(by Josh Adams with some little finishing touches by me )

Check out these 16 pages from the upcoming Division 18 Collection! And make sure to ask your local comic store to order a copy for you… the Previews code is JUL08-4207.

Click for a bigger version…

For our first show behind the table, and with product to sell, the 3rd annual NYCC was a great success! Division 18: The Union of Novelty Costumed Performers was one of the key attractions at the Silent Devil Litte Foot booth #2353. Jeremy and I shared the space with fellow Silent Devil-ite and 2nd Assistant Frat Master General of Super Frat, Tony DiGerolamo, as well as the creative couple behind Little Foot’s latest kiddie title, Crumb Snatchers, artist Evan Keeling and writer Stephanie Butto. Silent Devil and Little Foot shared space at the show the same way they share space in the heart and mind of creator, publisher, wheeler and dealer, Christian Beranek, who was also on hand all weekend, signing copies of the collected Dracula vs King Arthur.

Here are a few photos from the weekend’s festivities:

Me and Tony DiGerolamo were worried during a slow patch on Saturday.

Luckily, things soon picked up… with a vengeance!

Here’s me again, this time with Team Crumb Snatchers at the Americans UK show on Saturday night. Drunk? Check. Tired? Check. Jam-sketching pics of Fat Colossus, our favorite costume of the weekend? Check. 

Jeff Burandt — lead singer of Americans UK.. or just another costumed scab? You decide!

Now THESE are definitely scabs. These Jedi jokers even solicited themselves for children’s birthday parties! Makes us want to slap the midichlorians out of them with a hockey stick!

Me again (that’s what Jeremy gets for bringing his camera!), signing D18 issue 1.

Here I am with issue 3 contributor and friend of the Union, Josh Adams. And what’s that in my hands? Some sweet, sweet art from the in-progress third part of the D18 saga. (More on that at a later date.)

One of the ways we conned enticed people to buy our book was by entering them into a raffle for some of Jeremy’s original art from issue 1. Congratulations to Saturday’s winner, Mark Kick, and Sunday’s winners (pictured above with Jeremy [finally in the shot] and Matt), John Kalafatis and Jackie Smith. (Save that art, kids — it’s gonna be worth dozens someday!)

That’s all for now. Look for more pics and memories from the show as they come, and other news on what’s to come for D18 for the rest of 2008 and beyond. We’re just getting started, people!

The 2008 Eisner Awards nominations were just announced. Shockingly, Division 18 wasn’t nominated (pick yourself up off the floor). However, a friend of ours, Jason Rodriguez, worked extremely hard last year conceiving of and editing the anthology Postcards. His hard work has been recognized with an Eisner nomination for best anthology. I’m obviously biased, but I can personally attest to Jason’s love of the comics medium and dedication to making the best product he could possibly deliver. That was a book that went beyond fandom’s typically limiting genre classifications and got to the heart of what it means to make comics in the modern era: come up with a fantastic concept, convene a group of top creative talent, and then sell the book to a a publisher who can take it not just to the direct market but to the bookstores and the general public. Jason and the creators who contributed to this book deserve this recognition, and they have our wholehearted congratulations.

Haggis Cart, by Harris Grabber at flickr

My dad, Dave Donelson, just started a web site devoted to his gag cartoons…

Start tracing the DNA of Donelson cartooning here:

http://davedonelsontoonland.blogspot.com

Where is Issue #2?!?! That’s the question on everybody’s lips. I wish I had an answer for you, faithful readers (all 3 of you). But rest assured that we at Division 18 Industries, Inc. are hard at work on issue #3, working hard under the belief that the highly-anticipated follow-ups to the critically-acclaimed, senses-shattering, ribs-tickling, 24-pages-having debut issue will be in stores soon.

So, to give you a taste of what goes on behind the scenes, here’s a peek at some penciled pages of issue #3…

Here’s a little warm-up sketch I drew of the boss-man, Tony. He looks uncharacteristically pensive in this pose… though that might just be indigestion. A lot of Tony’s moods can be blamed on indigestion.