Legacy or lack of same.

I had a surreal conversation today. A former student who had dropped out several months ago ran up to me in the schools parking lot and gave me a big hug. She breathlessly told me that she had been told I had died months ago. She couldn't believe that I was standing in front of her.

This amused me at first, but then it got me thinking...what if I had died.? Would it matter? Would I be remembered and how? Sure my wife, mother, a few other family and close friends would mourn but what else? Have I left anything that will be remembered, anything that has touched anyone, anywhere? I have a few drawings, a couple of paintings and half finished stories but nothing artistically to survive me. I've been thinking about THE DREAM for so long that I forgot to pursue it. Is it too late?

Will any of my students remember me or will they, as I often joke, forget me within a year?

What is my legacy?

Who was John Wilson?

Too Hip for the Room

I've recently found a site with runs of canceled TV shows and I am again enjoying Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a show that I believe only died because is was too hip for the average person. The people spoke too fast, the jokes were too in and essentially it was just too smart. I also occurs to me that there have been some comics that didn't make it because they were too smart to have a wide appeal. What I want to know is when did smart become a bad thing? Why does everything have to appeal to the lowest intellect. Now I am well aware that comics, like television is a business, and you have to reach as many people as possible but is it necessary to always dumb things down? Can't we be challenging? Can't we make people think? Must everything we do always be only for Joe Sixpack? Surely there is room for everything out there. Can't we at least try to make it worthy of our time and passion?

The Everyman Guide to Comic Conventions part 5

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR CON EXPERIENCE

• Take a couple of hours and just wander. Look at everything, especially Artist Alley. You have no idea of the gems you might find hiding there. It may even expand your comics preferences. It will definitely expand your insights.
• Bring some cash. Not all the vendors ( and very few on Artist Alley) will have a credit card machine. There is an on site ATM but the fee is near $5 now per transaction and it runs out of money quickly.
  
• Talk to people. Introduce yourself. Walk up to someone reading a book you like and tell them how much you like it. You might find a friend. Always be polite.
• If you want to attend a particular panel, PLAN. Go to the one before it and hang out. Especially ones that fill quickly and have lines that go around the block. You'll be glad you did.
• Carry a bag and pick up as much swag (stuff we all get aka free stuff) as you can. Make sure it is a comfortable bag that you can sling over your shoulder or back.
• Bring a few snacks with you. Tiredness and low blood sugar will ruin your day and make you a grumpy little con goer and no one likes that. Eat light and make sure it is "clean" food. You touch a comic with "hot fries" covered fingers and you bought it.
  
• Check out the nightlife at the Rosemont Hyatt (for over 21 only)-A lot of the pros hang out in the bar after the con. Be cool about it but you might end up having a drink with or playing darts or pool with the people who work on your favorite books.
  
• Above all, Have Fun! This is a place dedicated to those things we all love. Make the most of your time there. Don't let the little things stress you out.
  

The Everyman Guide to Comic Conventions part 4

WRITERS:

• Don't try to tell your whole story. A brief story synopsis, a few plotted pages and an indication of where the story is going in a brief paragraph is all you should lay on the editor at a con. If they want more, they will ask.
  
• Getting an editor to sit down and read your writing submission is rare. Offer to leave a packet and come back later or offer to call the editor at a later time after the con.
  
• Always have a cover letter that details who you are and what the story is about.
• Make sure that you have a business card attached to any packet you give out. Also have your contact information stamped on the back of each sheet.
• During the critique, if there is one, listen, ask questions on how you can improve but never defend and NEVER argue with the editor.
• Have your submission in some sort of portfolio so an editor can flip through it. Or hand them a packet but give them the option.
• Never run down another writer or claim that you are just as good as (insert pro name here). It's unprofessional.
• Have a pen, notebook and/or PDA to take notes.
  

Everyman Guide to Comic Conventions part 3

ARTISTS

• Specialize. It's great that you can pencil, ink and color your own work but most companies won't let you do that for either time or editorial reasons. Pick what you are best at and run with it.
  
• Don't just do splash pages of the hero in a cool pose. Editors are interested in the breath of your work. They want to see that you can draw a boy and his dog playing in the park or a couple out for a walk as convincingly as you draw Stupendous Man kicking the crap out of Dr. Destruction.
• Never defend your work. If you don't like what the editor tells you, say "Thank You" and walk away. But think about what they said first. They may have a point.
• Never, ever trash another artist. No one cares if you think that you draw better than (insert pro's name here), they have a job, you don't. Trashing another artist makes you look unprofessional and kind of childish, to be honest.
• Only show your best work, offer to leave a packet with them and always have a business card ready. (see earlier blog)
• Know what the company that you are showing your work to publishes. Showing your superhero samples to a company that only does romance or horror is a waste of everyone's time.
• Leave your adults only samples at home. There is a venue for this but Marvel or DC aren't it. Titillation is one thing but full frontal will not impress a mainstream editor, no matter how good they are.

Next time, tips for the writer.

The Everyman Guide to Comic Conventions part 2

POTENTIAL PROFESSIONAL STUFF

• Show five to eight (but no more than 10 ) of you BEST CURRENT WORK. No one cares that you have better stuff at home. Why didn't you bring that stuff? You are wasting your time and the reviewer's and that is the surest way to NOT get a job.
  
• Show your work in an easily flippable format, either a artist portfolio, or a binder with sheet protectors. It keeps your work clean and is easy to flip through. DO NOT come up with a folder of loose paper. It looks unprofessional and so will you.
• Have a packet of your samples ready to leave for the editor. Make sure that you have a business card attached to each packet with all your contact info on it. Also make sure all your contact info (including name) is stamped on the back of each page in case they get separated.
• During the review of your work, LISTEN!!! DO not comment on what they are telling you,  and for the love of Zeus, DON'T ARGUE! If you have questions, wait until they are finished. Do not take offence, they are talking about the work, not you. That being said the best advice I ever received was take what you can use and forget the rest. Editors are people just like you and have all the same quirks and failings you do, but they are the ones with the jobs...so be nice to them.
• Bring a pen and a notebook or a PDA and write down the comments you want to remember. You'll forget by the time you get to the room. Ask for a business card and always shake their hand before you go. It shows professionalism and respect

Next time...specific tips for artists and writers.

The Everyman Guide to Convention Attending

Taking a page from my buddies at Sketch, I offer this series of helpful tips to make your convention experience more enjoyable and potentially more  profitable.

COMMON SENSE STUFF ( the stuff that should be obvious, but apparently isn't)

• Take a shower daily, preferably the morning of the con. Use deodorant and some kind of cologne, perfume or body spray (nothing too strong). Wear clean comfortable clothes that breathe. A stinky con attendee is a friend to no one.
  
• Wear comfortable shoes. You will be standing alot. Gene Simmons-esqe demon boots may look cool but can you stand in them for hours on end?
• Bring plenty of pens that work. If you want something signed that has a dark cover, get a silver, gold or white gel pen. Don't expect the pros to automatically have pens.
• Bring snacks. Con concession food is ridiculously priced and your blood sugar will get low. Trust me, if you pass out, people may help you but I wouldn't count on them giving up their place in line to do it. This is especially true for diabetics.
• Be careful how much you drink. Bathrooms are few and far between and quickly become toxic waste dumps. And no one will hold your place in line while you go pee. That big gulp could take you from 5th in line to 500th in a heartbeat.
• Bring a bag that you can carry your swag in that can be slung over your shoulder or back. Don't be that guy with the hand truck and the multiple plastic totes full of books to be signed. We hate that guy.
• Above all, be patient and be polite. Losing your temper and creating a scene will just get you kicked out of the con. Treat others BETTER than you would want to be treated and they will usually respond in kind. Especially the pros. Be polite, be grateful and don't waste their time. This is a vacation for you, but they are at work. Treat them professionally and they will treat you the same.

More tips for the hopeful professional, coming soon.