Archive for February, 2012
10 items.
Hey there, and welcome to what’s quickly wrapping up this epic storyline. We’re about to get a HUGE revelation on Friday which will change the game. For serious. Be here to check it out.
In other news, for the month of March I’ll be moving into a new pad. Moving in with Beth, in fact. Things have been going pretty well, and with my lease ending (and her not being a fan of spending the weekends at my place), it just made a lot of sense. Plus, you know, there’s the whole “love” thing going on. 
After March, however, will be hard core comics time. I’ll be attending both C2E2 (Chicago, IL April 13-15) and ACEN (Rosemont, IL April 27-29). I’ll be speaking at both shows, and will be a guest ACEN. Both shows will have the premiere of my latest project, Albert the Alien – with artwork from the very talented Gabriel Bautista.
C2E2 I’ll be in the small press section working the Reading with Pictures booth with fellow contributor Russell Lissau (The Batman Strikes, Strawberry Shortcake). There will be several RWP panels throughout the weekend, and Gabe and I will be providing some kids programming on the main stage. Should be a great time, so I hope to see you there.
ACEN is probably my favorite show of the year, and they always have a great show. I’ll be a guest of honor at the show, giving panels throughout the weekend and selling books near artist alley when I’m not. Albert the Alien will also be available at this show, along with @$$hole! volume one. If you like anime, laughing, fun times, good people, or a great convention you should totally come to this show. If you don’t like any of those things, then I’m sorry for you. Your life must be sad and miserable.
Anyway, see you back here Friday to the HUGE reveal. Seriously, game changing.
”Comment
Ah yes, Professor Ikinpoopin. Everyone remember him from the beginning of this story arc? He’s the one who invited Trevor out to this cabin in the first place. Perhaps some answers are around the corner.
Got a lot of great projects in the pipeline that I’ve slowly been revealing to you guys. The first of the year was the @$$hole!: Volume 1 book, which premiere this past weekend at Anime Milwaukee. I’m happy to say, I sold through all the books I brought – about 1/3 of the stock I ordered. Popular book, made popular by awesome fans.
The next book reveal is the Albert the Alien book, which I’ve been posting a few previews about. Gabriel Bautista and I have rejoined forces on the next installment, called “Albert the Alien is Using the Hall Pass.” The book will be out in April for the next shows we do: C2E2 and ACEN. It’s a 24 page book filled with the full story, copy of the scripts, and activity pages for the kids. Looking forward to getting that book off to the printers in a next week or so.
The third project is my first horror story, which I’ll be revealing more about in the coming weeks. This project will be a little longer in the making, since it’s a little more ambitious than the others. But the goal here is to produce 4 floppies, followed by a graphic novel. Or maybe we just make the graphic novel. I’ll decide as it continues to come together.
Anyway, I’m spending the weekend working on this horror project, called Nightshade, and moving into a new apartment. Going to be a busy weekend. Hope you are also looking forward to an activity fueled weekend. See you next week!
2012 convention season started off with a bang, as Anime Milwaukee always sets the benchmark and sets it high for the rest of the shows I’m going to attend for the year. This year was no exception, as they set the bar even higher than ever before! So without further delay, below is the full convention report for the awesome weekend at Anime Milwaukee!
THURSDAY
Thursday was mostly spent at the office (and we were having a team celebration / competition, too), but I had to duck out early to make my train. Despite not being listed on the e-ticket, apparently AMTRAK won’t let anyone board less than 10 minutes before departure. So despite getting there while the train was still on the platform, AMTRAK refused to let me board.
Upon going to a supervisor to complain (I would have left earlier if it was on the e-ticket), I was informed that the train had already left by the time I arrived (a lie) and then the supervisor proceeded to walk away without actually addressing my concern.
A 3 hour wait later, and I was on the next available train to Milwaukee. Not the way I wanted to start my weekend, mind you, especially since I was missing an all-guest dinner at the show. AMTRAK owes me free food (and or a free train ticket) and an apology, damn it.
Anyway, I eventually arrived at the show and was taken up to the guest suite where Spike Spencer (Neon Genesis) and Alan Evans (Rival Angels) were hanging out with many of the volunteers, staffers, and awesome people that make the show possible.
I can’t stress this enough: having cool people running the show is essential to making a fun weekend. Another important component: awesome attendees.
I’ve met Spike at several shows last year, but we’ve never actually hung out. He invited me back to his room for some red wine and good conversation, but I was so exhausted (and still a little ticked off about AMTRAK) so I took a pass.
Since I was staying with Alan, we piled into the car and headed home to catch some z’s before officially starting the show the next morning.
FRIDAY
An early morning found Alan and myself heading to our favorite breakfast place, this little local bagel sandwich spot. After acquiring our morning sustenance, we headed for the convention hall.
This year the show was in the Frontier Center, across the street from the Hyatt Hotel downtown. This was nice, as the space was larger than last year. And it was needed, because the volume of attendees had grown quite a bit since last year as well.
Alan and I started setting up at the show, and found out that we were both on corner spots – which meant we both had two tables each! Now, I’m never going to complain about free tables, but I do admit that I was pleasantly surprised. It was a bit of a challenge, however, since I didn’t have two-tables worth of stuff with me at the show. I improvised as best as possible, and came up with a solid display.
My booth set up at Anime Milwaukee. Yes, that is my stuff spread out over two tables!
A little ways into the day, guest relations came and asked me if I would mind giving up one of my tables for another one of their guests – Robert Axelrod (Power Rangers). Now, normally this would warrant a “no” on my part, however there were a few factors to consider here:
1) I wasn’t planning on having two tables anyway, so as I sold out of books I would look spread thin
2) I could easily get away with a single table, and having a neighbor might be good company
3) Robert is a draw at the show, so worst case scenario he would bring people to the table I could sell to. And that’s not a bad thing at all
4) And not to overlook this important part – dude, it’s Robert Axelrod! The dude voiced Lord Zedd!
Suffice it to say, I said yes to having Robert as a neighbor and we had a blast all weekend. I had met Robert several years earlier at other anime shows – in fact, he and I saw the Star Trek movie together at ACEN, and sat next to each other high-fiving every time Kirk did something awesome. Which, let’s be honest, was most of the movie.
I did my sales thing throughout the day, and by noon had actually outsold my entire Friday the year previous. Suffice it to say, sales this year far exceeded what I did last year at the show. And Robert was a great table mate.
At one point, an attendees gave me a free un-opened box of pocky (Japanese candy) and eventually Robert became wise to it’s existence. “Oh, can I have some of that pocky?” he asked in a non-Lord Zedd voice. “Absolutely,” I replied, and we tore through that box in minutes.
At the end of the day we closed down the floor, then headed over to opening ceremonies with the other guests. Several voice actors were there including the very talented Wendy Powell (Full Metal Alchemist), Chris Cason (Full Metal Alchemist), Uncle Yo (web celebrity), and Doug Walker (www.thatguywiththeglasses.com).
Opening ceremonies started off with some entertaining actrs, and meanwhile behind stage all of the guests were hanging out and catching up. I hadn’t seen Doug since Kollision Con the previous year, and Uncle Yo I hadn’t seen since the previous year’s Anime Milwaukee. Good people, all of them. Eventually the time for the guests to shine came about, and individually we all went out onto the stage to entertain the attendees for a few minutes. Having nothing prepped, I just pitched my panels for the weekend. Doug, on the other hand, addressed the troops and made them do exercises. Why didn’t I think of that?
Right after Opening Ceremonies we (Alan, Doug and his family, and Uncle Yo) grabbed dinner real quick, and then had to head back to the show for my first panel of the weekend, An Evening with Trevor Mueller. Everyone we went to dinner with was there, along with some awesome attendees who wanted to hear funny stories about conventions, my life, and comics. A good time was had by all.
After the panel ended, we all went our separate ways and went to bed. The next day I had an 8am panel (closing the show Friday, opening the show on Saturday) about writing comics, so I was curious what the turn-out would look like.
SATURDAY
8am was an early panel to get up for, but Alan got me there on time (and then left to go home and “work on comics” – which I took as code for “take a nap”). Surprisingly, the room was not empty. However, it also wasn’t full like our making webcomics panel was last year. As the hour progressed, the room continued to fill up and by the end of the panel I would say there were 30-40 people in the room.
After the panel ended, Uncle Yo met me out in the hallway and Alan eventually joined us. We continued conversations from the previous night, had a few laughs, and then went our separate ways so Alan and I could man our tables.
Anime Milwaukee brand root beer. You can’t see, but behind the bottle is a vendor selling a mountain of pocky. Delicious!
Sales on Saturday started off much slower than the previous day, but there were also 2,000 people queued up outside trying to get a one-day pass. Sales were still plenty strong, and I eventually sold out of the new book (@$$hole!: Volume 1).
Saturday night we hooked up with Doug and his family again for dinner, then went to Spike’s panel “Don’t Kill your Date (and Other Cooking Tips”), which was a riot. Uncle Yo joined us after finishing the judging for the Masquerade, and the group of us were laughing and enjoying the hijinx of the audience, and the entertaining answers from Spike.
At the end of the panel we all headed down to the bar and mingled with fans and friends alike. Some of the other guests eventually joined us, and we closed the place down and then headed home. Alan and I had another early morning panel the next day, and our beauty sleep would be needed.
SUNDAY
9am, Making Webcomics. Last year Alan and I were greeted to a room filled with people – which was a pleasant surprise beyond my wildest expectations. This year, it was Sunday, so the crowd was a little lighter. However, the people who were there were in high spirits and eager to learn.
Alan and I did a fantastic panel, then packed up and headed back out to the floor. Robert showed up after this panels, and turned to me to say “This time I’m supplying the pocky,” and produced a box of milk chocolate / almond pocky.
If 10 years ago you had told me I would be sharing a box of pocky with the voice of Lord Zedd, I would have called you a liar. And I would have been wrong.
Sunday was pretty slow sales wise, so I spent most of the time chatting up friends and fans I had met throughout the weekend. One friend came up with her boyfriend and requested a commission sketch.
A commission I did at Anime Milwaukee on the final day.
Around 4pm the floor closed up. Robert packed up his things and asked if I would be attending closing ceremonies. Since I had a train to catch (and didn’t want to miss again), I told him probably not and we parted ways.
Alan and I went to a local burger place and downded some delicious / greasy burgers and seasoned fries, and then went to the train station. We said our goodbyes (I’ll see him again in April at both C2E2 and ACEN), and then I hopped on the train and headed home.
Anime Milwaukee continues to set the bar high for all conventions in the year. In the three years I’ve been a guest there I’ve seen the show grow by leaps and bounds, and every year gets bigger and better. The fans are great, the attendees are awesome, and the volunteers / staffers putting the show on put their all into the show. And it shows.
Thanks so much to Anime Milwaukee for having me out as a guest again this year, and hopefully I’ll be back again next year as a guest as well. You continue to put together an excellent show that keeps expanding, and it’s been an honor to be a part of that growth.
If you love anime (or even kind of like anime) and haven’t been to Anime Milwaukee, shame on you. Buy tickets for next year as soon as they go on sale. Pre-reg. You’ll have a great time.
So Trevor, Devil-T, and Angel-T are off from the lake to try to make it back to the cabin to protect the Book of the Dead. But they’ve encountered a lot of distractions and obstacles along the way. What lies in store for them next will be updating on Friday, and let me tell you – the ending of this arc will be epic. Seriously EPIC.
So I’m recovering nicely from an amazing weekend at Anime Milwaukee. Unfortunately I caught the con-flu (which is rare for me), so the con report is a little delayed. Going to shoot to have it live on Thursday. At the same time, trying to pack up because I’m moving into a new apartment, and trying to get oodles and oodles of comic projects done before the end of the month so they can be ready in time for C2E2 in April.
I will say this: Anime Milwaukee is an extremely fun show, and always sets the bar high for convention season. It’s a great way to start the year. The fans are great, the attendees are great, the guests are great – and the organizers, volunteers, and staff are amazing. If you love anime, you should really attend this show.
And to those of you joining us for the first time, welcome. You are among friends here.
Alright, I’m gonna go drink some tea and try to recover a bit. See you Friday!
Dire situations abound indeed in today’s strip. Also, a little (see what I did there) nudity. Not that you can see anything inside that glowing orb, but trust me…he’s pantless.
It feels good to be drawing again, and coming back to some of the illustrated story arcs that were left hanging for a while. I included some plot hole fill-ins within the volume 1 collection (which I’ll be selling this weekend at Anime Milwaukee), and plan to include more in future volumes (assuming this bad boy sells well, of course).
I’ll try to post something up about the collection soon. I want to show it off. But I also want to have time to eat. And right now, I don’t have time to do both. Unless someone wanted to feed me while I type. Volunteers?
Anyway, I’m gonna be having a blast at Anime Milwaukee this weekend. I hope to see you there, but just in case I don’t – I hope you have an awesome weekend too!
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Anime Milwaukee is this weekend, and below is my full panel schedule:
FRIDAY:
An Evening with Trevor Mueller (Panel Room B): 9:30pm – 10:45pm
-A hilarious night telling silly stories about con experiences gone wrong, ways not to meet celebrities, and overall life hijinks. A good time for all – but try not to bring the kiddies.
SATURDAY:
Writing Comics 101 (Subprogramming Room): 8am-9:30am
-Learn the basics of three-act structure, how to work with an artist, and how to get that story idea into pitch form
SUNDAY:
Making Webcomics (Panel Room B): 9am-10:15am
-Learn from webcomic pros Trevor Mueller and Alan Evans (Rival Angels) on how you can make your own webcomic, from start to finish
First off, I’d like to say “Happy VD” in post to everyone. And for the single among you, “Happy Singles Awareness Day.”
Yeah, I remember this holiday sucking quite a bit when I was single. Now that I’m dating, well…it’s a fine holiday, but the office job keeps me too busy to do much during the week. Sadly, girlfriends don’t often give you a pass for such things. See this bald guy here? Yeah, he’s in the dog house a little right now. Thanks, steady paycheck….
Anyway, back to the comic. So Devil-T is totally macking on Robo-Sarah’s head…which is funny, because when we were first introduced to her, drunk Trevor was doing the same thing.
Sounds like what Robo-Sarah is talking about is pretty dire. We’ll find out more on Friday. And speaking of Friday….
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Anime Milwaukee is this weekend, and the show has finally posted my panel schedule – which I shall share with you below:
FRIDAY:
An Evening with Trevor Mueller (Panel Room B): 9:30pm – 10:45pm
-A hilarious night telling silly stories about con experiences gone wrong, ways not to meet celebrities, and overall life hijinks. A good time for all – but try not to bring the kiddies.
SATURDAY:
Writing Comics 101 (Subprogramming Room): 8am-9:30am
-Learn the basics of three-act structure, how to work with an artist, and how to get that story idea into pitch form
SUNDAY:
Making Webcomics (Panel Room B): 9am-10:15am
-Learn from webcomic pros Trevor Mueller and Alan Evans (Rival Angels) on how you can make your own webcomic, from start to finish
Well, this is like a Roger Rabbit moment….
The lake. We have arrived. And someone in the lake is in need of help. The plot thickens.
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Next week I’ll be attending my first convention of the year, Anime Milwaukee. It’s always an honor to be asked to be a guest at a show, and I’ve had a lot of fun attending Anime Milwaukee the past several years. Not only is it a chance to hang out with my good friend Alan Evans, but it’s a fun weekend filled with anime voice actors, educational (and hilarious) panels, and of course, amazing comics to purchase. And I will be giving some panels at the show, as well as premiering my first book of the year at the show!
It’s going to be a fun time, so I hope to see you there!
So the angel and devil really aren’t taking their day seriously. I guess they don’t really have to worry about dying since, you know…they’re already dead?
Things are about to get real once Trevor arrives at the lake. This is something we’ve been referencing since the first page – that the lake is an important part of
1) directions to the cabin
2) getting your bearings to get back to the cabin
3) keeps directing things back to the cabin…which is haunted
Plot twists and intrigue abound in the coming pages. Stay tuned!
Happy February! February marks the start of my convention season (but more on that below), and also the release of my first book of the year: @$$hole! volume 1: No Pants Tuesday. The book should be in my hands right before my first show (but more on that below), so there will be plenty of news and fun times surrounding it. Maybe we’ll do a book release party?
So this page here…yeah. It was shot on different paths in the woods. In fact, that downed tree – we saw it earlier, when Trevor was “looking through brush”.
In the park where we shot this story, this tree had fallen in the middle of the path and it was kind of shocking – but also a very beautiful sight. It was a fresh break, possibly from a lightning strike or a major wind storm. The leaves were still green, the inside of the tree still bright and alive. It was tragic and awesome at the same time.
So I used it as much as I could in the story. And behold – hopefully you didn’t notice.
So, conventions. Anime Milwaukee will be my first show of the year. I’ll be a guest of honor again, so there will be fun panels and goofy stories to be told for sure. Also, I’ll be hanging out with the very awesome Alan Evans who will also be a guest at the show!
I’ve been to this show for the past 3+ years, and I’ve had a ton of fun every time I’ve gone. Met great people, told funny stories…and even had a few funny stories happen. So be sure to come by the show, say hi, check out the panels, and buy a copy of the new book! I’ll be posting pictures when it comes in (should be the week of the show – fingers crossed there are no delays).