A lot of comic and non-comic news has happened since the last blog (I will be doing a separate non-comic blog later). the months of May and June were still fairly busy in terms of larger conventions and new smaller local events. Even the middle of our current month in July has a few more things brewing with the Cosmic Force finale project being half-illustrated, two magazine interviews, and a potential interactive in-store signing at a new local bookshop. As always, I will explain more below:
Pearl Con - Saturday May 13th at Daniel J Pearl Magnet School, Van Nuys, CA: This event is the best example of just how important it is to make connections at art festivals and comic conventions. I had no prior knowledge of this show until I got a random email from the promoter a few weeks before I was set to exhibit at Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con back in April. It turns out that the Pearl Con show organizer was one of my customers last July at the Reseda Summer Art Fest, and remembered both myself and my work. Her event was a fun little show taking place at the Daniel Pearl school parking lot for a car show, the front campus for opening festivities, and in their cafeteria for the vendors (which was where yours truly had been located). The show ran from 10-3, and attendees started coming into the cafe vendor hall from the outside starting at about 11:30 that morning. There were lots of students and parents supporting the artists by making purchases of their items, but the highlight for me was a guy who followed my Carter Comics Facebook page several months ago, and was the first to pick up a full set of Damn Tourist books from me. Not to be outdone in the show highlights department, were two friends of mine who helped me break down my table display and treated me to lunch at a hidden diner nearby. Overall, the show was small, but had a great positive vibe to it with students and parents that were very enthusiastic about the items each vendor had. I would gladly exhibit at this show again.
Comic Con Revolution - Saturday and Sunday, May 20th and 21st, at the Ontario Convention Center: I had previously exhibited at this show’s Artist Alley during its first three years of existence starting in May 2017, but sales and customer interest were very low for independent comics, or at least my particular books. I did get to participate in my first ever panel, and gained a new fan who was my very first customer when I set up. She purchased several books of mine and I did a requested sketch cover for her. Overall, it was never a show that I did very well at, so I took it off my convention list until this year. The Comic Arts Professional Society (or CAPS), of which I am a member, began purchasing exhibitor booths for other members to promote and sell their books and art (as well as CAPS) for free at various conventions, including this one. I ended up splitting a 10 X 10 booth with two other artist members for the Saturday and Sunday show, and unfortunately sold less than I did during my first three years in their Artist Alley. That area had now become separated from the main exhibit hall, where our booth was, and the artist friends I spoke with during breaks had different viewpoints as to how sales were. Some did very well on Saturday, but not so well on Sunday. Others didn’t do well on either day. A few asked why the CAPS table wasn’t in Artist Alley, but no exhibitor booths (which hold more people) were located there. I’m still on the fence about returning next year, but its hard to say no to a free table. Also, it was my first time tabling there since 2019, so I could do a little better at the booth for 2024. My fellow artists at the booth did suggest that for a corner 10 x 10 exhibit booth space, only two people should be there. Squeezing 3 or 4 people in a space that size dilutes the sales of all artists there, as each person will have limited space to advertise there work. It also confuses attendees as to whose work they’re looking at. Just some food for thought regarding a 2024 show.
Shangri-LA Market - Saturday June 3rd, in El Sereno, CA: This will go down as the single weirdest show I’ve ever exhibited at. Ah, where to begin: The area the event took place in, El Sereno, was new to me. Upon arriving, I noticed that there were no signs of the street being closed off for an outdoor market. After walking around a mostly desolate neighborhood on an early Saturday morning, I finally ran into other vendors who were also wondering where the event was. At that moment, the show promoter came out of a gate to reveal that the show was in her backyard! The book and art fair was spread out from a downstairs parking lot, to various sections of her yard around her house. I was set up at one of her lawn tables. All of this would be completely fine, if neighborhood customers came by to see and purchase our work. Instead, the promoter had a select group of friends come by the show, and most were brought up to a part of the yard where she and her other friends were hanging out. Needless to say, no sales were made, and hardly anyone coming by to look at my books. Other vendors didn’t fare that well either. It wasn’t all bad though, as one of the vendors managed an indie creator friendly bookshop. I was able to make a connection with him for future store consignment and in-store signing.
Nostalgic Comics Signing in San Gabriel, CA - Wednesday June 7th: My third comic shop signing of the year was not as successful sales-wise compared to the Comic Bug and Hi De Ho Comic shop signings I did back in April. While Wednesdays are usually chosen for signings due to it being new comic release day, it can depend on how many people are coming in to do so, which unfortunately were not alot. The cloudy and cool June weather could have also played a factor. Overall I just did 1 two for $10 book sale, and a commissioned sketch for a fellow artist vendor friend who came by. I did get to chat with the owner alot, who I first met a few years ago when he put together a local comic convention in East LA. He also had some forgotten ‘90s films on the TV when I came in to set up (Blankman, with Damon Wayans from 1994). I’ll try his shop again to see if there’s a busier Wednesday, or if he has a weekend event with a few other indie creators.
Anime Street Market at in Culver City, CA - Sunday June 11th: My most recent show of 2023 also happened to be on my birthday, but since it was a new show, I decided to give it a shot anyway. An outdoor event set up in the parking lot of Dreamworld Comics in Culver City (which was converted from a former gas station), this show had just enough space for about ten vendors, who all needed to bring their own setup supplies as well as merchandise (table chairs, pop-up tent). I was luckily able to borrow a tent from a friend living down the street from me, and I had everything else. After re-learning how to set the canopy up with the help of m vendor neighbor, the show unfortunately suffered from the same cloudy and cool weather that my previous comic shop signing did. The show ran from 11 am to 6 pm, but customers didn’t start coming into the parking lot on foot until around 2 pm. By 4 pm, very few new customers were coming in, so the promoter allowed us to leave an hour early at 5 pm if we wanted. I did just two sales (both 2 for $10 book purchases), with one of them being from a friend and former co-worker who lived in the area. There was talk by the promoter of doing the show monthly, but plans may have changed since there was no July event. I guess we’ll see if he feels it’s worth trying at least one more time.
Cosmic Force issue 7 and future events: There is currently a lull in shows for me at the moment. This may change by fall with a possible free booth at Long Beach Comic Con courtesy of CAPS. As I write this, San Diego Comic Con is coming up this weekend, where just about all of my indie comic creator and artist friends will be. I haven’t attended since 2012, and unfortunately don’t have the financial resources right now to have tried again this year, or even exhibit for the first time. I will get there eventually though. In the meantime, I have put my focus on completing issue seven of my science fiction series “Cosmic Force. In case you were not informed, I decided early last year to end this series in eight issues, creating a two-part finale that would serve as the third and final volume in a trade paperback. This decision was made in order for me to focus completely on my more popular series “Damn Tourists.” I currently have half of this issue in some form of illustration, so about 37 of a 67 page book. Since this was my first comic series, with its roots tracing as far back as 1988, when I made my first ten comics at 8 years old from legal sheets and construction paper, I have a lot of mixed emotions about its ending. It was still surreal completing the script last year for the final issues, and a little nerve-wracking trying to remember all the characters and storylines I now need to wrap up. There’s also some excitement involving one last story twist to the supporting characters, and creating a large backstory for some new characters. Then there’s the shock of what I am about to do at the climax of issue eight. While it will be some time before I start illustrations on part two of the finale, just writing it last year even surprised me for a moment. I’m realistically looking at a full completion date of December 2024, then launching my first kickstarter to fund it for the 2025 convention season, while I move onto scripting the seventh issue of “Damn Tourists.”
That is it for now. I will probably play next month by ear in regards to another blog, as I would like to write these when I have a lot of things going on the comic world. That may not be until September, so unless something changes, expect the next blog to happen then.
Enjoy your summer!