Dallas Webcomics Expo 2009 Recap

I spent yesterday manning my table at the Dallas Webcomics Expo (DWEX) and I had a blast. I met a lot of really skilled creators and got see some very interesting and fun new comics.

First off I want to really thank Will Terrell for taking the time to hang out at my table for a while and talk shop. This guy really knows his stuff and his advice and support meant a lot to me. He's currently putting out an excellent comic strip, Super Zeroes. His character work is just amazing, so I highly recommend having a look at his site if you haven't already. A super nice guy!

I also got a chance to chat with Scott Kurtz, who is always a lot of fun to talk to. Scott was really nice and very funny. He's a great guy to have on the side of webcomics. He was there selling his PVP trade books and handing out copies of his Image published PVP comics. I saw him signing a copy of his Awesomology book and damn, that thing is massive. To have such a large body of work behind you must be very satisfying.

My good friend Grant Sutherland was also at DWEX selling copies of his new comic book which collects strips from his comic Greetings from Wonderland. He had some new promotional magnets he was handing out too, which were cool.

Mike Hankins, creator of the strip Dorm Dorks, was sitting next to me and we had a great time hanging out behind the table. Mike was a speaker at a few of the panels that went on throughout the day, so I watched his table for him whenever he stepped away. He had some original pages from his upcoming book to be published as part of Indy Comic Book Week on hand and they are looking real good. Check the ICBW production blog for a preview.

Uncle Staple was on hand to invite folks out to the awesome Austin, Texas indie comic show STAPLE. He was handing out flyers to all the creators so they'd know how to reserve their tables. I already have mine squared away and will be attending the first weekend in March.

I had to stop by the Hijinks Ensue table to pick up a Groverfield t-shirt. That shirt is just brilliant. The Hijinks Ensue dudes seemed to be doing really well, they had a crowd near and around their table almost all day.

It was good to see Corance of Ghostwerks and Samax of Ghetto Manga again. I sat next to these guys at the last Dallas Comic Con and they are funny as hell. Their work is so full of life and character and it's inspiring to just flip through their books and prints.

It was also good to see Bobby Blakey again. He does the sci-fi comedy strip Last Stop and he had plenty of cracks for me as I hobbled around the show floor on crutches (hardy har har).

Lonnie Easterling stopped by my table during the show, which was great. He does the hysterical single panel comic Spud Comics. Unfortunately he didn't have a table there this time, but hopefully someday. I'd like to pick up a book of his work. His writing makes me laugh out loud.

Brian Powers from the comic strip Liltoon came over and chatted with me for a while about a side project he's trying to put together involving putting out comics into some kind of flyer for restaurants and waiting rooms. He had a sample of what he was talking about and sounds really interesting. I'll have to contact him about more info and about how get in on being a part of it.

Foot traffic to the show came in waves. At some points the show was kinda busy and I had several people taking a look at my books and prints. At other times the show floor was pretty quiet, especially during the panel discussions. Overall it was a lightly attended show, but for the very first year of a show like this it seemed to come together. Personally I'd like to thank Jonathan Caustrita, Michael Moreno and Thomas Overbeck for putting the Dallas Webcomics Expo together for all of us indie guys trying to make it on the web and I hope they are able to come back and put this together again for next year. It'd be awesome to watch this grow into a bigger convention and to see where it leads.

It was a good day for webcomics!