Real Life Comix
Unexpected expenses / Unsolicited Batman / Down & Dirty postcard art + more!
I was honored and humbled to help take part in nominating and choosing the winners for the inaugural Jack & Roz Kirby Awards which debuted at OAX (Original Art Expo) 2026 in Orlando, Florida, of which I was also a guest (and got to hang out with comic book legends like John Romita Jr.). Big Ups to everyone involved at OAX, ComicArtFans and Kasra Ghanbari for roping me into this cool affair.
You can see a video of the ceremony here:
I learned something absurdly obvious at OAX. If I draw on paper it can be turned into money. I drew a small unsolicited Batman sketch, yelled out loud, “You can have this Batman sketch for twenty bucks,” and it was gone in 30-seconds. The bigger I drew, the more money I could command. I might have to take my show on the road!
I was lucky to avoid the Bomb Cyclone that hit my hometown NYC by staying a few extra days in Florida to hang with my mama, Inverna, Lincoln, Mary, Jocelyn, Jeanne, Dave, and good pals, Val & Drew, for a visit to a shooting range and a dip in a hot tub before heading back into the icy fray of Brooklyn.
As of last weekend, I hit some financial speed bumps due to unexpected dental (crown for a sensitive tooth), veterinarian (for my beloved cat, Kima), and car maintenance post pothole blow out in Long Island (four new tires and brakes).
Not using funds saved for the printing, packaging and shipping of ANTIMATTER #1, I decided to offer small cardboard sketches for a hundred bucks each. Pick your favorite character and you’ll get a Down & Dirty drawing (like the Batman below) mailed to your home. Or make it a gift for your pal. Your call. DM me for details.
I also had a pleasant time doing panels and hanging out with all stripes of pop culture creatures at LICH, The Long Island Convention of Horror in Hauppauge, NY. I drove up with my buddy Fred Harper who is currently the regular artist on the The Toxic Avenger comix published by Ahoy! The Troma folks were there, too, and Toxic Avenger movie creator & director Lloyd Kaufman and I signed exclusive posters for Mr. Melvin, The Toxic Avenger sequel reconstruction.
Big Ups to show organizer Patrick J. Kennedy for his kind heart and vision.
Meanwhile…
The 445th meeting of the NY Comics & Picture-story Symposium was held on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
The Comics vs the Fascists – A Will Eisner Week 2026 Event
When fascism threatened the world in the 1930s and ‘40s, comics creators rushed to counter its threat, including through their characters actions. Will Eisner (with The Spirit), Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (with Captain America), and Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (with Superman) were among the prominent writers and artists who used their four-color platforms to combat fascists both at home and abroad. Today, shining a spotlight on the way these creators rose to the challenge, and what lessons may be learned for the present, is an expert panel including: Karen Green (Columbia University Curator for Comics and Cartoons), Dean Haspiel (The Red Hook), Arie Kaplan (From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books), Charles Kochman (Abrams ComicArts) and Danny Fingeroth (Will Eisner Studios) moderator
You can watch it HERE
Also…
Check out the 25 questions I answered for The Art Students League: Artists Profile with Stephanie Cassidy, in preparation for my upcoming workshop: Comix Fundamentals: Writing in Pictures and Drawing Narratives at The Art Students League, April 28 - 30th, 2026. Sign up!
And don’t miss…
VITO x DINO podcast 59 where I recap my appearance at OAX 2026, Vito Delsante and I discuss the meaning of justice + more.
VITO x DINO podcast 60 x Chris Miskiewicz - prolific actor & graphic novelist talks about his early beginnings on screen and in comics to become an multi-nominated writer!
Excited to spill the beans on this amazing graphic novel anthology I co-curated & co-edited with Doug Latino:
Real Life Comix, Only in New York, from Cosmic Lion Productions, brings together 66 creators across 50 stories in a wide-ranging, high-voltage collection of short-story comix capturing the grit, glory, absurdity, and heart of New York City. Contributors include New Yorker cartoonists, Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor collaborators, MAD artists, and from the worlds of literature, film, art and music.
Click the NOTIFY ME ON LAUNCH button!
See you in the gutters—
—Dean
Instagram / Etsy / VITO x DINO
I’d pay over $100 for a sketch from you if you’d like.
Do any other group of people spend as much time in hotel ballrooms as Comic book artists?