Archive for ‘conventions’
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New York Comic Con (NYCC) is the largest comic convention in the country, this year having estimated attendance of 250,000 people! I really enjoy this convention every year, getting to see friends, celebrities, and a city I rarely get to see these days. But this year was something on a whole new level of special. This year was something truly amazing!
THURSDAY:
I flew in Thursday morning, after having spent the night holding my eldest daughter for most of the night (since she got sick, and wasn’t able to sleep). I hopped into a cab and headed to my buddy in Queens to drop off my stuff (since I was staying with him, to save on some dough – and to hang out, because he’s awesome!), and then jumped on the 7 train to downtown to set up. I arrived a little after the show had opened, and set up the table as quick as I could. I had packed light, since 1) this is an away-show for me, so I try to be conservative with my displays and inventory, and 2) this was the first time I was in artist alley in a long while, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. But man oh man, did I under-estimate just how incredible this show would be for sales.
Opening hall banners…the Javits is MASSIVE
So great to see Booker again, reunited after hanging out for a bit in Wizard World Chicago artist alley a few months earlier
K Lynn Smith is always conversation, energetic, and gushing with artistic talent and wit!
My pal (and yours), Justin Jordan!
I was on my own for the bulk of the day, since volunteers didn’t arrive until Friday. Despite that, artist alley performance way above my projections from past year’s NYCC shows. Usually I’m in a booth in small press, a 10×10 space up stairs and away from indie publishers like myself. It’s a fine location, and I do very well there, but this year was a game changer in artist alley. It completely blew those projections out of the water. I sold through half of my inventory for the weekend in a single day, and it was “preview day.”
After the show ended, I closed up shop and walked with my buddy Josh Elder (Scribblenauts, The Batman Strikes) to the Lion Forge after party. It was great to see folks at this party and get to reconnect, some of whom I haven’t spoken to in years, and others I see at all the shows but haven’t had time to really have a good conversation with in a long time. I stayed at the party much later than I expected to, and eventually made my way back to the train to Queens so I could crash. A much later first night than I expected, but an incredible night all around.
FRIDAY:
I headed to the convention center from my buddy’s place in Queens, grabbing the 7 train and headed all the way to the Javits. Unfortunately the train announced this would be the last day I would be able to do this, since the train line would be under construction during the weekend and the closest I could get would be 42nd Times Square exit (which was about 8 blocks from the convention center, so not terribly far).
I got to the show and met my volunteer for the day, a very energetic guy named Mike. His wife was going to wonder the city during the day while he and I worked the booth. I gave Mike the download on the table and offerings, and told him we could pace ourselves today since I had sold so well the previous day. It made for a more relaxing feel, and how I prefer to be with my volunteers. Pressure is no fun.
Come buy comics from this guy – a heroic return to artist alley
Ashley Riot is AWESOME!
Hanging with Kat!
The illustrious Dirk Manning, also running Kickstarters during cons
The day flew past in a flash, with Mike and I selling through all of the books before the end of the day. I had to figure out how to pivot, and decided to offer pre-orders (since we still had a preview copy of the books on the tables). We also promoted the organization and handed out bookmarks and freebies to the interested people who stopped by. The newsletter, too, was a popular sign up.
After the con closed for the day, I packed up and headed off back to Queens. I had been invited to a few after parties, but wanted to take my friends to dinner as a thank you for putting me up for the weekend. They were leaving for Japan the next morning, so this was going to be my last night to hang out with them. We went to their favorite local restaurant, a Himalayan place that has really good food. After dinner, we headed back to their place to relax on the couch, watch some funny cartoons, and get an early night.
SATURDAY:
I got up in the morning and headed to the train, transferring to the N to get a little closer to the convention than where the 7 would have dropped me off. I met up with my buddy, Eric Palicki (No Angel, Fake Empire), to grab some breakfast and catch up. He had just finished his second successful anthology Kickstarter, and since I had one live at the moment I wanted to pick his brain a bit. Eric is always full of great ideas, and I always enjoy hanging out with him (which isn’t often enough). With fuel in our bodies for the day, we hiked to the convention center and parted ways to set up our tables.
My day started having breakfast with the esteemed Eric Palicki
Sold out, but not done trying to sell more
Serena was also knocking out sales and commissions left and right!
Reunited with Albert the Alien artist Gabo!
My next volunteer arrived at the show, Aliza, who had helped me out at C2E2 several years ago. That weekend had been a fun time, so I knew this weekend was going to be great as well – and I was not mistaken. Aliza knows her stuff, and fully throws herself into what she’s supporting. She was a machine when it came to talking about the books, the organization, and any of our initiatives. With her help, we were able to get a whole bunch of pre-orders for the books we had sold out of, and also had some fun conversation in booth to boot.
Aliza killed it, and the day flew past in record time. After the show ended, I closed up shop and headed to my airbnb to drop off my stuff, and then met up with my friend from high school for dinner and drinks. Her birthday had been a few days earlier, so I wanted to treat her and catch up. She also has two little ones under foot, both a little older than mine, so it was nice to get a bit of a glance into what the future holds for me in the Mueller house hold.
Had a fun dinner out with my old friend Sarah, catching up
SUNDAY:
The final day of the con, and all the pressure had been removed days ago (since we surpassed our sales goals for the weekend). I jumped into a cab with Josh Elder and headed to the city, grabbed breakfast on the walk from the drop off point to the convention center, and met up with Aliza to set up the table for the day.
I had a short window to sell on this final day of the show, since I had a flight to catch (took an earlier flight to try to see my girls that night). And since we had already sold through everything, I also had the chance to walk around artist alley a bit and say hi to other creators, and snap a few photos.
With the always friendly, and very talented, Laura Braga
I couldn’t have done it without the help of our volunteers, including Aliza!
Sold out days ago, but now it’s official…thanks for everything, NYCC!
After a few hours, I closed up the table and said my goodbyes, and headed to the airport for the long flight home. I want to thank the staff, volunteers, and attendees who made NYCC 2018 such an awesome and incredible show, and who helped us to sell out in record time. Next year, I’m going to have to plan for this kind of surge and have more books on hand for artist alley!
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Two years ago I attended Baltimore Comic Con, which was the second year in a row we received our Harvey Award nomination for Albert the Alien. It wasn’t that I hadn’t wanted to go the first year, or any previous years – it’s that the show has always conflicted with an annual family camping trip, and it’s been difficult to get out of the trip to attend the con. But I’m so glad I did this year, because Baltimore is a special kind of event. A rare jewel in a sea of conventions that feels less like a show, and more like a family reunion.
THURSDAY:
I arrived at the conventions Thursday night, signed in and dropped off my stuff at the hotel and the convention center. I was staying with my buddy Paul Storrie (Viking Queen, Robyn of Sherwood), who I don’t get to see enough throughout the year. I had dinner plans with Howard Chaykin (American Flag, Star Wars), Dean Haspiel (The Red Hook, The Fox), Clinton Hobart (Disney), and a handful of others, and invited Paul to join us. We headed to a local sea food spot that Dean enjoys every time he attends the con, and – despite the rainy weather – we walked over and were seated very quickly.
We had a great conversation, and even though my comic credits were less than most at the table, what I love about this group is their inclusiveness. They wanted to hear my thoughts and opinions on things, even if and when I disagreed. These are the kinds of conversations I have with my family, and even when we don’t agree with respect each other enough to let it stand and move on in the conversation. And we do disagree, coming from different backgrounds and having different interests.
Lobster dinner the first night (it was on special, so I paid less)
Hanging out at the hotel bar, like ya do
After dinner, we headed back to the hotel bar to hang out and see who else had arrived. I didn’t stay too late, though, since I needed to pace myself for the weekend. I went to bed early to keep my energy up, and because I wanted to work out the next day…and I haven’t worked out in like 4 months, since my baby was born.
FRIDAY:
I woke up early and headed to the gym, and low and behold I ran into Howard again. Howard and I had a great conversation about comics and our careers, but also about family and how life has changed us both. His career has been an interesting one, and he’s got a strong opinion about the industry and how the landscape has changed – and isn’t afraid to share it – but that kind of bluntness is something I’ve always respected, especially when it comes from years of experience.
As I expected, I got gassed pretty quickly for the first time working out in 4 months, and headed back to the room to shower and have breakfast with Paul downstairs. We took our time catching up and people watching as fans and pros alike came in for coffee and breakfast. After a while, we headed over to the convention center to set up our respective tables.
The table is all set up and ready for selling
When I attended Baltimore Comic Con two years ago, I did pretty well. It was a solid sales show, with some incredible networking and hanging out afterwards. So this year, when projecting my sales numbers, I used those numbers from two years ago. However, I grossly under-estimated how well I would do during the weekend. As soon as the show opened, the floor was flooded with people buying books left and right. Sales were something that rival a strong Saturday at a con. And in the first day of the con, I sold through half of the books I had brought for the entire weekend.
Come buy comics from this man!
After the floor closed, I headed back to the room to freshen up, and then met my good friend Katie Cook and went for dinner. She was kind enough to give me a preview of things to come with my girls, since hers are older than mine, previewed her Ringo Awards speech – which we both knew was going to be polarizing. Katie had recently gotten back into webcomics with the launch of her WebToon series Nothing Special. But her book IS something special, and her speech reflected as much.
After catching up with Katie, I did a quick stop off at the hotel bar (for more socializing), but again it was an early night for me.
SATURDAY:
A strange thing occurred to me on the second day of the show: I sold out of all my inventory by noon! What was supposed to last me an entire weekend barely lasted a full day, and so I was left with a very good question: what should I do with the rest of my weekend? I decided to continue to focus on sales, and promoting the Kickstarter. We had quite a few people pre-order copies of the books I was now sold out of, and several others backed the Kickstarter to get the full series.
After the con ended for the day, I went to dinner in Little Italy with some friends I met on forums and have known for ages. Even though it was the first time I was meeting many of them for the first time in person, it was like we had been hanging out for our entire lives. It felt like family.
After dinner, we walked back across the bay to the hotel and waited at the hotel bar for the Ringo Awards to let out. Around 11pm, the bar flooded with well-dressed folks from the comic world that were all over the spectrum in terms of their time in the industry, and reactions to Katie’s keynote speech had been universally positive. We stayed up late into the night, talking and celebrating and having a merry time – everyone mirroring the feeling I had been expressing the entire weekend. That this was less of a show, and more of a gathering of family.
Hanging out with Katie Cook after her keynote speech at the Ringo Awards
Late night shenanigans with Dean Haspiel, Laura Lee Gulledge, and myself
SUNDAY:
Morning came far too early, but Paul and I headed downstairs for our final convention breakfast for the weekend. We sat with Amy Chu (Red Sonja, Poison Ivy) and her son, and talked about being on panels, good (and bad) questions from fans and moderators, and so much more. I have known Amy for a while now, but this was the first time we had met in person. She knew who I was, despite not having met before this breakfast, and again – it felt like a family breakfast conversation.
After the breakfast, we headed to the show floor for the final hours of sales. After a few hours on the floor, I closed down the table to lead a How to Draw Creepy (and Cute) Monsters workshop for kids, co-lead by Emily Drouin. Emily and I had coordinated months ago about doing a workshop, and this was such a fun experience for us and for the kids – and the kids draw some excellent monsters!
Had such a fun time co-leading a kids workshop with Emily Drouin
Not too long after, I went to a Kickstarter panel with other people who had done successful campaigns in the past. It was a fun opportunity to talk about my current Kickstarter campaign, impart some experience of what and how campaigns change over time, and learn from other pros on how they made their campaigns as successful as they have.
After the panel, I packed up and headed to the airport to catch a flight back home. I had another convention the following weekend, and needed to conserve as much of my energy (and my voice) as I possibly could.
But despite pacing myself all weekend, Baltimore Comic Con was a complete blast! Such a fun time filled with industry pros who made me feel like one of them. Inclusive, diversive, and accepting – the entire weekend was one for the ages, and solidified Baltimore as more than an occasional show. It’s a mandatory show for me now.
Thank you to all the staff, volunteers, fellow creators, and also the fans who made this weekend such an incredible experience. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Airport meal, my after-con celebration!
Last weekend was a return to a convention that has a lot of different opinions about it: Wizard World Chicago. Now, I like this show. A lot. And I’ve become friends with a lot of people who run it, as well as with creators who attend it or have guested at the show. And this year was no exception. So let’s jump into it!
THURSDAY:
Preview night for Wizard World continues to be hit or miss, and with Illinois schools in session (except for Chicago Public School, which starts the following week), I anticipated traffic to be pretty light. And it was. But, it was a good opportunity to meet my table neighbors for the weekend, as well as work on some display holes I needed (like sketch cards…you guys love these, and they take some time to make; so I spent the down time drawing and coloring).
And the slower pace of the floor on this day allowed me to socialize more with the fans and attendees who did come in, since there wasn’t a pressure to work as hard. Honestly, I think Wizard could drop this day from the lineup and it would likely lead to stronger sales (or no real difference in sales), but it can be nice from a socialization standpoint.
I will say my positioning at this show had me nervous at first, but the traffic was coming right through my area and show it was an excellent spot to be in. My table neighbors – Kelvin Goodner on one side of me, and Tom Richardson (Mad Magazine) on the other – was absolutely excellent. Had a lot of fun with those guys during the weekend. And then behind me was the incredible Rob Leifeld…but more on that, later.
After the con ended, I went to dinner with Brad Jones (Cinema Snob) and his wife, Fard, and Kelvin at a local pub we enjoyed. I always enjoy hanging out with Brad and his wife, and Fard has a habit of always being wherever I go (I swear that man is stalking me), but he’s good people. Always a lot of laughs with this group. And a great way to end the first day of the con.
FRIDAY:
The next morning I packed a few extra things into my car and drove to the show, setting up plenty early and finishing up some commissions and display items. When the con opened, I was ready for it. Traffic was much higher, which would normally mean better sales, which there were – but honestly, I had to work and work hard for each and every one of those sales.
Throughout the day I had a few panels to help break up my day, and also had a helper at the table keeping an eye on things (thanks so much, Harrison). My first panel was at 3pm, which was the VIPS of Self-Publishing with Victor Dandridge. Victor’s a good buddy of mine, and we have a very similar approach to self-publishing, so we got along very well. The attendees for the panel were a small but dedicated and interested group of people looking to start their own comic journey, and Victor and I hopefully set them along a path of creation and adventure.
After the panel ended, I had a short break (during which I returned to my table to sell some more, and grab some food) before my next panel. This was a solo panel about Making Webcomics, which was mostly Q&A style. A great turn out for this topic, and we even competed with some RWBY and X-Files panels happening at the same time. Another interested and engaged group of attendees kept the questions flowing as I kept dropping knowledge bombs and weaving in some entertaining (but enlightening) stories throughout my answers. I really enjoy doing these panels.
After the panel ended, I went back to the table for a brief time before the artist alley closed for the day. I ended the show by meeting my friend Lauren for dinner, and had a few cocktails. It was nice to get to catch up with her, since I hadn’t seen her in ages (even though we live like 40 minutes from each other; I blame the children keeping me from having a social life). We had a great time at a pub near the con, and then decided to get wild and crazy…and went to go see The HappyTime Murders. The movie was exactly what I needed – a turn-your-brain-off comedy murder mystery that doesn’t try too hard, and had just the right amount of raunchy comedy in it to make me smile and laugh. A good way to end my Friday.
SATURDAY:
The biggest day of this (or just about any) con, and what a massive day it was, too. I had a very slow morning, despite a nice flow of traffic moving through artist alley, but a friend referred a buyer to my table who was a teacher of special needs children…and that buyer bought one of everything. And that was a massive way to start my Saturday. And this is how artist alley is supposed to work. Because artist alley isn’t a zero sum game…it’s a community of creators that have goods (most of which are quite different from each other), and if you know your friends or neighbors projects, you can refer and pass sales back and forth. This works on two levels: 1) It helps your fellow creators make some money, and 2) it helps the buyer, because their purchases are relevant and you position yourself as someone helpful (and they’re more likely to return to you for advice later on, which is a future opportunity to sell).
My table neighbor, who I had never met before this weekend, did this very thing without even talking to each other about it. I heard what he was selling (commissions, including sketch covers, and kick-ass prints), and he heard what I was selling (comics for young readers). We passed sales to each other all weekend. I had a guy stop at my table and say he was looking for commissions, told him about my sketch cards (he didn’t seem interested), and so I passed him to my neighbor and he was able to get the guy the commission he was looking for. Reciprocity filled the weekend and helped fuel the sales the whole time.
Around 3pm, I took a break before my panel to run around artist alley and ran into my buddy Dan Dougherty (Beardo). He was in A row, which is a prime location but can be challenging since there’s a wider aisle gap, and he was saying that traffic was lighter to his table. I invited him to join my panel at 3pm, and he got someone to cover his table for him. We did the Writing for Comics panel together, which was our first time collaborating together and a lot of fun to do. I like doing panels with other people because they bring a unique perspective to the topics and answers for the audience, and Dan is an educator of comics, self-publisher, and has worked for publishers both as a writer and artist – so he brought some great experience to the topic. We had a blast, encouraged people to come to our tables after the panel ended, and I got a lot of sales after the panel ended from people who wanted to see these tips and tricks put to work.
After the convention day ended, I grabbed dinner at the local casino with some friends and was not as talkative as usual – because I was beat. I worked hard that day. And everyone else in the party was basically saying sales were low for them all weekend, and that Saturday was no exception – but that was not my experience. I worked HARD for those sales, to be sure, and there were times during the day when I worried about how I was pacing, but I was having fun and meeting fans, and yes – the sales were coming in. I coasted through the dinner, trying not to pass out from exhaustion, and went home. The final day of the con wasn’t going to make or break the weekend for me, thankfully, but it was a huge opportunity because Sunday is often family day – and I have kids comics on my table.
SUNDAY:
The final day of the show. I was exhausted (but in a good way), and had worked my butt off for each and every single sale I had made all weekend. I was selling out of titles (another good thing), but had enough to get me through the day. The traffic for Sunday was light compared to years previous, but it was still a fun crowd with a lot of positive energy (and wanting to buy!), and I did a good job between sketch cards, pins and merch, and yes – books. I sold through most of my Albert the Alien inventory at the show, which is always a pleasant surprise.
I even got to see some old buddies of mine, like cosplayer Stella Chuu. I had met Stella years before when we were both guests at Anime Milwaukee, and have stayed in touch online through social media. She had been at the show judging cosplays, hosting Overwatch esports events, and commenting on other gaming activities throughout the weekend.
And finally, I got a chance to chat up Rob Liefeld, who had been set up behind me the entire weekend. Rob is a nice guy, and very friendly and open to creators like myself. He stayed at his table until the line disappeared every day, signed multiple items for fans, and even posted for pictures with fans (myself included). He was a nice guy, and it was a treat to get to meet him again.
My Wizard World Chicago experience this year was very positive, which seems to vary from some other artist alley exhibitor experiences. I crushed it. Record sales. And I had a fun time with fans, which is always a great experience. I continue to enjoy selling at this show, and appreciate the continued partnership that Wizard has given to me throughout the years. I look forward to returning again next year!
Convention season is in full swing, and for me that includes both comic and anime conventions. And while the largest anime convention in the country was going on the same weekend on the west coast, nothing beats a fun local convention like Anime Midwest.
I had the privilege of being a returning guest of honor to this incredible show, and not only was this year bigger and better than all previous years, but it was also an amazing fun time. So without further delay, let’s jump into the events of the weekend.
FRIDAY:
This year I stayed at home, so Friday morning didn’t start with a gym workout but instead a quick trip to the convention center, having packed my car up the night before. Knowing that my new set up requires a bit more time than when I only had books on my table (when I only had books, it took maybe 20 minutes to set up my table…now, it’s closer to an hour), I got there early and got the booth set up and ready to go.
The booth is set up
Not long after the table was set up, I headed over to the main stage for opening ceremonies. I ran into Linkara and Brian, and we headed behind the stage with the rest of the guests. I got to see my buddies Chuck Huber, Greg Ayres, Samurai Dan and Lady Jillian, and many more, while we waited to be called and brought out onto the stage. I was the only comic guest who made it to opening ceremonies, so I pitched my panels and got the crowd fired up, and then headed back to my table just as artist alley opened to the public.
Russell Lissau was my table neighbor all weekend
I ran into a lot of returning fans, people wanting the latest books, and even a few new fans while going through a stellar day of sales. Lots of cosplayers and staff stopped by as well, saying hi and getting autographs, photos, and buying books and art.
I closed up the table a bit early because I had to make it to my first panel of the weekend, Tabling at Conventions. I arrived on time, but the previous panel was running a bit over – featuring another guest who was a youtube celebrity. He was encouraging everyone in the room to skip the vendor’s hall and come meet him fr autographs in that area. I approached the stage as he was packing up, and he asked what my panel was about. “I’m teaching these kids how to make money in that vendors area you mentioned. Hope you have a great autograph session.”
The panel was well attended, and had people interested in starting a business in illustration, jewelry, seamstressing and custom cosplay, and more. The questions were engaging, and I had a lot of repeat visitors at the table throughout the weekend from this first panel thanking me for the advice; and a few who attended my remaining panels throughout the weekend, even though they hadn’t been interested in those topics. They just liked the way I talked.
After the panel ended, Russell and I met up for a quick dinner and we headed home. This had been a great first day of the show, but it was only the beginning…and we were not prepared for what the next day would bring us.
SATURDAY:
There’s a question among people selling in artist alley: to sell out, or not to sell out? I’m of the mindset that selling out, so long as you’re profitable, is not a bad thing. It means less to bring home, and for an away show that’s a cost saving measure (because shipping books home costs money). Others know selling out means you missed out on potential sales, which is also true – but I consider that a learning experience for what to pack more of the next year.
Well, Saturday blew my wildest expectations out of the water, and I ended up selling out of almost all of my books. More sales in a single day than I had at the show the entire weekend the previous time. It was overwhelming and amazing at the same time.
I carpooled with Russell that morning, having to restock a few items from the previous day (just to make sure I didn’t run out quickly), and we got our tables ready for the day. And boy, what a day it was. Foot traffic was through the roof, with rarely if ever a dull moment on the floor. Lots of visitors from the panel the previous night, and even more returning and new fans coming to buy books.
Ready for round 2!
Across the isle from me was a good friend who has an excellent fitness Instagram (seriously, you should check her out), Kat, and we ended up making silly faces at each other all weekend. She also sells some amazing prints of original characters, and we both commented across the isle from each other about the volume of foot traffic.
Hanging out with Kat, whose table was across from mine all weekend
Towards the end of the show, I closed up a bit early again since I had to run to a panel. I hosted a Crafting Fictional Worlds panel, which was standing room only. Wow, these fans really like their science fiction and fantasy world building. The questions were engaging, we had a lot of fun talking about world building and other topics related to story – setting tone and atmosphere, narrative exposition and how much (or little) to use, how to get characters to fit into your world (or vise versa), and many more topics were covered in this 50 minute panel. At the end, I thanked the audience and headed out with Brian and Linkara to grab dinner.
We headed to a local pub and ordered some food, chatting about social media and comics (they being comic reviewers for YouTube), and having a really fun time.
After dinner, I headed back to the hotel to see if anyone was hanging out in the green room (it was early yet, so no one was really in there yet), so I headed home soon after to see my family.
Saturday had defied all expectations for the show, but Sunday would really solidify this con as legendary for this year.
That’s a good looking shirt on that bald guy….
SUNDAY:
Sunday I carpooled with Russell yet again, and we set up our tables and began selling. I didn’t stay open too long, though, since I had a panel at noon: How to Make your own Comics and Manga. It’s intended to be a self-publishing panel, but a lot of the questions we got were about character arcs, storytelling, formatting, and a few questions about printing options and business budgeting. A fantastic panel, and a lot of people for a Sunday morning. I joked that they either are all morning people, or some of them had just not gone to bed yet.
Exhausted on the final day
After the panel, I returned to the table to end the day strong with sales. I had restocked most of my titles from the previous day, but it didn’t matter – by 3pm I had sold out of my restock of books that had sold out the day before. It was NUTS. And I mean that in a good way. I sold through what little stock I had left, and before I knew it the show had come to an end. Russell and I packed up our tables, and headed home.
Thank you so much to the fans, attendees, staff, and volunteers for having me back at the show, and for making that weekend so amazing and incredible. If you would like me to attend a con year you, please reach out to the show and request me as a guest. They listen to you, the fans, and I’d love to come meet you and hang out.
Did you attend the show? If so, what was your favorite part? Did you attend any of my panels? Which were your favorite?
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!
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