the Void and Back: Las Vegas Comic Expo

So this weekend (Sept 29-30) here in Vegas we had the first ever Las Vegas Comic Expo [link] at the Riviera Hotel on the strip. It was a great event and from what I saw it was a smashing success; I hope that means we'll be getting another one next year. They had some really BIG names come out to this first ever convention and I think that lent a good deal of legitimacy to the event. In years past we've had comic conventions here in Vegas but for some reason none have ever really taken off. I can remember back in the 90's during the IMAGE Comics boom we had a couple of good ones @ the Sands Expo Centre and of course who can forget the great collector cons the old Showboat casino had going down on Boulder Hwy? The last "big one" I believe came sometime back in '04 or '05 when someone tried (and ultimately failed) to create a HUGE comic/anime/gaming convention inside the Mandalay Bay convention centre. I remember that one being around the same time I released my first self-published comic and having a table there along with the Barebones Studios guys.

Dan (LEFT) and Jay (RIGHT)
sketching @ our booth T-13

The Comic Expo this past weekend was great. I shared a table with my friends / fellow artists Justin "Jay" Newberry and Daniel Blodgett where we were selling our comics prints and such. We also did sketches and created little "mini sketch books" just for this event. I worked pretty hard right up to the buzzer getting my prints and sketch book finished in time. Originally this convention was going to be @ the Alexis Park Resort but the great deluge (2012) flooded their convention space causing the whole thing to move to a bigger/better location @ the Riviera Hotel. This was a true boon to us since apparently it opened up even more space. Saturday drew HUGE attendance and Sunday was just as packed it seemed, we had good foot-traffic through our area in Artists Alley. My bear print [link] sold really well - people always seem to react well to it especially kids. I also ended up moving a good number (more than I expected) of Mini Sketch Books for only $1.00. In the end though I think I gave away more of them to friends at the expo and to anyone who made a purchase of my prints. Still it was a great idea and they all came out looking real tight - Dan and Jay both had them as well so our table was reppin' pretty strong. It was also nice seeing the local (Vegas) talent having such a good turnout; from all the local artists/writers to all the locals who came out for the cosplay contest and the volunteers who kept the thing running smooth. I thought the whole thing was run pretty smooth considering all the little hiccups they had to go through with moving to another venue, in the end it was an even better deal cause the Riviera was excellent - colourful degenerate gamblers mixed rather well with all the costumed heros/villains running around.

"Enigmonkey"

Next up to fuck, we've got the Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival [link] which is shaping up rather well. The Comic Festival is a portion of the larger whole, the festival is broken down into 3 (three) [link]. We've had tables at all of these so far that are hosted by the Vegas Library District and every year the festival gets bigger and bigger. My friend Jay is on the committee for this upcoming one so he's been trying to get more involved with the event since it's in our own backyard and's looking to grow. I'd look to get more involved myself but time is always a factor, plus I doubt they would like any of my ideas since most of them involve questionable promotional ideas. Last year we had a blast and it was the first time we used our new convention set-ups. By the looks of things this upcoming festival will be just as good as last year. Each year it seems to pick-up more steam and last year the "artist alley" area was jam-packed with local creators as well as some who traveled there from out of state. This festival is only one-day; Saturday, Nov. 3 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. inside and around the Clark County Library (1401 E. Flamingo Road)