Category: Reviews

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Intrigue and Peril Awaits in Dominion, Volume 1 by Memoh

dominion volume 1 by memoh
Photo Credit to Memoh

DISCLOSURE: Memoh and I are members of the Cartoonist Co-op. Memoh put out a call asking for reviewers for their book, Dominion, volume 1. So I reached out to Memoh and they gave me an ARC (Advance Reader Copy). I’m not being paid for this review.

Before I read Dominion, volume 1, I had some vague notion of what the comic was about. I had seen some of the art before, as it’s also a webcomic on Tapas and Webtoon.

And then I picked it up, and could not put it down. Volume 1 absorbed me from start to finish with its charming character art, intrigue, and on-fire action scenes.

The story follows Desmond, a new recruit in the guard who is also a Blessed, or someone with divinely-gifted powers. (For you RPG nerds, think Paladin from D&D). He’s eager to prove himself, and not just to get out from under the thumb of his brother, who is a tradesman taking over the family business and a manipulative dick. Desmond gets dragged by his brother and father into “a trip” into the seedy part of town, going into an illegal fighting ring.

Then suddenly, an arsonist bursts into the scene, blowing the place up in flames. Who is the arsonist? Pasha, a young woman with a dark past and a bone to pick with the city’s seedy underbelly.

I’ll admit, as a reader, I struggled with the first couple of chapters, mostly because the writing edged into Jane Austen-esque interpersonal drama with the family dynamic. This kind of writing is not usually my cup of tea, but I made it through… Rewarded with the arson attack and everything that comes after. If Jane Austen levels of drama is your jam, expect a fair bit of it in this series. It’s a romance drama, and volume 1 is there to set the stage for more fireworks to come.

But back to volume 1.

Once we got to starting the murder mystery, however, that was exactly my jam.

Pasha, the arsonist, is forced by the captain of the guard to pair up with Desmond to solve the mystery behind a string of murders happening in the city.

Eventually, we meet Jaavir, aka Pasha’s friend and my new obsession. Look, I have a type when it comes to fictional characters, and that type is big, green, and taciturn with an appreciation for puns. He helps Desmond and Pasha by taking them to their first lead. And I’m going to stop the summary there because I highly recommend this comic! And I will tell you why:

It’s not just the murder mystery. Or the interpersonal drama. Or Jaavir. It’s also that Desmond is genuinely a sweet guy trying to do right in a time and place where that is very hard to do. I haven’t even touched on the world-building, which is itself detailed and intriguing in a way that I look forward to learning more about this world. Also, the world-building is paced with the plot in a fluid, natural way.

(Look, I’ve read my fair share of comics that did lore dumps out the gate, or had characters provide exposition in a canned and forced way. Dominion, by comparison, is a breath of fresh air.) The story feels like you’re dropped into a new world and you need to figure it out as you go, in a fun and character-driven way.

Dominion, volume 1 is giving some flavors of Jane Austen personal drama, some flavors of Fullmetal Alchemist (especially Captain Leddeck. Very Olivier Mira Armstrong vibes there), and some flavors of Dungeons & Dragons. I had a great time with this book! You should read it!

You can get a copy of this comic anywhere in New Zealand, with a worldwide release coming soon. Find out more (and even get a copy of your own!) by going to Memoh’s official site.

That’s all for now. Now go read some comics!

You. Are. Awesome.

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RathaCon 2019 In Review

I’ve been to RathaCon many a year before. It was one of my first shows as a vendor, and has since become one of my anchor shows. Because of that, I do my best to go every year. I even turned down the offer to go to Awesome Con in Washington, DC again to get to RathaCon instead.

(Mostly because both shows were happening on the same weekend… but RathaCon is physically closer to me and lasts only one day. So I could just drive down, show off, and drive back home without paying for a hotel. Very nice.)

However, this year, RathaCon had a couple of things working against it.

See, Awesome Con wasn’t the only other show happening the same weekend: there was also Gem City Comic Con, and two other shows in West Virginia that I can’t remember the names of. So RathaCon had to work extra hard to get folks to come in.

To my understanding, they ran radio ads, because there were a few attendees who mentioned, “I didn’t know this show was a thing until I heard about it on the radio yesterday! So I HAD to check it out!” So, kudos to the RathaCon staff for getting the word out.

And I’ll humble-brag a bit: I think the print I made for RathaCon helped to draw eyeballs to the show on social media. Especially on Facebook.

That said, the crowd this year was about the same size as last year’s audience, but they thinned out WAY sooner towards the end of the day. Partly because of the rain, I think.

I’m not sure how many attendees were current students of Ohio University, though.

One of the reasons the convention staff picked the day they did was to try and entice the local college crowd to come and attend.

But here is where another factor worked against them: April 27, the day of RathaCon, was a week before finals. No sane college student is leaving campus the day before finals week hits, unless they are Sherlock Holmes’-level of confident about their work.

When I talked about it with the staff, we mentioned the idea of offering discounted attendance to people who brought a valid OU ID. Hopefully they do that next year.

Another thing I hope they do next year: get volunteers who check in with the artists more often throughout the day. I was the only person at my table and, aside from the one or two times I could see another neighbor’s table, I could not leave my spot. I’m glad I packed a lunch.

This is a grievance I’ve already discussed with the staff, and they’re working to resolve the issue for next year. I’m confident they’ll fix it, because RathaCon is VERY good at accepting constructive criticism and working to improve year after year. That is one of the reasons they are my anchor show.

In conclusion: was this the best ever RathaCon so far? No. It wasn’t awful or even bad. But there will be changes next year. Hopefully for the better.

And hey! I booked another appearance before 3 Rivers Comicon!

If you’re in the Saint Clairsville, OH area on May 4, stop at New Dimension Comics in the Ohio Valley Mall. They’re running Free Comic Book Day, and they gave the OK for me to showcase and sell my work. Also, there will be a GhostBusters division there. (I talked to some GhostBusters at RathaCon and they mentioned they were appearing at FCBD at the comic shop.)

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

You. Are. Awesome.

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FOR THE HERD! …Con

Holy banana pants! HerdCon was a BLAST to go to!

I actually left for the show a day early: the organizers informed artists and vendors that the building had only one elevator. Because of that, the organizers suggested (pretty heavily) that we vendors and artists set up the day before the show, to prevent congestion on the morning of HerdCon.

Which is what I did. As expected, the Friday before the show was pretty congested for set-up. But it was still nice to take my sweet bippy time to get the table ready… instead of feeling the pressure to have everything all set up in an hour or less (which is what I’m used to with other shows).

On the day of the convention, I wasn’t sure what to expect for attendance or sales.

By the end of the day, it was the BEST sales day I’ve had at a one-day show since I started selling my work at conventions!

What helped with the sales, I think, were the following key points:

  • The organizers knew what they were doing. They approached the show as a non-profit community event (as events like these should be treated, in my honest opinion). Their communications with the organizers was quick, thorough, and to the point. Plus they made lunch available for vendors for an extra $10…which I took advantage of. I got the veggie sandwich lunch (admittedly, I should have ordered the ham sandwich. But hey – lesson for next time).
  • The show organizers promoted the HECK out of this show. They reached out to local press, updated their Facebook and Instagram accounts consistently, and offered freebies that would entice the audience they were looking for. I remember one Facebook post promoting a giveaway of free dice with the HerdCon logo as the highest roll number. If that’s not nerdy, I don’t know what is.
  • I talked a lot about the show on my email newsletter, and got some peeps from previous shows to show up to visit. Thanks for coming! And thanks for putting up with my incessant talking about it.
  • There were things on my table marked down for clearance. I know what it’s like to be a broke college student. Plus there’s a LOT of inventory that needed to be cleared out so I can make room for future books, prints, and stickers. So I marked all of my 8.5 x 11 prints down to $3 each – buy one get one free. And I had grab-bags. While grab bags didn’t sell as much, prints certainly did – I have only 4 designs left!
  • I also did caricatures on the spot. I was surprised at how well caricature sales took off at Marietta Comic and Creator Con last year, so I thought to bring it here. The sales of caricatures alone made up for the cost of the AirBNB and gas to get to HerdCon.

Would I go again next year? ABSOLUTELY.

Should you go as an attendee next year? DOUBLE-ABSOLUTELY. Everyone I chatted with had a fun time, enjoyed the Artist Alley, and got to go to fun panels and play tabletop games. Fun times were had by all!

I’m so tickled by how well this show did, especially since I mentioned in my previous post that I had been burned by inaugural shows before. So I’m happy to see HerdCon succeed! I hope it continues to do so.

Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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Feminist Zine Fest Pittsburgh and How It Went

feminist zine fest pittsburgh table set up

Feminist Zine Fest Pittsburgh happened at the Irma Freeman Center for Imagination this year on June 17th.

Yes, it’s been a few weeks between the fest and this blog post talking about it. To be fair, I was working on KickStarter fulfillment, catching up on deadlines, and getting a new gig or two.

Now I can talk about the fest, of which there are two things about it I remember most clearly: Continue reading “Feminist Zine Fest Pittsburgh and How It Went”

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Review Day Tuesday: The Museum of Intangible Things

Today’s review was a little hard to do, and has a little more to it than previous reviews.

The Museum of Intangible Things advertised itself as a young adult road trip novel, but what it REALLY is, is an exploration of mental illness and friendships being tested.

With that said, I hope you enjoy today’s video as I talk more about the book.

Thanks for watching!

You. Are. Awesome.