Before We Begin…
NOTE: Lots of photos in this one, so it might get cut-off by your email client. Click the headline to read this directly on Substack!
Two Short Weeks Left
There’s just over two weeks left in the campaign for From Parts Unknown.
The campaign funded in a hurry and now we’re targeting some stretch goals. If you like what Luke Marrone has done with his joke variant cover - you’ll want us to hit that goal as soon as possible.
We’re aiming for 200% funded or 100 backers, which ever comes first. If we hit both? You’ll get even more in your package!
Once again, this was listed as a comic to watch by Comics Beat!
The better we do, the easier it is to get subsequent issues in your hands. Even if you don’t like comics, we have rewards for you to help us hit those stretch goals.
Visit on Kickstarter and lend your support.
Are Digital Comics Worth It?
I wrote an article for Comical Opinions that you can find here about digital comics and how the music industry might give us a picture of what’s to come.
And now…
The Weekend at Fan Expo Canada
I've been going to Fan Expo for over 15 years as a fan…and I think this might be my last time. (I’ll get into why. Just stay with me here.)
It's my hometown show. It's a 20 minute train ride from my door, so I really have no excuse not to go.
I love going to all the panels. I always find value in listening to beginner level stuff or getting advice that I've heard before but from a different vessel. There’s always a nugget here or there, even if 90% of it is something I already know.
The most valuable thing for me is getting to meet creators I’ve built a relationship with online. Finally meeting in-person and putting faces to names - plus picking up their books, if I haven’t already.
With all that in mind, let's look at what I was up to at this year’s Expo…
Panels + Q&As
SELF-PUBLISHING INS AND OUTS
This is the first panel I attended at the show and it set the tone for the whole weekend.
At one point, Keith Grachow picked up the TO Comix anthology, The City We Chose, and I took the opportunity, raising my hand, to mention that I too was in that same anthology. I asked how best to leverage that.
Keith's answer was that the best thing that comes from being in an anthology like this is you have a connection with the other creators within — and I took him up on that by visiting him at his table later in the day.
GHOST MACHINE AND THE KUBERT SCHOOL PRESENT BREAKING INTO COMICS
This panel was more or less the Francis Manapul show. If you're going to learn how to break in from anyone in Toronto, he's probably one of the best.
He's done so much with DC Comics and his indie comics that you can’t help but listen when he has advice to share.
Although a lot of his tips were primarily for artists, there's a lot to learn even as a writer or indie comics publisher.
CYBERPUNK FICTION IN ANIME, LITERATURE, FILM, AND GAMES
This panel got me out of bed early - which was frustrating as it could have been a blog post instead of a panel.
It was really a robust history of all of the cyberpunk tropes and themes that you can find, trying to define just what is cyberpunk. However, it ran out of time quickly and it never got to the main point of the whole panel.
It did inspire me to dig deeper into the genre as it's something I've always wanted to write. This gave me good context of where to look to make sure I do it right.
SPOTLIGHT ON SCOTT SNYDER
This was, unsurprisingly, the highlight of the weekend, panel-wise.
Scott pretty much monologued his way through this whole session, to the joy of everyone there. His enthusiasm for Absolute and DC All-In was absolutely infectious.
I'm more excited than I've ever been - and that's even after being at the DC All-In panel in San Diego.
I was hoping to get an opportunity to thank Scott for his advice for the TO Comix entry, Il Pescatore, but I didn't get the chance as he was mobbed as soon as the panel is over.
The line for his table was 200 strong the whole time I was there, so I’ll have to save it for the next Zoom call.
MARVEL COMICS WRITERS ASSEMBLE!
What was most surprising about this panel was actually how much they talked about DC. Everyone involved worked there at some point in their careers and it was mostly used contrast the differences between the Big Two.
The main point being that Marvel has an ongoing continuity where DC does a Crisis-style refresh from time to time. Plus, the Marvel timeline is 5-10 years over their entire history.
It’s World War II…5-10 years in the current era.
The best explanation I heard for why they feel different was from Marc Guggenheim. He paraphrased Justice Stewart "I know it when I see it”.
That's really how I've always felt about Marvel. Something is clearly different, even though I can’t put my finger on it. Though I appreciate everything they do, I've always found myself at home with DC.
Sketch Duels
One of the best events that Fan Expo does over other conventions is the Sketch Duel.
They get two or more artists to draw live, either using crowd feedback or something they chose themselves, and it usually becomes a pretty interesting conversation. You can learn a lot about what their influences are and how they got into the business.
At the end of it, you do get some interesting drawings.
I wasn't lucky enough to get any of the art myself, as I didn't win the raffle for them, but I took pictures! Here’s a list of duels I attended and the resulting art:
CASEY PARSONS VS TONY MOY
BILL MORRISON VS ENID BALAM
SIMONE DI MEO VS JOHNNY DESJARDINS
SKETCHLEMANIA
YANICK PAQUETTE VS MIKE DEL MUNDO
NICOLA SCOTT VS LEONARD KIRK
RAMON PEREZ VS CARY NORD
The Haul
There’s usually a good sale or two from the vendors on the floor at Fan Expo.
I was able to fill in a lot of gaps in my back list.
I've been collecting the Superman Triangle Era and found a bunch of those. Same with the third volume of Green Lantern.
Beyond that, there are some other DC books that I had been looking for that I finally got to get my hands on.
This included the run of Wonder Girl from Infinite Frontier. Plus a full run of Batman: White Knight. I got the 1st 15 issues of Superboy.
More importantly, I was able to get a couple books from indie creators.
First up was by the previously mentioned Keith Grachow. His Saltwater series looks incredible and it seems to be right up my alley. It was an easy buy (though I had to do the “I’ll be back Sunday” - but I actually meant it.)
More importantly, I was able to chat with him for quite a bit as we're going to a lot of the same events and his insight was invaluable to me. He’s really a great dude, but don’t take my word for it. You can catch him on My Sketchy Goodness every couple of weeks.
I was also able to pick up Dead Work from Lyndon Radchenka and Steven Kaul at Infinite Studio.
Lyndon and I have been talking online for a while as part of Scott's Snyder's Black Jackett Club, so it was nice to finally meet in person. They had an excellent setup at their table and I think I have to steal a few of their ideas for my next show. (Hamilton Comic Con, September 21-22).
Outside the Con
RETURNING TO THE SILVER SNAIL
When I first returned to being a Wednesday Warrior, I was in college at the Toronto Film School. At the time, it was located in the CBC Building.
The Silver Snail became my go-to store. They would do a sale every Saturday of Fan Expo from 9:00pm to Midnight. I hadn't been there since they did those on Queen Street, before moving to Yonge & Dundas. Now they’re back on Queen Street, albeit further West, and I was happy to go there to pick up some more books.
Even more of my Superman Triangle collection was completed.
A TIAC MEETUP
Before that, I did something that wasn't related to the Fan Expo experience at all.
Last April, I went to the Toronto Indie Authors Conference. I met a few cool people there, but the experience didn’t end that weekend. There’s a group of us in a Discord server that have been keeping the good times going. Specifically one member, Nick, has been coordinating get-togethers and writing sprints - and I finally got to attend one.
I really felt that everybody's really coming from different angles. There’s room for all kinds of stories and methods, all while being in the same industry and learning from each other.
When you're online, it sometimes feels like you're all doing the exact same thing and there's too much competition in your sector. You can really see that there's actually space for everybody.
We'll probably be doing it again in another couple months, so I'll be excited to see everyone and meet even more new writers.
ABOUT THAT HEADLINE
It was a little bit of an inside joke.
If you’re from Toronto, or the surrounding area, you know I’m referring to the Canadian National Exhibition. It runs the same time as Fan Expo, but you wouldn’t know it if you’re at one event or the other. Toronto has a real ability to compartmentalize events.
I always make it to the CNE at least once as a Toronto FC season ticket holder. This year, I got the pleasure of going three times for games and concerts. It’s been a fun, expensive experience.
So, Are You Really Not Going Back to Fan Expo?
I started this post saying it’s probably the last time I go to Fan Expo…as a fan.
That’s the goal, at least. I’ll be gunning to get a table in Artist’s Alley next year. Down the road, I’ll aim to be an invited guest.
The Toronto comics subculture is vibrant and I want to continue to grow my part in it.
If I somehow don't end up landing a table next year, I'll probably still just go for one or two days just so I can say “hi” to everybody. Going for a full weekend likely not in the cards any longer. I love going all the panels and the sketch duels, but realistically, I just end up using my time to spend a bunch of money on backlist DC stuff.
To that end, I've already applied to Toronto Comic Con in March - along with Fan Expo Vancouver in February. We'll see how that all plays out as it’ll give me a good sense of how everything runs behind the scenes with this organization.
I'm not done being a fan, in general, though.
One of the best things about comics, more so than any other creative industry, is that you’re actually encouraged to be a fan of the thing you're in.
When I was on the film side on things, it was almost a badge of honour to say that you would like to work in film or TV, but you don't actually have time - or worse, the desire - to watch any of it.
That's kind of an exhausting concept.
If you're a fan of the thing that you're working in, I imagine you make something better than if you ignore it entirely. There's something about knowing what works and what people are into. That’s encouraged in comics more than anywhere else.
Con season is far from done for me this year. The biggest shows on my schedule, Fan Expo and SDCC, have passed, but there's still a lot of big shows coming up —including Thought Bubble in the UK. I’ll be tabling there, kissing hands and shaking babies.
Meeting other creators and fans makes this all worth while. I’m excited to do it more than ever going forward.
Until then…
Upcoming Posts
September 11
Pumpkin Spice Season
It’s about comics. I swear.
September 18
You Can Take the Kid Out of Film School...
My history with the Toronto International Film Festival
September 25
To The Hammer and Back Again
Tabling at Hamilton Comic-Con
Con Journal: Let's Go to the (Fan) Expo (Canada)