Waterloo

I'm just gonna say it.  C2E2 was the worst Comic Book Convention I've ever worked.  Just the worst show ever.  Everything about it was bad news, bad mojo, bad vibes.  I'm not gonna sugar coat this:  C2E2 is a rip-off.  The Small Press Tables are a scam.  C2E2 funds their convention by forcing hungry creators to pay overpriced fees for tables in the worst part of the Con, and then not even providing a table.  That's extra.  So, you spend a ton of money for a slab of concrete (we don't get to stand on the carpet, that would be treating us like humans) which comes with nothing.  Gotta rent a table or bring your own.  Oh, and no chairs.  Because when you're forcing people to stand on concrete, God forbid we give people something to sit on.

Artist Alley people get a table and two chairs, and they cost less.  Small Press People?  Go f**k yourself. 

Like I said, I'm not gonna sugar coat this nonsense.  This is sour grapes on my part.  I had a terrible, terrible show, and I am not happy about it, and I'm gonna drop some bile onto a public blog, because I'm tired, man.  People complain about Wizard World, and Lord knows, there's lots to complain about, but at least with WW you pay your money, and you get your table.  And the table comes with a table and chairs.

And, yeah, I'm a dummy.  I assumed.  I didn't read the graphics heavy e-mails closely enough.  I screwed it up.  And I bought the hype.  Gotta go to C2E2.  It's a big deal.  It's a huge show.  It's a can't lose proposition.  The sheer foot traffic alone would give a guy enough of a chance to pay for the ridiculous table fees. 

But I shoulda known better.  I've done this long enough.  Small Press Tables NEVER GET FOOT TRAFFIC.  I know this!  I've always known this.  But I bought the hype.  Foolish.

Every move I made was a mistake, and it's a bummer.  But, what ya gonna do?  I wash my hands of C2E2.  They won't miss me.  They'll be a hundred suckers just like me eager to get ripped off next year.

I had plenty of time to think as I stared at former WWF wrestler Virgil all weekend across a desolate, empty aisle.  When I started this trip, this strange journey I've been on, I didn't have a lot of confidence in my work.  But I went to shows, and I put my work out there, and people would try me out.  I'd do okay.  I'd make enough money to cover my table, sometimes a little extra.  People were receptive to small press comics.

But, the last couple of years, things have changed.  I'm confident about my work.  I'm not the best artist or writer, but I make killer comics.  My stuff's not boring or generic or derivative, it's wild and silly and ridiculous and unpredictable.  But crowds are different now.  They're not receptive to small press comics anymore.  If it was just me, I'd just go, "Well, I just suck."  But it's not just me.  I see it all over the Artist Alley at every show I work anymore.  People can't move their comics, because the crowds don't want the comics.  The Crowds want the familiar and the safe, and they want it in art.  They want Prints of Spiderman fighting Venom.  They want Prints of Batman looking spooky.  They want Prints of sexy Superheroines and sexy Supervillainesses.  They don't want 24 pages of art and story for $1 to $7.  They want a single sheet of Photocopied paper for $10 to $20.  Cest la vie.  People's tastes are people's tastes.

The smart Small Press Creators have adapted.  They bow down before Marvel and DC and Star Wars.  They make the art and prints with Spiderman and Batman on them, and they promote that stuff first.  The comics become a garnish.  Here's that print of Darth Vader that you actually want, and while you're at it, here's a free copy of this amazing thing that I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into.  I know you don't want it, and you'll throw it away after you read it on the crapper, but that's okay, because I acknowledge that my work is far less important than Darth Vader. 

And more power to them.  You gotta do what you gotta do in the dog eat dog world of the Con.  But I don't bow down before anyone that isn't Jack Kirby.  And I'm not gonna present my work as a disposable side product of something else.  If you have a copy of "Clown & Penguin", it's because you picked it up, took a look inside it, and saw something that intrigued you.  Maybe you liked the book, maybe you read it and immediately regretted your purchase.  But you bought the book because I created something new that caught your eye, not because I drew Batman slightly different than everyone else draws Batman.

So, here we are.  Convention Table prices are going up, while Convention Revenues are going down.  And I'm not willing to bend the knee to the Big Two (or anyone else for that matter).  So, now what?  Well, I've been thinking about that.  Some of it I'm not ready to talk about yet.  But I will say this.  I'm tired of chasing the Convention Dragon.  I'm too old for this s***t.  So, I'm gonna cut back on my Conventions from here on out.  I'll work SPACE, because I love SPACE.  It's a wonderful show that I enjoy every year.  And I think I'll work some key Wizard World shows, at least until they raise the prices too high or Wizard goes out of business.  Again, you can say what you want about the WW shows, but at least they're straightforward.  And that's it.  Four to Six shows a year, none of which I will go in to expecting to make table at.  I will approach every show assuming a total loss, just like when I first started.  Because that's the world I live in now.

Enough of the darkness.  I love comics, and there's still lots of people out there that love comics just like I do.  Lots of people have supported TORC Press over the years, and I am eternally grateful for all of the people that have given me a shot, and maybe even come back for more.  I'm not done making comics.  I've got too many stories to tell, too many worlds to explore.  And I encourage you, if you're reading this, to join me in my adventures through the world of my mind, if you haven't already.  There's so many amazing comics out there, don't be afraid to explore something new.

Bidness

Okay.  TORC Press will be at C2E2 in Chicago this weekend.  I've got a Small Press Table, not an Artist Alley Table.  I'm a little panicked.  It's all good.  Really.

Other than that, I recently wrapped up Pulp Horrorshow Volume 3 online.  PHv3 started out as a bit of an experiment, and I never really found my footing with it.  The point of the comic was to present the "Ground Level" of the TORCverse, to essentially show what it was like for the Normals that have to live on an Earth completely controlled by the Ortex Corporation.  I'm sure other writers would have had a ball with that simple premise, but I got bored with it quickly, hence the battle between King Dark and Akuma Boy that stretches out for an Entire Issue.  Anyway, eventually I will release the Print Editions of Pulp Horrorshow v.3 #3-4, both of which will include exclusive bonus strips.  But, before I can do that, I've gotta finish "Truth or Consequences 100".

Speaking of which, TORC 100 is slowly coming together.  It probably would have been done by now, but my aggressive convention schedule coupled with a bunch of factors in my personal life (I've got a girlfriend (Woo-Hoo!!!!) and my brother's building a house, and I gotta help him occasionally (groan)) have slowed me down quite a bit.  Sadly, the book will probably be done after my current round of conventions have wrapped up, which probably means even though I'll put it in the online store as soon as I can, it probably won't make its physical debut until Wizard World Chicago.  So, there's that.

After TORC 100 wraps, I've got a ton of new comics that I need to work on.  Plus, I've got ideas for some new webcomics, and I've got a collaboration with a friend that I'm excited to start work on.

My name is Joseph Morris and I love Comics and Tacos and My Mei.

Road Weary but Ready

Everyone here at TORC Press would like to thank everyone that came out and supported the cause at SPACE this year.  SPACE is always one of my favorite shows of the year, and I'd like to publicly thank the excellent Bob Corby for organizing the show each and every year. 

Work continues on "Truth or Consequences 100".  I'm halfway through with this towering monstrosity of Comix Nonsense (such a ridiculous story!), but I have no idea when I'll get done.  Here's hoping it's soon, cause I've got a ton of comics to create after it's done.

Over on the main site at www.torcpress.com, the online edition of SDF #4 has concluded with the surprise arrival of an guest star from another TORC Press comic.  That's right, it's crossover time!  Sadly, SDF will be on break until 5/6/13. 

Our next show is C2E2 in Chicago.  And no, I am not prepared at all.  Woo-Hoo!

SPACE is the Place

I've been neglecting this poor blog again.  Sigh.  Poor blog.

Anyway, things have been pretty busy here in TORCland.  For starters, I've got myself a girlfriend.  I haven't really yammered about it much because I don't like being a very public person, but I'm really happy right now, and things are going quite well.  So, yay for me.

Also, I've been slugging away at "Truth or Consequences 100", my big, oversized celebratory issue.  I'm trying to put a lot of hard work into this book, and I hope people will enjoy it.  I'm almost halfway through, but since it's 36 pages, it will still take a lot longer to finish.

But the big thing on my Calender right now is SPACE.  That's right, my favorite little show of the year is This Weekend!  I'll be in Columbus, OH, hyping comix and doing my thing, and if you're at the show, please swing by and say Hi.  Details on the best damn Indy show in 'Merica can be found at:  http://www.backporchcomics.com/space.htm.

Then, in  a couple of weeks I'll be kicking it at C2E2 in Chi-town.  Jeez.  Big Year.