Before We Begin…
Coming Up Next: Big Smoke Pulp Vol. 1
Though this is Pesto Comics, we’re not restricting what we’re putting out to comics alone. Up next is a project that is a little different.
It’s a prose short story anthology with over 40 authors and 500+ pages of content. We’re going to keep the goal nice and low to get it in everyone’s hands.
We’ll be launching some time in October. I’m restricted from launching another campaign until From Parts Unknown is fulfilled, which should be soon. Therefore, until I can get a prelaunch page up, I won’t be able to set a concrete launch date.
This might push the rest of the timeline forward as I wanted to launch Naked Kaiju Woman #1 in November and wouldn’t want to launch it in December. We’ll have to see just how the calendar plays out given this delay.
Once Kickstarter deems me a “creator in good standing”, I’ll be able to launch at the much quicker rate I’m hoping to. Clicking the happy face on the campaign page will help towards this goal.
I’ll be sharing more as I have more to share.
The First Two Episodes of the Instant Ink Comic Book Podcast are Live!
I’ve been having a lot of fun recording these with Roberto. I think we’re onto something special here and I think you’ll enjoy it too. It’s not too much of a commitment (especially if you listen/watch on x2 like I do for podcasts).
It’s available on YouTube and Spotify!
Each recording is split up into 3 episodes covering brainstorming & writing, sketching & inking and lettering & finishing.
It’s a lot of fun to see the process from end to end with different guests, plus picking their brains about comics and other geeky topics. We’ve got episodes scheduled through January already, so you can trust that this podcast is going to be around for a while yet.
And now…
The Other Home Away From Home
I mentioned before that Niagara Falls is my home away from home.
You can read that here:
If I was counting the hours that I've spent in a city (that isn't the city I live in), Hamilton wins that by a wide margin.
Hamilton definitely is a bad rap, especially from those living in Toronto. It's our steel town. It’s super dated, never having really left the 70s in architecture or mentality. It's very working class. And it's very much my home away from home.
My first job there was replacing transcriptionists devices, in their homes, with computers that would eventually replace them entirely. That brought me to every corner of that city and into a lot of interesting homes. I wasn’t always received warmly, as you might expect.
After that, I got a job repairing the menu boards at Tim Horton's and the computers at every Shell and Petro Canada from Hamilton to the US border. Plus other locations like Service Ontario and the Canadian Border Services. If a town had any of those in the mid-to-late 00’s, I’ve been there.
The job also afforded me a lot of down time. I happened to see a lot of the Hamilton, which was always my starting point while I was waiting for the next call. It’s easy to fall in love with a place when you get to know it so intimately.
Not like most of the Greater Toronto Area, there's a lot of Italians in Hamilton (and it’s suburb of Stoney Creek, affectionately known as “Tony Creek”). That always makes me feel a lot more comfortable knowing that I could go to a bakery or pizza place and I'm going to get the quality I’m used to.
But it's not just my snobbery about Italian delicacies that has me loving the city. There's something intangible about it. Something about the underdog town that is doing a lot of things right, a lot of things that Toronto wishes it could do the same way, and still doesn't get any of the credit for it.
Not to mention, as a fan of comics, there are always a lot of comic shops to visit.
That's why I knew when I was going to start going to cons, Hamilton Comic Con was one I definitely had to check out.
I picked an interesting year too as they've to back to a bigger building at the Hamilton Convention Centre. The question is whether that move paid off…
Bro Time in the Hammer
My table buddy from Niagara Fall Comic Con was busy getting hitched (more about that at the end of this post), so I dragged my brother along to the show. He was doing double duty, both listening to me monologue our way through the weekend while also getting some reprieve from my incessant talking while covering my Instant Ink Comic Book Podcast partner, Roberto Viacava’s, table occasionally.
We already spend a ton of time together, between our Sunday night beer league games, season seats at Toronto FC or our many NHL hockey road trips. How he has the patience to deal with me, I have no idea, but I really appreciate it. I especially appreciated the company this weekend, for a multitude of reasons…
Easy to Find
We had the great fortune of being located right at the corner of one of the entrances to the convention centre. You absolutely could not miss our booth (and we had our banner strategically placed so you could find us.)
Considering we were one of only three booths carrying comics (including Roberto’s booth and the always friendly folks at Comic Asylum), it was hard to miss us if you were looking for comics.
However, much like Niagara Falls Comic Con and Vaughan Con, not too many folks were looking for comics at all. Where Niagara Falls was about celebrities and Vaughan was about Pokemon cards; Hamilton seemed to be about wrestling.
From Parts Unknown may have been a good fit if it were ready, but given that there weren’t that many too interested in reading comics at all (based on what we could see them walking around with in hand or the way they wouldn’t break their stride while walking past our table), I’m not sure even that book would have made a dent.
All that said, this might have been the best con of the three so far this year.
A Tale of Two Cons
Saturday was a decent day. Not quit our jobs and do this full time kind of day, but a day that promised to make the weekend a success. Lots of friendly folks, a handful of which bought all three of Crazy Latte Thing Called Love, Unlimited Udo and Stay Cool. Those that didn’t buy comics at least showed some interest in taking a bookmark or Instant Ink business card.
Things dropped off pretty steeply in the final hour, but up until then it seemed like we would have a decent weekend.
Then Sunday rolled around.
Day 2 the show floor was an absolute ghost town. Aside from a couple of friendly folks picking up a copy of Crazy Latte, we couldn’t even give away freebies to the handful of attendees lumbering by our table. The energy felt low across the board.
It was a good opportunity to chat with other creators at other booths, but as I’ve mentioned before, there weren’t many comics creators to speak of at this comic con.
Coming Back Next Year?
No.
Though, I might if one thing changes. If the con were to drop to a one-day event, with appropriate one-day table fees, I’d be back. I would have easily made table in that case and the Saturday would have seen even more foot traffic.
Putting the comic vendors and artist alley comic creators would be a boon too. Instead, we were split by two floors. Worse than that, the comic creators in artist alley were spread out amongst the floor, rather than put near each other where comic fans might find what they’re looking for in one spot.
Not making table, yet again, makes it an easy choice to sit this out for next year.
Better Luck Next Time
Up next is Wayside Creator Con.
I’m very hopeful and excited for this one. Wayside Comics & Cocktails is a truly incredible experience. If you’re anywhere near Newmarket, Ontario, I highly recommend dropping by for some comics and a drink - and more importantly to chat with the owner, Omar. He’s got something really special going on here.
A comics-focused con feels like the same concept in his store but bigger and better!
I have very high hopes for this one. If even a fraction of the vibe that you find at Wayside is replicated at this con, it’s going to be the best of the year. I imagine it’ll clear the bar with ease.
I can’t wait and, if you’re in the area, hope to see you in Newmarket on October 27th.
Before I Go, a Quick Aside
A special congrats to my film school buddy, Danon Hennessey, and his new wife, Stephanie, for tying the knot last Friday. Danon’s one of the nicest guys I have the pleasure of knowing and I couldn’t be happier for him.
Him and I have something really, really cool planned. It actually spawned while we were tabling at Niagara Falls Comic Con last summer.
We’ll be sharing in the coming months as it comes together. It’s something very different from everything you’ve seen from me thus far, but well within the wheelhouse. I can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on it.
Upcoming Posts
October 2
Post-Mortem: From Parts Unknown
An in-depth look at the fourth Pesto Comics campaign
October 9
Don't Skimp on the Pulp
Why I admire the pulp era and how it influences my work
October 16
Be Thankful
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!
And just for fun. I didn’t think this warranted its own post, so I’m including it as an appendix to this one!
Here’s what I’ve been reading on Substack this summer. It’s a lot:
Highlights
☕ I read the most in the morning
💌 I subscribed to 81 new Substacks
❤️ I liked 104 posts
💬 I left 106 comments on posts
📜 I scrolled 11 meters in Notes
Top Substacks
It's Chip Zdarsky's Newsletter, Okay? by
your ONE STOP shop for chip tips and chipomics (chip comics)
Top post this summer: ugh embarrassing
Our Best Jackett by
All Things Scott Snyder: In & On My Own Words
3 Million Years by
Digital comics news, reviews and more. With Custard Comix - with a zine about things, comics and more to come!
Top post this summer: ...And Then...? - A G-G-G-Ghost
Share your own Summer Recap
You can see your own summer recap in the Substack app. I’d love to see what you’ve been reading.
Con Journal: To The Hammer and Back Again