Laugh Tracks

IT'S TOKYO, CHARLIE BROWN!

Just out from the good folks at Creative Associates in Santa Rosa, California (in collaboration with Boom!Studios) an excellent last-minute gift -- It's Tokyo, Charlie Brown!  This beautiful new Peanuts graphic novel was written and drawn by Vicki Scott and inked by Paige Braddock (creator of Jane's World). Here's a link to a terrific interview with Scott and Braddock about the project and the care with which they shepherd Sparky's creations. In the course of the interview they mention another Creative Associate who's also on GoComics; Justin Thompson (creator of Mythtickle). And Vicki Scott's husband Bob is the creator of Molly and the Bear. If I could only come up with one more CA-GC connection I'd earn my karass-spotter pin. Arggh! So close.

Guess Who's Going to New York Comic-Con?

This Missouri gal is headed to the Big Apple! It will be my first time traveling for business. My feelings: anxious. But the good kind of anxious. I've never been to New York City before. I'll be there with three other GoComics colleagues and some pretty cool people from our sister company, Andrews McMeel Publishing. I'm grateful that I get to work for a company that does rad things, like, have booths on the floor of massive events like NYCC and SDCC (San Diego Comic-Con). Roughly 105,000 people attended NYCC last year and 126,000 people attended SDCC back in July; that's a lot of peeps. I can't wait to meet all 105k+ when you stop by the GoComics/Andrews McMeel booth (#821). (Wink!)

 

Those who stop by our booth will be in for a treat. We've a got some great cartoonists lined up this year; here's a few: Bill Amend (FoxTrot), Mark Tatulli (Heart of the City and Lio) and The Oatmeal/Matt Inman (How To Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting To Kill You). So, if you're attending, please come by the booth. We have great things for you: comic collections available for purchase, free autographs and free comics! Yeah, FREE! You can see our full event schedule here. Can't make it NYCC? I'll be chronicling our journey through social media, so be sure you're following GoComics on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram (username: GoComics).

 

For fun, some of you may have already seen this, but here's a tiny peek of our GoComics/Andrews McMeel booth backdrop:

 

Come see us, NYCCers!

Pastis brings in another great crowd during his tour stop in Milwaukee

Look at all those wonderful people listening to the man, Stephan Pastis! He'll be in Chicago tomorrow (10/4) at at Barnes and Noble Old Orchard (55 Old Orchard Center, Skokie, IL 60077).

 

More Freak Show Tour Dates:

 Thursday, 10/4 Chicago

 7:00 pm, Barnes and Noble Old Orchard, 55 Old Orchard Center, Skokie, IL 60077

 

Friday, 10/5 St. Louis

 7:00 pm, Left Bank Books Downtown, 321 N. 10th St., St. Louis, MO 63101

 

Saturday, 10/6 Washington DC

 1:00 pm, Politics & Prose, Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016

Monday, 10/8  Raleigh, NC

 7:30 pm, Quail Ridge Books, 3522 Wade Ave, Raleigh, NC 27607

 

Tuesday, 10/9 Atlanta

 7:00 pm, A Cappella Books, event to be held offsite at Manuel’s Tavern, 602 N Highland Avenue Northeast Atlanta, GA 30307

 

Thursday, 10/11 New Orleans

 5:30pm, Garden District Book Shop, 2727 Prytania St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Friday, 10/19 Corte Madera, CA

 7:00pm, Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, CA 94925

Wednesday, 10/24, Alameda, CA

 7:30pm, Books Inc., 1344 Park Street, Alameda, CA 94501

 

Thursday, 11/8, Louisville, KY

 7:00pm, Barnes & Noble, 4100 Summit Plaza Drive, Louisville, KY 40241

Saturday, 11/10, Frankfort, KY

 10:30 am, Kentucky Book Fair, Frankfort Convention Center, 405 Mero St., Frankfort, KY

Still Riding High From San Diego Comic-Con

Last month, our GoComics team went into San Diego Comic-Con on a mission. Like the classic 80's show (and beleaguered movie remake) "Fame," "they're gonna remember our name." From our booth, creator signings, street teams with hundreds of free items daily to social media sharing the sights and news with the world, we wanted people to get to know GoComics as well as they know the wonderful comics that we represent.

While GoComics/Universal Uclick has been going to SDCC since 2004, this was my first time going to Comic-Con with the company. In my previous work life, I was there the past two years, but with a much different experience. You see, I was at Comic-Con, but with a view from afar. I worked in a partnership with a major entertainment magazine and website, interacting with actors and filmmakers to publicize their films and their in-theater releases. It made for some interesting stories and positive work experiences, but I left feeling like I hadn't yet connected with the "real" Comic-Con audience.

A testament to that is when I walked through the convention center on the first full day in 2011, a costumed guy with a megaphone yelled out to the audience when I passed: "He isn't a real geek! Look at him. He's a nerd-postor!" I quickly learned that Kenneth Cole isn't the preferred attire for Comic-Con.

This year, being on the floor and hosting at our booth every day, I learned:
    -- Wear comfortable shoes. It's a must. Concrete floors aren't forgiving and people will step on your feet. Forgive them. It's not personal.
    -- It pays to be tall. The rumblings are true about the showering habits (or lack thereof) at Comic-Con. Let's just say that the fresh air is higher up.
    -- Bill Amend, creator of FoxTrot, is a rock star at Comic-Con. People of every make and model stopped by, asking if he was there, what's he like and if I knew him. His characters really resonate with this group.
    -- If you're really polite, anyone will let you take their picture. Some costumes/"cosplay" is better than some small-budget movies.
    -- Be cool with the security that mans the gates. They can make or break your experience.
    -- Ain't no party like a Comic-Con party, 'cause a Comic-Con party don't stop.
    -- You truly never know who you'll see walking by you. Within a few hours, Matt Groening (The Simpsons creator), Anthony Bourdain and actors Thomas Jane (Spawn, HBO's Hung & 61*) and Lou Ferrigno were within an arm's reach.

Check out our entire Comic-Con experience in photos on our Tumblr: http://gocomics.tumblr.com. 

Our next big event will be at New York Comic-Con in October. We'll report back on the differences and our preparation to head to the East Coast from the mighty Midwest.