I love going to comic book conventions. And I was expecting a lot from this one, my first as a local (for those who don’t know, I just relocated to NY), and the one Leila Leiz and myself chose to debut our new project, HAREM. Did Special Edition deliver?…
Well, yes and no. As with every convention, there are ups and downs.
The best was to be able to meet with fans, industry pros, fellow creators… Sharing experiences, past and present. That’s always the best.
The attendance wasn’t crazy (at least not where we were placed, saved for ONE thing, I’ll get back to it in a minute).
Saturday was busy, but sunday wasn’t for sure. I have trouble estimating if there was more attendance than last year. Tough to say. ReedPop announced the attendance was up from last year, but I really don’t know. I sold more comics last year. Go figure.
Leila and I were placed at booth #L7. It was the tail end of the show, on the far left.
I can’t say it’s a bad placement. I can’t say it’s good either. Hey, we were next to the coffee and food! (coffee was decent btw, $3 a cup).
But we were also seated next to Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez. And man… They had a line. A HUGE line. They never stopped. They signed like robots. I felt sorry for them. But at the same time, I felt sorry for everyone around, including us. They stole the show! The funniest thing (I prefer being openly cool about this) is that many fans came with Edge of Spider-Verse collected editions, had them signed by the Spider-Gwen guys, but royally ignored me though I have a story in that very same book. That’s alright. Those fans only had eyes for the blonde. 😉
Me? I prefer brunettes. And diversity. That’s why Leila and I decided to premiere Harem at NYSED.
I have to say, we had a very warm welcome.
People came. Asked questions about the book. Discovered the ashcan, bought it. Very encouraging. Now, we’re pumped, more than ever. We want to produce more. And the con also allowed Leila and myself to talk about the future of the series. Where we wanted to go. This project has become my favorite project ever.
in other news, I had the pleasure of reconnecting with many people in the industry, such as Mike Marts (the new EiC of AfterShock that I met for the first time 16 years ago), Warren Simmons and Alejandro Arbona (Valiant), Mark Brooks, Paul Renaud, and many more. And I met a few incredible creators for the first time. Like Jamie S.Rich. I’ve admired him for a long time. He was at ONI Press, then left to be a senior editor at Vertigo. He’s also a terrific writer and was there to promote Lady Killer, created with Joelle Jones (she’s writing and drawing the book). I’ve always loved Joelle’s art. When I was an editor for Atlantic BD in France, I had the pleasure of working on the French edition of The Girl Who Owned a City that she illustrated. Her style fits every book. And though it has evolved a bit in Lady Killer, I like it just as much.
I also could finally meet the über talented (and sweet) Marjorie Liu. I had interviewed Marjorie a few years ago when I was leading Comic Box. I’m following her career in comics and in novels as well as her frequent posts about women condition in the world. I can say what she brings to the industry is inspiring.
Oh, there are plenty of other people I talked to at Special Edition, but I’m going to spare you the list. It would be so boring. 😉
So overall… It was an ‘okay’ con. I wish the business side had been better. But the human side was great.
I may go next year. Simply because I’m local now. So cost is significantly lower than in another city. And if I learned something (that I already knew) it’s that I need to write and draw more ! To be able to show more to the audience.
To be continued…
F.
