Mike Dawson Comics

This are the items I accumulated this weekend, thanks to the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival, which I went to yesterday. Personally, I most enjoy buying prints or pieces of artwork at shows like this. I was very happy with the things I picked up along these lines: there’s a letterpress print by Ben Catmull, a silk-screen comic by Joe Lambert, and then a really large silk-screen done by Jennifer Tong. Then, the thing I’m most excited about for the weekend, which was a page from Josh Cotter’s Skyscrapers of the Midwest.

I’m heading over to check out this festival today. Copies of all 5 issues of my Troop 142 minicomics ought to be available at the Secret Acres table (well, they will be once I get there, and give them the copies…). This looks like a really great show, with a lot of fantastic artists, and some very interesting panels, many of which I plan on taking in.

The Panthers are back in The Lair! And there are plenty of things to talk about: Humiliating Secret Diary fall-out; New York Comic Con and the “Do Indie Comics Even Matter?” panel; a special surprise guest; and more. This episode should win a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most jam-packed podcast ever! Comments welcome.

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I was briefly at New York Comic-Con this past weekend. I was scheduled to be on a panel about “Indie” comics at 7:30PM, so got to the show about 6 o’clock, with the intention of walking around and checking out the floor for an hour. This turns out to have been about an hour too long for me. I’m not sure what it was, but the whole atmosphere filled me with anxiety, so I took a quick loop around part of the show, and then found a quiet spot beneath a stairwell to hideout in for 45 minutes before the panel. It was pleasant enough to observe the con-goers from inside my nook, and see some of the costumes and so on.

Part of my apprehension might have been about the panel, as I wasn’t sure how well attended it would be, being scheduled to take place after the con closed at 7PM. It took place way, way out in the furthest reaches of the conference rooms, well past the large crowds that were assembling for the Stan Lee signing, and whatever else was happening in the main area where lots of people were gathered.

I shouldn’t have worried so much. At about 7:20, the doors to the panel opened, and the conference room filled up. It was a pleasant surprise.

The talk itself started off pretty rocky, as we were asked to introduce ourselves, and if anybody knows me, they would know that I absolutely suck at talking about my comics-work in any way that doesn’t make it seem like what I do is worthless and stupid. And I had to go first! I mumbled something about having been drawing comics for 12 years or so, and that I had a book out in 2008 and that was it. I had to be prompted to mention the name of the book (Freddie & Me). I didn’t mention my online comic, my podcast, or anything. Ugh! Awful.

The other panelists did slightly better than me with this, and then the conversation got going. I think it ended up becoming a pretty good talk – the themes that I took away from it were that you shouldn’t become an “Indie” comics creator unless you truly loved writing and drawing comics that may or may not ever find an audience, and were OK with the fact that making a living doing this was far from guaranteed.

I don’t know if this sounded pessimistic or not. My feeling about making comics is actually the opposite of pessimism: I do it because I love doing it. When asked the blunt question “Why do you do this”, I mumbled something or other along these lines, but what I wish I’d said in a more concise manner was that “writing, drawing, and discovering stories and characters is an exhilarating process that I absolutely enjoy”. And it’s true. I’m coming towards the end of my first draft of Troop 142, and for me I feel like the entire thing has been a process of learning to write better, more effective stories, enjoying myself, and really having fun composing a story. I’m really excited to do it again with whatever I work on next.

Anyway, I didn’t say that, I said something else, but hopefully the message was halfway conveyed.

There were a lot of audience questions, which was really nice, and at the end of the hour I felt good about the panel. It was then really nice to get some dinner with friends Alex, Chris and Vania, GB Tran and Jamie Tanner. I went home after, and that was pretty much it for me for NYCC 2010!

The Ink Panthers are proud to debut a brand new feature this week: excerpts from young Mike Dawson’s diary of a twelve year old. We haven’t thought of a title for the segment yet, but “I’ve Got The Teenage Douche-Chills” just sprung into my mind, sung to the tune of the hit single by the band Wheatus. Plus: SPX recap, and help Alex pick his Fantasy Football league. Comments welcome.

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I got back from the Small Press Expo (SPX) late last night, which means today starts the 3-4 day process of post-convention come-down. I have a lot of work to do this week, so I can’t be reading other people’s con-reports and seeing if I appear in anybody’s Flickr sets, even though that’s what I really, really want to be doing all day.

Just a few comments on the weekend:

Thanks to Vanessa Davis for letting me crash at her table, along with New-Booth-Friend Zack Soto, and Gabrielle Bell. It was a lot of laughs, and more importantly there was no pressure to “man the table” the whole time, since there were plenty of people floating around back there.

Speaking of not manning the table, I managed to make it to a few panels. Well, two. I was there for the full “Critics Panel: How We Judge” discussion. I thought it was really interesting. There were a lot of folks on the panel, which can sometimes mean not everyone gets a chance to speak, or the conversation gets lopsided. The moderator really kept it all together though. I guess I’m not sure what the takeaway was. Maybe that comics-criticism is still in its infancy stage.

I also caught about half of the Jim Rugg/Frank Santoro discussion about commercial comics, which seemed like a passionate, if not almost combative, conversation.

Aside from that, it was the usual socializing, conversing, drinking, etc. I don’t think I realized how nervous I was about the Ignatz awards, because I felt tired and worn-out all day Saturday, and I couldn’t really figure out why. But, once the ceremony was over, I got all my energy back, and kept it all day Sunday.

And, for those of you who are curious, I can’t say that I managed to muster up a flood of tears when I accepted my Ignatz Award (Outstanding Online Comic), as promised on recent episodes of The Ink Panthers Show. I did my best, but I think the pressure of high expectations did me in. But, I was sincere in my acceptance speech. SPX is my favorite show, and receiving the award meant a lot to me.

Hey, look! A picture of me on Chris Pitzer’s Flickr stream!!

As I think I’ve mentioned in previous posts and tweets, I’m going to be attending the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland this coming weekend, September 11th and 12th.

I don’t might possibly have a table to myself some table space, but there are a few spots on the convention floor where you might find me. Look for me hanging around the AdHouse Books booth drawing pictures inside copies of my book Ace-Face, or see if you can spot me milling around nearby the table Julia Wertz, Karen Sneider, Tom Kaczynski, and Jon Lewis will be sharing. Or even, perhaps, you might see me lingering close to the Secret Acres setup.

Speaking of Secret Acres, they ought to have all five issues of my Troop 142 mini-comics for sale. I am bringing plenty of copies down, so they should definitely be stocked. Keep an eye out for issue #5, as it’s brand new, and if SPX still had the Outstanding Debut Ignatz category, I definitely would have entered it.

And speaking of the Ignatz awards, don’t forget I’ve been nominated in a few categories. If you are a fan of Troop 142, and will be at the show, please consider casting a vote for me.

Hope to see you there!!

I think the best thing about being a voracious comics reader is being aware of lots and lots of great cartoonists who’s work I am totally into. The next best thing is that you can buy prints and even original artwork from many of these cartoonists at very, very reasonable prices. I have quite a lot of comics-art hanging up around the apartment. Here are some things that I’ve got on the walls:

Print by Matt Forsythe. I got this at TCAF two years ago.

Print by Phil McAndrew. I pointed out to Orli that the man has a big nose. Now she’s calling it “Big Nose Man”. I am worried I’ve just taught her to remark on people’s notable features.

Print by Onsmith. I actually got this a long time ago, at an SPX. I really like it, but I couldn’t find a great picture of it online. I bet there is one, I probably just have to look harder.

Original art by Vanessa Davis. This is called “Sleepies”. I just got it this week. I think I’m going to hang it in Orli’s room as a reminder of what she’s supposed to be doing in there when I put her in the crib (“Look at those ladies, Orli. They are being good and going to sleep”).

Print by Kate Beaton. I just got this too, and I have to get a frame for it before I can hang it up. This will probably have to go into my study, because of the cursing and all that. It cracks me up though. A very funny strip.

I’m going to SPX in early September. Not sure if I’ll be squatting at someone’s table, or just walking around. I am fine with either one. I am hoping to get another print or even more original art while I’m there. That’s one of the best things about those shows for me, because so many comics and books I can buy in one of the great comic stores we’ve got here in NYC.

The Panthers crept from their lairs this past weekend, and attended the MoCCA Art Festival in Manhattan. Mike debuted a brand new comic (and a brand new table prop), and Alex appeared on a panel and explained what the “Very Best Comics Written By His co-Host of the 00′s” were. Get the inside scoop on what the show was really like. Comments Welcome!

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I feel the urge to write a “con-report”, but I dropped the ball more than usual this year: didn’t take any photos, and didn’t spend enough time walking around and checking out the show as I should have (not by a long shot). So, once again, despite the fact that I had a great time at the show, I’m seeing pics online of the comics and tables that other people took, and I’m wondering “How did I miss that??!”. For example, how did I manage to not get myself a copy of the wonderful looking Pood Comics #1? The comic on the cover of that looks great! Why did I miss it?

So, there’s not much I can add to the discussion about the show, except to say that it seemed Very Well Run. I griped about the organization of the show last year on the Ink Panthers podcast, so feel like I should formally acknowledge that I thought this year was a huge improvement and return to form. And, I thought having the show in the much cooler month of April worked out very well. The weather was pretty much perfect, and it felt like it was reflected in everybody’s good moods.

The only downside to shifting the show up a few months is that I keep thinking to myself “I had a great time at the con this last weekend… it sure is making me look forward to MoCCA this Summer… oh wait…”