Disney Leave Behind: UNCLE SCROOGE

Uncle Scrooge is my favorite of the classic Disney characters. Even when I was a straight superhero reader, I still read Scrooge. The Barks stuff is just brilliant, and yes I’m totally getting the IDW Artist Edition of his work. And Don Rosa, too. He picked up the baton in the most impressive way. Scrooge was quite the explorer, so I left this one in Animal Kingdom. It was at the Shamba-La stand, tucked in the straps on a bicycle. Hope someone found it!

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/IMG_2574.jpg" align="left" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/unclescrooge.jpg" align="left" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]

Disney Art Leave Behind

I have seen more than a few artists go to the Disney Parks and leave some behind. Under the sage advice of Amy, I have decided to do the same. I'll tweet about them when I leave them behind with some hints. It'll start on Wednesday, so be ready.

Backlog: The Cincinnati Comic Expo

I've got a brief break between conventions where I can catch up on my adventures at other conventions. A few weeks back, I was at the Cincinnati Comic Expo. I've been lucky enough to have been a guest of this show from the start, and it's great to see a show grow so well and so right. From a one day show to a three day event, it built slowly rather than having it's reach exceed its grasp. I got the chance to spend lots of time with my good friend Paul Storrie, have a fantastic dinner with Marv Wolfman, and hang out with friends old and new. Sales were good, which always makes things better, and the show took great care of me.

That NY/NJ State of Mind

So, this is too long for a tweet and I had to share. I drove to New York for New York Comic Con today, because, you know, I'm a man of the people. And, as I'm waiting in the line of cars to enter the Lincoln Tunnel, I see some guy on a motorcycle clearly angry at a van he's next to. Maybe the van didn't let him merge in. I can tell you having just gone through that gauntlet, the zipper concept of "one side goes and then the other" is lost on these commuters.

Anyway, the motorcyclist pounds the van a couple of times. And then the van driver gets out, smacks the guy in the helmet, and drags him and his motorcycle into the median and waves down a cop.

What happened after that, I don't know. The traffic opened up and I went through the tunnel. But out of all the New York things I've seen, that may have been the New Yorkiest.

My Disney-Marvel Team-Ups, Infinity Style

I've been fascinated by the Disney Infinity figures, not because I play the game but because those designs are just so freakin' cool. (Please, Disney, put out an art book of these designs!) They do a remarkable job of scaling every character to a similar shape and style so that they can all work in the same universe. So, I got it in my head that I wanted to draw some in that style, with a little bit of a my style thrown in. Along the same time, I started thinking of Disney/Marvel pairings that were just too good not to draw. And hence we have these drawings.

I'll be selling the originals of these along with one digital color print. I'll have them at New York Comic-Con, and then they'll be available on my site and at other shows (like Wizard Columbus and Akron Comicon).

I don't think I'm done with these, either. I have some other ideas for pairings that are in my head.

Two Weekends, Two Appearances

This weekend I'll be at Nyancon in Mentor, Ohio, talking writing and drawing My Little Pony and Love and Capes among other things. I don't get to do a lot of shows that are this local, so I'm looking forward to it. Then, next week, I'll be in New York City for the aptly-named New York Comic Con. I donated a hand-colored classic Wonder Woman piece to the charity auction, which you may notice has become the new header for the website, as well as doing a kids' drawing panel. And, of course, the aforementioned talking writing and drawing My Little Pony and Love and Capes. I seem to do that a lot.

"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.

Hello, Sweetie

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/riversong.jpg" align="left" border="none" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ] A River Song commission that I just wrapped up this morning.

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.