Flesk at Baltimore Comic-Con 2023

Hi, everyone,

Baltimore Comic Con is a wrap!

Vicky and I enjoyed chatting with everyone who visited our Flesk booth and those we bumped into in and around the convention center. We have a ton of lasting memories from the show.

Seeing Arthur Adams is always a pleasure. A lot of people shared with us that they are looking forward to his new art collection in October.

Being set up next to Richard and Wendy Pini for three days made for one of the most enjoyable shows we have ever had. We started to tease about the upcoming Elfquest book that we will be publishing next spring.

I was thrilled to reunite with Steve Rude and to have a few extended conversations with him. Steve is awesome and I truly enjoyed the chance to catch up with him.

Hang time with my buddy Frank Cho is also always a pleasure. Frank is a generous and helpful guy who I appreciate greatly.

Again, it was wonderful to see you all! We look forward to Baltimore 2024.

Photo, top, left to right: Arthur Adams, Wendy Pini, Richard Pini, John Fleskes.

bottom, left to right: John Fleskes, Richard Pini, Vicky Lien, Wendy Pini, David Mizejewski.

Enjoy,

John

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May 23, 2023May 31, 2023

Upcoming Events and Artist Appearances

Murder Falcon artwork by Daniel Warren Johnson

Upcoming Events and Artist Appearances

Monsterpalooza

Brynn Metheney will be exhibiting at Monsterpalooza this weekend in Pasadena, California. We will be announcing the details about Brynn’s first book from Flesk soon! You can visit Brynn at this show to see her amazing art in person.

Wendy Pini–Celebrating 45 years of Elfquest!

Did you know that 2023 marks the 45th year anniversary of Elfquest? So exciting! Richard and Wendy Pini are making some appearances this year to celebrate. To start, Wendy will be appearing all three days at áyA Con this June 9-11, 2023. This event is located at the McNichols Civic Center Building in Denver, Colorado.

Heroes Con

In two and a half weeks we’ll be heading to Heroes Con in Charlotte, North Carolina. The show runs from June 16-18th.

This will be our first time exhibiting at this show and we’re bringing a variety of art books with us. We’ve heard a lot of great things about this show and look forward to seeing everyone there!

Four artists who we are actively working on new books with will be making special appearances.

Daniel Warren Johnson, who is the artist for this fun Murder Falcon cover, will be at the Felix Comic Art table signing all three days. We’ve been working hard on his upcoming book to have the first pass available to show Daniel when we see each other. Pretty exciting!

William Stout and Mark Schultz (Xenozoic and Carbon art book series) will be with us at our Flesk table throughout the event. Both will be signing and have an assortment of original art with them. We have the massive three-volume Stout Comics retrospective in development, and something planned with Schultz, too.

We’re also fortunate to have Jeffrey Alan Love (Thousand Demon Tree and Notes From the Shadowed City) with us at the show. Jeff will be signing between our table and the Felix Comic Art area. We have a new book with Jeff that is getting very close to being done.

Between now and the show we will be continuing to work on these new books. I’m looking forward to seeing these artists as much as you all must be!

Enjoy,

John

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August 30, 2021September 9, 2021

Richard and Wendy Pini–Future Art Books with Flesk!

I’m not one to brag, but I can’t help myself. Who wouldn’t brag if they had the chance to meet with Richard and Wendy Pini? These are two of the kindest and smartest people who I know. It was a wonderful surprise when the Pini’s visited in Santa Cruz the day prior to their guest appearance at the Silicon show in San Jose.

I could rattle on for a while about what a delight it was to see them in person, especially given how few people I’ve seen in recent times. I’ll focus on a pair of quick points.

We may have talked about a new project, which I can not confirm or deny may turn into something really cool! How’s that for being vague? I’ve been itching to work with the Pini’s again for years. As I shared an idea with them I watched in amazement as Richard took my basic pitch and turned it into something far more exciting than I originally imagined. I don’t usually offer a tease so far in advance, but I really wanted to demonstrate how much I continue to learn from the Pini’s and how quick Richard’s business mind spins. They have been publishing and staying fresh for over 43 years and there is a reason why.

On another note, they were nice enough to listen to my ideas for the business over the next few years. I have a vision about where I want to take Flesk and how to navigate through all of the unknowns to get there. They encouraged me on my path while offering some very good insight into areas that I had not considered before. It was an enlightening visit for which I am grateful.

Thanks Richard and Wendy!

Enjoy,

–John

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July 15, 2018August 1, 2018

Flesk, Cho, Schultz, and Richard & Wendy Pini at the LA Ultimate Comic Art & Collectibles Show

We had a wonderful day today at the LA Ultimate Comic Art & Collectibles Show. It’s a new con with a traditional feel where the booths focused solely on high end comics and original art. Perfect for core collectors and aficionados. It was a bit staggering to see so many high end collectables in one place. The show organizers where fantastic, we sold a bunch of books, we met a lot of new people, and saw many old friends. It was definitely worth exhibiting at. I’m looking forward to next year!

The first picture is of Richard and Wendy Pini with Frank Cho and Gerhard. Wendy was admiring the show print by Frank and Gerhard, while Richard and Gerhard where doing some elbow talk!

It was our first time meeting Gerhard and his wife. Both were kind and delightful neighbors.

The second picture is of Mark Schultz sketching inside a copy of his Storms at Sea deluxe book for Richard and Wendy.

Kathy and I finished off the evening by filming Frank Cho working on a ballpoint pen drawing to use for an upcoming video to promote his upcoming book. More on that later.

A great day!

http://www.ultimatelashow.com/

Enjoy,

John

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July 13, 2017October 5, 2018

Flesk Booth #5019 at San Diego Comic-Con! New Prints and Books!

Hi, everyone,

Come visit us at San Diego Comic-Con. Flesk booth #5019.

Arthur Adams, Daren Bader, Frank Cho, Terry Dodson, Craig Elliott, Lance HaunRogue, Richard Pini and Wendy Pini, Jim Silke, Gary Gianni, William Stout, Bruce Timm, and more artists who we’ve worked with will be there!

Daren Bader and Lance HaunRogue, the artist and writer of Tribes of Kai. Signing at the Flesk booth on Thursday from 2:00-3:00.

Richard Pini and Wendy Pini will be signing at our booth on Friday from 2:00-3:00. We’ll have copies of The Art of Elfquest, Elfquest: The Art of the Story, and Line of Beauty: The Art of Wendy Pini with us.

Debuting at our booth will be our new series of prints!

The new Wendy Pini prints are ready for San Diego Comic-Con! These fine art prints can only be purchased at our Flesk booth #5019. Each is made with the finest museum quality paper and archival inks, and made to the highest standard that you can expect from Flesk.

The new Bruce Timm prints are here and ready for San Diego Comic-Con! Flesk booth #5019 is the only place where you can get these official prints by Bruce Timm. There are 13 different prints available.

The art has been scanned from the original artwork, plus the paper and inks are museum quality, archival and will last longer than any of us! These are gorgeous! Bruce will be at the show where you can get them signed as well.

We’ll have free postcard giveaways and a full selection of our latest Flesk books.

See you there!

Enjoy,

John

April 30, 2017October 5, 2018

New Books by Arthur Adams and Wendy Pini. Plus, New Jacket for Frank Cho’s Drawing Beautiful Women!

We have three new titles are arriving this week!

The Marvel Art of Arthur Adams highlights fifty finished comic-book covers completed over the last decade for Avengers Classic, Guardians of the Galaxy and Secret Avengers, plus an assortment of X-Men and other standout titles. Many of the covers are accompanied by preliminary compositions or the penciled underdrawings made prior to inking. Every work has been scanned directly from the original and appears in its native form prior to coloring to showcase Arthur’s exquisite ink lines. Each also is accompanied by the artist’s commentary, as he takes the unique approach of walking the reader through the creative process for every image.

Line of Beauty: The Art of Wendy Pini edited by Richard Pini

Line of Beauty: The Art of Wendy Pini provides a comprehensive look at rare material from Wendy’s two Beauty and the Beast graphic novels, her Galaxy and If magazine covers and interior art, and preproduction art from the animated The Lord of the Rings film. It highlights ambitious projects such as Masque of the Red Death and Law and Chaos, includes exquisite art from the Land of Myth series of prints, and much more. The highest quality of reproduction is made possible through direct access to the original art or the best original source material, which has been made available from the Pini archives.

Drawing Beautiful Women: The Frank Cho Method

Frank Cho, the acclaimed creator of Liberty Meadows, shares his secrets to drawing the lovely women he is renowned for with his Drawing Beautiful Women: The Frank Cho Method. His exquisite line and masterful brushstrokes are explored to give the beginning artist, along with the most advanced professional, all the tools and knowledge needed to draw beautiful women.

This publisher’s edition hardcover includes a new revised jacket and an extra 16 pages, and is only available from Flesk and Cho. You get the extra content which includes bonus artwork and an exclusive Frank Cho interview, plus an alternate designed jacket and book boards for only $5 more than the hardcover trade! This edition will not be available through the book trade.

All pre-orders begin to ship by the end of this week.

Enjoy,

John

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March 29, 2017October 5, 2018

Line of Beauty: The Art of Wendy Pini Update

Hi, everyone,

The advance sample copy of Line of Beauty: The Art of Wendy Pini is here!

This is possibly the greatest gift that I have ever seen presented from a husband to a wife. I watched Richard Pini pour all of his energy into this book for months. This is the culmination of years of planning and organizing to make this book a reality. Today, Richard had the joyful moment to present a copy to Wendy.

The books will be arriving with us in a few weeks when we will begin shipping them to our supporters. Thanks to everyone for your patience while this book was finished, and to Richard and Wendy Pini for the opportunity to work with you on these three stunning and marvelous books (including Art of Elfquest and Elfquest: The Art of the Story for those out of the loop) that highlight Wendy and her art!

Enjoy,

John

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February 24, 2017October 5, 2018

Line of Beauty: The Art of Wendy Pini Update!

Hi, everyone,

A lightning fast update on Line of Beauty: The Art of Wendy Pini.

The bonus page for the limited edition, which Richard Pini and Wendy Pini manage to sign amid a very hectic week, have arrived with the printer. At this point the printer has everything that they need and they are printing and binding the book. It’s on track for delivery just in time for our Spectrum Fantastic Art Live event where Richard and Wendy will be special guests. Kickstarter orders will ship at the same time. It will be a busy April!

elfquest.com

Enjoy,

John

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January 5, 2017October 5, 2018

Line of Beauty: The Art of Wendy Pini Heading to the Printer!

Hi, everyone,

Today is our last day to review Line of Beauty: The Art of Wendy Pini. Kathy and I are reading over the text sections, checking the captions and looking over the design one last time before I bundle it up for the printer. I’ve also sent Richard Pini a PDF of the book so that he can also give it one final review. We’re almost there!

The book is scheduled to arrive with us in April. The first thing we will do once they are here is to ship them out to our Kickstarter supporters.

Its arrival will coincide with our Spectrum Fantastic Art Live event in Kansas City, MO (running on April 21-23) where Richard and Wendy will be featured guests of the show. You better believe that we will have copies there for you to get signed!

Enjoy,

John

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November 15, 2016October 5, 2018

Gary Gianni and Flesk Teaming up for Three New Books

Picture, from left to right: Mark Schultz, Gary Gianni and John Fleskes.

Hi, everyone,

I got caught up with Gary Gianni over the phone today. We went over his three books that will be coming out from Flesk between 2017 and 2018. (The titles, subject matter and street dates will all be revealed in due time.)

We’ve been working on one of Gary’s projects on and off for the last three years. Another we have been talking about for a couple of years and the third book idea presented itself when we saw each other at Comic-Con in San Diego last July.
It’s not uncommon for books to take years to go from an initial discussion, to brainstorming ideas about how the book can work, to hitting the “go” button to produce and make the book to getting it out and into your hands.

I don’t know how other publishers work. I started the business with absolutely zero experience in this field. But here at Flesk, it takes time to make books. We get it nearly done, and then announce a release date.

I’m always looking for new ways to make books. The concept, layout and design are all things that I have to reimagine once in a while. I dislike the idea of a house style, templates or formulas. I need a fresh spark of newly tapped creativity to get me motivated.
The ideas we have for Gary’s books are something I’m very excited about. There’s got to be about 800 pages of book pages to sort out!

I think we did something exceptional with Wendy Pini‘s Art of Elfquest and Elfquest: The Art of the Story books. The execution behind these is unique and something I’m very proud to have been a part of. The new Flesk books will pick right up from Wendy’s books as we see just how far we can push the art of bookmaking.

I’m not done yet. As long as we’ve got your support, we’ll keep being different.

Enjoy,

John

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