This week I dropped by the post office, and look what was in my box! There’s nothing quite as nice these days as receiving real fan mail. This lovely bit of fan art is from a reader I met at Wizard World Chicago earlier this year. Thanks so much, Siena! It really makes me glad to know that new readers still like Vögelein after all these years.
SPX Report
This year I had the best SPX I’ve ever had — but for some reason I neglected to take any photos other than the sad, blurry one at the top of this post (the lettered balloons were to identify the blocks of tables — I was in the “L” block). It may have been because I was just so busy at my table — the crowds were incredibly heavy and were extremely generous — I heard some folks could barely stop selling long enough to go to the bathroom, and several people sold out of books entirely on the first day, including C. Spike Trotman and my next-door neighbor, Pregnant Butch author A.K. Summers.
I sold out of Clockwork Game mid-day on Sunday, but I was able to take orders for a few more copies (they went out this afternoon, and should arrive soon!) and I know I could’ve sold a dozen more, if I’d only had them on hand.
I did manage to get away long enough on Saturday to buy a few books, including Sisters by Raina Telgemaier, O Human Star by Blue Delaquanti, Vattu by Evan Dahm, Bonnie N. Collide by Monica Gallagher, Chester 5000 XYV by Jess Fink (link NSFW) and this ridiculously cute stag beetle necklace by the remarkable Esabelle Ryngin.
There were at least fifteen other artists I wanted to get around to and see, but I just ran out of time. I’m especially sad to have missed Emily Carroll and Eleanor Davis, though I did get to speak at length with Eleanor’s husband Drew Weing on Sunday, which was awesome, because his Set to Sea is beautiful!
I was also lucky enough to get away long enough to see the incredible Lynda Barry who is one of my comics heroes. Lynda is absolutely incredible, and her book about writing, What it is, resonated with me on a level like no other book of its kind. Seriously, if you’re in a funk about writing, do yourself a favor and read both that and Picture This. She’s amazing, and constantly makes me stop and re-evaluate how I think about my art.
The highest point of the show was meeting so many young men and women who’d first read Vögelein in their school and public libraries — one young guy said it was one of the first graphic novels he’d ever read, and another girl said the copy in her library had been read to pieces. What an honor to be a part of so many readers’ lives! I owe a huge debt of gratitude to all the librarians who’ve supported me over the years.
I probably won’t be back to SPX as an exhibitor until I have a new book out, but in coming years, I’m going to try to get there as an attendee. There are so many outstanding panels and incredible artists to see that I hate missing out because I have to sell my own stuff. I’m already looking forward to next year’s show!
I’ll be at SPX this weekend
I’ll be leaving tomorrow for The Small Press Expo, my favorite show of all time. This is my first SPX since 2009, and I’m really excited to see everyone again, show off my new book — and of course, enjoy the chocolate fountain. Is there still a chocolate fountain? I hope so.
This marks SPX #6 for me, and I have such great memories of all the previous years — it’s where I met some of my best friends in the field, and every year I meet new, inspiring artists I’ve never heard of. Can’t wait!
Wizard World Chicago Con Report
I’d been away from Wizard World Chicago for six years, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect — and I’m happy to report that I was overwhelmed at how well the show went!
This was my very first time as a guest at a comic con, and I felt pretty honored and special to be there. The panel I moderated was well-attended, and my fellow panelists had good things to say, and came from a wide range of complimentary fields — comics writing for major publishing, prose self-publishing, and screenwriting. The audience asked smart questions, and I felt it was well-received.
Back at my table, I had one of the best shows I’ve ever had, selling completely out of the Vögelein books and moving quite a few copies of Clockwork Game. The crowd was much different from what I remember last time: I think there were probably half-again as many women there, and the crowd in general was not only receptive to hearing about my books, but also to giving them a chance.
I’m really glad I went — thanks for having me, Wizard World!
SMRT
Well, I had a nice writeup about the release party, but my computer burped and ate it.
So I guess you’ll have to wait until next Tuesday. Why? Because I’m moving, so there. Be patient, willya?
Oh, and the Ann Arbor News is gonna run another little ditty about me. And I’ve got a couple
new gigs in the appearances section. And Jim O and I are doing a gig in Kalamazoo next month.
And I’m going to SPX. Oh, and the TPB’s available in the Online Store now. Enjoy.
Wizard World Chicago / Chicago Comic-Con: August 21-24, 2014
Hey, everybody! This weekend I’ll be a guest at Wizard World Chicago, all four days, from Thursday August 21 through Sunday August 24. Paul and I will be exhibiting in Artist’s Alley at Table C-41.
I’ll have Clockwork Game trade paperbacks, both Vögelein books, and a bunch of clockwork jewelry — probably my very last batch, too, as I’m running out of gears.
My schedule is pretty simple: I’ll be at the table pretty much all day every day, except for a panel that I’ll be moderating on Friday:
Creativity That Lasts
Friday, August 22
2:00-2:45PM
Room 6
I’ll be speaking with Josh Elder, C.S. Marks, and Jack Reher.
This panel is an incredibly fun, off the cuff discussion about creativity within various mediums such as art, writing, music, design, and more. As an artist, writer, actor, musician or creator, there is nothing more challenging than the development of the creative process. Is art birthed from the spontaneous or is it a result of a carefully crafted rhythm and structure? In this panel, esteemed creators will describe how to overcome creative obstacles and share their keys to unleashing creativity.
If you’re in town, stop by and say hello. Hope to see you there!
Amazing Vögelein Cosplay!
Earlier this year, a fan of mine emailed me to ask if she could cosplay Vögelein at an upcoming comic convention. Of course I said yes, and yesterday I received a bunch of pictures from her that absolutely stunned me. Have a look at the amazing work of art Rebekah W. brought to the 2014 Denver Comic Con:
Rebekah W’s amazing Vögelein cosplay
How the heck did she attach those wings?
This one’s my favorite, though. It really looks like she’s flying!
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And then some jerks went and put her in a cage. I’m not worried, though. She can totally break out of there.
I mean, look at the detail! A friend of mine said, “A lot of love went into that costume,” and it’s really true. She made the wings, the dress, the prosthetic ears, got a (really good-looking) wig, and even built both keys from scratch.
Seriously, look at all the detail she put into the wings. They’re amazing, and must have taken weeks to build.
I’m so impressed at the job that Rebekah did translating my character into real life. This is only the second time anybody’s cosplayed one of my characters (a friend of mine here in Kalamazoo was the first, a few years ago on Halloween) and I’m just so honored by her work. How lucky am I, as an artist? How many people get to create something, release it into the world, and then find out it affected someone so deeply?
One last note: It turns out an old college buddy of mine, who’s well-familiar with my books, was working at the convention and actually glimpsed the elusive Vögelein on the wing — but she was busy checking in artists and couldn’t stop to chase her down, then lost sight of her forever in the crowd. “At first I wasn’t sure what I saw; just that I recognised it,” she said. “Then it hit me after I had time to let it sink in but I hadn’t any proof.” Fitting, wouldn’t you say?
Vault of Midnight photos!
We had a really nice turnout for the Vault of Midnight event — despite the weather, the Ultalounge was packed! Lots of kind folks braved the cold and rain to see a cast of characters perform several scenes from Pete Sickman-Garner‘s newest book, Hey Mister: Come Hell or Highwater Pants.
My talk was also well-received, despite being a lot less funny, and having 100% less Satan. Regular readers will be pleased to note that I still remain utterly incapable of keeping my eyes open while someone is photographing me.
Best of all, I was greeted by lots of old friends, including Jim Ottaviani, Kat Hagedorn, Dan and Katie Merritt (of both Green Brain Comics and Kids Read Comics fame) Steve Lieber and Sara Ryan! (And some guy with a ponytail and his wife who keep showing up. Love you guys!)
It was a really nice time, and I’m so grateful to the folks at Vault for inviting me to be a part of the festival. Thanks so much for having me!
Vault of Midnight is hosting me for the Ann Arbor Book Festival
Hey, everybody!
Sorry for so long an absence — the wrapup from the Kickstarter really took a lot of energy, and I’ve been taking it easy for the last month or so.
This week marks a return — I will be doing an Author Talk this Friday evening from 7pm-9pm at Vault of Midnight in their Ultalounge as part of the Ann Arbor Book Festival‘s 2014 Book Crawl! I’ll be there along with Pete Sickman-Garner, of Top Shelf’s Hey Mister comics. If you’re in the area, come on down! Thanks again to Curtis and Liz and all the Vault crew for having me in. Can’t wait!
The hardcovers are shaping up!
Here’s a photo of a test run of the spine lettering, courtesy of Maryvonne:
We’re getting close!