Intervention Your Online Life,In Person is IMPORTANT!Here’s why…
on April 24, 2010 at 9:38 amOn September 10-12 of this year I’m going to be in Rockville,Md attending my first convention as a guest.This is a huge deal for me,not just from a professional perspective,but a personal one as well.I’ve spent my life reading comics,playing video games,Role playing,and devouring massive amounts of Sci-Fi and Fantasy in whatever form I could find it.I blame my Uncle for this.When I was a kid he owned a local store that sold everything from furniture to tools to random things people would give him because they couldn’t sell it.He had a deal with a local bookstore though,concerning comics.When the new issues came in,instead of throwing them out,he would go by and get them to resell.90 percent of the resells were to me.I read everything from Conan to Weird War to Superman to Spider-Man.Everytime my parents took me by there I would leave with a stack.
But The Way of The Geek was a lonely one in those days(B.I.-Before Internet).I had only a couple of buddies who shared my passions,and we basically kept to ourselves.It wasn’t until 1994 that I discovered conventions,more specifically HeroesCon in Charlotte NC.It was amazing.After years of just a handful of people that shared my hobby,I was in a room packed wall to wall with them.I got to meet writers and artists I had admired for years and hang out with people who spoke my language.Since then HeroesCon has become an annual pilgrimage for me and the memories I have of this,and many other conventions like ShevaCon, are precious.For a weekend I get to be me,and no matter how weird or strange the rest of the world thinks I am,at a con I’m just one of the pack.
I started Hainted Holler on a lark.I had spent years trying to get published in a traditional manner,succeeding in Dec 2004 by having an 8 page published in an Independent Comic.(It was called Midnight Ink and the company went bankrupt 2 issues later.I think I may have the only 5 copies of that issue still left in existence)It took me another 4 years to even consider doing anything else creative.It took a convention and running into Chris Flick(Capes and Babes) and John Bintz(Dawns Dictionary Drama,and ComicPress) to convince me that I could do this.Since then I’ve done over 180 comics of HH,several guest strips and begun work on a book.Onezumi and James invited me,ME,as a guest to Intervention.They are putting this together out of their own pockets,because they believe in the power of webcomics,the internet,and the fans.Attend if you can,donate if you can’t,but either way SPREAD THE WORD.The Revolution is coming and it’s not televised,it’s streaming.
www.interventioncon.com
My first con was LACon in 1968 or 9. Conventions are incredibly important sources of socialization and peer contact. I read SF as a kid, the only one in Junior High (as they called it in those days), the only one in High School (except for the converts I made), and one of the few in College. Congratulations on being a guest, it’s great to be on that side of the fan/guest line.
Thank you.I hope I can be as much fun as you were at ShevaCon.
nope there is six of your first comic i still have the one you gave me.congrats on being a gest to the intervention and keep hainted holler going i read it everyday
That was a great blog post, Travis!
I’ve never been to a comic convention, but our childhood histories sound similar. I knew a guy who would give me all the comics he didn’t sell throughout the month. I loved those huge newsprint-smelling stacks.
I did get to attend Free Comic Book Day last week and meet a lotta comic artists and writers (I blogged about the event on AC). It just felt great to meet these people and know that I wasn’t the only one out here trying to make it in this biz.
That’s very cool, congratulations
Darn it if Intervention weren’t the same weekend as SPX. I may have to do Intervention next year though, if it’s more my crowd. I want a full report on my desk afterwards!
Also, I’m very excited that I got you excited into doing comics, and I appreciated that run of guest comics you did for me earlier this year (for those who didn’t see Travis’s contributions, http://www.dawnsdictionarydrama.com/2010-03-17). Looking forward to seeing you again this year at Heroes!
My first con was LACon in 1968 or 9. Conventions are incredibly important sources of socialization and peer contact. I read SF as a kid, the only one in Junior High (as they called it in those days), the only one in High School (except for the converts I made), and one of the few in College. Congratulations on being a guest, it’s great to be on that side of the fan/guest line.
+1