Archive for ‘conventions’
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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
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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
SATURDAY:
The next morning started like any other day, but would progress quite differently. We attempted to grab breakfast at the diner across the street again, but after waiting over 40 minutes for our order, we had to take off to open our tables. Russell offered to stay behind and pick up our food, which took another 20 minutes or so. Alan and I were open and ready for the masses who piled into the dealer’s hall first thing, and started making sales right away. The day flew by quickly, between selling books, chatting with friends who stopped by, and promoting the Kickstarter for Albert the Alien vol 3 (live until March 15).
Kickstarter backers at the con got bonus rewards, as modeled by Alicia
Around 5pm, just before the close of the floor, the group broke down and went to our panel about How to Exhibit at Cons. When we arrived at the room, however, it appeared to be another schedule hiccup. The room was already filled with voice actors doing their bits for a very large crowd, who was having a fun time. Since the schedule didn’t list the right now for our panel, and no one was waiting for us, we opted to let the voice actors keep going and instead went to grab some dinner.
Alan took us to a Spy-themed restaurant, which I was not able to eat at due to the wait time (I had another panel later that night). Instead, I went to a local Bon Mi place and went to the green room to eat diner and talk to the staffers up in the room. I enjoyed my sandwich, told some funny stories, and then headed to my final panel for the weekend (which did have a matching schedule on the door to my schedule) about Self-Publishing. We had a nice sized crowd for the panel – a good 30+ attendees – all asking excellent questions and trying to make their own comics. I went on for the full hour, and broke down at the end to grab a quick drink before we did Cards Against Humanity with Dan and Jillian.
Myself and Lady Jillian, getting ready for a night of Cards Against Humanity!
The rest of our guest lineup for CAH. Top: Russell Lissau and Greg Wicker. Bottom: Alan Evans and myself
This panel is a rather private affair, and pictures are almost always forbidden – but we were able to snap a few. They play the game a bit differently than normal – but it’s a way that I’ve grown to enjoy more and more. If you’ve never attended, you really should – it’s a fun time. The panel went until almost 2am, and as soon as it ended I headed up to bed.
What do you do Saturday nights at a con? Are you all about the panels? The viewing room? The dances?
My first convention of the year – which is a show I commonly start my year with – was Anime Milwaukee, and it never disappoints. This weekend is, and does, set my bar for the year on how conventions can and should be run. I love this show. LOVE IT. And I’m going to tell you why: the attendees are awesome. Period.
What do you like most about the cons you attend? What tends to bring you into a show? Guests? Events? Bands? Panels? Word of mouth about the show? Let me know.
That said, let’s jump into the con.
THURSDAY:
After work, I picked up my buddy Russell Lissau (another guest of the show, and writer of Old Wounds) and we decided to hang out and grab some dinner locally before beginning our drive north to avoid some traffic. Russell took me to a local Mediterranean place that had some very delicious kabobs and hummus. We sat and caught up, having not seen each other for some time (and not having done a con together for months). Eventually we finished dinner and headed up to the con, which was a much faster drive than we both anticipated.
We got to the hotel and parked, and headed in to get our badges and itineraries for the weekend. We met up with Alan Evans (Rival Angels), who showed us that our rooms were all next to each other (and connected!). We poured some drinks and hung out for several hours, eventually being joined by our good friend Sandi. I didn’t stay up too late, because I was exhausted from having the baby at home, but I did stay up later than I expected to.
FRIDAY:
Alan and I got up early and hit up the gym, taking turns and spotting each other in the workout. We had a good hour in the gym, and then headed to our rooms to get ready for the day and headed to breakfast. We went to a local diner across the street, grabbed a quick bite, and then went to the floor to start setting up our tables.
The booth, set up in all its glory!
Our table position was PERFECT. We were just to the right of the main entrance to the artist alley / dealer’s area, so we had a lot of main traffic coming past our table. We were very visible from the entrance, and got a lot of spillover because of the extra visibility. Before we started selling, however, it was time for opening ceremonies.
Do you attend opening ceremonies at a con? I find them attended very sporadically, depending on the show – some have incredible attendance, others less so. This show has great attendance at their opening ceremonies.
Many guests were still arriving (or would not be attending for the weekend, due to the massive storms in California cancelling flights). They called the guests up in groups, and so the comic guys all went up together. Despite having agreed to me doing all the talking, Alan said a few words which lead to some awkwardness, and then we went off stage and opened our tables for the start of selling and panels. Well, sort of….
We had received our panel schedules from the guest department, which we were following. However, that schedule did not always match the schedule outside of the rooms. So when I arrived at my 3:30pm Writing for Comics panel, I found someone else already talking in the room and no line waiting for me. When I looked at the panel doors, that scheduled claimed the panel was in another room an hour earlier. I told my guest handler about the snafu, and went back to my table to keep selling. This would become a theme for the weekend, unfortunately, but was really the only hiccup in an otherwise perfect weekend.
Godzilla sketch card commission
About the time the floor was supposed to close, we had another panel – this one was a group panel, about Making Time for Making Comics. Attendance was a bit light, but again – our schedule didn’t match the door schedule. But we had a fun time, talked about identifying and removing distractions, and how to prioritize creative projects. After that, we grabbed some dinner and hung out in the green room with the rest of the guests – including an appearance by my buddy Matt Mercer, and Vic Mignogna.