Winston Salem Comicon

I attended the Winston Salem Comicon Saturday and had a fun day.  It was a little slow starting, but picked up as the day went.

A boy about 12 or 13 almost running up to my table said he was looking for me all over the place.  (that makes you feel important)  He's bought 3 comics from me at the last 2 conventions he went to, and was there to pick up the next 3.  That was way cool.

In the end I think that is all any artist can ask for.  For someone to give his work a try, and then to enjoy it enough to keep coming back for more.

Thanks to Burke St Comics for putting on another good show.
Next up is Hickory on 09/24.

Oak City Comicon

I was in Raleigh for the Oak City Comicon yesterday with my good friend from Leather Mischief.  We both had really a good day, but never got much of a rest.  Big crowds, a lot of people looking at our stuff and a lot of people who liked it enough to make a purchase.  In a comicon, there is a lot of things for you to spend your money, so when people spend it on my art and comics I feel very grateful.

This was my best 1 day show yet.  In the past year I keep going to shows that set a new personal record.  I still have shows that I don't do well, but that is just part of the deal. 

Next week I have another show that set a new record last year, Winston Salem Comicon.  So time to try for a new personal best.

Issue 13 is at Ka-blam being printed.  I should get it back by the middle of May.

Post Con Post

I went to the Winston Salem Comiccon on Sat. Sept 5th, put on by Burke Street Comics.  Normally I do not like to talk money here, but I will write that this was my best 1 day show ever.  It was constantly busy and a lot of people bought a lot of different stuff.  It was a fun and fast paced day.  I took a page from issue 13 to finish penciling, but got next to nothing done on it. 


My next show will be Oct 3rd in Roanoke, VA.  I always have good shows there, and they have a great crowd of fans.  But now, I have a new goal to beat.

Road trip, and comic book convention

I will be attending the Charlotte Comiccon on Dec 14th, this Sunday.  It is a chance to meet my wife Wendy as well, as we will be going together.  They always have a good show and this one is expanding to be even bigger.


Should be lots of fun, with a few surprises as well (I hope, more on that later).


To anyone who wishes me or Wendy "Happy Anniversary" you will get a free prize.

Finally, a convention

Winston Salem Comic con is this Saturday.  It has been too long for me.  I have done several shows in Winston Salem but this is the first I've been to put on by Burke St Comics.  I am so looking forward to this.


My day job is weighing heavy on me lately, it is always good to get to a convention but now especially.


Anyone who sees this give me the secret phrase "A couch!" and get a prize.

Comic show in Winston Salem

I am working a lot on directing a play called The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).  If you have the chance you should see it.  If you have the chance to see mine, then all the better.  It is one of the funniest things on the planet.  And I don't consider that to be an exaggeration.


I have work tomorrow, then rehearsal tomorrow night, and then I wake up early and go to Jay and Eddie's Comic Book Show.  I need my comic book convention fix, it will be fun.  I will get to see some dealers that I have gotten to know better, and some artists that I see more and more frequently.


And if anyone walks up to me and says the magic phrase "Bob stole my arm and painted it blue" you win a prize.


If someone walks up wearing a costume from my comic Intermezzo, I will throw so much free $#!&! your way you won't be able to carry it.

Post Charlotte Comicon Post

Had an excellent show yesterday.  The Charlotte Comicon has been consistently good for me, and yesterday was no exception.  A fun time, got to meet lots of good people, and see some cool costumes.  There will be pictures posted soon.


This weekend I will be... home.  With my wife, who has been very patient with the amount of conventions over the past month (4 out of 5 weekends have had a convention).  So it will be nice to stay home and spend some time together.


But the next weekend I will be in Richmond.  But Wendy will be with me.

Comic book show wrap up

Winston Salem was a fun trip. I was with my best friend Jeff so it was a fun ride and we were set up next to each other at the show so it made for a good convention as well.  Jay and Eddies put on a good show with a good crowd of people. I wish I could have gotten a few more comics into the hands of potential readers (but that never changes, anytime I come home with copies left I feel I could have done better) but I got to talk with a lot of con-goers who seem genuinely interested and entertained with hearing about my comics.  So thank you all for a good time, and thanks to Jay and Eddie's for putting it on.

The really neat thing about that area is that they have 3 comic stores in that area. Jay and Eddies (Who put on the show), Burke Street comics (whom I met on a trip through Winston, not too long ago and who talked to me about iNTERMEZZO and how he enjoys it) and Ssalefish (whose store is in the same spot as a Heroes Arent hard to Find satellite store that was open for a long time, and I went to semi frequently as a kid and have great memories of). For that area to have 3 stores (when my town of Wilson can have trouble sustaining one) is encouraging; that the fan base is strong, you just have to find it.

While at the show I met a guy who had read the first 8 issues and picked up the 9th. He told me his favorite character was Fire Ant.  I admit that I was a little taken aback by that. Although I think he is a fantastic design; I once had someone look at him on the cover of issue 3 and correctly guess his name, that is a successful character design.  But Fire Ant plays the part of the straight man (to use the Vaudevillian term) in the Legion of Injusticeness story, so he is not the one who I thought would stand out as a favorite.  Goes to show you how once the story leaves my head, it is then the readers story. They get to pick their favorites, and they are drawn to characters that appeal to them.
That was a great moment for me.

But that leads me to the idea... what are your favorites? Post or email me at brian@bearbuttcomics.com and let me know, because now I am really curious.

Returning to Winston Salem Nov 23rd

I will be attending Jay and Eddie's comic book show this Saturday. I went once before and had a great show, so I am looking forward to going back.  Winston Salem is very close to home, and I have visited a lot of shops in the area (Burke Street comics, Ssalefish, and the places in Greensboro Acme Comics, Parts Unknown).  It's so different than around Wilson, where we have one comic shop that is struggling to get by.  It just feels like there is a big fan base of stuff I like there, and it makes me want to go back.  I hope to become a regular around there.

Have some stuff to get ready beforehand.  Always good to keep me busy.

Sketch

One of the daily sketches I am posting both here and on my Facebook page.  This one is the best Catwoman who ever purred...

And so far the scanner is working (fingers crossed).  I will try and remember to post a sketch a day.

Great 1 day show, its not Comicon but it will do for me (for now)

So, no I did not go to San Diego.  It is funny how many people who are not regular comic readers have asked me if I was going to San Diego for Comicon.  Its nice that it has pierced the public's perception so that I don't have to explain what a comic book convention is so often.

But I did go to a convention in Winston Salem Saturday.  Had a good trip with a friend of mine, talked to a lot of good people, and sold a good amount of stuff.  And it was a wide variety of stuff is what makes me happy; comics, sketches, prints, and other art/ crafty stuff .  I met a lot of different types of people who wanted to give my stuff a try, it was very encouraging.

Thank you Winston Salem, Jay and Eddie for putting on the show, Burke Street Comics for the words of encouragement, Rick Fortenberry just cause it was good to see you, and the Hobby Shop of Wilson for sharing the space.

NEXT weekend is  Rob Con in Bristol, TN.  I have the rather new sensation of needing to replenish my stock on some things. How cool is that?

Comic book show

And here are the details for the Winston Salem show.  The day I got to visit the comic shops in Winston really made me think that the area must have a great fan base. 3 shops in the same general area, a lot of times you are lucky to fins 1.  I saw Burke St Comics, Ssalefish, and the third (which was closed) is by the guys who are putting on this show, so I am looking forward to meeting them.  It must be nice to be a fan in that area, I grew up just south of there and when our comic shop closed I would go to the Heroes Aren't Hard to Find when they had a store in Winston.  Good Times.

Days off, road trips and comic book stores.

For my day off yesterday I went to Winston Salem, NC with my wife (who was going for business).  While she was in her meeting I went around to every comic book store I could find.

In all I found 5, but one was closed.  I dropped off copies of iNTERMEZZO and DYSLEXIC COSMIC for them to peruse and pass around.  They all were genuinely nice and all seemed interested.  I was quite happy, that is a day well spent.

And of course I bought stuff everywhere I went.  Here is a pic.

 

Burke street comics was my first stop.  Had a great conversation about Avengers and a con I had done with him earlier, hope to be back there soon.  Bought some old Defenders and Captain America comics.

 

Ssalefish was next, got an old Adventures into the Unknown comic (love the sort of stuff you can't find anymore, classic sci fi and the like) and The Metal Men (who are just fun characters that don't get used enough.

 

Went to Infinity Comics, but they were closed.  Darn.  But it looks like they will be having a convention soon, Yay.

 

In Greensboro Wendy and I went to Parts Unknown which had a lot of cool books that I could go broke on very quickly.  Hardcover art books and the like, very cool stuff, nice store.  Picked up The Death of Captain Marvel, which I have always wanted and an EC Comic reprint (again, cool old stuff).

 

The last store was ACME comics, that is a nice, big store with a lot of stuff.  Got a Marvel team up book and a Brave and the Bold where Batman and Plastic Man team up to save Christmas (cannot get any better than that).  And the big prize was a Captain Marvel comic ...not Shazam, not the Kree guy, but an obscure book that used the name in between. Since they have characters named Dr. Strange, and Dr. Fate I assume they had no fear of litigation (hiding in a basement perhaps).

 

So that was my day.  And what a good one it was.