MA – James Welborn Memorial Art Show

PLEASE BE ADVISED THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Press Release:

Team ZombieBomb!, Hub Comics, and Bloc 11 Gallery host an art fundraiser event for the family of former Hub Comics owner James Welborn on Sunday July 10, 2011 in Somerville, MA. James passed away very recently and we as a community want to give back to his store, his child, and his family. James was very supportive of all our efforts, as well as to the rest of the local comic scene.

Come see us at the Bloc 11 Gallery Sunday, July 10th from 2-6pm to participate in a silent auction featuring work from comic book artists of every stripe who have come together to honor James’s memory. With A-list work both on display and available for sale, this is a unique opportunity for art fans to get their hands on some amazing original artwork, and to help a great cause while doing it. Contributions include pages by superstar artists John Byrne, Tim Truman, Esad Ribic, Dick Ayers, Jim Mahfood as well as pieces donated by local artists such as Joe Quinones, Maris Wicks, Adam Miller, Liz Prince, Rich Woodall, Meghann Brideau, David Marshall, Andrew Houle, Josh Morrissette, and many more. Several of these locals will be on hand Sunday.

Additionally, Hub Comics will have a storewide sale all day with savings from 10% to 50% off almost everything in the store. Hub is located right next door to Bloc 11, making Bow Street a prime destination for any comic book and zombie fan within driving distance.

RSVP on Facebook!

Fundraiser for James Welborn
Sunday, July 10th
Hub Comics – all day sale, 10am-6pm @ 19 Bow Street, Union Square, Somerville, MA
Bloc 11 – art auction, 2pm-6pm @ 11 Bow Street, Union Square, Somerville, MA

James Welborn, founder of Hub Comics, died on May 23rd, 2011. Originally from Nevada, James came to Massachusetts to work in the computer industry. He always loved comic books, and wanted to raise awareness that comics could tell any story and be read by anyone of any age. He built Hub Comics to be not only a comic shop, but a friendly neighborhood destination for fans, artists, children, and families. His smile and gentle greeting of “How’s it going?” will be missed by Union Square.

A trust fund has been set up to provide for James’s family. Please contact Hub Comics for more information.

Memorial for Hub Comics Proprietor

The Boston comic book community was shocked and saddened by the recent passing of Hub Comics owner, James Welborn. James was a huge comic fan who ran a friendly, welcoming store and was very supportive of local artists and the rest of the Union Square community. A memorial service will be held at the shop (19 Bow St, Union Square, Somerville, MA) on Saturday June 4th from 7-10pm (More details at the link).

Additionally, several local artists are working with Bloc 11 and Diesel Cafe to put together a gallery show in which all proceeds from the art sold will be given to James’s family. The art will be on display at Bloc 11 Cafe (11 Bow St, Union Square, Somerville, MA) from June 28th – July 10th (More details at the link). Please see below for more details especially if you are an artist interested in donating a piece.

Please send this out to your friends. Most of you know many artists in Somerville or from the Comic Con and I need your help passing along this info quickly so that we can have a full house! And now for the details: 

What are we asking for?

•We are looking for an art donation. If you have any of your own work you would like to donate for a silent auction, please get back to me as soon as possible!

•PLEASE forward to any artist friends who you think would be interested. We want to fill up the cafe with work! 

Where is it going?

•All the work will be hung up at Bloc 11 Cafe for two weeks. 

When is it?

•June 27 drop off, June 28th hangup (you don’t have to help but we will accept a few volunteers!)

•Ends July 10th with an event at Bloc 11 AND Hub Comics (they are thinking of what to do over there like a sale or something) 

What to submit?

•Since the event is based around the comic book shop, we’re hoping for paintings related to a comic theme…but if that isn’t your style, that’s okay! We are more than happy to accept your art donation, regardless! 

What if it doesn’t sell?

•You can take your work home if it doesn’t sell. We don’t expect everything to sell, regardless of how amazing the work may be. Our customers are pretty awesome and are probably very interested in getting some local artwork!

•The more people you tell about this show, the more likely there will be a ton of sales! That said, if you didn’t sell but really want to make it a permanent donation, I will chat with you and Jesse (of Hub Comics) to work out something. 

…But I’m worried that someone will only bid low and my painting is worth much more!

•We agree with you! This will be a silent auction, so people will fill in their own bids, but we’ll need a “starting bid price” from you. The starting bid price should still be a little lower than what you would charge normally. While we want James’ family to get the most from this, we need the prices to be approachable. We want people to compete a little for the piece, so the starting bid shouldn’t scare buyers away. 

Do I get any money from my sale?

•No. The only persons benefiting from the sale will be James’ family/son. Bloc is not taking any commission.

•Keep in mind, this can be a great opportunity to meet other artists who you might someday collaborate with for a show or group art… you can still get something very positive out of donating! 

What if my work isn’t good enough?

•We will accept any well-made piece. As long as the artist took some thought, time, and effort to make something/find older work for our fundraiser, we think that’s awesome! We will start by accepting one piece from each individual, plus one more if they’re in a group. If you want to donate a bunch of work, that’s great too! We will do what we can to hang everything. 

How should my work be prepared?

GREAT QUESTION!

•We have brick walls. This means: Unless your work is stretched canvas or on plywood, YOU MUST FRAME IT! NO NAILS/SCREWS in the brick. NO GLUE. NO BLUETACK. NO ALL-GLASS FRAMES. NO frames without a wire going across the back.

•Why? We must hang all work from the ceiling by a wire which means we need a way to hang your beautiful work from this wire. We really really want to hang everyone’s donated work but won’t if it requires a weird fix.

•No exceptions, please! 

When do I bring in the work?

•Monday, June 27th at 7pm @ Bloc 11 Cafe (11 Bow Street, Somerville)

•If you absolutely can’t arrange for this time, please contact Meg: Diesel11art@gmail.com and arrange a time. The staff at Bloc have their hands full already and we want to make sure your work stays safe before we hang it up. 

Please write to Meg with any questions and PLEASE forward this to anyone local who would like to donate art! 

Many thanks,

Meghann 

Curator

Bloc 11 Cafe & Diesel Cafe

Somerville, MA 

Diesel11art@gmail.com

MA/NH – Dark Daze Over New England

Adam Miller, Josh Morrissette, and Rich Woodall sign the latest issue of  ZombieBomb on Saturday Dec. 18th!

Press Release: 

Two of New England’s finest comic shops, Hub Comics in Somerville, MA and Jetpack Comics in Rochester, NH host signings this weekend as ZombieBomb! Dark Daze debuts from Terminal Press.

The latest ZombieBomb! offering kicks off at Jetpack on Saturday, December 18th from noon to 4pm. Series co-creator Rich Woodall will be on hand with a team of contributors as Dark Daze takes over the shop.

Then starting at 3pm, co-creator Adam Miller and production lead Josh Morrissette will appear alongside more contributors at Hub Comics.

As a precursor for the shop’s annual “Dark Knight on a Dark Night” Batman-themed art show (featuring more work from Miller and Morrissette), the Dark Daze event is a perfect lead-in, and will run until DKDN gets underway at 6pm.

The full details:

ZombieBomb! Dark Daze debut
Saturday, Dec 18th
12-4pm
Jetpack Comics
37 North Main St, Rochester, NH 03867

3-6pm
Hub Comics – Union Square
19 Bow Street, Somerville, MA 02143

RSVP on Facebook!

MA – X-Factor Signing

Inker Pat Davidson signs on Wednesday, August 18th August 25th from 7-9 p.m. to commemorate the release of X-Factor #208, which features the return of Wolfsbane.

RSVP on Facebook!

Hub Comics
19 Bow Street, Somerville, MA 02143-2933

MA – ZombieBomb Signing

Adam Miller and Rich Woodall sign on Saturday, August 14th from 12-3 p.m. The second issue of this anthology series debuted at the San Diego Comic-Con and makes its East-Coast debut with a special Hub Comics Variant edition. Get your copies of this book while you can. It’s sold out at every show they’ve attended, and has only been printed in small runs so far. The book will be nationally available from Terminal Press later this year.

Hub Comics
19 Bow Street, Somerville, MA 02143-2933

MA – Heeby Jeeby Signing

MA – Green Lantern Signing

Friend of Hub Joe Quinones is all over the comics world lately. He’s done covers for both DC and Marvel; his Green Lantern work for last year’s Wednesday Comics is out now in hardcover.

Wednesday, June 16, Joe’s art will grace the next one-shot in the Joker’s Asylum series, focusing on Joker’s moll, the fan-favorite Harley Quinn

Joe will be in the shop from 7 to 9 p.m. signing, and — if you’re lucky — sketching!

Hub Comics, 19 Bow St., Union Sq., Somerville, MA 02143

RSVP on Facebook!

MA – All-Ages Signing

Shelli Paroline and Stephanie Yue will be in-shop for an all-ages signing on Saturday, June 5!

Shelli will be signing copies of Muppet Snow White, published by BOOM Studios, which she draws, as well as other Muppet books where she has contributed covers. The four-issue limited series retells the Snow White story with the familiar Muppet characters and personality.

Shelli is one of the leading forces behind the Boston Comics Roundtable and has published several pieces in their various anthologies.

Artist Stephanie Yue will be signing the new childrens’ book Guinea PI-G, Pet Store Private Eye, which she created with author Colleen Venable.

The publisher describes the book thusly: There’s a sandwich thief in Mr. Venezi’s pet shop, and everyone is a suspect, from the chinchillas to the goldfish. Never fear! The world’s fluffiest detective on the case: Sasspants, PI(G). By day, Sasspants is your average book-loving, gizmo-inventing guinea pig. By night she solves pet shop mysteries with the help of her sidekick, Hamisher the hamster. Our furry little heroes will stop at nothing to find the sandwich thief! This is the first book in the Guinea PIG, Pet Shop Private Eye series.

Hub Comics, 19 Bow St., Union Sq., Somerville, MA. 617.718.0987

Punchbuggy Tour

Ken Dahl (Monsters, Welcome to the Dahl House), Liz Baillie (My Brain Hurts, Freewheel) and MK Reed (Cross Country, Americus) continue their tour.

The Punchbuggy Tour is a multimedia event featuring live comics readings accompanied by a lively ukulele and banjo soundtrack, interspersed with acoustic performances by the artists showcasing their abilities on the ukulele, kazoo and glockenspiel! All three artists will be reading from their most recent works, which will be on sale at each event, and the artists will be available for signing books, babies and body parts before and after the performance.

All events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise indicated.

PUNCHBUGGY TWO: SPRING FORWARD, PUNCH BACK!

Tuesday, March 23 @7pm – Amherst, MA @ Hampshire College (West Lecture Hall)

Wednesday, March 24 @ 7pm – Providence, RI @ Ada Books

Thursday, March 25 @ 7pm – Somerville, MA @ Hub Comics

Friday, March 26 @ 7:30pm – Montreal, Quebec @ the Drawn & Quarterly Store

Follow the Punchbuggy Tour online at http://www.punchbuggytour.com!

MA – The Devil & Sarah Palin Signing

Sarah Palin will never go away. There’s simply something too intriguing and terrible about the former Alaska governor to keep people away. It’s very much like watching a car crash. And Richard Tenorio, a Malden-born political cartoonist, is rubbernecking. His new comic book, The Devil and Sarah Palin, was a huge hit at last month’s Boston Comic Con, and now it’s flying off the shelves.

“I have her glasses, and her hairdo I always draw with a ponytail,” he says. “I don’t know why she has a ponytail, she just always has a touch of informality about her. … It took some time to develop an image of her that I was comfortable with.”

In his one-off comic, he first has Lucifer make a Faustian deal with a voter, encouraging them to vote for Palin. Once Palin fails, however, the tables have turned and Lucifer is then in Palin’s ear. “He tries to counsel her,” says Tenorio, “to focus on her state-of-the-state address and the Alaskan pipeline. I think the book touches on some of the things the mainstream media misses, like all the biblical imagery she uses.”

Like much of his other cartoons, the Columbia School of Journalism graduate stays away from outright characterization, letting the plot of this deal with the devil make the most of the message. Though his Palin is simple, it’s not without a keen resemblance. “It just came from all the times I’ve looked at her,” he says. Which, like all of us, is one time too many.

[The Devil and Sarah Palin release party, Sun 11.15.09. Hub Comics, 19 Bow St., Union Sq., Somerville, MA. 617.718.0987. 4pm-6pm/free. hubcomics.com]

by David Day for Boston’s Weekly Dig

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