This was the signing line Matt Fraction and I were greeted with...

This was the signing line Matt Fraction and I were greeted with at the Singapore Toy, Game and Comic Convention. Or part of it, it was HUGE.

It’s a funny thing, I had been there a couple years previously to a very good response so I was aware a little bit of the depth of devotion of the readers there. But I think most of the Western comics industry still is not completely aware of how passionate the fans are outside of the US. They often have to pay seriously inflated prices per issue.  Sometimes distribution is imperfect.

But in Singapore, the comic shops I visited were excellent, with a hard core following.  None of the Western comics people I went there with at this time had been there before and they were completely surprised at the crowds and the seriousness of the readers there.

I had some idea and I was still blown away, they had to cut the line for every signing so most of us just found corners somewhere so we could continue to sign for the people who missed out on the line. People were so incredibly kind, I’ll never forget it. There was this small group of beautiful young women and they started crying every time I got to talk to them, until I started crying myself, like a goober. It was touching.

I had to buy an extra duffel bag for all the gifts people brought for me, art, food, clothes, toys, it was just amazing. I look at these photos and still remember most of these people even after meeting many of them just once because they left that big an impression.

The positive thing is, at this show, Marvel had a little booth, to look at new talent and give away posters and things. But the success of the show was such that I believe DC and other companies are now having at least a small presence.

It’s just proof that with the right community, the right comic shops, you can see an audience grow and grow. I know there are some decent sized towns in the US without a comics shop, while Iceland, population just over 300k, has one of the best comic shops I’ve ever been in, Nexus:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/jazzlawyer/4427593180/

Good shops are vital to growing the comics community.  And HI to Bernard and the staff at GnB comics in Singapore, always doing events and parties and signings for their customers, so cool!

http://www.facebook.com/GnBcomic

Everyone in the US is a little slow to realize it, but our market is no longer California to New York. It’s a lot bigger than that. Which is pretty amazing and wonderful.

PS. The comic art community in Singapore is ridiculously good, people like Stanley Lau and Sonny Liew are doing top, top-flight work, and I recommend you check them out!