For the next week and a half, I am preparing for KickStarter fulfillment AND Genghis Con Cleveland.
KICKSTARTER FULFILLMENT
Backer surveys didn’t go out on Monday because I took some time off (and started a new job yesterday).
Instead, they are sending out before the end of today. So keep an eye on your inboxes.
In other updates:
the files for the book have been sent off to the printer. I’m waiting on the proof to come back.
I will tally up the orders by the end of today to determine how many zines, mini-prints etc need printed.
the webcomic site for The Legend of Jamie Roberts is going dormant for a couple of weeks. Regular updates will resume Dec 3 – when we start posting the Basho and Norsa short comic we unlocked!
Full disclosure: I will open up for commissions for the holiday season. But KickStarter backers get top priority/billing since you claimed the spots first.
I should have new updates for you within the next week. Stay tuned! (And if you need more comics in your inbox, sign up for my email newsletter if you’re not on there already.)
GENGHIS CON CLEVELAND
November 30, find me at Genghis Con Cleveland!
Just like last year, this year’s event is at the Pivot Center for the Arts. The show runs from 11 am to 5 pm, featuring tons of indie comics (not just my own). Plus there are a handful of panels happening!
This year I want to be sure I bring extra copies of my books, because last year I sold out of some titles before the end of the day. It’s a good problem to have! But I want to be sure I have plenty for the new readers to get their hands on.
Full disclosure: The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 3 will NOT be ready in time for Genghis Con Cleveland. Sorry, Cleveland peeps. But if you’re interested in getting a copy, let me know.
Yo! Y’all can find me at two DC-Area shows this weekend: DC Zine Fest, and the Richmond Indie Comics Expo (aka RICE).
DC Zine Fest is Saturday, Nov 1 from 11 am to 4 pm at the Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial Library.
Then, on Sunday, Nov 2, I’m at RICE from 1:30 pm to 7 pm! The event is at the VCU Commons in the Richmond Salons and Commons Theater. (907 Floyd Ave).
AS A HEADS UP – because of campus policies, RICE is a cashless event. So get your Venmo, PayPal, cards, and Cash Apps ready.
Both events are wheelchair accessible and mask-mandatory. So be prepared.
I will be at DC Zine Fest milling about with the crowd unless they take me off the waitlist. I won’t know until the day of the event, probably. But keep an eye out for The Himbo’s Guide to Cooking Chicken and other zines I’ll have on my person. I’m bringing extras with me to trade with folks.
At RICE, I will be behind the table and showing off my wares. This will be my first cash-free event, so we’ll see how it goes!
Also, the KickStarter campaign is still running, and we hit out 20-backer stretch goal! Can we make it to 30 backers? Want to help us get there? (Even $1 racks up!)
I have come back from A2CAF 2025, which was a MASSIVE success!
Holy banana pants. I’ve been to this show twice, and both times, I come back with my heart so full. It’s a great time every time I get to go. This year was no different.
to Scott McCloud for being so hyped when I told him about The Legend of Jamie Roberts! Thank you for getting volume 1!
to Kat Tuesday for the rad comics and the unexpected compliment about my coloring work.
to everybody who stopped at my table! Especially to the kiddos who were so psyched about my pirate comics and all of my kitty zines.
I also have to shout-out the organizers for putting together the Quick Draw! The Quick Draw is a drawing competition where two artists square off and draw prompts from the audience. Have a look at what I drew!
There aren’t a ton of pictures because good golly Mister molly, the event got PACKED. So many people came by to check out indie comics! We even had some folks from the No Kings protest trickle in. Here’s my favorite protest sign.
(Also I got some great protest posters from a zinester walking around. If you’re reading this, you know who you are. And You’re AWESOME).
So…What’s Next?
My next event is July 19 at the Toledo Comic Arts Festival in the Toledo Lucas County Public Library (Main Branch). The fest runs from 10 am to 4 pm. I’ll also be doing a quick draw-like event there, and showing off my comics and zines!
Speaking of zines, holy banana pants I sold so many of them at A2CAF! I need to reprint more. (If you have the means to leave a tip on Ko-fi, that will help towards the cost of printer ink!) I also need to order more copies of The Case of the Wendigo because DANG, y’all made me almost sell out of copies!
But what about between now and Toledo Comic Arts Fest?
Well, I’m giving my YouTube channel an overhaul. Like, I’m not doing Shorts anymore. Why? Because I made changes behind-the-scenes to disconnect more from social media, so there’s no incentive for me to keep making them.
I’m going back and forth on whether to keep doing livestreams on my channel. You can still find me making appearances on Ben’s Twitch and YouTube. Right now we’re playing the indie game Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea!
As for my own YouTube channel? I want to go back to making the videos I want to make, not what “the algorithm” is trying to make me do. You can keep an eye on this website, though, for more on that.
As you’re reading this, I will be on the train coming into DC. Because DC Zine Fest is tomorrow!
If you’re in the area, I hope to see you there! It’s at the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library from 11 am to 4 pm – also it’s free and accessible to attend.
This Zine Fest will be the in-person debut of New Punk Signal and Fwishi’shi, as well! So if you missed the KickStarter for these books, DC Zine Fest will be a good place to get copies. I will also have copies of my new zines, “Purrmaids,” “The Himbo’s Guide to Cooking Chicken,” and “Witchy Kitties.”
Can’t make it? Missed the KickStarters? That’s ok, there’s a third option for you…
I have not sent out minicomics and mini-prints yet for Ko-fi Club members. If you would like to get these mailed to you, become a member on Ko-fi! Members get minicomice, zines, stickers, and mini-prints mailed to them each month. Even if you can only do one month, that’s ok – cancel at any time, no questions asked.
Ko-fi rewards will be mailed out around Halloween, so you have until then to sign up.
I just came back from the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival, or A2CAF for short. And I had an AWESOME time!
Now, for clarity, two A2CAF events happen in a year: first is the A2CAF in June, which is for all ages and kids comics. The next is A2CAF: Small + Indie Press, which takes place in October.
It’s funny. I posted in last week’s update (about the Be Excellent Festival) that I thought of taking a break from cons. But I loved my time at A2CAF SO MUCH that I’m going to apply for their October show!
What made A2CAF so special? It’s hard to say in a broad or general sense. But here’s what made it magical for me.
First, there were only indie comics makers.
It felt like a compact, Midwest version of Small Press Expo or even a smaller Genghis Con Cleveland. The focus was only on comics creators. No toy dealers, anime shops, or comic collectors here. Everyone focused on the craft of making great stories with comics. And the panels focused on the creators and the craft of making great comics.
Second, the artists’ showcasing was curated – because the floor space was small.
Considering the size of the event floor, there could be no more than 50 tables. So the organizers had to be choosy about who could showcase and who needed to wait. (For context, the average artist alley of a comic con is a minimum of 100 tables. Often they go as high as 500. Awesome Con had about 500 to 700 tables in their artist alley.)
The size of the space did not hurt the show. I feel like it curated a more cozy atmosphere because patrons could take their time and wonder. It helps that it took place in the Ann Arbor District Library, which added to the cozy vibes.
Third, I got to meet FANTASTIC indie comics creators!
Many of them I knew through Discord servers, like Neil Brideau, Britt Monday, and Brandon Hawkins. Some I knew through their online work, like Lucy Bellwood. (I low-key geeked she mentioned telling folks my comic also had boats. Because it does!)
I even got autographs from two of my favorite comics creators: Vera Brosgol, who signed my copy of Anya’s Ghost. And Jen Wang, who signed my copy of The Prince and the Dressmaker! In truth, I’ve loved her work since Koko Be Good, but this book is now out of print. Which is sad because it’s SO DAMN GOOD.
Also, I got to see Jessi Zabarsky, an old classmate of mine from my college alum! I got her graphic novel, Coming Back, while I was there. If you haven’t read her work before, read Witchlight and her Instagram bunny comics.
During the show, I even got to meet artists with cool work whom I never read before! Folks like Narciso Espiritu, Sean Peacock (aka All Sorrows), Angie Coe, and Kaylee Rowena. There were also a lot of folks I didn’t get the chance to see, but I could tell the work had quality to it. It’s unlike walking down an artist alley at a pop culture con, I can tell you that much.
So if I liked A2CAF so much, does this mean I’m not quitting the convention circuit?
No.
I’m quitting pop culture and comic cons – except for RathaCon, because the staff are fantastic there and they support indie voices. But I’m done going to comic cons. They overcharge their table fees, focus too much on celebrities, are too expensive to lodge at and treat comics as a collectible novelty, not an art form or storytelling medium.
So instead of beating my head against the comicon wall, I’m sticking to zine fests, art fests, and expos for the time being. Also, these sorts of venues are a lot more friendly to queer people like me.
My next in-person appearance is at Dragon’s Roost Coffee and Games for Free RPG Day! It’s in Holland, OH on June 22. I’m hoping to debut a new one-page RPG at this event, so I hope to see you there.
