2016 - A Shiny New Year

It's the new year, and I've been meaning to write my year ahead piece for quite a while. I've had quite a lot going on to keep me away from my writing activities. Here we go...

February 19-21

I've put my application in to cover Wizard World Portland as a member of the media as I have for Cherry City Comic Con, Rose City Comic Con and EUCON last year. I'm still very hopeful, and I've already lined-up artists Michael Golden and Arthur Suydam to do covers for Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer.

April 7-10

It's been a few years since I've been able to go to Emerald City ComiCon. I wasn't actually planning on going this year, but one of my best friends asked if I would like to go... and we have free lodging courtesy of our McMenamins passports at their newest property; Anderson School. The unfortunate side is that we're only going for Sunday, but that is helpful to me as the last time I went I didn't get to do anything because of my relentless pursuit of getting autographs from too many people. I am really looking forward to possibly getting a cover done by Chad Hardin and am really excited to get the chance to meet Fiona Staples... as Saga has become one of my favorite trades to read. As more artists get announced, I will probably reach-out to a few others for covers for our cause.

April 30 - May1

I've reached out to see if I can get a table or booth for Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer at this years event; but I haven't heard anything back yet. I'm looking forward to going to this hometown event. There hasn't been any artists announced other than Mike Grell yet... but from what I heard from the CCCC director at NW Comic Fest, this should be an epic show!

Northwest Comic Fest debuted last year. It was the first time I was able to have a table to help promote Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer, and it was incredibly helpful. This year, the director is trying something new by offering the chance at a free comic con. He has a Kickstarter going, and you can click the link on the NW Comic Fest logo to go there. It'll be interesting to see what comes of this.

September 10-11

Rose City Comic Con is one of my favorite, local cons. I'm hoping to be able to cover it again this year as last and would like to try an enlist more artist to help support Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer.

Last years EUCON was great. I look forward to going back this year. I'd love to cover it again.

6 Years Now!

Another year in the books, and I'm still here!



I remember that in the first year of writing my blog, I was very enthusiastic and would post multiple reviews at a time while I was bored at work. This was before I learned how to schedule my posts so that I could sit at my computer for a few hours every few months and write several reviews for the coming months.



Over the course of the last year, my resources have been stretched, and that means that the availability of new trades to review was limited. A couple of months ago, I finally got a new job and now have the resources to continue to get new trades... but this new position does not afford me the luxury of having spare time to write during the week, and also finds me with limited energy on the weekends.



Never the less, I am undaunted and will continue to provide my weekly reviews and occasional editorials.



2015 has been a year of ups and downs for me. Here are the ups, so far:

• I was allowed press/media access to both Cherry City Comic Con and Rose City Comic Con! I hope that my telling of the experiences I had will inspire you to join them for their events next year.


• This was the first year for Northwest Comic Fest in my hometown, and I was fortunate enough to have received a free booth for my non-profit work for Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer.


• Later in the month, I will be going to the first ever Eugene Comic Con (EUCON) with press/media credentials. I'm looking forward to seeing what Eugene has to offer us.


• With my new job, I've been able to re-open my subscription box at my LCS.


• There have been 2 articles written in the local newspaper about my work for Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer, and it has increased our visibility dramatically. To date, we have now raised $3450 for the American Cancer Society!


• I was able to finally meet the man whose writing brought me into comic books to begin with; Larry Hama. The best thing is that I get to see him again at EUCON. 


• I was asked to do a review based on a script from a series I've been dying to see come to live for several years. In a little under 6-months, the new Black Suit of Death Kickstarter campaign will start, and I hope that this time we'll be able to get it fully funded!

This time last year, we were over 42,000 page views. Today we stand at close to 69,000! Thank you so much for all your support!



In the next year, I'm planning on expanding my coverage some more. I've been asked to do a few reviews on some indy comics as well as a children's book. These will not take place of my regular trade reviews, but rather add to the depth of my writing for this blog. I look forward to also providing you with additional updates on how Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer is going.



As I look forward to 2016, here are my hopes and predictions:

• At the 2016 edition of Cherry City Comic Con, I hope to not only bring you a review of the event, I hope to also have a table or booth there to help promote Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer.


• I'm looking forward to seeing what may come from another year for both Northwest Comic Fest and EUCON.


• Due to a scheduling conflict, I wasn't able to attend the first Emerald Vally Comic Fest. I hope to change that for 2016.


• Rose City Comic Con was huge this year, and I predict it will be even bigger next year. I hope that I will continue to be graced with media badges for next years event.


• I submitted an application to Emerald City Comic Con for media/press badges, but unfortunately that request was denied. With the 3 and 4 day passes already sold out, I'm not sure if I'll be able to attend. Time to play the waiting game.


• I send a request to Wizard World for media/press passes for Wizard World Portland in February. I haven't heard anything from them yet, and I will continue to press forward on this front. It's been too long since I've been to WW Portland, and I'd like to see what has changed.

As I also collect other items related to my fandom of comics, I think I'll be occasionally posting photos of my collection, which rage from posters to glasses to action figures.



Thank you for 6 great years so far, and here's to hoping that the next years will be pleasant for one and all!

Northwest Comic Fest - Thoughts And Experiences

Early in 2015, the thought of having a new comic-related event in Salem was brought-up to a group of individuals. They worked to come-up with some amazing ideas to make the event stand-out from others. And one man was the driving force behind this idea and made it a reality. That man being Casey Ocupe.

Casey had a vision, and stayed the path to watch this dream become a reality. With a TV show on local public access, Casey worked to bring the idea and several of its participants to the forefront of the area. Well before the actual event, there was also a session of Comic Talk's where many of the local artists came to talk about what they did. And thus Northwest Comic Fest was born!



As my loyal readers know, I run a non-profit to raise money for the American Cancer Society called Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer. From the original planning session, Casey offered me a table at the event to help promote our cause... free of cost. This was of great benefit to us since we had recently been getting some extra local attention from the local newspaper and Casey had me on his show; Northwest Comic Show.



I hadn't done an event like this ever, and the last time I had a table at any event was about 10 years ago at the Portland Comic Book Show. I had big dreams, but little funds. Unfortunately, I had been laid-off from work in 2014 and didn't have a steady income in which to fund our appearance at the event. Fortunately, through the generosity of Royce, the director of the upcoming Eugene Comic Con (EUCON), we were able to afford table banners, brochures, ink and paper for making prints to sell at the event.



Everything was lining-up perfectly... and then, a few days before the event, I receive a call from Casey. I wasn't sure what to think when I saw his name come-up on my cell phone. Happily, he offered to upgrade the table that he was giving us to a booth on the second floor. I was amazed!

Thanks to the help of some of the greatest friends a man could ever have, Scott and Rita, we were able to put the booth together in almost no time. This would be Scott's first time being a participant/vendor at an event like this. Rita helped me a couple times in the past at the previously mentioned Portland Comic Book Show. Without their help through the entire weekend, I don't think I could have made it. I owe them a great deal of thanks.

As luck would have it, our booth was right next to a friend of mine, Benjamin Kreger of Warrior Innkeeper Creative. This really helped to make the time more pleasurable and helped to keep my mind of the people that simply passed-by the booth without a second glance. As luck would have it, the first day of the event was also the opening for Benjamin's Kickstarter campaign for his comic, Black Suit of Death.



Being the first year for this event, there were some minor issues such as people not knowing that there were 2 floors and the occasional volume on the microphone. These are to be expected. There were a few empty tables and booths up on the 2nd floor, and this was a little disconcerting... especially when one of those booths was for an artist who I had lobbied with Casey on getting to attend because I felt he would be a successful draw to the event. I can't help but feel a little slighted for his lack of appearance, but I probably don't know the entire story of why he didn't show.



Even though I had a booth, I was able to make my way around the event and connect with many of my friends and artists who I have met through CBC4C. We were even fortunate enough to have a new contributing artist join the ranks of CBC4C, Neil Jorge. He picked-up a Princess Leia blank from our booth on Saturday, and by Sunday was donating a wonderful new cover.

One of my personal highlights of the event was a specific costume worn by a lovely woman. She dressed as the dragon Tiamat from Dungeons and Dragons. Those loyal readers from my RPG4EVR blog know that I have had a fixation on Tiamat ever since I was a child and watched the old D&D cartoons on Saturday mornings. Although I am no good at taking pictures at events, I was able to find a great photo from the Statesman Journal website when they posted an article about the first day of Northwest Comic Fest.

Through the 2-day event, I was able to meet with so many people and tell them about our cause. I was able to connect with some old friends who I haven't seen in a very long time, and I even made a few new friends. All-in-all it was a good event. We were able to spread the word about Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer and received several donations to help support the cause. Now that I have this extra experience, I not only hope that we can do it again for next years event, but I am also eyeing the possibility of asking for a table at next year's Cherry City Comic Con.

Con Schedule For 2015

As I'm still not working, going to many con's this year is going to be difficult, but here's the lowdown of where I will and will not be going this season.

 

January 23-25, 2015

Just like last year, I'm not going to be making it to Wizard World Portland this year. There are going to be some great guests there, but there's not enough to get me back. I did love the 1st WW PDX and look forward to when I get the chance to go back. Maybe even have a booth for the Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer project.

March 27-29, 2015

I'm really one the fence about this years Emerald City Comicon. I have a great pair of friends that want to go, but also want to share the experience with me. The other item in favor of going to ECCC is that because of completing my McMenamins passport last year, I have vouchers for free night stays at their hotels. This means my lodging (in Centrallia) would be taken care of. I have decided to wait until I've been able to complete my taxes to see if I'm going to receive a refund this year and for how much. We'll see what happens.

Last year, this was my hometown show, and I was happy to see it arrive. There were some issues before the 2014 event where some disparaging remarks were made around cosplayers. I don't want to bring that back to the forefront again. The 2014 event went well, IMHO, and I was looking forward to the 2015 event... that is until November.



A handful of days before the Cherry City Holiday Craft Fair and Flea Market, the news was released that it had been cancelled by the organizer. The reason I bring this up is because that would be the same person who organized Cherry City Comic Con. Then, Cherry City Events made the following post on their website:

There were several vendors from the craft fair that were intending on selling at the comic con event as well. In December, everything started hitting the fan. The organizer had posted on the official Cherry City Comic Con Facebook page that the event was cancelled and later posted it was possibly coming back.

Then, KOIN channel 6 news aired the following report:

That same night this report originally aired, there was a nasty post (which I will not re-post) on their Facebook page declaring that "Cherry City Comic Con is dead." 



A few days later, KOIN ran this report:

And on January 7, the following was posted on their official Facebook page:

I'm very skeptical about the entire situation as the people that I know who had paid for booths/tables at both the craft fair and comic con haven't received any communication (at time of this writing) nor have they received their refunds.



Because of all these problems, I've made the decision to not attend Cherry City Comic Con this year if they do manage to resurrect it. We'll see what happens.

August 15-16, 2015

Thankfully Salem will have an alternative to the loss of Cherry City with the first annual Northwest Comic Fest. Not only will I personally be attending, but I will also have a table there to help promote Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer. They've already been able to help some of the vendors and artists affected by the loss of Cherry City by helping to organize the First Wednesday Free Artist/Craft Event! I'm looking forward to attending this event as well in February.

September 19-20, 2015

The 4th annual Rose City Comic Con proves to be better than last years event. Year after year, RCCC has been bigger and better than the year prior. The best part of going to RCCC is that I can day-trip up there and take-in just about everything I want to. I'm hoping I might be able to add some more autographs to my copy of The Walking Dead 100 Project. My goal is to get every artist to sign it, and I'm probably about 1/3 of the way to meeting that goal. This is a prize in my collection.

The Great Northwest Super Con

Earlier this month, I found out that someone was organizing The Great Northwest Super Con. It's becoming an official non-profit and gaining support from the area. I look forward to seeing what come of this. No dates have been set yet, but I'm putting it on my list to go to whenever it happens.