Comicpalooza 2013

This was my second year of attending Houston's International Comic Convention called Comicpalooza.The convention is a good one, and let me explain why: It's not so crowded that you have to feel like writers, artists, or movie stars are rushing you away from their booths, but just big enough you still get some notable guests. Typically the scene is just hectic enough to have a high-energy feel, but not so hectic that you can't spend a few minutes chatting to the people that have their own booths. I really quite enjoy chatting with these people. In fact, I find it extremely satisfying to have a conversation with them about their personal and professional projects. Admittedly, I find myself being a little envious of their situations, as I would love to write comics.

Snake Eyes and Stormtrooper... always a good sign when you see these two first

I really enjoyed a Sci-Fi/comedy comic called 51 Delta by a man named Sean Dulaney. The comic was funny, had an art style I really liked, and was a nice, light read. It was great to be able to talk to Sean about his comic and get the info first-hand. Sean is obviously proud of his work, and in my opinion he should be. You should all get a copy here! Truly, I say to you, this is an enjoyable comic and a great way to start reading comics. It puts a funny twist on the usual sci-fi tropes you see in many comics and instead injects a humorous storyline filled with hijinks and shenanigans. I'm looking forward to getting the second part.

Human-sized creeper

I also got to meet some great novice writers. There was a guy close to my age named Ian Everett. His first novel is called The Mother of Dawn. It takes place in a fantasy world where that world has become tidally locked with it's parent star... thus forcing the entire civilization to life in the terminator. Sounds like it could be some cool stuff, looking forward to reading it. When I asked him more about it, I'm pretty sure he was keen not to give me spoilers. He did mention that it's high fantasy.

She was shy.

One of the other writers I met was a young lady named Samira Bellissimo. Upon reading the excerpts for her first novel, I find that I am quite enamored by her writing style. She currently only writes fantasy, but I'm anticipating that she'll be successful enough to branch out. She and her mother were extremely approachable and perfectly willing to chat with us. All told, they were both extremely charming, it was quite a nice time. It was nice enough that I bought a copy of her novel, and I'm hoping to read it soon. I'm happy to do what I can to help her achieve her dream, to be a writer, for it's a dream I share. I wish her the absolute best!

Harley Quinn - I cropped him out because his costume was terrible

One of the first people I saw at Comicpalooza was an artist named Eric Chu. What brought me to his booth was a beautiful print of what was originally supposed to be a book cover for a book about Battlestar Galactica. The image features fighters and capital ships locked in the beautiful dance of space combat. It was quite a lovely picture. I made a comment that I would love to be able to draw like that someday but I really don't think I could. Mr. Chu, to his credit, commented, "I don't believe in talent. It's true that some people have an innate ability, but that's not what I'm talking about. If you really want to be an artist, you need to be dedicated and patient. I believe that you can make up for talent with hard work. Art like this... I think it would take a person a year of hard, dedicated work to be as proficient as I am." Interactions like this are why I love going to conventions. Mr. Chu, thank you for the inspiring words. Most of all, I appreciate your making me feel silly for not going after something that I want just because it's difficult.

With lights and everything!

Which brings me to my thought today: reaching for a dream. It's astonishing to me that people don't really do what makes them happy. I'm guilty of this as well. While I enjoy working in the petrochemical industry, it's not what I dream about. Young people with the opportunity to actually achieve their goals are something that I have a strong fondness for. In the case of Samira, her mother is kind enough to let her work on her writing nearly full-time. An envious situation, to be sure! It was because of this excellent relationship, coupled with the fact that her situation hits me close to him, that I decided to support her endeavor.  The same is true with the young writer, Ian Everett. In our conversation, he admitted that he's currently waiting tables to pay for his bills, but it's obvious his passion is writing. I'm quite eager to read his book despite the obvious misgivings about a novice/first-time writer. Y'know what? I don't care about that. I have the money to help support this guy, so I'm going to help him achieve a dream that I hope someday others will help me achieve. Why do we not do what we really dream about? In my case, I decided to go the route of steady, assured income as opposed to doing what I love and risking making nothing. I think in my case, the chief motivator there is fear. I fear failing, and I think that's reasonable.

Probably my favorite picture from the convention.

For my next post, I'm going to tell you a very special story about my lady and our time at Comicpalooza. Please keep your eyes open as I'll be posting again before too long!

-Jack