Comic Con Report- Day 5

On the last day, Dennis and I grabbed breakfast and it was the only full breakfast I had for the entire convention.  I usually eat a larger breakfast or lunch but not both and it was always too much of a hassle to grab lunch so I figured go for the morning meal. Stephanie and Jessica had gone to a party in Pacific Beach and undoubtedly wouldn’t be getting up until early afternoon so I left a message not to worry about trying to get to the convention that day since it was the last one.  They had just been to Michigan a few weeks prior and both were planning trips in the next few months and I talk often with them on the phone so it wasn’t like I wouldn’t see or hear from them for awhile. I stopped at the Image booth where Dirk Manning was working with Jim Valentino on the Shadowline...

Read more »

Comic Con Report- Day 4

Saturday is usually the busiest day of the con and it was for me as well.  Dennis and I got up very early to head over for the Comics Pro breakfast.  I was interested in going as I was a retailer for many years and also a publisher.  We got there early and stole some coffee and met up with Jim Sokolowski of Archie after a long time with Marvel.  The meeting was more crowded than expected so I left, not wanting to take up space for a retailer that might need it. I walked the con floor, venturing into areas I hadn’t gone into before.  People may complain about it not being a comic convention but the longest lines were at the game, toy, and celebrity areas so I’m guessing that fact doesn’t bother most.  I navigated through and met the producers I had scheduled a...

Read more »

Comic Con Report- Day 3

I figured I’d start posting two of these each day just to get them closed off. On Day 3, Friday of the con, my strategy to stay up later in order to sleep in and adjust my EST schedule, failed to some extent.  Again, up around 6.  The Omni had a Starbucks that opened at 6 so it was manageable.  I sat outside and watched the endless stream of people already arriving at the con to stand in line for whatever they were standing in line for.  I was surprised how early it was and yet the crossing over the trolley lines were almost already full. I ran into Dave Scoggy outside and we talked a bit.  I would end up running into Dave numerous times at the show and that’s how it works.  Some people you see constantly and others you never come across. Prior to the convention,...

Read more »

Comic Con Report- Day 2

The first full day of the convention and I was already weary of fighting through the crowds of cosplayers taking pictures of each other, parents with strollers, and getting hit by those huge bags everyone had to carry their swag. One of the tough things about going to the West Coast is being on EST.  I tried to force myself to sleep longer but I was wide awake before 6:00.  I grabbed a coffee and headed off towards the ocean and walked along the city’s shoreline for awhile.  I didn’t feel like a full breakfast so grabbed some fruit at the local 7-11 and refueled with coffee. At the con, I had an early signing at the IDW booth.  I ventured into the center area near IDW for awhile before getting to the booth to start the signing.  They didn’t have the four Deadworld...

Read more »

Comic Con Report- Day 1

I decided to do a report on my San Diego Comic Con experience as I get asked a lot about it for a number of reasons.  One is that I have not been to one in nearly 10 years so many people want to know how I see the change as it descends into Hollywood madness and away from the comics aspect.  And secondly, although I didn’t have a specific agenda, I was attending the con for various reasons---as a creator, as a publisher, as a former retailer, and as a show promoter (Detroit Fanfare).   And it was also worth it to me on a personal level as I have a daughter that lives in San Diego and another that lives in Los Angeles, just a couple hours drive away. For the report, I’m following Tom Spurgeon’s format that he posts on The Comics Reporter as I always find his the most interesting. ...

Read more »

Working with Creators

When you’ve worked with as many comic creators as I have over the years, you find that the often used collective term of comic creator doesn’t really mean much.  Somehow, it seems to many fans that all comic creators share the same sensibility, desires, and goals.  Obviously, that is not the case.  With Caliber and now Transfuzion and even as a creator myself, I have worked with over 250 creators. Some were long term relationships, others were just a pinup or cover. Their attitudes and ethics vary just as you would expect any group to.  Fans often place creators into this box of homogeneity but each have their own agenda although most that I know truly are passionate about what they do and share a camaraderie regarding creator owned comics and what that entails. For...

Read more »

From Caliber to Transfuzion

It’s hard to believe, to me anyway, that Transfuzion will hitting its 5th anniversary soon.  The timing is a little off because the official announcement was in August 2007, the first books didn’t actually ship until February, 2008, and Transfuzion existed prior to it becoming an actual publishing company.  But it was July 2007 that the entity of Transfuzion Publishing was enacted although three was no clear delineation of a “breaking ground” exact date, which I’ll explain in a little bit. What is even more surprising, and I had to double check myself, that Transfuzion is about to release its 50th graphic novel.  And I’d like to point out that ALL of the graphic novels released by Transfuzion are creator owned.  That’s 50 creator owned graphic novels from a publisher...

Read more »