be careful out there






So you've probably already heard all about how the San Diego Comic Con is less about comics and more about pop culture and overcrowding. And as long as I'm safe behind my own table I'm usually okay with that.
Admittedly the aftermath this year definitely hit me harder, especially once I realized I lost my address book and check book. Plus Raina lost her cell phone, so adapting back to the day to day life has taken longer than usual. Thus I'm only not getting around to posting anything about it.

I'll get my biggest complaint out of the way: The convention center bathrooms were especially disgusting this year. It seemed like the ones near our booth were always backed up, flooded, littered with flyers, wet paper towls, piss all over the place, and at least 2-3 big dudes adjusting their makeup and/or bat wings. It felt very akin to a poorly-run outdoor sweaty rock festival. As a longtime attendee of Comic Cos, this year was the first time I ever felt truly disgusted by the nerd culture.

But other than that, the Con was definitely a good (if exhausting) time and I'm sure I'll be looking forward to next year before I know it. I really do love seeing so many of my favorite artists and people all in one place.
I never bring anything to work on while I'm there (like a laptop or drawing paper) so I don't have to feel guilty about just hanging out rather than slaving away at a desk. And I enjoy being surrounded by the chaotic pop culture spectacle--even if it sometimes just serves as a reminder that comics is still just a niche industry compared to that of movies and videogames. Thinking about what it takes to set up a full-size replica of the Black Pearl or Lego Deathstar makes my Comics Bakery banner feel like a cardboard lemonade stand in comparison.

Speaking of which, this year I split my time between 3 booths: SLG Publishing, Flight Comics, and the Comics Bakery in small press. Dividing my time up into 3 places, along with Nick Mag related work in betwen, really made the con fly by faster than ever.


Scott C. (who drew my favorite story in Flight 4!), Sarah Mensinga, and Clio Chiang.

This was my second year hanging out at the Flight Comics booth. As expected, the excitement was just as high as last year because there's a big brand new volume and lots of the artists are there, sharing in the pride of the combined effort (organized by the ever-deserving-a-nap Kazu Kibuishi). It's total team energy as we continually sketch in copies of the books we worked on and then pass it on to the next artist to add to it.


This was my first year at the SLG booth in San Diego, which was a bit intimidating because I've been a fan of the company for so long. Their booth always feels like the center of the exhibit hall to me and they do an impressive job of making a small publisher seem as big and well-oiled as the DC booth that neighbors it. There seemed to be a lot of highs and lows in terms of how much traffic SLG got. Depending on the time of day it really varied how many people were interested in checking out the artists and writers who weren't Jhonen or Roman. I know they definitely sold some Agnes books while I was there...and hopefully they sold more at other times too. I always feel like I need to be doing more to help earn my keep!

Sitting in a lineup of different artists with completely different books, I couldn't help but reflect on my retail days at Staples where I was supposed to compete to sell warantee programs. I never had the moxy to force people to buy something they didn't already want. When I'm at a booth I always try to smile and be welcoming, ready to answer questions or make small talk. But if people don't want to make eye contact I can't really blame them, since they know I'm really there to try and sell them stuff. One of the days at the SLG booth I sat next to an artist shouting "Free comic!" and handing out promo copies of his upcoming book, and another artist who was really smooth at calling women over to the booth and chatting with them until they bought something. Granted he was much better dressed and pushing Hanted Mansion comics, which have excellent brand recognition and a lower price point than my book (work lingo)--but still, I found myself feeling mousy and a poor representation of my work.

Which is why it's a bit more comforting to be at the Comics Bakery booth when Marion is there because she's way better at my pitching books in a way that actually makes them sound appealing!



Traffic at our small press booth was fairly similar to the ebb and flow of the SLG booth. Our one really consistently-selling item was the various buttons we'd made up. At 50 cents a pop, they were flying out the cupcake holders we displayed them in. Sales for books weren't as strong this year. I personally sold less copies of Astronaut Elementary and Teen Boat than any show I've ever done. Life Meter 2 sold okay, but definitely nowhere near the amount of books we moved at MoCCA a few weeks prior. On the other hand I think Marion sold a lot of her Squid and Whale mini, John's new Space Office book went over well, and the last-minute surprise release of Raina's 3rd Baby-sitters Club book helped even things out. Add a couple of T-shirts, original art and CD sales into the mix and we ultimately did okay for ourselves. So our lesson as always: make sure you have things that appeal to all sorts of different people!



On Friday, I got to treat a bunch of freelancers who worked on the new Avatar: the Last Airbender magazine to a delicious breakfast on the Nick Mag dime. It was fun and also a relief because many of the stories were finished up just hours before leaving for Comic Con!
Seen here: Reagan Lodge, Annie Rush, Johane Matte, Amy Kim Ganter, Alison Wilgus, and Kim Miranda holding a preview copy.



Having just completed the final Harry Potter book it was great to talk with other avid readers like this girl dressed as one of my favorite characters, Luna Lovegood. Loved the radish earings and butterbeer cork necklace! It's been exciting to meet so many people that are also fans of Harry and the Potters, and familar with my artwork for band.



Here's the super-rad Shelli Paroline (who drew the Q-bert story in Life Meter 2) showing off the hand-made alligator she bought, along with the Bone figurine riding on its head.



On Sunday, I moderated a panel about kids comics.
Seen to my right: Debbie Huey, Kazu Kibuishi, and George O'Connor.
Not seen (but there): Gene Yang, Jimmy Gownley, Svetlana Chmakova.



Had a delicious breakfast with Gina Gagliano and Andy Runton, seen here having what seems like a tender moment with Marion but is actually them about to thumb wrestle.



Raina and Clio Chiang draw Avatar characters as they wait for the big panel to start.



A moment from the Avatar: the Last Airbender panel, in which the best cosplayers in the audience were asked to come up to the stage and be judgeded for awesomness. The Appa costume won, of course!



It's always good to see Rikki Simons and Tavisha Wolfgarth-Simons (Shutterbox). Peeking behind them is the elusive Aaron Alexovich, who does the awesome Serenity Rose series for SLG and has 2 upcoming Minx books (Confessions of a Blabbermouth and Kimmie66). I've been a fan of his comics for a while but only just realized he worked on the Avatar show as a character designer!

So even though the con gets bigger, the world of comics and animation gets smaller and more fun every day! So see ya there next year?

More photos and stuff here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/daveandraina/sets/72157601129979144/