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Event draws a crowd
Photo
A.J. Sabino of Kent works on a drawing from the cartoon “Adventure Time” during Sunday’s All Americon 2012 event at the Comfort Inn in Warren.
By Sean Barron
WARREN
If you meet Jay E. Fife of Wellsville, you also might see famous actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe in a way you’ve never seen her before.
That’s because one of his drawings of her is actually a composite, meaning he came up with the idea of superimposing her head on someone else’s body.
The concept may seem like a bit of a stretch, but for Fife, it’s a typical day at the office.
“My style is to take retro pin-up [models] as a tribute to comics, pop culture and monster movies,” Fife said in explaining the thinking behind many of his illustrations he sold during Sunday’s All Americon 2012 event at the Comfort Inn, 136 N. Park Ave.
The four-hour show, in its third year, brought together an estimated 16 local and regional comic-book dealers and nine graphic artists who sold a variety of modern and vintage comic books, toys and much more.
Fife, who considers himself “a lifelong drawer,” had numerous such color and black-and-white works, including a portrait that was a combination Batman and Darth Vader, from the movie “Star Wars.” Some friends who are professional models have sent Fife photographs of themselves to assist with certain images, he said, adding that he began comic-book portrait drawing in 2005 and has been in similar shows in Detroit, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and elsewhere.
Other renderings were a bit more straightforward, such as Fife’s interpretation of the cartoon character Velma from the popular “Scooby Doo” cartoon series, as well as Wonder Woman, Godzilla and a character from the show “Buffy and the Vampire Slayer.”
“It’s a lot of fun,” Fife said.
People of all ages took their time browsing and buying merchandise that included Marvel, DC and other brands of comic books from the 1930s to the present, along with a host of action figures, model cars, graphic prints and sketch cards. Also available were video and card games, vintage board games such as “Battleship” and “Risk,” and opaque, translucent and speckled sets of dice.
Fans of the “Transformers” movies didn’t leave disappointed, especially if they stopped by A.J. Sabino’s table.
“Mine is an animated/comic-book style. I keep a middle ground between the two styles,” said Sabino, as he took a break from making a sketch for a customer of Finn and Jake the Dog, both characters from “Adventure Time,” a show on the Cartoon Network.
Sabino, who earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from Kent State University in graphic design and illustration, said he enjoys dabbling in 1980s cartoon and pop caricatures. He also had on hand close to 30 renderings of robots from the “Transformers” series, including several large colorful ones.
Sabino, of Kent, said he appears at shows in the Akron area but hopes to branch out beyond Northeast Ohio.
An estimated 350 people attended last year’s show and it was hoped that number would be exceeded this year, noted Greg Bartholomew, event organizer and owner of All American Cards and Comics in Warren and Boardman.
Bartholomew, who’s also a Warren city councilman, said that planning a show with comic books as the main attraction is serious business.
“It takes about six months because I want to do it properly,” he added.