On October 13th at 3:41 am, Oliver Prime Maihack rolled out* at 7 lbs, 1 oz, 20 in. He’s kinda like the best thing ever.

* Jen would like to inform everyone that “rolling out” was not how Oliver arrived but was, in fact, slightly the opposite of that.

These pieces here:

I’ve never sold anything on eBay before, and I rarely sell original art, so this should be a fun experiment! or a disappointing one. Either way, it’ll be an experiment! And now that I actually have something set up on there, maybe I’ll offer some other original arts in the future.

Also, interviews:

Speaking of Batgirl and Supergirl, there’s a short little interview with me on The Brave an The Old specifically about those pieces.

And for those of you sick of hearing about Supergirl and Batgirl here’s ANOTHER interview about all my other comics work pre-supergirl/batgirl craziness.

Commissions are open! I know a few of you have been waiting forever for that announcement.  I’ve gone in and added some new options and tweaked the pricing a little too. Now you can get a larger (9×12) watercolor illustration in addition to the sketchcard option. I’ll keep commissions open as long as I feel comfortable with  my workload (which could change at any given moment).

I’ve also thrown a TON of new prints into the store, including all the morning sketches I posted about last week. I’ll be placing an order this week so if you want one sooner rather than later, best to place your own order within the next couple of days.

Thanks, everyone!

You can click HERE for where that is in relationship to the entire gigantic floor.

What I’ll have: Cleoptra in Space #2 (which debuts at the show), copies of Cleo #1 and limited copies of Cow & Buffalo. Also lots of prints and I’ll probably throw some original art into my suitcase as well.

As far as commissions go, since this show is so insane and I’ll be handling sales solo this year (my lovely, child-carrying wife is understandably sitting this one out), I’m only going to be offering head/bust sketches this time around. But super cheap: only $25. If during the weekend I feel caught up, I might offer more. But judging from last year that’s not likely to happen.

SDCC is always a fun time. Can’t wait! Hope to see a lot of you there!

EDIT: If anyone would like to commission a sketch early for pickup at the show, feel free to PayPal me at mike@cowshell.com. $25 head/bust sketches only.

I am now taking pre-orders for Cleopatra in Space #2! The 72 pg full-color soft-bound book will be priced at only $10 and all pre-orders will receive free shipping (starting in August, due to increased shipping costs, all shipping for books in my store will be $2).

Pre-orders help cover my costs for book 2 which, due to it’s page count and color printing, was an expensive book to produce. But it’s going to look good. Real good. Especially considering you’re going to get new and never-before-seen art by me, a behind-the-scenes process, and all-new guest art by Tony Cliff, Otis Frampton, Mitch Gerads, Chris Houghton, Tracy Lee, Sarah Mensinga, Jon Morris and Jez Tuya!

I’m also, for the first time, offering an Artist Edition which will include an original pencil sketch by me (something more substantial then my usual book doodles). The Artist Edition will be priced at $15. Both the regular editions and Artist Editions will be signed.

So what are you waiting for? Pre-order Cleopatra in Space #2 right now!

I’ll also be on a webcomics panel Sunday morning. Here’s the info on that:

Sunday 11:30 AM
WEB COMICS–Group Effort
(Room 206)
Meet the Small Press groups who have developed their own multi-strip brand: Curt Franklin, Chris Haley, Mike Maihack, Kevin Church, and Benjamin Birdie will sit down and talk to Comic News Insider’s Jimmy Aquino about creativity in the Small Press World.

That should be fun. And don’t forget about the Catwoman piece I painted for their annual auction. I managed to find a frame for it too. See:

That’ll be on Saturday night at the Westin across from the convention center. It’s a big party that helps benefit the show (allowing guests like me to go as well as keeping ticket prices super-low or even free if you’re under 12).

So lots of stuff to look forward to. I’ll of course have Cleo books, prints, buttons, a pregnant wife, etc… as well as sketching for those who catch me early enough (I am a notoriously slow con sketcher).

Can’t wait. Love this show. Hope to see a lot of you there!

So unless you were hiding under a fraggle rock last weekend, you probably heard that Archaia is putting out a hardcover comic collection for Jim Henson’s The Storyteller series that aired many years back. You can read more about it HERE.

Anyhow, I’ll be drawing a  story for it! Don’t know what exactly yet. But who cares? It’s Jim Henson’s The Storyteller! I remember watching this series as a kid and being both inspired and creeped out by it at the same time. I never would have thought I’d get a chance to play around in the same world one day.

The list of talent in the book is pretty incredible. I’m flattered Nate asked me to contribute.

You’ll be able to find me same spot as always: white section; table 7. Looking forward to seeing both old and new faces. If you won’t be able to make it, here are the other places I plan on being at this year:

Heroes Con
June 3rd – 5th, 2011
Charlotte, NC

Comic-Con
July 21st – 24th, 2011
San Diego, CA

Baltimore Comic-Con
August 20th – 21st, 2011
Baltimore, MD

Anyhow, I’ll be tabling in Artist Alley; table G-22. Here’s a map to help you find where that is (click for a larger view):

Also, don’t forget about ECCC’s exclusive hardcover Monsters & Dames book published to raise money for the Seattle Children’s Hospital. Here’s the piece I did for it:

There’s only going to be 1000 of these M&D books at the show, so if you want one better grab one early! The original line art for mine (and probably most of the others) will be part of ECCC’s annual charity auction.

And for those curious, here is what the rest of my convention schedule for 2011 is looking like:

megacon
march 25th – 27th, 2011
orlando, fl

heroes con
june 3rd – 5th, 2011
charlotte, nc

comic-con
july 21st – 24th, 2011
san diego, ca

baltimore comic-con
august 20th – 21st, 2011
baltimore, md

So convention season is officially upon us! But for those of you who might not be able to make it out to the few scattered cities I’ll be at, I might have a nice alternative for you. I’ve partnered up with Deniath to bring you an exclusive 72 hour sale, with limited numbers of my books, prints and original art packaged at some pretty great discounts. The catch is, this is an invite-only sale. But because I think my fans are awesome and I completely value your following, all you have to do is email community@deniath.com before March 10th with the word “cowshell” in the subject line, and they will send you an access code.

This is a good chance to get some items from me you may be holding out on. Especially the original art which I generally never offer. And if the sale does well, I’ll try to offer more again sometime.

I’ll have all the usual books with me as well as a few new prints and other stuff. Maybe even some brand new Cleo and Khensu buttons. Should be a swell time.

Here’s a list of all the other conventions I’ll be at this year:

emerald city comicon
march 4th – 6th, 2011
seattle, wa

megacon
march 25th – 27th, 2011
orlando, fl

heroes con
june 3rd – 5th, 2011
charlotte, nc

comic-con
july 21st – 24th, 2011
san diego, ca

baltimore comic-con
august 20th – 21st, 2011
baltimore, md

Those of you that have been following me for a while now know that a few years ago I started organizing a Christian comic anthology called Parable. The book was supposed to be available back in 2008 but due to unforeseen circumstances (that I’ll likely address in a later post), its publication was delayed. Well, I’m excited to say it is NOW AVAILABLE under a new publisher and at a special introductory price. Here is all the info:

PARABLE is a collection of modern parables from some of the world’s best independent animators, web artists and comic creators. From personal introspectives to fantastic fictions, each short tale provides its own unique glimpse of the elusive (and eternal) truths of life. The result is a rich volume full of faith, love, grace and beautiful sequential art.

Featuring a foreword by Doug TenNapel and stories by: Ben Avery, Bryan Ballinger, Tim Baron, Tor Harald Blom, Monika Brozda, Paul Conrad, Rob Corley, Michelle Gorski, Ben Hatke, C Hill, Mike Laughead, Mike Maihack, James Mar, Stephen McCranie, Sarah Mensinga, Caleb Monroe, Caroline Parkinson, Dean Rankine, Jeremy Vanhoozer, and Rob Woodrum.

All orders placed before Jan 31st are 30% off and include a free digital download. Orders taken by Dec 9th will get their books in time for Christmas. Parable will also be available on Amazon and a few other places later this month, but the Lamp Post store is the only place to order the discounted bundled package. The ebook is also available separately.

I’ve also uploaded a 70 page preview of the book HERE. Please help us spread the word. This book has been both a labor of love and a tremendousness undertaking, so it fills me with so much peace to know it is finally available for people to read.

Details here. :)

This is one of my favorite shows. Full of comics, kids, superheroes and good friends. I can’t wait!

And since lots of people on The Twitter have been asking, yes- I WILL have Cleo books with me. I don’t expect to sell out, although I didn’t expect to at SDCC either. So if you want one, the earlier you get there the better. I’ll also have my usual swag of c&b books and art prints. Hope to see you there!

And I will have a bunch of brand spankin new Cleopatra in Space books with me! Fresh off the printer.

I’ll also have Cow & Buffalo books, lots of prints, Jen, some buttons and stuff… More than likely I’ll be drawing a lot of pictures too. This will be the first time I’ll have a table at SDCC as well as my first time exhibiting on the west coast. That means it’ll likely be the first time I’ll get the chance to meet a lot of you, so I hope you can stop by and say hi!

And here’s one of those process flash animations for it.

The book will debut at the San Diego Comic-Con next week (OMG) where I’ll be hiding behind table N-O5 in the small press area. Afterwards, I’ll be putting them up for sale online.

I will have a signed & numbered limited edition print run of fifteen for it at the con. Fourteen of them will be for sale at my table. The other one, along with the original b&w artwork, will be donated to Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find’s annual art auction which helps fund the show and maintain it’s awesomeness.

All signs are pointing towards this years show being the best one ever. I’m really excited. June 4-6, Charlotte Convention Center. Hope to see you there!

EDIT: I found out I’ll be at table AA-520, on the outskirts of Indie Island. Click HERE for a map that shows you exactly where that is, along with some photos of the above Cleo prints!

EDIT #2: The above HeroesCon print is now available in my online store!

So, I get a  fair amount of emails. And it’s safe to say the most common question I receive is, “Can I get a print of [insert favorite illustration here]?”  Second would probably be, “Can you draw me [insert favorite character here]?” Lastly would be, “I just inherited a ton of money and want to give you some.”

And of course, I more often than not answer “yes” in all of these cases, but the processes and transactions involved are messy at best. NOT ANYMORE! Thanks to the invaluable help of Jake Alves, I now have an honest to God e-commerce shop that you can purchase prints, books, commissions and whatever else at. This is awesome!

The new Cow Shell Graphics Store, guys. Check it out! :)

Also, I gave my site a good design overhaul and update yesterday. If you’re reading this via a feed, come over and take a look! This blog in particular received a pretty big makeover.

ALSO- I decided to start using capital letters when I write. I thought it was time now.