meltblog

You may have noticed technical difficulties with the blog the past couple days, but now we’re back with a vengeance to tell you about this weekend’s happenings here at Meltdown.
FRIDAY NIGHT:
Come see the comedy show that LA Weekly calls “the most happening nuit du rire in town.” Open bar and no cover, the laughs start at 8:30 PM!

SATURDAY NIGHT:
Come to our Pledge Party in honor of Image Comics’ Hazed (an eating-disorder-filled sorority black comedy in the tradition of Heathers and Mean Girls from the writer of Grounded and the artist of Maintenance) and IDW’s Everybody’s Dead (a frat boy zombie apocalypse horror comedy from the writer of Angel: After the Fall and the artist of
Scarface: Scarred for Life). Meet the creators. Live art by the Silky Bureaucrats. DJ Expo. Open bar! The fun starts at 7:00 PM.

Sunday:
super*MARKET, a comics salon for every nerd. Our very own mini-convention…this time especially for animators! Come get your indy on and discover something you’ve never seen before but always needed. 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM.

It’s Wizard World convention weekend here in LA, and that means time to think about making comics.

If you have any aspirations about making a living as a comic creator, you shoul go read this post from all around smart-guy Kevin Kelly (cofounder of Wired).

Japanese scientists believe they have discovered a new ninth planet to replace the recently declassified Pluto.

By EMILY FREDRIX, Associated Press Writer
MILWAUKEE - Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69.

He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.

Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies.

Gygax always enjoyed hearing from the game’s legion of devoted fans, many of whom would stop by the family’s home in Lake Geneva, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee, his wife said. Despite his declining health, he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons as recently as January, she said.

“It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them,” Gygax said. “He really enjoyed that.”

Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned a wealth of copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that’s still growing in popularity.

Funeral arrangements are pending. Besides his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.

 
via- – Jessica Gao:  www.myspace.com/supermarketla

Here’s the thing with LA comics: Los Angeles is home to amazing talent, excellent stores, and great facilities (i.e. a lot of artists have carved out enviable studios and workspaces) but it’s a black hole for cool comics shows.  Sure there’s that monthly one at the Shrine, but it’s only useful if you’re looking for replica swords (seriously??) or bootleg Nirvana videos.  It comes nowhere near representing the tight comics universe in LA.  Everyone here is interconnected.  Ready?  Take a deep breath and pay attention.  We’ll start with the Keyser Soze of LA comics, Gaston from Meltdown Comics & Collectibles.  Here is the store that is more than a store.  It’s basically a Warhol factory.  Meltdown has regular events, art shows, etc but has also hosted studios to several artists including Jordan Crane (NON, The Clouds Above, Uptight, The Last Lonely Saturday). Before working out of Meltdown, Jordan used to silkscreen with John Pham (Epoxy, Substitute Life) in John’s backyard crack shack.  This same shack was where the original super*MARKET press kits were hand silkscreened.  Those press kits were made by Martin Cendreda (Dang!) who has been featured in numerous comics anthologies including the hotshot Kramer’s Ergot which is put together by Sammy Harkham (Poor Sailor, Crickets) who co-owns Family, a store with fancier tastes than any mere mortal could hope to achieve.  Sammy’s got a studio at Family and he shares it with… guess who– Jordan Crane and John Pham.  That’s just the tip of the biggest iceberg ever.  
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