Visual approximation of blogger's artistic frustration.

The other week I attended Fan Expo Canada, and while I sat on a great panel about writing the supernatural for young readers with Kelley Armstrong and Max Turner, then signed at my publisher, ECW’s, booth, it was the first year I wasn’t sitting behind a table (or ‘tabling’) at Fan Expo.

For the past ten years or so, I’ve always had some comic or illustrated product to sell, whether it was my zine versions of The Amazing Challengers of Unknown Mystery, the slightly slicker versions of that comic, Quarter-Life Crisis, The Dead Kid Detective Agency or my calendars of supervillain erotica.

Though I booked part of a table with my SketchKrieg! illustration crew, a month prior to Fan Expo I realized that I would have absolutely nothing new to display. I have become very sheepish about the whole thing; I feel like slowly but surely I’m sliding away from becoming a comic illustrator. Between work and writing The Dead Kid Detective Agency (which is actually going  pretty well) and countless workshops, I have almost no time to work on the second book of Quarter-Life Crisis, as desperately as I want to. I feel less and less like a guy who makes comics and more and more like a guy who takes up table space at Fan Expo with the same old junk. Additionally, it’s hard facing those few people who are actually looking for the second book and admitting I still don’t have it completed.

Panel at Fan Expo. (Photo by Crissy Calhoun.)

So, I didn’t table at Fan Expo this year, and it was relatively pleasant. I didn’t have to arrive at 8:30 in the morning. I could sit in on panels. I spent a good half-hour going through dollar bins and finding some sweet Alan Davis issues of Batman and the Outsiders. But I didn’t feel much like a comic creator.

The sad part was that comic creators as a species seemed few and far between in Artist Alley at Fan Expo. Most of Artist Alley was T-shirts and prints based on other people’s properties: humorous Dr. Who T-shirts or prints of Harley Quinn. That stuff is great. But it would have been great to see more original new comic books there. (Maybe they’ve all abandoned Fan Expo for TCAF. It would make sense.)

I’m hoping I can get back on the horse soon with Quarter-Life Crisis, because I miss it, but with the fall publishing season and my rewrite of Dial ‘M’ for Morna due soon, I fear my post-apocalyptic Toronto comic book will never fall off the backburner. That would make me very sad. We’ll see.

That said, I’ll still be attending on Saturday, August 25. I am part of a panel at 4:00 p.m., entitled Stories for Little Monsters. Other authors and I will be talking about writing the supernatural for younger readers. (Tragically, this will not be a panel about the Fred Savage / Howie Mandel comedy of the same name, nor a discussion of Lady Gaga’s fanbase.)

Following the panel, I’ll be signing copies of The Dead Kid Detective Agency (and Little Monsters DVDs) at the ECW Press booth. (5 to 5:30 p.m.) Please drop by at either time to say ‘hello.’ And visit my friends at SketchKrieg! during the entire convention.

Modelling at Fan Expo. (Photo by Zen Rankin.)

FanExpo Canada has come and gone for another year, and I write this blog post the following Monday, still exhausted from the circulated air and visual overstimulation. This year’s FanExpo, despite being one additional tiring day longer, was really excellent. Despite not having the new book of Quarter-Life Crisis done in time for the show, I did have hot-off-the-press copies of The Dead Kid Detective Agency, calendars of supervillain erotica and really offensive T-shirts by Rob Ford, all of which sold amazingly well. But beyond that, I had a great time hanging out with my fellow SketchKrieg! illustrators, as well as the entire comic book community. I have to remember to be more social at these things. I like spending time with other comic bookers, but unlike at a hundred book events every year, I’m just not my usual gadabout self at comic things. I’ll work on that.

Five Things I Learned at FanExpoCanada 2011:

1) Being on panels is awesome: I was on two author panels, and it was so much fun. Even though I had to be moderator on both panels, I had a blast, and the audiences were really amazing. So many of them dropped by my table afterward and picked up some of my work. Thanks to all my fellow panelists – James Davidge, Sarah McCully, Greg Lamberson, Lesley Livingston and Alyxandra Harvey – and to the people who listened and asked questions.

2) People like Quarter-Life Crisis: Surprisingly, several people sought me out at FanExpo, eager to read the new exploits of the Yung brothers. They were disappointed to learn there were no new exploits to speak of, which really encouraged me to finish up Book 2 as soon as possible. I even agreed, in handshake form, to have it done for TCAF 2012 with one eager reader.

3) Attendees put a lot of effort into their costumes: So many of the costumes the attendees wore were beyond impressive. One guy was dressed at the Team Rocket balloon (from Pokemon, not that I even ever watched that show), which took the cake for sheer magnitude. You could see the guy from the other end of the convention. My favourite costume, however, was the woman dressed as Kelly from the hilarious British ASBO superpowered-teen TV show, Misfits.

Heartthrob Loki, fully clothed.

4) The ladies love Loki: The supervillain erotica calendar was a big hit, but a few female buyers commented on the lack of Thor’s arch-nemesis. The ladies, it would seem, are really into Loki, the trickster god and are eager to seem him out of his green-and-yellow costume. Who knew?

5) There are some really talented people out there: I’ve known this for a while, but I should take this moment to point out some young comic bookers and illustrators that I think are doing some really interesting stuff. Namely, Brian Evinou, Taryn Gee, Jori Bolton and John Lang. Check out their websites, all of ‘em.

6) Nerds really love The Big Bang Theory: If the T-shirts are to be believed (you should realize that FanExpo is largely an exercise in witty, geek-reference T-shirt one-upmanship), The Big Bang Theory is bigger than ever. Which is tragic, really. Because it’s a horrible, horrible show. It’s Two and a Half Men with different characters. Prove me wrong, nerds! Prove me wrong.

On a side note, the wittiest geek-reference T-shirt I saw combined Mario and Magritte: ‘Ceci n’est pas une pipe.’ High-brow nerd stuff.

Just one of the amazing images gracing the male supervillain erotica calendar.

Yes, friends, I write this to you mid-FanExpo, when I should be resting up for Saturday. So far, so good. I’ve seen a variety of amazing costumes, and have convinced many unsuspecting people to buy calendars of supervillain erotica. My fellow illustrators in SketchKrieg! and I are keeping it locked down near the Real Steel booth. I even talked (and acted as impromptu moderator) on two author panels!

Thanks to my fellow panelists for talking with me today, and to all the excellent people who listened to the panels, then dropped by the table afterward. That was way too nice!

The bad news: no new book of Quarter-Life Crisis. There are a few disappointed fans of the Brothers Yung, and I apologize to them sincerely.

The good news: I have a dazzling new calendar of male supervillain erotica, and it’s going to brighten some office walls. Also, I’ll be signing my book, The Dead Kid Detective Agency, at the ECW Press Booth on Saturday at 2 p.m.

The weird news: someone was at FanExpo dressed in a Baseketball ‘Beers’ costume. Idiosyncratic, to be sure, but I’m not sure where that fits into the horror-comic-scifi-anime spectrum.

Two more days of FanExpo to go. To be continued …

Evan Munday, clearly confused

I’d always hoped I’d one day be invited to Fan Expo Canada as an actual guest. And this year, my dreams are coming true! But I never expected I’d be invited as a horror guest. Check it out!

I’ll be at Fan Expo, at Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre (255 Front Street West), from August 25 to 28, doing multiple duties. I’ll be selling my comic wares (including an all-new male supervillain erotica calendar!), signing copies of The Dead Kid Detective Agency, and even talking on a couple panels with people way more intelligent and famous than myself.

Schedule:

I’ll be speaking on two panels on Friday, August 26, signing at the ECW Press Booth on Saturday, August 27, and at the SketchKrieg! tables in Artist Alley (Table A22, just across from the Real Steel booth)  the remainder of the time!

PANELS

Friday – 12 noon – When Worlds Collide Author Panel – Room 715B
featuring Nick Valentino (Thomas Riley), Gregory Lamberson (Slime City), Sarah McCully (Female of the Species), James Davidge (The Driftwood Saga Series) and Evan Munday

Friday – 1 p.m. – The Young and Fantastic Author Panel – Room 715B
featuring Heather Brewer (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod), Evan Munday, Lesley Livingston (Wondrous Strange, Darklight) and Alyxandra Harvey (The Drake Chronicles Series)

SIGNING

Saturday – 2 p.m. – ECW Press Booth

Like Loo-bot, I’ve also been chained to my drawing table and computer, finishing up the first book of Quarter-Life Crisis, trying to meet my printing deadline. Since I’m getting it printed where I work, Coach House Books, my deadline is a little later. It’s going to be tight, but I think I’m going to make it (knock on wood).

But I’m really excited to have something new and something I’m proud of at the convention this time around. I’m happy with how the book is coming together.

Here’s the cover spread for Quarter-Life Crisis. Thoughts? Like or dislike?