I strolled on down to artist alley pretty early on, because a lot of great artists were going to be hanging out there.\u00a0 <\/span>I was shocked to hear Shag had a table there, because I assumed he would just make a couple short, quick appearances, and be otherwise unapproachable.\u00a0 <\/span>Looking at his booth, he had a sign saying the times he would be available and signing.<\/p>\n I came back at the designated hour, and there was a line of maybe ten people, and the line was moving fast, because they were all just saying hi and buying postcards or a print and then moving on.\u00a0 <\/span>I handed him my comic and asked if he ever read comics.\u00a0 <\/span>He said a very sweet answer: \u201cNo.\u00a0 <\/span>But I\u2019ll definitely read this one.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>I thought that was the greatest.\u00a0 <\/span>I didn\u2019t bother to ask him about doing a pin-up, because I was too intimidated that a \u201chigh artist\u201d whose work is in galleries in L.A., Tokyo, Paris, New York, in art books, postcards, magnets, and everywhere else in pulp culture, wouldn\u2019t bother with low-brow comics.<\/p>\n Later (maybe a day later), I was just poking around in artists alley again.\u00a0 <\/span>I saw Shag still had a line, about the same as the one I had waited in, even though he wasn\u2019t at his table yet.\u00a0 <\/span>But behind the line, all by himself, just standing around, there was Shag!\u00a0 <\/span>I suspected he was either just arriving, and gearing up to begin his signing, or maybe taking a quick break and stretching his legs.\u00a0 <\/span>But in any event, no one in the line realized he was right there behind them.<\/p>\n I walked up and said hello, and to my pleasure, he remembered who I was.\u00a0 <\/span>I asked about his education as an artist, and drawing in different styles besides the \u201cShag\u201d look.\u00a0 <\/span>He said he had gone to school for art, and of course had taken figure drawing classes and the like, in which he of course didn\u2019t do the \u201cShag\u201d look.\u00a0 <\/span>And when he got out, he did design for a while.\u00a0 <\/span>But he said he feels lucky, because if he had to choose a style to draw, he said it would be the \u201cShag\u201d style.<\/p>\n I told him I had to ask, because I was right there with him.\u00a0 <\/span>I said that my comic has a number of drawings of giant monsters by different artists, and does he ever consider doing commissions.\u00a0 <\/span>He said he stopped doing them a few years ago, and his reason was just fantastic…for him, anyways.\u00a0 <\/span>He said now that his paintings are so popular, he doesn\u2019t need to do commissions any more.\u00a0 <\/span>He can just draw whatever he feels like, and he knows they will sell.\u00a0 <\/span>Talk about success.<\/p>\n I happen to know that his paintings sell out before he even finishes them.\u00a0 <\/span>His dealer basically takes a list of names, and I assume payments, and these people just pay up front to get on a waiting list to receive whatever painting he finishes next, without having a chance to see what the painting will even be!\u00a0 <\/span>They just want to own one of his works that badly!\u00a0 <\/span>What a successful artist!\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019m blown away\u2026<\/p>\n So then I told him that I know he\u2019s drawn a number of giant monster images in the past.\u00a0 <\/span>I knew he\u2019d done plenty of tikis, and some Abominable Snowman paintings.\u00a0 <\/span>I asked if he might consider giving me permission to publish one of them.\u00a0 <\/span>He said that was a possibility and gave me his email.\u00a0 <\/span>I told him I would write my info on one of my little promo cards.\u00a0 <\/span>I had two, of the two upcoming Doris Danger comics.\u00a0 <\/span>I asked if he wanted outer space or war, and he said outer space, and I realized how obvious that choice was for him.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n Wow!\u00a0 <\/span>I just got the personal email of Shag, and I\u2019m going to contact him to discuss publishing one of his pieces in my next comic!\u00a0 <\/span>I am in shock.\u00a0 <\/span>That would be amazing, if I can only afford him.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MEETING SHAG I strolled on down to artist alley pretty early on, because a lot of great artists were going to be hanging out there.\u00a0 I was shocked to hear Shag had a table there, because I assumed he would just make a couple short, quick appearances, and be otherwise unapproachable.\u00a0 Looking at his booth, 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