Connecticon Anyone?

[Rob]

Connecticon has a well earned reputation as one of the most webcomic friendly conventions anywhere. As evidenced by things like this:

http://www.connecticon.org/index.php?sec=about&sub=reg_online

Run a webcomic? Basically you get in for free for all three days.

Run a successful webcomic and you can get your table for free.

Run a really successful webcomic and you get your hotel and travel comped as well.

Awesome.

I know my fellow founder TakaComics is registered there as well as Pete from Bardsworth is as well (along with many other webcomic luminaries).

I'm trying to get the dealer room info for myself now. Anyone else planning on going?

[Gibson]

Wife and I have been discussing what con we should attend to start pitching ourselves, and if this con is that webcomic friendly, it's a pretty big contender. This will get some real consideration.

[Rob]

If you want I'll forward you the dealer room info if they ever get back to me with it.

If you are just looking for artist alley I think it's only $75.

;)

[Gibson]

If you have dealer info, that'd be cool, though it seems Pictures of You's traffic qualifies me for free space in Artist's Alley.

[Rob]

Right and the info on how much Artists Alley costs is readily available on the site.... the dealer room info they keep guarded for some reason.  :-\

[operationremie]

I'll actually be there for my 5th year. Not having a table but I'll be willing to see any of you guys who will be there!

i'll be cosplaying a lot too

i can tell you now that it is a fantastic convention. i love going and meeting the new webcomic people every year. they get a lot of famous ones to show up (and i have to say, some of the big shots are kinda jerks) but i like all the ones in the artist alley. they are easier to talk to.

[Gibson]

Yeh, I was at C2E2 last weekend and sorta met (read, was allowed to bask in their heavenly wake, O ye mighty god of webcomics) some big name folks. A couple of them were alright, or at least didn't seem tremendously douchy, but at least one of them came off as a massive dick. There was a panel on webcomics...you know, these guys are at the top of our business, you'd think they'd have some pretty good advice. Their advice to gaining success in webcomics? "Start doing it 12 years ago." I'm not kidding. It was said jokingly, sort of, but then the guy went on to say he had no other advice. That would have been fine, I guess, if he hadn't been such a self-righteous putz. The questions specifically about his comic brought long-winded answers while questions about advice for webcomicking were met with sardonic derision, as if we were wasting his time...on a webcomics panel. Having looked over the guest list for the ConnectiCon, it doesn't look like he's going to be there, which is good. Maybe he's worried someone might shake his hand and give him malaria.

Remembering what the point of writing this was, though, I was able to talk to a few of the smaller webcomic folks and they were pretty decent. It felt, talking to them, a lot more like a conversation than an ego-stroking waste of my hour. If there's going to be more of that kind of interaction at ConnectiCon, I'll make every effort to be there with free shit and t-shirts.

[operationremie]

Yeh, I was at C2E2 last weekend and sorta met (read, was allowed to bask in their heavenly wake, O ye mighty god of webcomics) some big name folks. A couple of them were alright, or at least didn't seem tremendously douchy, but at least one of them came off as a massive dick. There was a panel on webcomics...you know, these guys are at the top of our business, you'd think they'd have some pretty good advice. Their advice to gaining success in webcomics? "Start doing it 12 years ago." I'm not kidding. It was said jokingly, sort of, but then the guy went on to say he had no other advice. That would have been fine, I guess, if he hadn't been such a self-righteous putz. The questions specifically about his comic brought long-winded answers while questions about advice for webcomicking were met with sardonic derision, as if we were wasting his time...on a webcomics panel. Having looked over the guest list for the ConnectiCon, it doesn't look like he's going to be there, which is good. Maybe he's worried someone might shake his hand and give him malaria.

Remembering what the point of writing this was, though, I was able to talk to a few of the smaller webcomic folks and they were pretty decent. It felt, talking to them, a lot more like a conversation than an ego-stroking waste of my hour. If there's going to be more of that kind of interaction at ConnectiCon, I'll make every effort to be there with free shit and t-shirts.

I'd be interested in knowing who that person was since I kinda have a feeling who it is. haha He's probably the "god of douchebaggery" for a reason. I've seen him go to a friend of mine's comic and tell him "It looks good but I can do it better." And then walked away. Most people hate the guy.

Most people that do comics are going to be all "hey! a fan! *squee!*" And there is definitely a lot of that in the artist alley. The big shots usually do the dealer's room and never actually show up, having their helpers stay there the whole time. Except for the likes of xkcd, Questionable Content, VGCats, etc. I think you will see a lot of interaction with fans and a lot of people asking for help/whatnot. I had a table a few years ago and actually got a lot of people interested in what I was doing at the time. That's why I'm excited to get a table next year for my next comic.

[Rob]

I'd be careful calling people out in public... this is a public forum.. just sayin'.

And you'd be surprised who reads this forum even if they aren't members. Talking trash may just come back to haunt you at an inopportune time.

You've got specific examples of douchebaggery and you want to cite them that's your business but be careful slathering around the insults because you never know who''s friends with who.

For example, I get along pretty well with Lar and Ryan from Blind Ferret and they are friends with Tim Buckley. I've met Tim and he seemed nice enough to me. That said I wasn't asking for his opinion on my comic or anything and I know everyone has different stories and experiences with people. There are a few people in webcomics who don't like me and think I'm a major tool. They feel that pay privately that's fine but if they were to say go around tossing smear bombs at me in public I'd probably defend myself in such a manner as to make things more difficult for them.

And Tim Buckley is always at Connecticon. I think he's friends with the organizers or something because even when he doesn't have a dealer table he's always there hanging out.

What you say is your business and I'm certainly not going to censor you unless you become disruptive to the forums. I'm just giving you a heads up that the world of webcomics is pretty incestuous and everybody ends of kind of knowing everyone else and even a generally vilified person may have friends in the right places to hear anything that is said about them.

Personally I also use Google Alerts to tell me anytime anything on the web with the words "Remedial Comic" or "Webcomics Community" pop up (I haven't gotten so crazy as to Google Alert my own name yet..... yet). And since this is a public forum other folks who may be doing the same may receive alerts related to any name or comic name that is mentioned.

Just sayin'   :-\

[operationremie]

oh i know buckley. met him a few times and he was pretty jerky. he's a big shot of ctcon 'cause he helped save it a few years ago. i dunno. never really understood the whole "i do things better than you" instead of just giving people help. i met vgcats and he was pretty awesome and actually helped out. i just think some people do it only for money and don't care about fans. others do it for both.

and if you want, i will just edit my post. honestly, it don't bother me. i'm not trying to be a big shot who buys his way to fame. if no one even cares to read what i do, that's fine. i have a few fans of my stuff and that's all that matters to me.

but i understand where you're coming from, rob. no hard feelings. sorry. i'll just shut up now and never post again.

[Gibson]

I have absolutely no idea who Tim Buckley is and I've never read CTRL+ALT+DEL. I didn't and won't say who I was talking about specifically for the reasons Rob mentioned, plus the fact that who it was isn't important, even though I'm sure some can guess. The point was that the big guys generally tend to be of less help to the little guys as the other little guys, and some are only interested in helping themselves (which is, of course, true of some little guys as well.) I met Jeff Smith the same weekend and, even though he seemed like a really cool guy and I love his work all to hell, the things he said weren't of much help to me either in terms of advice. If ConnectiCon is going to have a good number of little guys to meet, that's aces.

I will say this, though, and I'll name the name. I saw a guy by the name of Jeff Kaufman give a lecture at the con, who apparently lost upwards of a million dollars failing at print comics and the talk he gave was brilliant. I came out of there more inspired and boiling over with ideas than I have yet in my comics career. I'm not sure how often he gets out to the cons, but anyone who gets the chance should attend his lectures.

However, operationremie, you seem to be taking what Rob said far too personally.

[operationremie]

i hate the net sometimes. my sarcasm can never go through. or i just forget the tag. it's </sarcasm> or [/sarcasm]? i can never remember.

everyone always thinks i'm a giant jerk on forums. maybe that's why i stopped doing them for such a long time haha i'm really not a jerk in person. i mean it.

[Rob]

operationremie my comment was meant as a friendly warning to all. Some of these folks have long memories. Nothing was directed at you personally and I'd be sad if you left and never posted again. [/sarcasm]

LOL

I've met Scott Ransoomir twice and the first time was an awful experience where he basically ditched me after asking me to wait a bit until he had cleared out some other fans. The next time I met him was friendly and delightful... he made a zombie Remedy for me.

:D

I've met Tim a couple times and he's always been polite and friendly but yes his reputation does precede him. I know some folks think Ryan from Blind Ferret can be somewhat harsh in his judgement of other webcomics.

I think the point I'm trying to make though is that these are human beings living somewhat public lives. They don't have the entourage and security and PR people to keep their image sparkly clean and so every once in awhile something they say or do comes off as less than nice and depending upon who it is that feels the slight it can go unnoticed or it can become this big "thing" where insults are hurled and feelings are hurt on the internet. Something like that would be a non event if we didn't have the internet to shield us these days.

And then there are some people who are really just not all that nice. And when it comes to someone like that you do what you gotta do I'm not going to censor you and I wouldn't ask anyone to change their post. I'm just saying that when you go down that road you should be prepared to reap the whirlwind.

My personal opinion of all webcomics people is that they are, in real life, all pretty great people. And I say that because that tends to be my default position on almost anyone I don't know and no matter how many times I've met some of these guys I can't really claim to "know" any of them.

EDIT: And stop hijacking mt Connecticon thread.  >:(

[operationremie]

i have no idea how i'm hijacking this haha

anyway, the con is fantastic. it keeps getting better each year. and they got some great guests each year too. carlos ferro (dom from gears of war/gears of war 2) is gonna be there again! he's such an awesome dude.

so, who will def be going? i wanna meet some of yous.

[Rob]

According to the website over 7000 people attended last year (Connecticon). With the exception of the Sci Fi con that Randy Milholland (Something*Positive) and Joel Watson (Hijinks Ensue) were bagging on this past weekend every con I've heard about has been bigger/better than the previous year.

So hopefully Connecticon which was pretty great last year gets even better.

And I can say that even if I don't end up exhibiting in some fashion short of natural disasters and acts of God I plan on being there.
;)