Comic Con Delirium
There is no before or after. There is only con.
Hey there,
For most people, comic and pop-culture conventions are a once-a-year occasion. You work on your costume all year, save up some dollars, and mark your calendar that one sweet weekend where you can meet your heroes and celebrate your fandom in a technicolor frenzy.
People who exhibit at cons experience them differently.
About a year ago now, I wrote a love letter to comic cons on this very blog. And while I don’t want to undermine that piece, I do want to touch on a different, less-discussed side of the Comic Con coin. Once a vendor or an artist alley participant gets into the rhythm of doing conventions regularly (say, four or more per year), they are prone to condition that I call “Comic Con Delirium.”
The first symptom of CCD is a sort of sleep-deprived haze. Perhaps the result of an abnormally early drive to the convention center, or a late night attempt to reclaim some relaxation time after a long day on the con floor. You enter the con floor on the edge of what we can legally consider “awake.” Your brain is still trying to make sense of the world it has woken up to, and is not prepared for postmodern concepts like “chibi Nostalgia Critic body pillow”.
In Stage 2 of CCD, reality itself will start to warp, as you find yourself in a sort of Groundhog Day time loop. This stage is especially disorienting if you’re doing many cons in the same region (as I have in the Midwest). You start to recognize a lot of the same artists and vendors*, practically caravan-ing from one vendor hall to the next. You might even start to see repeat celebrity guests, multiple cons in the same venue, etc. A stray memory of a con floor interaction will cross your mind, and you’re unsure if this memory occurred yesterday or six months ago.
*Do not get it twisted- finding community with other artists and vendors in your area is never a bad thing, in fact, it’s one of the best parts of tabling.
At some point, linear time will cease to exist. There is no before or after, there is only con. You’re in an infinite, dream-like sprawl of never ending artist alleys and t-shirt towers like lighthouses on distant shores.
In the third and final phase, social aptitude is lost. You cannot carry a conversation, nor form a complete sentence. If you ever see me at a con, you’ll know I’ve reached this phase if I’m sitting at my table with a blank expression, staring straight forward into pure void. The thought that anyone would allow you to handle their money in this state is laughable. Operation of a motor vehicle after the show ends, while probably inevitable, is ill-advised.
Comic Con Delirium will clear up temporarily after a good night’s sleep. And you hope, after you’re rested and your earnings are tallied up, that your surreal fandom-laden weekend was worth it enough to do it all again.
DANGER BOi RETURNS!
I am proud to say that writer DJ Wooldridge and I are gearing up for the second Danger Boi installment, DANGER BOi vs. THE STATESMEN! Returning with us is letterer Taylor Esposito, and joining the team is all-star colorist JP Jordan!
Go follow the pre-launch page to be notified when the campaign launches on Kickstarter!
Guys this book is going to be so. Sick. DJ wrote so much cool stuff into this comic that I can’t wait to draw. A few pages are already done that give you a glimpse into Danger Boi’s new look and some of our new characters (including my new fave, rogue journalist Harm Free).
As with the original Danger Boi, this new issue does not shy away from the real-world issues plaguing our lives right now. There are some heavy themes for sure, but drawing this book feels like a small form of resistance.
Sales of our first issue, DANGER BOi & the ANTAGONiSTS, have leapt forward since I started donating the proceeds to various immigrant rights organizations. You might recall that starting in February, all the money from DB has been donated to Monarca Rapid Response. Since then, I’ve also contributed to other nonprofits depending on which city I’m exhibiting in. We’ve sent money to the Michigan Immigration Rights Center, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and USCRI Cleveland.
If you don’t yet have a copy of Danger Boi, and would like your money to go to a good cause, copies of DANGER BOi & THE ANTAGONiSTS are available on my website.
Romeo & Juliet & Godzilla
IT HAPPENED!
Back in April, Godzilla Monsterpiece Theatre Presents: ROMEO & JULIET & GODZILLA hit the stands! My first time working on an established IP, and the King of the Monsters, at that!
This oversize one-shot was illustrated by me and written by Adam Tierney, with cover and backup story by Tom Scioli! I’m so incredibly proud of this book, and I’m really happy that people seem to be liking it.
I’ve been hearing that a lot of retailers have sold out of it, which, while frustrating for potential new readers, is an insanely good thing for an up-and-coming creator. It was even sold out on release day at my local shop here in Cleveland!
Don’t just take my word for it, though. Critics all over the internet have been digging R & J & Godzilla!
Also worth noting, if you’re a collector who would like to purchase any original artwork from Romeo & Juliet & Godzilla, feel free to inquire through email. You can reach me at allsorrowsart@gmail.com
Four Seasons of FEAR
In other news, I collaborated with writer David Booher on a short story for Stacked Deck Press’ FOUR SEASONS OF FEAR: A Year of Queer Horror.
I was more than happy to lend my hand as an ally to this fantastic anthology of work from LGBTQ+ creators, including Josh Trujillo, David Booher, and Wilfred Santiago. There’s not much I can say about it at the moment, other than that it features a truly messed up and delightful splash page that I can’t wait to share.
Follow the Kickstarter page to be notified when the campaign launches!
Sketch Cover Commissions
I don’t always do commissions, but when I do, I like to have fun.
I’ve had some people asking me lately if I’m currently taking commissions, and the answer is unfortunately no. I still have one more to get through in my current batch, and that’s to say nothing of the two comics projects I’m currently juggling (one of them Danger Boi, you’ll never guess the other one).
But fear not! If you’d like to commission some original work from me, you can expect my commissions to open up somewhere between August and October. I’ll be very annoying about it!
Shameless Advertising
You know I am bound by my duty as a freelancer to inform you that my web store is open! All of my books are available, from PEPPERMINT DESERT, to BLOOD HONEY, all the way to ROMEO & JULIET & GODZILLA.
Also available is a smattering of prints and stickers, and if you’re looking to splurge, I also recently listed some of my original artwork. Knock yourself out!
Feed Your Brain
Here’s what I’ve been into lately:
The Drama is a weird little movie that hinges entirely on a premise that the marketing keeps purposefully hidden from the viewer. It’s such a thrilling movie-going experience, as the viewer is forced to form their opinion about Zendaya’s character in real time along with all the other characters in the movie after a bombshell reveal in the first fifteen minutes. Highly recommend.
I’ve been catching up on Absolute Martian Manhunter by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez. It really is as good as you’ve heard. I’m surprised that DC is even publishing it, because it’s really not even a superhero comic. More like a psychedelic neo-noir that argues why we all just need to go to therapy and love each other. Artwork unlike anything I’ve ever read in a mainstream superhero comic. You don’t need any background knowledge of any other book in the Absolute Comics line. Just check it out and treat it as it’s own thing. You won’t be sorry.
Margo’s Got Money Problems is a charming show on Apple TV+ where Elle Fanning plays a young single mother who (among other things) starts paying her bills by doing work on OnlyFans. It’s a show that has a lot to say, and it’s better to just let the show say it instead of reading me trying to describe it. Extremely compelling, very funny, parts of it may make your blood boil. Fantastic Nick Offerman performance in which he’s a dead ringer for my friend’s dad.
For the first time in years, I’ve got a record player/stereo setup. Man, I’ve been waiting years for that. To celebrate, I hit up my local record store, and after two hours of browsing and deliberation, I walked away with Stevie Nicks’ solo debut, Bella Donna, and Dire Straits’ Making Movies. Both albums I’ve loved for years that sound GREAT coming from some real speakers rather than Airpods.
That’s all for now, friends. Thank you so much for reading. I’ve got a lot of cool things I’d like to do between now and the end of the year, and I hope you’ll all be along for the ride.