Working Blacklava Booth at Comic Con 2011

Monday July 18, 2011

Jenny emails me to see if she can spend the night here in the OC on Wednesday for her early drive down to the San Diego Convention Center on Thursday for Comic-Con International 2011. Say what?

Please note that I have always wanted to attend Comic-Con! Okay, so maybe I am much more obsessed with manga and anime than traditional comics, but I watch practically every comic-based movie released, I'm a sci-fi fantasy junkie, and I wish I lived in a graphic, animated world. I am sooooooo jealous!

So what happens? Jenny tells me to come with her. She'll be helping out at the Blacklava booth and Ryan is still looking for volunteers. Yes! Yes! YES! Here is synchronicity at its finest. Comic-Con, here we come!


Thursday, July 21, 2011


6:00 am: Wake up and get ready. Make sure Tiki, my min pin mix puppy, doesn't get into trouble.

7:00-9:15 am: Find an unexpected squatter on Jenny's windshield. Jenny gently shoos him away. On the road and buckled in for the two-hour drive.

Does anyone know what type of bug this is?

9:15-9:30 am: We park and take the shuttle to the convention center. Jenny comments on the disproportionate male-to-female ratio of attendees and a few of the buxom young girls' costumes that leave very little to the imagination. Ryan meets us outside with badges and wristbands.

9:30-10:30 am: We settle into the booth, meet our fellow volunteers, and complete Mission #1 Coffee and Pastry Run.

10:30-11:30 am: From Fan to Creator: Goal-Setting for Creative Types panel by Douglas Neff (Toucan Learning Systems)

Takeaways from Workshop

Awesome quote: Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
- Dr. Howard Thurman

Great advice on goal-setting:

• Make my goals specific
• Get some help
• Take it one step at a time
• Do my HOMEWORK!

So I decide to start small and begin with some comic characters representing my Inner Artist Child (from my work with The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron) and my Nemesis (Neff describes this as "what might get in the way of [my] success"). Drawings and character profiles to come soon.

11:30 am-2:15 pm: Work the Blacklava booth. Jenny puts on a puppet show with the panda hats, and loudly proclaims "We've got Adobo shirts! We've got Tofu shirts! We've got Secret Asian Man shirts! We've got Virgins Do It Better shirts! We've got I Speak English shirts!" I'm afraid she's intimidating the customers, but they're intrigued and come closer to check out our wares. The awesome T-shirts, hats, pins, stickers, and magnets sell like crazy!

Jenny and I at the blacklava booth. Check out the irresistible panda hats!

2:15-4 pm: Mission #2 Subway Sandwich Run. Pedestrian traffic is atrocious, compounded by costumed people passing out flyers every 10 feet. The Subway line is ridiculous, but may be bypassed if we purchase pre-made sandwiches. A customer just bought 40 sandwiches, so only four spicy Italian foot-long subs remain. Sold! Ryan lets us take our lunch first. Jenny and I find a clear spot on the floor and wolf down our sandwiches before returning to relieve the others.

4-5:30 pm: We walk the show! At the EMOTES! booth, Jenny and I enter a raffle and I win a toy! We visit the Legos, DC, and Marvel booths to take photos with our favorite characters and stop by Viz Media, IDW, and Image. We make our way to the small press section and stroll through artist's alley for some visual inspiration. Check out my Pinterest board for illustrators who inspire me.

Posing with a storm trooper.

She-Ra rules!

My new boyfriends, Batman and Wolverine.

5:30-7:30 pm: We sell some more Blacklava gear, then close up shop and begin the long drive home.

Post-show Analysis

Okay, so the crush of humanity in costume and consumer mode was rather exhausting. It probably takes several days, rather than just a few hours to really soak up all of the events and exhibits. However, I feel very grateful to have been given a taste of the Comic-Con experience. I would love to come back next year, and maybe I'll have my own comic or graphic novel to share at the con in the future!