Hello Friend,
Welcome to another exciting installment of Don Sparrow’s Career Grab Bag! Because nothing says “laser-focused professionalism” like three unrelated announcements tied together by enthusiasm and an exclamation point.
First up: I’ll be tabling at SaskAssemble Comics & Collectibles Showcase (a.k.a. SaskAssemble 3) on Saturday, September 13th, in Saskatoon at the Western Development Museum.
Last year’s show was at Sutherland Hall, and I had a great time hanging with local art pals, signing books, and answering questions like, “Do you take debit?” and “which way to Riley Rossmo’s table?”
This year’s venue—the WDM—is one of my favorite spots. It’s my go-to rainy-day hangout with the kids, and frankly, if you haven’t indulged in the palpable sexual tension between the young mother and the train conductor in the educational film “Winning the Prairie Gamble”, you haven’t truly lived. So I’m thrilled the show will be there.
I also had the honour of drawing a very Superman #1-centric image for this year’s poster featuring Steven Boyd and Riley Rossmo’s Skybreaker character, taking to the air on 1st Avenue Downtown Saskatoon.
Next item from the grab bag: The Prairie Comics Festival in Winnipeg! I mentioned this in my last post, but now there’s a fun update: I’ve been asked to take part in a panel on Romance Comics on Sunday, September 7th at 3:30 PM, during the second day of the show. My co-panelist will be the wonderful Kathleen Gros—a terrific cartoonist whose work I’ve admired (and purchased extensively!) for years. I met Kathleen in Vancouver a while back, and I’m really excited to share the stage and talk about romance comics—what makes them work, why they matter, and how they keep evolving. I’ll also chat about my own projects in that space, like the webcomic Don’t Know (Maybe So) and books like Waiting for Wednesday and Does Your Mother Know? Should be a great discussion, so if you’re already coming to the show (come on, it’s free!) be sure to try to attend that panel.
And finally: Superman fans, this one’s for you. As you may know, I co-write a blog about Superman comics from 1986-1999 with the legendary Maxwell Yezpitlok (yes, the very funny guy from Cracked). We’ve posted some new entries, including a quickie about the passing of on-screen General Dru-Zod himself, Terence Stamp. I even shared a few sketches of Zod because nothing says “tribute” like drawing a guy who once demanded the planet kneel before him.
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So that’s the grab bag: a little convention hype, a little romance, a little Superman lore. In upcoming posts, I’ll share a recent radio appearance and (if the stars align) announce another convention appearance for 2025.
Thanks for reading, I love you.