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Been a while since I've posted here. I'm mostly over at Myspace of late. Barry finally patched my old web page with this site so I'm back in business.

Here is my Comic Con report.

AWESOME!!!!!

July 25, 2007

We leave for San Diego at 4:15p.m. I really tried to get things packed early so I wouldn't be running around the last minute throwing things in the suitcases. But I was.

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</span><span style="font-size:130%;">Chloe decides to help pack.

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</span><span style="font-size:130%;">Straps...are....tooo....tight!!!!

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We make it to the airport fine. Security although a farce went smoothly. Barry and I handed our I.D.'s too this lady and she literally never looked up at us. I didn't say anything but Barry started laughing about it after we walked thru--in a nervous kinda way.


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We let the kids do some playing around in the Orlando terminal while we waited for the plane to arrive.

Plane ride actually went pretty well. We went to Atlanta first. I booked it so we'd stay on the same plane ('cuz Atlanta airport sux!), but as it turns out we had to make a made dash for the train and go to another flight next wing over. We made it barely!

Chloe had to make a break for the potty. That's what held us up. We literally were the last folks aboard the plane.

Fox fell asleep for a couple hours which made things REALLY nice. About half way there he wakes up and throws a couple tantrums...2 year old, confined space...tantrums are bound to happen.

We land, get out luggage, get the taxi to our rental car (after schlepping 3 kids in and out of the Chloe mobile (aka PT Cruiser) a mini van was a treat!!! This one even had built in car seats!!! It was AWESOME!!

We make it to the hotel. Oh MY GOSH! Words cannot describe this place.

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We booked a hotel way late and nothing was available in the area of the Con so we went out a ways. I don't think I have every slept in a smaller room then this.

We had 1 double size bed for a family of 5.


The hotel had no cribs. First night Molly and I slept on the floor (believe it or not we ended with the better deal)


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<span style="font-weight: bold;">The next night we put her in a drawer from the cabinet (which she actually liked!!) and we all 4 slept on the stupid double bed lengthwise. Funny thing? The kids NEVER complained.</span>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">They were champs.</span>

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Our first room they tried to put us in was actually SMALLER then this one. Barry finally went down to the manager when we saw the door safety lock had been kicked off. The room was a TINY bit bigger...not much.


I can laugh about it now. But those were probably the most miserable 3 mights in a hotel EVER. I mean EVER!!!!


But ya know? It's a memory. I enjoyed the crampedness just because it was fun to be with my family again. A couple times we just had to get out of the room in a hurry because it was too small, but inspite of everything I had a blast.

Can't say I want to do it again... Next year it's back to the OMNI across the street!

Barry gets Fox ready for the first day of the convention.

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Various pictures of San Diego around the convention center.

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This is Petco Park

It's a really beautiful city. Lots to do around the area. The weather was beautiful. HOT, but beautiful.

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The habitrail that IS the San Diego Convention Center.


The historic Gaslight district which is just steps away from the convention center.

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From the parking lots they have these little rickshaw things that would carry you to the convention center. I wanted Barry and the kids to do it, but they never did. The only thing it costs were tips. Next year.


Lines. Lots and lots of LINES! Only to be followed by waiting...lots and lots of friggin' waiting!!!

COMIC CON IS LINES, PEOPLE! lOTS AND LOTS OF LINES!!



When we arrived to pick up our tickets which had been prepaid for we saw lines everywhere. Turns out everyone had to wait in this friggin' line that wrapped around the convention center. All. The. Way. Around. The. Friggin'. Convention. Center!!! The place is one of the largest convention centers there are!!! Thousands and thousands of people.


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Again...I can laugh about it...now.

So we walk all the way around the building. Walking and walking. Along with all the other Con attendee's. More walking and walking. Then we reach the end of the line...it would have been quicker and kinder just to send us around the building the other way, but for some stupid reason everyone gets sent the long way.

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So we wait for 3 hours (did you read that 3 HOURS!!!) in the heat with 3 kids. Luckily I brought sun block but they still ended up burned!

</span><span style="font-size:130%;">These two guys were awesome! They were dressed as old western sheriffs. They walked by while we were in line. Their spurs where clinking, and they had on these AWESOME leather coats. Must have been totally miserable under all that leather! But they sure looked cool.
We never saw them inside the Con. Must have passed out from heat exhaustion.

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Chloe takes a rest.


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Fox is hot and tired and thirsty

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</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> Finally we get in the building for yet more waiting. Only be told 2 things that REALLY set Barry and I off:

1. We'd have to take our 3 sleeping kids OUT of the stroller to go up the escalator (what would they have done for a person in a wheelchair)

2. That we had kids we could have just come in!!
Oh my gosh...did a dark cloud descend on us then. We yelled at poor Edna (that was this ladies name) who told us this. We told her we waited with babies, there were OTHER people with babies out there and we only find out about this now?!? Ooooohhhh we were pissed!

Anyway, we finally get our stupid passes. And go into the dealer/artist room.

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Now, I go to a LOT of conventions. TONS of conventions. The last time I was at San Diego Comic Con was back in 1997. MAN had it changed!! IT was huge.

HUGE!!!

Words can't describe how huge the thing has got. Four days we spent there and I still don't think we saw everything.

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Everyone in the entertainment business has these incredible displays:

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Sci Fi channel had this totally cool organic looking display

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Pirates of the Carribean display

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LucasArts had probably the largest display. It was HUGE.

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DC area

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Some DC toys
This is from the set of "Golden Compass"

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The Mach 5 from Speed Racer
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One of the Batmobiles
Fox is fixated on cars. It was HELL trying to get him away from all the car displays!

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Every major publisher was there...the displays were great. They were huge and they were cool. A lot of times they had actors dressed as major characters around their area. It was fun.

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This is Lego's display. R2D2 really made sounds. It was awesome.

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Batman all out of legos.


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A cool dragon sculpt from one company.

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THe upcomming and already out Justice League action figures. Gotta feed the geek.

Artists alley shrinks every year. That's not where the con makes it's money, so it's the first to suffer casualties. But we saw LOTS of cool artists and met lots of people that we'd printed books for.

The small press area was fun. I thought there would be more folks there...but again...that's not where the con makes money.

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Poor Fox crashes

These areas were MUCH bigger last time we were there. I only hope they will increase next year like it was rumored.

We spent quite a bit of time over at Randy Reynaldo's table. He does one of the best books out there called: Rob Haynes: Adventure Strips Digest. Randy is also one of the best comic people out there. I HIGHLY recommend giving his book shelf space.

How I geeked out during the Con.

I have tons of artistic influences. One of my current favs is a cat from California by the moniker Gris Grimmly. One of the sharpest, talented illustrators out there. Just a touch of the twisted...gotta love him. I got his newest book which doesn't hit the shops until Sept signed. I turned all girly mush when I met him. Yeah...I geeked. And he was nice. In a tweedy, stand-offish sorta way. Yeah, he wanted me.


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Jericho. Ok, I've pleaded, bitched, cajoled and just about offered my first born to get folks to watch this show. In May word came down that it got canceled, then thru one of the biggest campaigns in history (NUTS!) got put back into production. Anyway, there was a special Jericho panel on Sunday. The room was filled to capacity. Barry and I totally enjoyed the panel (the only one we were able to get to). Skeetch Ulrich was there (tasty mosel), Ashely Scott, the incredible Lennie James (there was an audible gasp when he spoke for the first time...most folks don't realize that he's a total Brit). The guy had an incredible sense of humor. Love dem brits!

NCN (National Caricaturing Network) had a booth set up...kinda dumb when the space SHOULD have gone to a comic book publisher. But I got Chloe drawn by Joe Bluhme. I like it...Barry says she looks like an old woman.

Same with folks who sell jewelry and other nonsense in comic book artists alley. Away. Away with you I say!


Cool costumes we saw:


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Still not sure if this blue thing is a chick or a dude. You decide.

TONS of stars where there. You'd be standing next to celebrities and not know it. I didn't anyway...chalk it up to blondeness. But anyone who is anyone was there.

Famous people I </span><span style="font-size:130%;">saw:

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This is Stan Sakai. Does a book for Dark Horse called "Usagi Yojimbo". One of the best out there.

Guy who plays the sheriff from Eureka. Didn't get a pict.

This is Katie Segal...Married with Children, voice of Leela on Futurama. Chloe was in Day care at the Con and didn't get to meet her. Drats.

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Sargent Slaughter--Damn, his jaw IS for real

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The guy who played Apollo from Battlestar Galactica (the first series). We were waiting at a stop light with all the other Con attendee's when this guy strikes up a conversation with Chloe. A girl next to me asks the guy if she can take a picture with him. After, I ask her who he was and she told me.

Most of the cast of Star Trek and Deep Space Nine


Below is Mareena Sertis--played Deanna Troy. By her is LaVar Burton--Jordy La Forge.

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The guy who played "Q". He said "hey there" to me. Squeek!

Bobcat Goldwait--stood right next to me...again didn't get a pict.

</span><span style="font-size:130%;">Sunday we went back to the Con and had a lot of fun. Barry met other creators and spent some good will money. I walked around wishing I had a lot more money then I did. So many great things.

Things I loved about the show:
Cool folks in wacky costumes.
Amazing company displays.
Seeing old publishers/artist friends
TIME I GOT TO SPEND WITH BARRY AND THE KIDS!!!

Things I didn't like so much:
Poorly planned entry into the Con. I could never have imagined a Con this size could start out soooooo horribly.

One of the most surprising things about our trip to California as my reaction to the geography. Mind you, I lived there and my Mom and sisters still live there, But I found the hills/mountains really REALLY unnerved me.

I also use to be a skier...I use to fling myself down mountains going outrageous speeds at least once a week. BUT there were a couple times when we were driving down these HUGE hills with the ocean in front of us that I got disoriented. It was the strangest, least expected reaction. Ever.

California makes it amazingly difficult to find grocery stores, places to eat, and gas stations.
We tried a couple times to find places off of 5 to eat...Chloe was craving Chinese (when isn't she?). It was hell finding a Chinese buffet. Actually, I don't think California HAS buffets...only in the lower class areas ; o )
We ate three nights at 2 different Mexican restaurants. As much as I love Mexican...I was getting tired of it.

We did go to In and Out Burger. If you'd never had one...OH MY GOSH! The best burgers and fries. Except for Tommy's in LA. DEMS the best burgers with chili sauce and yumminess!

We've turned in the paper work for next year. I can't wait to return. More about the California trip tomorrow.

After we closed the Con on Sunday we went up to Laguna Hills to be with my Mom for a couple days. I would also be able to introduce my children to my two sisters. I've felt really bad about that...my oldest is 3 and none of my kids have met their aunts.

I was so proud of the kids. They held up on the plane really well, they behaved themselves amazingly well (for the most part) during the convention.

I can't wait for next year!!
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Monday March 12, 2007

This is the 71st day of the year, with 294 days remaining in 2007.
Fact of the Day: arteries, veins, capillaries
and blood types
Blood typing is the classification of an individual's blood in terms of distinctive inherited antigenic characteristics associated with the red blood cells. Karl Landsteiner, an Austrian-American immunologist and pathologist, developed the ABO blood group system in 1901. Blood group identification has become indispensable in connection with blood transfusion, because the blood groups of recipient and donor must be the same or compatible. The ABO blood group system is broken down into four major groups: type A, type B, type O, and type AB. In the United States, the following population percentages correspond to each blood group: type O - 46%; type A - 40%; type B - 10%; type AB - 4%.

There are three types of blood vessels: arteries, veins, and capillaries. Arteries carry blood away from the heart, while veins carry blood toward the heart. Arteries divide into smaller vessels called arterioles, which in turn divide into capillaries. From there, the blood flows into venules and then into veins on its way back to the heart.

We got Molly's latest blood work back. GREAT NEWS! Her Pheno level was down to a new low of 3.1!! WOOOHOOO!!! Dr. Malone said we don't have to take her blood test again until mid-april and that is after she's been on solids for 3 weeks or so. He was really surprised and pleased at how her numbers had been going down. I asked if this means does she still have PKU and he said definitely. Her pheno levels in her blood isn't "normal" and it doesn't go away because it's genentic. He did warn us that we should expect a jump when solids are introduced. We all have no idea what to expect but we're nervously anticipating. I just hope it's not too high and that opens up a whole new can of worms and things we don't want to think about. Fingers crossed.

Ok, this new day-light savings thing?? NOT liking it! Congress is their infinite brightness decided they would move up daylight savings time by 3 weeks in order to ease fuel consumptoin. Well, DUH! Ok, here's how it goes. More daylight...more airconditioners running LONGer periods of time to cool off houses...Florida, heeellloooo. More daylight...even MORE people driving around because we have more daylight. And this act HAD to have been passed by stodgey old men or women with nannies and they don't have to worry about such matters personally, because they have NO idea how hard it is getting kids to bed when the damn clock keeps jumping forwards and backwards all the damn time. Not nice, people!

Chloe is the problem child when it comes time for bed. Actually, last night (the first night of this stupid time change) she fell asleep in her Diego bouncy ball hut. Granted it was about 2:00 a.m. and Barry had to try and lift her out of this little airfilled tent-like thing that had collapsed without desturbing the girl. He did it. He carried her into her room and she didn't stir until she climbed into bed with us about 6.

Fox was out of sorts...he wanted to stay up because he thought he still had another hour of play-time that was owed him. So we put him down early (thank you oooohhh so much Congress!) he was fussy for only a few minutes. He did pretty good this first night.

Ok people, just because that first night went smooth, doesn't mean I have to like this time change thing.



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Stardate 02-28-07

Home on the Range
Howdy Par'ner.
We've had Barry's folks visitin' us here at the ranch for the last week 'n a half. More nicer folks you just won't meet anywheres in these parts no more (especially here in Florida because most folks here are just plain buttheads).
Anyway, we sure have appreciated and enjoyed their stay. Their company has been much enjoyed, their patience has been severely pushed by the young'uns numerous times, and they've been mighty helpful folks to have during the last couple days. See, we're kinda going through a change here at the ol' ranch. We're moving our high tech, high falutin', gizmo oriented, print business to new digs. Things moved a bit more rapidly then anticipated while the folks were here--unexptected meetings that ran waaaaayyy longer then anticipated, comic book conventions that went into the late evening, us working and merely passing them as we breezed in and out. And they never complained.

See, they also have a knack. Barry's Pa LOOOOVVVEEEEES westerns. Now I like westerns...once a year (or two) suffices. But Barry's Pa can find a western ANY time of the day or night. It's a might peculiar. But I had to laugh at the programs he found. Walter Mattow playin' it straight AND in a western? And he had hair?

And who makes the best cowboy, well of course we always say good ol' Johnny Wayne, but you can't go wrong with Sam Elliott and that Tom Sellack fella...who ain't too bad on the eye's neither.

My favorite flicker that we watched was "Mustang Canyon:"...I can't remember who was in it....it involved a cowboy, his little injun friend, a bear named Three Toes --who was out for revenge,--why? I dunno, don't matter none to the story neither I suspect....a dog and ...a wild mustang who's sex and color kept changing...yes, it was that noticable.

Of course the wild Mustang gets tamed, Three Toes get's killed ("because something that mean just don't need to live") and the dog dies. These things become a might predictable.

I honestly say I am now happy to resume watching Lost, Gilmore Girls (I still hold out hope it will get good again),Hero's, Jerrico, Daily Show, Colbert Nation, America's Next Top Model, Ths Simpsons (yes, I have an addiction) and my various other necessities. But it was mighty fine to watch some Westerns and to spend time with such fine folk.




Dateline February 24, 3007


The first flying machine was a kite, flown about 3000 years before people got into the air. A basic kite consists of a frame covered with material, launched and held in the air by the upward push of wind currents but controlled from the ground. The Chinese were flying kites long before the first recorded reference to a wooden bird kite in 500 BC. Kites through time have had religious significance, have been used to estimate distance, and helped Benjamin Franklin prove the electrical nature of lightning.

Chloe asked the other day if we could buy a kite and go fly it. I haven't gotten the kids into kites yet, but we've talked about flying them. I loved to fly them back in California. Looooonnnng before I met Barry, my Dad, seeing my love of flying kites, made me this neat wooden gadget that you could use to wind and let out the string of your kite. I still have it. I had this beautiful polyester kite with these LOOONNNG streamers. I loved to fly that thing. Now I want to go ripping thru all the old boxes and try and find that gadget. It won't fly my kite any better but it would make me think of my Dad and good times.

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Dateline February 14, 2007

A Happy Valentine's day to all. Especially to the love of my life -- Barry : O )
Happy Valentines Day and I love you more then ever!


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Ahhhhh! The Smell of Convention season is in the air!!!


Barry, Thomas, Mitch Byrd and I will be set up in Artists Alley next weekend...February 16-18. We have THE KILLER display AND I will be hawking my new series: FAMILIAR.



Oh yeah, and I'll FINALLY have a TPB of DreamWalker! WOOHOOO!
Now go read some comics!


I'll be presenting the award for Outstanding Newcomer at the Web Cartoonist Choice Awards 2007 to be held Saturday 3:20pm – 4:10pm in room 315B at the Orlando Convention Center. There are some fantastic web comics nominated:

OUTSTANDING NEWCOMER FINALISTS:
The Curious Adventures of Aldus Maycombe by Janine Harper
Breakdown by Elizabeth A
Lackadaisy by Tracey J. Butler
Out There by R C Monroe
The Broken Mirror by Elanor Cooper and JJ Naas
What Birds Know by Emelie Friberg and Mattias Thorelli


http://www.myspace.com/jennigregory

Monday, January 29, 2007

Lately Chloe has this preoccupation with all things...dead. We've recently had a die-off of our pet birds (no she didn't do anything)--well, it's been over the course of a couple months, but we had a bird die earlier in the week and THAT didn't help matters.


We've had a flock of 13 birds...ranging in size from Gouldian Finches
to our sun Conure, Hellboy. We've had the finches for a while, and they have a maximum life span of about 3-5 years. The parakeets were, unbeknownst to us, sick.

Out of the blue she'll ask: "Did Stoney die (Stoney was our parakeet Stone Cold Steve Austin--thanks Barry)? Did Stoney's girlfriend (Independence--we got her on July 4th} die?" Ok, that stuff happened 'round December and still she harps on it.

Last night we were sitting on the back porch blowing bubbles and she pops up with: "Is Stoney at the doctors office? Is he gonna die?"

Then while on vacation we were waiting for a bus and notice some maroonish paint splatters on the sidewalk. Barry and I peripherally saw the drippings, said nothing, not really paying any attention to it. She looks down, notices it and says "that looks like blood; those are blood spatters". We look at each other and laugh...uncomfortably.

Really, we DON'T watch violent t.v. Whenever anything that possibly could be violent or gory comes on, we watch it after the kids are asleep or fast forward thru the even mildly ghastly parts if any kids are remotely on screen. But I guess she's just trying to figure this death thing out.

Frankly, it's kinda creepy. Cute...but creepy!

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Saturday January 20, 2007

This is the 20th day of the year, with 345 days remaining in 2007.

In Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's novel "Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus," (1818) the story centers on scientist Victor Frankenstein, who creates a monster and breathes life into it. It asked an important scientific question of the day: could the dead be brought back to life? The monster is often erroneously called Frankenstein, but in fact had no name and was referred to as "Monster." The first cinematic version of "Frankenstein" was a sixteen-minute silent film produced by Thomas Edison; the most famous was by Boris Karloff in 1931. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was married to the famous English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and was the daughter of famous English novelists William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft.

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January 17, 2007

Hey Folks.
Thanks for stopping by. If you want a FANTASTIC story to read...go visit my pal Tony Furtado's cool new comic Transient:

http://www.webcomicsnation.com/apfurtado/transient/series.php





And a big Woohoo! to me...I just broke 100 on my friends list.

You like me! You really, really like me!
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January 15, 2006

If you stop by this page today (the 15th) drop BarryGregory a message wishing him a Happy Birthday!

January 10, 2007
Happy New Year all. I'm enjoying this Comicspace thing a lot. BUT...do me a favor. Just a small one---I love to hear from you. I love to chat with you and I'll happily write you back...but Please, oh puhlease! Don't spam me or my page with your batbook or whatever you want to hawk. Suck up first. 'Kay?
Go write/draw/read some funny books.
jennigregory@gmail.com

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I *AM* Time Magazines Person of the Year 2006 (ok, ok, so are you)

Go visit this stuff:

http://blog.myspace.com/jennigregory
www.jennigregory.com
www.01comics.com
www.ka-blam.com
www.indyplanet.com


Happily married to comic groundbreaker Barry Gregory. We have 3 children: Chloe (3), Fox (18 months) and Molly (3 months)who have introduced us to a brand new world.

I was born and raised in Springfield, VA. I attended Brigham Young University in Provo, UT where I met Barry...the love of my life. Majored in Psychology.

Barry and I started working in comics shortly after we married. I had never read a comic until we met.

I started working as a background inker on various projects. Then decided to do my own books. Back in the 90's I did a book called DreamWalker.

We self-published the first 5 isssues, then went to Caliber for 6 issues, then did another 5 issues with a mid-size publisher of ill repute. All in all there have been 17 issues of DreamWaker.


I also did a web comic called Abby's Menagerie. One of THE first web comics to be done. It was about extinct animals that came back. Fun story. Hope to revisit it sometime.

I also did a book called Roc's Keep. It's about a Game Warden of mythological animals.



I also finished a book called Dark Mischief.

A

It's a one-shot.

All of these are available at www.indyplanet.com
Go buy a book or two.

Currently I am working on issue two of my new project "Familiar", a story about twin girls that are weirdness magnets. Hopefully this new project will debut at this years Megacon here in Orlando, FL.

Yes, we plan on putting more DreamWalker issues out there.