As I write this, my books have been shipped to a friend in San Diego, all of my display gear has been pulled from storage and checked, display shelves for books have been painted, and new price signs are printed and mounted. I’m giddy and anxious with the realization that I’ll be tabling at a comic convention for the first time in 28 months.
It’s not lost on me just how much I’ve missed this experience. Reuniting with friends and collaborators from everywhere on the planet, meeting folks I’ve known online in-person, and sharing my work with new fans, readers and friends…I’ve missed this.I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about tabling at a very large show, just as another variant or two have reared their ugly heads. But the con has a number of health and safety precautions in place and I’m vaccinated, boosted, and got my second booster a couple of weeks back.
New Location
Instead of my usual position in Small Press (M-13, next to Mike Heffron’s Arch Blue at M-14 and Jim Heffron’s Lawdog Comics at M-15), I have a new home this year. You can find me at Small Press L-01. It’s only across the aisle from where I’m usually set up. I’ll directly across from Jim and Mike, instead of next to them, and I’ll have the excellent Barry Gregory and Gallant Comics next to me. Here’s a diagram:
New stuff for the con!
I’ll have What We Say in the Shadows, a new quote book similar to the Ron Swanson Swansonisms book I debuted at SDCC last time.
I’ll be bringing the Swansonisms book, and I have limited copies of the Elf Musings quote book I did last Christmas.
I’ll also have all six Athena Voltaire collections, including the latest volume, Terror on the Orient Express. In addition to the Orient Express trade paperback, I’ll have a few copies of the Kickstarter deluxe box-set of the book (which includes a signed and sketched-in copy of the book and a bunch of cool swag), and a few copies of the Kickstarter Orient Express Mystery Box, which contains a signed copy of the book, 2 mystery creator-owned comics by me, 2 pieces of swag from my other series, and a mystery 6×9 piece of original art. I’ll also have the Athena Voltaire Creators’ Edition, which features the script pages of issue #9 on the left-hand pages and the corresponding ink artwork on the right-hand pages. It’s a cool “making of” collection!
And I’ll have the first collection of The Catch, Ismael Canales and my comic about a skip tracer specializing in costumed criminals who skip bail. In addition to the trade paperback, I’ll have a deluxe box-set for The Catch, including the trade, a signed 4×6 sketch card, and a show bunch of swag. And I’ll have a few copies of The Catch Creators’ Edition, which breaks down issue #1 of the series.
I have a couple of new 11×17 prints for the con this year. One is a Kate Bush piece I drew for my partner a few years back (she’s a big fan) and the other is a Mandalorian piece. I never sell many prints, so I’ll be bringing limited numbers of these (and limited numbers of some of my other prints). If there’s one you’d like to reserve, please email me at SteveBryantArt@gmail.com to stake your claim and I’ll set a copy aside for you. And I also finished up my Rush series, completing Alex Lifeson late last year.
I never know what to bring
Books? Yep, the whole Athena Voltaire, Ghoul Scouts, and The Catch lines. Quote books? Yeah, as listed above. Prints? Select ones, sure.Original art? Yeah…some. I never know what to bring, art-wise. I’ll have my 9×12 Inktober pieces from a few years back (TV show theme), and I try to bring a variety of pages from high-end to affordable. But it’s heavy and, since I’ve been working digitally, there’s not a lot of new work in there. That said, I know a few of you have checked out the original art portfolios in the past. If there’s a piece you’d like, please email me and I’ll make sure to bring it for you.