BONE CHINA pt.5
WONDERCON RECAP TIME!
This was a whole lot of fun, and super busy as well! The tricky thing about the larger scale comic conventions is trying to compete for customers’ attention, and when you have the big boys of the comics industry in the same room (not to mention a ton of other supremely talented independent artists) it can be difficult to make sales. Thankfully all an artist really needs is a quick drawing hand and a good attitude (and a shtick doesn’t hurt either; my shtick, for example, was to be completely out of my friggin’ mind) and you can still be a happy, profitable vendor.
…and, of course, having a kickass tablemate also helps. In this case it was the demonic dynamo of the art world, Nic Caesar, who helped to draw in the crowds and make sure everyone went home happy.
The only downside about being an exhibitor is that every minute away from your table means a risk of not making sales; sadly, I was anchored to my table for the entire weekend and missed out on seeing a lot of cool people. Aside from some of the pros that I really admire (Art Adams, Eric Powell, Ralph Bakshi, Marv Wolfman, and many others), I wasn’t able to make the rounds and connect with other comic creators. Networking is a humongous part of this industry, and in the future I plan on attending a few conventions as a regular attendee, simply to meet people and not worry about sales.
Don’t get me wrong: working a table is great! I simply can’t promote enough the value of running your own table, and highly recommend all of my fellow webcomic creators who haven’t done it to start hitting those convention circuits. Maybe I’ll see you there, whether I’m behind another table or not!
Scap, grow a pair and CALL HER!!!
Jim
Hell yeah! What’s the worst that could happen? You’d think Scap would be accustomed to failure by now!
Mr Brookburgstein, eh? Shameful.
You could have tacked ‘blum’ on the end!
That’s a very clever disguise for Throgor, incidentally, in terms of hiding his easily-distinguishable features.
I probably don’t need to mention that the very semitic fellow is based on Mel Brooks, who actually did wear that kind of outfit in “Robin Hood: Men in Tights”.
Sorry to disappoint, but that ain’t Throgor! The Sinister Monster Doom Legion is gone, and there’s a new gang of villains in town (besides, ol’ Throggy doesn’t hold the copyright on ‘big, animal-themed goons’).
Ah. The cutaway made it seem as though we jumped to Scap’s plan in action. The big guy’s horn helmet seemed the perfect way to hide Throgor’s actual horn, and I doubt Hypnausea would say no to a gimp mask, especially after his experience with the new quasi-competent Scapula.
hey that cup looks like somthing scap stole from another webcomic *or maybe he payed for it since he got some cash now*
p.s never bring a guitar to a gunfight? always check if you packed the tommygun before you go rob a bank
D’oh! Maybe they realized their mistake out in the hallway and decided to roll with it. The best way to cover a mistake is to pretend there isn’t one!
Perhaps Frankie gave Scap that mug as a friendly gesture…after all, doing things like throwing safes CAN make future conversations a tad awkward.
Next time share a table with George Ford so he actually SELLS something. What is even better is that you can have one of his kids man the table while you go off star gazing.
What does the bottom of the Frankenstein mug say??
The bottom of the mug says “Superstore”…I dunno, I just stole the image from John’s site. Go read his comic if you want to figure out what all the hoopla is about.
Sharing a table with George isn’t a bad idea, but the next conventions that I have either planned or confirmed are either going to be solo or with Hyaena Gallery artists, so I’m booked for now. YOU TAKE HIM, Bearman!
Somebody had better come adopt me or I’m not gonna feel so special anymore!!!!
Too late; we’re sending you to the most Dickensian orphanage we can find!
Awfully sporting of Scap to buy the coffee mug of a guy who chucked a safe into his face…
I think it was a gift, along with a card that read, “SAWRY, PLEEZ BE FREND”.
…and all of Scapula’s dishes were dirty.
Scap’s rambling mind had me smiling this early morning. The Miscreants look like a fun crew. I smell a huge Scap Universe toy-line coming soon. I want in.
Had mega fun meeting you and Nik at Wondercon. You guys are cool folks. And purty darned classy to boot.
Thanks again for stopping by, George, and giving us the free sampler of Addanac City! I think you are more than ready to start hitting those convention tables, so get on it! Now! NOW! NAAAAAOOOWWW!
Scapula toys actually aren’t as remote of a possibility as you may think. There are numerous Chinese companies that you can actually commission to make toys based on the designs you send them…you just better be sure you can sell enough to make ordering them worth it, because that CAN’T be a cheap service.
Yeah, working cons is rough because you don’t actually get to go to the con, but the money makes it aaaaallllll better!
Very true; for me, conventions are largely about meeting and making new customers and selling your wares. Missing out on the other people’s tables and convention panels is a downside, so it’s probably best to research conventions first and then gauging whether it’s more beneficial to be a vendor or attendee.
You seem weirder than Scapula on the pics. Maybe Scapula is just a normal guy, after all.
Hey, can’t argue with that!
Large and ugly man is large and ugly. What can I say? The Miscreants? ‘Evil metal band’ is kind of a cliche, it’s nice to see them deciding to actually do something evil. The lard ball sort of bugs me though….. he’d better have a good voice!
As for Scap…. phone. use it. Pretty simple idea even for him I suspect!
We’ll learn more about the Miscreants and their game next Sunday; until then, just be impressed that there’s a man with larger man-boobs than Scap!
I think Scap has been more or less desensitized to physical pain (even if the thought of it sends him running), but emotional pain, especially of the romantic variety, is bound to do some damage. How’s he going to handle it?
Probably not gracefully!
The more I look at them, the more I notice the guy in the mask looks like the nastiest ‘sit in a dark corner and look freaky’ guy I used to know well….. ever. Yeah, and this was a guy in a club where the point was to freak people out.
Kinda has that ‘snap’ dialogue type too.
The worst is yet to come with the masked fellow. We’ll learn his shtick in the next strip!
“I thought it was going really well, Chuck.”
*Chuck Woolery fiddles with his watch and picks something out of his teeth*
“We had a great time at the wax museum… but he never called me back!”
🙂
….aaaaaand the winner of the most obscure celebrity reference of the week goes to you, Rob! I confess to having to resort to a Google-search to remember who ol’ Chuck was (‘Love Connection’ was a reeeeally long time ago, although I do remember seeing it because it was on the same night as the Simpsons in those days).
Oh, man…90’s references get my head reeling. I wonder how many of those couples actually went on to happy marriages? Knowing the world of television, probably none!
Wait, wait, wait. “I thought it was going really well, Chuck.”
Isn’t that something that Peppermint Patty said to Charlie Brown? Or am I misremembering?
I think I’ll start hitting the conventions this year. I’ve been compiling a couple of books of stuff for cons, it’s just a matter of getting them to print… it helps to have something to sell!
Yes! Do it!
A word of advice I didn’t mention before: make sure you have other stuff to sell besides your comic. As much as we cartoonists love and have faith in our own creations, a lot of convention attendees are reluctant to spend their money on comics they’ve never heard of, so you can always try to ease them in to your work with other things, such as prints, sketches and original drawings, various merchandise, etc.
Let them get to know you and your drawing/storytelling skills and they’ll be inclined to either buy your comic or look it up later (hey, a sale now or a sale later is still a sale!).
Either Scapula gathered together those ‘miscreants’ to do his dirty work (he would actually be the mastermind for this once!) “This jewelry joint robbery..” (Panel 4) or he someone is messing it up for him.
And he does not even get to help with messing things up.
Scap is more than capable of messing things up on his own! You should see what happened when he tried to make a PB&J that morning. Fire everywhere.
We’ll learn more about the Miscreants and their connection to Scap (if any) really soon.
hmmm… well,well,well… “and the times they are a changin'” –or maybe not? Scap is almost cute in his dithery state. (Almost)
Love the pics of you at the con. The makeup is awesome!. :`)
Aww, thanks! Glad you enjoyed the con pics, and here’s hoping we see Aedre’s Firefly getting a table soon (and if you already have, forgive my ignorance).
And yes, I’ll allow a Bob Dylan reference. Makes for some good humor, I sez!
I’m not ready to tackle the cons yet, thanks, Aidan. You are most gracious about the B.Dylan quote. Heh. BTW, really nice job on the guest art you did for The Checkered Man.
Just don’t hold out forever. You don’t know what you’re missing!
The Checkered Man strip was a lot of fun as well.
Uh oh, looks like love is rearing its ugly head, Scap! The Miscreants might want to check with their manager, I don’t think this is Bud’s Big Bad-Ass Biker Bar….
The only ugly head being reared is Scap’s (in that his head and rear are nearly interchangeable). Love, however, is in the air!
Bud’s Big Bad-Ass Biker Bar…is that where Peewee Herman danced on a pool table?
Is it wrong that I want to be standing in a screaming crowd watching these guys and throwing my underwear up on stage at them??
Very wrong. Extremely wrong. Inhumanly wrong.
You could be bad enough to be an official groupie for the Miscreants!
Are you kidding? I’m WAY badder than they are. Maybe i’ll let them be MY groupies.
BTW Great guest piece for Checkered man. It’s my new desktop background.
Denver is the man. I’m looking forward to the other guest strips he’s getting (of course, they may not be as awesome as the one’s I got!).
Awesome. Love the last line. Like how you throw in comedy in the middle of serious scenes.
Thank ya, sir. Comedy makes the serious scenes all the more serious…or something like that. I’m not as good at critical analysis as some folks!
The shirtless guy with the giant man nipples needs to put a shirt on… I beg you! #JustSayin [grin]
Oh, trust me when I say the worst is yet to come with THAT guy. He may actually rank as the, well, rankest bad guy of them all!
Ooo, Wonder Con looked like fun. Sorry I missed it.
I’m sorry I missed everyone who actually WAS there! Not a lot of mobility on my part, but hey, maybe next year, right?
Man, I must have walked right past you, I wanted to meet you too, I forgot, did you say you saw Jar Jar, if you did I was next to him. But if you live here in LA maybe we can romp! Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeers!
I missed out on a LOT of people, sadly. The next major comic convention I attend I will definitely make it my duty to wander about.
If you’re looking for me in LA I’m usually making some extra business on Sunset Ave; I’m the one in the leopard print skirt with the purple Cleopatra wig. Just ask for Huggie Bear.
Wow!! I love the set up and costume! Looks like a goodtime, definitely makes me wanna check out the next WonderCon!
You should! Better yet, look into getting tables at comic conventions. People would love your chinchillas!
Why is Scap planning a heist in his undershirt? I, for one, always plan heists best when fully dressed. It’s a thing, you know?
True; I usually do my art or business fully-dressed (some would even say over-dressed, since I usually work alone).
Scap, however, seems to be more at ease in his stinky old wife-beater. It’s a gangster thing.