Try Ka-Blam, they aren’t local (they are in FL) but they are good. I use them for all my comic book self-publishing.
S!
We should start a comics workshop here in Asheville. (Or Spartanburg, if you want to save me a drive.) I’ve got a few projects that could stand to be published, and it would be a great way to make some connections and meet collaborators.
Anyone up for the idea? If so, shoot me a private message or e-mail me at unknowncity at hotmail.com.
Any number of things, I’d imagine. My pre-Xpress background is in ‘zines and self-publishing (comics, poetry, fiction), and I’d be glad to help other people get their work out there. It might be a good place to meet with collaborators—great artists who can’t plot, or writers who can’t draw—or serve as a collective meeting place for a group project.
I rarely enjoy or get much I can use from writers’ groups, so my inclination is to pull away from that, but anything else would be fair game.
For instance: How cool would it be to meet some other creators, pool some cash, compile some new works and release a collection?
What if you are good at plotting and drawing but are just really, really lazy?
Why be lethargic alone? It can be fairly exciting to be in a room with a bunch of other people who are all interested in talking about comics and stuff. Without this, there would be no convention circuit.
That is the problem I have. I have only been to one comic convention in my life (1986, Atlanta Fantasy Fair at the Omni) and I really hated it, but was unsure why. I mean, here was finally a conglomeration of people who knew about and liked the same things that I always have, so why aren’t I in heaven?
When I thought about it, I realized that I don’t mind being a geek around people who are not geeks, because it made me feel special to be the lone weirdo. Being surrounded by a multitude of like-minded geeks, however, demoted me in my mind from being “that weird guy” to just being another in of a sea of weird guys and thereby rendering no one weird at all. Rather than finding comfort in being surrounded by kindred spirits, the effect it had on me was to be embarrassed to suddenly be an indistinguishable conformist in this nerd zeitgeist. It’s one thing to spout Python quotes and lock eyes with someone who recognizes it in a small group, but to see an auditorium full chanting them in unison just made me feel queasy. I now know that I don’t enjoy being a geek as much as I enjoy fooling myself into thinking I am some kind of non-conformist and that gets me by unless I make the mistake of joining some kind of group that reveals the true conformity that I am a part of. I may as well paint my face and become a tail-gating sports fan!
That said, I think there is merit in collaboration between creative types on creative projects. I will steer clear of the fan get togethers from now on, though. I guess I am just not a “joiner” type. I wonder if there is a group of other non-joiners that I could join?
Comicons show me that no matter how geeky I claim to be, there are always three or four hundred people a little bit deeper down the rabbit hole of dorkdom.
Also the lines of overweight Bugg and Shanafelt looking guys there paying top dollar to bigtime artists to draw nude pictures of super heroines was disturbing.
Well, I’ve been self-publishing and doing cons as a creator since 2005 so I’ll try to share whatever knowledge I have with everyone. If we meet in Asheville, I bet we could get Hope Larson in on this whole thing too.
So, should we set up a meeting to talk things over and what have you? Pretty much anytime next weekend is cool with me. Whatdya say?
Well, I’ve been self-publishing and doing cons as a creator since 2005 so I’ll try to share whatever knowledge I have with everyone. If we meet in Asheville, I bet we could get Hope Larson in on this whole thing too.
So, should we set up a meeting to talk things over and what have you? Pretty much anytime next weekend is cool with me. Whatdya say?
S!
I could swing that, I think. Hendersonville might be easier for me to make, as it’s closer to where I live. Any idea about a good meeting place?
If you want to do it in HVL, maybe Cuppy’s Coffee on Greenville Hwy? It’s got plenty of places to sit. It’s inside ACE hardware oddly enough, but the set-up is nice.
If you want to do it in HVL, maybe Cuppy’s Coffee on Greenville Hwy? It’s got plenty of places to sit. It’s inside ACE hardware oddly enough, but the set-up is nice.
S!
What’s a good time and day for everyone? Weekends are good for me, and any time after noon will probably work.
