Somehow, Comic-Con is next week. (Schedule below!)

I am not looking forward to the travel portion of the trip because every airport (except for the Portland, Maine jetport) is a hellmouth. I am, however, very much looking forward to the show itself.

I find comic conventions, and SDCC in particular, to be rejuvenating creatively. Few things refuel the tank like being surrounded by friends, colleagues, and artists you admire, immersed in the medium (and its accompanying industry) that you love, even if only to commiserate or talk shop. I often get a decent amount of writing done during the trip simply because I am excited and inspired.

If you are an attending creator, hopefully you will reflect positively on your year. Celebrate your wins, acknowledge the losses, plan for the future, commit to pushing forward in the year to come. Whether it’s an inch or a mile, any forward momentum managed is worth reflecting on.

If you’re attending for fun, remember to drink water, schedule in breaks for food and rest, and don’t engage with the religious protestors outside. It’s not worth it. Also be sure to visit to visit Artist Alley and Richard Walker’s Pancake House.

_{Pace yourself, dude}

SDCC is a marathon. It’s a lot of interacting. Too much, perhaps. I have a hard time in large groups, especially if I don’t know anyone or have to awkwardly introduce myself. Some of it is impostor syndrome, some of it is just being an introvert. I put a lot of pressure on myself to go outside my comfort zone at shows, which sometimes backfires, and that’s okay.

Last year, I had a long meeting with an editor I had been pitching to and I came away from it super jazzed and optimistic about future prospects, only to be ghosted completely. Just nothing. Was that my fault? Was I weird? Was I too desperate? Hard to say, but probably not?

I tend to raise the stakes for myself in ways that aren’t reasonable, ascribing meaning to interactions that are probably inconsequential. Maybe it’s because in college, there was One Guy, a friend of friends, who would introduce himself to me every single time we were in the same room. I think it broke how I function in these situations.

On the plus side, I care less now than I did back then. I cannot control if people remember who I am or like my work, let alone like me as a human. I can only be professional and hope that they find value in what I do. If they don’t, that’s okay. I will continue to do what I’m doing because it is all I can do.

My schedule is light this year, so I am hopeful about getting some quality time in with friends I don’t often see in person. I am also excited about getting some good food, of which there is a great deal in San Diego. If you have any recommendations, I would love to hear them.

If you’re attending the show, I hope to see you there. If you see me looking aloof and wandering, I’m probably okay, just exhausted. Please say hello.

Baby steps to the elevator,

-Joey
[email protected]
PO Box 1093, Bath, ME 04530
Buy my comics

CRITICAL SHIT

SDCC — Behold! My schedule. Sean Von Gorman and I are signing every day (twice on Friday!) and we’ll be at the hottest ticket in town on Thursday evening, the Magma Comix panel!

THURSDAY

1-2:30 — SIGNING: Magma Comix (#1709)

7-8 — PANEL: Magma Comix’s Year in Review (Room 25ABC)

FRIDAY

10-11 — SIGNING: Magma Comix (#1709)

11-12 — SIGNING: Mad Cave (#2806)

SATURDAY

2-3:30 — SIGNING: Magma Comix (#1709)

SUNDAY

1-2:30 - SIGNING: Magma Comix (#1709)

THE PEDESTRIAN THREADLESS SHOP is still going strong! If you need to GEAR UP for a future comic convention, this is the place to do it. Sean and I will be rocking our matching bomber jackets for our signings.

And as always, if you haven’t snagged a copy of THE PEDESTRIAN yet, it’s available in my web store, online, and on GlobalComix. 

COOL SHIT FROM OTHER PEOPLE

ORLA by John Lees and Sally Cantirino

Sally is one of my favorite artists and her new book with writer John Lees looks right up my alley as a lover of classic romance comics and monster movies. This is gonna be something special. Plus: it features some current collaborators on the team, including letterer Lucas Gattoni (SHITKICKERS) and colorist Dearbhla Kelly (POJECT SALT). On sale from Mad Cave August 6!

THE LAWRENCE BROTHERS DETECTIVE AGENCY by Sean Von Gorman (of Comics), the Lawrence Brothers, the Berkowitz Brothers, and Brian Yuran

THE PEDESTRIAN co-creator Sean Von Gorman is cooking up something new with some former child stars and you know it’s gonna get good and weird! What Sean’s told me about this project is pretty great, and the Kickstarter will be launching during SDCC! Sign up to get notified when the Kickstarter launches.

OTHER SHIT I’M WORKING ON

PROJECT GOLDEN AXE (WFH) —  As I feared may happen when all of a sudden things went quiet, this project has been canned due to a licensor thing that is a supreme bummer, not to mention the loss of a paycheck. Rollercoaster shit, man!

PROJECT HELMET (WFH) — Script is turned in and we’re off to the races. Not sure when it will be announced, but it’s gonna be great!

PROJECT PUKE — Creator-owned wise, I do not have much to report across the board — most of the projects discussed here are either waiting for a green light or for production to commence. That is true of this project with Tony Gregori, which we are very optimistic about.

SHITKICKERS — The bad news is, the timeline on the delivery of the crowdfunded issues was not what we were told. The good news is, it will surely result in a pretty good newsletter topic down the line. We saw final proofs of #1 and #2 last week (we sent the files in early April) so it seems like things are progressing. I apologize for any delay, I assure you I am more frustrated than anyone.

MADAM — No big updates here — hoping to be able to show some of this off around Halloween season. 🎃

THE PEDESTRIAN  — We are crossing our fingers for a good showing at SDCC to firm up the future! I saw a post recently about the difference between “writing” and “publishing” and found it applicable to comics in particular — the creative part of comics is the best thing in the world, but publishing is something else entirely.

PROJECT SALT — We got a (very kind) rejection for this one from a publisher who really liked the story but didn’t think it’d sell month-to-month. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

Thanks for hanging out. If you have any suggestions or questions, please feel free to drop me a line at [email protected].