A Press Release Regarding A New Member of My Team

Dear Friends,

I ‘ve recently hired Young Social Media from Hollywood, California to handle my online reputation management, social media and branding. I am embedding that press release below, just to make it official here on my blog.  My wife will still be handling my media relations work supplemental to the work Jacob is doing for us. For the record, my wife wrote this release, so please don’t think that I’m this full of myself. Okay, here’s the release:

Comic Book Legend Dave Dorman Names Hollywood’s

Jacob Young Social Media His Agency of Record

Chicago, IL and Hollywood, CA – September 26, 2010 – Dave Dorman, the Eisner Award-winning artist voted the #1 Star Wars Artist of All Time by the fans and world renowned for his dynamic cover art for Indiana Jones, Batman, G.I. Joe and every licensed character in pop culture, is pleased to name Hollywood, California-based Jacob Young Social Media as his social media and branding agency of record.

“Young Social Media has a proven track record of online reputation management and SEO strategy that aligns with my business needs,” Dorman explained. “My team is very excited to apply the energy, enthusiasm and fresh ideas from Jacob to our business success.”  Said Jacob K. Young, “Dave Dorman is more than an award-winning artist, more than one of the founding fathers of modern pop culture. He is the very definition of an American Icon. You’d be a fool to say no if asked to work with him.  If you love what you’ve seen him do so far, then get ready to fall in love all over again.”

Dorman’s 2010 string of successes have ranged from being named a VIP guest at San Diego Comic-Con and winning the prestigious Inkpot Award to launching his critically acclaimed new book, ROLLING THUNDER: THE ART OF DAVE DORMAN (IDW Publishing/Desperado Publishing), now available in book retailers nationwide. During the August 2010 Star Wars Celebration 5, Dark Horse Comics named Dorman the cover artist for the final chapter in their Star Wars “Crimson Empire” series, which was news long awaited by the fans. Dorman is also being heavily courted by numerous publishers and videogame developers over his own intellectual property, a motorcycle western action adventure called The Wasted Lands.

Dorman is equally excited about his new charitable art project “52,” which he discussed on a recent episode of The Dennis Miller Radio Show. Dorman is painting 52 individual military pieces of art honoring the men and women in uniform who defend our country. These paintings will be published in a new book with proceeds going to USACares.org. Said Dorman, “I grew up in a military family, so it is my honor and privilege to give something back to our military families.”

For more information on Dorman, please visit DaveDorman.com, WastedLands.com, his blog https://davedorman.wordpress.com and his podcast on pop culture and the comics industry, http://www.itscomicbookday.com.

Media Contact:
Jacob K. Young
Phone: (512) 522-6230
Email: Jacob@davedorman.com

-30-

I’m on Dennis Miller Radio Show Tomorrow

Dear Friends,

As promised, I’m on the Dennis Miller Radio Show tomorrow at 11:34 a.m. Eastern, 10:34 a.m. Central and 8:34 a.m. Pacific Coast time. Here in Chicago, it’s on WIND, or 560 AM on your dial. Be sure to give the show a listen – I have an announcement to make there. Also, we’ll be discussing my new book, ROLLING THUNDER: THE ART OF DAVE DORMAN, now available nationwide in Barnes & Noble & Borders Bookstores.

Below is the inscription I did on the inside cover especially for Dennis. My wife totally teared up when she saw it, so I think I hit the right poignant note. Bladerunner is one of Dennis’ favorite movies, and I share that with him.

Inscription by Dave Dorman to Dennis Miller in Dave's new book.

Let me know what you think of it.

Friday night I’m attending the Monster Draw event in Chicago, benefitting WildClaw Theatre, so check out my FaceBook page for details on that.

Also, Saturday is International Read Comics in Public Day, so be sure to support sequential art, the best storytelling entertainment there has ever been.

More to come soon – lots going on.

Dave.

HARVEY PEKAR and ME

Dear Friends,

I’ve had a lot of questions over the past 24 hours about Harvey Pekar – what did I think of him, did I know him, etc. So, here’s the scoop:

I met Harvey at a comic book convention years ago. True to form, he did his curmudgeonly schtick at the show, just like the person you saw on The Late Show with David Letterman. He knew my work and liked it. His wife approached me and asked me to do an entire Harvey Pekar comic book for FREE, because she apparently felt that I wanted or needed to hitch my wagon to Harvey’s star. At that point in my career, I had already won an Eisner, had a best selling art book with Ballantine, a worldwide fan base, etc. Also, while Harvey’s American Splendor comics appealed to those fans who enjoy that slice-of-life style of comic, they held zero appeal for me personally. Mind you, his wife approached dozens of comic book artists for free comics – not just me. So, while I enjoyed Harvey’s David Letterman appearances very much, I can’t say I was a true fan of Harvey Pekar. Paul Giamatti’s portrayal of Harvey in American Splendor was brilliant and spot on. If you’ve never seen this movie, put it on your NetFlix list or rent it at Blockbuster as soon as you can.

The David Letterman-Harvey Pekar phenomenon is yet another indication that having an abrasive, abrupt or odd duck personality will get you booked on talk shows in a New York minute, but those of us in comics who are merely pleasant or not somehow socially retarded in our talk show  interviews rarely have media “juice.” I’ll have to adopt some weird schtick to appeal to those producers – let me know if you have any kooky ideas for me.

My next posting will be my San Diego ComicCon schedule. I’m doing 3 different panels this year and as a featured guest, I have autograph signings slated a few times with the convention, aside from those at my booth. I am at Booth #4500 this year. Joining me will be artist Charlie Athanas, Blueberry/Star Wars artist Colin Wilson, his agent Royd Burgoyne and Australian indie publisher Wolfgang Bylsma.

As many of you already know, at San Diego ComicCon this year we will be unveiling my new book from IDW Publishing/Desperado Publishing, “ROLLING THUNDER: THE ART OF DAVE DORMAN,” and remember – 10% of my earnings from this book will go to USACares.org – the not-for-profit raising money for financially challenged military families. Comedian and radio personality Dennis Miller is their official spokesperson, and I look forward to promoting the new book on his radio show soon. The book will be in all nationwide bookstores as of August.

Rumor has it that my friends Tom Baxa and Mark A. Nelson will be sitting right next to me at the show, so this show will be even more fun than usual. Mark used to teach illustration at my wife’s alma mater, Northern Illinois University, and used my Star Wars: The Art of Dave Dorman book as his required text book for class. Those added book sales were much appreciated!

If you are looking for my usual San Diego ComicCon booth cronies, e.g., Christopher Moeller, Scott Hampton, John vanFleet or Durwin Talon, they will be in Artists’ Alley this year, and by the time of the show, I should have data on their exact booth #s to hand out to you, as well as a promo piece on Comix Academy, which we will do next year the week before the show.

As always, thanks for reading. Until next time,

Dave.

My podcast: http://www.itscomicbookday.com

Follow me on Twitter: Twitter.com/davedorman

Dave Dorman Doing Live Painting @SDCC

Steampunk Girl Created at Reverie '09 in Dallas, TX

Dear Friends, 

When I’m at San Diego Comic-Con, I tend to get anxious because I’m not painting while I’m there. Painting is an addiction for me, and fortunately, I’m able to make a living doing it. So this year, I’ve decided I’m going to paint. I will do a live painting over the course of the 5 days that I’m there. Please let me know what you’d like to see me paint, and whatever the majority of people request will influence my final decision on what I’ll be painting. (Of course, if someone wants a commissioned piece, that will take priority, and I will be happy to work in my favorite size — 24 x 36– and ship it directly to the new owner at show’s end.) So, let me know if you want a hot Heavy Metal-style babe, G.I. Joe, Batman, Alien, Captain America, Buckaroo Banzai, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or something from my Wasted Land series, or even a brand new concept art design. 

For those not attending SDCC, Denise will be there to photograph the piece in phases and will post it here on my blog for you. The painting up above is what I created live during Reverie ’09 in Dallas, which was put on by Massive Black and ConceptArt.org. 

Dave Dorman Raising Funds for the Gulf Coast BP Oil Victims

I will know shortly if my friend Bill Paetzold can supply the giclees I want to sell to help raise money for the BP Oil victims along the Gulf Coast. I will post a link here once I can make it happen. I will send all money beyond printing and shipping costs to the financially challenged folks on the Gulf. As you  know, the Fort Walton Beach/Shalimar area in Okaloosa County, Florida was my home for more than 25 years, so I’m watching the situation with a heavy heart. Here’s an image of Navarre Beach, which was near my home, as of today: http://www.nwfdailynews.com. My longtime friend and the author I hired to write all of my Wasted Lands series, as well as our Bram Stoker Award-winning zombie book Dead Heat (Mojo Press), Del Stone Jr., is the Associate Editor of the Northwest Florida Daily News, and he handles the paper’s popular online edition.

Where in the World is Dave Dorman? My Summer Schedule:

Sometime in July – I’ll be on Dennis Miller’s radio show, raising awareness that my new book, Rolling Thunder: The Art of Dave Dorman (IDW Publishing/Desperado Publishing) raises funds for USACares.org, an organization that helps financially challenged military families. (As a former military brat, I can tell you unless someone is a trust fund baby, they’re ALL financially challenged). I am donating 10% of my earnings from this book directly to USACares.org.

July 10, 2010 – Signing all day at Gail Borden Public Library for Elgin, IL Comic-Con. Click here for details on the event. (A special thanks to Darlene Nauman for letting me know this local show was happening.)

July 22- 25, 2010 – I’m a “special guest” this year at San Diego Comic-Con. Look for me at my “Rolling Thunder” booth – that’s how we’re listed in the show guide.

August 12 -15, 2010 – Star Wars Celebration 5 in Orlando, FL.

You can always find me on my pop culture, comics & art podcast, “It’s Comic Book Day”, free on iTunes, and on Twitter, I’m @DaveDorman. Please follow me there, too, for breaking news.

As always, thanks for reading. I hope to see you all this summer.

Dave.

 

Dave Dorman Announcement: You Read It Here FIRST!

Dear Friends,

As promised, here are some pictures of my first paint brush, gifted to me by my father and on Sunday by my wife & son; it’s now a permanent shadowbox display in my studio, keeping company with my Little Nemo calendar and my clock:

Dave's 1st Paint Brush Hanging on Wall in Studio

This was my best Father’s Day gift, second only to my son. And here he is:

Me & My Mini Me on Father's Day 2010

Here’s a close-up of the shadow box:

My Father's Day Gift This Year

Speaking of Jack, he was inspired by a recent visit to a planetarium and created this little piece of art:

Dave Dorman's 5-Year-Old Son Draws His First Astronaut

As he described his drawing, a family argument ensued as to which planet was looming in the upper right, with Jack insisting it was Uranus. Unfortunately, my wife cannot keep a straight face if her life depended on it when anyone utters the planet “Uranus” (the traditional pronounciation), so now Jack knows the magic word to say to Denise at the worst possible times, like the library, or…while she’s receiving communion.

If you received the most recent Imagine F/X magazine issue honoring Frank Frazetta (a.k.a. my favorite magazine), the picture of Frank & me that I shared with you in a previous blog is on Page 8, with a quote from me on how Frank inspired my work. It was his Conan the Barbarian work that first grabbed my attention, and it was Frank Frazetta who taught me to paint. I’m so glad I was able to tell him that in person.

In other news, our friend and Denise’s client Stan Bush, who has the #1 Geek Anthem of All Time (Transformers theme song, The Touch) just got his song ” ‘Til All Are One” in the new Transformers game from Activision, which came out yesterday. Huge congrats to Stan on that coup. We will have him on our pop culture podcast, “It’s Comic Book Day” in a forthcoming episode. This is a free download on iTunes, so be sure to sign up for it. You’d be surprised at all of the people Stan’s written for, performed and recorded with – a who’s who of rock ‘n roll. Even better, he’s genuinely a decent person in a tough business.

Rumor has it I will be on Dennis Miller’s radio show in July, so once Denise firms up the details, I’ll let you know when to listen in. Actually, you should always tune in to Dennis Miller (that is, when you’re not listening to my podcast) – the guy’s LOL hilarious every day and his choice of diverse and interesting guests is never dull. 

I want to give a shout-out to one of my favorite podcast/media personalities, Mike Dodd of This Week in Geek. If you haven’t discovered his podcast yet, definitely check it out. Denise & I may be making a regular appearance there soon, so be sure to check here for news on that.

And now, I’ve saved the best news for last. You read it here first! All of you know about my new book, Rolling Thunder: The Art of  Dave Dorman. I’m proud to announce that 10% of my earnings will go to mine and Dennis Miller’s favorite charity, USACares.org. I will have another really fun surprise announcement to make about my new book in an upcoming blog post, so again, be sure to check back with me. Here is a shot of my signed, limited edition version book cover:

Signed, Limited Edition Book Cover

As always, I thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the art.

Dave.

Dave Dorman in Spectrum 16 and More

Hi Everyone,

As always, thank you for your continuing interest in my latest hijinks. As many of you have heard from the SoGoPro Podcast, I am working with actress Hilarie Burton, her partner and One Tree Hill producer Kelly Tenney and writer Nick Gray on a forthcoming graphic novel. The plans are starting to gel now, so the graphic artist they’ve chosen will be slingin’ lead on paper any moment now.

I’m still working with Denise Gideon, the moderator on the One Tree Hill and SoGoPro podcast, along with her colleague Andrea (forgive me – don’t know her last name yet but will soon) about getting my podcast moving along, so this has been a whirlwind week.

My Spectrum 16 came in the mail this week, and my full page piece of Damali Richards battling the tentacled creature is on page 81.

Watch for my interview in an upcoming issue of Imagine F/X magazine. When I have a solid date, I’ll let you know.

I want to thank everyone who reached out to me when I was on The Dennis Miller Radio Show. It was a lot of fun, and I appreciate all of your feedback. We were thrilled to raise more than $1k for USACares.org with the Transformers painting I donated to support Dennis Miller’s favorite charity. Yes, Dennis IS a great guy, even while off the air. My wife marvels that I’m the only person she knows who gets ALL of his obscure commentary. I’ve been a fan of his for probably 25 years, and I listen to him and Christian Bladt daily, so it was great fun to discover that he’s just as cool off the air as on. (Good thing he doesn’t overlap with Howard Stern!)

Thank you also to those fans who found me in Texas a couple of weekends ago during Star Wars fan days. It was great seeing all of you, many who were familiar faces. MegaCon has also asked me to be their special guest this year, and I look forward to some Florida sunshine. I’m hoping to get more involved in Chicago’s C2E2 as well, so watch for news on this. As always, I’ll be at San Diego Comic-Con. Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel.

I wanted to mention quickly, I saw “Astro Boy” with my son last weekend and it was a lot of fun, so check it out if you’re a longtime fan of Astro Boy like me. I finally sat through “Twilight” last week at my wife’s insistence, and it wasn’t half bad. I figured I’d better, since she will be dragging me to see “New Moon” (rolling my eyeballs as I write this) when it opens.

Again, I thank you for your interest and I hope to see you somewhere soon,

Dave.

A Special Thanks to Dennis Miller & Christian Bladt

For those of you who listened to my Dennis Miller Radio Show interview yesterday, thank you for tuning in. For those who haven’t heard it yet, the link is as follows: http://multimedia.play.it/m/audio/26472417/dave-dorman-interview.htm Let me know what you think. It was great fun reminiscing about my father, USAF Lieutenant Colonel Jack Dorman. I speak for my entire family when I say we really miss Dad and my mother, Phyllis, who lost her battle to breast cancer.

I forgot to mention to Dennis that while I lived in Hawaii, they filmed “Tora! Tora! Tora!” The day those Japanese planes flew low over our house re-enacting the bombing in Pearl Harbor, that was beyond eerie. I’ll never forget it. Someone emailed me after hearing my radio appearance yesterday who also lived at Hickham AFB the same time I did, and he recalled the Tora filming as well. That was so cool to hear from him.

In case any of you ever wondered what Dennis Miller is really like in person, Dennis Miller is one of the coolest cats in person I’ve had the pleasure to meet. I look forward to “breaking bread” with him in San Diego. My wife tells me I’m the only person she knows who “gets” every single obscure reference and metaphor Dennis utters. What can I say? Dennis & I have similar interests. Also a cool cat: Christian Bladt. I was just as interested in meeting Christian, since I have listened to their radio show forever and feel like I know of him just as much. A special thanks to WriteBrain Media for setting up that interview yesterday – my wife’s great PR, marketing & brand management firm. Christian is now the proud owner of a The Devil’s Candy Store t-shirt, my wife’s other company with Charlie Athanas, who is @charlie_athanas on Twitter. Also, a special thanks to WIND Radio, 560 AM in Chicagoland for hosting us yesterday.

Be sure to bid on the painting I donated to USACares.org – it was the first ever painted cover for GEEK Monthly magazine, and it is of old school and modern day Optimus Prime, so if you’re a Transformers fan, you should OWN it!

For those of you who can have visited me today for my painting demo at the Make a Wish Foundation event in Wheaton, IL, thank you so much for stopping by.

Thanks for reading, everyone,

Dave