Nick Davis's Blog, page 19

One Last Time… See Y’all In At Baltimore Comic Con 2017

[image error]Hey, here we go… One last time and this weekend only, Alt World Studios will be at our home convention of Baltimore Comic Con, you can visit Tristan and me at Artist Table A82 (just past the Kids Love Comics area), you will find our books, comics, art, teddy bears and the bestest adventure you will ever have before bedtime waiting for you.

Yes, you read that right… Our last convention of the year is Alt World Studios homecoming at Baltimore Comic Con, perhaps one of the last pure comic conventions left. Next year we are changing everything, so this may be the last time you will Tristan and me at a show for a while, so come on over and visit us at Artist Table A82… Cause it is going to be a stonker of a show.

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Where And When

Baltimore Comic Con will be at the Baltimore Convention Center

Friday, Saturday and Sunday – September 22, 23 & 24, 2017

Friday 1pm-7pm
Saturday 10am-7pm
Sunday 10am-5pm

Tickets available at the door and on the Baltimore Comic Con Website.

[image error]What I Will Be Bringing

There is always a limit to how much I can put on a table, but here is what will be available this weekend

The Teddy Bear Tale Storybook
The Teddy Bear Tale Graphic Novel – Friends
The Teddy Bear Action Comic With Hero Ted
Out Of The Attic Comic Issue #1
Awakenings Comic Issue #1
Mr Button’s One Shot
The Wonder Tales Volume One & Two
Fabula Zero Exposition Graphic Novel
Teddy Bear Themed Comicbook Sketchcovers
The Mashup Sketch Cards – featuring Teddy Bears, Powerpuff Girls and My Little Pony mashed up with Superheroes
Art Prints (including the new Adventures Ahead Print)
Teddy Bears
Cuddly Tigers
Cuddly Cthulhu
And more…

Oh… And I will be taking sketchcard mashup commissions… So be sure to ask!!!

As you can see it will be a veritable cornucopia of stuff… Come out and support us

Drawing Outside Your Comfortzone: The EMA Family Karate Mascots

[image error]Drawing Outside Your Comfortzone is all about taking on projects or ideas that stretch my drawing abilities and take me in a different direction. In this installment I take on a series of Animal Mascots for EMA Family Karate, a local Dojo and Gym that my family are members of.

The Sensi, came up with a series of Animal Mascots to help recruitment for the Dojo, they offer a surprisingly good and comprehensive Karate classes. I cannot highly recommend this Dojo enough, there are really everything you are looking for if you want to keep your family fit.

The Mascots are part of that drive, and are costumes worn at school recruiting events and local fairs, the characters are a Panda, Tiger, Panther and Shark. Being a practicing artist and seeing an opportunity to stretch my skills and help the Dojo out I volunteered to turn them into avatars, or cartoon characters for the Dojo to make great publicity use of. All Karate Mascots are colored in water blended inktense pencils on Bristol paper.

 

It Shouldn’t Happen To A Lyft Driver – My First Time

[image error]“Hello, this is your Lyft Driver,” are the first word you hear from me if you called me via the Lyft App here in Baltimore. Yes, you read that right I am, or more correctly was a Lyft Driver for over half this year and it has been a very interesting ride.

For over five months I gave 667 rides to various folk in and around Baltimore, my primary stomping ground was Canton/Fells Point and I did start getting regulars. So I know there is a chance one of my 667 riders will actually read this, if you are, don’t worry, if you are subject of one of my stories your name will be changed, I will never mention where I dropped you off, or give any real specifics of your ride… I will tell the adventure we had.

Now… Like many adventures, all stories have a beginning and I cannot hope to cover all the interactions, moments and journeys I have had in this one blog, but since this is the start of these stories, let’s begin with why I started Lyft driving and my first rider.

What Is Lyft?

This is going to be a completely boring explanation of what Lyft is and why I decided to become a Lyft Driver. So you can skip this section and not miss anything Learn More

Lyft is like Uber, but pink with a more squiggly logo, the basic premises is you can turn the Lyft app on, and pick an available driver to take you to your destination sharing his ride (car) with you.

I call myself a Lyft Driver because it is a convenient description, and will be using that term throughout my ‘Lyft’ blogs. I feel it is important to say I am not endorsed or paid for by Lyft and I think there is a very real chance somethings I will say will upset them… sorry, not sorry…

Are You Employed By Lyft?

I use the Lyft App to advertise my availability to potential passengers to give them a ride to their destination. I am not employed by Lyft, and I am pretty sure both ride share companies would argue that they don’t employ their drivers, because then they would have provide benefits and security, and do all that Human Resources nonsense.

Rather the App gives drivers earning opportunities. I see the Lyft App as nothing more than an opportunity to get micro-gigs, a third-party listing device not much different from Craigslist or Angie’s List that advertises my services.

Since Mid-July I stopped driving for Lyft for various reasons, which I may or may not go into as I tell my adventures.

Is Lyft Safe?

Well, yes and no… I am picking up complete strangers, at the wrong time of night and letting them travel in my car that aspect makes the whole transaction a little unsafe. I can’t though be hailed off the street like a regular cab, you must have a smartphone, an App and an account linked to a Credit Card to summon me, so all aspects of the transaction are tracked. I wont let you in my car (thank you central locking) until you confirm your name with me. I know with confidence 90% of my riders are just regular folk… That doesn’t mean I never encountered riders who worried me, but that is a story for another time.

The other safety factor is I am driving late at night, this brings in the possibility of drunk drivers and car jacking, all I can do is be alert, keep my doors locked and not hang around in the wrong part of the city if I can help it. I also carry no cash, only take a credit card and my license with me, and Lyft has a comprehensive insurance package; should the worse come to the worse.

So… Lyft is as safe as it can be, safer than driving a cab, as a driver you can do a lot to increase that safety and we get final say if we take the rider or not. What I have found is Lyft is very responsive when I report an unsafe or abusive rider. From what I have heard, Uber is not as available.

I don’t though recommend late driving for the women Lyft drivers, stick to the commute times, you will earn more money and be in a safer environment. Cause drunk guys are the worse.

Why Did You Start Driving For Lyft?

The answer I give my passengers is I drive Lyft to pay for my son, which is pretty much the reason in a nutshell. I do leave out few facts that my riders don’t need to know; that I will share below.

My son did start living with me last year which was wonderful, but also an unexpected expense, but there is a twist in this tale. You see his Mother refused to pay any support to help me cover his expenses. However, just make it harder his Mother failed to tell Child Support of her change in circumstances and was still claiming Child Support for my son – as if he is living with her… This situation is still to be resolved legally.

This ain’t the full story my passengers need to hear.

We were broke and I needed to earn extra money fast, so I choose to offset the wear and tear on my car, my own personal safety and become a Lyft Driver to help me cover these additional expenses. Effectively cashing in equity on my car to earn temporary cash to solve a problem.

However, Lyft did basically turned a situation that was turning into a financial black hole, into slightly less of a struggle and helped my family over a hump, all caused by the deadbeat. The situation is still a struggle, but my Lyft driving is long over now.

Yeah… Told you, you didn’t really need to read this section, none of it is really fun.

Okay… Now Let’s Tell A Story…

I trust you skipped the boring why and what section, it really isn’t anything fun and does get whiny by the time you get to the end of it. It is time to start talking about my time as a Lyft Driver, all adventures have a beginning and I wont bore you with my first night of Lyft Driving – which was a mess of confusion and I am surprised I didn’t get low-rated off the road, but I will tell the tale of my first ride.

The First Ride

My Lyft career started on a Saturday, in late February around 5pm. I had done all the preamble stuff two weeks before, I passed my background check, did two mentor meets, got my car through another safety inspection, watched all the Lyft training videos (yes, they are bad), installed my magnetic phone holder, charge cables, chargers, and waterproof foot mats. Cleaned out the car twice, added air fresheners, brought a huge bottle of febreeze, put together a car clean up kit, picked up barf bags. I was as ready as anyone could be it was time to turn on the app.

Now turning on the app was a huge mental leap for me, I ain’t always the most social of people and believe it or not; I can get very awkward around strangers. Lyft was going to take me right out of my comfort zone – it frankly terrified me.

That slightly overcast Saturday it was time to starting Lyfting and off I went leaving the house at 5pm. Non-offensive Jazz playing through Pandora and my app turned on. I planned my route to go through Essex and into downtown Baltimore, sticking to the eastside as much as I could, because it was the side of the city I knew the most about. I played a mental game with myself, if I didn’t get a ride by 5.30pm I would turn around and go home.

The minutes ticked by…

5.05pm… 5.10pm… 5.15pm… 5.20pm… Still nothing, and I had just about run out of Essex to drive through.

5.26pm… Maybe this Lyft thing isn’t what it is all cracked up to be.

5.29pm… Okay, time to go home, this was a bust.

5.30pm… Just about the switch the app off and I got what I would learn to call a Ping, a Rider (actually called a PAX short for Passenger in Lyft Driver speak) was requesting a ride from me. I almost flubbed up accepting the ride, and the app dutifully switched to Google Maps for navigation, and the PAX was waiting for me at the local Mall.

5.32pm… I arrive at the Mall, following the directions to the letter, park outside the designated entrance and wait. I tell the app I am here and the countdown clock starts. The PAX had five minutes to arrive… And it was the longest five minutes ever. I sat in behind the wheel, freaking out and determined to look like I’ve done a 1000 pickups. The last thing the PAX needed to hear from me was, ‘Hey, you’re my first ever Lyft Passenger.’

Cause that would be all kinds of reassuring for them and even worse pressure for me.

With two minutes left on the clock, the PAX arrives, introduces herself and asks if I am Nick, which I reply,’Yes, and you are?’

You see, the Mentor training and all the videos I watched pre-lyfting where very adamant that I ask the PAX for their name, but not to say it. Sort of like a two-step verification thing. The PAX confirms her name, and gets in the car with about six shopping bags. She is a middle age woman, who we will call Miss Jen and lives in the eastside of Baltimore.

I give her a minute to get settled, let the app know I have my PAX, confirm the address with Miss Jen and off we go. We don’t even leave the Mall parking lot before the PAX informs me she never gives high ratings to her drivers, which makes me all kinds of nervous, great I picked up a low-baller on my very first ride… I am so screwed.

The journey into the city takes about ten minutes, I am making silly mistakes which I hope she isn’t noticing and I concentrate on the drive, not on talking. The atmosphere gets tense, I am sweating, my knuckles are white and my head is going around on a swivel watching for traffic. Even the GPS is screwing up on me… This is turning into a nightmare, a real pressure cooker, suddenly I surprise myself and started talking…

I ask about her day, what brought her to the Mall today, what her plans are for the weekend, really small talk stuff. The atmosphere dissipates in the car and Miss Jen talks. I learn her day was very busy, that she is getting ready for her daughter’s birthday, hence why she was at the mall and that she works for the NFL. All pretty cool stuff.

After what feels like an eternity I make it to her destination, completely screw up the pull up to her house, make a joke about the GPS throwing me out and thanked her for taking a ‘Lyft’ with me. Miss Jen smiles, thanks me for the ride and leaves my car. I fumble the app to finish the ride, smile, wave and pull away into an evening of confusion.

To this day I have no idea what rating Miss Jen gave me, as drivers don’t get to see individual feedback, from her announcement when she got into the car I have to guess it wasn’t high. But… It broke my duck… I was a Lyft Driver now, the next few hours of that Saturday were a step learning curve, especially because it got all wet and foggy, and I got totally lost in Baltimore stumbling from one ride to the other, it seems though I did enough right to keep going.

What To Expect Next

I was a Lyft Driver for about five months and I have many more stories to tell, some funny, some sad, but all true and really shouldn’t happen to a Lyft Driver. I hope you do enjoy my tales and will keep writing them as long as folk read them.

Here is a quick summary of what to expect, my first drunk, the midnight Toker (well, 2am), a thousand streets of course I know where your house is (why we use GPS), is it safe, I know where all the Strippers live, Bro’s are the worse, an encounter with an Octopus from Kenya, phone numbers, the thin girl who barfed, the big girl who barfed, I am not here to be insulted, ratings suck, I hear all your conversations, encountering ladies of the night, I know you are buying drugs, Tinder Date Rescue, the great lost house key, Lyft life philosopher, thirty-second guardian, driving a clown car, why are you bailing, one star PAX’s, I don’t want to listen to your music, we are all weird, dumb app blues, where did all the PAX go, guessing the pick up point, free pizza, when I cancel a rider, lady parts in the rear view mirror may appear bigger than they are, picking up a regular, ain’t your trash angel, sorry not your ride, of course my car smells my last PAX was a pot head and why I stopped.

GET $5 Off YOUR NEXT LYFT RIDE

Patriotism Does Not Have A Gender

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I have been quiet here too long and this isn’t the way I planned to return to my blog. But the latest Tweet from President Trump has got me riled, you know that tweet about banning Transgender folk from the Military just because… So, fair warning, there is going to be a rant after the jump.

Here is little known fact about me: I tried to enlist twice – once in the UK and once in the USA. Both times I failed my physical because my knees are so screwed up I could not pass. The will was there, just the body would not hold me up.

The will to serve the willingness to put oneself in harm’s way to preserve the body populace freedoms and rights is mighty. Those who have made the mental leap to make this sacrifice are all heroes.

To quote Ex-VP Joe Biden ‘Every Patriotic American who is qualified to serve in the Military should be able to server. Full Stop’

Ain’t that hard a concept to get your head around is it?

Regardless of race, color, creed, religion, sexuality or gender all that soldier on the line cares about is the person next to them going to protect them, and because this person volunteered to be in the same hell as them, they know that person will.

Courage and Patriotism is not defined by ones gender, but by ones will to serve, to stand against injustice and to protect those who cannot protect themselves. It is a simple as that and to disregard this, destroys all the achievements, all the sacrifices made by all who have served regardless of their orientation. In short it makes the folk who rail against gender/sexuality differences saying that can’t serve very small indeed.

I am personally disgusted by ‘banning transgender from serving in the Military’ tweet from a ‘man’ who has only ever served himself.

Thank you to all who have served in the armed services for your sacrifices, stand tall and proud, Heroes all.

Drawing Outside Your Comfortzone: Redirecting Your Ability

[image error]Hello, and welcome to another installment of Drawing Outside Your Comfortzone, today I am going to talk about redirecting your ability. What do I mean about this… Well, join me after the jump and I will discuss it below.

We grow, we learn, by copying what we see, the basic teaching instinct, we see – we do – rinse and repeat until we have picked up that ability and move onto the next lesson. That is pretty much what I’ve been doing since I picked up a pencil again over five years ago.

I learned crosshatching and fur from the E.H Shepard Winnie the Pooh illustrations, inking from Bill Watterson’s Calvin & Hobbes, the use of cartoon dynamic movement from PowerPuff Girls, morphic imagery with My Little Pony, adaptions of character creation from Steven Universe and feeling comfortable with my more unique view of drawing the human form from Bruce Timm and anime illustrations.

In short, I looked, I learned, I drew, I adapted, I tried again, I stopped, all the time taking what I could see and tried to take what I felt comfortable with and add it to my own style, and along the way I fell into a trap. The imagery, the characters, although unique because I drew them, were in the end… NOT MINE!

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Always Experiment

I don’t own Winnie the Pooh, you could argue it is public domain, but good luck fighting Disney with that, and Calvin & Hobbes, Powerpuff Girl, My Little Pony, Steven Universe and the various Bruce Timm/Anime inspired superheroes just don’t belong to me. Great practice fodder, but in the end, not mine.

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And Never Give In

It is time to redirect my ability, and perhaps it is yours too? Very few of us are ever going to get the chance to draw the big guys like Cap, Bats, Wonder Woman, Supes, Spidey for a living without living in fear of a Cease and Desist or a DCMA letter. Those long hours spent figuring out how to be comfortable drawing Diana’s hair, Steven throwing his shield and Bruce well lurking could all be naught. Even my Teddy Bear Hero Mash-ups are pretty close to a parody line.

So, what is the solution? Do we give up looking at others work for inspiration and practice? Of course not! But take what you have learned and direct towards your own work, your own characters, revel in your learned abilities to make your characters finally do what you’ve imagined them to do on the paper.

In short… Create your own universe, ain’t no one going to be able to take that from you. Onwards!

Drawing Outside Your Comfortzone – A Wonder Woman

[image error]It has been a long time since I last posted a Drawing Outside Your Comfortzone blog, this semi-irregular series chronicles my evolution of drawing style, as I attempt to breathe new life into the abilities I had with a pencil over twenty years ago and draw my way out. Along the way we’ve seen me have a go at PowerPuff Girls and Steven Universe as learn a different style.

These styles get adsorbed into my own and the result I found a Teddy Bear drawing style that clicked and worked, the first results you could view during Inktober 2016 And finally… It has all come full circle at my first real attempt at human form, something I’ve always struggled with before I even picked up a pencil again back in 2012.

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Wonder Woman – The Pencil!

I figured I could never really draw in the classical sense, so why not exaggerated and get a little abstract, in the same way I do for my Teddy Bear sketch cards. So, I took the chunky style I had been developing, added a more angular anime look and channeled my inner Bruce Timm, looked up a bunch of reference material and had a go at a trending superhero at the moment, here is my interpretation of Wonder Woman, whadda ya think?

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And to think, I just draw Teddy Bears, eh? Finished with blended inktense Derwent Pencils, lined with black pitt pen ink on bristol paper.

As you tell, I am quite proud

Is Superman Playing a Bigger Role in Justice League After All?

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There’s been a lot of talk about the potential absence of Superman from the promotions for the Justice League. Plenty of people are likely familiar with what happened at the end of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but it’s still hard to imagine that Supes won’t be a big part of the future of the DC Extended Universe. A lot of questions were left up in the air, and the assumption was that the Justice League would have to get started without him, at least in the beginning. Thankfully, news is starting to surface that Superman will still be a big part of the superhero team, much to the delight of fans.

You already know how I feel about the DCEU movies, but the prospect of leaving Superman out of the Justice League would be downright unforgivable. Superman has always been a founding member of the Justice League, and the idea of putting a movie together without the Kryptonian hero seems like blasphemy. The Justice League, not unlike Marvel’s Avengers, is made up of the heavy-hitters of the DC Universe. It’s literally a supergroup of comics’ biggest stars, with the core being made up of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter.

It’s well known that the movie will eschew Green Lantern and the Martian Manhunter in lieu of Cyborg, and that actually makes a lot of sense. Green Lantern is still tainted by his 2011 box office bomb, and the Manhunter would have likely been a tougher sell to new fans. Besides, Cyborg was made a founding member when DC rebooted the comics universe in 2011, and adds some much needed diversity to the cast. His costume will still be entirely CGI but recent looks at the suit make it obvious that it was clearly the only way.

What I can’t imagine though, is not having Superman. Superman has long been a staple of the DC universe, and is arguably the most recognizable and beloved superhero of all time. There’s a reason that Superman was the vehicle to kick off the DCEU, and continues to also be a focal point of DC’s digital efforts. Whether on the big or small screen, Superman’s presence looms over everything. A revamp of online casino games from DC and NextGen Gaming revealed that Superman was one of four heroes that were selected for the internet attractions. The other three heroes are Batman, the Flash, and Green Lantern, all notably founding members of the Justice League. The fact that he was even included in these games reinforces just how important the hero is to DC. One might even say that without Superman, there wouldn’t even be at DC. At least, not how it’s known today.

Given the high-profile of Superman on the merchandising tie-ins surrounding the film, it’d be silly for him not to get much screen time. Of course, Wonder Woman was also teased heavily in the lead-up to Batman v. Superman and she didn’t end up having a huge presence. Fans will have to wait and see how things will shake out for Superman, but if DC is smart, they won’t turn their back on the iconic comic book hero just yet.

Is It Time For Comic Creators To Get Out Of The Comic Con?

[image error]For years the Comic Convention has been the mainstay of the Comic Book Creators, be they the Large Publishers or that very small Indie Guy sitting behind that table in that odd place called Artist Alley. This has been the status quo, you go to the comic book convention to well… talk comics and hang out with your peers.

Evolution, Yo!

The last few years these conventions have gone through a staggering growth period, as the popularity of the comic book staple – the superhero, increases with each and every superhero movie that is released, what was once the mocked purview, is now mainstream and cool. With this popularity the audiences in these shows grew and changed, pulled in by the glitz and glamour of the movies. In short it is cool to like Superheroes now (duh!).

We are seeing an evolution take place in the comic book convention, they have moved from events attended by readers of comic books, to events attended by mostly by fans of comic book characters – as seen in movies and television shows. While this isn’t a bad thing, as any growth is good, it means the Creators selling their comic of a character that this new audience has never heard of, will have an ever more difficult time of selling that book. A traditional avenue for new/indie Creators is slowly being lost and buried… Is this a good thing for the industry?

Are You Complaining?

It is hard to write this type of Op-Ed and not sound like you are complaining, this isn’t a whaa whaa piece, but an attempt to look at and start a discussion about what these shows mean to us as Creators.

As many of you know I attend conventions in the Artist Alley area and have seen a sea-change over the last few years as I attempt to bring my Teddy Bear Tale/Alt World Studios work to new audience, however, a recent event is making me rethink economics of this.

This will be the first year I wont be attending Awesome Con, I didn’t have the money to book an Artist Alley Table, and when I did I missed the last of the spaces. I was there at the very beginning, and I am sad I wont be there this year, but business is business, and we move on.

Awesome Con itself is moving away from its Comic Book Convention roots and is more like a Media Guest Show much like Wizard World and its ilk – great place to get that celebrity autograph and they do have an amazing line up this year. I understand the economics of this and I wish them well for the future.

It was missing out on the Artist Alley Table this year that made me stop and think, and I looked at my expenses for this show last year, and had to sit down with cup of tea to mull over the shock.

Economics, Yo!

It comes down to Return On Investment (ROI) as a very, very small press most of my publication budget comes out of my pocket, and as I am a family man whose budget is virtually non-existent. Conventions are both a revenue and promotion stream, hence why I started the Teddy Bear Superhero mash-up cards – selling those powered my books. And while I enjoy the art challenge, this journey started for me to sell my stories.

Here is a break down on an average two – three-day show.

Table $350
Stock $200
Transportation $100
Food $100
Other expenses $50
Lodging $200

Tough ROI to break even on eh? Almost as tough as Warner Brothers attempting to break even on the DCEU.

Is It Time For The Creator To Get Out Of The Comic Book Convention?

With the audience change in conventions, what can a small indie guy do? Well, I could invest in one of those dizzying vertical Photoshop filter print farms, after all the fans are more likely to pick up something they will recognize, over taking a chance on something that don’t. I have the skill set to take a picture off the internet, run it through a couple of Photoshop filters and claim to sell it as an original piece, but that isn’t why I got into comic books for, I got into this to tell my stories.

While my sketch card prints of Teddy Bear/Superhero mash-ups are a nod in that direction. I started them as an attempt to survive in this environment, and I do enjoy the challenge of taking a Teddy Bear, or a Powerpuff Girl or My Little Pony and squashing it up with a Superhero, it is about far as I am willing to go down the print route. I also recognize that the lifespan of the print business model is only one Disney DCMA from being shut down (and believe me it is coming, all they need to do is delivery it to the show promoter and 90% of Artist Alley is screwed).

Do, we the Comic Book Creator have to recognize that the big comic book shows, aren’t about the comics any more and get out? This is a tough decision to make, this is a traditional ground for us, this is where our folk are at and nothing, I repeat nothing bits the thrill of introducing your work to someone new.

However the answer maybe staring us in the face… Maybe we just have to leave the big shows? Get out into the wider world, look at new markets, like book festivals – where folk are more willing to take a chance on new work. Or look at smaller venues and events that are comic book friendly, where you can have a more intimate one on one.

But It Is All About Promotion

Yes, Creators go to conventions to promote our work, but if it just about promotion that $350 for a space at a convention can buy you an awful lot of eyes on Facebook or through Google Adwords.

Here is an Ad/Sponsored content example ; for only $10 on Facebook I can introduce my web comic: Awakenings to over 3000 people who are interested in web comics for a whole week ($1.42 a day). That is a pretty effective ROI and I am putting my work directly in front of the eyes of a target audience interested in web comics.

In terms of promotion and brand building it is an ROI that is hard to argue against.

No Easy Answer

This is just a Op-Ed, a collection of my thoughts about the changing market place, that we Indie Comic Creators find ourselves in. An insight Steve Conley gave about this subject might be the only solution we have: ‘I think the answer is we need to be much more selective of the cons we attend and – for sure – if old avenues are drying up, find or create new ones.’

Let me know your thoughts below… And as ever be nice

Is It Time For Creators To Get Out Of The Comic Con?

[image error]For years the Comic Convention has been the mainstay of the Comic Book Creators, be they the Large Publishers or that very small Indie Guy sitting behind that table in that odd place called Artist Alley. This has been the status quo, you go to the comic book convention to well… talk comics and hang out with your peers.

Evolution, Yo!

The last few years these conventions have gone through a staggering growth period, as the popularity of the comic book staple – the superhero, increases with each and every superhero movie that is released, what was once the mocked purview, is now mainstream and cool. With this popularity the audiences in these shows grew and changed, pulled in by the glitz and glamour of the movies. In short it is cool to like Superheroes now (duh!).

We are seeing an evolution take place in the comic book convention, they have moved from events attended by readers of comic books, to events attended by mostly by fans of comic book characters – as seen in movies and television shows. While this isn’t a bad thing, as any growth is good, it means the Creators selling their comic of a character that this new audience has never heard of, will have an ever more difficult time of selling that book. A traditional avenue for new/indie Creators is slowly being lost and buried… Is this a good thing for the industry?

Are You Complaining?

It is hard to write this type of Op-Ed and not sound like you are complaining, this isn’t a whaa whaa piece, but an attempt to look at and start a discussion about what these shows mean to us as Creators.

As many of you know I attend conventions in the Artist Alley area and have seen a sea-change over the last few years as I attempt to bring my Teddy Bear Tale/Alt World Studios work to new audience, however, a recent event is making me rethink economics of this.

This will be the first year I wont be attending Awesome Con, I didn’t have the money to book an Artist Alley Table, and when I did I missed the last of the spaces. I was there at the very beginning, and I am sad I wont be there this year, but business is business, and we move on.

Awesome Con itself is moving away from its Comic Book Convention roots and is more like a Media Guest Show much like Wizard World and its ilk – great place to get that celebrity autograph and they do have an amazing line up this year. I understand the economics of this and I wish them well for the future.

It was missing out on the Artist Alley Table this year that made me stop and think, and I looked at my expenses for this show last year, and had to sit down with cup of tea to mull over the shock.

Economics, Yo!

It comes down to Return On Investment (ROI) as a very, very small press most of my publication budget comes out of my pocket, and as I am a family man whose budget is virtually non-existent. Conventions are both a revenue and promotion stream, hence why I started the Teddy Bear Superhero mash-up cards – selling those powered my books. And while I enjoy the art challenge, this journey started for me to sell my stories.

Here is a break down on an average show two – three-day show.

Table $350
Stock $200
Transportation $100
Food $100
Other expenses $50
Lodging $200

Tough ROI to break even on eh? Almost as tough as Warner Brothers attempting to break even on the DCEU.

Is It Time For The Creator To Get Out Of The Comic Book Convention?

With the audience change in conventions, what can a small indie guy do? Well, I could invest in one of those dizzying vertical photoshop filter print farms, after all the fans are more likely to pick up something they will recognize, over taking a chance on something that don’t, and I have the skill set to take a picture off the internet, run it through a couple of photoshop filters and claim to sell it as an original piece of work, but that isn’t why I got into comic books for, I got into this to tell my stories.

While my sketch card prints of Teddy Bear/Superhero mash-ups are a nod in that direction – in an attempt to survive in this environment, it is about far as I am willing to go.  I also recognize that the lifespan of that business model is only one Disney DCMA from being shut down (and believe me it is coming, all they need to do is delivery it to the show promoter).

Do, we the Comic Book Creator have to recognize that the big comic book shows, aren’t about the comics any more and get out? This is a tough decision to make, this is a traditional ground for us, this is where our folk are at and nothing, I repeat nothing bits the thrill of introducing your work to someone new.

However the answer maybe staring us in the face… Maybe we just have to leave? Look at new markets, like book festivals – where folk are more willing to take a chance on new work. Or look at smaller venues and events that are comic book friendly, where you can have a more intimate one on one.

But It Is All About Promotion

Yes, Creators go to conventions to promote our work, but we have to justify our existence at these shows (especially to our long-suffering spouses) and $350 can buy you a lot of eyes on Facebook or through Google Adwords.

Here is an example; for only $10 on Facebook I can introduce my web comic Awakenings to over 3000 people who are interested in web comics for a whole week ($1.42 a day). That is a pretty effective ROI and I am putting my work directly in front of the eyes of my target audience.

In terms of promotion and brand building it is an ROI that is hard to argue against.

No Easy Answer

This is just a Op-Ed, a collection of my thoughts about the changing market place, that we Indie Creators find ourselves in. An answer Steve Conley gave about this subject might be the only solution we have: ‘I think the answer is we need to be much more selective of the cons we attend and – for sure – if old avenues are drying up, find or create new ones.’

Let me know your thoughts below… And as ever be nice

Buy The Comic Today And Support The Teddy Bear Tale Awakenings On Webtoons

[image error] A Teddy Bear Tale: Awakenings

Story by Nick Davis | Art by Veronica Smith

Did you know that your Teddy Bear has a secret? While you sleep at night your Cuddly Toy watches over you keeping you safe from the Bogeyman and his Legion of Monsters under the bed. This is the story of one such Teddy Bear called Tristan, and this is his Teddy Bear Tale… Adventures ahead!

A Teddy Bear Tale: Awakenings is an ongoing webtoons based off the Teddy Bear Tale illustrated story and is available to read on Line Webtoon, this adventure comic features Tristan the Teddy Bear and Wilma Bunny as they encounter the Monsters under the Bed for the very first time. To help support the production of this story (pay Veronica for her wonderful art) I have collected together the first part of this adventure into a printed Comic book… Help support the webtoon and help the adventure continue!

View The Webtoon

A Teddy Bear Tale: Awakenings can be viewed on Line Webtoons – CLICK HERE 

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A Teddy Bear Tale: Awakenings – $4.99












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