As you’re reading this, I will be on the train coming into DC. Because DC Zine Fest is tomorrow!
If you’re in the area, I hope to see you there! It’s at the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library from 11 am to 4 pm – also it’s free and accessible to attend.
This Zine Fest will be the in-person debut of New Punk Signal and Fwishi’shi, as well! So if you missed the KickStarter for these books, DC Zine Fest will be a good place to get copies. I will also have copies of my new zines, “Purrmaids,” “The Himbo’s Guide to Cooking Chicken,” and “Witchy Kitties.”
Can’t make it? Missed the KickStarters? That’s ok, there’s a third option for you…
I have not sent out minicomics and mini-prints yet for Ko-fi Club members. If you would like to get these mailed to you, become a member on Ko-fi! Members get minicomice, zines, stickers, and mini-prints mailed to them each month. Even if you can only do one month, that’s ok – cancel at any time, no questions asked.
Ko-fi rewards will be mailed out around Halloween, so you have until then to sign up.
Jamie Roberts is not a boy or a girl – they are a PIRATE! Jamie and their two best friends, Thomas and Daniel, find an unfinished map during a pirate raid and decide to leave the seas to hunt for treasure!
But the land they have arrived in has many secrets, including the secrets kept by their new employer, Ragun Basho. Who was chasing after him? Why is he talking about dragons? And who are these people Jamie is seeing in their dreams?!
The answers are revealed in the first two volumes of The Legend of Jamie Roberts, capturing the lush, vibrant, Indigenous-inspired world of this swashbuckling adventure.
Fans of my work may be like, “Hold up. You did campaigns for volume 1 and volume 2. What’s going on?”
So here’s the short version: when I made volume 1, I worked with a comics printer that ruined the first run of books. I did manage to get reprints, but let’s just say it was the latest in a long list of issues I’ve had with them in the past. After what happened, I switched to a new printer for volume 2.
However, the second printer raised their prices without warning over the last few months. They also have a minimum order that makes things prohibitive for me, a person doing all of it solo. That left me searching for a new printer, which leads us to this campaign.
This campaign is to help fund a new print run with a NEW printer for The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volumes 1 and 2.
It means new and improved quality paper! Vibrant colors! Better pricing! All to share the magical genderqueer adventure that is The Legend of Jamie Roberts with as many readers, new and old, as possible.
“But isn’t this a webcomic? That I can read online for free?” Yes!
“So why should I get these books?”
BECAUSE…
Both books have specific pages redrawn and remade from the original web versions.
These books have extra content the webcomic site does not have, like bonus comics, sneak peeks at the comics-making process, and more!
By purchasing these books, you’re helping to continue The Legend of Jamie Roberts as an ongoing comic project. Seriously, we’re very close to releasing volume 3 next year! I plan on making 5 volumes of The Legend and need support from readers like you to make it happen.
This campaign starts October 1 and ends October 21 at 11:59 pm EDT. There will be a 24-hour “Late Pledge” grace period, but Late Pledges have a late fee. Keep that in mind!
We also have new add-ons and new stretch goals – so even if you backed the previous campaigns, there’s something new for you to check out, including…
So if you’re able to support The Legend, go to the campaign and pick the rewards that work best for you!
Broke? Share this campaign far and wide! Be sure to use the link tinyurl.com/tlojr-reprint. Shares help more than you know.
That’s all for now. Thank you for your time and support!
There’s a new robots comics anthology coming to KickStarter!
Canonwrite Productions got 19 different creators together for The Universal Flaws of Robotics, a comics anthology all about robots. I did a short story for it, and served as editor for some of the stories!
This campaign will be Canonwrite’s biggest campaign yet, asking for $9,000 to pay contributors and make an offset print run of the paperback books. So be sure to spread the word so we can get as many folks as possible hyped!
I just came back from the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival, or A2CAF for short. And I had an AWESOME time!
Now, for clarity, two A2CAF events happen in a year: first is the A2CAF in June, which is for all ages and kids comics. The next is A2CAF: Small + Indie Press, which takes place in October.
It’s funny. I posted in last week’s update (about the Be Excellent Festival) that I thought of taking a break from cons. But I loved my time at A2CAF SO MUCH that I’m going to apply for their October show!
What made A2CAF so special? It’s hard to say in a broad or general sense. But here’s what made it magical for me.
First, there were only indie comics makers.
It felt like a compact, Midwest version of Small Press Expo or even a smaller Genghis Con Cleveland. The focus was only on comics creators. No toy dealers, anime shops, or comic collectors here. Everyone focused on the craft of making great stories with comics. And the panels focused on the creators and the craft of making great comics.
Second, the artists’ showcasing was curated – because the floor space was small.
Considering the size of the event floor, there could be no more than 50 tables. So the organizers had to be choosy about who could showcase and who needed to wait. (For context, the average artist alley of a comic con is a minimum of 100 tables. Often they go as high as 500. Awesome Con had about 500 to 700 tables in their artist alley.)
The size of the space did not hurt the show. I feel like it curated a more cozy atmosphere because patrons could take their time and wonder. It helps that it took place in the Ann Arbor District Library, which added to the cozy vibes.
Third, I got to meet FANTASTIC indie comics creators!
Many of them I knew through Discord servers, like Neil Brideau, Britt Monday, and Brandon Hawkins. Some I knew through their online work, like Lucy Bellwood. (I low-key geeked she mentioned telling folks my comic also had boats. Because it does!)
I even got autographs from two of my favorite comics creators: Vera Brosgol, who signed my copy of Anya’s Ghost. And Jen Wang, who signed my copy of The Prince and the Dressmaker! In truth, I’ve loved her work since Koko Be Good, but this book is now out of print. Which is sad because it’s SO DAMN GOOD.
Also, I got to see Jessi Zabarsky, an old classmate of mine from my college alum! I got her graphic novel, Coming Back, while I was there. If you haven’t read her work before, read Witchlight and her Instagram bunny comics.
During the show, I even got to meet artists with cool work whom I never read before! Folks like Narciso Espiritu, Sean Peacock (aka All Sorrows), Angie Coe, and Kaylee Rowena. There were also a lot of folks I didn’t get the chance to see, but I could tell the work had quality to it. It’s unlike walking down an artist alley at a pop culture con, I can tell you that much.
So if I liked A2CAF so much, does this mean I’m not quitting the convention circuit?
No.
I’m quitting pop culture and comic cons – except for RathaCon, because the staff are fantastic there and they support indie voices. But I’m done going to comic cons. They overcharge their table fees, focus too much on celebrities, are too expensive to lodge at and treat comics as a collectible novelty, not an art form or storytelling medium.
So instead of beating my head against the comicon wall, I’m sticking to zine fests, art fests, and expos for the time being. Also, these sorts of venues are a lot more friendly to queer people like me.
My next in-person appearance is at Dragon’s Roost Coffee and Games for Free RPG Day! It’s in Holland, OH on June 22. I’m hoping to debut a new one-page RPG at this event, so I hope to see you there.
