A Signing, A Podcast, A Convention, A Frog

I've had a busy past few weeks and it all kicked off with a Godzilla Rivals signing at Dragon's Lair in Austin, Texas on Sunday, March 24th. Rosie Knight and I had a fantastic time with the wonderful customers and staff (and cat!) at the shop, not to mention some of our family who were also visiting Austin.

Rosie Knight and Nick Marino at Dragon's Lair Austin

Rosie Knight and Nick Marino at Dragon's Lair signing

Rosie Knight and Nick Marino signing at Dragon's Lair Austin

Ed Marino at Dragon's Lair Austin

Dragon's Lair Austin cat

Dragon's Lair Godzilla signing with Rosie Knight and Nick Marino

Back when I was just starting my comics career, I made the rounds at some comic shops on a visit to Texas. One of those was Dragon's Lair, where I left a copy of my self-published comic, Time Log. Weeks later I was surprised to receive an email from Robbie asking to order some copies of our rough and ready one-shot. This was the first order I ever received and it really felt like a milestone for me.

Dragon's Lair Time Log order from 2010

So I was pumped when I reached out to the shop earlier this year to inquire about a signing and it was none other than Robbie who replied to me! If you love comics and games, I highly recommend this awesome shop. Plus, they might still have a few copies of our signed Godzilla Rivals TPBs on hand if you pop into the store.

Ten Cent Takes podcast with Nick Marino

Shortly after the signing, my podcast with Ten Cent Takes dropped. The topic of discussion was a strange 80s crossover between Iron Man and a monster that was, for all intents and purposes, Godzilla. But Marvel's Godzilla license had lapsed at this point so Denny O'Neil and Luke McDonnell made up their own raging beast. Also, I can't talk about it just yet but this topic is especially relevant to me right now and hopefully you'll know why soon.

Nick Marino and Ron Lim at WonderCon

A few days later it was WonderCon, and of course Rosie and I were there to catch up with old pals and make new friends. One of those new friends is Ron Lim, legendary artist of Silver Surfer, Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, and so much more. My buddy Seb Stone, a terrific LA-based tattoo artist, gave me a fantastic tat of Ron's Silver Surfer last year and I was thrilled to stop by Ron's table at WonderCon and show it to him. I've had the great fortune to stay in touch with Ron since the convention and *fingers crossed* I might have much more to tell you about our current conversation in the near future.

Jimmy!

Jimmy the frog tattoo

Finally, Rosie and I went to see Seb Stone again shortly after WonderCon. That's where I got this snazzy new tattoo of Jimmy the frog from Heathcliff. Peter Gallagher has been doing some stupendously surreal cartooning in Heathcliff lately and Jimmy is my favorite recurring gag. I could explain it all to you but I think it's best if you just read it for yourself.

Rosie Knight, Nick Marino, and the Dragon's Lair cat

As for what's next, we have a Free Comic Book Day appearance set at one of our fave LA comic shops, and I'll be posting details about that in the next week or so. See ya then!