Posts Tagged ‘batman strikes’
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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!
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Today’s @$$hole! features a guest appearance by comic writer Russell Lissau (The Batman Strikes, Shrek, The 29).
Russell and I are good friends, and he’s also a big fan of this comic – specifically the photo artwork I’ve included. He and I have exhibited together at many conventions over the years, and he’s been an incredible influence on my writing and drive to create the very best comics I can.
Be sure to check out his stuff the next time you’re in a comic shop.
Wizard World Chicago was my first “big” comic convention. I met many of my friends there. Most of my comic friends, in fact. It’s a show that holds a special place in my heart.
Last year, many of the publishers in the comic industry pulled out of the show and many of us were wondering if the show would continue on without them. Many of us wondered if we would ever again make the trek from the Hyatt Bar back to our hotels, exhausted and satisfied (and maybe a little tipsy). There were only two ways that the next year’s show could go: the show would thrive without the publishers, or the show would disappear.
When I agreed to get a table at WCC this year, I figured even if the show sucked at least I’d have fun with my comic friends. The fear from the previous year still prevailed, however, and I wasn’t sure what would happen. The unknown invigorated me, and the adrenaline was high on Thursday when I left the office and headed out to the show once more. Suffice it to say, our fears were unjustified. The show was AMAZING.
Alan Evans – creator of Rival Angels
Thursday night and everyone there had already made a ton of sales – and the show didn’t even start until the next day, officially. We celebrated the weekend by going to the Ram (one of Russ’s favorite places) and downing a few stiff adult beverages. The next day would start our weekend of selling comics. Including our new book, Reading with Pictures!
Trevor (hey, that’s me) models the Reading with Pictures anthology
Of course, other books were on sale as well. Russell was selling copies of The Batman Strikes, Hope: New Orleans, and his self-published work The 29.
John Bivens was selling copies of Comic Book Tattoo, PopGun, and his other anthologies. Steve Wallace was selling copies of Sequential Suicide, Binary Love, and his Sandman prints. And of course, I was on hand with RWP, as well as a little book we all know and love called “@$$hole!”
I love this book a little too much, sometimes
Russell and myself were interviewed a few times by several news outlets, including Bleedingcool.com and appear in their write up of the show.
The table display…yeah, it’s important
Sales were high all weekend, and I even got to meet a few of the celebrity guests including Paul McGillion (Stargate: Atlantis), Walter Koenig (Star Trek, Babylon 5), and John Schneider (Dukes of Hazard, Smallville). Paul and I chatted at the bar after hours about the show (since he admitted to being a little new to the comic scene). But most of the time was spent with my good comic friends…and losing my voice selling.
Many fans and friends came to visit me at the table, and it was awesome to see them all. And many new friends were made. And a personal victory for me was that I completely sold out of the first box of Reading with Pictures. The book was a huge success, and people loved it.
The show was tons of fun yet again, and while I’m going to be really busy at shows coming up, I totally plan to attend the show again next year. And that last sentence totally doesn’t make any sense….
Expect to see this image in a coming @$$hole! comic
I woke up a little later in the morning on Saturday, and in my sleep deprived state I made my way to the elevator. I was joined by one of the Japanese voice actor guests, Kaori Nazuka (Fruits Basket), who speaks more English than I speak Japanese. we said good morning and rode the elevator up to the green room. Muffins and fruit were the order of the day, and I headed out to the floor to set up before going to my 10am panel.
The 10am panel was interesting, because I didn’t think anyone would actually show. The panel was called “Trevor and the Panel that Shall Not be Named,” and there was no description in the brochure about it. I spoke to the woman that scheduled the panel, and she said that she had just been told that I needed to be in another panel – but no one had told her what it should be on. So she didn’t give it a description. And 5 minutes before the panel actually started, I didn’t even know what the heck I was going to talk about.
And that’s exactly what I opened with.
I turned the panel into a funny story panel, and even talked about some of the origins for the gags in @$$hole!. People tend to enjoy the stories of how Susie came to be a regular character, why I decided to make her a barista, and all of the other crazy things that have happened in the 3+ years that I’ve been updating that comic. I had a pretty sizable crowd, and they enjoyed the stories. Even so much that many of them stopped by the table after and chatted me up, and bought copies of the book. It was a great panel, and I love sharing personal stories like that with a great group of people.
I even had a few friends in the crowd from college. And I think it’s safe to say that I made a few more that morning.
Lunch was waiting for me at the table when I got back, and I spent the day selling and meeting people at the show. A fantastic day, as I sold more than I have at any two shows to date. And the people I talked to were some of the nicest – even when they didn’t buy anything.
Jeenie Breeden (Devil’s Panties) stopped by the table, since the day before she had forgotten who I was. We had met very briefly last year at a convention, and she sees so many faces that I didn’t surprise me that I hadn’t left a lasting impression. Her and I chatted up for a while before she went back to her table.
As the floor was closing up, Josh asked me to be on the East vs West panel with him and Steve. We went to the panel room and I put on the persona of The West. I said a lot of things that I didn’t actually agree with, but did it for the comedy and the entertainment of the crowd. The panel went well, and was followed by Russell and Josh’s Batman Strikes! panel. The room was full, and people asked very insightful questions about the writing process.
The panel ended and we went back to the green room only to find that all of the food was gone. We were invited by the American voice actors to go to Gibsons for steak. We ordered a jumbo lobster for an appetizer – 38 ounces! It was larger than my leg from hip to knee, and fed 7 people. Then we ordered the main course. If you love red meat, you need to go to Gibsons – they do it right.
We returned to the green room after midnight, our bellies full of great food. We drank and stayed up way too late, and then went to bed for the final day of ACEN 2010.
The weekend had been great, not just because of the great sales but also because of the great people. Tomorrow would bring a bitter-sweet end to the weekend. Only because I was having so much fun, and all good things have to come to an end eventually.
To be continued….
Friday was the first official day of the convention, and I headed down to breakfast with Russell and Steve Horton (DC Holiday Special) at O’h (the restaurant at the Hyatt).
After breakfast, we headed out to the floor to set up the tables (which were right by the main entrance of the show – we couldn’t have asked for a better location). As people started filtering in, I was approached by several groups of people for pictures and autographs – which I’m always glad to give.
Our tables were over by the other comic guests including Misako Rocks! (Savage Love) and Fred Gallagher (MegaTokyo), and we were also joined by our good friend Josh Elder (Batman Strikes, Mail Order Ninja).
Around 1pm, I was escorted to the stage in the Hyatt for Opening Ceremonies. All of the guests are invited and encouraged to attend, even though the event tends to start a little late. Unfortunately because of that late start, Josh and Steve had to step out to get to a panel that they were both on, and since Russell wanted to stay on the floor to sell, it made me the resident comic guy at the show.
Behind the stage I met some cool people, including the band members of the Spoony Bards, many of their members being from Chicago. They even invited me to one of their shows this coming weekend, but I digress.
So while Vic Mignogna is on the stage, I’m told that I’ll be next. Suddenly a very cold sweat hits me – one of the most popular people at the show is on stage, and I have to follow his act. Thankfully, our speeches were separated by the announcements of the missing comic creators.
I came out when my name was called, looking out at a good thousand plus people in the audience. The lights mostly obscured my vision, so I couldn’t count exactly, but I could tell that the room was filled. The amazing thing was that the clapping that welcomed me wasn’t just polite and sparse – but a roar from the crowd!
“So I guess they selected me to represent the comic creators at this show,” I said. “Which means we’re all in some kind of trouble.”
(pause)
“Just kidding, the rest of the guys are at a panel right now.”
After informing the crowd about my panel schedule for the weekend, and why they should stop by and buy my stuff, I exited the stage and watched a few more presenters before returning to the floor.
I met fans and sold my heart out until my first panel of the weekend, Marketing and Advertising your Comic at 5pm. For what promised to be an education (and therefore less entertaining) panel, a good chunk of people showed up. Many were actually looking to promote something other than a comic – some even just looking to get into marketing or advertising as a career – and I tried to keep the panel as open as I could. Come Q&A time, the questions went flying. Thankfully, I was able to follow up with some of the people after the panel ended to make sure that they walked away with satisfying answers.
I went back to the floor with just enough time to pack up the table, and then the group of us went to dinner at the O’h restaurant again (at the behest of one of the convention coordinators). After dinner, we returned to the green room for relaxing and drinking. I met one of the con liaisons and we ended up playing DJ Hero (which I suck at), and then went to the rave (where we watched some 16 year olds in a sweaty “hump train”), and then back to the green room for one last drink of the evening before bed.
Saturday would be the big day, and I didn’t want to miss a moment of it!
To be continued…
Thursday night after work got out I grabbed my already packed (and very heavy luggage case), and headed out to the blue line to Rosemont. I was kind of beat after the long work day, but extremely excited for the weekend ahead because this was my first year as an official guest of one of my favorite conventions of the year: ACEN!
This was the 13th year of the show, and it’s grown by leaps and bounds. Last year they boasted 17,000 attendees – making them one of the largest conventions in the country. I was unofficially on their guest list last year, but didn’t have a table or any product to sell. Instead, I sat on several panels and helped spread education and entertaining stories to the masses. Apparently they liked me enough to invite me back as an official guest of the show this year – and for all of you who requested me, I humbly thank you.
Russell Lissau (The 29, Batman Strikes!), another guest of the show and my good friend, picked me up and took me to Target because I forgot my table cloth for the show. Then we headed into the Hyatt and went straight for the green room so I could get my room keys and badge from con ops.
Russell and I were then invited to a meet-and-greet with the con volunteers and the guests. Kind of a fun way to mingle with the people volunteering their weekend to making the show as awesome as possible! We chatted up one such staffer, and were joined by fellow guest Steve Yun (Robotech).
After the meet-and-greet, we went to go grab tickets to see Iron Man 2. Although I had already seen it (read the review here), Russell had not. When we got to the theater, I was amazed to see several of my friends from college (who attend the show every year) were already in the theater! We sat by them and enjoyed the flick together.
After the movie ended, Russell and I headed back up to the green room to hang out with the guests and staffers. Many of the Japanese guests were up there with their translators, as well as many of the American voice actors. I had met a few of them at previous cons, but this year they recognized me – probably because I was the only bald guest, and probably because my profile picture in the brochure had that blazing red background.
After a few drinks, I headed off to bed looking forward to the long weekend to come.
To be continued….