from Gerry Giovinco of CO2 Comics:
CO2 Comics and Steve Lafler Together at Last.
Bill and I first met Steve Lafler back in the early eighties at one of the many comic conventions that we frequented as we promoted our then upstart comics publishing company, Comico. Steve was a regular at most of them, so it could have been in Chicago, Houston, San Diego or any of the many along the road.
Comic conventions have two parts to them. The first part is the convention itself, were you are tied to the booth greeting fans, occasionally sneaking away to network when things are slow. The second part happens after the hall is closed, at dinners and hospitality parties with new and old friends. These are usually fun gatherings that run into the wee hours of the night and are where networking, bonding, and most of the real business of comics gets done.
Being rookies at the game, my young partners and I did our best to fit in at those get-togethers and find acceptance among the comics professionals, many of which were our own personal heroes. Among them all, Steve stood out as a mentor and a role model for reasons that were personal to all of us at Comico. Steve's style was unique and clearly not mainstream, his subject matter was psychedelic with a twist of the occult and, most importantly, he too was a self- publisher standing alone at the helm of the imprint Cat-Head Comics pushing his own black-and-white comic, Dog Boy.
Steve's acceptance, enthusiasm, and infectious attitudes about individuality, creator's rights, and independent publishing were refreshing, supportive and motivating to us, especially since they paralleled our own commitments towards publishing comics.
Flash forward nearly three decades and little has changed.
Comico has long escaped Bill and I but our latest creation, CO2 Comics, has given us a new vehicle by which to present our own work and the work of other great comic talents that share our vision of a cooperative environment where comic creators can support each other creatively and economically through cross promotion on the internet and using the accessibility of self publishing resources.
Steve Lafler is still doing his own thing having published over fifty comics himself. Steve also has had the luxury of seeing his work also published by Fantagraphics and Top Shelf Productions. He has had the opportunity to brag that his Bughouse graphic novel has been declared one of the top 100 best comics of the last decade and he continues to self publish and explore the boundaries of the medium by posting his comics in blog format and publishing via Print on Demand.
Steve's enthusiasm remains unbridled as evidenced by this recent facebook quote "I can't believe how much goddamn fun it is to slap ink on bristol board, holding a brush sideways to draw tire treads. Livin' the dream, baby."
So it is no wonder that the time has finally come for CO2 Comics and Steve Lafler to work together doing what we do best, have fun making the best comics we know how.
CO2 Comics is more than proud to be presenting Steve' earliest professional work,
Dog Boy http://www.co2comics.com/pages/co2_dogboy.html and his most current work El Vocho http://www.co2comics.com/pages/co2_el_vocho.html, which will soon be available as a graphic novel published by Steve himself under his Manx Media Label.
To view more of Steve Lafler's other available titles visit this link: http://www.stevelafler.net/
While you are there, buy some comics and get one of those cool "El Vocho" t-shirts!
Don't forget to support all the other creators on CO2 Comics who have provided over 400 pages of comics. Do so by reading their work, visiting the provided links and purchasing related products.
CO2 Comics is committed to delivering great comics direct to the consumer. We have recently reached our one millionth hit on the site and would like to thank you for your appreciation, enthusiasm, and support. Please share your experience with your friends.
Making comics because I want to,
Gerry Giovinco
