MOTOR CITY CON report! (and DIO RIP)

I'm back home and the whole weekend was a blur, but I had a blast at this weekends MOTOR CITY COMIC CON! It was my 7th year exhibiting there and I am happy to report it was my best yet! Great traffic, location, talking, vibe and everything was in its right place. I'd easily say this was the best Motor City yet. I've never seen such traffic in there as there was that day. It was just insane! What a weekend!



Here was my table set up. I finally got to break out my new standee backdrop and it certainly got me noticed! I sold quite a few Anna's and a couple Pleasant Life trades as well. One of whom was to a fan who got my earliest known copies of Pleasant Life ashcans from way back in the day! Surprised anyone bothered to keep those old ratty things!



These two cats came by on Sunday, by far the best dressed all weekend! Super nice folks! I want a scarf like that!



Here's a Scarlet Witch I did for the hell of it. I only did one small commission and it was a David Tennant Doctor Who in a sketchbook. Mostly I just sold prints, original art and books! Also the wife tried out her charm bracelet sales and we sold out of all but one! So huge success on that front and major congrats to her and her mad jewelry making skills. To my right was Marvel Artist Ryan Stegman, who was a great guy to chat with all weekend. I didn't catch who was to my left.

Friday was great. Sold really well. Ran into all my old buds: Dean, Brett, Kevin, Tony, Darrell, Jay, the other Jay and a few others and we just kept rockin' all weekend. Flow was great. Traffic was steady and everyone seemed to be interested in what I had. It was just magical. I didn't go out after dinner. Just stayed in the suite with the family and got the bots to sleep and we watched vintage Mike Tyson bouts. I passed out after only having 4.5 hours of sleep that day.

Saturday was AWESOME! It took a bit for sales to start rolling, but when they did, whoa man! I was there till the last possible moment. I sold out of alot of my prints even! We ate at Red Robin and then I met up with Jay and his wife and we started the INK & STEIN at the Doubletree bar. We doodled and everyone joined us. We started a round of zombie poo pics and maybe will collect them one day for the hell of it. After a few beers and a few drunken encounters with some celebrity types, I decided to call it a night and go pass out around midnight.

Sunday was suprisingly steady. Usually Sunday at Motor City is a ghost town. But not this time! It was rockin and rolling and I made just as much that day as I did Friday! But really, all of this isn't about the sales so much as the experience of being there, doing what I love. and this year, I was blessed with a great weekend of memories and great conversations with fans and friends.

The best part was I tracked down the guy who basically put me on the path to making comics back in 1995. That being Aaron Warner from the old comics: ADVENTURES OF AARON. We caught up over email sometime last year and I found out he was gonna exhibit this year for the first time in almost a decade. We shook hands and talked shop and I continued to spill my guts bloodied with gratitude for him showing me the way oh so long ago. It was just a cool expierence. Its not often you get the chance to tell your heroes how much they've effected your life and not come off as some sort of psycho. But I think it went well and I wish Aaron the best of luck in what he has to come. And judging from the things I saw he had and the ideas he may have in the future, its a lot! I gave him a couple of my books. Least I could do for the man. After all, his name was in the liner notes!

Anyway, we're home now and safe and all is well. I am on cloud 9 about the show. I turn my attention to HEROES CON thinking there's pretty damn big shoes to fill! I think HEROES is a tad different of a show than this, so its hard to see what is to come with it. But I am ready for the challenge. Onward and upward! (But first I gotta place some fast orders and reprints of stuff I am sold out of!!!) Bring on HEROES CON!!

(Oh, and I ABSOLUTELY will be back next year to MOTOR CITY!)

Tomorrow morning we start moving into our new place. Cable/net will be hooked up by tomorrow afternoon. So the goal is to get the TV and Desk/comp and most of the boxes over there by tomorrow. I am hoping we're far enough ahead to get our bed and clothes and cats over there too. So wish me luck and extra energy for a hard day's work tomorrow! But I am excited to put my new stuff up in my nerd corner office! I got some new prints n'shit to display. :)

Lastly, sad news that Ronnie James Dio passed away today at the age of 67. There goes another metal God taken from this world. Throw up the horns and listen to some HEAVEN AND HELL or HOLY DIVER and remember the great one.

Cheers ya'll!

T