San Diego Comic-Con 2012

Meant to file this report right after Comic-Con in July and life got in the way. Better late than never.

I spent most of the past two months getting ready for San Diego Comic-Con. Jayson Comics #2 has just been published and is available as a print-on-demand comic at IndyPlanet, along with a variant-cover edition of Jayson Comics #1. Both contain key chapters from my upcoming graphic novel "Jayson Gets a Job!", which I intend to have out in time for New York Comic-Con in October.

Northwest Press is now offering digital editions of all my print titles ("Jayson" books as well as my Ralf König translations) on iTunes, along with an exclusive "History of Jayson" which we just finished working on. It's about 50 pages long, lavishly illustrated, and based on a series of blog posts I wrote a few years ago.

I also completed the script for my issue-length "Kevin Keller Meets Sabrina" story and submitted it to Archie Comics in time for them to read it before seeing them at the Con.

Wednesday night at Comic-Con is Preview Night, open only to professionals and a lucky few early purchasers of 4-day passes. As such, it is a bit quieter and a better opportunity for networking. After setting up my table at the Prism Comics booth, I made a beeline for the Archie Comics booth. I've had a good relationship with Archie President Mike Pellerito for a few years now, but I have never been able to break through with Editor-in-Chief Victor Gorelick. Turns out it was a smart move to send both of them my "Kevin Keller Meets Sabrina" story in advance; Victor read it and liked it so much that it finally put me on his radar. While he says the "Kevin" book is plotted out two years in advance and he doesn't see an opportunity to use the script, he said that Archie needs to find an opportunity for me to write something for them!

I was able to capitalize on this turn of events during my speech at the 25th annual all-star Gays In Comics panel on Saturday night. I talked about creating "Jayson" because I loved Archie Comics but never saw myself represented in them, and how Kevin Keller has changed all that. I was able to conclude by stating that on the eve of Jayson's 30th anniversary, I find myself in talks to write for Archie. It brought down the house.

During the Con I was also interviewed for a documentary about LGBT comics creators called "Secret Identities"; I'll let you know if the film ever comes out. I did an interview about Jayson with Jeff4Justice that landed on YouTube. And I attended the launch party for an anthology from Fantagraphics called "No Straight Lines: 40 Years of Queer Cartooning," to which I contributed one of my early Jayson stories.

Since Comic-Con I have been working feverishly to finish my new graphic novel "Jayson Gets a Job!" in time for New York Comic-Con in October. The book finally went to press this week and will debut at New York Comic-Con (Oct. 11-14) and San Francisco's Alternative Press Expo (Oct. 13-14) at the Prism Comics booth. If you can't get to either of these events, the book is also now available for pre-order on Amazon.com.

Screwed By Comikaze

Back in February, the CEO of Comikaze, a Los Angeles-based comic book convention I had never heard of, offered me a free table and publicity on their website in exchange for appearing at their show in September. I accepted the offer and dutifully submitted the requested photo, bio, and completed  form.

A month later, I met the CEO, Regina Carpinelli, at WonderCon. At my age, pretty much everyone I meet reminds me of someone I've already met, and Regina reminded me of any number of smooth talkers who turn out to be full of baloney.

Months pass, Comikaze is rebranded as "Stan Lee's Comikaze," and I hear nothing back from Regina or anyone associated with the convention. My photo and bio do not appear on their website and I am not listed a guest, special or otherwise. My emails and phone calls to Regina and to "Teddy," the director of sales, go unreturned.

My friend Dylan Edwards ("Transposes"), who managed to secure a table in Artists' Alley but only received the promised show package a few days before the show and only after making repeated requests, suggested I contact "Corey," the director of operations. After several days Corey Silverstein responded as follows:

"At this point Artists' Alley is completely full and we cannot offer you a table... However we would happy to offer you a complimentary pass so that you can enjoy the show."

So instead of the promised free table and publicity, I have the opportunity to... attend the show! Fuck you very much, Comikaze. I think I'll pass.

See you all in New York, where they know how to run a convention.

Wither Facebook

Facebook was fun while it lasted. It enabled people to easily do two things they love to do: connect with others and talk about themselves. Then Facebook got greedy. (Or "ambitious" if you prefer.) No longer content to be a digital diversion, Facebook decided to take on Twitter and LinkedIn and all its competitors at once. Now, while attempting to post and share amusing bits of our lives, Facebook assaults us with invitations to join BranchOut and Klout that demand an ever-growing share of our personal bandwidth. And then there's that insidious Timeline, which Facebook unilaterally decided is a better way for us to present our personal information. I've stopped visiting the pages of my Friends who use Timeline because it gives me a migraine. Soon everyone will be forced to switch to Timeline, and whatever minor pleasure I once derived from using Facebook will be gone forever. Remember the days when seemingly everyone was on AOL? Those chat rooms sure were addictive. AOL grew powerful enough to swallow Time Warner! Then, overnight, AOL was uncool. A late-night punch line. Soon it receded from view. All in under a decade. A similar fate awaits Facebook. Soon the next disruptive technology will come along and render Facebook passé. In ten years, Facebook will be a distant memory and a handy touchstone for period films set in 2009. What will replace Facebook's share of hearts, minds, and wallets? Of late, interest seems to be growing in Pinterest, but if you've never been into scrapbooking, I doubt this will change your mind. Tumblr? Foursquare? Who knows? Maybe Twitter will grow restless and grow up. In all likelihood, a service you've never heard of will catch fire and capture the zeitgeist. Just like Facebook did. And MySpace before it. And AOL before that. It's inevitable. It's the way of the digital world.  The only question is: How many people will be sorry they bought Facebook stock?

Emerald City 2012: Day 3

As expected thanks to the shipping snafu, I was nearly out of books by Sunday morning. Luckily I had brought plenty of copies of the convention-exclusive "Jayson Comics #1," which also serves as a promotion for my entire line, so I was able sell that throughout the day and direct buyers to the Ignite! website for the rest of my books. By the way, there are still a few signed copies of "Jayson Comics #1"left in the Prism Comics online store. Hurry before this collector's item is gone forever!
By Sunday afternoon I had so little product left that I finally got to leave the booth and attend Kaboom's "Peanuts" panel. They are producing new "Peanuts" comic books, inspired by (and occasionally reprinting) classic "Peanuts" strips from the 1960s era. The comic's primary writer and artist were the panelists, talking about their reverence for the original work and the responsibility they feel in curating Charles Schulz's legacy. It was also interesting to learn more about the approval process for the stories and art. Creative Associates, which licenses all "Peanuts" products, approves every step of the way, along with the Kaboom editors. They apparently give lots of notes! Everyone feels a responsibility to measure up to the original and avoid tarnishing the brand. This series will stick to the look and feel of the 1960s -- probably Schulz's most creative era and also the least mined -- which means you won't be seeing the characters using cellphones or texting each other anytime soon!

Emerald City 2012: Day 2

Saturday at Seattle's Emerald City Comicon, as expected based on Friday's traffic, was packed. And people were in the mood to buy! It is always rewarding to meet longtime fans -- and I did meet several -- but it is even more heartening to meet attendees who are adventurous enough to try something new. The "ick" factor surrounding gay comics and gays in general is clearly in retreat, especially in a place like Seattle that boasts so many smart and progressive citizens. And there are several hooks for "Jayson" -- it's funny, it looks like "Archie," it's about a 20-something liberal-arts graduate struggling to make it in the big city -- that draw people in. The bigger surprise for me is that my Ralf Konig translations got equal play. In prior years, passersby would point out a title like "The Killer Condom" to their friends, snigger, and move on. This year it was my first title to sell out!
I've become a big fan of some of the newer webcomics out there, like Jeff Schuetze's JefBOT. Jeff introduced me to several other young webcomic publishers at the convention, including Ryan Hudson, whose channelate is just about the funniest thing I've ever read. He's published a year's worth of his strips in a book titled "Don't Take This the Wrong Way" that demonstrates remarkable consistency in milking fresh laughs from familiar themes. Bud and I got to meet up with the webcomic crew on Saturday night for drinks at the Sheraton and got to know them better.

Emerald City 2012: Day 1

Seattle, despite being cold and rainy, is one of the warmest and most hospitable cities I've ever visited. Blame the people. The Emerald City Comicon continues to be the best managed convention I attend, which is why I return year after year. That said, this year's appearance got off rocky start when I arrived at the Prism Comics booth (#902) to discover that through a communication error with the inventory manager, they failed to ship most of my books. Luckily I brought some backup product of my own, but owing to risk sales on Friday, I am all but certain to sell out on Saturday. The good news: When a customer is wavering on whether to buy now or come back later, I tell them this is all the inventory I have and I may be sold out by the time they return. Works every time!

WonderCon 2012: Day 3 and Beyond!

It's official: WonderCon Anaheim was a bust. Everyone I knew there reported much slower sales than last year in San Francisco. The change in venue, the economy, and the unusually poor weather were certainly all contributing factors. Prism Comics, which represented me and other LGBT creators at the Con, suffered 50% sales declines from last year, which mirrored my own experience at the Prism booth, mitigated only by a flurry of last-minute sales as I threatened to pack up. Maybe that should be my strategy from now on.
At least Sunday started off promisingly with a delightful breakfast with "Kevin Keller" creator Dan Parent from Archie Comics. It's always a pleasure to talk shop with Dan and get the inside scoop on Archie's future plans, some of which are still under wraps. Did I mention that I've always wanted to work for Archie Comics? You might notice a slight similarity in my drawing style. Anyway, with openly gay Kevin making headlines at Archie -- a phenomenon I thought I'd never see in my lifetime -- maybe my dream of working there is within reach after all. 

Next it's on to Seattle for Emerald City Comicon, taking place March 30 thru April 1 at the Downtown Seattle Convention Center. I will once again be a booth partner with Prism Comics, so look for me there throughout the Con!

 

WonderCon 2012: Day 2

A rainy day at WonderCon made it feel just like San Francisco -- drat! Traffic was heavy but sales were light, probably because nobody felt like carrying stuff in the rain.
At least my Jayson bookmarks are a hit. Granted, they're free! But people actually like them and whenever they use them, no matter what they're reading, they'll think of me.

I connected briefly with Batton Lash and Mark Evanier, and had a good converation with Scott Shaw and friends about Kevin Keller's dating woes. I explained that, at least when I was growing up as a closeted gay teen, I got a much later start on the dating scene than my straight peers -- no teen romances, no prom date for me! -- that I really had a lot of catching up to do, just like Kevin. Just remember, dear readers, It Gets Better!

WonderCon 2012: Day 1

This is the first (and maybe the only) time WonderCon will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center instead of San Francisco's Moscone Center. No on-site parking was available by the time we got there, so we had to drive miles away to the Anaheim Angels Stadium and still pay $10 to park and then take a shuttle back to the convention center.
When we arrived, it was not clear where registration area was and the on-site personnel didn't know either -- scary. Things looked up considerably when we found it and were not only whisked through, but we got 6 free Guest passes without having to show any evidence of guests. So we have several extra free guest passes if anyone is interested!
Prism Comics has primo real estate at booth 200, on the aisle and right next to Marvel. One of the volunteers is an animator who's going to try his hand at animating a "Jayson" story ("Jayson's Christmas Party") from "Jayson: Best of the 90s." If all goes well, we should have a short film to debut at Bent-Con in December (just in time for Christmas) and post on YouTube. Stay tuned!
Traffic and sales were slow but steady. I sold books to several people who were not familiar with "Jayson" before. One fan at a time, people!

I also checked in with Dan Parent, creator of Archie Comics' gay character Kevin Keller, to get the latest scoop from Archie. In addition to a planning a new fantasy wedding story between Archie and Valerie, and second mini-series featuring KISS, Dan informed me that Archie is planning something else huge that will be announced shortly!

Convention Season Begins!

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted here. Time flies when you're busy as snot. This weekend the 2012 comic-book convention season kicks off (for me anyway) at WonderCon, which is being held in Anaheim this year rather than San Francisco -- much more convenient for me!
You can find me at the Prism Comics booth, which is booth 200 in Hall D, right next to Marvel. I will be a booth partner there with dedicated hours as follows:

• Fri., Mar. 16 -- 3:30 - 7:00pm
• Sat., Mar. 17 -- 2:30 - 7:00pm
• Sun., Mar. 18 -- 11:00am - 2:00pm

I will be signing and selling all my "Jayson" graphic novels and Ralf König translations. You can even buy my convention-exclusive Jayson Comics #1. Hurry before it sells out and the variant-cover second printing takes its place!