I’m going! I tried to make it last year, I had several invites and opportunities but couldn’t swing it. With the start of 2024 I targeted making it to SDCC as a literal centerpiece of my year. I even tinkered with designing a new kind of calendar, once which would place the time of the event at the conceptual center of the hourglass that I designed this Calendar to function like. I’m pretty sure I’ve written about my various experiments with time-tracking and calendar-hack. With out going into too much detail, let me share the latest updated to my Mid-Year Lens (as I’ve been calling it).
S.D.C.C written out in red.
Attending as a member of the press is a Level-Up for me. A welcome indicator of my trajectory with-in the Comics Industry; one started in earnest in 2020 – after the collapse of the Kung Fu Tai Chi print magazine. Added to that, it’s a wonderful opportunity to connect with comic creators and mentors I’ve come to know while shifting away from Martial Arts Publishing.
“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. ”Â
― Bruce Lee
That doesn’t mean I haven’t taken look at the event’s huge schedule. I’ve replied to a few invitations, made a few interview requests and screen-captured a few notable panels and activations. There are also a number of luminaries I’m looking towards–
Eli Schwab was a guest on season 2 of THE COMICS FU SHOW 2023, a fellow on the 2023 Make More Comics grant judging committee and a backer of A TIGER’s TALE volume 2. I’m curious to learn what his 2025 plans look like.
Founder of Elephant Eater Comics, Ryan Claytor was the very first person to back A TIGER’s TALE volume 1. I’ve also had the unique experience of being caricatured by him, appearing in his 2023 book Mirror Drawings. As we’re both members of the community Kids Comics Unite there’s ongoing talk of a community meet-up but his both will be a regular stop.
This Panel is a Must
Traditional vs. Self-Publishing Today
Saturday 5:00PM-6:00PM
Room: Grand 10 & 11, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
Ryan Claytor (Michigan State University Professor, Elephant Eater Comics), Joseph Illidge (Writer, Editorial Director, DC Comics, Milestone, Simon & Schuster), Barbra Dillon (Editor-in-Chief, Fanbase Press), and Sam Kusek (Kickstarter Comics Lead) discuss the pros and cons of approaching your comics career from these different angles and help clarify what direction might be right for you. The panelists will partake in a Q&A session following their discussion.
 A mentor, advisor and back of A Tiger’s Tale volume 1. Semi-weekly meeting with the Comics Connection Community now named Comics Experience have been essential to the evolution of my burgeoning comics career.
Writer David Quinn has written for Marvel’s Doctor Strange but is most famous for his bleeding edge indie comic FAUST. I’ve very excited to pick-up a copy of ADDICTION – but will have to wait until his tour stops in the Bay Area to bring home a copy of that epic hardcover.
Nate is also a member of Kids Comics Unite and we’ve been members of the same critique group / master-mind. We’ve backed each other’s crowdfunding campaigns and… well there’s that Ninja connection too.
Also on the agenda is a visit to the Independent Press Pavilion booth #2202 Charlie Stickney’s White Ash Comics.
Shoutout to Crowdfunding Crucible Alumni
This team of creators took the leap with me in joining by 2023 summer bootcamp series The Crowdfund Crucible. They did everything right and succeeded enormously. As I understand it, their first-time visit to S.D.C.C. is a direct result of their crowdfunding success.