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Cute, but not in my pants!
When I was attending the University of Washington decades (and decades) ago, there were a lot of squirrels on campus. I think people used to feed them because they certainly weren’t afraid of humans. I stopped to look at one years ago and the varmint suddenly ran up my pants–the outside of my pants, not inside them thank heavens!–and my shirt and sat on my shoulder. Totally freaked me out.
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I froze and stayed perfectly still until he got bored and scampered back down.
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I froze and stayed perfectly still until he got bored and scampered back down.
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My feelings about squirrels has never been the same since then.
John will be at SD Comic-Con in Booth #5560
Comic-Con Announcement
Yippee! I’m attending this week’s San Diego Comic-Con after all.
Plus my friend Spencer Brinkerhoff III has graciously offered me space at his Booth #5560. (It’s a corner booth right by the doors between F & G Hall on the first floor–near Artist Alley.)
I’m bringing some Last Kiss goodies as well as a few of the Last Kiss, Marvel & Disney comics I’ve written. But my main reason for being there is to meet readers and fans. So, please come by and say, “Howdy!”
(I’ll announce more details as I know them.)
Interview with LK’s John Lustig on Youtube
Recently I was interviewed by Ron Austin and Jon Thaler for Bellevue College’s Digital Learning & XR Lab. The early part of this Youtube interview is about me and my comics career. And then–since the XR Lab is about emerging technology–we talked about my occasional use of generative artificial intelligence in Last Kiss. And then we delved into the ethics, practicality and general oddness of using AI to create art.
By the way, interviewer Ron Austin is the co-director and co-creator of Bezango, WA—a great documentary about comic creators in the Pacific Northwest. And yeah–I appear briefly in that film too.
—John Lustig, Last Kiss creator
RIP the Amazing Trina Robbins: Comics Pioneer and Inspiration
Like much of the comic book community, I’m mourning the April 10 passing of the great Trina Robbins.Although she was 85 when she passed after a recent stroke, Trina was so full of life, so warm and energetic—both as a person and as a creator—that she seemed eternal. Whenever we met at a comic con, it instantly became one of my favorites con moments.
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When I started doing Last Kiss, I received so much encouragement and support from her. She was a one-woman cheer squad. And I know she did the same for many other creators—particularly for female creators, but also men.
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It’s hard to imagine anyone with such a unique career. In addition to working on various comic series, her accomplishments included being…
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—The first woman to draw Wonder Woman in a full issue of a Wonder Woman comic.
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—A seminal organizer, supporter and creator of female-created, underground comics in the early ‘70s.
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—(Quoting from her Wikipedia page) Trina was also “intimately involved in the 1960s rock scene, where she was close friends with Jim Morrison and The Byrds. She was the first of the three “Ladies of the Canyon” in Joni Mitchell’s classic song from the album of the same name. In the late 1960s, she ran a…clothing boutique and made clothes for Mama Cass, Donovan, David Crosby, and others.”
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—The designer of the Vampira costume for Warren Publishing’s Vampira. (And, if memory serves me right, Trina also sewed the first Vampira costume. And looked gorgeous in it.)
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—Was a prolific author, contributor and/or editor for a staggering number of books. At least four dozen, but I’m sure more.
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—Many of those books were about early female comics creators and their works. And most of those creators were little known or totally forgotten until Trina wrote about them.
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In her later years, she mostly focused on being a book author. Part of that was because she was writing about subjects she loved. But it was also—and this is based on my memory from one of our discussions—because she wasn’t getting enough work, recognition and opportunities in comics.
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She was always loved and valued by some of us. But by the time she died, she was loved and held in high esteem by a vastly wider audience—both in and out of comics. She earned that through hard work, talent, boundless enthusiasm, kindness and by forging a career that was truly unique and important. God bless her. She truly will be missed.
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More About Trina:
Mailing List Resumed
Note to Readers:
Hurrah! We’ve solved the technical issue that made it difficult for me to send out Last Kiss comics to my mailing list. And I’ve resumed the mailings. Sign up here if you haven’t already.
No 2023 SDCC for me, but Last Kiss goodies will be there!
I’m sorry to say that I will not attending this week’s San Diego Comic-Con—again. But—health and commitments permitting—I fully intend to be back next year.
However, my friends at Prism Comics (Booth 2144) will once again be selling lots of Last Kiss fridge magnets (and a few Last Kiss tote bags) for me. So please stop by for some giggles.
And, if you buy some LK gifts for family, friends and yourself? I’m sure that will make your family, friends, yourself and—most importantly—me very happy!
Should You Listen to John Lustig on the Barks Remarks podcast? Let “Flipism” decide!
Last week I was once again a guest on Mark Severino’s wonderful Barks Remarks – a Carl Barks Podcast. This time we discussed in depth one of Barks’ all-time great stories, “A Flip Decision,” frequently known as “Flipism!”
Check it out here: https://podcasts.apple.com/…/barks…/id1569066754… or wherever you get podcasts!
John Lustig cracks up over “Omelet” story on the Barks Remarks Podcast
For the first time, I was a guest on Mark Severino’s wonderful podcast series Barks Remarks. Together Mark and I discussed one of Carl’s best short Donald Duck stories (“Omelet”) in depth. Panel by panel and often joke by joke. It was tremendous fun!
Here are a couple of ways to listen to the free podcast:
Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/…/barks…/id1569066754…
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4iMDUeRVc0YGQYiKAIXyms…
Free Download of the SDComic-Con Souvenir Book with an Article by Me
My memorial to my long-time friend Dana Gabbard is in this year’s San Diego Comic-Con Souvenir book. And it’s free via download here.
Previously, you had to attend this mother of all comic cons to get that year’s souvenir book. But this year the book is strictly digital and available to everyone who can click a link.
As for Dana, he was my longest friend in comics. We shared a passion for Disney comics and both of us had a hand in shaping Disney duckdom. But there was a lot more to Dana as both a person and a professional. Wanna know more? Click the frickin’ link!
What I’ll Be Doing in the Nervous Rex Series
I’m ecstatic to announce that I’ll be much more involved than I originally thought in the reprint series of Nervous Rex.
Before I explain what I’ll be doing, though, I should mention that the first issue of Nervous Rex is now ready for order in the Diamond Comics Preview catalog. (If you want a copy, ask your friendly, neighborhood comic shop owner to order it pronto!)
Drew Ford’s It’s Alive Press is reprinting William Van Horn’s entire 1980s comic book series. The plan is to reprint all 10 issues from the original series. Plus, print an additional comic (#11!), that collects all of Van Horn’s Rex comics—all of ’em in color—which appeared only in Disney Adventures.
In addition to new variant covers by Van Horn—colored by original series cover colorist Barbara Marker—there will be other art that never appeared in the original series. I’m curating that art and I’m also writing introductions for every issue.
I’m thrilled because Nervous Rex is a wonderful, witty and silly masterpiece that Van Horn did shortly before his long and better-known series of brilliant Disney comics. And because Van Horn played a huge part in my early comic career. And it all started when I got involved in helping plot the final issue of Nervous Rex.
By the way, It’s Alive is also offering 100 issues of #1 signed by Van Horn.
