Some photos have trickled in from Emerald City Comicon that I thought I’d share with you guys. First up, the *coolest family ever* came up to the the booth on Saturday with their own home-made Flaco shirts. Check this out, it made my day:
Sheldonista Leslie P. came by the booth as well, sporting her hand-made Arthur plushie. This time, though, she had an awesome little Rex Chestington hat for him. Depending on how you tilt it, he looks cut-throat…or kinda sleepy:
Also, Sheldon reader Matthew R. sent in a photo of this sketch I did for him of a fat Borg:
Also! I totally forgot mention that six or seven Sheldonistas came up throughout the show with gifts of candy, cookies, and Hobnobs…which pleased my inner 9-year old to no end. Thank you for that!
Just a quick heads up for Sheldonistas in and around Los Angeles:
On April 25 and 26, from 10-5 both days, I’ll be at the Los Angeles Festival of Books, signing and sketching at the Image Comics booth (#752).
One thing I’d like to do is create a one-off poster for the event…with any leftovers brought into the online store for everyone. So let’s open the floor to your thoughts: Any favorite strip or past Sheldon image that you’d like to see in poster form? Let me know in the comments below!
…and I’ll see you April 25th and 26th at the Festival of Books!
It’s been a week since Seattle’s Emerald City Comicon, but I’m still recovering from the good times. I want to thank the show organizers for once again pulling off a flawless convention — it really is a fantastic time all around, and I look forward to it every year.
And it’s growing! This year was massively busy on Saturday. So busy, that my friend and co-author Brad Guigar remarked we hardly had time to pause and take a breath on Saturday, and he was right. It was, without question, the most non-stop high-fivin’, sketchin’, talkin’, sayin’ “hi” session we’ve ever had. Special thanks to the hundreds of Sheldonistas who came out and said hi — you really made it a wonderful weekend for me!
In fun news, looks like “Blizzards of Lizards” got some airtime Monday night on “How I Met Your Mother”. A high five to Cobie for holding the book in such a wonderfully unnatural way to show off the cover… you are awesome. 🙂
And thanks to everyone on the east coast who sent in screen shots! I didn’t even know it was going to be on Monday’s episode, then 50 ho-jillion e-mails hit my inbox around 5:40 PM.
Friends, Romans, Sheldonistas: Lend me your ears! One of the best conventions in the U.S. is upon us once more: Seattle’s very own Emerald City Comic Con!
Last year I had just ridiculous amounts of fun at this convention: As it turns out, Seattle has the highest per-capita number of Sheldon readers of ANY city in the U.S., and it showed. Last year, we sold out of all Sheldon books super quick. But people still kept comin’ by for their complimentary high-fives and free sketches. The convention was so much was so much fun…and the people of Seattle could not have been more welcoming.
This year, I’ll be exhibiting once again with my “How To Make Webcomics” co-authors at the Halfpixel booth (#202). I’ll be there both days, and will be signing books, giving out free sketches, high-fivin’, and just generally being goofy. I’ll be bringing along Sheldon Original Art for sale at $25-off the normal price…so if there’s a specific one you want to get, make sure you e-mail me).
Also, here’s a rough ‘n ready map showing where I’ll be: Booth #202, right inside the front door. You can’t miss it: Just look for the two giganto-red “Halfpixel” signs. If you’re in the Pacific Northwest, make plans to be there!
On May 2nd, I’ll be signing, sketching, chattin’ and high-fivin’ at Metropolis Comics in Bellflower, CA, along with my good friend David Malki of Wondermark fame. May 2nd is “Free Comic Book Day”, so it should be a fun madhouse.
In fun news, it looks like “Sheldon” and I are one of the featured interviews in Scott Kirsner’s new book, Fans, Friends and Followers: Building an Audience and a Creative Career in the Digital Age. Happily, I’m in pretty good company: The book also interviews the Brothers Chaps of “Homestar Runner”, the folks behind “JibJab” and “Red v. Blue”, and two dozen other independent filmmakers and musicians.
Scott asked insightful, well-thought-out questions: It’s always nice to see a journalist and author really grok how creative work is being carved out by independent artists online. There is life after the “mass” has been taken out of “mass media”. 🙂
And, having just seen the final book, I’m happy to say it’s going to be a great read.
Just a quick note to say that I’ll be appearing April 25th & 26th at the Los Angeles Festival of Books at the Image Comics booth.
If you’re in the greater SoCal area, I’d really encourage you to come out. It’s a huuuuuge event on the UCLA campus with gobs of your favorite authors. More info to come, but mark your calendars!
Also: I’ll have a bigger blog post about this on Monday…but this coming weekend I’ll be appearing as a special guest of Emerald City Comicon! I’ll be there both days! As will you, I’m sure — as this is pretty much my favorite convention in the U.S! Make plans to come on out and receive your official Emerald City Comicon 2009 High Five. Limited Quantity of 48.
This past weekend, I had the absolute time of my life at the New England Webcomics Weekend in Easthampton, MA. I want to give a huge, group high-five to everyone who came out, from points as far as the west coast, the south, northern Canada, and even Europe. It’s an exciting time for independent, creator-owned Webcomics.
The whole event was organized and run by Webcomics creators — spearheaded by the very talented Meredith Gran. There’s an ever-increasing group of photos from the weekend at the Flickr photo pool which paint a fuller picture of the weekend, but I’ll share a few of my favorites here…
On Saturday, I was amazed to see just how packed the place could get. For a solid 3-4 hours that morning, I was talking *non-stop* to Sheldon fans and new readers. This never happens at conventions: It literally was non-stop. Usually there are ebbs and flows that allow for breaks, but this was different: The energy and excitement was palpable. Check out this one shot, and you’ll see what I mean. You can’t even see ONE of the webcomic creators lining the walls…it’s just a madhouse of folks:
I was happy to give out sketches to readers new and old. One Sheldonista asked for a self-portrait (which I’m always loathe to draw), but in this case I was happy with the final result. It was a pretty accurate portrayal:
But what made this show so singularly wonderful was the sheer critical mass of talent in one room of the world’s best webcartoonists. In dozens of informal talks over the weekend, I was able to talk shop with every artist I’ve ever admired online. Here’s a shot that represents what I mean: 8 of us just sitting at a Starbucks tradin’ tips & tricks.
Overall, the weekend was just an amazing gathering of readers and creators….one I hope and expect will continue in the years ahead. But all that is for another day. For now, let me just give a huge “thank you” to everyone who made the trek from points near and far. You guys made it an extraordinary weekend.
If you’re coming to Webcomics Weekend this weekend in Easthampton, MA…and were hoping to snag a Sheldon Original Art at the convention price of $25 off, please e-mail me to make sure I bring the one you were interested in! Thanks!
