Convention Appearances in 2011

As we kick off a new year, I wanted to take a moment to discuss convention appearances.

In the past, I've attended anywhere from eight to twelve conventions across the U.S. and Canada, promoting my comics, offering merchandise and meeting readers.

This year, I'm cutting way back.

I have five conventions planned for this year: Comic-Con in San Diego, Emerald City in Seattle, Wizard World Philadelphia, Baltimore Comic Con and New York Comic Con.

I won't be traveling to any others unless I am an invited guest of the show. I realize that sounds a little snotty, so let me explain.

I've spent the past several years going to a handful of shows each year. I would make a good profit at one, and then, if the next show wasn't as good, I'd end up giving back those profits -- especially if I had to foot the bill for travel, hotel, booth, etc.

So I've got my five "core" shows for the year. For me to consider any others, I've got to ensure that I can make a good profit -- and that means being an invited guest.

And, of course, saying all of that here puts me at risk of sounding full-of-myself and egotistical. But the real reason for me to share this is to simply give you guys a heads-up.

In all probability, I will not be attending many of those shows I've done in the past, and that means I might not be coming to your town this year.

If you want me to come to your town, you should write to the promoter of your local comic convention and ask them to make me an invited guest. Those requests carry more weight than you might think.

And as a side note for my Canadian friends, I will not be attending the Calgary Comics and Entertainment Expo -- even though it was (and remains to be) one of the absolute best comics shows anywhere. Unfortunately, it's scheduled for the same weekend as Wizard World Philadelphia, and I simply have to choose my hometown show over anything else for purely logistical reasons. I'm pretty sure the rest of the Halfpixel/Webcomics Weekly gang will be there, however.