There is no greater celebration of comic-book fandom than a comic convention.
When I was a kid growing up in Reno, Nevada, all of my favorite comic-book creators seemed worlds away—mythical creative geniuses holed up in think tanks somewhere in New York, or cities where entertainment was not only an industry, it was the industry—toiling over pages late into the night under the light of a desk lamp. Other than the grueling hours, my romantic boyhood imaginings were pretty far off base, but it wasn’t until my first comic convention that I realized how absolutely accessible and wonderful all of my comic-book heroes were.
Want to break into comics? A convention is the perfect place to get tips from publishers and creators alike. If you are an artist, find out beforehand when and where the portfolio reviews are. There will be an editor there to give you constructive criticism on your work, and who knows—maybe it’ll lead to a gig! If you are a writer, find out which publishers are going to be at the convention and check their website for their submission guidelines (you can find ours at DarkHorse.com). If, as a writer, you’d like to stand out, find an artist and do an eight-page, self-contained minicomic. Even if you draw the thing yourself and the art isn’t great, an editor will still be able to tell what kind of storyteller you are. There is nothing harder than telling a good story in eight short pages. If you can tell a really compelling tale with limited space, you’ll definitely warrant attention. And don’t be afraid to ask creators how they got their big breaks.
If you are a fan looking to meet the people who create your favorite funny book, it’s all about preparation—make sure to check out the convention website to see whether or not they have a table you can swing by. If they don’t, maybe they’re doing a panel or signing.
Dark Horse is going to be at a number of shows this summer, including BookExpo America, the American Library Association Annual Conference, Anime Expo, Comic-Con International, Fan Expo Canada, and Kumoricon. Please stop by and say hello to our events manager, Kari Yadro, and our friendly staff!
Are you a fan of superheroes? This is the summer of the superhero for Dark Horse. So pick up a copy of X, Ghost, Captain Midnight, Catalyst Comix, and Dark Horse Presents and get them signed. Or feel free to drop by, hand out some high-fives to the Dark Horse team, and grab some free giveaways.
Come join us this summer to celebrate our very favorite season—convention season!
Patrick Thorpe
associate editor