OK SO I JUST UPLOADED A WEEK’S WORTH OF COMICS AND BOY ARE MY ARMS TIRED.
Now that we’re caught up, let’s talk about San Diego Comic Con.
We’ve been vendors there since 2007. Split the table for years with other creators, and then in 2018, we accidentally had the table to ourselves, which, weirdly, caused us to make even more money. So we’ve just hogged the table ever since.
This year, the SAG/SWG strikes hit, and most of Hall H was canceled with no notice. Virtually no media/entertainment panels or big reveals. And it made us nervous. After all, most SDCC attendees go for Hall H and Ballroom 20 big to-do reveals/panels. And this year there weren’t any, because the writers and actors are locked in a battle to the death with the TV and movie production execs. We had no idea what SDCC was going to look like this year.
As it turns out?
IT WAS F***ING AWESOME
It wasn’t just us. Everyone in our aisle (1200) and other artists we knew? All experienced what we did. THE best sales ever in the memorable past. Steve Notley of Bob The Angry Flower (you may also know him as the creator of Plants Vs. Zombies) is a long-time SDCC acquaintance, and he’s usually a little of a sourpuss about his sales each year. Not this time. By Sat noon, he had sold out of everything. All his merch. ALL of it. And he was awarded a fully deserved Inkpot Award. This is kind of a big deal.
So yeah, overall… I support the writers and actors in getting the money they deserve.
And if they want to go on strike, the first weekend of July, every single year? DO IT. We made more money this year than ever, by a considerable margin. It was so busy I barely had time for a bathroom break or to see the con at all. We handed out 2500 business/sketch cards by Saturday afternoon. For the first time since we started vending, the con was about COMICS, not TV or streaming or MCU or DCU, but COMICS, and the artists and creators felt it. In a really, really good way.
Also, we finally sold out of the Rat/Cat plushies, and no, we’re not making more of them. I have no idea what happened this year. We were hauling those things around like a boat anchor for the last ten years, and then in two conventions, we completely sold out of ALL of them in one year. People saw them and bought them. Everyone is happy.
I am ALL IN, Snooch!!!