So the odyssey of conventions continues, with back-to-back shows with NYCC last week and Mid-Ohio Con this weekend. And boy oh boy, did I find myself exhausted. In a good way. A different show always means different fans, exhibitors, and experiences. And Mid-Ohio has etched itself into my heart for some very specific reasons. But I’ll get into those in the daily breakout.
FRIDAY
Early in the morning I waited for my ride, Alan (Rival Angels) and his wife, who were driving down from Wisconsin. Since I’m on the way (and because they’re both awesome people), they picked me up and we began our 6+ hour drive to Columbus.
I only get to see Alan a few times a year, and his wife even less. Over the years we’ve become good friends, and it was nice to have time to catch up with them on life and projects during our car ride to the convention center.
We made excellent time, hitting no traffic along the way, and arrived with enough time to drop off our stuff at our tables before meeting up with Lora (The Dreamer) and her husband for dinner.
Lora was busy making an apple pie when we arrived (what she and her husband continued to refer to as “the greatest apple pie of all time,” which had a lot of hype around it…I was anxious to try it out), so we were a little late meeting up our friends at Lora’s favorite local pizza place.
We met up with several comic creator friends: Thom Zhaler (Love and Capes), Paul Storrie (The Green Hornet, The Muse), and Sean McKeever (Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt, Onslaught Unleashed). It was another opportunity to hang out with old friends and catch up.

Writer Paul D. Storie and I at the pizza place.
While at the pizza place, I found out they had ingredients for my new favorite drink: root beer liquor, whipped cream vodka, and coke (I’ve heard it called “The Widow Maker”). The bartender made the drink and later came up to the table to say she made one for herself, and it’s going to become her new signature drink!
After dinner we went back to Lora’s to sample this famous pie. And let me tell you, the hype was justified. It was a buttermilk cream apple pie – and it was amazing!
By that time it was late and we all had an early morning (and a full day) ahead of us.
SATURDAY
After a quick breakfast, the group piled into cars and headed over to The Greater Columbus Convention Center, where the show was being held. This was the first year Wizard had taken over the show, but it was nice to see the Henry brothers were still involved – as they greeted us upon our arrival.
The show was in a different hall this year, which featured a large glass wall that let in natural light throughout the day. The ceiling, too, had lights that were multi-colored and very cool to look at. Additionally, the show played music instead of doing announcements – but the music was at a level that wasn’t distracting or too loud, but was instead enough to enjoy when you could and ignore when you needed to.
Mid-Ohio has always been a very strong family show, and this year was no exception. There were a lot of families, parents with kids, or younger fans running around the show floor. This has historically lead to high sales for me, with the bulk of my books being all-ages. I did see a lot of Saturday only badges, however, which made me a little nervous for Sunday’s traffic – but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Saturday was a strong day filled with good sales, and great fans both new and old. I had people who read the comic (or my twitter or facebook) coming up to the table all day to say hi and support the work, and also had new fans who hadn’t heard of the projects before but loved the ideas and purchased from me for the first time. It was a good solid day of socializing with friends new and old, and selling high quality books.
After show hours, the group headed off for a local Asian fusion place called Lemongrass. The food was tasty, the sushi was great, and the sake was just what we needed after a day on the floor.
After dinner, it was off to a quick taste of Jeni’s ice cream. Jeni’s is usually a post-convention tradition for our group, but this night we just had a craving for it before going back to the hotel for the after-party.

So many options, so little time….
At the after-party I split off from the group briefly to chat with David Mack (Kabuki) and actor Doug Jones (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy). David wanted to get his dance on, and Doug was trying to re-enact scenes from The Matrix with him. It was an entertaining night, to be sure.
After a while I went back over by my friends and chatted them up some more, before we all retired for the evening back to Lora’s.
SUNDAY
Traditionally “kid’s day” at a convention, I honestly think I saw more kids attending the previous day. I did get to meet with some great Reading with Pictures supporters, sold a few copies of my books, and ultimately finished the show as strong as we could.
As we thought, traffic on Sunday was a lot lower than the previous day – as most of those people had single-day passes. This meant that sales on Sunday were lower than expected, but books still went flying off the table.
After the show ended, the group packed up and loaded up cars – then met at Jeni’s again for our post-con tradition.

The gang hanging out at Jeni’s Ice Cream, a post-convention tradition.
The final outing with the group was too brief, because we had to get on the road to get back to Illinois at a decent hour. We all said goodbye and parted ways. All in all, Mid-Ohio was another successful show. Not just because sales continued to be strong, but also for those reasons I eluded to earlier in this post: because of good friends.
I’ll miss my friends, as I probably won’t see them again until next year, but we all continue to stay in touch online. And a special thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth – either for the first time or for the 30th time – as your continued support fills me with joy and creativity.
I have the best friends and fans a guy could ask for.

I’m at MOC this weekend, table #1033 in artist alley. Going to be a fun time, so be sure to swing by and say hi!
Wow, so I’m finally starting to catch up on my blogging (only two weeks later, right?). Specifically as it relates to Wizard World Chicago this year.
Let me just put some historical context here before breaking it down by the day’s events. Years ago, Wizard World Chicago was the first large convention I ever attended (and by large, I mean over 10,000 attendees). And it was the first convention where I shifted by focus from being an attendee to being an exhibitor. And I did this slowly – by meeting creators and chatting them up and learning about the industry from the business perspective. What I really liked about the show was the networking – and the fact that, after the show ends, just about everyone hangs out at the Hyatt bar. So the networking never really stops. This is really the show that launched by professional comics career – and I met most of my comic friends at this show, so it holds a special place for me.
That said, let’s get into the events of the show….
THURSDAY
I left work as soon as I could to make it in time for preview night, and made it there only an hour after it started. Unfortunately it sounds like the bulk of the business happened within that first hour. But I got set up and got to see some familiar faces all the same. WWC put most of the Reading with Pictures in a single row, so I got to hang out with many of my friends over the weekend. With us in the group were Russell Lissau (Shrek, Strawberry Shortcake), Steve Horton (DC Holiday Annual, Superman Annual), John Bivens (Comic Book Tattoo, Popgun), Steve Wallace (Binary Love, Omega Comics Presents), and Gabrielle Bautisa (The Spirit, Elephant Man). With us as well was my good friend Alan Evans (Rival Angels).
And visiting from Ann Arbor was my good buddy Scott, who was helping us all out throughout the weekend. Without Scott, I don’t know how we would’ve made it through this weekend.
After the floor closed, we all went back to the hotel room for some much needed pizza (and whiskey). It was a great start to what would be an amazing weekend.
FRIDAY
The group awoke pretty early in the morning and went to the Hyatt restaurant for breakfast. Upon walking in we passed Nicholas Brenden (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and we all took our turns at the buffet. While eating, Felicia Day walked in and sat in a booth by us. Celebrities started filtering in throughout as we took off to get ready for the show. I set up the booth a little differently from how I’ve done it in the past, and I think it worked out for the best.

The feature of the show was Reading with Pictures, which has been nominated for two Harvey Awards – one for best anthology, and another for best kid’s book. I had two editions: the softcover trade, and the limited edition hard cover. Next to it I always placed Junkyard Chase, which I consider a companion since it includes a script and kind of works as a template for young creators. After that was Hope: The Hero Initiative – another strong book that supports a great cause. In the middle were my sketch cards and free bookmarks. And bringing up the end were the few copies of @$$hole! I brought to the show.
Around 1pm I had to step away from the table for an hour to present some research I had done for work, so I retired to the hotel room (which was quiet). About an hour later, I came back out to the floor to keep selling and sell hard. Beth was at the table with me by this time, having a half-day at the office, and together we had an extremely strong Friday.
Scott only tried to steal my table once.

After the floor closed we all headed to The Ram for burgers. It’s one of our favorite places to unwind after the show – especially since they can take a party as large as ours. After dinner we all went back to the hotel for some pre-party in the hotel room, followed by heading down to the Hyatt bar to mingle. Upon getting down there we were met by fellow webcomic creators Tom Brazelton (Theater Hopper) and Gordon McAplin (Multiplex).
The treat of the evening for me was getting to hang out with Talent Caldwell (Fathom: Killian’s Tide, Superman: Godfall). Talent and I have hung out a bit at past shows, but tonight there were less people to distract us from good conversation. He caught me up on some projects he’s working on, and I did the same.
All in all the night ended later than I intended, but it was an amazing evening.
SATURDAY
To save a little money we decided to have breakfast at the restaurant attached to the convention center. Since this was the big day of the weekend, we all decided to sport our RWP t-shirts. This may have helped to bolster sales, because Saturday was the highest sales day I’ve ever had before. In fact, I sold better on Saturday alone than I’ve sold at my last two shows combined – and I did extremely well at those two shows. Beth was helping at the table the entire day, and despite a small fit of allergy attack (in the middle of the pitch to a customer, no less), the day went incredibly smoothly. I even sold out of @$$hole! about half way through the day, despite bringing triple the amount of books that I sold through last year.
There weren’t a lot of cosplayers at this show, but the costumes that were in the audience were pretty awesome.

Saturday was a very long but extremely profitable and fun day. And as a reward, the group went to McCormick and Schmicks to celebrate. After dinner, the group went to pre-party in the hotel room, and then back down to the Hyatt bar for some fun and networking. I ran into familiar faces, met some of the actors from the Boondock Saints, and hung out with Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother, Beasts of Burden). After a few drinks, the group retired for the night for the final day of the show.
SUNDAY
The final day of the show and the entire group was feeling pretty good about the weekend. But as always, you want to finish strong, so we didn’t slow down the sales. And sales did not slow down. In fact, I finished stronger on Sunday than I’ve done during an entire weekend at some shows.
As the floor closed we all said our goodbyes and packed up. We were too exhausted to get together for a final meal of the weekend, but I think it was an accomplished tired. Beth and I went home, ordered some food, watched a flick and passed out. Overall, Wizard World Chicago set a new benchmark for sales at conventions – one that will be hard to meet or beat. Until next year, at least.
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Remaining 2011 Convention Schedule:
New York Comic Con – October 13-16 – New York City, NY
Mid-Ohio Comic Con – October 22-23 – Columbus, OH
KollisionCon – November 18-20 – St Charles, IL
If this is your first time to my website: welcome.
To those of you returning to the site after seeing one of my panels or meeting me at the anime show last weekend (or just returning in general): Welcome back.
Let’s talk about my favorite convention to attend, as an exhibitor or (and especially) as a guest. Anime Central, or ACEN as it’s known by the fans, is the third-largest animation convention in the country. It’s put on by volunteers and organizations who work for the Mid-west Animation Society, and it’s the most fun weekend I have all year. I have a lot of history with this show, and no more so than what happened this year….

THURSDAY
After a long day at the office, I grabbed my 150lbs of merch and gear and headed off to the Blue Line to head out to Rosemont. Being the incredibly buff dude that I am, I of course stood the entire time (please note my sarcasm), and then waited for a pick up. The ride wasn’t coming fast enough for me and the hotel was only a block away (I walked further to get to the Blue Line), so I hoofed it and dropped my stuff in the room with Russell Lissau (Shrek, The Batman Strikes).
Thankfully I had some dinner before leaving the office, but there was food provided in the Green Room for the guests. Eventually Steve Horton (Superman Annual, Spinning to Infinity) and Alan Evans (Rival Angels) arrived, and the group of us went upstairs to say our hellos and drink the night away.
FRIDAY
The first official day of the show was met with an early morning breakfast at O’h, the restaurant in the Hyatt. The group was joined by our very awesome convention staffer, Amy, who stuck with us throughout the entire weekend and put up with all our nerdy antics. She’s good people.
11am rolled around and I was once again the only comic artist attending opening ceremonies. This happened to me last year as well, and I had to follow a big voice actor on the stage. I had nothing prepped, and I told myself that this year I would have a speech ready. Ever since they announced my guest status, I started writing a 2-3 minute rabble-rousing speech for the group.
Since registration was having a few glitches, the crowd was a bit lighter than last year. And they were also kicking guests off the stage after about a minute. Suffice it to say, I had to cut the speech short – but the crowd still got excited.

After that it was pure sales until the webcomics panel I put on with Steve. We invited our good friend Alan, who’s had a long-running series and also does all of the work on the #1 wrestling webcomic series on the internet, Rival Angels!
We pretty much filled the Rosemont B auditorium with people, and put on a very informative – and highly entertaining – panel for the masses. I was getting people coming up to the table all weekend thanking me for the panel, and coming to my other panels throughout the weekend because of how well we put that one on.
After the panel I focused on sales until the end of the show for the day. Sales were strong for a Friday, but I had expected to do better the first day of this show. Last year, I only had a single book available (@$$hole), and this year I had three more (Reading with Pictures, Hope: The Hero Initiative, and Junkyard Chase). After the floor closed we met up with Beth and headed out to dinner.

After dinner, the group went to go see Pirates 4 at the Muvico. The theater was quite the experience, as we saw the movie not only in 3-D (skippable), but also with D-BOX seats.
D-BOX seats are gyrating seats, similar to a vibrating video game controller…but for your butt! When the boat sways, your seat sways. It was a very different experience, and one that would only work for action flicks, and I’m not sure I would pay extra for it on all flicks – but it was a very fun experience to have, for sure.
After the flick we went back to the hotel and up to the Green Room for more booze and socializing. Gyu, one of the staffers, brought out a very nice bottle of Highland Scotch, and Steve Yun and I had a few celebratory drinks to kick off the weekend.
SATURDAY
Saturday was the big day. The day I had two panels, the attendance would be the largest, and people would be having the most fun. It was also the best day to get my sales goals above where I wanted them. Basically, I wanted to double what I did on Friday (and I came VERY close), but mostly I wanted to have a good time with the fans – and not lose my voice doing so.

After setting up the table, Beth and I started meeting the fans and selling the crap out of everything on the table. For some strange reason my Chocobo sketch cards I had spent the last two weeks slaving over didn’t sell so well…but I had a lot of interest in them. People were asking if they were stickers or magnets. But alas, they weren’t – so no sales there.
But the books were selling like hot cakes. People wanted a follow up book to @$$hole! like no one’s business. Unfortunately I had spent the last year writing other stories (and updating the website) instead of making another book for that story.
Next year, for sure. But I digress….
The first panel of the day was Reading with Pictures, where Josh and I fielded questions about the role comics can play in education. The panel went great, and people really got into asking some very good hard questions about literacy, overcoming objections, and why comics are better than text books – in some instances.
After a successful panel, I went back to the floor to continue my selling spree. Beth was a huge help, while I did things in the background like rubbed my banner’s head (for luck).

Around 6pm it was time for the fun panel – The Panel that Shall Not be Named! Last year ACEN gave me this panel to cover off on my book, @$$hole!, which they just didn’t want to repeat in polite company. However, there was no description for the panel. And no one could tell me what I was supposed to talk about. So I started telling goofy convention stories, and everyone had a blast.
They liked it so much, in fact, they brought it back this year. And it an almost-full room, to boot!
I can’t get into the details of the panel (you need to attend one at a show, though), but everyone had a blast and laughed their asses off. It was some of the most fun all weekend.
After the panel I started to sell copies of the books, which could run a little later since there wasn’t another panel immediately after mine. However, I ran out of copies of @$$Hole!, thinking that people would buy more than just that book. Thankfully, the people who didn’t get a copy were kind enough to follow me back to the convention floor, which was already closed. As a guest I was able to sweet-talk my way back in to grab three more copies for them, and everyone was happy.
After that, it was a bum rush to drop all of our stuff off at the hotel and make it to the restaurant in time for our 8pm reservations. We ate at Gibson’s Steak House, right across the street from the convention center. Last year we went here as well, and it was such a fun time we made reservations there again this year.

After dinner the group returned to the hotel, exhausted and stuffed. We split up for a bit, some of us going to the Green Room and some to the Presidential Suite where we enjoyed some homemade “adult” slushies.
SUNDAY
The final day of a convention is always the most difficult. You’re exhausted, but the adrenaline won’t let you rest completely. Thankfully I didn’t have any more panels to give, so it was a restful sales day. Beth and I manned the table like pros, and eventually the convention came to an end.
As I said earlier, ACEN is by far my favorite show to attend – and especially be a guest at. The show is amazing because of the hard work and dedication of the organizers, staff, and volunteers – and also because of the awesome attendees they attract.
Seriously, a special thank you to everyone involved and who attended the show.

Anime Central is this coming weekend, and it’s my favorite show to attend. I’ll be a guest again this year, which is excellent. I had such a fun time at this show last year, I can barely contain myself.
ACEN has always been an interesting show for me. Even before I was a guest, it held a lot of unique experiences. I went for the first time in college with my friends (who still attend), and met a whole bunch of celebrities, ate a lot of pocky, bought more manga than I have room for on my bookshelves, and also saw a girl get arrested for “prostitution.”
I’ve also met some of my greatest friends at this show, including comic writers Russell Lissau (The Batman Strikes, Shrek, Strawberry Shortcake) and Josh Elder (Mail Order Ninja, Starcraft, Reading with Pictures). These two have been extremely encouraging of me in my professional comics career, and have been great friends outside of the field as well.
Last year I did several panels (I was scheduled for 3, I think I ended up doing something like 9), had an absolute blast, and met a bunch of new friends and fans.
There’s even a video of me addressing opening ceremonies – about 2,000 people. And I had to go on stage after the star guest of the show, so no pressure. This year, though, I’m more prepared for my opening ceremonies speech.
I was so nervous. Not because of the crowd, but because I had to follow Vic on the stage. The man’s a entertainer by trade. I just sit at home and write comics while trying not to get clawed to death by my cat.
They haven’t announced my panels for this year yet, but I’m sure it’ll be on some fun and entertaining / semi-educational topics. And no doubt another panel about funny conventions stories (of which I could tell for HOURS).
The show’s in Rosemont, Il this weekend, and I hope to see you all there!
***EDIT***
The show finally announced a tentative panel schedule for me this year. I’ll be doing the following:
FRIDAY:
3-4pm: Webcomics: The good, the bad, and the ugly
SATURDAY:
3-4pm: Reading with Pictures
6-7pm: Trevor Mueller and the panel that still won’t be named
Please note these panels, days, and times are all subject to change. But will hopefully have the final panel list soon, since the show is this weekend!
Sorry it’s a little late (I was updating blogs about making comics, fer goodness sake), but finally here’s the entry about C2E2.
THURSDAY:
After a long hard day at the office, I headed home to meet my friends at the apartment. As always I provided dinner for the guests, and had a great assortment of friends: Joe Dun and Phil Chan (www.digitalpimponline.com), Russell Lissau (Batman Strikes, Shrek), Steve Wallace (Binary Love), and Alan Evans (www.rivalangels.com). After a long night of catching up and hanging out, we all went to bed to get ready for the long weekend ahead.
FRIDAY
Steve and I had to run to the post office to get some items that had been shipped but not delivered. We didn’t have any problems getting them – but the post office was in the other direction from the show. However, only a little bit after the show started, we arrived and started to set up the table. Professional hours were from 10am-1pm, and so it was a good chance to walk around and say hi to familiar faces, meet some new creators, and chat with editors. However, after the pro hours ended it was time to sell.
And sell we did.
Junkyard Chase sold very well, especially when paired with Reading with Pictures. Steve and I were table mates and had a great time. Positioned in the same isle as many of the top DC all-ages creators, so there were plenty of people who liked what we had to buy. The new banner made it’s premiere and met with positive response.
After a strong day of sales the group went out to one of my favorite sushi restaurants in town, called Niu. Everyone had a great time, and after we went back to my place for much needed rest.

SATURDAY
An early morning and a strong sales day. Steve and I were on fire all day, and with only a few Reading with Pictures panels to keep me away from the table, most of it was able to be spent meeting and mingling with friends and fans. As a bonus, my girlfriend Beth was in attendance and she got to tour the show with some of her friends, and eventually even hung out at the table with Steve and I.
After another long day at the show, the group went out to a local burger joint in my neighborhood, and then went back to my place to hang out and enjoy our last night of the weekend.

SUNDAY
Sunday morning we all went to a local breakfast hub, and then headed off to the show. It was kind of a slow day for me sales wise, but still a fun time. Eventually everyone left the show, Alan being kind enough to take Phil and Joe to the airport. All in all it was a great weekend, spent with amazing friends. Looking forward to the next show.
The convention season is upon us, and there was no better way to start it off in 2011 than with a show like Anime Milwaukee.
Last year I attended this show for the first time, which was located in a student union on a college campus. Attendance was kind of small (about 1,200 people), but fun times were had by all. It IS an anime show, after all, and fun and cosplay are the name of the game.
Despite the smaller attendance, the show was profitable – namely because I was able to stay with my good friend and fellow comic creator Alan Evans (Rival Angels).
This year was no different, except Alan and I were invited back by the show as guests. Oh, and the venue changed to the Hyatt in downtown Milwaukee. Oh, and the attendance went way up (estimated 3,000-4,000). So, basically everything changed. And it was still an awesome and profitable show.
I apologize in advance for not having a lot of pictures to supplement the convention experience review below, but I was spending more time focusing on sales and meeting fans than photo taking. Next time, I’ll try to magically grow another set of arms so I can do both at the same time.
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THURSDAY
After a long day at the office, I hopped a train up to Milwaukee to stay with Alan, his wife, and their three cats (who are much more affectionate than Waffles, I must say). Alan and his wife are gracious hosts and opened their home to me for the weekend (and I’ll be doing the same come C2E2, but more on that later).
Since it was late, we stayed up chatting and catching up a bit, but went to bed soon after. We had a long weekend ahead of us filled with anime fans!
FRIDAY
Alan and I arrived at the hotel and set up our tables in artist alley (AA). We got to the show a little early to set up before the VIP attendees were admitted to the show floor, and to chat up with some of the fellow exhibitors that we’ve met before at other shows – and some new ones, to boot.
After the show opened, Alan and I began doing our thing: informing the masses about our various merch on the table, specifically our books. Being guests of the show was certainly a draw for many of the fans who attended the show on Friday, although traffic was a little on the lighter side. Sales reflected this, but since last year was lighter on sales (still profitable, though), this wasn’t anything alarming.
During the down times, Alan worked on some art while I made some commission sketch cards and chatted people up about the panels I had over the weekend…and about comics and anime in general.
My first panel was that afternoon, and the attendance for the panel started off a little light. You would think a panel titled “Writing for Comics” would bring in some more perspective creators, as it was an extremely well attended panel the previous year. Understandably, I was a bit nervous. However, after about 10 minutes of starting the panel the room quickly filled up and my fears were alleviated.
After the panel Alan and I finished up our sales portion of the show for the day, and then we had our guest duties.
Opening Ceremonies was at the end of the first day for this show, and the theme was kind of a retro history. They had dancers up the wazoo for this thing – swing dancers in zoot suites, break dancers, lots of dancing acts. The entire staff of the show even came out on stage to sing some Journey songs. Meanwhile, back stage, Alan and I were mingling with two other guests – Doug Walker and Uncle Yo. These guys clearly knew each other from other shows, but were kind enough to let us into their conversations. And man, they were funny. These guys were on the entire time behind stage – and on stage, but I’ll get to that in a minute.
Eventually the time came for all of the guests to take the stage, and our direction was “keep the audience fired up for 30 minutes.” That was it. So after everyone came out onto the stage, the performers with the strongest personalities took over. I’m fine with sitting back and letting someone else energize the audience – especially if they do it for a living professionally.
After Opening Ceremonies, Alan and I went to go grab food and went back to his place to reflect on the day and crash.
SATURDAY
The big convention day started with a 9am panel (before the convention even opened) with Alan and I talking about Making Webcomics. When we arrived at the show, the place was packed!
“Okay, one of two things has happened here,” I said. “Either someone lied to you about there being coffee, candy, or cartoons at this panel this morning, or none of you have been to bed yet.”
Alan and I put on a great panel, informative and entertaining, and then headed back to the show floor where his wife was watching the tables. By this time the show was in full swing, cosplayers out in force dressed as their favorite characters and buying everything in sight.
And I mean everything!
I started bundling Reading with Pictures (RWP) with my brand new book, Junkyard Chase, and the attachment rate was a good 90%. People couldn’t get enough of it. I started to get nervous because I was selling through my RWP inventory faster than anticipated, and I had a panel on it later that night!
This is a good problem to have, mind you.
As the floor was closing that night, I had to run to my RWP panel and finished off the day strong. I was starting to lose my voice, but my energy was high from the day spent selling. I put on a great show about comics in education, the role they can play, and how people can work to get comics in their schools and libraries. After the panel I sold through several more bundles, and then went out to dinner with Alan and his wife.
Rock Bottom was full, so we hit up a local burger joint and went back to the Evan’s home. Thinking quickly, Alan and I ran to a liquor store before they closed to buy materials to make Mint White Russians. After the adult drinks were made, we started making silly movie choices. Namely, we watched Jurassic Park 3 and Resident Evil 3.
Let me just say, RE3 was by far the worst of the two. But I’ve always had it out for that franchise. However, it’s never deviated more from the source material than it did with the third flick where Milla develops – get this – psychic powers.
Yeah, someone was snorting blow when they said yes to this movie.
And on that note, Alan and I went to bed. I had already made more sales (and made far more money) than I had from some of my largest shows the previous year, so Sunday was just going to be icing on an already delicious cake.
SUNDAY
Thankfully we didn’t have any early panels on this day, so we were able to sleep in a bit. And after that “bad movie marathon” from the night before, who can blame us.
Attendance for the show was a little heavier than Friday, and sales were certainly stronger. People were starting to get a little tuckered out, and the weather outside had started to snow – so many people were taking off early.
Alan and I stayed throughout (what choice did I have? I had to give one of the final panels of the show again), selling the whole day away. In the afternoon Alan left for his first Rival Angels panel, which he said went well. Once he got back I ran to my panel about @$$hole!.
Last year I was late to this panel, and didn’t know what to expect. I was anticipating maybe 3 attendees at the panel, and as I walked into the room I saw about 50. I was so awe-struck I could barely speak, but I gave the best panel I possibly could.
This year was a little different, and we think the weather was probably working against us. The panel started with a handful of people, but eventually grew to about 20+ strong. I told my goofy stories about how the comic came to be, some of the real-life events that have shaped the themes, stories, and direction of the comic, and then told my hilarious convention stories.
People were in stitches.
At the end I thanked everyone for attending not only the panel, but the show. Attendees (and the volunteers who put the show together) make the show worth going to, and Anime Milwaukee was a very strong start to the convention season. They made some big shoes to fill by other shows of the year, and it was more profitable than most of my largest attended shows of the previous year.
Anime Milwaukee is a great show put together by a dedicated group of volunteers who know their craft, and the attendees are eager to meet guests and artists, shop for stuff, and yes – attend panels.
If you love anime, manga, pocky, or comics, then I strongly encourage you to think about attending this show.

Looking for something to do Feb 18-20? Come visit Anime Milwaukee 2011!
Last year the show saw tons of growth, but what’s nice is that it’s not an over-whelming show for people unaccustomed to attending conventions. This year they’re in a new (larger) venue, and they’re anticipating an even larger growth in attendance.
I attended the show last year as a guest and will be returning as one again this year. The show has also given m…e a very generous panel schedule for the show, so lots to do and see the entire weekend. Below is the list of my panels along with times, locations, and descriptions.
Hope to see you all at Anime Milwaukee 2011!
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Writing For Comics
Friday, 3:30-4:30 PM
Lakeshore A
All Ages
Comics writer Trevor Mueller takes you through the fundamentals of writing comics. From three-act structure, characterization and character motivations, to different types of scripts. This is a must attend for any aspiring writer or creative team.
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Making Webcomics
Saturday, 9:00-10:00 AM (followed by autograph session from 10:00-11:00 AM)
Lakeshore A
All Ages
If you are interested in doing a webcomic, or if you’re a fan of webcomics, “Making Webcomics” will offer practical advice, tips and techniques in creating compelling characters, developing a solid webcomic, forging a community, and start earning money. Our panelists will tell you how they do it, what challenges they face, and answer any of your questions.
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Reading With Pictures: Comics In The Classroom
Saturday, 6:30-7:30 PM
Lakeshore B
All Ages
Trevor Mueller is the Marketing Director for the non-profit organization Reading With Pictures, which is getting comics in the classroom. Learn about the amazing programs that the organization offers, and how comics can help increase reading potential, literacy, information retention, and even be fun educational at the same time!
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@$$hole!
Sunday, 2:00-3:00 PM
Lakeshore C
18+ (mature – needs badgers)
Once upon a time, professional comic writer Trevor Mueller had an idea for a comic series about a slacker, his girlfriend…and a little Asian demon who swallows souls, and works at a coffee shop. Since that time, @$$hole! has become a multi-award nominated webcomic series loved worldwide. Trevor talks about some of his inspirations, his unique perspective on the world, and why pocky is more than convention candy!

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead
Tuesday, January 11th is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. In honor of the event, I teamed up with the Comic Creator’s Alliance–a group of over 100 comic book creators (both web and print!) who volunteered our artistic talents to raise money and awareness for this cause. You may not know it, but there are currently 27 million enslaved people worldwide- more than double the number of enslaved Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million children every year are sold into slavery, most of it sexual. The US Department of Justice estimates 16,000 victims of human trafficking are brought into the United States every year. Unlike slavery in the 19th century, what is happening today is happening in secret. It won’t end until awareness is raised, and people like you and me take a stand.
So here’s what we did: each creator contributed an original drawing of one of our own female characters, and combined them into a single image! This year’s theme was “The Brady Bunch.” There is so much going on in this image–you can look at the wallpaper for a long time and still find something new! All of the artists included in the drive are amazing and some of the fan favorites are: Scott Sava (The Dreamland Chronicles), Adam Hughes (Star Wars, Wonder Woman), Sarah Ellerton (Inverloch), Bryan Glass & Victor Santos (Mice Templar), Beau Smith (Wynonna Earp: The Yeti Wars), Billy Tucci (Shi), Mookie (Dominic Deegan), Crystal Yates (Earthsong), Lora Innes (The Dreamer), Thom Zahler (Love and Capes), and Alison Action (Bear Nuts). View the full listing of contributors here: http://comicalliance.weebly.com/the-people.html.
Donate today to download this unique, once-in-a-lifetime wallpaper. Or, this year you can buy a print! The Donations Drive will last for two weeks, from January 11th – 24th. All proceeds will be split evenly between Love 146 and Gracehaven House- two organizations working on rehabilitation of victims and prevention of this crime.
To learn more about the CCA and to donate visit www.comicalliance.weebly.com. To learn more about the problem, visit http://love146.org/slavery. (Note: contains adult themes and actual accounts of sex slavery.)


The fight between Alan and Trevor concludes!
**SPOILERS** Alan wins the day because, in the end, he brought a water bottle to a fist fight. Throughout technology superior technology has usually won out in determining the victor of battle – unless of course you throw in some unique variable like vastly superior numbers. Or weak leaders. Or something like that.
In other news, November’s drawing to a quick close and I just can’t seem to figure out where the time went. Granted, my life consists of two main staples: work and comics. But still, you’d think there would have been more time in there to do other things like, I don’t know…go to the gym? Socialize more? As it stands, the year’s almost over and I feel like I’ve accomplished so little.
This from a guy who’s published 2 books this year, and been published in another – plus updating weekly content on a site. Plus the slew of conventions I’ve attended, and the great people I’ve met there.
Maybe I just need to be less critical of myself. But it doesn’t hurt to focus on the work. I get better at making it, and you still get to enjoy it.
And speaking of the work, there are plenty more projects coming out next year! Just you wait and see, it’s going to be awesome!