My Top Two Memories from Phoenix Comicon '17!

This is it!  The post nearly a month in the making!  I've been sharing my top 10 memories from Phoenix Comicon . . . and here, finally, are my top two!

2.  Speed Cameron Cosplay!

Last year, when a young man coincidentally named Cameron came to my table in Artists' Alley, cosplaying as Amazing Arizona Comics hero Speed Cameron, I cried.

True cosplayers (not the fans that wear store-bought Halloween costumes, though they get an "A" for effort) are incredible artists, implementing a blend of practical crafting and fashion design to transform two-dimensional character designs into affordable, portable costumes.  It's not easy.

When I designed Speed Cameron, I never thought anyone would dress up as him.  I didn't think of how back-heavy his head piece would be, or if his stripes were painted or adhered.  (For the record, after drawing him a few times, I presumed he applied reflective tape to a gray bicycling suit.)  Cameron and his mom overcame those obstacles and, like any cardboard Iron Man, made a likeness as believable as it is unbelievable.  Many of the characters we see represented via cosplay were my heroes when I was a kid.  That Speed Cameron now dwells among them is an overwhelming thought -- not to mention a blast to see!

You can see quite a few pics of Cameron as Speed Cameron from this and last year on my Instagram, @amazingazcomics.   This one is my new favorites.

1.  Sue

My first Phoenix Comicon, I had a table next to Sue, a crafter that makes pop culture-themed accessories.  Dr. Who hair bows, Supernatural pencil bags . . . you name it, it's probably been on her table at some point.  I quickly became friends with Sue and her granddaughters, Alicia and Paige, and we agreed to team-up for every show.  We secure neighboring tables, and I always have someone to watch my stuff when I run to the bathroom!  It's an incredible partnership -- and friendship -- perhaps initially unlikely because Sue is an older woman and I'm a 30-something dude, but she and I have a lot in common, including a love for Monkee Davy Jones.  In many ways, sitting with Sue for the four days of comic con is the lynchpin of my year.  Regardless of anything else that might happen, personally or professionally for 361 days, for four days Sue will be there with a portable phone charger, a funny story, and one of the biggest hearts I've ever known. I snuck this picture of her on Sunday, because she was just reading a Batman comic.  She was into it.  That's one cool lady.

My thanks to everyone that visited the table, bought some comics, or caught me on the floor of Phoenix Comicon this year.  I had a great time, and I'm happy to see Amazing Arizona Comics is catching on.  Believe me, there's more to come!

The Phoenix Comicon Memories Keep Comin'!

My list of top 10 favorite Phoenix Comicon memories continues!

5. The Edgar Rice Burrows Panel

Every year, I'm asked to join a panel or two, and I choose judiciously, because time spent on panels is time away from my Artists' Alley table, where I could be selling and connecting with fans.  When my buddy Bob Leeper or Evermore Nevermore and Nerdvana Media) asked if I'd be willing to join a panel about Arizona's role in pop culture, I couldn't resist!  First of all, Amazing Arizona Comics is all about Arizona's larger in the world.

Secondly, Bob delivered a great presentation at Ignite Phoenix last year about how Edgar Rice Burrows' John Carter of Mars birthed many pop culture tropes we take for granted today -- and how the opening act of that classic story takes place right here in Arizona!  See his presentation here, thanks to YouTube!

Our panel was an expanded version of this presentation, with guests like Burrows historians Frank Puncer and Steve Ringgenberg, and NAU astronomy expert Dr. Timothy Yamamura.  These guys were pros, and I was honored to contribute.

4. Friendly Neighbors

Weird story.  The map of this year's Artists' Alley planted my table on a corner, so I was prepared for the exposure from either aisle.  Of course, Phoenix Comicon reserves the right to change things up, so I was a table in from the aisle come showtime.  During set-up, a guy put down a line of tape two feet in front of our tables and said we could scoot up, if we wanted.  Weird, but they must've mis-measured the floor plan.  When my neighbor on the end arrived, I asked if he wouldn't scoot up, so I could have some semblance of a corner table, and he agreed!  "He" is Nathan Blackwell, director of the Star Trek inspired webseries Voyage Trekkers.  Please visit their website and watch their series!  It's as great as Nathan was for accommodating this high-maintenance neighbor.

Nathan was so cool, I asked him to be a guest on my talk show this month!  Here's his segment:

3. After Con Activities

Comic con doesn't end when the convention hall closes.  Geeks usually take to the streets for food and frivolity.  This year, I was excited to participate in another Untidy Secrets Storytelling & Zine Swap at Ash Avenue Comics in Tempe.  Storytelling events are becoming very popular, and this was the first I ever attended -- and it's in a comic shop, to boot!  Hearing local artists spin personal yarns amidst comics is a pretty magical experience for me, and May's theme was "Spider-man is having me for dinner tonight," so it was even more magical than usual.  (The theme is usually pulled from some music usually too cool for me to know.)

The final two memories are coming soon!  Is this the only blog that can milk four day's worth of activity into four weeks' worth of content?  Keep reading to know for sure!

Other nights included dinner and podcasting with Drawn to Comics' Ken Brown, and a bite with Birdie Birdashaw.  Good times all around!

More Phoenix Comicon Memories!

I've been woefully negligent in listing my "top 10 favorite memories" from Phoenix Comicon here on the blog.  You can catch them on my Instagram, but since you're already here . . .

8. Amazing Arizona Comics . . . Everywhere!

Amazing Arizona Comics has been around for a whopping eight years, and I'm humbled and grateful to see my fans and fellow artists adopting my characters in cosplay (more on that soon!) and in their own comics.  Dig this panel from Birdie Birdashaw's Hog Dog minicomic!  He and I are always discussing projects, so I hope you'll see more from us cooperatively in the future.  In the meantime, dig his stuff at Bunny Vomit.

7. Sketches For Fans

I believe in sketching for fans.  You'd never go to a concert to watch the band sit on stage and shout, "Buy our albums!  And don't forget a T-shirt!"  You wanna watch the artist perform.  I sketch at every show, taking requests for characters like a bar band plays everyone's favorite covers.  It helps sell books, pass time, and connect with fellow fans as I'm committed to the table all day.

Fortunately, getting a sketch from me has become a tradition for some, and I'm happy to see folks return to my table every year for their latest piece.  For example, in the collage below, I've drawn (now former) Sheriff Joe Arpaio for the gentleman on the left every year for the past, what, six years?  I also always ask obviously new parents if I can draw "baby's first comic con sketch."  In this case, the li'l tyke was still in the womb! His or her first con sketch beat life itself, and the honor is all mine.

The other guy just wanted Superman.  Happy to oblige.

6. Pre-show Anticipation

Like many other artists, I spend weeks preparing for comic con, and the anticipation has become part of the show.  Can I finish a new project in time for the con?  What can I do to make my table set-up different this year?  I revel in the prep, and this year I was happy to share some of that hype with Limited Engagement, a podcast that explores creativity, from the mouths of local artists.  Host Jared Duran ran a great interview, as we chatted comics, Dick Van Dyke, and much more.  Give it a listen -- as if the rambling on this blog weren't self-indulgent enough!

I'll break here, only to encourage you to check out the rest of the list, before and after this post.  Yes, I'm shamelessly promoting Amazing Arizona Comics, but I'm also celebrating the many aspects of local comics and convention culture that makes my journey possible.  By reading, you're a part of it, too -- so thank you!

Top 10 Favorite Moments from Phoenix Comicon!

Hey, gang!  Welcome to my next favorite moment from this year's Phoenix Comicon!

9. Familiar Character Cosplay!

I'm getting old.  I don't recognize half of the characters I see fellow fans cosplaying at comic con.  From anime to video games to Dr. Who, I just don't have the geek cred to keep up with everything that's popular . . . which is why it's so exciting to see characters I loved as a kid!  Sherlock Holmes?  The Greatest American Hero?!  THE SORCERESS?! It's nice to know the worlds I inhabited as a child are still vibrant in the multiverse. 

Thank You, Phoenix Comicon 2017!

If you're visiting Amazing Arizona Comics because you picked up an issue or a sketch from my Artists Alley table at Phoenix Comicon, welcome to my little corner of the Internet!  Phoenix Comicon was a historical show this year, for many reasons, but I'd like to focus on the positive and share my top 10 favorite moments from the weekend.  Come back over the next few days to see the list in its entirety!  Firstly . . .

10. High Concept Sci-Fi Horror Mash-up! by the Klute

My friend the Klute -- national award-winning slam poet -- asked me to illustrate the cover of his latest nerd-centric poetry collection, and I couldn't be more honored.  Dig poems that feature Aquaman, Frankenstein's monster, Cthulhu, and more in this sweet softcover edition.  Copies are still available via therealklute@gmail.com on Paypal!