Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Baltimore Post game and Dragoncon is a comin.

So Baltimore is over... whew. It was quite a weekend. I am exhausted, yet back at work.

Saturday was... disappointing. Not because I wasn't making money (I'm used to that) but because I didn't get many takers to try Intermezzo. I would tell people about it, they would laugh, maybe say something about how funny it sounded and walk away. To me, the biggest obstacle has always felt like "how do I get people to look at Intermezzo" with the feeling being that people will give it a try if they hear about it and see how funny it is. But the question staring me in the face at the end of the day "What if intermezzo just isn't good enough?"

Bless Stacy for being the poor soul to talk me off the artistic ledge. She let me vent enough so that Sunday I wasn't the bitter, scary dude behind the table. So Sunday went well, one of the better days I've had. I almost made my table cost back (which would have meant i only would have lost my hotel room $, dare to dream). But anyone who goes into this for the money is either insane or just stepped out of a time machine from 1995.

I don't think my funk on Saturday night was an overreaction though. I really needed to rethink how I approach this. I had some ideas to try and minimize how much i am spending, where i need to focus my finances, and how i can accomplish some modest goals without spending all of our savings (mine and Wendy's together, because if it were just me I would have been bankrupt at least once by now. With Wendy in the picture, I have more to lose and too much at stake to throw it into this without considering the consequences.)

While i sat behind the table and the evil voices took over and ran my mind for the better part of a day I decided to sketch. It is considerably different than anything i have drawn in many years. It is a different part of me entirely, and not anyone you will see in Intermezzo. I am not able to post it (for reasons that are beyond me).

Anyway, Dragoncon is this weekend. I am not set up at a table because i have seen many bigger names than I (and who isn't?) sitting with no one coming up to them, looking bored, and set up in a basement somewhere. It is not a good choice for me to spend the money to do that.

But at Dragoncon this year will be STAN LEE. So I am going, I am going to get a picture, and an autograph and probably say something stupid to the man. But this is my one chance to do that, and any comic geek worth his geek would jump at the chance to do the same. Anyone who tells you different is lying through their teeth. This man is crucial is creating some of the biggest characters in comic book history. those characters are still around today because they speak to people on a deep level.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

BALTIMORE

WOw, It is time. It seems this summer has flown by.

So Baltimore, here I come (ready or not). If you read this and find me at Baltimore Comic Con if you say the phrase "The Eagle Flies at Midnight" you'll get a free gift.

Hope to see lots of people there and get some new readers for Intermezzo. One new reader found me on Facebook, that was cool. Look for Brian Wingrove if you wanna.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Time Flies

It is hard to believe that Baltimore Comicon is one week away. And Dragoncon is only 2 weeks away. Where has this summer gone?

Saturday, August 14, 2010

update- whats coming up, what Im doing

Less than three weeks to Dragoncon! Woohoo!
Less than two weeks to Baltimore Comicon. Also Woohoo! Haven't been there before, Stacey went last year and had a good show. My schedule allowed it this year, so i am looking forward to it.

I am working away on issue 6. Pencils are done. I am inking the cover right now, i think it is my favorite. I still have the painting to do, but I think it is really fun.

I am almost finished reading Deaththreats, a book about Drew Hayes. If you don't know his work, you should. He was a self publisher who signed with Sirius in the 90s who wrote and drew a book called Poison Elves. One of the things that really made him stand out was his opening comments and letters page (called Deaththreats) where he opened himself to his very core for his readers. Historical Perspective: this was before every yahoo with a blog was doing the same thing. He exposed his depression, relationships, fear of intimacy, everything uncensored. I often think of what he did, relating to readers in the same way, but these days its commonplace. Its a shame.

Friday, August 13, 2010

more pictures




more pictures from the Improbables project. More on what it is when it gets close enough that I can tell it is going to happen.
Thanks to the help of 10 friends last weekend i am closer to that being a reality. Thank you all, and i am glad you had so much fun.

Indyplanet

I got a email from a reader this morning who tried to follow the link on the website to buy more issues of Intermezzo (always a good thing) but couldn't because of a problem. If you are having the same problem (and I'm sure millions of you are) go to

www.indyplanet.com then use their quick search option type in Intermezzo and all five issues pop up. Hopefully the link will be fixed soon and the mad rush can continue unabatted.

Also look me up on Facebook, where i am one of the last seven people on the planet to get a facebook page (just in time for everyone to decide its not cool anymore and stop using it). Just look for Brian Wingrove (duh)

Sunday, August 1, 2010

A little discouraged

I went to the Charlotte Comicon today. I've been to that show three or four times now. Nice people run it, and it's a good show. Toaday went about like they all have, good crowds for a lot of the show and a little sparce here and there. But for reasons i don't know, this show was... in the terms of... ok, fine, here it is.

I don't usually discuss the specifics or money (I find it in bad taste), but I sold almost nothing at this show. There, i said it. It's a very discouraging feeling to sit at a table for that long and to get so few takers. And its not about the money, its about finding new readers. And after a day like today, I wonder if I will ever find them.

I also usually try to stay positive on this blog, but in the interest of being honest i decided to write what i was feeling today. I'm not planning on dwelling on it, but there it is.

I hope to move on to things that will raise my spirits. Baltimore Comicon is coming up at the end of August. At least this way, I don't have my hopes up too high. Does that count as a positive?