Hey guys Grainbelt here,
Quick thought, I just imagined how cool it would be if I made up a graphic of the WHY YOU SHOULD BE READING… logo shining in the sky like the Bat Signal, lame I know but it did give me a reason to do a creative cheap plug of the hyper link (ha ha) ….
Anyway, I’m heading down to Rose City Comic Con for the 2 day show and I couldn’t be more excited. For this week I planned on having a normal column out, but instead of chatting about a comic, I wanted to talk about the show. There are plenty of guests I want to spotlight, and I thought it would be cool if I shared my hopes for the show. I’ll also throw in some commentary on what you should be reading that I haven’t written about, or previewing some comics I plan on writing about in the future. Now that that’s over, let’s commence to diving in.
Signatures
First and foremost I must satisfy the collector in me, after all that is where all this started. I’m a signature Fanatic and I love capping collections and favorite issues with a personalized signature from writers and artists themselves. It ends up meaning that much more, and it acts as my seal to myself that I was able to vocal on a personal level how much I enjoy their work. In a world that is fixated on leaching off of the digital realm, I can’t express enough how I respect those continuing to put their heart and soul in delivering tangible art for fan consumption. Face it, creative teams could be signing comics on tablets if the powers that be had their way, but instead we are continually blessed to have people willing to work to keep the essence going. So for that alone I find it worth shaking my favorite writers hand and saying thank you, for continually putting this medium in my hands for my continued enjoyment. Some of the folks I’m most excited about include, Kelly Sue, and David Walker who Ive already met and had wonderful interactions with, Joshua Williamson however is highest on my list and one who I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting. By far Williamson has most of my excitement due to NailBiter replacing Zero as my favorite series currently running. Brought every Issue I own (yea I’m gonna be that Guy) in hopes I snag signatures on as many as I can. Arcadia writer Alex Paknadel rounds off my list as another must have, Ive enjoyed the Series thus far and plan on using it for the column, along with Cyborg By David Walker. Once more issues drop I plan on diving into Cyborg, and once I get a good feel that’s another comic that will be making the cut, plus I already did Marvel’s Lando not too long ago, so we gotta space the big time companies apart (wink..)
Panels
Next up is the education and inspiration of the show, I have plenty of Panels I got my eye on, but most intriguing is the Indy Creators Legal Toolkit, not only will this be useful for me on the comic publishing and writing side of things, I also want to educate myself on this for pressing my own music on Vinyl. Music is a main stay in my life as well, and don’t worry I promise we will explore this more soon in future columns. Learning about LLC’s, copy-writes and the bizz involved in what we love is important, and making it on the Indy scene is where I want to be. Representation has also peaked my fancy as diversifying the industry is always high on my list, and gaining knowledge on how to do so is something that can only continue to help. Pitching comics round off the last panel on my must do list, Joshua Williamson is running this panel and I’m excited to hear his insight on pitching your work to potentially be signed. Being a little shy by nature this is something I am extremely fear full to do, I know once I get into the vibe of being passionate I can make anything shine, but having the correct documents and approach is something I need work on.
The Hunt
Lastly on the agenda is of course is THE DIG. Excavating the gems out of the countless mounds of comics is one thing I live for, same with vinyl records. I really hope I can track down Big City Comics’ Brotherman issue 9 and 11 to complete my collection. That seriously tops my list. I got lucky thanks to Ebay and got most of the Brotherman’s signed as well as original promo and specialties that would make an amazing display when I complete the collection. I’m hoping one of the Venders out there can help complete this vision, and I just need to find them amongst the many vendors that plan on being at the show. I also want to find some of the Milestone Media stuff, as well as other obscure titles to round off collections, I have a few Ive been waiting quite a while to cap off, and getting closure on runs is such an accomplishment in itself. Using the environment that is cons to shop is always another treat, I just basically ask people what they are into, or whats in their bag, if your observant its amazing how many tips you can get by watching or asking those around you. As a matter of fact I found Nailbiter simply by asking a vendor if there was any current comic he would recommend I HAD to read. Now I’m hooked and elated I get to have those issues signed, as well as hearing the writers thought concepts on creating the story.
Well everyone I hope this was a nice change this week and I will keep you posted about the con. I plan on doing some kind of a fallout of the show article, but may do that as an extra! Everyone stay groovy and Keep on Keeping on……
– Grainbelt Jones
