Free Comic Book Day!

It's here once again - the day that's Christmas for geeks, and also a great chance to introduce comics to new readers and make a new generation of fans.

Free Comic Book Day is this Saturday (May 4), and is a national event that provides retailers a lot of awesome comics, from a variety of publishers, that they can give away for free.There are three Spokane area stores participating this year - Merlyns, The Comic Book Shop, and Hastings.

Local artists will be at Merlyns both Saturday and Sunday, drawing free sketches for kids. There will be plenty of other events going on at the store both days, including the book release party for local creator Manny Trembley's new all-ages graphic novel Martin Monsterman!

Manny will be extra busy this weekend, as in addition to the release party, he'll be one of the artists drawing free sketches at Merlyns on Saturday, and will be at Tafuri Studios in the Garland district on Friday, drawing free monster sketches for their First Friday event.

For more information, or to RSVP, you can check out the Facebook event pages:

• First Friday at Tafuri Studios!
• Free Comic Book Day at Merlyns!
• Martin Monsterman Book Release Party!

If you're not local, be sure to check out the FCBD website for a participating retailer in your area, and we hope to see everyone else this weekend!

Mini-Comics Day!

This Sunday (the 24th), Merlyns in Spokane will be hosting a local Mini-Comics Day event from Noon to 4 pm. Similar to the 24 Hour Comic Challenge, but more free-form and on a smaller scale, the general idea is to produce a completed mini-comic within one day. But what constitutes a mini-comic is really up to the creator. This is an annual national event, and you can check out the official website for more information and suggestions: Mini-Comics Day!

And here is the local Facebook event page where you can RSVP and ask any questions you might have: Mini-Comics Day at Merlyns!

Kids Make Comics!

This Saturday, July 28th, is the first annual Kids Make Comics Day - started by the fine folks at Ah Yeah Comics! This event is an opportunity to show kids that anyone can make comics and give them "a hands on approach with creators working in the industry, and hopefully spark a life long interest in our medium".

Here in Spokane, we'll have a local version hosted at Merlyns, who will provide supplies, with members of the Guild on hand to instruct and help out the participants.

This is an all-ages event (for kids of all ages), and will run from 11 am - 4 pm. If you have any questions or would like more information, or to RSVP for the event, please see the Facebook Page: Kids Make Comics Day

Free Comic Book Day!

It's here once again - the day that's Christmas for comic geeks, and also a great chance to introduce comics to new readers and make a new generation of fans.

Free Comic Book Day is this Saturday (May 5), and is a national event that provides retailers a lot of awesome comics, from a variety of publishers, that they can give away for free. All of the comic book stores in the Spokane area will be participating, and the Guild will be at 2 of those locations, drawing free sketches for customers.

There will be FCBD related events at all stores, and you can find the Guild at Merlyns in Spokane, and Lightning Comics in Coeur d'Alene. Artists will be at Lightning Comics on Saturday from 10:30 - 3, and Merlyns will be extending FCBD to Sunday as well. Please contact the individual stores for more details.

If you're not local, be sure to check out the FCBD website for a participating retailer in your area, and we hope to see everyone else this weekend!

Mini-Comics Day!

This Saturday (April 7th), Spokane store Merlyns will be hosting a Mini-Comics Day event from 10 am to 6 pm. This is similar to the 24 Hour Comic Challenge, but more free-form and on a smaller scale - the general idea is to produce a mini-comic in the time allotted, but what constitutes a mini-comic is really up to the creator.

Here is the Facebook event page where you can RSVP and ask any questions you might have: Mini-Comics Day at Merlyns!

24 Hour Comic Book Day!

It's that time of year again! The 24 Hour Comic Challenge is fast approaching - this international event, now in it's 8th year, will be held October 1st - 2nd, 2011.

The Challenge is simple; you have 24 hours to create a 24 page comic - this means writing, drawing, lettering, all in one 24 hour period. This is the 5th year that the Challenge has been hosted in Spokane, and this time there will be two locations available for local participants.

The Comicsmiths' Guild will be hosting the Challenge, in a location that should be very convenient for those in the Spokane Valley area or coming from across the border in Idaho. You can RSVP at the Facebook event page: 24 Hour Challenge - Spokane Valley

The Valley Challenge will run from 8 am Saturday to 8 am Sunday, and will be held at:
Otis Orchard Community Church (Annex Bldg.)
23304 E Wellesley, Otis Orchards, WA 99027

In addition, Merlyns will be hosting the event downtown, starting at 10 am Saturday morning on the 1st and ending at 10 am the following Sunday. For more information you can check out their website at Merlyns.biz and RSVP at the Facebook event page: 24 Hour Challenge at Merlyns

Guild members will be in attendance at both locations, and there will be additional activities for attendees - we'll have updates on activities as more information becomes available. This is a kid-friendly, all-ages, event and all are welcome!

If you'd like to find more information about the Challenge, and 24 Hour Comics in general, please see the official website: 24 Hour Comics Day

Current Events!

Thanks to everyone who made it down to our last meeting on Sunday! Our next regular meeting will be on July 17 at Merlyn's at 3pm.

The following meeting will be on August 21, and will be a BBQ at a member's home. Please contact the Guild, either here, on Facebook or by email, if you have questions or need directions.

In addition, the next Drink & Draw at Cyrus O'Learys will be on July 14, 7-11pm. This is a 21+ event, and you can RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=207686042599807

Also, members of the Guild will be at Lightning Comics in Coeur d'Alene on July 2, drawing free sketches for customers as part of the 4th of July holiday weekend. Hope to see everyone there!

FCBD Wrap-Up

We wanted to give a big thanks to Matt at Lightning Comics, John at Merlyns, the management of Riverstone Theater and everyone who came out for Free Comic Book Day this year! We had great turn-outs at all locations, and kept busy the whole day, sketching away for people.

Be sure to check out our individual deviantArt pages, as those of us who got pictures of our sketches will be posting them there.

Hope everyone who showed up had a great day as well, and we'll be looking forward to seeing you all at the Spokane ComiCon on May 21st. Our regular monthly meeting is also this Sunday (the 15th), at Merlyns at 3 pm.

Free Comic Book Day!

This Saturday (May 7) is Free Comic Book Day, and the Guild will be present at local comic shops, sketching up a storm...

Members will be at Lightning Comics in Coeur d'Alene from 10:30 - 2:30, and then over at the Regal Riverstone theater from 4:30 - 6:30 drawing free Thor sketches for customers.

We'll also be over at Merlyns in Spokane from 11-2 doing free sketches for kids, as well as on the following Sunday at the same time. Along with sketches from the Guild, the Imperial 501st should be there from 1 -3 for photo ops and there will be a costume contest with prizes for kids and adults.

If you're not local, be aware that Free Comic Book Day is an international event, so you can check the FCBD website and find a participating retailer in your area. Otherwise, we hope to see you this weekend!

Current Events!

A reminder that this coming Saturday is the Superhero Storytime event at Aunties Bookstore, co-sponsored by the Spokane ComiCon. It's scheduled for 11 am in the children's section - there will be raffles, coloring pages for kids and even costumed superheroes for photo-ops!

Free Comic Book Day is right around the corner as well (May 7). The Guild will have several people drawing free sketches at both Lightning Comics in Coeur d'Alene and Merlyns in Spokane. We'll also be sketching Thor pics at the theater in Coeur d'Alene on Saturday evening. If you're in the area, please drop by and meet the Guild, and pick up a free comic and sketch!

After Free Comic Book Day, the next big event is the Spokane ComiCon on May 21st, which is organized and run by our very own Nathan O'Brien. This is a great convention, which is the only comic convention in the Inland Northwest and growing each year, and the majority of the Guild will be represented in Artist Alley. We look forward to seeing you there!

Upcoming Events

We wanted to let everyone know that the Guild will be present at a couple of local events leading up to the holidays...

Sunday, December 12 - Merlyns and the Spokane ComiCon are hosting a signing appearance by Robert Picardo, better known as "The Doctor" from Star Trek: Voyager and a ton of other geek-genre shows. The Q&A session and signing will be from 2-3pm, and we'll be there at 1pm drawing sketches for kids beforehand. There's a Facebook Event set up, if you'd like more information or would like to RSVP: Robert Picardo Signing

Saturday, December 18 - Lightning Comics in Coeur d'Alene, ID is having a big pre-Christmas holiday bash event, and we'll be there sketching for patrons from Noon to 3pm. Come by and pick up a sketch, check out the deals, and even meet Santa!

24 Hour Challenge is Here!

Today's the day! The Comicsmiths' Guild will be downtown at Merlyns from 10am Saturday to 10am Sunday, doing our best to each create a full 24 page comic, start to finish, in 24 hours.

There will be refreshments for participants, raffles for awesome prizes and even a Spider-Man pinata! Are you up to the Challenge?

More information here: 24 Hour Comic Book Day

Upcoming Events

A few updates to let you know where we'll be in the next month...

- This Saturday, the 11th, is the Sustainable September Main Street Fair. Members of the Guild will be set up outside of Merlyns drawing sketches for kids. The Fair runs from 1-6 pm.

- The next Guild meeting is on September 19th, at Merlyns at 3 pm. We'll be mainly discussing plans for the upcoming 24 Hour Comic Book Challenge.

- September 25th is the Jet City Comic Show in Seattle, and a few Guild members will be there individually. Nathan O'Brien will be in Artist Alley, Levi Skeen will be at the Strange Aeons booth alongside frequent collaborator and friend to the Guild Ben "1314" Hansen, and Erik Thompson will be at the Micro Brew Comics booth.

- The 24 Hour Challenge starts on October 2nd at 10 am and runs until the following morning. It'll be hosted at Merlyns, and everyone is welcome. More information about the event is available at the official 24 Hour Comic Site and we also have a Facebook Event Page.

24 Hour Comic Day is Coming! Oct. 2nd 2010

Can you draw 24 pages in 24 hours? 24 Hour Comics Day is a nation wide event, and we are fortunate enough that Merlyn's is hosting a location for Spokane for it's FOURTH YEAR! This is a big event for artists and comic fans alike! Come down and what you can draw and how long you can last. Prizes, food, activities, a piñata, cake, art supplies, raffles, movies, and more! All ages and skill levels welcome!


Saturday, October 2nd - 3rd, 10am - 10am. Merlyn's Comics and Games. W 17 Main St. Spokane, Washington.


Our facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=148480541840557
The official 24hr Comics Day website: http://www.24hourcomicsday.com/

Photos from last year to entice you!

Last year's poster


about 9:45am, right before the big event!


Artists working away!




Even kids are joining in on the fun!


Many of the awesome prizes from last year. Comics, art supplies, paper, shirts, and more!


Our yummy cake donated by Yoke's Fresh Market! Thanks again!


Zephan Osiris and Nathan O'Brien, founder of Spokane ComiCon!


The Last Supper


Concentrate Peter, you only have 12 hours left!!!!


That page looks blank! Work harder!!!

Conventions aren't happening in the fall, so this is a perfect time for comic and art fans to have fun and get their comic fix! Come down, and of course you can always email the guild if you have any questions: comicsmithsguild@gmail.com