the cartoonist is [IN]
Stumptown was a blast. I stood, I talked, I sold and traded comics. I can't imagine a better first convention. It was great to meet people who had already heard of Falling Rock and to introduce Falling Rock to some new friends, too. My ego has expanded to galactic proportions. It now contains billions and billions of stars.My neighbors, Dennis and Robyn, really made the experience for me. I mainly watched Dennis draw Batman over and over again. He's got this trading card project he's working on for DC Comics. (He draws sketches of superheroes and they put them (the originals) into a deck of cards. Sounds pretty cool.) My "help" consisted of making suggestions on how to draw Batman better. Draw him with a tail. Draw him sniffing cantaloupe at the supermarket. Draw him biting the head off a real bat at an Ozzy Osbourne concert. Dennis sighed and continued to draw Batman for the tenth or eleventh time.I would be remiss if I didn't mention my across-the-hall neighbors Neil Brideau and Kenan Rubenstein. Definitely check out their work, accessible through the handy links provided. I would like to mention everybody by name, but this picture will have to do. If you want to know more about any of these books, leave a comment.
Between stints bothering my neighbors, I bothered my old college drinking buddy Alec. We used to brew up moonshine in our fraternity's basement and then go cow tipping until the sun came up. This weekend was more about comics, but I did see Alec secretly tipping back a flask every now and again. It's just like Picasso said: if you're not drunk, it isn't art.There was so much talent in the Doubletree Exhibition Hall it would be impossible to describe it, let alone name all the names. Cartooning superstars Jeff Smith, Keith Knight, and Craig Thompson were there, mingling with us lesser known comic artists. It was a real positive weekend.The good vibes will undoubtedly last me a long time. I hope to do more conventions; this was a highlight of my cartooning experience. We draw alone, we write alone, and there are many days when I wish for more interaction with those brave souls who read my comics. I can't say I'm a great salesman, but it was great to see so many people.Thanks to the coordinators and volunteers of Stumptown 2009. I hope we can do this again next year. Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.