Thought Bubble Convention 2008 report
Thought Bubble was my first convention as an exhibitor so I don't really have a frame of reference. I had a great time, though, and that's what matters!
The trains from Dewsbury were hideously delayed on a nice, wet morning but I managed to get there for 9 o'clock.
On the way in, I bumped into Modern Monstrosity's Oliver Lambden, the first of many people I recognised from events in London that I frustratingly can't get to often!
Savile's Hall is a big 'un. And the tables were massive! Many of us struggled to make even our table cloths stretch! Oliver Lambden assured me my un-ironed table cloth means I haven't sold out yet.
I wrestled with my fold-up cardboard shelves which I've assembled many times without a hitch at home but naturally couldn't get right on the day. My stuff looked a bit sparse on the big table...
Ol' REET! contributor, Al Maceachern was nearby. Here he is enjoying a banana:
My neighbour was a slightly late Emma Vieceli of DFC and Dragon Heir fame. She was pretty busy all day with panels but made me feel quite comfortable at my first convention and didn't seem offended by my sarcastic remarks. Cheers Emma!
Here she is, feeling cold but looking a treat:
I sold a copy of Interference bang on 10 o'clock and worried that at that rate, I'd sell out sharpish! Of course, I don't think I sold another copy of that to anyone other than people I knew. Typical! Everyone thought it was a flickbook due to its elongated format!
I was surprised to find my 20p copies of REET! didn't shift very quickly at all but the mini-prints I had made up (which turned out amazingly - from ASDA!) were a hit!
I sold most of my REET! The Best of The Worst Collections but only a handful of Olive's Mix Tape. I think people assumed there would also be a cassette tape in those cassette boxes and upon discovering it was 'just a comic' turned it down!
All in all, I made a profit, which was nice. I did some great trades, too.
It was good to meet Gentleman Ghost's Jack Fallows, sat nearby, who, together with his girlfriend, looked like an alternate universe version of me and mine! (I'm obsessed with convention look-a-likes...)
Live Journal pal, Nabbit was there too. He insisted on having my real name, as opposed to my pen name! He gave me a copy of his great comic, Dangnabbit #3. Cheers, Nabs!
And Oli Smith of London Underground Comics was wandering around like some Idle Child.
It was also jolly nice to meet Sean Azzopardi.
Alex Fitch rolled up late into the day. Which was a great pleasure, having listened to Panel Borders for a while now. I got a sneaky shot of him from behind my comics, like some kind of comic David Bellamy.
This is Liam. Bringer of much needed deodorant:
He was a bit upset his copies of Phonogram were sadly left unsigned. I still have them next to my toilet. Sorry, Liam. I made it up to him by directing him safely to his lost debit card.
Phonogram's Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie were a few tables down.
I didn't get long to look around but I picked up a few comics whilst Mrs. Shug-to-be ate a banana and read Pride & Prejudice at my table.
I got three comics by K Hernandez. A couple of 'Daytrippers' and a 'Low Born'. Great!
It was a shame there was no-one at the table when I wanted a Dan Lester comic! Maybe next time.
I did some great trades. Aspartamo by John Chamberlain is set in my home town of Dewsbury - just ahead of a comic about Dewsbury I plan to do!
I got the latest Bahala Na! by David Goodman. I might owe him an apology; I think I got distracted by someone else while we were talking and didn't end the conversation properly!
Banal Pig's Steven Tillotson advised me I had four pounds credit when I went to cash in on a trade. I picked up Banal Pig's Funnies which, in the usual Banal Pig fashion, had me chuckling out loud this afternoon.
There were a lot more cosplayers and manga fans than I expected and I think some of us small press guys got lost amongst it all, which was a shame. But I think I'm gonna get a Jenny's Weird Friend comic printed up for The Thing '09 and cash in on this manga cash cow!
Thanks a lot to the organisers. It was a great day. And that complimentary donut went down a treat! Hopefully next time, though, there'll be a table plan up beforehand UK Web & Mini Comix Thing-style!
The after party at The Alea Casino was great. Although my lot made a slightly dramatic entrance when some guy asked me where the lift went on the ground floor. When I responded, 'erm... Up and down?' he called me a clever cunt. We made a hasty retreat to function room 3...
I think I spent too long in what I dubbed 'the chill out tent' and missed chatting to a bunch of people.
Here are the comic babes I surround myself with:
And here are some friends of mine, including Al MAceachern:
I don't know who these guys were but they were bloody lovely! We met in the heated smoking terrace, which we didn't find until later and suffered the long journey downstairs for the first couple of hours!
Sorry to Daniel Merlin Goodbrey, I drunkenly tried to impress him by repeating his own quote: 'the small press scene is the British comics industry'!
I spent the rest of the night with Banal Pig's Steven Tillotson and Gareth Brookes of Man Man fame (not to be confused with my own Man-Man)! Great chaps. I hope Steven takes me up on an offer to do a Banal REET! team-up!
I think the hi-light of the night was seeing comic makers dancing. I don't think there's a more sorry sight in all the world...
Al Maceachern apparently wound up at a party with a naked woman and some squirty cream (seriously)! It's always the quiet ones...
Shug
The trains from Dewsbury were hideously delayed on a nice, wet morning but I managed to get there for 9 o'clock.
On the way in, I bumped into Modern Monstrosity's Oliver Lambden, the first of many people I recognised from events in London that I frustratingly can't get to often!
Savile's Hall is a big 'un. And the tables were massive! Many of us struggled to make even our table cloths stretch! Oliver Lambden assured me my un-ironed table cloth means I haven't sold out yet.
I wrestled with my fold-up cardboard shelves which I've assembled many times without a hitch at home but naturally couldn't get right on the day. My stuff looked a bit sparse on the big table...
Ol' REET! contributor, Al Maceachern was nearby. Here he is enjoying a banana:
My neighbour was a slightly late Emma Vieceli of DFC and Dragon Heir fame. She was pretty busy all day with panels but made me feel quite comfortable at my first convention and didn't seem offended by my sarcastic remarks. Cheers Emma!
Here she is, feeling cold but looking a treat:
I sold a copy of Interference bang on 10 o'clock and worried that at that rate, I'd sell out sharpish! Of course, I don't think I sold another copy of that to anyone other than people I knew. Typical! Everyone thought it was a flickbook due to its elongated format!
I was surprised to find my 20p copies of REET! didn't shift very quickly at all but the mini-prints I had made up (which turned out amazingly - from ASDA!) were a hit!
I sold most of my REET! The Best of The Worst Collections but only a handful of Olive's Mix Tape. I think people assumed there would also be a cassette tape in those cassette boxes and upon discovering it was 'just a comic' turned it down!
All in all, I made a profit, which was nice. I did some great trades, too.
It was good to meet Gentleman Ghost's Jack Fallows, sat nearby, who, together with his girlfriend, looked like an alternate universe version of me and mine! (I'm obsessed with convention look-a-likes...)
Live Journal pal, Nabbit was there too. He insisted on having my real name, as opposed to my pen name! He gave me a copy of his great comic, Dangnabbit #3. Cheers, Nabs!
And Oli Smith of London Underground Comics was wandering around like some Idle Child.
It was also jolly nice to meet Sean Azzopardi.
Alex Fitch rolled up late into the day. Which was a great pleasure, having listened to Panel Borders for a while now. I got a sneaky shot of him from behind my comics, like some kind of comic David Bellamy.
This is Liam. Bringer of much needed deodorant:
He was a bit upset his copies of Phonogram were sadly left unsigned. I still have them next to my toilet. Sorry, Liam. I made it up to him by directing him safely to his lost debit card.
Phonogram's Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie were a few tables down.
I didn't get long to look around but I picked up a few comics whilst Mrs. Shug-to-be ate a banana and read Pride & Prejudice at my table.
I got three comics by K Hernandez. A couple of 'Daytrippers' and a 'Low Born'. Great!
It was a shame there was no-one at the table when I wanted a Dan Lester comic! Maybe next time.
I did some great trades. Aspartamo by John Chamberlain is set in my home town of Dewsbury - just ahead of a comic about Dewsbury I plan to do!
I got the latest Bahala Na! by David Goodman. I might owe him an apology; I think I got distracted by someone else while we were talking and didn't end the conversation properly!
Banal Pig's Steven Tillotson advised me I had four pounds credit when I went to cash in on a trade. I picked up Banal Pig's Funnies which, in the usual Banal Pig fashion, had me chuckling out loud this afternoon.
There were a lot more cosplayers and manga fans than I expected and I think some of us small press guys got lost amongst it all, which was a shame. But I think I'm gonna get a Jenny's Weird Friend comic printed up for The Thing '09 and cash in on this manga cash cow!
Thanks a lot to the organisers. It was a great day. And that complimentary donut went down a treat! Hopefully next time, though, there'll be a table plan up beforehand UK Web & Mini Comix Thing-style!
The after party at The Alea Casino was great. Although my lot made a slightly dramatic entrance when some guy asked me where the lift went on the ground floor. When I responded, 'erm... Up and down?' he called me a clever cunt. We made a hasty retreat to function room 3...
I think I spent too long in what I dubbed 'the chill out tent' and missed chatting to a bunch of people.
Here are the comic babes I surround myself with:
And here are some friends of mine, including Al MAceachern:
I don't know who these guys were but they were bloody lovely! We met in the heated smoking terrace, which we didn't find until later and suffered the long journey downstairs for the first couple of hours!
Sorry to Daniel Merlin Goodbrey, I drunkenly tried to impress him by repeating his own quote: 'the small press scene is the British comics industry'!
I spent the rest of the night with Banal Pig's Steven Tillotson and Gareth Brookes of Man Man fame (not to be confused with my own Man-Man)! Great chaps. I hope Steven takes me up on an offer to do a Banal REET! team-up!
I think the hi-light of the night was seeing comic makers dancing. I don't think there's a more sorry sight in all the world...
Al Maceachern apparently wound up at a party with a naked woman and some squirty cream (seriously)! It's always the quiet ones...
Shug