Aug 28, 2008
Aug 21, 2008
Introduction from Bamn #1
Figured I'd give you the introduction to Bamn #1. It's just a presentation of some of the ground we will be covering in the series.
Expect some sample pages soon...
-Troy
I had begun to hate wrestling.
What started off as a morbid curiosity had turned into an obsession which then turned into an overdose of information which then imploded into a pile of disdain. Wrestling had become so ingrained in my psyche from 1998 to 2002 that I had started my own backyard fed and even attempted to join the ranks of actual professional wrestlers by training in an “indie” organization. That’s when reality peed in my eye. I had consumed so much wrestling that I had started to see the dark side of the industry more than the bright. The drug abuse, the career-breaking deceptions, the dangerous mark it could make on impressionable youth, the life-threatening injuries, the backdoor politics, the increase in homicidal rages. Wrestling was a harsh business and not as glamorous as I perceived it. At that age, it was a crushing disappointment.
This all reached its apex when (in what I hope was a rare public display of frustration) I mouthed off to the promoter of the Pro-Wrestling fed I was a part of. It was an argument that, at its’ base, was about youthful morality vs. adult cynicism. The next day I was kicked out of the training process and sent packing. Wrestling stopped being fun. I re-rediscovered comic books and stayed away from ring ropes and back bumps. I had learned that valuable cliché: It’s not all fun and games.
Climacterically, Bamn (pronounced “Bam”) is the final word on that bizarre asterisk of my life. Me getting the last word from an argument I had several years ago with that wrestling promoter. It’s another attempt to reignite a long lost, pop cultural love. Make it fun again.
Jay Payne, David Dean and I have giggled are way into making a comic book about something we know quite well. Our only, restriction was to keep it upbeat. In the process, I’ve subconsciously and loosely recreated my experience through the characters of Art, Ian, Mad Man Myers, Southside Crippler and Rob. These high schoolers don’t know it yet but I’m going to show them how close in proximity “Wrasslin” and life can come.
I’m hoping it will not shake them the way it shook me.
-Troy (http://www.troyj15.blogspot.com/)
Expect some sample pages soon...
-Troy
I had begun to hate wrestling.
What started off as a morbid curiosity had turned into an obsession which then turned into an overdose of information which then imploded into a pile of disdain. Wrestling had become so ingrained in my psyche from 1998 to 2002 that I had started my own backyard fed and even attempted to join the ranks of actual professional wrestlers by training in an “indie” organization. That’s when reality peed in my eye. I had consumed so much wrestling that I had started to see the dark side of the industry more than the bright. The drug abuse, the career-breaking deceptions, the dangerous mark it could make on impressionable youth, the life-threatening injuries, the backdoor politics, the increase in homicidal rages. Wrestling was a harsh business and not as glamorous as I perceived it. At that age, it was a crushing disappointment.
This all reached its apex when (in what I hope was a rare public display of frustration) I mouthed off to the promoter of the Pro-Wrestling fed I was a part of. It was an argument that, at its’ base, was about youthful morality vs. adult cynicism. The next day I was kicked out of the training process and sent packing. Wrestling stopped being fun. I re-rediscovered comic books and stayed away from ring ropes and back bumps. I had learned that valuable cliché: It’s not all fun and games.
Climacterically, Bamn (pronounced “Bam”) is the final word on that bizarre asterisk of my life. Me getting the last word from an argument I had several years ago with that wrestling promoter. It’s another attempt to reignite a long lost, pop cultural love. Make it fun again.
Jay Payne, David Dean and I have giggled are way into making a comic book about something we know quite well. Our only, restriction was to keep it upbeat. In the process, I’ve subconsciously and loosely recreated my experience through the characters of Art, Ian, Mad Man Myers, Southside Crippler and Rob. These high schoolers don’t know it yet but I’m going to show them how close in proximity “Wrasslin” and life can come.
I’m hoping it will not shake them the way it shook me.
-Troy (http://www.troyj15.blogspot.com/)
Aug 18, 2008
Bamn Added to SPX Exhibitors List
Bamn has officially been added to the list of exhibitors at The Small Press Expo.
Incorrectly.
The website has us listed only under "Writer Troy Allen" (third from the top). Which makes Troy happy but makes Dave and Jay a little grumpy.
We are trying to contact the people at SPX to get this fixed, so if anyone doesn't see our information on the SPX website, then that is why.
Bamn #1 is slated to make it's debut at the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, MD!
Aug 15, 2008
About SPX
Bamn #1 will be making it's debut at the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, MD!
Here is some information about SPX from the website:
What: SPX 2008
Where: Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
When: Open to the public Saturday and Sunday, October 4 and 5, 2008.
Times:Saturday: 11:00 am - 7:00 pm Sunday: noon - 6:00 pm
Admission: One day memberships: $8.00 ($5.00 for showing your Alternative Press Expo badge)Weekend memberships: $15.00Collected at the door the day of the show
SPX 2008 will be held the weekend of October 4 and 5, 2008 at the Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center in Bethesda, MD, just one mile outside the nation's capital, Washington DC. In its thirteenth year SPX now serves as the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books and the discovery of new creative talent.
SPX will bring together over 400 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers, distributors, and each other. SPX will be open to the public from 11am Saturday, October 4th and run through 7pm that evening. The celebration continues Sunday from noon to 6pm. In addition, expect great programming all weekend long for you to enjoy!
SPX 2008 marks the twelfth annual presentation of The Ignatz Awards for outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning. The Ignatz, named after George Herriman's brick-wielding mouse, recognizes outstanding work that challenges popular notions of what comics can achieve, both as an artform and as a means of personal expression. The Ignatz is a festival prize, the first such of the United States comic book industry. Winners will be determined by ballot during SPX and presented at the gala Ignatz Awards ceremony.
As with every year all profits from SPX will go to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, protecting the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals.
Aug 7, 2008
Who are the creators of Bamn?
From left to right: artist Jay Payne, artist David Dean, and writer Troy Jeffrey Allen
(Photo by Naomi Brookner -- The Gazette)
Growing up, creators Jay Payne, Troy Jeffrey Allen, and David Dean have always carried a passion for the world of professional wrestling and comic books. Bamn announces their arrival into the realm of graphic novels and serves as a love letter to both industries.
Troy Jeffrey Allen
Writer
A Washington, DC-native, writer Troy Jeffrey Allen has worn many hats over the last several years. Notably, during his time as a meandering film student at Montgomery College, Allen opted to train as a professional wrestler for 6 months. The experience left his ego bruised, but also served as an inspiration for Bamn.
Outside of Bamn, Allen writes film reviews for AmericanMovieTrax.com and OfNoteMagazine.org. His other comic book works include Dr. Dremo’s Spoils of Crime, Dr. Dremo’s Horrors of War, and the upcoming Zombie Party.
Check out Troy's blog @ http://www.typographicera.com/
Jay Payne
Artist/Inker/Co-creator
Before jumping into independent comics, Jay Payne attended, both, the Maryland School of Art and Design and the Ringling College of Art and Design in
Largely self-taught, Jay continues to venture into the realm of graphic fiction with Crystal Clear, a superhero-romantic-comedy that he writes, inks, and pencils under the Bamn label.
Check out more of Jay's Artwork @ http://jayapayne.deviantart.com/
David Dean
Artist/Co-creator
David Dean and Jay Payne have been close friends since middle school. Together they helped each other design the array of characters that populate the Bamn comic book series.
After attending the Maryland School of Art and Design, Dean and Payne began the struggle to bring their creations into the world of comics.
Dean’s artwork can be seen in the anthology series Dr. Dremo’s Horrors of War, as well as, the upcoming Boogie Monster webcomic series.
Check Out David's Artwork @ http://heavensredsun23.deviantart.com/
Ron Cristobal
Editor
M.D. Ron Cristobal is a jack-of-all-trades. Moonlighting as a musician for the hip-hop band called Awthentik and the Fif, Cristobal graduated from Howard University with a medical doctorate.
Having previously worked as an editor of legal documents, Cristobal, already acquainted with Troy Jeffrey Allen, signed on as editor shortly after Bamn #1 was released at the Small Press Expo in 2008.
Cristobal currently lives in
Check Out Ron's Music @ www.myspace.com/ronaman35
Aug 3, 2008
Welcome!
“Kick Out. Kick Ass.”
In the tradition of Bad News Bears, Karate Kid, and The Mighty Ducks comes Bamn!
The title character Bamn is a former World War Wrestling superstar who was unceremoniously booted out of the federation. The story picks up a few years later after his fall from grace. Disenfranchised, drunk, and living in his car, he stumbles across Art and Ian, a pair of wide-eyed twelfth graders who seem to be the only fans he has left in the world. Art and Ian invite our reluctant hero to their clumsy little backyard wrestling fed. There he meets a group of teenage misfits whose deficiencies in wrestling technique are just as noticeable as their passion for pro wrestling. While there, he soon discovers that the local high school wrestling team has been bullying them for years. Just in time for their final months before graduation, Bamn takes it upon himself to mentor the motley crew of wannabees on the finer points of pro-wrestling and self-defense. In the process, the kinship that develops between Bamn and the kids reminds Bamn what it really takes to be a champion.
Bamn (pronounced “bam”) will follow the protagonist from the humble beginnings of the backyard to his triumphant return to the over-the-top world of professional wrestling. Along his journey to redemption, the truth about his departure from the pros becomes clearer and his homecoming becomes that much sweeter.
In their review for Bamn #1, the website, Talkin’ Bout Comics noted that, “The very real appreciation and understanding of wrestling that the author has makes this book come across as sincere, and not as a genre book faked by people who have only a topical feel for their subject matter.”
Each 24 page black and white comic of Bamn will be released 4 times a year and retail for $3.50 US.
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