"Cosplay Killing" Follow-Up

Denise Dorman has posted some clarifications to her earlier piece. She points out emphatically that she appreciates cosplayers, and that Bleeding Cool went with a click bait headline… which certainly worked. I take her at her word on this. Her first piece did reference the cost of costuming as being a factor in convention spending patterns, so I think it's understandable to draw the connection. But sometimes we make clearer points in our drafts than our finished pieces. I know I certainly meant to mention the headline being dramatic and not being written by the author. I worked at a newspaper long enough to learn that.

To my reading, her clarified point is that the convention market is changing, largely by people who just want to be there because it's the cool thing, and that these people are happy to get a photo with a costumer and move on, rather than recognize and support the awesome talent in the room.

That's fair, though in my experience it isn't the case. It's anecdotal of course, but I don't pick up on many "here because it's cool" people. Lots of families, first timers, and one person in particular at the last convention who didn't realize that she should bring money to the show. But I don't get a vibe of people going to be seen.

The bigger point, though, is this: The market is the market. You can either find a way to work it, or you find another market.

Just this year, I've had to cut a show because, financially, it's just not feasible for me to exhibit at it. Deciding when to pull that trigger is part of being self-employed.

And, I don't think anyone would look at the convention market ten years ago and say "That's a market that's looking for a funny, happy relationship book" like mine, but I found a way to find those people who were being underserved and give them something to enjoy.

But ultimately, you don't get the choose the people in the pool, only the pool you play in.

My Regular Con Carry

Following up on our discussion on the last episode of Comics Assembled (Wait, you're not listening to Brian Ward and me talk about the business of comics every week? Shame on you! Check it out here right now.) I thought I would post my regular Con Carry. All of this lives in my Brenthaven shoulder bag so that I don't have to worry about remembering it. It's always stocked with these things, which are duplicates or travel versions of things I have in my studio. Buying two things is sometimes much easier than remembering to bring one.

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/concarry_ab.jpg" align="center" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]

A. Pad of lined paper. Great for writing lists, keeping track of commissions and more. I'm partial to college ruled white paper, particularly the Tops Docket Gold pads.

B. Clipboard. Having a solid writing surface makes marking things down easier anywhere. During shows, I clip my tally sheet to it and I can mark everything down while standing.

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/concarry_ce.jpg" align="center" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]

C. A folder. This one is a way-cool Rocket Raccoon Guardians of the Galaxy one. But hey, My Little Pony, New Kids on the Block, Transformers, whatever your deal is, it's all good. I keep my frequent convention needs in there: Travel documents, sales permits, letter and postcard stamps, a couple of blank checks (for signing up for next year's show) as well as…

D. French curve. I use this all the time drawing commissions. It's an art supply, but it fits better here. And…

E. Circle template. For the same reason.

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/concarry_fl.jpg" align="center" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]

F. Small notebook. Conventions are full of new action items. "Remember to send this editor a pitch." "Remember to mail this out." And I frequently get new ideas, too. This little book is perfect for idea capture at a show.

G. Passport. It's got to live somewhere, and if I'm traveling I have this bag. On top of that, if I lose my regular ID, I've got a spare to make sure that I can still get on a plane.

H. Business cards. I carry a lot of these a lot of places, including Moo Cards on my keychain, but having these here means I never don't have them.

I. Pens. You'd think I wouldn't forget them, but it's really easy for me to accidentally throw my pens into my lunchbox art bin. So I make sure I have a few that stay in here. I'm a big fan of the Sarasa gel pens and Huntington Bank gives out the best ball points.

J. Square Reader. Can't live without this. It lets me take credit card sales at shows. It has revolutionized con sales altogether. I actually keep a couple in my bag, just so I can have a spare in case one breaks, gets lost, or I need to lend one to a friend. If you do shows and you don't have one, get over to Squareup.com right now!

K. USB car charger. I've always got this bag when I'm traveling, so having a charger to plug my iPod into is great to have and not have to remember. You can get these just about anywhere, including Amazon.

L. Mophie. It's a battery case for my iPhone. I usually only need this when I'm on the road, so it lives in my bag. Get the right one for your phone. You won't regret it.

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/concarry_mv.jpg" align="center" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]

M. Cocoon Grid-It Organizer. I first heard about this from the estimable Andy Ihnatko. This is a board with stretchy straps on it, allowing you to store all sorts of things. The advantage of this system, rather than a plastic sandwich bag, is that you can see everything you have at a glance. No more bringing two cords because you couldn't tell if it was already in the bag.

N. Apple Charging Plug. This is an Apple product, and I have several from several Apple devices, but you can plug any USB charger into here.

O. iPad Charging Cable. I still have an older model iPad, pre-lightning connector, so I have a cable for that.

P. Micro-USB Charging Cable. I could have a regular charger cable that ends in a USB, but this one has a plug. I don't know where I picked it up, but it's great. It charges my Kindle and my Mophie.

Q. iPhone Charging Cable. Apple switched to the lightning connector, so I got this spare one so my phone always has juice. This is a six foot cable which means it's really easy to make sure it sits on my nightstand in a hotel no matter where the outlet is.

R. Male to male audio cable. Most rental cars have an aux jack, so with this I can easily plug my iPhone in and play music or podcasts.

S. Audio cable extender. Because Apple moved the earphone jack to the bottom of the phone, Mophie had to start including this so that the earphones could still connect through the longer opening.

T. Apple earbuds. I love my Apple earbuds and have a few pairs. It's great to be able to listen to stuff on the walk to the Javitz Center, play podcasts as I do the treadmill, and take calls easily in the airport. lThese have a microphone on the wires as well as a click button that let me use Siri, answer and play messages and more.

U. Audio splitter. This little dongle allows me to plug in a second headphone into my headphone jack. So when I'm traveling with a companion, I can split the audio so they can listen to whatever burned video I'm watching.

V. Lanyard. Cons don't always provide lanyards, or sometimes they're uncomfortable. So I make sure to have a backup one in my gear.

Baltimore Comic-Con 2014!

We’ve hit the point where I just can’t be objective about Baltimore Comic-Con anymore. I just adore the show and the people and the staff. It’s just the best. This year, I got to be on TV, drawing for Fox-45 Baltimore and Amber Miller, being called upon to draw her as a super hero early in the morning. Fortunately, I had coffee.

The show was in a new, bigger part of the convention center and while the layout took some getting used to, sales were up from last year.

I was on the “Sexy or Sexualized” panel (check out the write up here) which was fun to be on, especially with such a stellar line-up of talent. It was my only panel of the show, but it was a great one to be on.

The Baltimore Yearbook seemed to be a hit, too! It was tight shipping them to the show (apparently, my printer didn’t account for the Labor Day holiday)  but they arrived on time and everyone seemed to like them. I signed a crazy amount of them, and driving traffic to the table is part of what they’re about. Best of all, the auction raised $10,000 for Seth Kutchner’s medical treatments.

Baltimore will be a little later in the year next year, but it doesn’t matter to me. Whenever there’s a Baltimore Comic-Con, I’ll be there. You should, too.

Late to the party: My DragonCon wrap-up

This is the time of the year where I seem to have more conventions than not. I just did DragonCon, which continues to be a delight. It is a convention with it’s own flavor, one unlike any other. It’s fan run, has multiple programming tracks and is capable of becoming exactly the convention you’re looking for it to be.

I was set up in artist alley, as usual. The artist alley is small and friendly in a way a lot of shows aren’t able to be. And it’s always a nice mix of new fans and old friends.

This year I also did my first panel, being invited to be on the Star Trek writer’s panel. I co-wrote ‘Til Death (with Bob Ingersoll) for one of the Pocket Books Star Trek: The Next Generation collections. That was a lot of fun, and there seemed to be interest in me coming back next year, too.

And, as always, the costumes are insanely awesome. Viggo the Carpathian? Bernie? Femme Captain Carrot? Nothing surprises me anymore. (Okay, the Captain Carrot one was a jaw-dropper.)

The show was a lot of fun, and I hope to be back next year.

Tomorrow… Baltimore Comic-Con.

Baltimore Comic-Con Yearbook

For the last couple years, I've been designing the Baltimore Comic-Con Yearbook. Year one was Liberty Meadows, year two was Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo. This year we're tackling Matt Wagner's Grendel. [image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/baltimore14_cover_regFINAL.jpg" align="right" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" width="200" ]

Baltimore is one of my favorite shows, and it's always an honor to work on the book, it's also a challenge to work with so many artists and find a way to make the next year's book better than the last. We've definitely done that this year. New artists! Returning artists! More artists! And a surprise I'm not sharing quite yet. But wait until you see the book.

Right now the book is safely at the printer and all that's left is waiting for the shipping information. I'd say waiting patiently, but let's be honest, I'll be nervous up until Marc Nathan calls and tells me those books are in his hands. But it's all worth it. I think you're going to love the book.

The Many Moments of my Comic-Con

So what did you do last weekend? For me it was the juggernaut that is Comic-Con International. I’ve famously gotten philisophical about the experience. If the worst part of my professional year is going to San Diego for a week to talk about the thing I love doing most in the world, it’s not that bad. I have friends who wear ties.

There’s a lot of logistics to it, and some pressure on the front end. Gotta get a hotel, gotta ship out my books, gotta set up my booth. And its always a game of inches. You slowly get better at laying out your booth and getting your gear into the convention center. I live in fear of expansion and redesign of the show floor because I’m so comfortable with the current setup.

The show was pretty good. I did what I needed to do and had a lot of good conversations with friends, fans and people with whom I might do some business. Here are some highlights:

Most embarrassing moment: Mark Shepard often wanders by my booth, and I love talking to him. He’s a great guy, and we’re both fans of his dad. Recently he’s lost some weight and we were talking about that… just as my friend Christopher came by with a brownie for me. Awk. Ward.

Most moments: This year, I set up with Steve Conley of Bloop and Astounding Space Thrills fame. Ben Thompson, my previous boothmate, made the business decision not to come back, so I found a new partner in Steve. It’s always a question how well you’re going to spend five solid days with someone, even if you’re friends beforehand. But I had such fun with Steve that I’d almost pay his half of the booth to get him to come back. Almost.

Moments of potential: That time the guy who worked on that show you liked said about Love and Capes: “Hey! This would make a great sitcom.” Yeah, I know.

Best moment: This one is a little hard to lock down, but I think I have it. On Sunday, someone from Konami (I think) wandered by. It was his first Comic-Con and he’d been working the booth all weekend and now had Sunday free to wander. He was giddy with all there was to see. That’s so cool to see. At worst, I’m jaded and at best I’ve lost my sense of taste for Comic-Con. I have no idea how it is for people anymore. I don’t know how fun it would be for fans. But here this guy comes and it’s all new for him and he’s loving it. It’s so good to see that.

It was another good time. I didn’t take enough photos, especially with my friends. (Fortunately my friend Eugene took care of some of that, as evidenced by our photo above.) But I can take care of that next year. I’ve already signed up to come back.

My MLP: Friends Forever #5 Read by the Actors!

At Fiesta Equestria, the voices of the stars of my Fluttershy/Zecora issue of My Little Pony: Friends Forever #5 read my issue aloud. Voice actors include Andrea Libman (Fluttershy), Brenda Crichlow (Zecora) and Vincent Tong (everyone else). It's like a Power Records broadcast! Buy an issue and follow along at home!

The Awesomeness of my Time at Fiesta Equestria

This past weekend, I was at the fantastic Fiesta Equestria. It was my first time at a My Little Pony specific convention. And, man, was it fun. First of, the staff of Fiesta Equestria treated me like a prince. I was virtually assigned a personal assistant who helped whenever I needed anything I shouldn't be surprised, because these are the people who did the red M&M's for me at Comicpalooza.

They also arranged a trip to Johnson Space Center for us. And by us, I mean the voice actor guests (Andrea Libman/Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, Brenda Chrichlow/Zecora and Vincent Tong/BG Ponies) and me. That was such a treat. I've been to Houston a few times, but I've never been able to visit before. I finally got to see that Saturn V rocket that I drew as the Love and Capes con print.

The show was very successful. I met also sorts of fans and made some new ones. One of the highlights was the family who not only bought some books but followed up by giving me four boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. The bar has been raised!

But the standout moment for me was on Sunday when the show arranged a reading of my issue of My Little Pony: Friends Forever #5. That issue starred Fluttershy and Zecora, the voices of which were at the show. So those actresses, along with Vincent Tong as the voices of everyone else (including many animals, Rarity and Discord) read my story aloud as they projected the pages on the screen behind them.

As a writer, I never get to see people read my material. Never a whole group, paced out like a cartoon. It was magical. I heard people laugh at the jokes, "awww" at the warm parts and all "ohhh" when they realized who the surprise guest star was. This was my favorite thing ever.

I'm told that they're editing the video and posting it online. As soon as I find out when and where, I'll share it with all of you.

If the Fiesta decides to invite me out next year, I'll be there in a heartbeat. So. Much. Fun.

HeroesCon 2014… All the Sketches!

As if Denver wasn’t enough, I did HeroesCon this past weekend, too. Heroes is always a treat, with a huge pool of professionals and friends to spend time with, and it’s definitely one of the easiest shows to navigate and work with. I drove down on Thursday where I did some seventy-mile-an-hour-thinking (as evidenced by the pitch one of my editors got Sunday night) and arrived in Charlotte and set up. The con started strong on Friday and kept on going.

I spent a lot of time with my friend Marc Nathan and his Baltimore crew, which is always fantastic. And I got to see Jeremy and Kelly Dale, Craig Rousseau, Andy Smith, Todd DeZago… heck, one night I even got to have dinner with Romona Fradon and others. She was a delight!

I did a Kids' Comics panel with Stephanie Gladden, Mike Maihack, Chris Schweizer, Andy Runton, Jeremy Whitley and me, and expertly hosted by Jimmy Aquino. It was my first HeroesCon panel appearance and was a great one to start with. Jimmy will be posting the audio soon, so be sure to check this space for details.

I also did a ton of commissions. More than I have at any other show. I was regularly working late into the night on them, but I don’t mind at all. When I was a kid, my mother wouldn’t let me have a Kool-Aid Stand so I set up a drawing stand. There’s something cool about my current business model being the same as my younger self.

There's a photo of me including using the lamp in my room as a lightbox to finish a drawing. Any port in a storm, right?

The Shazam Family piece I did for the auction was well received, too. It garnered the most of any of my contributions, so I’m proud of that. Of course, when you’ve got the power of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury on your side, how can you not do well?

Denver Comic Con 2014

The weekend before last was the third Denver Comic Con and I was lucky enough to be a guest. I love doing the Denver show because I get to see my brother John, as well as spend lots of time with my former Kubie classmate Sean Tiffany. Add to that seeing buddies like Tony Fleecs and Sean Williams, and geat googly-moogly it’s a good time! This is my second time back (and their third year) and the show just keeps growing. A lot of their line issues seemed to have been fixed, and the staff was great in taking care of us.

I did two panels. One was on My Little Pony, and that was a lot of fun. Tony Fleecs, Jeremy Whitley, Andy Price, Katie Cook and I held court for a bunch of MLP fans. We were even covered by the Denver Post. The other was a Sketch Duel hosted by the lovely Rowan Rosanski. I’m hoping that some of our sketches get posted or sent to me soon. Some of them were really funny.

Amongst all the drawing, my first one was particularly special. Someone asked me to draw Slider, who I used to draw back in my days working for the Cleveland Indians. The buyer saw my Tribe history in the program book and remembered the strip. That was very cool!

I’m planning on being back next year, so hopefully I’ll see you there!

As usual, photos and commissions follow.