the pandemic, but despite challenging times it has been a productive year for my studio work. I made a conscious choice to step away from illustrating nonfiction graphic novels, the bread and butter of my freelance, in pursuit of fictional storytelling and worldbuilding, a desire I’ve had since I started out as a freelancer about 18 years ago.

One project in particular has taken on an unexpected life of its own. I met a writer online just before the summer of 2020 and we started having weekly zoom meetings. It started as a work-for-hire comic illustration gig, but the organic nature of the collaboration allowed me to invest more heavily into the way the story was being told mainly because I wasn’t working off a script, but rather ideas for scenes and story ideas.

A long story short, the project has evolved into a passion project for me. I’ve put hundreds of hours into bringing it to life and even flew out to Chicago to meet the writer in person. Seven White and I have completed a 40 page Part One of the story we’re telling and the time has come for us to start sharing it with readers. I ask that you consider helping us realize our dream to continue the journey of this project. It’s going to be self-published and creator-owned, so we need the support to make it happen. Please sign-up for the email list and follow the instagram page to stay up to date with our progress. I can’t thank you enough for your support.

10th Annual NYCC x MCM Metaverse Charity Art Auction

| Aaron McConnell

Please join us 10th Annual NYCC x MCM Metaverse Charity Art Auction to benefit the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital!Have Fun. Get Art. Save Lives. You Can Make A Difference!

11″ x 17″ original ink drawing on archival bristol board.

I’m contributing this piece to the auction going on now. If you’re a fan of the Mandalorian, Cara Dune, and Baby Yoda (and really who isn’t?), and have the means to donate to this worthy cause, please check it out! The details are listed below including a link to all the impressive art available.

Auction Starts: October 2 – 12:00 pm EST

Auction Ends: October 11 – 8:00 pm ESTLocation: https://vfundraise.net/NYCC20#page=1&category=29361

Thanks you for your attention and consideration!

NYCC Artist Alley A4, (“A” for Aaron, “4” for four double letters in my name)

| Aaron McConnell

 

If you’re in New York and headed for the Comic Con, you can find me in the Artist Alley at Booth A4.  I plan to be at the booth all 4 days interrupted only by a few events scheduled (see below).  Mike Smith, the co-author/brewer of The Comic Book Story of Beer will be joining me Saturday and Sunday. Come talk drawing and beer with us!

  • Saturday 10/8

I will be signing The Comic Book Story of Beer with Mike Smith at the PRH/Crown Booth #2210, Time: 3:30 pm

  • Sunday 10/9
Comics in Real Life
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Location:   BookCon @ NYCC – 500 W 36th Street

  • Monday 10/10

Post-NYCC Author Coffee Klatsch

Time: 11:00AM-1:00PM (revolving door event)
Location: Random House offices—1745 Broadway, NYC 10019 (between 55th and 56th streets)
strangebrew_color_a
The original ink drawing of this image of Dr Strange, the Home Brewer, will be included in the NYCC Charity Art Auction benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  The details are available at this link along with images of all the other contributions:http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/Events/NYCC-Charity-Art-Auction/

The Charity Auction is Saturday night (10/8) at 6:45pm in room 1A18. Below is the B/W original:

strangebrew_aaronmcconnell
In addition to selling books and original artwork at my Booth (A4), I also look forward to the opportunity to draw commissions.  Below are some examples of 13th Age drawings. Thanks for your time and attention.  Hope to see you at NYCC!

New York Comic Con Booth 1248

| Aaron McConnell

NYCC starts October 8 this week and I will be meeting up with my co-authors!  Jonathan and Mike have been on the road since we debuted The Comic Book Story of Beer in Denver.  They’ve been in Minneapolis, MN at DANGEROUS MAN BREWING COMPANY, Iowa City at BACKPOCKET BREWING COMPANY, Kansas City, MO at BARNES & NOBLE, Chicago, IL at BEERMISCUOUS CRAFT BEER CAFE, and Toronto Canada at THE BEGUILING BOOKS AND ART / PAGE & PANEL: THE TCAF SHOP. Today they’ll be in Ann Arbor, MI at NICOLA’S BOOKS, tomorrow in Akron, OH at LIZARDVILLE BEER STORE & WHISKEY BAR/BARNES & NOBLE, and then Oct. 8-11 for NEW YORK CITY COMIC CON.  It doesn’t even end there!  Check the WEBSITE for the complete list.

You can also find some of the REVIEWS for the book with a plethora of sample pages like these found at suntimes.com:

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RCCC in One Week

| Aaron McConnell

I’m looking forward to RCCC next Friday, but examining my inventory of The Comic Book Story of Beer comps, I’m afraid I may not have enough to get me through the weekend.  It looks like I’m just shy of 20 copies and since the book won’t be officially released until Sept 22nd, I’ll have to go with what I’ve got.  If you’re planning to be at RCCC and want to ensure that you’ll be able to pick up a copy while supplies last, drop me an email and we can work out the details.  I’m also up for doing a sketch in the book beforehand if you order ahead of time.  During the con I probably won’t do much beyond a signature and a quick doodle, but if you want something more like the examples below, please contact me this week.

It’s an  exciting time for The Comic Book Story of Beer.  Reviews are starting to trickle in like this ARTICLE on suvudu.com!  It’s great to hear that people are enjoying it!  Cheers!

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Birthday for a King!

| Aaron McConnell

Time to celebrate Jack “King” Kirby’s birthday with Wake Up and Draw…and Waffles!  It’s always fun to see a blast of sketches appearing across the internet every August 28th.  The drawings are auctioned off to benefit the Hero Initiative.  Here’s a link to a bunch of the drawings on comicartfans.com

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