I spent most of Memorial Day recovering from my first weekend as a vendor at a comic book convention. I’ve gone to Comicpalooza on and off for most of the last decade but this past weekend was the first year I set up shop as a vendor and sold copies of WHERE WOLF.
Being (mostly) trapped behind a table helped ensure I spent considerably less money on stuff I really didn’t need to buy. Still, I did miss the simple joy of just walking up and down every aisle of the Dealer’s Room and Artist Alley and slowly filling a backpack with books, prints and other tchotchkes. Instead, I spent most of the weekend trying to lure convention-goers to my table where, hopefully, they’d pick up a copy of my comic book.
One of the first things I learned during the weekend is that it helps to wear a costume. The first day I showed up in my casual comfy wear. I spent most of that day sitting or standing behind the table, looking at folks walking right by and not paying my humble set-up any attention. It wasn’t all a chore, though. I spent some time at the convention drawing werewolves. I am, by no means, a good artist but I thought it might be fun to draw 100 werewolves. I made it to about 25 before I got bored. Here are some of my favorite werewolf drawings.
I am also, by nature, a people watcher and there’s a whole lot of people-watching to be done at a comic book convention. I loved all the amazing homemade costumes I saw folks sporting. As the first day went on, I remembered I too had a homemade costume sitting in my closet at home.
Eleven years ago I talked my mom into making me a Halloween costume inspired by one of my favorite movies - TOTAL RECALL. Specifically, TOTAL RECALL’s Kuato - Mars’ favorite mutant and leader of the underground resistance.
On Saturday, as soon as I put on my outfit I noticed a sharp uptick of folks stopping by the booth, even if just to ask to take a picture of my costume. I was all too happy to oblige any requests for photos - knowing that any picture of my costume would have a banner promoting my comic book in the background.
I’ve long debated whether or not I’m an introvert or an extrovert. I have no problem talking to people - big crowds, small crowds, one-on-one conversations. I can turn my charm on and then turn it off like a windshield wiper. My natural default, though, is to want to be left alone or be in a very small group or gathering. I’m probably an extroverted introvert. Or an introverted extrovert. Either way, I had no problem talking to folks about WHERE WOLF during Comicpalooza. I had fun figuring out the best elevator pitch for the comic. “It’s a comic book about a guy who has to go undercover at a furry convention to stop all the werewolves from eating the attendees” usually did the trick. That pitch almost always elicits a laugh or smile from folks. I would customize the pitch depending on who I was talking to - hyping up the Texas angle, the furry angle, the horror angle or the comedy angle depending on what kind of costume or outfit the convention attendee was wearing.
The convention ended up being a pretty decent success. I sold just over 50 books for the entire weekend - which more than covered the cost of the table and any supplies I had to buy for the experience. Much more valuable, though, were the intangible benefits - the marketing, the chance to catch up with old friends and network with new friends, the honor of appearing on panels alongside literary legends like Stephen Graham Jones and Kij Johnson, and just the joy of hawking something I created with my mind.
I really appreciated the opportunity to get to meet some of Houston’s other indie comic book creators. This city has a great network of writers, artists and dreamers - all working as tirelessly as me to get their stories read by other folks. Sitting around a table after the second day of the convention and trading war stories with other comic book creators was a dream come true - a dream I didn’t realize I had until I was actually living it. I only hope I can continue to help support and be a part of the local community going forward.
I don’t think I will ever get bored of sharing WHERE WOLF with people. I am so damn proud of the book and the work it took to get it made and on folks’ bookshelves. Being able to sell it directly to new readers brings me an immense amount of happiness and pride. I don’t think I can afford to do conventions year-round. It isn’t just a financial commitment - the time and energy that goes into these conventions is beyond draining. That said, I definitely don’t want this year’s Comicpalooza to be the last time I set up at a convention. Hopefully, I can continue to take WHERE WOLF on the road - beyond the Werewolves Across America film screenings I’m doing. I want to continue to meet new readers, meet fellow creators and - most importantly - have a chance to keep putting on that smelly-ass Kuato costume my mom made over a decade ago.
PS - A huge thanks to my amazing girlfriend Lucía for keeping me company throughout the weekend, manning my booth during bio breaks, helping carry my shit to and from the car and just - in general - being an incredible partner. I owe you big time, babe.