I've suffered a terrible loss.

On Sunday night at 6:30 PM my stepfather Warner was killed in an automobile accident. The last 3 days have been the most difficult days of my life. He was a very important part of my life and I've always considered him to be not only my stepdad but truly one of my best friends. He supported me in every part of my life, from attending my sporting events to encouraging my pursuit of the comic book dream. Whenever I needed him Warner was there. And right now I'm having a difficult time coming to terms with the fact that I'll never get to see him again. I love and miss him so much, and I don't think I've ever cried so much in my life. My tear ducts are sore and swollen. But I've done my best to be strong for the family, especially my Mom, and I've handled all the most difficult things myself (going to the medical examiner's office, setting up the funeral) so no one else would have to. I've had to identify him, I've been to the scene of the accident (although not intentionally) and now I need to talk about it. But it's hard so I'll just type what I can.

Dad was a truly great person. And that's not me just saying that. He has so many friends and relatives and even people who hardly knew him who are all in a state of shock and morning. He touched so many people's lives, and due to this I've had to make sure that the funeral home can accommodate at least 200 people. He was liked and loved by most everyone who ever met him, and the outpour of support has been overwhelming. He will truly be missed by everyone and anyone who ever had a chance to know him. I have so much more to say but will have to say it later.

All I ask of anyone who reads this is this; say a prayer for my mother. She's the most affected by this tragic event and needs all the support and help she can get. She has nothing but her friends and family now so any sort of support you can get her would be definitely appreciated.

I must now go and cry some more. I really miss my dad :(

Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo.

Wow, just WOW!!! What an incredible day Sunday April 29th was. I was fortunate enough to be an exhibitor with my friends Kevin and Charles with an Out of Mind Studios booth, situated right across from the talented and friendly Gail Simone, the uber cool Josh Ortega, superstar artist Francis Manapul and the very lovely Rivkah. It was a great location, with tons of foot traffic and a lot of folks popping by to check out of stuff. I did 3 pin-ups for this show, all of which sold a few copies, and the very generous Bryan Hodgson of Happy Harbor comics V. 2 came by to purchase a piece of original art and a convention sketch from me. I can't say enough about how good the folks from Happy Harbor are to me. Thank you so much Bryan!

And thanks to Bryan I was fortunate enough to receive some very nice praise from the incredible Gail Simone and her husband on the piece of art he bought from me. So again, THANK YOU! As for the rest of the show I was able to touch base and say hi to all the creators and professionals I've been lucky enough to get to know over the years, and made a few new contacts and new friends. The great Bruce Timm signed an art book of his I have and even did a quick sketch for me. Coloring powerhouse Bobby Chiu set me up with one of his very informative coloring books and Ryan Woodward stopped by to say hi. Josh Ortega, who was cool enough to come out a have a few drinks with all us local guys at the James Joyce Pub Friday night stopped by to chat, give us some words of encouragement and check out our stuff. He's a fantastic guy and I wish him all the best with his soon-to-be new found superstar status thanks to his work on Image's Death Dealer series. He certainly deserves it. And I can't forget to mention getting to see and talk to one of my all time favorite artist Humberto Ramos. He's always very nice to me and I appreciate the fact that he takes time out to say hi whenever he sees me.

Thanks to everyone who came by our booth to say hi and an extra special thanks to everyone who picked something up from us. Everything we make from shows like this goes back into the studio to help create new books and merchandise so we truly appreciate every sale made.

Last but not least, thanks to all the volunteers and helpers, and definitely the organizers of the CCEE for putting on a fantastic show once again. This year was amazing and next year will be even bigger and better! See you all again April 27th and 28th, 2008. Two days of awesomeness next year!