'Till Next Year, LA Zine Fest!

The L.A. Zine Fest was this past Sunday and it turned out to be a really successful show. We sold lots of zines and comics and it looked like other exhibitors also did very well.

We arrived at the Last Bookstore in Downtown early in the morning to set up our booth. It was great to see some old friends (Zebratron and Meltdown University) and meet new ones.

Rob, Jared Sams and I honestly didn't know what to expect. This was our first time as exhibitors and it was the first year for the Fest. If anything this would be a preview of what to expect in the future as we table at other conventions, both big and small.

We were given buttons when we checked in.

Doors opened at 11a.m. with only a few people walking the floor. After about an hour, more and more started filing into the exhibitor space. Soon enough the aisles were crammed full of people and it never let up until closing time. People were interested in what we had to offer. They seemed to like our table layout, artwork, and prices, and even our location helped us get noticed. Some were impressed that we accepted credit cards. Thanks Square!

We even gave away free miniature rubber chickens as a sort of lead in to talk about Clown Fight. Those ran out pretty quick, so we're planning on stocking up for next time. It's a great conversation piece and who doesn't want something for free?

Just finished setting up.

Check out our rack!

Our creations.

These were a hit!

Don't Worry, We Got This.

It was jam packed all day.

I have to admit, I was kinda flattered when people came by and said they've heard or seen By The Slice before. One person said they've already bought the comic at Meltdown and others brought a copy for me to sign.  To think, it started as something of a homework assignment, but has turned into something I'm really proud of. I'm looking forward to writing more comics and interacting with more readers.

All in all, we did very well, had lots of fun and met some awesome people. Next on our schedule, Wonder Con!

 Me and Jared at our finest.

Clown Fight Wholesale Orders

Our printer for Clown Fight, RA Comics Direct, has begun taking wholesale orders of the books they've printed. It's great seeing Clown Fight up there with a nice group of other indie comics, all of which have passed through the same printing machines operated by RA Comics Direct.

With the current state of the comics industry, I'm not under any delusions that a brick and mortar store will be ordering my short story about fighting clowns in bulk, but it's great that option is even available. Who knows, maybe a millionaire clown enthusiast will be drunk online shopping one night, looking for items to be included in a Halloween party gift bag, and will stumble upon Clown Fight. He/she will pull out a credit card and attempt to order one thousand copies, but looking through fuzzy beer goggles, accidentally types an extra zero and places a massive 10,000 issue order. Word spreads of the book's popularity, causing mad rushes of new readers to stores searching for copies of Clown Fight! Impossible to keep the book in stock, customers are forced to try new (and "different") comics to satisfy their appetite for sequential storytelling. Thousands upon thousands, and eventually millions, of new readers discover the joy of comics, thus turning around the fortunes of the entire industry.

I dunno, could happen.

Check it out: Clown Fight at RA Comics Direct

Website screengrab

Con-Prep Shopping

We're gearing up for our first show ever, LA Zine Fest! Over the past few weeks we've been gathering all the necessary items for our booth, but one of the remaining things to find is a table cloth. Our first stop, Jo-Ann Fabrics.

We wanted to stay away from the typical black cloth other vendors use, so we perused different shades and styles of fabric. We were looking for something durable yet economically priced.

Since the dimensions for our table would require a lot of yards (both width and length) it ended being too expensive so we nixed the idea altogether. But at least we settled for a color: green. The next stop was Target where we found our green table cloth, nothing flashy but certainly not typical.

Now just a couple more things to get for the show and then we're ready to rumble. Let's do this!!!

L.A Zine Fest Info

The L.A. Zine Fest is fast approaching, on Sunday February 19th to be exact. This is the inaugural show of what is sure to be a fun annual event full of creative artists exhibiting a wide range of self published zines. Giulie and I, and fellow comic creator Jared Sams, will be on hand with our books. This will be our very first time tabling at a show, so while its exciting, it is also a little nerve-racking trying to prep everything. We still have a lot to do, but it will be well worth it to participate in, and meet the attendees of, this wonderful show. So if you're at all interested in checking out the works of writers and artists in the Los Angeles area, or just want to see what we're up to, stop on by the show and say hi!

L.A. Zine Fest

February 19th, 2012

11am - 5pm

453 S. Spring Street

(upstairs from the Last Bookstore)

Downtown Los Angeles

Interior of The Last Bookstore (named as one of the 20 most
beautiful bookstores in the world, HERE.)

Moleskine Notebook

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to be gifted a Moleskine Notebook from my friends Janet and Ben. It's my first time having this particular brand of notebook, even though I've been tempted to buy one countless times at books stores over the years. I could never pull the trigger, but now that I've had a chance to really inspect the great quality of the book, I wish I had!

My typical "idea" notebooks tend to be small yellow lined notepads or marble notebooks; neither of which are very convenient to carry around. After years, I've accumulated a stack of (at best) half used notebooks and notepads containing scattered thoughts on various projects. Obviously, this is not efficient. I've also tried using the notepad app on my iphone to jot down ideas. While this method works pretty well for me, and I'll keep using it in the future if necessary, I do miss the tactile feel of pen and paper during the idea stage of a project. Sure, call me old fashioned. But from now on I plan on using this new notebook as my primary brainstorming depository. I'm even setting a goal to completely fill the book by the end of the year.

Check it: Moleskine Pocket Notebook

It's a notebook, duh.

Now it's a notebook... and a pen!

Got it? Good. Now let's make some comics!