Don't faint, but it's a new art update!

Hello, all! Well, I'm back with some more excitement for you all. It's a sort of bad news/good news/bad news kinda thing. So, let's get started, shall we?

First off, our big summer sale was a big summer flop. I don't want to say sales were dry, but the business was mistake for a part of southern Texas and put on a high drought warning. I really didn't know what to make of this, other than folks aren't interested in sales (which is fine with the artists and I, as we prefer getting full price for the art). So, never let it be said I never bow to the wishes of the consumer. Effective immediately, no more sales... EVER! Who says we can provide "instant gratification?" Certainly not I!

Now, while this might be considered bad news, here's the good news part. I've updated some new art for sale. Yes, an actual art updated has happened (try not to pass out). All 21 pages of Fire and Brimstone #5, featuring the peerless talents of Richard Moore, are now up on our art gallery and available to purchase. You can check them out for yourself. However, this is where the other bad news comes in, the quality of the images isn't the best. As I'm still scanner-less, I had to use an old digital camera to get the images for the gallery. They are not of the usual quality you have probably come to expect (the image shown here is one of the best of the bunch). But, when you've got no money, you do what you can. And that's what I did here. [Edit 8/5/11: Just added today are 10 new pin-up pieces from artist Ben Hansen. That makes over 30 new pieces of art for sale this week, so let's get on the stick and place some orders, folks, as you've no excuses to not do so now!]

Well, there we go. Short (somewhat) and sweet (well, maybe more bitterly sweet). That'll do it for this time, but I'm sure I'll be back soon with more stuff for you soon. I sense big changes are coming to Sequential Treasures, so I'll be sure to keep you informed. Until then, peace out!

A most important art for sale update!

Hello again, my comic art groupies! We are back with an all new art update, with art from several ofour artists. So, let's not waste any time and get to it, shall we?

First off, Ben Hansen gives us a few new pin up pieces, featuring the likes of the Fantastic Four, X-Force's Domino, and the original art to the War Machine print we had at ECCC this year (and this piece also comes with one of those print, as well).

Nest, Randy Kintz adds a couple of new pieces to the lot. We have the cover art to the Hollywood Highways OGN, from Portal Comics (which is shown here above). And we have a soon-to-be-published pin up that spotlights the ladies of DarkBrain.com.

Last, but by no means least, we have another update of stuff from Richard Moore. Now we have 10 pages from his upcoming Ladies of the Night one-shot, due out next month from Antarctic Press, which can be your's. I don't mind saying that these are probably among some of Richard's finest work (which when you look at all the great art we've showcased by him over the last few years, that's really saying something. You just have to see these to believe them.

Lots of very cool stuff to see, no doubt. So, head on over to our art gallery and check them all out. Then place your oders with the quickness, as I don't expect the best pieces to be around for long.

But, as you might be asking, how does all of that make this the "most important" art update we've ever had? Well, will all this goodness, it only stands to reason that some bad goes with it. While I was working on this update, my flatbed scanner died. After 5 years and a few thousand scans, it is no more. Unfortunately, I do not currently have the funds to purchase a new one. So, without some serious sales in the very near future, there could be no new art updates for some time. This is certainly not something I want, nor do I think any of you out there want this, either. Please help me to avoid this possibility and help me get enough sales to replace such a vital componant for this operation to continue running. I normally don't ask for things like this, but this is an extreme situation that must be addressed soon. As always, your business and support is greatly appreciated by all of us at Sequential Treasures.

That's all for now. I'll be back soon with more news and info on our artists and other happenings. I also hope to report that the scanner situation has been quickly remedied, as well. Until then, peace out!

When the going gets tough....

Hey, Sequential Treasures fiends! I'm back, but not to talk about any new projects of appearances by ST or her artists. No, today I have something else to talk about.

You know I've made no secret of the fact that while I love hitting the con circuit and meeting some of you out there, that the expenses of doing so never seem to be off-set by the in-take from such ventures. Well, as a result, it seems I'm in a bit of a "cash crunch" here. Now, normally, I'd not want to burden you with such things, but this is something that could have a drastic effect on my ability to keep Sequential Treasures running at full-throttle, as I have been trying to do.

As always, it is sales that are necessary to change things. However, since it isn't fair of me to heap this onto our very awesome artistic stable of talent, I can't ask them to put up their art to help close this gap. So, I'm biting the bullet and offering up to you, our loyal minions, a few choice pieces from my own personal collection. Tough times calls for tough measures, or so they say. So, please, check out what I've put up for sale to you all. We have original pages, from names like John Buscema, Herb Trimpe (shown here), Dick Dillin, Don Heck, and Dave Cockrum, as well as a few sexy pin up pieces featuring the White Queen, the Black Queen and Ms. Marvel. So, as you can see, there is some really nice stuff up for grabs. If you see something you like, shoot me an offer. I think you'll find I'm pretty fair-minded on such things. Or, of course, you can just place an order for some of the great art our artists currently have available at our art gallery.

Well, that's all for now. I want to send an advanced note of thanks to any of you who will help me out in this difficult time. I hope to be back soon with more news and info of a much more positive nature. Until then, peace out!

A Web of Excitement: The Emerald City ComiCon Report

Okay, everyone, after much ballyhoo and promises, here's the post-ECCC report I know you've been waiting for.

This show has grown very much over the last several years since it began. One of the things I've noticed is the large increase of traffic at the show. Over the course of the two days this year, an attendance record was broken, with almost 15,000 people coming to the show this year. That might sound impressive, but when you factor in that a couple of pop cultures "royalty" were among the guests, it isn't quite as surprising. I also liked have several of our artists at the show. Randy Kintz, Ben Hansen and Matt Haley were all there. We all would have liked more time to hang out, but the constant flow of humanity made that all but impossible.

Speaking of creators, one of the high points of the show for me, was finally getting to meet Stan "the Man" Lee. If ever their was a creator who could be called a "living legend," Stan Lee would have to be it. I got my copy of Ravage 2099 #1 signed by him and even got to shake his hand. On top of that, Stan punk'd me and played a little joke on me, while I got my signature. I hope my mind and wit are as fast as his, when I'm nearing 90 years of age. I'd have liked to have gotten a photo with him, but with an autograph cost $40.00 and the photo just as much, I simply didn't have the funds. Still, I met him and that's all that really matters to me.

Talked to some other fine creators, too. Including Tone Rodriguez, who could hardly keep awake while doing a sketch for me. Then, I spent a few minutes talking with Aaron Lopresti. I've seen Aaron at several shows in my region, so he knows me. In fact, he's married to a women my wife went to high school with. Small world, it seems. The best original piece I pick up was a sketch of Iron Man by Tim Sale, at a post show event by the Hero Initiative. I was amazed at just how much detail he put into his style, to make it look so simplistic. Just incredible.

Plenty of folks were dressed up in costumes, as well. I saw a couple Catwoman ones, a nice Supergirl, a Joker and probably the best Poison Ivy costume I'd ever seen. However, I ended up snapping this pic of a kid dressed as that wall-crawling icon, Spider-Man, which you can see above.

If there was any downside to the show, it would have to be, and I know this sounds like a broken record, a lack of sales. To call them "slow," would to call the Grand Canyon a "pothole." In fact, this point greatly bothered me on Saturday. So much so, I almost considered packing up and going home. Others, fortunately, dissuaded me of that. And funniest of all, was the words of advice I got from artist Joe Dodd, who had the table next to mine. He said that Seattle isn't a big original art town and that other ones, like in Florida and New York, are more known for attracting the art buying crowds. Well, I wish I'd have known that sooner, but it's a live and learn world, I suppose.

Naturally, the post-show hanging out is always the best part of any convention. I've sort of established myself a small crew, whom I always hang out with when the day of a show is done. Taking in some of the nightlife of the city and some of the... eccentric personalities one will see around town, always makes for some fun times. This show was no different. And it had the added benefit of us brew up some ideas for the future of Sequential Treasures. You'll just have to stay tuned as see how these develop over the year.

So, overall a good experience was had and some good times, too. Next up, is a Free Comic Book Day event in Ellensburg and then the Spokane Comicon, both in May. I hope some of you will be at these events. I'd love to meet you in person.

That's all for now. I'll be back soon, with more news on our artists projects and more art updates. Until then, peace out!

Seattle ComiCard Aftermath: Where were the people?

Well, here's my report from the show, as promised. As you can probably guess from the title, things weren't exactly stellar at this show, either. In fact, the amount of traffic at this show, made the Spokane one look about as packed as the Emerald City ComiCon, by comparison. Steve Miner is a good guy and this show can usually be a lot of fun, but I think some poor planning really hindered this one.

First off, at Key Arena right next door, there were graduation events going on. This made finding parking a real pain (not to mention even more expensive). As if that wasn't bad enough, in the section of the hall across from the show, they were holding an arcade game and pinball symposium filled with classic games to play. It seems that finding a worse weekend to hold the show would be highly unlikely.

That picture above is of yours truly, in what would be probably the best point of the show for me (the set up). Only sold a single piece of art all day and not a very expensive one, at that. No sketchbooks or anything else would move. My only consolation, is that it seems many of the other vendors didn't make out any better than me. One of them, Chuck Messinger of Comic Evolution, even told me that it seemed people who came didn't seem to bring their wallets with them. He actually wanted to buy a semi-expensive piece from me, but didn't make enough at the show to do so.

My show highlight was, again, handing out comics to the kids at the show. Gave away almost another 40 comics, too. I also got to bask in the glowing presence of Randy Kintz, which is a pleasure you just can't measure. I even got him to do an amalgam sketch of Alf as Superman. He seemed to do okay at the show, from a financial standpoint, but with me paying for the table and a friend driving him up, it would be hard to have come out at a loss. Wish I could get offers like that.

In the end, this was the biggest bust for me yet. But, as ever, I will soldier on. On the plus side, it means that all of you here online still have an opportunity to grab up some of the art I have in inventory (and given my losses at these local shows, I REALLY need the sales now). I probably won't be doing any more shows, until the one in Portland this November. So, make sure to mark your calendars for that one.

Well, that's all for now. I have some things I'm working on behind the scenes right now and can't talk about. But if they pan out, it'll be some really exciting news for everyone at Sequential Treasures and for you, my faithful followers. Plus, I hope to have some new art updates in the not too distant future. So, keep your eyes peeled here for the latest. Until next time, peace out!

Getting my blogging feng shui on!

No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. You haven't headed off into the "Twlight Zone," either. If you came looking for the blog for Sequential Treasures, you are most definately in the right place. But, as all things usually do in our modern society, I decided to make some changes to it. Just another business-minded choice to shake things up and drum up some interest.

As those of you who aren't newbies can tell, I've added a link list, some video clips, a listing of all the label tags I've used so far and a polling feature. On top of that, I went with a different visual style for the blog. It was actually quite fun and shows that changes don't have to be scary. I'm just trying to inject more enjoyment for those who stop on in. Hopefully, I'm succeeding.

I hope those of you who've been coming here enjoy the changes and find them useful (I really hope you folks will answer the poll question, too). To those of you who are stopping by for the first time, I hope you like what you see and will be watching here regularly.

As always, I'm very interested in feedback, so make sure to let me know what you think of the changes here, either in the comments section or by email. I'll be back very soon with more comic art related news and info. Until then, peace out!

Because I haven't cornered the market on knowledge....

Hello, my fellow comic art lovers! This time out I wanted to do something a little bit different. So far, it has been me doing all the talking and all the writing around here. But one of the reasons I started this blog, was to have a place for all of you to give me your thoughts on things. Well, consider this an official invitation. I want to know what you think about Sequential Treasures up to this point.

Please use the comments section on this entry as your own personal "suggestion box." Let me know what your thoughts on things are. Is there something I'm not doing, that I should? Or something I am doing, that I should stop? What are the things you like about this service and what are things that need improving? What is it you would like from me and this endeavor? What can I do to make things better for you, and make you more interested than you already are? Let me know. I don't pretend to have all the answers here, and your input can only help me get a better idea of where I'm going and what direction I should be looking in next. I really want to know your feelings on things.

Remember, a business can only improve if the clientele speak up. So, let your voices ring out and be heard. I am most certainly willing to listen to all you have to say and give it the consideration it deserves. Until next time, peace out!