Last week I attended the Emerald City Comicon in order to visit with my brother, the independent artist GW Fisher. Four samples of his work can be seen in this post. They’ll also be given away.
I didn’t get a glimpse of George Takei or Wil Wheaton, but I got an eyeful of costumed revelers: superheroes, anime characters, steampunk posers and a tall young woman in a Wonder Woman bikini who left a string of broken geek hearts in her leggy wake.
Despite the lingering recession some people are still spending on things that matter to them. My brother’s table did pretty well and I saw a lot of money changing hands when I took a walk around the convention center.
I’d decided to go out in search of free stuff, although I thought it was a silly thing to do. People come to these things to sell items, not to give them away. You’d think.
Yet I came back half an hour later with three free comic books and a couple of pins for my great-nephews. Those of you who came of age in the 1970s or 1980s will be thrilled to know that the “Swamp Thing” comic is about to be re-launched.
The set of four prints is this week’s giveaway. They’re much more vibrantly colored in real life; the reproduction here doesn’t begin to do them justice. (My brother has lots of other superheroic art for sale, both color prints and pen-and-ink drawings. He also does commissions. If you’d like to see more, click on his name, above. Or contact him at inkwell@comcast.net.)
Each measures 11 by 17 inches, and each is a good way to get excited about “The Avengers,” which stars Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johannson. Directed by Joss Whedon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly,” among others), it hits theaters on May 4.
And yeah, I’ll probably go see it. At that point I’ll be house-sitting up in Alaska, where my two great-nephews live. Both are superhero fans, so I’ll bring along those free comics. If there’s a long line to get in, I can introduce them to the Swamp Thing.
To enter:
- Leave a comment below
- Subscribe via e-mail or RSS
- Sign up to follow Surviving and Thriving on Twitter or Facebook
If you do any (or all!) of these things, please leave separate, additional comments to get credit for each entry.
The deadline is 9 p.m. PST Tuesday, April 10. If I don’t hear back from the winner by Thursday morning, April 12, then HULK SMASH!!! Either that, or I’ll pull another name.
It looks like creativity runs in the family. So the question now is, does he write, and do you draw?
I’ve got comic lovers and artists in my house, too.
My brothers and I grew up in the 50s. My 2 brothers were avid comic book collectors. My uncle owned a barber shop and everytime they got hair cuts they got comics as a prize for being good. I collected Thoroughly Modern Millie comics also. They still have them. My brother Jamie is very artistic with wood and gets some of his precise ideas from comic books. I just love the drawings and colors. How can I get copies of the comic books signed by your brother. Please let me know by email.
I can’t pass up a contest like this – I love comics, especially Marvel!
I’m (already) subscribed through my Google Reader:)
I follow you on facebook!
And I read you here…
My kids think the prints are outrageously cool.
Always a fan of good illustration!
Sign me up! Can you tell that I really like these prints?
My husband is a huge Marvel geek. Those are gorgeous prints!
My geeky heart just skipped a beat. I was able to see some of the filming for the movie here in Cleveland and I’d love to win this!
OOH! And I “like” you on Facebook.
And I follow you on Twitter!
I subscribe to yours and your daughter’s “I Pick Up Pennies” via email.
Love the art, and an avid reader of frugal living. Would love to win one of the prints!
Also liked on FB!
Joss Wheedon is my hero! Sounds like it is going to be a fabulous movie.
Your brother’s artwork is wonderful!
My husband and I are super excited about the new Avengers movie! He loves the Hulk especially. We are also reading Swamp Thing and Animal Man, and both are quite good!
My hubby would love these!
My grandson would LOVE one of these! Pick me please!
Oh, how awesome! And those prints are lovely. Please enter me, and thank you for the giveaway.
They would look awesome next to my Mego Tricorder Cassette player circa 1976.
Oh my god yes yes yes. My kids would go BONKERS for these.
Ok fine I admit it, I stalk you on my reader. And I’d go bonkers over them too because I’m a big comic book nerd.
And I follow you on the book of Face.
Did you ever get my email?
No, I’m too lazy to write…
It was nice to visit with Donna at the show, even more fun after hours with our other sister & her husband over dinner. Haven’t laughed like that in quite some time.
Thanks to everyone for the kind words, and anyone who doesn’t win is more than welcome to contact me via inkwell@comcast.net. If you like these I have 94 different prints for sale.
At least a half-dozen of them are actually good…
Those are great. Put my name in the virtual hat.
I follow you via email.
Awesome drawings, awesome contest!
Talent certainly runs in your family. It would be fun to win these! Thanks for the opportunity Donna.
Those are awesome! I would love to win those.
Totally want to win these! Your coolest giveaway yet! Random number picker pick me, oh please pick me!
Very cool. These would be perfect to get my son excited about reading (comics count, right?) instead of watching a movie! That is some great artwork, by the way!
My husband is a huge Marvel fan….
…and I’m a huge fan of yours! I subscribe via email. I love your down-to-earth attitude and sense of humorous.
thanks for the chance
email subscriber
facebook fan
Your brother is an amazing artist! I would love to win those for my boyfriend who can hardly wait to see the Avengers movie.
Not a big comics fan, but my husband is!
They’d make a great gift for a friend, who is very into the comic book scene. Thanks for the opportunity!
I follow you on twitter.
I follow you also by email.
Hope I win! My house is full of Avenger fans, including me 🙂
Wow!! These are amazing, and that’s just seeing the little thumbnails!! Your brother is so talented!! My son would go crazy over these. If he were a tiny bit older, would take him to the Avengers movie, as it is, my husband is hoping I’ll ask to go see it for MY birthday, so, I just might, lol.
I get your emails!!!!
I love the movies and would be a hero to my son-in-law if I won.
I follow you on Facebook too.
Your rss email feed brought me here today.
My boyfriend is a HUGE comic book fan. We are both looking forward to seeing The Avengers! Did someone say midnight release in IMAX 3-D… 🙂
…and by the way, I subscribe to your blog via RSS 🙂 🙂
What ??? Only 50 responses so far !!! Makes my chances that much better to win. : )
I would LOVE the chance to win these phenomenal prints!!! They will be a little boys DREAM come true when they are framed and hung in his room!! My grandson absolutely loves his superheros. Life has become much more uneventful (and safer) since he learned that he, himself, is not a superhero, and cannot fly from the top of a bunk bed to the floor. Perhaps a lesson for grandma that not all small children are capable of wielding a cape safely!
Donna – I liked you before, but you so had me at “Hulk Smash”. Do you follow Wil Wheaton on Twitter? He’s quite funny. On a side note, I’ve been a fan for a while and wanted to let you know I’ve nominated you for a Sunshine Blog award: http://mycanuckbuck.com/2012/04/paying-it-forward-the-sunshine-blog-award/
I had been wishing I could go to ECCC but now I really wish I’d gone for a chance to meet up with you! I may never make a FinCon because comic cons eat my travel budget 🙂
Very very cool work, I grew up on Marvel.
Of course I follow you on Twitter….
And subscribe to your RSS feed too!
I know someone that would love these. I follow by email and Facebook!
Did you see Sheldon and Leonard and Howard and Raj?
I ‘d love to ad these to my collection!
THanks, DOnna!!!
My brother is autistic, and would love these. He knows every Marvel comic superhero…and knows all their history…it kind of baffles me that he would know this. Anyway, The Avengers will certainly be seen by him (and most likely me as I will take him)…
Cool giveaway, Donna!
I would love to be entered for this contest! These are great prints.
These look wonderful, I would love to have them.
My husband is a huge comic book fan, and I’ve been known to read them a time or two. We’d love to win one of the illustrations. Your brother does beautiful work!
I also subscribe to the RSS. Thanks for the great blog content; it helps keep me on track.
My husband’s best friend (and best man!) has a birthday coming up and has had to cut back since he is buying a house. (The guy has an entire ROOM devoted to his impressive comic collection!) He’d be over the moon if he received these incredible prints!
These are awesome! They would look totally cool in my son’s room, too.
This is the bestest giveaway ever! I’m so excited! Pick me!!!
I subscribe via e-mail!
And I still stalk you on Facebook so please pick me!!!!!
Would love to win
Oh, I’m sorry I missed the deadline for this contest! Your brother is a great artist. I love the pictures.
Hey glenn long time no see great art work text me when u can:-)