And, it’s over. Take down the banners, put away the tables, and take a bow kids ‘cause the whole show is over. Phew.
Sunday is usually a drag of a day because it’s the slowest of the days, the end of a long weekend, and by this time I tend to be under-slept and over-sugared. Seriously, it’s like going to some sort of camp, this weekend – you eat for crap, act a fool, and are usually mauled by a bear. Or at least a furry.
The day began as a disaster for me and looked bleak but two book sales and the sale of a painting, both sales within fifteen minutes of one another, really turned the day around – and allowed me to buy a zombie toy. YAY!
Sundays are usually a great day to talk to people. The guests, famous and not, are tired and ready for the weekend to be over and are usually open for a conversation. Two big comic book names that were there were wandering around speaking to other artists and it was really great to see. Some amazing costumes again today, but not as many as yesterday. People on Sunday are out for the bargains, which they will find more times than not. I love the buzz that you get from this place when it’s ‘right’. You see how excited people are to meet an artist or celeb they admire, and it’s great.
The lameness of the day came from a neighboring table, which was held by a shrew of a girl I have seen at the con for years and years and years. For some reason she decided that a patron from the previous day that had come to her table and spoken to her was ‘creepy’ and ‘weird’ and went to great pains to tell all who would listen about the person. It was utterly uncalled for and ridiculous to make fun of people at a comic con for being who they are. Are there creeps? Boy are there ever. Creeps are a dime a dozen at these things, wanting to get as close to girls as they can. But jeepers, this is a place where we can all fly our freak flags, and to act as if you are better than anyone else is a bit absurd.Lest we forget, we are not there, at these things, were it not for the impassioned (and oft-times smelly) people who come to the shows. We are all nerds here, so let’s have some darn solidarity! We all, every person on the earth, pokes fun at people from time to time, but there is a fine line between acknowledging the absurdity of people and making someone a target of bullying, whether they are there before you or not. This girl is the reason I don’t like cons all the time. Her awful attitude and sense of entitlement. Drives me nuts. I live for the few people that like what I do. I don’t really have ‘fans’ per se so I LOVE when people want to talk to me and get into my stuff. It’s what keeps me going. She’d be well to remember that.
It was a good con overall but there really has become too much of an emphasis on nude and Playboy models. Get them, sure, but only after you have pursued cult actors and others that may be a draw. There needs to be just…well, MORE. I hated, as a fan, knowing that I did everything while I was there. You’d rather people left wanting more, knowing they didn’t get a chance to do everything. That’s the fun. And get the celebs and artists out from behind the tables and interacting in some capacity.
It was a fun show, and one of the better ones I have had. I had a great time, talked to a lot of wonderful people, and met a rad writer I admire. The heck of it is that, for me, I dunno that it makes sense to do the shows any more. Fiction (red:non-picture) books are not what people are interested in there, and my art, for the interest it got at times, just doesn’t seem to work there. I really need to learn to promote though, seriously. That is what I need to work on. The books are good, but I am just a rough person to sell them because I am so close to them. For as much as a table costs, for as much as the ticket price is, I want more. Heck, as a person with a table I want a free show shirt, darn it. Gimme a shirt!
We shall see what the future holds on that front but for me, I am glad the weekend is over, and am back to promoting the books and art and move ever forward.
If you got here, to my blog-ranch, via the convention and were interested in my books or art, point yer mousey to the right there and you can find out more about me, my art, and my books, and will hopefully find something of interest.
Thanks for stopping by.
c
The Spooky World of Chris Ringler 