Howdy {name}!
Welcome to your July MUSEletter. Thanks to an epic family reunion which spanned 3 (maybe 4?) generations, there are a handful of readers who are receiving this missive for the first time. Welcome; maybe you'll find yourself noodling through our MUSEletter Archives for more comics, once you're done with today's. Here's what you'll find within –

• Go Doggo 
• Sketching Out a Family Reunion
• Cool Stuff Dept. San Diego Comic Con

Sketching Out a Family Reunion

Over the final weekend of June, I had the unique privilage of attending the family reunion of my Long-Term Significant Other. We packed up The Master (Milo) and took the drive south towards the Central Coast. Our Destination; a quiet, but recently discovered, beach town called Cayucos California.

This Masterpiece of a (rust resistant metal) sign was created by Uncle Bruce
– I'm looking forward to his opinion on A Tiger's Tale volume 1 .

This town has been a tried and true destination for many a getaway. The Milo has always loved it there, it brings out his most photogenic side. In this case it was a very different sort of weekend, rather than using the time & place to get away from it all, we went with the specific purpose of participating in a long overdue reunion.

Have a look at Milo's first visit: March 24, 2013

Now compare with last month...

True to form I brought my sketch-book. However, the weekend was filled with so many activities and interactions I had little time to sit back with it. At one point, in-between lending my pen out, I was able to scribble down a couple of takes on newly encountered family members. I'll leave them unnamed, BUT – if someone wants to hazard a guess... please do so. Replies are always welcome. Correct answerers will get a sticker, maybe a Comics Card & some other swag from my end-of-summer mailings.

San Diego Comic Con is like the Burningman of comics. It's a bit older and you might recall my review of the book See You At San Diego. It's a history of the convention, with many first person accounts and historic photos. I have not beensince the 90's.

Before I even moved to California I took a Greyhound bus to San Diego to attend. Getting in was much easier and less expensive back then and the circumstances warrant their own tale. Those details are included in that book review if your curious – and it includes Klingons!

Attending as a member of the press is a Level-Up for me. A welcome indicator of my trajectory with-in the Comics Industry; one started in earnest in 2020 - after the collapse of the Kung Fu Tai Chi print magazine. Added to that, it's a wonderful opportunity to connect with comic creators and mentors I've come to know while shifting away from Martial Arts Publishing.

It occurs to me that even just a couple of sentences on each one of them would make this missive huge. That's something I'll do in a forthcoming blog post. In the meantime, let me shout them out with a display of the graphics I have handy. This in no way includes all the luminaries I'm looking towards, just the ones who, for one reason or another, I have graphics for... 

I'm only scratching the surface of what I expect to encounter at the Convention. I'm certainly looking forward to the sneak previews (should help with future movie reviews), the geek sheik but especially the in-person. If it turns out you're in/near San Diego or actually going to the convention yourself – Let me know.

Until then...
–PLUGO

...and here's one last Milo-On-The-Beach shot to make sure you're enjoying your summer. Next time - lots of comics stuff, promise.