Last time we talked, I discussed my own work as a comics creator and the ways in which I’ve worked to create my own disability representation in comics. This month, I want to delve into an issue that is broader in scope, but in many ways just as vital: accessibility at comic conventions. It’s con…
Con Diary: OK True Believers, Take Two
On the sixth of February, OK True Believers had its second outing. My local convention. I went. I wrote last time about the values of local shows, and I think that’s reflected in the nicest thing about OKTB: if you get there early, there’s no room. Everybody’s also there, and the queues are too turgid,…
A Comic Con For All Seasons, All Year Through
2015 was an interesting year for me. As I said to several people: the highs were really high but the lows were really low. It was around a year ago when I was wondering whether I’d made a mistake doing what I was doing; it was around a year ago when I found myself crying…
Comics Arts Los Angeles 2015: The Best of Indie Comics in the Worst of Venues
Comic Arts Los Angeles held its second event this past weekend, and the first two-day event. As someone who stays mainly within mainstream comics, I was scared and intimidated about going, but now, having gone, I am very glad I went. I was only able to go out on Saturday due to family commitments, but…
My MegaCon Fan Days Spontaneous Roadtrip
I wasn’t originally going to attend MegaCon Fan Days. I’m currently just beginning my new job, I’m tight for money, and it was simply just super short notice. I hadn’t done any research on the convention like I do most conventions I attend. I hadn’t really given any thought to attending MegaCon Fan Days, until…
Thought Bubble Diary: Leeds Deeds Done Dirt ‘Spensive
Thought Bubble is a comics convention based in Leeds, England, and it’s a show I’ve not heard a bad word about. Recognised by large publishers (this year was notable for Image not having a booth) and creators of all audiences and sales performances, it’s got the atmosphere of legitimacy and an all-ages attendance record. This…
Beauty and the Geek: Halloween Homemade Masquerade and Make-Up Tutorial
Around here we’re talking a lot about Halloween costumes. Halloween has become a fun and interactive holiday that goes beyond just trick or treating as homemade costumes are shared across social media. I can’t sew (yet), but I can do my makeup decently, and I can learn how to put various costume pieces together in…
Cosplay: Turning Jamie into Rose Quartz
I’ve been easing my way, a little at a time, into cosplay. The reasons being that 1) Representation matters to me, so I prefer to primarily cosplay women of color; 2) cosplay is expensive, time consuming, and skill intensive; and 3) chronic illness and the struggles it brings to daily life can make cosplay challenging…
Fan Expo 2015: First Con Photo Diary
This year local Toronto fan and photographer, Stephanie Austin, attended FanExpo with me and documented our time at the con — her first ever! — in photos. Steph and I met up outside the con, had a quick coffee and then headed in with hardly any game plan — we knew that we wanted to document the…
DragonCon 2015: An Endurance Event
Labor Day Weekend is a big deal in Atlanta. Dragon Con is the biggest attraction among other things going on, so that’s where this geek girl spends her holiday weekend, for the eleventh year in a row now. The Con organizers have realized that people are so eager to get the festivities started that they’re…
Fan Expo Celebrity Q&A Highlights
Labor Day Weekend 2015 marked my fourth year of attending Fan Expo, Canada’s version of Comic-Con. It also happened to be–in my opinion–the most intense year yet, what with several well-known celebrity guests packing the North and South Buildings of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Over the course of four days, I managed to stop by…
Behind the Rainbow Table – My Time Selling Queer Comics at SDCC!
First, a little background. My fiancée Ann and I have been creating the 18+ queer webcomic Grave Impressions for about three years now – it’s a noir mystery about a gay man aspiring to be a detective and the cases that turn his life upside down. Last year we had the spectacular fortune to partner…
