So the second annual ETSUcon may be the best con experience I’ve ever had.
Not just because I got to play a game called Kung Food on an old Atari Lynx (which I’d never seen before).
Not just because I met Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario himself, and got him to sign my copy of Super Mario Galaxy 2.
Not just because I bought a HUGE COLOSSAL stack of obscure 90’s sci-fi manga (which I’ve written about my love for in the past) for criminally small amount of money.
Though those are all extraordinarily good reasons.
It’s a little bit because I got to see a good number of friends that I haven’t gotten to see since, well, the last ETSUcon, maybe. It’s a little bit because one of the con’s organizers, on the morning of the second day, walked through the dealer room with a huge tray of pastries, thanking us for coming, and that muffin I had was delicious. It’s because good-looking men and women are willing to pay money to allow me to turn them into strange mutant beasts and are quite thrilled when I put an extra fanged mouth on their forehead. Because I got to watch people flip through Other Sleep and tell me about their own bizarre dreams. Because a girl told me I’m good at “the creepy alien thing,” and another guy compared me favorably to Moebius, leading me to throw my arms up and shout “I’VE MADE IT!”
It’s also because I bought a couple packs of Hi-Chew candy and a Godzilla/X-Files crossover shirt just as I was about to head out the door.
The entire weekend was a cheerful blur of people and sketches. The last hour of the con, Sunday evening, I was doing so many sketches for people that I’d lost track of time and lost count of mutants. I looked up at one point to find the guy next to me had left, and so had many of the other vendors, while I was still there sketching away and chattering about making comics.
I’m doing at least four or five more cons this year, including Koku Manga at the end of the month. If those are even half as great as ETSUcon was, then it’s going to be a good year.
In other news, I had to take down my art show today. Curse you February, for being such a short month! It was good though, and going through my guestbook reading all the encouraging comments from people felt great. I’m glad people enjoyed my show, and hope the next show in the Panoramic gallery goes well.
And it’s not like I may never have an art show anywhere ever again, right? This is just the beginning, I’m not stopping.
I am currently slowing down a little and trying to relax a bit right now, I’m still woozy from coming off of Other Sleep, but I have to keep moving, keep improving. Keep getting better, keep meeting people.
[Brett]