We've just learned that Tom Felton (who portrays the villainous Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies) will not be able to make it to the Calgary Comics Expo. But he'll be here in the Expo program guide, as part of my comic strip "Expo Alphabet." As you can see for yourself right here. Another time, Mr. Felton!

Last year, just for fun, I wrote a comic-strip-style alphabet about my weekend at the Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo. Here are a few bits & pieces from it. To read the whole alphabet, look here.

So now this year, just for fun, the folks putting together the fast-approaching Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo asked me to draw another alphabet. This was a bit trickier, because it hasn't happened yet! The Edmonton Expo alphabet was about my own experiences at the Expo. But this new alphabet ended up being about... ANTICIPATION.

The alphabet will appear in this year's Expo Program Guide. But in case you just can't wait that long, check back here during the next couple of weeks for a few more sneak previews!

And now that I've got your attention: take a look here to find out how you can help get a local indie comics project (yes, that would be my project) printed in time for the Expo... and earn a reward while you're at it!

First of all, let me just say: if you can get through all this text, there's a comic strip at the end.

So, if you're reading this, chances are you've heard about a little local party that happened last year... Calgary 2012, a year-long celebration of the arts, in honour of Calgary's being named one of 2012's "Cultural Capitals of Canada."

Well, the year may be over, but the fun hasn't stopped. Calgary 2012 ignited the city's arts community and the flame is still alight. One of the legacy projects that has emerged from the program is an innovative local crowdsourcing site - that's right, something like Kickstarter or Indiegogo - for Calgary arts projects. It's a website that allows people (anybody, no matter where they live) to donate to fundraising campaigns for artists and arts organizations. Take a look for yourself to get a taste of some very cool-sounding in-progress arts projects gathering momentum in Calgary: the site's called InvestYYC.com.

So why am I telling you about this? Well, I think more people should know about it! But, yes, there is another reason, too. I couldn't resist posting a very small project of my own. Don't get me wrong - I have lots of ideas for big, ambitious projects, too. But the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo is less than a month away. So my campaign is just to raise the money to print two little blue comic books.

Please take a look here to see more about Alec's Year Books. Or read on:

When my son Alec was born in 2009, I knew I wouldn't have as much time for ambitious art projects, so I began writing a simple strip about life with my son. I decided that, whenever I could find the time, I’d put down a simple vignette, or even a single image, that would capture the events of one day.

Since Alec was born just over four years ago, I’ve created about 40 strips each year. And each year’s worth of comics has been collected into a little blue book. A story that captures moments from the first few years of my son’s life - funny, sad, and sweet - has started to emerge. The strips are written from a parent’s perspective, but can be enjoyed by parents and non-parents alike.

"Alec's 1st Year Book" and "Alec's 2nd Year Book" debuted at the 2012 Calgary Comics & Entertainment Expo. The Calgary Expo, which takes place at the Stampede’s BMO Centre every April, is the main event for Calgary’s comics scene, and is fast becoming one of the hottest comics events in the country. Bringing together creators, publishers, retailers, superstar media guests, and (most of all) fans from all over the world, the Expo is the ideal place for Calgary comics creators to showcase their work and meet their audience. In fact, artists come from all over Canada to secure a coveted spot at the Expo.

As one of Calgary’s few “indie comics” creators, I’m excited to represent our city at this year’s fast-approaching Expo. This year's event would be the perfect place to launch the next installments of my current series: “Alec's 3rd & 4th Year Books.” After all, this is what I want people to see: it's the project that’s closest to my heart.

So - head over to InvestYYC.com and search for "Alec's Year Book" (or just follow this direct link). You'll find more details, such as: THE PERKS OF MAKING A DONATION! Yes, there are rewards for all donors! And even the smallest amount will make a difference towards the printing costs for these little books (my total fundraising goal is just $550).

But you need to act fast - the campaign ends on April 25th, the day before the Expo. And I've already taken up far too much of your time with this long post. But come back soon - more updates (and teaser  pictures) to follow, like this one:

My goodness - I drew this whole thing at the Edmonton Comics Expo, and it took me a week to find the time to get it up here. Hope you enjoy my graphic recording of a great weekend at the expo. As before, apologies to Edward Gorey, who came up with this alphabet/poem kind of format.

Also - don't you think this would look nice in colour? If there's enough interest, maybe I'll colour it in. Let me know what you think!

I really like the notion of graphic recording. And I also really like comic-strip alphabets (you can see another one I painted recently, on a Calgary utility box, here). So, the obvious thing to do at the Edmonton Comics Expo was to create an Expo Alphabet. I drew the alphabet while lounging around in Artist Alley, but I haven't had time to ink the whole thing just yet. So I'll just put the first part up here for now... with apologies to Edward Gorey, who invented this alphabet/poem style. The rest of the alphabet will follow soon! Once the whole thing is done, I'll put it up on my website in a format that's a bit bigger and easier to read. This will do for now!

I spent the weekend at the inaugural Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo. That was a good time. I am still tired! Anyway, here are some pictures...