**UPDATE: Prints now added to the store. **
This weekend, September 22-23, I will be in the LA area for Power-Con, the convention devoted to Masters of the Universe and Thundercats. I'm sure many of you may be wondering what the heck I'll be doing at this show. After all, it's not exactly comics related and I've never been involved with either franchise in any professional capacity. Well, the simple fact is that as an 80s kid I'm a huge fan of both properties. I was originally planning to go just as a fan, but also thought how fun it would be to go and draw some of my favorite characters all weekend (and maybe introduce my books to a new audience). Then, something happened in July that sort of gave me a legitimate reason, however small, to justify going.
Last year Mattel held a Create-A-Character contest for their Masters of the Universe Classics line. As a kid I always dreamed of creating characters for my favorite toy lines, MOTU especially. I couldn't NOT participate. I didn't have a lot of time to devote to it, but I created a couple characters and sent them off. I had no expectations of winning, I just thought it would be cool if I could at least be one of the 5 runners up. And that's exactly what happened when the winners were announced at San Diego Comic Con this past July. It was a huge thrill for me. I'm now a footnote in Masters of the Universe history!
Afterwards I was invited by the promoters of Power-Con in participate in a panel about the contest with the other runners up and the winner, Daniel Benedict (whose character is being turned into an actual figure - which is awesome by the way). So I decided to go for it. I reserved a table, worked up some new art and had some prints made. The theme of the art is "Girls of Grayskull" and they will be available individually for $10 or as a set of 5 for $40. (Whatever I have left over will of course go up in my shop.) Even if you're not a MOTU or Thundercats fan, and you're in the area, I hope you'll come out and say hi. I'll likely have a few copies of the Dead@17 Pin-Up book, the Masks sketchbook, and a few of my other prints. And I'll gladly sign any of my books you want to bring with you.
Anyway, here are the prints (click to enlarge).
I wish I could show you my character, called Three-Beast (a character made up of 3 dfferent monsters), but Mattel has expressly forbidden it. I can't show you my original entry, or even re-draw him. Ever. For no reason whatsoever. Seems a bit excessive, but those are the rules. Now, they did have their artists re-draw my character, which they showed in the slide show at Comic Con, so this is the best I can do for now:
Wow! Really love these art-prints! Definitely would like to get all 5! Hopefully you'll have enough left after Power-Con!
Also Jonboy Meyers was the artist who illustrated the "Mattel-vision" of the CAC-runner ups! ;)
Posted by: ToonJukka | September 21, 2012 at 08:51 AM
Nice! Congrats Josh! Those are rad.
Posted by: Benjamin Hall | September 21, 2012 at 01:14 PM
These are great - next, you should do a Girls of G.I. Joe series - with Scarlett, Zarana, Lady Jaye, Baroness and Jinx.
Posted by: Bob | October 04, 2012 at 12:35 AM
Jukka - thanks for the info!
Ben - Thanks!
Bob - Would LOVE to do that.
Posted by: Josh Howard | October 04, 2012 at 01:33 PM