CN ACTION PACK #35

On the shelves of your local comic shop is the latest issue of Cartoon Network Action Pack which contains the latest rockin' tale of Kids Next Doorness.

In this story, the KND receive a visit from Numbuh Ouch, the KND's Defense Against Spanking instructor who had to have his backside surgically removed after it took a beating in The Great Paddywhack Machine Rebellion. And you know what that means:


Man, I love my job.

HEY, I JUST WRITE AND DRAW IT...

...I don't come up with the $17.99 price tag.

Still, this is a very nice review of my book from Reader Kids View, a site with book reviews by kids, for kids.

1000 Times No
Mr. Warburton
HarperCollins (2009)
ISBN 9780061542633
Reviewed by Brooke James (age 5) and her mom for Reader Views (3/09)

“1000 Times No” by Mr. Warburton is about a struggle between a toddler and his mother. It all starts when Noah’s mother says, “It’s time to leave.” Noah proceeds to say ‘No’ in many, many different languages. Once he realizes where they are going, he says yes. However, as soon as his mother wants him to get dressed, he is back to saying most toddlers’ favorite word – NO!

Mom: “What did you think about this book?”
Brooke: “It is pretty funny when he says no in so many ways. I didn’t know there were so many languages. The pictures were funny.”

Parent’s comments:

This book was definitely a hilarious situation that most parents have been through at least once! The pictures were great and I found the story very funny. However, I did not like how the toddler got his way at the end of the book. I used it as a lesson for Brooke: “Do you think he should have been able to go to the park after acting like that?”

The other problem I had with the book was the price. I would never EVER pay $17.99 for a book with this little substance. “1000 Times No” by Mr. Warburton was funny and the illustrations were awesome, but $17.99 is too much for this type of book.

Seriously, though. At less than 40¢ per NO, the book is a bargain! Other authors charge as much as $6.50 a NO, and even then they're all in ENGLISH. No Tagalog, Pig Latin or Aboriginal Australian. Just plain old English.

I'm like the Crazy Eddie of NO's- Cutting out the middle man and passing the savings on to the reader.

But perhaps the reviewer didn't see the Amazon link in the corner of the review:

Best price = $12.23

At that price it's like we're giving 'em away!

But hey... any review that uses the word 'funny' multiple times and says that my illustrations are 'awesome' has my eternal love.

AND SPEAKING OF BOOKS...

So ya think you've got the bestest best idea for an animated show and wanna take it to the networks so they can all fight over it and get into a massive bidding war and the next thing you know one of them is offering you 400 buh-smillion dollars and complete control over the show and they're gonna crown you as king of the merchandising empire and two weeks later your show is on the air and you've only had to work 4 hours to get it done?

ME, TOO!

And then I wake up laughing and go to the office.

Because pitching shows isn't really like that. At all.

But ya still think ya gotta pretty good idea for a show, right? So maybe ya oughta do some research on what pitching is REALLY like.

Well, ASIFA-EAST President for Life David Levy has just the book for you:


ANIMATION DEVELOPMENT: FROM PITCH TO PRODUCTION won't be out until September, but it should be worth the wait because Mr. Levy spent, like, forever, interviewing some of the biggest players in the industry (and me) about their experiences pitching and producing animated shows. And with KND's Numbuh Five on the cover, that pretty much guarantees the book to be awesome. So don't be shy to pre-order one NOW so ya don't forget later.


And if you haven't read it already, make sure to pick up a copy of Mr. Levy's previous book, YOUR ANIMATION CAREER: HOW TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE. It's a great look into what working in the animation industry is really like- although strangely he never mentions anything about it being JUST LIKE THE RAP VIDEOS!

Maybe that's just what it's like for me.

Regardless, make sure to check out Mr. Levy's BLOG every Monday for his latest insights on the action -packed animation industry!

READIN' ON THE ROAD'

So after my sooper fun visit to PS 261, the question seems to be:

"Mr. Warburton, can you come to my town to help us party it down?"

And the answer is: YES.

The second part of that answer is: Only if your town is kinda near NYC.
Ya see, for a new author-type person, even a dashingly handsome rookie sensation like myself, publishers don't usually go handing out book tours. But that's not to say that I'm not gonna make my rounds. I've already got a bunch of readings lined up at some schools and stores, but they're all within spitting distance of my home here in NYC.

But let's say your town/school/bookstore/book fair/space camp/etc IS kinda near NYC. Or ya don't mind paying travel expenses if you're not near NYC. How does one go about tricking Mr. Warburton into showing up and reading from his already kaleventy bathousand selling runaway smash hit (I hope) picture book 1000 TIMES NO, which you've already pre-ordered ten (10) copies of from HERE?

Well, apparently HarperCollins has done this kinda thing before because they've got a department set up for it. Just check out their FAQ that explains how one might go about getting an author like me to come visit. It's over HERE. And if that doesn't answer all your questions, feel free to drop them a line at authorvisits@harpercollins.com. (Just don't expect an answer TOO quick on that... they only check it every couple weeks!)

But, you know... SERIOUS inquiries only. These are some busy folks and you shouldn't be bothering them unless you REALLY are interested. If you're not near NYC and your school/PTA/hedge fund can't afford hotel and travel fees... then it's not gonna happen.

And, of course, for you close friends and family members (and you know who you are... I think), feel free to call or e-mail me directly to set something up. You know I'm dying to come visit you!

A VISIT TO P.S. 261

This morning I stopped by P.S. 261 over in Carrol Gardens, Brooklyn to visit a couple of the kindergarten classes and man, did we have FUN!


We read both '1000 TIMES N0' and the rough version of the sequel '1000 TIMES WHY'!


And then I showed 'em how to draw the nay-saying Noah.


The problem is... the kids all draw WAY better than I do!


We also talked about ideas for sequels to the books. Some of my favorites:

'1000 Times Going on Lots of Vacations'
and
'1000 Times watching Star Wars'
(which I think I've done already)
Sooper huge thanks to PS 261 for having me over and extra jumbo sized thanks to the kids for making it so fun!

EDIT: I just got this from the kids today!


You guys rule the universe!

Coming up next post: So ya want Mr. Warburton to come to YOUR school/book fair/library/pizza party/ninja training seminar?

MY FIRST BOOK REVIEW!

Noooooooo... I'm not here to tell you what I thought about The Drapes of Wrath or about the narrative structure of Breaking Dawn. (But just to warn you- I read it and there's NO ONE named Dawn in that book! BIG oversight by the editors, I'd say...)

No... I'm here to to tell you that I just received the VERY first review of my VERY first picture book!

It's from the American Library Association's upcoming May issue of Booklist.

And while I'm a bit concerned they didn't use any words like 'Awesomealicious!', it still rocks pretty hard.

Check it out:


1000 Times No.

Warburton, Tom (Author) , Warburton, Tom (Illustrator)

May 2009. 32 p. HarperCollins/Laura Geringer, hardcover, $17.99. (9780061542633).

“All right, Noah, dear. It’s time to leave,” says Noah’s mom. Noah has other plans. “No,” he says. And then says it again. And again. And each time, his nos get crazier and crazier. A shattered, red-colored No! matches his rage, while a small, cursive no encapsulates his blithe obstinance. That’s just for starters:
Warburton features two nos per page, then quarters that into four nos, then nine. The goofy creativity multiplies along with the refusals—Noah says Nyet wearing a Russian hat, O-nay as a pig, Negative as a robot, Hon’-Ka-Zhi from a tepee, and even uses hieroglyphics and Morse code dots and dashes. The pastels of the watercolor-and-pencil art quickly explode into a colorful chaos that concludes with the entire cast of Noahs singing “Nooooooooo” in a chorus. It’s a lot of fun and will feel familiar to any parent up against a child’s tireless opposition, and kids (maybe) will recognize their own silly stubbornness. The educational use of various languages extends the book’s age range a bit, too.

— Daniel Kraus

You know... I think I really LIKE this Daniel Kraus guy! And now you know why I'm always going around talking about how brilliant, insightful, and wise the ALA is.

So to celebrate... why not head over HERE and pre-order 1000 copies of '1000 Times No' so you have enough for all your friends when it comes out on May 1st?

SOOPER CUTE KND vs DCTFTL

Cartoon Network Action Pack #32 has actually been out for a while, but somehow I didn't receive a copy until just recently. It just goes to show you that there are STILL evil adults out there trying to stop people from getting their recommended dosage of KND!

So first, I'd like you to check out how sooper famous comic artist Art Baltazar (Patrick the Wolf Boy, Tiny Titans) drew the KND:


Um...

Well...

All I gotta say is...

CUTEST KND EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVER?!?!?
If you can still find this issue, definitely pick it up to see the other two one-pagers he drew!

But wait...

In that same issue are three more KND vs DCFDTL by Eric Jones (Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade), Here's one of 'em:


Awesome, right? I love seeing how different artists (especially amazing ones) draw the KND!

All Tablecloths Should Be Made of Paper

PARADE (WITH FIREWORKS)

It was only a matter of time.

While making Kids Next Door I spent an inordinate amount of time telling background colorist Mike Cavallaro that his comic work stunk. Which was an out and out LIE. He's AMAZING... and with every new project he slaved away on he just got better and betterer.

But i couldn't TELL him that. Then he'd leave KND to become a comic sooper star and I'd have to find a new, sooper triple awesome color artist. So I'd make sure to loudly discuss how the comic industry was dying whenever Mike was near. Or when he'd show me some unbelievable new inking he'd done I'd say something like, "Hmmmm... maybe in another 20 years you could get good enough to show your work to someone in the industry. So... you done that background of the KND's Swamp Headquarters yet?"

But he just wouldn't listen. He just kept making more and more comics and getting more and more people interested in his work. And once KND was done and he didn't have me keeping him down anymore, the secret got out.

Case in point... his much lauded miniseries Parade (with Fireworks) which started out as a free online comic on ACT-I-VATE. Based on a true story told to Mike by his grandfather, it's set in Italy between the two world wars and tells the tale of a violent confrontation between two rival factions during the Feast of the Epiphany. A great story, bold and beautiful drawings, and of course, Mr. Cavallaro's brilliant mix of inking technique and color.

Mike did this series on his own, with no one paying him to do it. And after a whole lot of critical acclaim, he was duly rewarded when Image's Shadowline imprint decided to release a printed edition of the comic.

You should buy one HERE. But if you're cheap, poor, or don't want to encourage Mike because I may need him on another project one day, you can read it HERE.

Also, be sure to check out Mr. Cavallaro's other work on his WEBSITE. Highlights include his independently produced series 66KMPH and the upcoming six issue miniseries he's doing with J.D Matteis, The Life and Times on Savior 28.

And as a bonus, dig this kick-butt drawing of Paolo he did for me.