Monday, September 26, 2011

Call for Art for Muppet Gallery




The new Muppet Movie is being released this November. Join us in a celebration of all that is Jim Henson and his Muppet creations. The November theme for the Rouges Gallery will be the Muppets and we are calling for all local artists to submit a piece of original art. On Saturday afternoons starting at 1pm we will play old Muppet movies and the old TV series. On December 3, we will host and open house where fans of the work can come meet the artists behind the creations and have an opportunity to purchase the work. With this being a Muppet gallery, please don’t limit your submissions to simply paper work, feel free to even create your own puppet. All pieces should be submitted by November 4, 2011 for display beginning November 5 with the first movie being played on the 5th.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Darryl Banks Signing August 24, 2011


Joining us for the release of the Retroactive 90's Green Lantern on August 24, 2011 will be Darryl Banks who had nearly a 100 issue run on Green Lantern in the 1990's. He's the co-creator of the ever iconic character Kyle Rayer and designer of Parallax, Grayven, Fatality, Dr. Polaris and Dr. Light costumes! Whew, that's a lot of stuff!

Darryl will be with us from 11:30am-1:30pm signing books and doing sketches.


Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Free Comic Book Day Review


It was awesome. More details later, but overall, really was an awesome time. Thank you all for coming out, telling your friends and helping make this a success.


Update:
It was a wonderful afternoon of fun and free comics. Kids played games and with snakes and bounced in the jump house and many of you visited the artist alley to check out the local small press work. Billy West and Nicholas Brendon were both on hand to sign autographs and photos. The bands were amazing and entertained all who stayed late. And in the end we were honored to raise of $2000 for Josh Medors through the Help for Heroes Benefit. Thank you all who showed up and continue to support free comic book day, Packrat Comics and the original American art form of Comic Books! See you all next year!









Monday, May 30, 2011

Spam and Virus Alert

Our web hosting and management service has recently been infected with some type of malicious virus and spam and will be down until further notice. You should still be able to access your comixology account by clicking on the connection above. Thank you for your understanding while the IT guys get this worked out.

Teresa

Monday, April 25, 2011

Free Comic Book Day Schedule of Events

Schedule of Events

10:00am
Open
Artist Alley Open (Front Corner)
Bounce House, Carnival Games and Face Painting

11:00am Learn a new game & earn a free Heroclix Figure
Petting Zoo Open at Pet Salon

12:00-5:00pm Special Guest Autograph Session
Nick Brendon autograph session
Billy West autograph session
Nick Jones autograph session

2:00pm Costume Contest—hundreds of
dollars worth of prizes to be awarded

2:00pm Pride Wrestling Alliance Smack

5:00pm Nerd Night:
Live Concert, Stand Up Comics & Trivia Contest
Bands Include:

5:00pm Hubris

6:00pm The Out

7:00pm Texas Hold’em Charity Comic Book Poker Tournament (Proceeds for Josh)

7:00pm The Fritz

8:00pm Nerd Table

9:00pm Seven Book Trilogy

Monday, March 21, 2011

SPACE Drink & Draw Kick Off Party

Friday night Packrat was proud to host the kick off party for S.P.A.C.E. and kick off party it was with lots of drinking and drawing and camaraderie. Between making pizza’s and restocking the beer cooler I was able to talk to a few artists and watch some great art being created. The jam panel that was created by all the artists turned out amazing. Special thanks to Rob Walker for taking some great pictures of the evening.



Wednesday, March 9, 2011

S.P.A.C.E. Kick Off Party Drink & Draw Panel Jam at Packrat


SPACE kick off party for the 2011 Small Press Alternative Comic Expo going on March 19-20.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=170140983036638

Free food & drinks and Artist Panel Jam Session Friday night. Watch some creative people do some amazing things with a pen and paper!

Free SPACE passes to the first 20 people through the door.

Drink & Draw responsibly!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

10th Annual Free Comic Book Day



2011 Free Comic Book Day Guest List

Join us for our annual FCBD event. Here is a bio for all of our wonderful guests participating in the 10th annual Free Comic Book Day!

Nicholas Brendon - Nicholas Brendon was part of the scooby gang in the hit television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer created by Joss Whedon. None of his characters were more relatable then that of Xander Harris, a key team member without any notable powers. He was loyal and watchful, kind and courageous even when he was a bit clumsy. Nicholas Brendon currently has a recurring role in the hit CBS televisions series “Criminal Minds” and has starred in "Beach Party", "Celeste in the City" and "Kitchen Confidential".



Billy West-William Richard "Billy" West voice actor. Billy launched his career in the early 1980s performing daily comedic routines on Boston's WBCN. He left the radio station to work on the short-lived revival of Beany and Cecil. He was also a writer and castmember on The Howard Stern Show during the early to mid 1990s, where he gained nationwide fame with his impersonations of Larry Fine and late Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott. West is best known for his voice-work on Ren & Stimpy, Doug and Futurama. His favorite characters are Philip J. Fry (Futurama) and Stimpy (Ren and Stimpy), both of which he originated. West's most notable film work was in Space Jam (1996) providing the voice of both Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. He has provided the same voices for other Looney Tunes films and video games. West has been very outspoken over his displeasure about the influx of movie star actors providing voice-over for films and major shows. As well as a voice artist, West is also a guitarist and singer-songwriter with a band called Billy West and The Grief Counselors.

Nick Jones: Nick Jones is featured in the upcoming sure to be blockbuster Green Lantern live action m
ovie. An actor who developed his love for acting at an early age by the encouragement of his grandfather who recorded and urged him to watch many movies. Nick became intrigued in the way movies portray the world around him. Born in Voorhees, New Jersey, Nick moved to Alabama as a child and grew up in the south. He considers himself a true southerner at heart. He first became active in acting at his performing arts high school, Booker T. Washington Magnet High and later at Evangel Christian Academy in Alabama. He performed in many plays and went on to develop a love in theater while acting in college at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He would later answer the call of duty by joining the United States Marine Corps. Nick got his first big break in professional acting in October of 2009.

Steve Scott - Marvel and DC artist Steve Scott will be joining us this year. Steve's work has been featured on "Indiana Jones" at Dark Horse, on production art used onscreen for the "Smallville" television show, not to mention that Steve was also the only artist tapped to do any sequential art for "Dark Knight," for the Tostino promotional campaign in conjunction with DC Comics. More of Steve's recent sequential work includes "X-Men Forever," an exclusive Green Lantern project with DC Comics and Con Edison, and the highly touted "Batman Confidential." Steve was recently tapped to do a promotional comic as a cereal prize insert!

Christ Sprous
e - Chris Sprouse launched his career in mainstream comics in 1989, his first credited work being a Chemical King story in an issue of DC Comics' Secret Origins. He then did a Two-Face story for Batman Annual #14 and then moved on to the limited series Hammerlocke. Sprouse then took on the sci-fi series Legionnaires, featuring teenaged versions of the characters in the Legion of Super-Heroes series, and eventually moved on to a number of one-shot and fill-in issues before illustrating a Star Wars mini-series, Splinter of the Mind's Eye, for Dark Horse Comics. He then worked for Extreme Studios as the regular penciller of New Men, and in 1997, Sprouse drew several issues of Supreme, scripted by Alan Moore for the same publisher. After Supreme ended, a year later he and Moore created Tom Strong for America's Best Comics, for which Sprouse won two Eisner Awards in 2000, for Best Single Issue and Best Serialized Story. Sprouse was also the penciller on the 2004 Ocean mini-series, written by Warren Ellis and published by DC Comics. In 2007, Ocean was optioned for film. In 2006, he began pencilling Wildstorm's Midnighter ongoing series, a spin-off of The Authority. He has also been announced as the artist on the first issue of Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne with Grant Morrison as writer.

Scott D. Simmons - Scott D Simmons is a comic book and sketch card artist and his work includes Star Wars, Voltron (Moonstone), Hack/Slash (Image), The Dead Cell (Arcana), Wannabez, Halloween Man and Mr. Jigsaw. Scott D. Simmons is the creator of Angelwolf Comics and Knights of P.O.W.E.R. In addition to his comic work, Scott works as a news and convention photo contributor for Comic Related.

Victor Dandridge - Victor Dandridge is a comic creator from Columbus, O-H(I-O), where he self-publishes through his Vantage:Inhouse Productions imprint. He briefly attended the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, but ran away to join the circus, and ended up being trained by Batman.


Uko Smith - Uko Smith first gained recognition after graduating from the Columbus College of Art and Design for his distinctive use of line work and stylized realization as well as his erotic pin-up work and sensual style. Uko has appeared in Heavy Metal magazine as the Featured Artist of the Month and his work as been featured in Julie Strain's Nightmare on Pin-Up Street, Jade Magazine, Marquis, Aphrodisia, and many others. Other work of Uko's can be found in the world of sketchcards from DC Legacy, Marvel Masterpieces, The Complete Avengers, and The Women of Marvel. He also produces self-published works such as sketchbooks, prints, original works, and T-shirts, along with a steady load of freelance work for various companies such as Green Ronin. Look for Uko's latest work on IDW Publishing's FX 2: Lost Land and visit Uko online at ukosmith.com to read more about the artist and his work.

Sean Forney - Sean Forney is a professional illustrator and comic book artist who recently completed color work on My Adventures with Spider-Man by Marvel and Identity Direct. He created Star Wars promotional material including the official t-shirt and patch design for LucasFilm/Disney/Blue Planet Gear for the 2009 and 2010 Star Wars Weekends at Disney Hollywood Studios. Daily, he works with The Artifact Group coloring Bakugan illustrations for the national toy line. Sean co-created and illustrated Scarlet Huntress #1, Scarlet Huntress #2, and a children’s book tie-in called Little Red Riding Hood: Origins of a Huntress. He illustrated a pinup for Hanging Chad Entertainment’s Moos Miht: The Adventures of Mighty Moose #9 and colored various covers for Moos Miht issues. Sean’s early work was for Twisted Gate Entertainment which included drawing two short Scarlet Huntress stories for the anthology books The Portal #1 and #2, and covers for various titles. He has worked for various comic book companies including Sundragon Comics, Funky Ninja Comics, Stormchaser Comics, Camp Comics, Paper Dragon Ink, Fusion Studios, and more. He illustrated When the Cops Come Knockin’: An Illustrated Guide to the Law, character dossiers in G.I. Joe versus Cobra Fall Special: Rise of the Headhunters through Fun Publications, colored covers for Arrow Comics’ Wild Planet, and worked on comic strips for the Microsoft Developers’ program. See more of Sean’s work on the web at www.smcomics.com.

Joshua Peters - Josh returned to CCAD in 2005 and began his studies under the tutelage of many talented instructors including C.F. Payne, Andy Bawidamann and Dave Groff. While he was there, Josh was showcased in the 9th, 10th, and 11th Art of Illustration shows presented by CCAD. His incredibly cool “Over the Line” piece even brought home the C.F. Payne Judge’s Pick award at the 11th. Not only that, but Josh’s “Foo Fighters Poster” was exhibited in New York City at the annual Society of Illustrators Student Exhibition in the spring of 2008. His most recent release is the new child's book Matilda Turnips Endless Belly Button. See more of Josh's work at www.lunchboxunlimited.com

Lora Innes - Lora Innes graduated Suma Cum Laude in 2002 from the Columbus College of Art and Design with a Bachelors in Fine Art. She worked for several years at the Artifact Group, doing illustration for clients such as Fisher Price, Mattel, McGraw Hill, Nickelodeon, Scholastic and Simon & Schuster. Now she writes and draws The Dreamer and wouldn’t trade it for the world. Additional work can be found on her website www.thedreamercomic.com.

Joel Jackon & James Moore - They are 2 Headed Monster Comics, a small-self published comics label in Columbus, Ohio. Joel Jackson and James Moore met while Joel was clerking at Discount Paperback, where James would ramble incoherently for hours about comics. Now they make comics together. Our ongoing Radio Free Gahanna series was a finalist for the 2010 S.P.A.C.E. prize and The Toyetic Adventures of Coco Fiasco won 2010 Packrat Comic Mid-Ohio Con self-published comics contestt

Jamie Snell - Jamie Snell studied illustration and graduated from Columbus College of Art and Design. Jamie has been working on and off as a freelance illustrator for over 10 + years. Some of his credits include various sketch card sets from Topps (Star Wars: CW Movie and Seasons 1&2, Galaxy 4&5, ESB Widescreen, Terminator Salvation, Heroes Season 2, Indiana Jones Masterpieces & Crystal Skull, Lord of the Rings Masterpieces 2), 5finity: Voltron sketch cards, IDW Publishing: Beastwars Source book, Image Comics: Popgun Anthology Vol.1 , and various other inking projects. Last year Jamie had the privilege of producing two exclusive Star Wars posters for Lucas Films, Ltd, and Acme Archives: Celebrations V (Official Star Wars Convention) official print and the 30th Anniversary of Empire Strikes Back on http://www.facebook.com/l/457f6nyFknWSHstoqBVgnKp6nHw;Starwarshop.com (release date: 10/10). Jamie just finished 11 various covers for IDW's GODZILLA® #1. The covers are retailer incentive covers and they will have their very own cover - featuring Godzilla stomping their comic store. Samples of his portfolio can be referenced at http://www.facebook.com/l/457f6CmXwBRMXLfWFL8rGHcDd5A;www.Ragelion.com.

Dirk Manning - Dirk Manning is quickly becoming one of the hottest up-and-coming writers in comics. He's the writer/creator of horror series NIGHTMARE WORLD at Image/Shadowline Comics, the author of the popular inspirational column "WRITE OR WRONG" at www.Newsarama.com, the co-creator of the family-friendly fantasy series FARSEEKER at www.ACT-I-VATE.com and one of the premier creators at www.ComicsPipeline.com with full-length dark dramas about a zombie apocalypse (“Countdown to Extinction”) and professional wrestling (“A Rush of Blood to the Head”), respectively. To top it off he also has both a new “horror-noir” series (TALES OF MR. RHEE) and super-heroine drama (HOPE) debuting from Shadowline Comics online this Spring. He’s one of the most approachable and friendly creators you’ll ever meet, so be sure to swing by and say “Hi” and check out his work! Cthulhu is his homeboy.

Molly Durst - Molly Durst is a professional, award winning graphic and web designer. She is a lifetime learner who is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in web development, and has earned a scholarship from the Print Industry of Northern Kentucky and Ohio to pursue this goal. Molly's love of books began early (both of her parents are teachers). This passion for book arts drives her to self-publish her own stories. Her love of indie media and subculture attracts her to the bizarre world of small press comic books.

Todd Beistel/Doug Hufford - While still in high school, Todd self published Eye of the Probe, a comic anthology. He then went on to study illustration and graduate from CCAD. While in college, Todd wrote and illustrated Lost Souls, a graphic short story. Lost Souls was published by Hunter Productions.As years passed, Todd’s interests evolved into fine art and graphic design. As a dedicated artist, he has been featured in venues throughout Ohio. On several occasions, he has contributed illustrations to accompany columnists such as Dave Barry and Click and Clack. Doug also studied at CCAD, but strangely evolved into a writer as time passed. He became known for his outlandish movie reviews during the late 90's. He made his home at Bumscorner.com, and often got picked up nationally by IMdB and Ain't It Cool News. Currently they are collaborating on the webcomic sensation, Yuri the Gypsy Hunter. Yuri the Gypsy Hunter is a decades spanning epic concerning an orphan, a rock band, and lots of teenage angst.

Eric Adams - Eric is best known as the creator of LACKLUSTER WORLD, a dark satire comic series about an albino man using vandalism and his job as a newspaper journalist to change the world at large before it changes him. In 2006, he illustrated STUART, a short story penned by Chris Arrant which ran in NEGATIVE BURN. Eric is also a contributor to Newsarama.com, writing SEQUENTIAL SMARTS, a thorough series of articles about marketing comics from the perspective of a small press / self-publisher (currently on hiatus). Eric is also a foolish man that tries to make a living by running a web/graphic design agency.He has a couple of blogs, but doesn't write in them much: http://ericadams.net/
http://ericadams.livejournal.com/ He exists in Cincinnati, OH.

Max Ink - Creator of Blink, the story of three characters: the blond haired cartoonist who lends the piece her name. She is the hopeful one, the thoughtful one and in many ways the one that is most like her creator. Sam is the acerbic one, quick to grumble, in disbelief of the world around her, a definite Johnny Raincloud who hides an incredibly sweet heart and Hank, the would-be musician who claims to have never heard the blues. See more of Max's work athttp://blinkcomic.wordpress.com/

Seth Lyons - Seth Lyons is a professional graphic artist Absolute Impressions Inc., a Lewis Center based print shop. He's also illustrated comics for a local publishing company, working on Stiletto Heights and Johnnie Zombie. After sitting in front of computers all day, designing for companies like Verizon, WCOL, and others, he decided it was time to return to basics. Painting the characters he loved in his youth and still today; Seth creates and sells highly detailed paintings of beloved comic, movie, and television characters. Also known for his love of insane collage pieces featuring hundreds of characters, Seth enjoys the time spent with his now growing family. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/album.php?aid=280649&id=638229573

Matthew Swift - Mathew Swift is the art director of SwiftGraphics providing illustration, design, fine art and comic art commissions. SwiftGraphics has provided design and illustration services to American Fortune 100 and international... businesses. Including work in the Entertainment industry for clients such as Nintendo of America, Microsoft, Sony Computer Entertainment America, and Image Comics. Works have been seen on G4TV, FoxNews, CNN, and more.

Bob Corby - Bob Corby runs the Small Press & Alternative Comics Expo (SPACE) in Columbus OH and self publish comics under the Back Porch Comics banner as a hobby. The next SPACE is March 19 & 20, 2011 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Columbus. Go to www.backporchcomics.com

Stephanie Forney - Stephanie Forney is a local art teacher, comic book writer and artist, who draws and paints professionally in her free time. She gets to travel around the country with her husband Sean Forney as he does guest spots at comic conventions selling the must have superhero pigs.