Greetings existing fans (and welcome new subscribers from my three recent shows)
My apologies for the late newsletter. Between the late flight from DC to LA (via Nashville) after Awesome Con, dealing with sales tax paperwork for this and another upcoming out-of-state show, along with my day job and the usual errands, I don't know how I'm conscious right now. For a quick recap of my past shows: Awesome Con, held at the Walter E Washington Convention Center in the DC Metro area from Friday April 26th to Sunday April 28th, was a "not so awesome" comic convention as far as sales were concerned, but I did get to do two interviews (one audio and one video) courtesy of two independent press individuals who came by my table. A special thanks to awesome big sister April Carter who not only let me stay with her in Alexandria (a short drive into the DC Metro area where the con took place), but also helping with table setup, breakdown, and bathroom breaks. It was also great to have two other artist vendor friends who flew into the show for the first time as well (writer David Walker and artist Zee Cee Art), and we got to talk about our experiences at the show. In between selling at the con, I spent some downtime with my sister, learned how to use the DC Metro Rail system, took a water taxi from the DC waterfront to Alexandria, and saw Avengers Endgame. So while I didn't sell as much as I wanted to, the trip overall was fun and a great learning experience in flying my convention setup to out-of-state shows (I was able to pack everything into three bags: a medium sized rolling suitcase, a table banner bag, and a laptop bag). As far as the flights were concerned, while the journey from Burbank to DC (via San Francisco) was fine, the flight back was anything but. What was supposed to be a flight from Reagan Airport in Virginia back to Burbank at 8 PM (with a layover in Dallas), turned into a trek from Reagan to LAX at 11 PM (with a layover in Nashville) due to a flight cancellation of my connecting Dallas to Burbank flight. When all was said and done, I got back home at about 1 AM and got up at 7AM for work the next day, as I didn't have enough vacation days for a day off. Like the title says, a crazy end to April, but then May said "hold my beer."
This month started off with a new convention on Saturday May 4th in the South Gate area of Los Angeles called appropriately "South Gate Art and Comic Invasion." Held at the American Legion Post 335 in the heart of the community, it got a great turnout full of residents who were attending their first comic book and art convention. There was even a band who played in the venue, who while very good, halted vendor sales due to the noise. Perhaps the bands can be moved to a post-show event after the vendors have packed up for next year. Then came Free Comic Book Day at the Culver City Comic Bug on Sunday May 5th (though FCBD is always on the First Saturday in May, The Comic Bug turns it into a full weekend event). This was my third year as an artist vendor there, and it was just as fun as the last two years. Despite the event name, I don't give away my self-published comics for free (due to the production costs), but instead I do free sketches. This time I had at least 10 or so previously completed sketches from the DC and South Gate shows, as well as doing a few live sketches by customer request. I sold a few books too, and got to talk with more of my artist friends, many of which exhibit at this show every year as well.
Comic project-wise, I got my first copy of the new Damn Tourists Trade Paperback in the mail. Called "Damn Tourists: The Really Big Book!" it is a 120 page trade that crams issues 1-4 of Damn Tourists into one thick book. I just made an order for 10 more to sell at my next out-of-state show: Denver Pop Culture Con from Friday May 31st to Sunday June 2nd. Before that, my next show will be my third year of the Ontario California event: "Comic Con Revolution" at the Ontario Convention Center next weekend on May 18th and 19th. I will have my floppies of Damn Tourists, Cosmic Force, my two Cosmic Force Prequels, along with CF Trading Cards and DT Fridge Magnets. This may be a physically challenging show for me this year, due to my dentist appointment two days before the show where I have to get my wisdom teeth removed. With any luck I should still be able to talk without being in any pain, but only time will tell.
That's about it for this week. Have a great week everyone, and I hope to see you next weekend at CCR!
Regards,
Allen Carter
Carter Comics