Archive for ‘conventions’
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C2E2 continues to be a premiere Chicago comic convention, and 2018 was no different – in fact, it excelled in that area, bringing in some of the top creators in the industry, including the elusive Brian Michael Bendis (who has been on a convention hiatus for, what…a decade?). Suffice it to say, I always have a fun time at this convention – one of the largest in the midwest (at least that I attend, if not THE largest), and it’s a great opportunity to see and hang out with a lot of friends.
THURSDAY:
I landed at the airport, coming back from a week long vacation in North Carolina, and immediately ran home to switch some clothes around, and then jumped into the already-packed car and headed to the con before set up times ended. I got in with plenty of time, and thankfully was able to get to my table and drop off all the stuff without any issues. It’s always an impressive sight to see this sign hanging in the hall on the walk into the convention floor.
With a little help from my friends Bivens and Mallory, we got most of the table up and ready for the next day. But we were hungry, so we didn’t want to stick around too long.
Did I mentioned we premiered some new pins at the con? We did! Albert the Alien’s stuffed animal, the Flanxx, is now available for purchase. Love these little pins. Such a cute design from series artist Gabo.
After setting up, Bivens, Mallory and I hopped into a cab and went to our favorite sushi place in the city, called Niu. We actually got there during happy hour, with $6 dark and stormy drinks (which we indulged in quite a few), as well as some discounted sushi rolls. Since the group was just us, we had a chance to talk shop and work through some ideas for a project we’ve been working on for a while now. It was a fantastic way to start our weekend and our first night – and an early night for us all, since we knew the weekend would be a lot of late nights.
FRIDAY:
The first official day of the con had us on-boarding some new volunteers, and meeting with more friends (but with so much traffic on the floor, it was difficult to take photos of everything). The floor traffic was crazy busy for a Friday, which was a pleasant surprise. I even saw a few big names walking around, like my friend Raina Telgemiere (who was running from signing to panel and back again for what seemed like most of the weekend).
My cosplay and model friend Megan Hawk stopped by the table, dressed as her Joker cosplay. I’m pretty sure this is what she was wearing when I first met her many years ago, so it’s an instantly recognizable outfit for me – I shouted to her as she was walking past.
While there was a lot of cosplay at the convention, one that I was able to snap a photo of was a family of Predators – which were super impressive.
After the con ended, I went to go find some food and ran into Jim McClain (Solution Squad) and Janet Lee (too many titles to list). They didn’t have their coats on (even though it was snowing!), so we needed to find a place that was close and didn’t have a 45+ minute wait – which is tricky to do within close distance to a convention. Luckily, a local pizza and pasta place had a 5 minute wait time and was super close to the hotel. We scurried in, had a fine conversation over dinner and drinks, and then went our separate ways for networking and meetings that night. It was another early night for me, since Saturday would be the big day of the con.
SATURDAY:
The big day. I went to the local market and grabbed my bagel breakfast sandwich (a must-have for morning fuel), and then headed to the table to set up for the big day. We had lots of volunteers coming in to help out at the table, and give my feet (and voice) a little break.
I made friendly with our table neighbors. On one side of us was a family of self-publishers who were making a big push, with this being their first weekend convention premiering their books. The whole family was there: dad, mom, daughter, and son – and the kids, in their mid to late twenties, were in cosplay throughout the weekend. I gave them some tips and went about my normal selling process – running into a lot of friends throughout the day.
My friend Lauren wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to make the con this year, but stumbled into some tickets and showed up. I caught her walking past, having just dyed her hair earlier that week. While you wouldn’t think that purple hair would stick out at a comic convention, it was something I remembered her posting on Instagram – and I was pleasantly surprised to see her around.
My friend Tamara was using the table as a base of operations so she could store her bags, so it was fun to get to see her throughout the weekend in her various Legend of Zelda cosplays. While I had missed taking a photo with her on the first day (and the last day), I was able to snap a quick photo on Saturday while she was between photo shoots and panels. The entire Channel Awesome crew (who were not attending another con in NYC this same weekend) would stop by the table throughout the weekend to say hi and catch up.
Opposite our table was our good friends Sean and Sarah Lindsay (Spinnerette), who had a very nice corner booth and some great coverage with their statues, plushies, and other merch that is very eye catching. They have been good friends both in and out of cons throughout the years, often doing panels with me at anime cons.
Around noon or so, I had to leave the table to attend a Reading with Pictures live reading event in the kids area. I was joined by fellow contributors and comic creators Jim McClain (Solution Squad), Josh Elder (Scribbenauts, Mail Order Ninja), Amy Hopkins, and myself. The kids were very involved in the reading, loving the stories and voices we were doing – despite the many Star Wards related distractions surrounding the area. It was a lot of fun to read with this group of creators, and I look forward to the next time we get to do it again.
After the con ended, I went back to the room to drop stuff off and then headed to Chinatown with Bivens and Mallory (and a bunch of other people) for some delicious hot pot. If you’ve never had hot pot, it’s like Korean BBQ – but instead of a communal grill in the middle of the table, it’s a pot of boiling soup that you dip items into and cook yourself. It was fantastic. The group was joined by a lot of talented creators and close friends, and I got the chance to chat up Ben Templesmith for a while.
And yes, I ordered a drink that looked like something out of a Star Trek episode….
After we finished dinner, we walked back to the market where I get the breakfast sandwiches (to stock up on some essentials for that night). While in there, I saw a guy who looked like one of the actors from Battlestar Galactica buying two half-gallons of milk and a few other items. I thought it was strange, but didn’t comment. I did have to tap him on the back to slide past on our way out of the store, though. We went back to the room, poured a healthy amount of adult beverages, and then headed to the Hyatt bar to hang out. While in there, I saw Aaron Douglas yet again – this time waiting for his beer. I walked up to him and asked if he remembered me from the market. Then I had to ask the obvious question: what was the milk for?
This kicked off several hours of conversations with him, and some of the publishers from AfterShock (including Mike Perkins, Joe Pruett, and several others). We talked about traveling, fans at cons, doing panels, and of course – Star Wars: The Last Jedi. About 2:30 in the morning or so, the hotel bar had closed and I had finished my drink, and told him that it had been a pleasure, but I had a table to run the next morning, and needed to get some sleep.
SUNDAY:
Sunday always feels like the most difficult day to wake up on, especially after a late night of good times and good conversations the night before. But alas, that table isn’t going to run itself, as much as we may want it to. So up I got, grabbed some breakfast sandwich from the market, and headed to the floor to open and run another day of sales.
Thankfully, being the final day of the show, I did schedule some volunteers who were able to watch the table while I walked around artist alley and said hi to folks. Unfortunately, they needed my phone to process credit card sales, so I wasn’t able to take any photos. But suffice it to say, artist alley at this show takes me several hours to get through – if I don’t say hi to everyone, and limit my talking time to less than 10 minutes per person I know. That said, I loved seeing everyone I could, and catching up with the few people that I did in the short time I had to browse the alley.
I even received some fan art throughout the weekend, which was a highlight.
C2E2 continues to be an incredible time, with record sales and traffic, incredible talent and strong programming roster, and amazing friends and fans who come back to support year after year. I hope to see you guys again at this show next year!
”Comment
Convention season is officially upon us, and has started off with a bang! Anime Milwaukee continues to be my first con of the year, and continues to set the bar – AND HIGH – for the rest of my convention experiences this year. I was a returning guest of honor, and had fantastic panels (with high attendance), and great sales on the floor. The staff and volunteers continue to make an experience worth having – and attendance increased over 10% this year, breaking the 10,000 mark!
A special thanks to all the staff, volunteers, and guest relationships folks who keep bringing me back and giving me a wonderful experience – one I encourage each of you to come have next year! This was my 8th year (out of 11) returning as a guest of honor, and I keep coming back for this same reason: the show is great, and I love being there.
THURSDAY:
After work, I packed up the car and headed over to pick up my buddy (and fellow guest of honor), Russell Lissau and his daughter. It was the first time I was car pooling with him in my new SUV, and I knew I would have enough room for his stuff, but was impressed I was able to fit all my stuff into only half of the trunk. Either my packing skills have gotten better over the years, or this car is much more massive than I originally thought. Or both!
The trunk of the car, saving half of it for my buddy Russell – but was impressed that I was able to fit into half of it
We grabbed a quick dinner at a local burger place, and then headed up to the convention center. In no time at all, we arrived and unpacked. Despite having a dolly this time, it still took me several trips to get my stuff down to the floor (hey, my first year with merch…I’m working on it). Once there, I started to set up that night because I knew I would need a little time to play with the configuration. With a 3 foot book display, and a 14-inch vertical merch display, there wasn’t a ton of real estate on the 6 foot table for me to set up all of my stuff…so I’m glad I gave myself the extra time to experiment.
The booth, now with t-shirts, posters, and pins!
After setting up, the group went to the green room and had some food. We met a few of the handlers and some of the Japanese guests, and had a little food, but ultimately went to bed early – which is almost unheard of on a con weekend. But, thankfully, it helped set the tone for what would be an excellent weekend.
How late do you usually stay up at a con?
FRIDAY:
Friday morning we all went to the gym in the morning, including my buddy Russell (who NEVER joins us in the gym). I like to start my weekend with a healthy workout, as it keeps my energy high (and gives me a big appetite for breakfast). We headed over to the restaurant across the street from the hotel for a meal, and then went to the floor to finish setting up our tables before Opening Ceremonies.
Behind the curtain at opening ceremonies with my comic pals, Russell and Alan
The comics crew headed over to Main Programming for Opening Ceremonies, and got to see the guests – many of which I hadn’t seen in ages, and some of which I hadn’t ever met before (despite attending multiple cons as guests together). All of the big voice actors were there, many of the cosplay guests where there in costume, and Samurai Dan and his wife were there with the dogs (which is always a hard act to follow on a stage). We all said our hellos, and then Jon St John – the master of ceremonies – introduced us all. He had a teleprompter in front of him with our names and bios (which were also displayed for the audience), but despite that he still got my name wrong, which would become a running gag throughout the weekend.
Opening ceremonies, this bald guy gave a talk for a while. It was fun. He was good looking. You should buy comics from him
After energizing the crowd, we headed back to the floor for finalizing set up and for the flood of people piling into the show. The day went by quick, but was a ton of fun. I also had a Writing for Comics panel at 2:30pm, which followed Alan’s first Making Webcomics panel. I arrived a little early, and he handed some tougher questions about overcoming troupes to me. I participated in his panel and had some fun, but then immediately started into my panel. Attendance was solid, and I had some great engagement from aspiring writers (and some artists). After the panel ended, I went back to floor and continued selling until the end of the day.
What kind of programming content do you like to attend? What attracts you to a panel? The topic, or the panelists?
Showing off the product for some photos
Standing and talking to photographers at the booth
With the ever-incredible Mel!
After the floor closed, we headed to our rooms to grab some food (pizza from a nearby Italian restaurant we’ve never tried), and then went to the green room for some group toasts. It was the 30th anniversary of Final Fantasy, and many of the voice actor guests had done work for the FF games series. At the same time, we were toasting for our absent friend, Gyu, who has been a major presence in our lives both in and out of the con world. Gyu’s absence was celebrated with a few fingers of 30 year old scotch – something he would enjoy – and it was a chance to talk to some of the voice actors I had not had a chance to meet previously.
30 year old scotch in the green room, toasting the 30th anniversary of Final Fantasy (with photo bomb by Kari Wahlgren and Jon St John)
After the toast, we went to the VIP event in the top of the hotel, and hung out with fans. I got to talk to Johnny about his new band, and we talked merch (since I’ve been dabbing in t-shirts and pins, and he’s looking at experimenting with some new stuff to sell at concerts and cons), and then we split so we could hang out with the fans. A number of Channel Awesome fans found me and started chatting me up, which was a blast. I got into some very impassioned talks about good and bad movies, which started to make me lose my voice (not good!), so I finished the evening listening to what they enjoyed (or didn’t) about certain movies. After the VIP event, we went back to the green room for a quick snack, and then we all went to bed again (rather early by comparison to previous years). The rest was much appreciated.
SATURDAY:
Saturday morning started as all the rest do – got ready, grabbed some grub (this time at the Hyatt restaurant), and then went to the floor to set up and start selling. And sell I did! Man, the crowds were massive and the desire for original art and commissions was high! I loved it!
Around noon or so, Gabe and I went to our How to Draw an Alien panel, and re-arranged the room so it was more appropriate for a workshop. We gathered everyone around a few tables with paper and stuff to draw with, and we started talking about aliens and Gabe’s method of design. Then we built our own alien creature together. His name was Bob, and he worked in corporate finance. We then designed his boss – a stop light with each light showing a different emotion. We then opened up the group to free design their own support staff – janitors, HR, marketing, and one guy even made a transportation alien. It was a lot of fun, and we all shared and had a laugh at the fun creations we had made during the class. After, we packed up the room and went back to our tables to keep selling for the day.
Come buy comics from this man at AMKE 2018
Hellboy sketch card commission
Bruce Lee sketch card commission
King Kong (from Skull Island) sketch card commission
Jason (from MKX) sketch card commission
After the floor closed, I met up with my friend Lauren, who had driven up from Chicago to see me and hang out with our mutual friend, former Power Ranger Johnny Yong Bosch. The group went to the Thai restaurant across the street (a big mistake, because even with reservations we were delayed in being seated, and the service staff was overwhelmed with the volume of patrons). We eventually got through the meal, and headed back to the hotel to have drinks with some staffers who we’ve been promising to hang out with for some time. Lauren left to hang out with Johnny, who was grabbing dinner with Samurai Dan and his family, while we finished drinks. A homeless entered the hotel and tried to solicit drinks from us, which was not cool, and eventually hotel security scared him off.
After drinks, we went to go play Cards Against Humanity with Dan and Jillian, which ran until a bit after midnight. After, I retired to the green room with Johnny and Lauren to watch some Olympics and keep hanging out. Around 2am, we decided to call it a night. Johnny and I were going to grab breakfast in the morning anyway, which would come far too early for either of our preferences.
Got to spend a fine evening hanging out with two of my favorite people, Johnny Yong Bosch (Power Rangers) and Lauren Marie
SUNDAY:
I packed up my room and loaded up the car, and then headed to breakfast with Johnny. We talked more about his band and musical experiences, about our families and what cons we enjoyed attending. It was a fun time, and something I don’t get to do nearly often enough because of the late nights and tight schedules many cons keep us on. It was very refreshing to get to hang out with my friend and just share a meal. After breakfast, I headed to the floor for a final day of sales – and boy oh boy, did the trend get set early in the weekend, because they were a flood.
Hanging with the comics crew in artist alley before opening. From left to right: Trevor, Gabo, Russell, and Alan
With my buddy Shoulders Hernandez
Black Panter sketch card commission
Ed (from Ed, Edd, and Eddy) sketch card commission
Around noon I did my final panel for the weekend, which was Crafting Fictional Worlds. This panel by far had the most attendance of any panel of the weekend, and the group and I had a lot of fun talking about what to reveal and what to imply in stories, how to balance telling vs showing your world through visuals or exposition, and many more topics. I didn’t get to answer every question people had at the panel, sadly (if you attended the panel and are reading this, ask me now!), but that’s what happens when you have 75+ people in a room and only an hour for a panel.
I returned to the floor for the final hours of sales, and Johnny stopped by to say his goodbyes. I gave him a hug and a pin for his daughter, and then started to pack up my stuff.
Anime Milwaukee was another incredible con, with great attendees, staffers, and volunteers. I’m always incredibly humbled and honored to be invited back, and hope to return yet again next year!
THURSDAY:
The Reading with Pictures table is all set up and ready to sell
Smiles that broad, you know it had to be the first day of con
FRIDAY:
Day 2 we tried a slightly different table configuration
SATURDAY:
Can I take this dragon home with me? Please?
Waiting for this party to get started. And eating breakfast. That’s important
Joined by Rebekah Ward, one of our volunteers from last year – now making it as a student of journalism
Albert the Alien pins, in the wild
Hanging out with my friend Carrie, who runs her own booth selling merch she makes by hand!
The Javits at night
SUNDAY:
Last day of the con. Can you tell I haven’t been sleeping?
Ran into my buddy Victor Dos Santos in artist alley!
The very talented Laura Braga flew in all the way from Italy for the con! Her artwork is stunning!
We sold out before the end of the con! That’s the dream!
Thank you, New York Comic Con! It’s been a blast!
THURSDAY:
All set up for selling at Wizard World Chicago
Writer and buddy Russell Lissau’s display of books is strong with the Force!
FRIDAY:
Morning comes too early…especially when you stay at home with a baby
Pre-con shenanigans with Russell…
First hard cover for Albert the Alien volume 1 sold! These are limited to 200 copies!
Channel Awesome folks stopping by. From left to right: Heather Ruez, Jim Jarosz, and Walter Banaziak
SATURDAY:
Cosplayers at the con
More Channel Awesome shenanigans. From left to right: Me, Heather Ruez, Aiyanna Wade, and Walter Banaziak
SUNDAY:
Had a blast hanging out with my table neighbor all weekend, the great Mark Kistler (from the PBS series the Secret City)
Continuing with the summary reports of the cons (as opposed to the full convention reports, because I had fallen behind on my blogging, focusing instead on making comic content these past few months). ACEN is a legacy convention for me – something that holds a special place in my heart for personal reasons, and I have a lot of fun at the con. Usually I’m a guest, but this year I traveled in every day from home with my buddy Alan Evans (Rival Angels), who was staying with me for the weekend. Because of that, the usual after-con shenanigans were a bit more subdued (and didn’t go nearly as late into the night), but part of that is also because I’m exhausted all the time. Because I have a baby.
But enough about me. Let’s talk about this con!
FRIDAY:
Alan and I headed to the con to set up our tables, which were right next to each other but on the far back wall from the entrance to artist alley. We spent the day selling our wares, talking about comics, and also meeting several of the convention guests – who popped up at the table to introduce themselves because they heard we were good guys on facebook (or were old friends, stopping by to say hi). I love connecting or reconnecting with friends. Local artists (who were not set up at the con, but were hanging out that weekend) also stopped by. I even ran into a few Channel Awesome fans who recognized me from the videos I had been in.
After the show, we headed back to my place for some dinner and hanging out.
The table is all set up and ready to sell comics to the masses!
SATURDAY:
The big day. We did our sales thing, but also some panels throughout the day. The first panel of the weekend, “How to Make Your Own Comics and Manga,” had a great crowd who was very engaged with the content. However, at one point during the panel, some guy asked if he could add a few thoughts onto one of our answers. Now, sometimes I’ll let people do this, since they may have an experience we can comment on or that helps enrich the panel discussion, but this time I was mistaken. We had a guy try to Bogart (eg: steal) our panel. He walked right up to the front of the panel and started introducing himself as some video game maker, then turned to ask if he should have a microphone. “That depends on how long you think you’re going to be talking,” I replied, which was my polite way of saying, “No, and you should go sit down now.” He gave a short speech that contradicted the entire point of the panel, to which Alan and I had to quickly recover and then move on to the next question.
What surprised me was that he tried to do this again at the end of the panel, but I shut him down. After the panel ended, he came up during our signing and wanted to know if it was okay that he had “participated” like that. “A lot of people like it when I join in their panels,” he said. I told him it was not cool, that it was not his panel (if it was, he would be listed on the panel schedule), and that I was a professional – not a fan, not an attendee, but a professional in this topic – and ACEN wants me giving this panel, and you’re not on it. He didn’t show up to the announced 6pm panel, thankfully.
We did more selling, then came back to the same room for a “Making Webcomics” panel, which was tons of fun.
After the show, Alan and I grabbed some dinner and headed home to watch crappy horror movies (a convention tradition of ours).
Alan Evans (Rival Angels) and myself, hanging out at the table
Some guy tried to Bogart one of my panels….not cool, dude
SUNDAY:
The final day of the show is always exhausting (mostly because 2+ days of selling all day is a lot of work, but also because late nights + early mornings = tired Trevor). Alan and I did our thing, but packed up a bit early to try to beat the traffic on our way out. We did get in a few goodbyes for friends at the show, but had to be quick about it. All in all, it was another good time, and another successful weekend!
Goofing around on the final day before selling the rest of the books I brought
Playing a bit of catch up on my blogging, but wanted to at least post some notes and comments from C2E2 earlier this year. I know I usually do a full convention report, but I’m hoping this summary will be just as fun.
THURSDAY:
Not an official con day, but because I got set up and was hanging out with people from the con, I include it. I hung out with my good friends John Bivens and his wife, Mallory, and we had some delicious sushi together. We also checked into our airbnb place, which was a nice lofty space within walking distance from the convention center.
Delicious sushi from Union
John and Mallory, mid bite. They didn’t want to slow down to pose for a photo – the food was too good!
FRIDAY:
The first day of the con, sales were good and strong. We had some great traffic to the table, another fantastic position (and very kind table neighbors), and some great volunteers and helpers at the table. After the con ended, it was time for our traditional trip to Niu – my favorite sushi place in the city. After dinner, I went to hang out at the hotel bar for a bit and ran into some good friends from the con circuit, but since the hotel was under construction the bar scene was a bit dead. Didn’t stay too long or too late. Plus, I’m tired all the time now because of the baby. 
Hanging out with my man, Eric Palicki, at NIU for yet another delicious sushi night
The whole crew at dinner
Ordered the Sexy Mexican (my favorite roll), as well as a new seasonal roll that was ON FIRE!
Hanging out with Analise at the hotel bar
SATURDAY:
An early morning, another great day of sales (and a hard day of sales…the isles felt very far apart, so we were really working for those pitches), and more seeing some fantastic people. I was visited several times by my good friends over at Channel Awesome, and we made some dinner plans for later that night. Brad Jones had debuted his new movie, “Jesus Bro!,” which sold out in an hour or so. He was ecstatic – and rightly so! After the con ended, we hiked over to China Town and grabbed some delicious food at a popular place (seriously, we had to wait like 45 minutes to get seated, and we didn’t go during prime dinner hours – but the food was good, so all was forgiven).
I love hanging out with this group, because they are so friendly, conversational, and super nerdy – like me!
Hanging out with the Channel Awesome crew at dinner. From left to right: Rob Walker, Erin Walker, Doug Walker, Fard Muhammad, Brad Jones, Laura JaneLuke
SUNDAY:
The final day of the con involved moving out of the airbnb, grabbing a delicious breakfast sandwich on the walk to the con, and selling more comics. More of the Channel Awesome crew stopped by, including my friend Aiyanna from Awesome Comics. She enjoys cosplaying, and was appropriately dressed up as Belle from Beauty and the Beast (since the new live action movie was coming out). Her idea was to take a photo with me reading her book, and her reading the book I made (Albert the Alien). She’s so much fun.
I also did a couple of sketch card commissions, and sold the crap out of the books we brought. At the end, I packed up my stuff and helped some buddies do the same, and then headed for the long drive back home. All in all, another fantastic show and one I look forward to returning to soon!
Enjoying (perhaps too much?) a delicious breakfast sandwich before the show
Aiyanna Wade (Awesome Comics) is Belle, enjoying reading Albert the Alien while I read her Romeo and Juliet book. Perhaps we both want more than this provincial life
Aquaman sketch card commission
Myself and Josh Elder are ready to sell comics on the final day of the show!
SUNDAY:
The final day of the con, I got up and checked out of the hotel, and headed to the breakfast spot I always meet up with friends right by the convention center, my gear in hand. We were joined by Jennifer Brazas, who used to work on comics and now operates her own shop at anime cons. We had a good time fueling up for the final full day of the con, and then headed to the floor for set up and selling.
Curious what the seller side of the table looks like?
I didn’t have any panels on Sunday, so it was just friends stopping by to purchase or ask questions. I got to hang out with the staff a bit, who helped coordinate my being there in the first place (and who gave me such a premium spot on the floor), and then started packing up so I wouldn’t miss my flight home. I hopped a cab with Krazy Krow and his wife, and we headed to the airport early so we could grab some much-needed dinner and drinks to relax and celebrate our amazing (yet intense) weekend.
We eventually went to our waiting area, and alarms started going off at the airport. We couldn’t figure out what was going on, but the planes outside were all stopped as well (there was a massive line of planes on the runway, waiting for their turn to take off). Whatever happened, it delayed all the flights about 30-45 minutes; but thankfully didn’t cancel our flight home. We debated going to get foot rubs (standing for a 13+ hour sales floor 3-4 days in a row makes my feet a little sore…am I getting old?), but decided sitting felt too good to get up.
Eventually they started boarding, and we were on our way back to Chicago.
Waiting for the flight home with Krazy Krow and his wife
Anime Boston was, once again, an amazing time. It’s an exhausting show, with a long sales floor and an intense schedule, but it’s a lot of fun and has an amazing staff that makes you want to keep coming back year after year. I hope to be back again next year!
SATURDAY:
Morning came too quickly, as it often does at a con, and I grabbed a quick bite and went to set up the table. I got a text message from Johnny Young Bosch (Power Rangers), inviting me to hang out that night and grab some dinner. It’s been a while since he and I had a chance to hang out and catch up, so I was very interested.
This is the face of a (sleep-deprived) man who wants to sell you some comics
My helpers showed up around noon, and I headed off to my first panel of the day (with my good friend and Spinnerette creator, Krazy Krow), Crafting Fictional Worlds. This was a fun panel, and was the first time I had done it in ages. And the first time I had done it with another creator. Learning about his process, and talking about my own (and how it’s changed over time) was a lot of fun, and informative for the audience. We talked about how even worlds based in “reality” (like Batman, or Strangers in Paradise) still need world building. They have rules, and you can’t break them or else the reader gets taken out of the story.
Crafting Fictional Worlds panel – standing room only, and (believe it or not) our least attended panel for the weekend
After the panel ended, we headed back to our tables and kept selling. I had a helper get me a little lunch, and then had to pack up again for my final panel for the weekend: Writing for Comics. This is always a fun panel to do (once again, Krazy Krow joined me), since we get to talk about techniques, styles, overcoming plot holes and “writer’s block,” and talk about our stories. How did we come up with them? Where did the characters come from? And the audience gets to learn about us, our process, and how they need to get started in comics.
My table helpers for the weekend, cosplaying as character from Spinnerette
After the panel ended, we went back to selling at the tables (and managing the hordes of panel attendees who came with more questions, or to buy from the table). The night ended soon enough, with time to break down before heading to the restaurant to meet up with Johnny and Polo (his friend and band member). I walked into the restaurant and found them already enjoying a relaxing beverage, and having ordered their meals. I grabbed the waitress and made my orders, and sat down and chatted them up. Johnny and I did a series of cons together several years back, seeing each other several times a month throughout that particular year. I haven’t seen him as much since then, but it was good to get to catch up and talk cons, anime, and his favorite thing to watch on Netflix right now (Samurai Gourmet).
After dinner, I went back to the hotel and tried to unwind by watching some Samurai Gourmet, but the bandwidth wasn’t working so well and I gave up trying to stream it after a few tries. I went to bed later than I should have, ready for the final day of the con.
Anime Boston is this recent gem of a con that I was invited to attend two years ago, and was a featured artist two years in a row (something I’m told has never happened before). This year was the first time I was just a regular artist in Artist Alley, but that didn’t stop the excellent treatment and amazing staff and volunteers from treating me like family. This was another incredible year for me at this show, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.
THURSDAY:
I flew into Boston early in the morning, giving me plenty of time to get my boxes, grab some lunch, and relax before checking into my hotel. I also had time to get registered, standing in a line for artist alley badges that was quite long. It only took a few trips to get my books over to the convention center, though, and then I left set up for the next morning (hey, it’s exhausting to fly). I headed to a local pub and grabbed the tastiest thing on the menu: Beef-tips!
First-night whiskey and coke, a much needed social lubricant
Beef tips with potatoes – the kind of dinner you NEED after a hard move in
I quickly filled up and headed to the local store to grab some snacks for the weekend, and then headed to bed.
FRIDAY:
I got up early in the morning, and since the hotel didn’t have a gym, I grabbed breakfast and went to the convention center to set up. I had premium placement – just to the right of the entrance, and impossible to miss as people were walking in. I chatted with the staff of the show as I continued to unpack my books and displays, anticipating a long day of great sales. I was not wrong.
The table, all set up and ready to sell
A little after noon, I started to get ready for my first panel of the weekend: Making Webcomics. I was going to be joined by Spinnerette creator Krazy Krow, and once my helpers showed up to watch the table I ran off to the panel. This panel has always been extremely well attended in years past, and this year was no exception. The room was full before we even got there – over 200 people standing room only, and all eager and excited to learn. We did our usual joking answers, had a lot of fun with the audience, and then invited them back to our tables to buy.
My helpers got me some lunch once I got back to the table, and I kept selling late into the night. During that time, fans new and old stopped by – and I even got a visit from guests of honor Johnny Young Bosch (Power Rangers) and Greg Ayres. Good buddies of mine.
That night I was on my own for dinner, and found a little pub to hang out at and enjoy a meal. I had to go to bed soon after that, though, because a 13+ hour sales floor mixed with early mornings and late nights = a tired Trevor.
SUNDAY:
The final day of the con had us grabbing breakfast in the green room (they had some delicious fresh apples!), and then heading to the floor for our final set up. The last day of the show is always exhausting, but the excitement of the final day always brings enough energy to muscle through.
We didn’t have any panels on the final day, so we were able to just focus on sales and hanging out. Traffic on the floor was still pretty solid, and people were in good spirits – the way you like to see the final day of a con.
The comic book guests of the show, somehow full of energy on the final day!
After several hours of selling, we finished and packed up and began to say our good byes to the staff and volunteers who had made our weekend so great. I even walked around the floor a bit, looking to see if there were any gifts for my daughter (I didn’t see anything age-appropriate, but I’m sure she’ll want a bunch of stuff when she’s old enough to appreciate it).
Thanks so much for another amazing weekend, and a fantastic start to the convention season! I can’t wait to be back again next year!
Thanks for a fantastic weekend, Anime Milwaukee. Photo by Tommy Schultz