For whatever reason, I wasn't actually looking all that forward to the Asheville Comic Expo. I'm not really sure why. Maybe it was because the Asheville Anime Regional Convention back in July was kind of a bust (you'll notice I didn't bother writing about it at all), and I was fearful that this would be the same. I had also been in this mood for the past week or so where I didn't want to talk to anybody or do anything really, which I worked to kick myself out of before the weekend. Even after we'd gotten there and set up and the doors opened, I still had this black cloud hanging over me and a weird feeling in my gut.
It was brief, though, and it turns out I had no reason to worry at all: ACE is freaking great. I did really well, selling a little bit of everything, doing some super fun sketches, and even coming close to selling out of a couple of my posters! Never had that feeling before of running out of something, you know? I also had a few people look at the backup I colored in Pretty Deadly, getting excited that my first published work was in such an incredible book.
And you know what? Even if I hadn't sold anything? It still would have been worth going for a few reasons. I hadn't been to downtown Asheville in two or three years (we skipped it when we went down for AARC), and so had forgotten what a beautiful place it is, just teeming with neat places and staggeringly attractive men and women walking adorable dogs. My hipster Dalek girlfriend and her Sithlord bestie got us lunch at a place called Burgerworx, and it is the single best hamburger I have ever eaten. Oh, and those fries are just so addicting, geez.
I also got to see artist, Transylvanian, and Gary Oldman lookalike Gregory Dickens again, who I'd met at HeroesCon in June. He did an incredible sketch of Clara from Cannonball Fist, the first piece of fanart I've ever gotten, and gave it to me yesterday. We also exchanged con sketchbooks. He did a great sketch of Gort from the Day the Earth Stood Still for mine:
His sketchbook, however, is the best theme I've encountered: Doctor Doom cooking. And he has a blog, Cooking With Villainy, where he posts the sketches he gets done for it, as well as recipes. Go look, it's wonderful. Here's my contribution:
It's thrilling to be a part of that, seriously.
Also, it was kind of funny and interesting just how many people came up to my table, looked at a copy of Other Sleep, and told me that it looked very metaphysical. No one has ever said that about it before, but it happened so many times at this con that I can't help but laugh. It's an Asheville thing, you know? And it's true, I've never said it myself, but I guess Other Sleep and other comics of mine are kind of metaphysical, aren't they? I'm dealing with some weird stuff and it was neat to see all these people lock into that.
Plus, I got to walk up to a vendor and say "I'd like to buy a narwhal." How many times do you get to say that? I mean, I'm sure plenty of people throughout history have put those words in that order, but I actually bought my girlfriend a narwhal. Did you buy your girlfriend a narwhal? No? Then shut up.
My own con haul was rather meager, but notable because I bought a cookie from a baked goods vendor in the con who also made red velvet brains coated in white chocolate. Also, after the con we stopped in the incredible Malaprop's Bookstore where I picked up that massive brick of a graphic novel, Osamu Tezuka's Ayako. I love their graphic novel selection there, so many gorgeous comics that I never even knew existed can be found there.
So yeah. ACE is awesome, and I'm already excited about going back next year. Asheville, you're awesome. Don't ever change.