Tag: my comics

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The Legend of Jamie Roberts, Volume 1 Got Banned! Here’s the Story

I got an email this morning from a concerned citizen in Steubenville, OH. Apparently there’s a hate group trying to get The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1 and other LGBTQ+ books banned. 

Their tactic? To get voters to reject funding for the library. (Of course they’re trying to paint this as “concern for children” and “we’re not trying to defund the library.” But they’re trying to defund the library for carrying these books.)

I’ve been reaching out to Authors Against Book Bans and some other groups about next steps.

Why am I mentioning this?

So in the main page of The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 3 on KickStarter, I wrote, “This might surprise you, considering the political moment of being a genderqueer artist in the United States making a webcomic about a genderqueer pirate…but I’m not stopping anytime soon. Come hell or high water, I’m making this comic, and I’m going to get this comic to as many readers as I can reach.”

If these book banners are trying to get me to stop making comics, it’s not working. I told some friends about the situation and one of them said, “Damn! That’s definitely gonna make people want to read your book more.”

And judging by your support of this campaign for volume freaking 3, I think we’re all in agreement – this comic needs to exist. If these people are trying to ban my book, I must be doing something right.

And that something is connecting with readers who want a story like The Legend of Jamie Roberts – a story about a genderqueer pirate and their best friends – to exist.

I wanted to share this with you for a bunch of reasons. Because I carry no shame in “concerned citizens” trying to ban my books. I care about readers who want to find my books. I believe this comic needs to exist, now more than ever. 

And because I’m so grateful for your support. Thanks to you, this comic can reach more people, especially the people who need to read it.

Thank you.

You. Are. Awesome.

P.S. Want to fight book bans? Put in requests at your local library, go to board meetings, write letters to your library board and “letters to the editors” of your local papers. Talk to your friends and encourage them to do the same. It takes effort but the effort is worth it.

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West Virginia Pop Culture Con 2017

west virginia pop culture con artist alley 2017

West Virginia Pop Culture Con happened August 26th and 27th, 2017.

Holy dang I took a while to finally write this out, didn’t I? It’s the start of the second week of October already.

Anyway! I was a bit nervous because I had never exhibited at this particular con before, and there was a lot of communications from the staff that appeared at the last minute. Like, I wasn’t 100% sure when set-up was until an email was sent the day before the event was set to start. Then, when I got there, I was moved to a new spot on the con floor because another artist decided to expand their set-up from one table to two, and overtook the one I was supposed to have.

However, the move worked out – I got situated next to super-cool-guy Travis, who helped watch my booth the few times I had to run to the restroom. (Comics buddy Dave Columbus also helped with that once or twice.) Plus, the booth right across from me had a Pride flag, so the folks who stopped by their booth for Pride gear saw my booth and the rainbow watercolor paintings I brought with me (those paintings are ones I talked about in the post about Parkersburg Pop Con). That helped boost sales a bit.

I also learned a thing or two about displaying my large prints that weekend – like having to reinforce the back with tape lacing through the gaps in the milk crates. Because yes, I use milk crates to display my prints… And pack my gear up to take to the show, as well as pack up at the end of the show.

Milk crates are GLORIOUS.

But back to the con – even though there was a bit of a mix-up figuring out where I was supposed to set up, the con staff was friendly and willing to help. They also helped me figure out a discount for staying at a local hotel, so that’s nice.

What surprised me was how popular my zines and mini-comics were. I was surprised because I forgot my spinner rack I use to display them, so I had to lay them flat on the table. In my experience, doing that meant fewer zine and minicomic sales. But not at this con! No, my zines and minicomics were my most popular items!

Even more surprising – Lazy Diana was popular!Lazy Diana is, as I pitch it at shows, “Paganism for Lazy People.” It’s a zine that talks about different aspects of Paganism and how they can be applied simply and lazily for everyday use. Because not everyone who wants to get into Paganism has the time to do an hour-and-a-half-long ritual two days after the first quarter moon, ok?

I was unsure how well this zine would be received, considering that the show was in West Virginia. But to my pleasant surprise, I had a family of practitioners buy Lazy Diana issues 1, 2, AND 3. Plus there were others who got some issues just out of an interest in the subject.

All told, by the end of two days, I made $398 in sales. Pretty. Darn. Awesome.

With that said, I am now fully caught up on blog posts talking about the conventions I’ve been to this year thus far! My next show (unless Champion City Comic Con pulls something off) will be at Genghis Con in Cleveland November 26th. The show runs from 2 pm to 7 pm. Mark your calendar, yo.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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Updates for July 13, 2017

large chimes concept sketch

The above picture is a sketch from my 2015 sketchbook, developing a concept in The Legend of Jamie Roberts: the Chimes of Dogona at the Temple of A Thousand Souls. I’d like to redraw these chimes with some more detail, but as mentioned, this was a sketch just to get the initial idea.

The chimes are based on a real location in Casey, IL, which is a small town home to a lot of world’s largests: world’s largest wind chimes, knitting needles, golf tee, etc. I think the people are trying to set a world record for home to the most “world’s largest” objects.

…I should do sketches like this more often – broad, fast marker strokes are a thing I miss, especially considering how detailed my comics have become recently.

Speaking of which…

COMICS

The reason I’m thinking of detail is because of my most recent update of The Case of the Wendigo. Sweet baby kittens on a motorbike it took FOREVER to do. Here’s a preview clip:the case of the wendigo preview imageMeanwhile, Validation has already updated twice this week. Once on Monday, and a second time today.

KICKSTARTER

Making progress on ALL THE THINGS. Trading cards are now all finished, and now I’m working on commissions. Once they’re finished, I’ll share some of them in a blog post (if I get the ok from the commissioners, of course). The button printer is taking a while, but I don’t blame him – he’s printing 600 buttons for me.

SHOWS

I’m getting ready for Not At Con Day, happening July 22 at New Dimension Comics in Saint Clairsville, OH. Expect new 11 x 17 inch prints from me, as well as some new zines. I’ll be showing off a new table set-up, too! Which reminds me…

BLOG

Expect a blog post about artist alley table layouts soon – I’ve been taking pictures at every show and tooling around with what works and what’s getting improved. So the blog post will share various layouts, what I’ve learned, and what changes can be implemented at future shows.

I’m also trying to get a Clip Studio Paint/Manga Studio tutorial typed up.

There are other things happening right now, but I only share those other things with newsletter subscribers. If you’re not already getting the newsletter, here’s your chance to do so.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.