This is a bit overdue, but I wanted to do a quick recap of the Kids Read Comics event I attended in Chelsea this last weekend.

This was the first time this event has been organized, and it was really a great turnout. There were tons of families present with their children, getting some great exposure to some very talented creators and expanding their appreciation for the comic art form.

The fate of comics is one that I’m sure will prosper in the years ahead, but given how comics have matured so much in so little time it’s harder for parents to find books that are appropriate for young readers, leading many in the industry to develop plans for attracting the next generation to this amazing medium. It’s events like this one that really go that extra mile to help them do just that—promoting education as well as entertainment—and it was a privilege to be a part of it.

A big thanks to Dan Mishkin, Edith Burney and Dan & Katie Merritt for organizing this very special event, and may it grow by leaps and bounds in the years ahead!

For those who are interested, there’s a podcast from the event that actually discusses the future of comics, which you can find here: http://mlatcomics.com/krc/?p=303

First off, the convention was amazing. It was the most successful event I’ve had to date (other than my book release party last September), and a total blast.

Chatting with con goers

What really made it rock was that I met so many people who were on the same wavelength—folks who immediately picked up on the references in the art and identified with the message and/or approach I’m taking to make my dream of a better world come to life. There were also a lot of people who were gung-ho about supporting local artists, which really helped. I want to send out a big ‘THANK YOU’ to everyone who stopped by and picked something up—you really made my weekend!

Poster Power!

Pretty much all the artists I spoke with met with similar success, which I was glad to hear. It was ironic that despite the challenging economic times we live in, this seemed to be the best Motor City Comic Con in the last few years, as if people were searching for a good reason to enjoy themselves amidst the struggles we’re all facing. Whatever the cause, though, everyone I spoke with was having a great time and really living it up.

I also want to send out a big thanks to my parents who contributed to the growing cost of having a table at the convention, and an extra special thanks to RYAN CLAYTOR and JAY JAYCOT and JONATHON GORDON—these, my fellow comic comrades from Lansing (and table neighbors during the the convention), made a special, out-of-their-way-trip Saturday night to grab extra copies of my books which were on consignment at comic shops in Lansing, because I was doing so well at the show that by the end of Saturday I was down to only three books! Their side-trip made it possible for me to return to the show on Sunday with enough stock to last the rest of the show. Thanks guys!

Ryan Claytor, Infamous Photo Infiltrator

Incidentally, my goal was to sell all my remaining books at this show—though I had no idea what to expect, initially—and by Sunday’s end I had only two books left! ROCK! Now I’ve got to order more books, and boy is that a good feeling!

Lastly, I also want to thank my buddies Elliot and Jeremy who were kind enough to help me out at my table over the weekend, making it possible for me to get away for a bit and see some of the other amazing artists at the show. It’s good to be busy at these things, but it makes it that much more difficult to see what else is going on and really network with people. Because of my buds I was able to do that—THANKS, GUYS!

That pretty much says it all for the MCCC.

The next show coming up is in Chelsea, MI on the 12-13th of June: Kids Read Comics!

Check it out if you can!

E!

I’ll be attending an event in Chelsea, MI on the 12-13th of June, called Kids Read Comics. This will be my first time at this show, which is targeted at kids of all ages, promoting literacy in general, but with a strong focus on comics, obviously.

There will be a pack of local creators in attendance, with a variety of panels being held to explore the educational—as well as entertainment—value of comics, the unique qualities of the medium and how comics are evolving. Those of you with young teens and some free time would likely find this show a lot of fun.

For more info and directions to the show please visit the main site: http://kidsreadcomics.org/

A.I. Announcements for Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

Greetings, Everyone! It’s been a few months since I’ve sent out an email update, and with all the springtime happenings going on I decided it was time to catch you up-to-date. Incidentally, there’s a bunch of new readers getting this email for the first time, so welcome!

As for those of you already subscribed to my RSS feed or keeping tabs on me via Myspace/Facebook you may have noticed I’ve been attending some shows lately. The next show coming up is the Motor City Comic Con, May 15-17th. For a recap of the other shows I’ve been at since the holidays, check out the links below.

Recent Event Recaps

• SPACE Recap – April 22nd, 2009
• MSU comics forum recap – March 30th, 2009
• Tails of Sparky – The release of a new Sparky book I contributed to.

TTFN!

E!

FRI. 12:30pm – 7pm / SAT. 10:30am – 6pm / SUN. 10:30am – 5pm

This will be my first time attending the MCCC since 2005, so with my new book in tow it should be quite an experience!

This is Mr. E! to Ground Control…

I’m stepping through the door
And I’m floating in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today…

For those of you who didn’t get the notice, I went to SPACE this last weekend. FYI, SPACE is the Small Press & Alternative Comics Expo, held in Columbus, OH each year. The last time I attended was in either 04’ or 05’—before all the $#@! in my life hit the proverbial fan—and this year (09’) was an awesome re-entry.

It began at 5am on Saturday with a bitchin’, four-hour road trip with my comic comrades from Lansing, Ryan Claytor, Jay Jaycot and Jonathon Gordon. Couldn’t ask for better company on a journey of this sort.

The show lasted from 10am-6pm on Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday, and it was not only the best SPACE con I’ve ever attended, it was the most lucrative experience I’ve had at a convention to date.

Lightweight Setup

I experimented with a different setup this time, since the carpooling  posed distinct limitations on what we could collectively carry, and I think it may have helped in more ways than one. Instead of the heavy/bulky gridwall I’ve previously used to hang framed versions of my prints, I picked up a foam display from Staples and slapped the prints up with some double sided sticky tape.

Besides being lightweight and far easier to transport, it gave people a better view of the art. It’s a long way from perfect, but the nature of these shows is to constantly improve your game, so this time I think I met with success.

All-in-all it was a fun weekend. I got to reconnect with my buddy Steve Peters (creator of Sparky and Awakening Comics) and a whole host of other sequential artists–plus I met a lot of new folks—many of whom were attending SPACE  for the first time—huzzah!

Workin' on a Sparky Jam comic

Jammin'

The book signings from the last couple weeks went pretty well. I’m still getting the hang of how best to promote and setup at these things, so doing three of them back to back taught me a lot.

October 29^th was spent at Clem’s Collectibles in Lansing. The day was rather fun because most of the guys who I participated in 24 hour comics day with were there—we were all working on a sort of comic jam, creating thank-you cards for the various local shops that sponsored the event.

Decker's Coffee Thank You

Here’s a preview of one we did.
You can check out all five of them via the Comic’s Obscura site.

Setting Up

Next up was Vault of Midnight in Ann Arbor, which I did three days later on Saturday, November 1st.

Jess & I

My friend Jessica helped me set up and stuck around long enought to grab me some coffee for the day.

I actually ran into some old friends from LCC while at the Vault, which was an unexpected surprise…unfortunately they had to leave before we could really get a chance to talk.

Most people were confused by me being behind the counter like I was—they thought I was an employee…so I don’t think that helped to sell the book. I’ve learned some tricks since then, though, that should help if I’m ever in a similar situation.

New & Improved setup

The last signing was at 21st Century and Games in Lansing last Wednesday, Nov. 5th. Of the three, this signing went the best—my setup was right in the main traffic flow, fully exposed, and the owner, Andrew Morrow, offered up some friendly advice which really helped get more people’s attentions.

Ah, the signing

Thank you so much, everyone who stopped and picked up a book, and I want to throw out a special thanks to Andrew and Jen at 21st Century, Curtis and the gang at Vault of Midnight and Tom and his crew at Clem’s—you guys all did a great job making me feel welcome and in helping promote my work. I can’t wait to come back!

Overall it was a great learning experience, and I’m already looking forward to future setups. In fact, on Nov. 22nd & 23rd I’ll be attending the XCape Con in Flint, so come on down and check it out, if you can!

I’ll be attending the XCape Con in Flint, MI on Saturday Nov. 22nd & Sunday 23rd. All the details are available at the link above. Hope to see you there!

My thanks to Nate Mezel, owner and operator of Hero Quest Comics and Games in Howell for hosting my first book signing a couple weeks back. The signing went fairly well—a number of people I’d not seen in years came by to show their support and a good handful of new people stopped to grab a book because they’d heard about it through the LCP and WHMI.

I also got an extra-special surprise visit from fellow comic creator Ryan Claytor
(http://www.elephanteater.com), who just moved to Lansing from California . I’d met him at a book signing of his own a few weeks back, so he decided to return the favor. Of course, I completely forgot to get a photo with him. Doh!

If you weren’t able to stop by but still wanted to get a book, Hero Quest still has some, so stop on in—I’m sure Nate would love to see some new faces.

I’m working on getting more signing setup for October— go here for a list of dates .

The story, printed in today’s edition of the Livingston County Press (Monday) was originally meant to come out last Friday to help promote the book release party, but maybe this works even better, since now it’s putting more focus on the book signing I’ll be doing next Wednesday (17^th) at Hero Quest Comics & Games in Howell.

If you aren’t in the area or can’t get your hands on a copy you can read the article online.

If that link doesn’t work, try this one.

The best part (or probably the worst, in my mom’s case) is they brought up my last major newsworthy story from a few years back—the one that landed me in front of the Livingston County judicial system for my impropriety in paying a traffic ticket. Oh, those were the days.

I got a good chuckle out of it when they asked me about it during the interview to make sure I was the same Eric Wilmoth that wrote profanity on the check I paid the fine with—I just didn’t realize they’d mention it in the article. I swear, that event is like my days selling Cutco—they’ll both probably haunt me till the end of my days. Hopefully, though, people will start associating me with my work rather than such silly trivialities as those.