Deconstructing Bowie: Freedom in Eccentricity - Gallery Show at the National Liberty Museum

Participated in the National Liberty Museum major winter exhibition Deconstructing Bowie: Freedom In Eccentricity, which opened Friday, January 7th 2022, as part of the Fifth Annual Philly Loves Bowie Week, and continuing through April 3, 2022

Throughout his long career, David Bowie found personal freedom in his unique forms of cultural expression. Through music, art, and fashion, Bowie disrupted and rebelled against societal expectations and norms, introducing new and more critical ways of thinking about race, sex, and gender. This exhibition celebrates David Bowie’s legacy in the creative freedom he inspired in generations of artists that have followed in his wake, artists who have continued to push boundaries and inspire others to do the same. In Deconstructing Bowie, we celebrate the timeless power of music and art to challenge cultural expectations and drive both personal and societal change. The artwork on display in Deconstructing Bowie will be for sale, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), in partnership with Philly Loves Bowie Week.

The National Liberty Museum, located in the heart of Philadelphia’s Old City, where past ideals empower the achievements of today, tomorrow, and beyond, has over four floors of permanent galleries and changing exhibitions, we explore the meaning of liberty today through contemporary art and the stories of real people from around the world who have done extraordinary things in the name of freedom.

Deconstructing Bowie: Freedom in Eccentricity

Detroit Artist Market: Inspired by Detroit's Comic Book Artists

Inspired by Detroit’s Comic Book Artists, juried by local legends Dave Chow and Bill Morrison, showcases the intersection of art and the comic book genre. Detroit is home to many known comic book writers and artists, and in recent years has hosted several comic cons recognizing the broad talent our city offers. Inspired by Detroit’s Comic Book Artists shines a light on artists working in this genre and field, as well as graphic and fine artists who may dabble in this direction.

Epilogue to the Killing Joke

A revised edition of my short story entitled “Epilogue to the Killing Joke” has been completed and is now available online and, as well, free limited edition print copies by request only. Years ago I read about the speculation and conspiracies surrounding the original Killing Joke graphic novel regarding whether Batman did actually kill the Joker at the end of the story. I took it upon myself come to my own conclusion on this issue and what better way than to write an illustrate a short fan fiction story. I completed the work years ago but now felt that a refresh was in order. Basically adding more grayscale tones and redoing some of the illustrations that I felt needed improving.

“EPILOGUE TO THE KILLING JOKE”

Hope you enjoyed the story. Feel free to comment and discuss.

Miserable Americans book 1 Refresh on COMIXOLOGY

Amazon’s digital store for distributing and selling comic books, called Comixology, has “officially” accepted Miserable Americans book 1 for sale on their digital platform. I took the opportunity to refresh the first book. Updating it for the digital format and giving it a completely new cover illustration. Book 1 feels up-to-date with the rest of the series and having it available for digital sales is very cool and a first for me. Being a long time collector of comic books, I can’t say enough about the printed format. The way a book feels; the way it reads. Collecting comic books and perusing comic book shops has always been nothing but a pleasure. Comics not being a mass market medium, noodling around a comic book store always feels like belonging to en exclusive club, that only a few are aware of. I highly recommend a trip to your local store if you never have. It’s not just about super-heroes anymore. You’ll find any genre; sci-fi, horror, comedy, auto-biographical, surreal, non-fiction…. and several books that mix all those elements together. The comic book shop is still an under-appreciated cultural gem in almost any city you can find one. I think most people might just find it hard to leave…. at least without a pile of books in their hands.

Still, that being said, I can’t deny that I have enjoyed the new digital format. I’ve rebought some of my favorite books and having them available on my phone or iPad at a moments notice is pretty cool. As well, the reading experience is tremendous. And while I always love the printed book seeing this new version of book 1 on the digital platform is pretty cool. Click the image below to visit Miserable Americans on Comixology.

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UPDATE: This fall Comixology is being fazed into the Kindle Store on Amazon. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand it may be a sign that Amazon was having trouble driving traffic to a stand alone digital comic book shop and that moving them into the Kindle store will open them up to a potential wider audience. I don’t know… we’ll see.

Seven Deadly Sins / Atom Art - Group Show

I was excited to take part in the third annual Seven Deadly Sins Show! The show was held at Atom Art Gallery in Ferndale, MI in the fall of 2018. The following is the press release and details of this group exhibition.

It is with PRIDE that we present to you our event this Devil’s night. Each previous show has generated provocative works by local artists, using their selected mediums to channel one of the Seven Deadlies... This year’s show will proudly carry this tradition forward as we explore the relationship between Art and Man’s dark side!

It was no mistake that we chose Devil's Night to host the opening! Please join us in this exploration of the

dark side of humanity’s psyche...

Tuesday, October 30th from 6 pm to 10 pm

2018 Exhibiting Artists:

Nancy J. Rodwan- Mixed Media

Megan Aldorfer - Painting

Duane Miller – Photography / Digital Art

Rebecca Phoenix – Mixed Media

Sue Schneider - Mixed Media

Ozzy Abaddon (Azalea Saba) – Sculpture

Gregg Thacker- Print / Painting

Amy Kelly - Sculpture/Photography

Eric Zurawski - Painting

Evan Derian – Digital Art

Cyndy Weeks-Patterson - Mixed Media

Amy Wipp - Costume Design

Exhibit runs October 30th - December 8th 2018

Proud artist (myself) at the gallery posing next to the piece.

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Pulling Punchlines: Epilogue to the Killing Joke

This is the official online release of my Batman/Joker short story entitled "Pulling Punchlines: Epilogue to the Killing Joke". The story is presented in the DC Batman Black & White format. It begins where the original Killing Joke, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brian Bolland, leaves off. In recent years there has been some online speculation about the ending of the original Killing Joke story. Writer Grant Morrison speculated on a podcast presented by writer/director Kevin Smith, that Batman, in fact, kills the Joker at the end of the story. This speculation started a bit of discussion on the subject, with fans and artists alike speculating about the ambiguous ending of the Killing Joke. The following short story, written and illustrated by myself, is the DEFINITIVE conclusion to the mystery. The following comic book pages are, WITHOUT A DOUBT, what unfolds after the legendary graphic novel ends……… at least according to me.

Well, there you have it. The events after the Killing Joke as they unfolded way back…. whenever the hell that story was supposed to take place; in whatever universe...and in whatever continuity it was supposed to fit into. I sincerely hope you enjoyed my take on the story and the characters. I've been a Batman fan for most of my entire life and this was truly a labor of love. - Evan Derian