Convention Report: Anime Midwest 2016 (Part 2)
Day 1 of the convention was done, but Saturday would be the biggest day yet. Also, they launched Pokemon Go during the convention, so kids were taking photos of cosplayers – and seemingly nothing. Despite the servers continuously crashing, everyone seemed to really enjoy the game, and people were all eager to find the most Pokemon they could. But I digress – let’s talk more about the convention!
This man is ready to sell some comics
SATURDAY:
Saturday morning involved a quick breakfast before heading over to the floor for set up. I was munching on a bagel while other artists were trickling in, setting up the remaining books to sell. The doors opened before too long, and the day of selling started. I had a few commission requests right off the bat, keeping my head down while I worked on sketch cards and selling books to people who wandered by the table looking at the titles. The comic guests were quite a ways removed from the rest of the dealers and artists, which made selling difficult. Hell, most of the fans couldn’t even find us when they were looking for us, which was disappointing. But despite the hurdles, we trekked on.
A commission of an attendee as a chibi anime character
Hanging out with long time fan (and friend) Jeff Pape
Melon-flavored kit kats! A gift from Brooke Stephenson
Around 3pm,I left to go lead my Self-publishing 101 panel. The panel was very well attended, engaging questions about making your own comics. Several people were in the process of making their own comic, but weren’t sure how to get started when it came to printing it out. Or if that was even the right path for them to go. Printing comics can be expensive, after all, so it isn’t a decision to take lightly. But it’s never been harder to be published than it is today, but it’s also never been easier to make a comic.
I got back to the floor for some more sales before closing down early for my final panel for the weekend, which was Making Webcomics. Brooke Stephenson joined me, and we talked about our mutual experience making webcomics – but mostly fielded questions from fans. More engaging questions followed, and we tag-teamed the answers, providing our own unique perspectives on how we’ve tackled our processes and the decisions we’ve made to get where we are today.
We ended the panel and headed to a nearby restaurant with Sean and Sara (Spinerette) to grab a late dinner. On the way we ran into Chuck Huber and his girlfriend, who had actually just finished eating at the same restaurant we were headed to – an Irish pub within walking distance of the hotel. We had a quick meal and a great conversation and then headed back to the hotel to relax a bit before the Cards Against Humanity panel at 11pm.
This is one of the highlights of my con experiences with Dan and Jillian: Cards Against Humanity is a fun way to unwind and yet still perform for the attendees of the show, playing a game with them and yet also performing their cards for them. It’s also a fun way to play with the other guests, too, and get little in-jokes with each other. Brooke had never played the game this way before, but she had a blast. We stayed in the room late into the night, until security let us know that the building was being secured due to predatory activity (apparently, someone was being creepy to girls taking selfies).
We headed back to the Hyatt and went to the green room to hang out with my friends April, Bethany, and the V for Villains gang. Drinks and shenanigans kept us entertained late into the night, and before too long I realized it was long past time to head to bed.
Hanging out with my favorite villain, Vex! While April pretends she’s a cat behind us
V for Villains new drummer proves he’s a strong man. Lift lifting two girls and walking down the hall
