Yes, long time no hear from, but as we all know, it has been a very challenging year and several months. Being fully vaccinated helps, but returning to outdoor and indoor activities with crowds is still a daunting task in the time of Co-vid. So far i have returned to using the LA Metro trains, waterfront boat rides, a fully-vaxxed family BBQ, and one-on-one outings with friends. The final activities I have yet to return to are working in the office (still working remotely), concerts, traveling, and comic conventions. In the meantime, I am hard at work on my sixth issue of the vacation parody “Damn Tourists,” and once that is completed, I will be venturing into new territory for me with my very first kickstarter that will help fund the book printing costs. This will be one of the three topics I will be expanding upon in my first blog after a LOOOOOONG absence.
Damn Tourists #6: “Dee-Cee” This 36-page story featuring our four clueless travelers with superhumanly-annoying vacation habits is making good progress. Currently, the first 10 pages have been inked and are ready to be digitally colored in Photoshop. This latest expedition by our obnoxious foursome has them driving from Florida (from issue 5) to the Washington DC area. Much like in the sunshine state, residents and officials in and around the DC Metro area are fully aware of what the Damn Tourists are capable of (thanks to news footage from issue 4 in Las Vegas and word of mouth from Florida) . Other states south of them are too, with Georgia, and the two Carolinas closing their states once the tourists enter them, and are pointed in the direction of our Nation’s Capitol. DC officials hope that an approaching storm will help steer the tourists away from their area and onto another state. The full storm never materializes beyond a few raindrops, however, and our travelers without a clue brave the “elements” for their next trip. Much to the complete disgust of DC officials and residents, our tourists (with an overpacking visitor they pick up from Florida and drop off at a DC train station) ride the Washington Metro Trains, visit the International Spy Museum, the DC Waterfront restaurants, and unsuccessfully search for the commander-in-chief’s residence, The White House. The entire book is tentatively scheduled to be completed at the end of 2021, and ready for conventions in 2022 (So long as things don’t get worse again in terms of the virus). That leads me into the next topic:
Carter Comics returning to Conventions: It has been fifteen months since my last show “San Diego Comic Fest.” Since that time, I have been communicating with other creators and doing interviews about my work via Zoom video and audio calls, and of course, producing more stories. If there was a silver lining to the lack of major Cons in 2020, it allowed me to get more books done in time for an eventual return to conventions. I completed the final two Cosmic Force Prequels last year, and then put all five 12-page prequel stories into one-60 page Trade earlier this year. As was mentioned earlier in this blog, I am currently working on Damn Tourists issue 6, which when completed, will even out the issues I have with my other series, the science-fiction Cosmic Force, also six books strong. As far as bringing this new material back to conventions, my current plan is to attend a small local show later in the month, and observe other exhibitors there to get an idea on what safety precautions I am going to make for both myself and my customers. Will I use a face shield to communicate better with customers? Will I have glass partitions and hand sanitizer on my table to protect my books and regulate who touches them? Or will I just pick up the book myself and show the pages to a customer? It will all depend on what I see at this local show, and also what Co-vid rules that venue may have. Simply put: Long-term planning of larger 3-day conventions (in or out of state) are off the table right now, as things are still not stable enough for me to do so. Smaller local 1-day shows will be the testing ground first.
Kickstarter Newbie: With the lack of Conventions last year, income for Carter Comics was flat. While I did get some money refunded from cancelled shows to purchase a few copies of the Cosmic Force project I finished, there won’t be enough funds left for the new Damn Tourists issue in production. That revelation lead me to finally planning my first crowdfunding campaign through Kickstarter. I am aware of how late I am to this game, but my convention sales have always been enough to pay for the book inventory that I needed for future shows. Since that is no longer an option right now, it’s time for me to get on the crowdfunding ball. After speaking with a few other fellow creators that have done Kickstarter campaigns, I decided to start slow with supporting other campaigns first, which will spread goodwill with other creators, while I learn different styles of online promotion. I am currently looking at February 2022 to launch my first Kickstarter that will fund Damn Tourists issue six, once it is completed at the end of the year. Some of the rewards I have in mind include custom time lapse portrait sketches, custom face masks, and my previous issues of Damn Tourists. Some of these plans could change in the coming months, but rest assured: A Carter Comics Kickstarter will happen in 2022, one way, or another.
And that’s gonna be it for this month. I can’ promise a return to doing these blogs monthly, but I will try to do more of them when I do have a lot to talk about (possibly toward the end of the year, as the completion of Damn Tourists issue six gets closer. Have a great fourth everyone, and I will be back up here before the end of 2021 at least.