Chapters 1-3 from the Wombat Rue graphic novel are now available for borrowing in the Kindle Owners Lending Library – so if you have a Kindle Fire and Prime membership, you can read it for free: http://amzn.to/w2pJtF

We are also running a 2 day $0.00 promotional on Chapter 1: After Armageddon through December 29, 2011.  Get yours now and read it on your new Kindle Fire!

Now you can read this highly acclaimed new graphic novel series on the Kindle. 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=wombat+rue

Busy weekend ahead, lots of chances to see you! And meet new readers!   Saturday at SLC Pioneer Park market, 9am-1pm & Sunday at Park City Silly Market, 9am-5pm.

We are especially loving the SLC Pioneer Park market this year, so if you haven’t been yet, you should come!  The produce looks and tastes amazing, and there are lots of fun craft vendors.

We’ve been invited to present on a panel and breakout session at the San Diego Comic Con this year! (Thanks to Mimi at NightFlight Comics).  We don’t have a booth or table at the Con for Wombat Rue, and haven’t applied for one since it seems to be a venue more suited for mainstream publishers, rather than independents like us.  The panel is about using comics in the classroom.  I’ve been thinking about that a lot for the past few weeks. 

I am new to comics, while my husband and creator of Wombat Rue, Brady, has been reading them all his life.  I often find them hard to understand, so I’m the perfect test case.  I still have to think about which panel I’m supposed to look at first.  That being said, I have come to deeply appreciate the role comics play in learning.  The best compliments we receive, by far, are from young people who say they read and re-read the books, and always find something new in them.  Typically people say they are drawn to the art, which is great.  But to be able to convey a story, and concepts, within a comic book is key to providing long term enjoyment. 

As an attorney by profession, I find there is a need for educators to train the minds of young people.  True, there is much “content” to be absorbed, but training someone to think is where its really at.  You can find content anywhere and everywhere these days.  But critical thinking that is not lazy…now that is worth something.  As I develop the presentation for educators at Comic Con, I’ll be focusing on this goal in particular – using comic books to help students train their minds.  More later.  Peace.

p.s. since this post was full of boring words (as Brady would say), I’ll post one of his sketches, called “Jack, The Reluctant Hero”.

Did you know you can also read the first two chapters of Wombat Rue by downloading from Drive Thru Comics? 

The Albuquerque Comic Expo was a smashing success!   So many new readers, new friends, and new facebook fans.  Thank you all!

This print is called “Jade Negotiates”.   You can get it at the SLC market, Park Silly Market and conventions.  The prequel to this is “Jade Contemplates Negotiating”, but it is in sketch form at the moment.

Wombat Rue is at Albuquerque’s first Comic Expo June 24, 25 and 26.   Come meet Brady at his booth, pick up some comic books, goodies and a sketch!  The Expo is open until 7p.m. Friday/Sat and until 6 p.m. Sunday.  For more info: http://abqcomicexpo.com/

Stan Lee is also signing there and due to popular demand decided to extend his appearance to Sunday, June 26th.  All of the information on Stan Lee’s Sunday appearance can be found here!

The additional dates Wombat Rue will be at the SLC Downtown Market during the Summer of 2011 are: July 2, August 6, 13, and 27.   They are Saturdays, 8:00 a.m to 1:30 p.m., and Brady will be signing comic books and doing sketches.  Come on by!  Look for a bright gold tent.  http://www.downtownslc.org/downtown-farmers-market/art-a-crafts-market

We’re often asked about the process of creating the art work to tell the story.  Brady comes up with the ideas, draws concept sketches, finalizes one and inks it by hand.  Then he colors the image in photoshop (or sometimes Felicia does that), adds all the shading, the special effects, and voila!   Here’s an example from the cover of Issue 3.

Sometimes the backgrounds are made with photographs Felicia takes, like the sky on this cover.