While Avatar: The Way of Water continues its strong run in theatres, the merchandising side of the franchise has been oddly flat. Some toys and a game are in development, but what about the collectibles? Again, the landscape is a tad empty. Thankfully, Hot Toys just announced 1/6 scale Jake Sullyand Neytiri action figures!
Hot Toys did not attempt to go for a seamless body for Jake and Neytiri. Both action figures’ joints are obvious and, sadly, make them look more like toys than premium collectibles. Oh, and these two Avatar stars are on the pricier side. $380 a piece if you were to pre-order from Sideshow Collectibles. At least they come with light-up bases. The Na’vi couple is expected to ship out sometime during the first half of 2024.
Neytiri and Jake do not include alternate heads or faces. So, you’re stuck with the same bland expression they had in the movie. How does Hot Toys do it? That attention to detail! I can almost smell the lack of chemistry coming off of them! Sadly, the Avatar figures do not have the independent moving eye feature. They’re stuck looking straight ahead.
Photo Credit: Hot ToysPhoto Credit: Hot ToysPhoto Credit: Hot ToysPhoto Credit: Hot ToysPhoto Credit: Hot ToysPhoto Credit: Hot ToysPhoto Credit: Hot ToysPhoto Credit: Hot ToysPhoto Credit: Hot ToysPhoto Credit: Hot Toys
Photo Credit: Hot ToysPhoto Credit: Hot ToysPhoto Credit: Hot ToysPhoto Credit: Hot ToysPhoto Credit: Hot Toys
Yes, I know what you’re thinking. “Are there catnips?” Well, yes. There may be catnips. They’re faint, but Neytiri does appear to be somewhat anatomically correct. Wait. Why are you thinking about that? Gross. Just … ugh. Now watch this Harry Patridge cartoon about hot Na’vi sex.
“The one thing I don’t like doing is explaining myself; if I screw up, I’ll own it.” – Adam Sessler.
Adam Sessler may not be a gamer, but he is a person that loves to play games.
Or at least, that’s how the former nerd-famous X-Play host described himself in a personal and revealing interview that took place Thursday night, sharing with many fans and gawkers some of the final clues necessary for understanding last year’s pathetic collapse of the G4TV reboot.
On the podcast the Biggest Problem in the Universe, featuring YouTubers Vito Gesualdi and Dick Masterson, Sessler finally broke his silence to reveal what it was like working at the doomed “TV for Gamers” reincarnation; and not only delved into the mistakes made at the network, including Froskurrin’s rant and the ill-prepared owner Comcast but also by seemingly agreeing with many of his critics on the errors of gaming journalism.
How and Where G4TV Went Wrong:
(In full disclosure, Vito is a friend of mine)
After some laughter in the opening, Vito asks Sessler to describe the end of G4TV, describing the end of G4TV as a weird, confusing mess. Sessler agreed, “a weird, confusing mess is a very good description.”
Vito then wonders, as many have speculated, if the reason G4 went down the way it did, was that it pushed too much money through & tried to grab attention too quickly without adequately building its organic audience base, which Adam also agreed with. Adam then refers to the situation and defends Frosk as “a very well written soliloquy” about “defending sort of women’s presence in the (gaming) space.”
However, Dick asks, “You knew she was going to do that ahead of time. Right?” For which Adam adds – in confirmation of previous reporting-: “No.”
Dick continues: “Would you have advised her to like, go through with it? Or delay?”
To which Adam responds: “I would never tell someone what to do? Yeah, I don’t like that. The only thing I would have probably said is what could happen. In terms of the attack.”
Adam then shared that his large concern about working at G4 was that he might have been a drag on the media venture, worrying that he had overshadowed his co-workers. But he eventually admits that as soon as the Frosk rant happened, “Well, I wouldn’t have kept it from happening. But I became pretty certain the shitstorm that was on the horizon.”
Adam wasn’t sure his coworkers, particularly Frosk, were comfortable dealing with all the negativity that came their way; for him, however, he felt comfortable facing it. At one point in the interview; Adam shared that his viral negative Twitter presence was a strategy to gin up ratings for G4, based on trying to grab hate views back in the day at G4 original.
“Yeah, it’s like, you know, I mean, there was a point where in order to keep ratings going, if I needed to bleed myself a little, okay, let’s do it. And that’s why I think people were like; I was so shocked how shocked people when I was being blunt on Twitter and saying, you know, I was, I was doing it. I was being paid by G4, so my interest was in the ratings and the survival of the show.”
Vito wonders about the adverse reaction from fans: “Was the network expecting the response?” And Sessler, after some thought, points out that defining what the network was -in terms of Comcast or G4- was hard to do. Overall, the network didn’t understand who its audience even was.
“There did not seem to be as well informed and understanding of what the internet can do, and more importantly, what the gaming audience was like. Yeah, that was a little too much faith in the general humanity; that everyone thought I was comically.”
Vito: “overselling?”
Sessler: “Yeah.”
Ill-Defined:
Sessler ultimately didn’t feel comfortable working for G4 as it didn’t meet his expectations, whether that was due to what he had been told or had just assumed, he didn’t clarify: “I’ll be frank, I didn’t enjoy much of the revamp of G4. It doesn’t have to do with the people I worked with or anything like that. I could just tell early on that it was going to be moving in a direction that I wasn’t exactly aligned with what I had thought it was going to be.”
Vito asks for clarification. Is this because of the focus on E-sports? Sessler says no, “I thought it was actually going to try to be more like a formal television show. Like instead of the television, internet melange that it was.
Adam then goes back to the topic of the network being radically unprepared:
“When you go into the internet space, whether people do it deliberately or not, people overanalyze. They take the audience too much into consideration, I think, oh, will they get it? Oh, will they like it? Will it make them upset and it’s like, but the thing is, if you upset the audience, that’s not necessarily a negative. And you never know how the audience is going to react. Which is the other the flip of that is you can’t manufacture virality.”
Dick then makes a joke about the problem being women in gaming; Sessler laughs a little, then looks annoyed and adds: “There’s actually a kernel of something I do agree with is gaming.”
“We have a gaming network is already that’s too broad. Right. Right. Now, there is no movie network. There is no book network.”
“The eSports audience in the single player audience, like there’s very very little overlap that’s gonna happen there…But to your point, the one size fits all type approach to doing a gaming network period, regardless of gender predispositions, racial dispositions is really not terribly effective. Because there was no one who loves games so much they care about every facet of games.”
Vito asks what other mistakes might have been made. Was it a mistake for the new G4 to use the original G4 moniker and branding, including the name and the old masculine approach? Sessler thought it to be a poor choice.
“I was on X-Play, and we never looked at our audience being that male. Whereas Attack of the Show show? Yes. And I always forget sometimes how I had cut for the latter part of the existence of the network. We were the other show with Attack of the Show. We were not the big seller for them. So that aspect, that Olivia aspect, yeah, I think had the most lasting impression for some people.
I’ll put it to you this way. It did have that baggage. That baggage was not an inherent problem, but that was not addressed sufficiently, that it became a problem.”
Adam would later return to the topic once more, agreeing that the network needed to be more prepared for how the internet media ecosystem operates instead of treating it like a sure-fire success.
“The thing is that where it was also, I don’t think what was also fully appreciated is that there was going to be no grace period. Yeah, if we were brand new, a brand no one had heard of didn’t involve me. It was a bunch of young people yucking it up, like the, like the Mystery Machine gang. Yeah, that’s one thing that’s gonna have some time to organically find its own footing and grow into it. When you’re taking an old brand that is rightly or wrongly perceived to have been something of a cultural behemoth, it wasn’t. And you’re bringing it back, the expectations are high, deservedly so, and you don’t have any time to make a mistake.”
Much later in the conversation, when Vito and Dick discuss how YouTube works as a platform, which was a significant focus for G4, Adam offers this criticism of people adopting the platform, which he relates to G4.
“And I’m gonna use an analogy. And please forgive me if it’s somewhat derisive of what the two of you were doing. But let’s say you try to build a career that is wholly dependent upon another company’s product. Yes. Like YouTube, for example. Yeah. And you have no ability to control nor influence what’s going to happen with that product in the future and you’re gonna have to live with it ebbs and flows. I mean, that’s the same thing. If you decide to create your identity around a corporate brand, a corporate product; that’s not smart.”
Gaming Journalism:
What may surprise readers about the interview isn’t the revelation that G4 was woefully unprepared for reviving an old dead favorite or that, according to him, his negative Twitter started as a rating play; but that Adam Sessler, as much as he hates GamerGate, in a roundabout way, agrees with them on games journalism.
Vito brought up the subject of GamerGate, for which Sessler mocked those that supported it like he attacked anyone that uses the “gamer” identifier.
“That was a stupid back then. It’s just stupid now, it takes the part that pissed me off the most was not just the hideous, slanderous attacks that had no basis in reality, because they were like one could disprove them without any effort. Right. But that there were legitimate publications that decided to take it seriously enough.”
But he didn’t just aim his fire at “gamers” – the identifier and not the hobby he articulated- but also at games journalism for enabling gamergate and then pretending to be journalists.
“Anyway, that was my little platform. But no, there was no merit to it. Why the hell people care that much about games journalism, to the extent that it exists? And there are, I would say there’s about three or four people that practice real honest to god good journalists.”
Vito then points out how nepotism in gaming news gets treated: “If I’m gonna be a game website and my buddy makes a video game like yeah, he might get some free coverage from me like that’s like it’s part of the entertainment industry. Adam agrees: “I work in the entertainment industry. It’s like everybody’s scratching everybody’s back.”
Adam refers to the game journalists: “I don’t believe (gamergate) was being engineered by people smart enough to pull that up, but it did happen organically. Were like, you know, Journalism Review. It’s like, yes, you want to think that a journalist is ethical, duh? Yeah, but most of them who they were attacking, but by no stretch of the imagination could be called a journalist.”
Sessler, if you are reading:
A reminder that once upon a time, Adam Sessler was very likable
It isn’t newsworthy, but I cannot in good conscience share excerpts of this interview without emphasizing how open Sessler seemed to be for this conversation, especially compared to his former coworkers. What may surprise some , is that during the interview, Sessler shares uncanny insight into the person he is. He knows the appearance he gives off, admits to feeling angry and disappointed with how G4 collapsed and is humble about his time in the spotlight. He admits to struggling with addiction and being overly pessimistic; he cracks jokes about cocaine use, his obesity, and being a has-been.
Politically, he identifies as having “very open liberal leanings. I am actually not a Puritan progressive by any stretch of the imagination.” He makes fun of Antifa, and you get the sense from the interview that his common-sense attitude probably stuck out like a sore thumb at the new G4.
However, for all his positives, and Sessler does have many, including recent success with a major data company -which is how he funds his lifestyle – as you can see from the video above, he still frequently insults those that identify with gaming, even though while he doesn’t use the term openly, perhaps only subconsciously, still defines himself with the hobby.
If you have Twitter, then the negativity is already well-known, so it is not the focus of this article. Still, even when you try to give him the maximum benefit of the doubt as I did, it’s hard to get around the ridiculous amount of him being an -no other way to put this- asshole, mocking those that criticized Frosk and those former defensive feeling fans as “the strange lichen encrusted basement dwelling fuck-nuts that got upset by it are obsessive and can’t let go of any perceived slight that they have in their Trump addled world.”
Sessler seems to personally justify his anger and vitriol as fair play and doesn’t see the problem with blocking someone asking if he’s doing okay, assuming those aren’t the true thoughts of kindness but veiled attacks. He understands he was popular once upon a time but doesn’t understand that some still feel a lasting connection.
That is the tragedy of Adam Sessler, you watch this interview, and you remember why we old-timers that watched X-Play loved him. He is more often funny, witty, smart without being boastful, and rueful without being smug. He had a talent as a presenter in 2004; he still does now. But for some reason, he cannot seem to shake a certain toxic cynicism, or as he put it:
“I look at life as like; it’s a con game. And you’re either the mark, or you’re the player in it.
One last thing….
So, about that infamous seal clap, it turns out that was an inside joke.
A viewer commented near the end of the interview in a super-chat if Adam would please do the seal clap, which references the infamous clapping emote that G4 edited in during Frosk’s infamous rant. Instead of getting upset, Sessler starts laughing,
Adam: oh, that’s so funny, the one where I’m going like that (claps his hands).
What’s so funny is that I had done that so many times, and it’s mine overdone version of the Charles Foster (Citizen) Kane Clap.
Dick: He’s doing a bit. (Laughs hysterically)
Adam: the thing is, if you want to read into it, which I was not intentionally doing, was that it came from the scene where Citizen Kane watches his girlfriend sing at the Opera, and she’s not doing it well.
The anime musical sequel film ‘Utano☆Princesama Maji LOVE ST☆RISH Tours’ is arriving to North America for a limited theatrical run hosted by Sentai Filmworks and HiDive.
“The boys of ST☆RISH are back,” HiDive said on their website. “Sentai & HIDIVE are proud to present Utano☆Princesama Maji LOVE ST☆RISH Tours in theaters on January 22 & 23, 2023 for a limited-time, special engagement. Featuring the band ST☆RISH in all its glory, the film celebrates one glittering act in the UtaPri firmament in a high-flying, glittering concert experience.”
The movie is directed by Jouji Furuta and features songs from the band Elements Garden. Based on a story by Noriyasu Agematsu, it features character designs by Chinatsu Kurahana and Maki Fujioka.
“With the great success of “Maji LOVE LIVE Kingdom”, the members of ST☆RISH have been busy with their idol activities. However, while their success has brought a sense of fulfillment, they began to have feelings they never felt before. “What do we do from now on…” At that time, a call comes in from the Shining Office summoning everyone to receive a “reward.” What is it…? This is the behind-the-scenes story of ST☆RISH, connecting ‘Maji LOVE Kingdom” to the “Maji LOVE ST☆RISH Tours.'”
The movie has been described to the press as a “new theatrical film series (that) will be entirely composed of concert footage of the ST☆RISH idol group.”
It is part of the “Uta no Prince-sama” anime franchise which includes the TV special ‘Utano☆Princesama♪ Maji Love ST☆RISH Tours: Tabi no Hajimari.’
The 2001 anime adaption of Hiroyuki Takei’s fantasy manga ‘Shaman King’ is being summoned for an uncut version through a new Blu-Ray release from Discotek Media. All sixty-four episodes will be included in the box set in the original Japanese audio with English subtitles in high definition.
Planned for a January 31st release, it is currently available for pre-order on the Right Stuf Anime website.
You can watch the trailer for the show below:
The show is directed by Seiji Mizushima, written by Katsuhiko Koide, and produced by the Japanese animation studio Xebec. It ran from July 4, 2001, to September 25, 2002. Netflix is currently producing a remake of the show.
Shaman King Fan Wikia describes the synopsis as follows,
“In the world of Shaman King, people with the ability to communicate and fight with spirits are collectively known as Shamans. The series is centered around Asakura Yoh, a laid-back, easygoing character who is heir to the powerful shamanic Asakura Family, as he enters the Shaman Tournament, a semi-millennial event that draws shamans from around the world to compete for the chance to become the Shaman King and the wielder of the omnipotent Great Spirit. In the process, Yoh befriends and makes rivals of other characters, and gradually learns of the true nature of the Shaman Tournament, and his connection to Asakura Hao, the favorite to win.”
The manga was initially released in Japan by Shonen Jump, but has since moved to Kodansha. They have released several spin-offs including Shaman King: Zero, Shaman King: Flowers, Shaman King: The Super Star, Shaman King: Red Crimson, and Shaman King: Marcos. In the United States, Kodansha USA currently holds the license to publish the manga.
4Kids TV originally held the license for the show and produced an English dub for the series that was heavily edited.
Attending a con as a creator is very different then being a fanboy or fangirl. While fans are there to have a good time and spend some money, you’re there to promote and make money. If you’ve read my previous columns, you already know some of the basics, but let’s drill down in detail what to do and what to expect at a comic book convention.
Booking the Gig
The normal procedure for comic cons, even the small ones, is to have a few creators in the mix. For large shows, they will have something called “Artists’ Alley”— A special room or area just for creators and artists. At smaller shows, they may be reduced to a few tables or even just one local artist.
Contact them ahead of time. The larger the con, usually the larger the lead up you’ll need. Be prepared to explain who you are and your credits. Comic books are generally the focus, but sometimes the door can open if you’re an illustrator for games or a writer in some kind of genre entertainment like fantasy or sci-fi.
Larger cons tend to have some fees, sometimes expensive ones. Personally, I never pay unless I’m sure the con is going to do gangbusters, but I have Simpsons credits so it’s usually not an issue. $50 or lower is reasonable, but anything more I would question unless you’re just dying to be there or have a great plan to move a ton of product.
Once you confirmed your table space, book your hotel ASAP if you need one. This expense alone is usually what kills any chance of profit for a creator, so choose wisely. Ideally, you have a friend in the area that lets you crash on his couch for a weekend. Perhaps it’s close enough to just drive home every night, but if you have to book a hotel chase down the best deal. At Dragon Con, I would stay outside of Atlanta and drive twenty minutes to the show. It was more aggravation, but I saved at least a hundred bucks a night even with the additional parking I had to pay. (Don’t forget, your parking, gas, tolls and hotel is all tax deductible for small businesses.)
If you’re a desired guest for the show, they may give you a hotel room. Sometimes this means you might have to share one with a fellow creator, but that can save a lot of money. The gaming cons tend to be better at this than comic cons because they always have to reserve blocks of rooms and they’re almost always more than a day. Don’t be afraid to ask, but be prepared to make a decision whether or not you’re still going if they say no. (If they do give you a room, do NOT order room service unless they’re crazy enough to tell you it’s included. Some cons might give you a per diem for food or take you out to eat too!)
The homemade Silent Devil Booth I built from PVC pipe during the New York Comic Con in the late 2000’s
One Day Shows
One day comic book conventions are easier because you usually don’t have to book a hotel. If you had to drive a great distance and need a hotel room, plan to get there the day before, not the day of. This way, you’ll have plenty of time and be nice and relaxed. Conventions usually don’t run past 7 or 8pm for a one-day, so you should have plenty of time to drive home that day rather than stay an additional day and obliterate your profit margin.
Show up early. I cannot stress this enough. Things go wrong, sometimes there are lines and if you show up last minute you could end up standing outside the whole first hour of the con.
You’ll have to get a name badge or at the very least, connect with he con organizer and find your table. Typically, I arrive an hour early, keep my stuff locked in the car, walk inside, get my badge, scope out my table space and then start unloading. Make sure you make friends with the people nearby. You want to watch out for each other’s merch. This is usually not a problem at small shows, but you never know.
Getting Set Up
Bring in all your stuff and park the car if you have to move it. I usually put up my backdrop first. This is a signal to everyone that can see it who I am and what I’m promoting. At that moment, I am prepared to sell. Fellow vendors are often customers too, so don’t be afraid to sell them. They tend to hit tables before the show starts or when it’s slow, usually not when everyone is scrambling to get out for the day. Don’t get too caught up in stopping your set up to sell a comic, but be open to it. Vendors understand that you have to be ready for the fans.
The Table
Next, I put down my tablecloth and start unboxing the books. Tablecloth color is important. You want something that makes the eyes focus on your books, not the tablecloth. Black and other dark colors work best, unless your covers are all steeped in black and dark colors, then you might go with white or yellow. Ultimately, you want something neutral, so gray or medium blue is not a bad choice if you’re in the middle. Absolutely do not use red. Red is disruptive to the nervous system (which is why it’s great for signs and lettering), but as your tablecloth it’s the exact wrong color to use. People will see you from a long way off and then they will come to your table to have their eyes drawn to…your tablecloth.
The author at the Philly Con: Snagged a corner table and my black tablecloth wasn’t enough. See the difference between the black and white covering ? This is before I had my new backdrop, distractions abound behind me. I’m goofing around. Don’t make this face.
Should you use a rack? I have an amazing comic rack and I no longer use it. I found that I have to much material, fans would mistake me for a vendor. It also looked a little too professional and business-like and blocked some of my sign and me sitting down behind the table. I think you want openness at your table so you fans feel like they can step in and look over everything. The rack allows them to stand further away. Unless you’re a company with a line of books, I’d say don’t use it.
Layout your books in order of importance: Your current books go front and center and everything else goes around that. Have a sign with your name and what you do. If you have enough credits, I also use a sign for that. If you’re an artist taking commissions, put up a price list and it’s sometimes better to have a price list of everything on your table. Keep a stack of postcards/business cards or whatever you’re handing out. Always have a stack near you. You want to personally hand it to the fan. If you find yourself with extra space, it never hurts to have a second stack on the table so people can just feel like they can take one.
These days, I have just books on the table, but other merch should be grouped according to your project and interest. For me, I group The Pineys books and the Jersey Devil comic book front and center. The Pineys is my main sell and the Jersey Devil comics are in the same wheelhouse.
At the sides of my table, I’ll have my other books. I’ll group my Complete Mafia for d20 with my Italian book on one side and then on the other I’ll put all the kids comics like Jetta Raye Adventures and The Travelers. This way, if someone walks up to the table with little kids, I can point them to the part of my table they’d mostly likely be interested.
You may not have as much merch as I do and if you’re table is looking a little empty, you might want to fill it up. Don’t make it look cluttered. You still want something that is a presentation. Here’s a list of some potential display items you don’t sell, but they might attract people to your table.
Artwork/Portfolio: This is often the main display of many artists. It never hurts to display your art, even if you have no intention of selling it. (Make that clear: Either have a sign for prices or label the pieces “not for sale”.)
Custom Figures/Displays: There are action figure guys that can make a custom action figure of your character to put on display. I did this with the Jersey Devil and even cut a deal where I sold some of them.
Previews of Future Comics: You may have some of the artwork of the next issue. Assuming it doesn’t completely give away your story, you may want to have some on the table or at least the cover art. Make sure you label it with “Coming Soon” or whenever you’re slated to release it.
Character Props: Even if you’re not cosplaying as one of your characters, making a prop of one of their items can make for a neat display. A prop guy made the mace for one of my characters in The Travelers and I took it to the shows whether I was in costume or not. It was a good conversation starter.
Work Areas: You can make a spot for you or an artist to work. I like to have a small spot so I can sign my books, although I hide my pens and notebook for tallying orders behind one of the table signs.
Giveaways: Stickers, pins, custom pens— Whatever. Some people like to give away candy. It’s a mixed bag. You’ll get a lot of people coming for candy who won’t even look at your comic. They just want candy. Unless your comic is candy-related or you’re handing out samples because you’re also selling candy, I recommend no.
What you don’t want on your table is food and drink. This is a huge hazard that can go very, very wrong. I use the top of one of my bins as a lower table for my food and drink. It hides it from the fans and if I knock it over, the bin is made of plastic and the liquid won’t get on any of the comics. I also always save a bunch of napkins from my fast food purchases and keep them for wiping spills or makeshift tissues.
Me as Father Shambles from The Travelers back in the day. The mace prop was better than my costume. The rack I mentioned is also on the right.
Preparing Yourself
Okay, now you have your backdrop and table prepared. You’ve organized the boxes below so you know where to reach to resupply whatever you run out. You have allowed yourself leg space so you can stretch out under the table after sitting for four hours. Most importantly, you’ve walked in front of your own table and looked at it so you know what the fans are seeing. Adjust accordingly.
I know it sounds unlikely, but sometimes the guy behind you will have a distracting display. Make sure your backdrop blocks it. Make sure you’re not sitting in front of your own sign and make sure all the boxes are under your table and behind the tablecloth so everything looks nice and clean.
Now, your look. What’s your presentation? For me, I’m dressing as a hunter for the Pineys. That looks is a camo cap, hunter’s vest, open flannel shirt with a Piney Power t-shirt underneath. With that I can wear jeans and I could wear work boots, but since I want to be comfortable, I can get away with sneakers. I’m unshaven, but that’s part of the look. Your mileage may vary. Here are some basic looks you might want to consider.
Me as the Pledgemaster for Super Frat. Custom fraternity paddle I carried during shows with Silent Devil.
The Artist: You shouldn’t be in a suit, but you should still dress nice. Business casual. If you’re going to rock the comic book t-shirt and jeans, make sure they’re not stained and you should be well groomed. A sports jacket on top will make you look more classy or an open Hawaiian shirt over top makes you look fun and tourist-y. Five o’clock shadow, greasy hair and a stained faded shirt is not someone people want to interact.
The Creator/Publisher: Think Stan Lee, how did he dress? Again, business casual, well groomed. This is also the look for the writer, but unfortunately almost no one will ask for the writer at a comic book show. If you’re pushing an entire company, new jackets and shirts with the company logos, possibly on hats as well. You’re the captain of the ship, look like it.
The Character: You’re essentially cosplaying as one of your characters. If you still have to handle money and sales, make sure your outfit is practical. If you’re dressed like the bugs in Aliens, it’s going to be pretty hard to make change using claws and seeing through an alien head. Understand, there’s a fine line between doing something that enhances the table and drawing in a bunch of people that only want to take a picture and leave. If the costume is fairly elaborate and you’ve hired a model, send her around the con to draw people back to the table.
A Note About Hot Chicks: I love hot chicks. Who doesn’t? The problem is, if you hire one to be a model, her hotness becomes the attraction, not the comic. Fanboys can be a horny lot and they will show up in droves to take pics. You might even be able to charge them for the privilege, but I don’t believe it drives the sales to a story. The rule of thumb tends to be, a girl in a costume will attract a lot of horny guys, while a guy in a costume is more of a mascot. Don’t yell at me, I didn’t invent biology or perception.
Now you’ve unloaded, prepared your table and dressed appropriately. Ideally, you now have 20-30 minutes before the show opens. First, relax. You’ve done good! You’re ready to go and if anything had gone wrong, you would’ve have the buffer to absorb and still be prepared when the doors opened. Good job.
It’s time to go to the bathroom. If you’re lucky, you’ll be so swamped you won’t have time for the rest of the show. Secure your money and phone, ask your table buddy to watch things and go relieve yourself. If you didn’t bring food or drink (and I told you in the last column to pack a lunch) now might be the time to grab something. Cons often provide bottles of water, so buy or snag a few of them for the table.
Walk around the con and check out the competition. Although the end of the show is usually the best time to buy, if you’re gung-ho to start wasting your money now is a good time. Personally, I try not to piss away all my profit before the damn show starts!
It’s a better idea to network with other creators and publishers. You might set yourself up for some more freelance work in the future or even a publishing deal. Don’t be shy about chatting it up. Also, get to know the comic book store owners— You know, the guys that actually buy comics. Feel free to ask them if they’d be interested in some signed copies of your book for their store and be prepared to offer the appropriate discount. Know exactly what it will cost them because that’s the first thing they’re going to ask. Most will be too busy to buy before the con, but the interested ones will say to check back at the end. (That’s when they will hopefully be flush with cash and feeling generous. This is absolutely critical if you want to move product. One of my best shows was in Pittsburgh and the local retailer cleaned me out of all the comics I brought.)
Your final check should be to make sure your change money is ready and that you can log into the phone app that will allow you to take credit cards. You should have plenty of pens and Sharpies to sign books. I like to bring a small notebook to tally sales or in case I need a piece of paper for something.
The Doors Open
Be at your table, be ready and don’t get too antsy. Fans sometimes like to walk the con, figure out what they’re going to buy and come back. Don’t act desperate. Be confident in your product. You’ll sell it. And even if you don’t, you need that air of confidence to make sales. If it’s early, just be nice and say “Good morning” when you make eye contact.
Like any salesperson, you want to be friendly, presentable and knowledgeable. You have to look excited to be there. Keep your energy up. If you’re not happy to be there, why would your customer? (See my list of the previous column.)
Spidermans and Deadpool probably don’t have their wallets handy. Just sayin’.
Dealing With Customers
The customer is always right, but the customer isn’t always easy. In an ideal world, a customer will come to your table and within a few minutes be walking away with their purchase. That happens sometimes, but more often you’ll be dealing with individual quirks and delays. Most people are aware that you’re running a small business, but some people are just a pain. Give anyone that buys from you great latitude, but here’s what you do with problem customers.
The Talker: The fanboy that’s talking your ear off is the toughest one to deal with because they are usually so enthusiastic. The challenge is to move him along and not dampen his enthusiasm or insult him. If he buys, let him ramble awhile, but if anyone else comes up to the table I put a finger and say, “Hold that thought.” Then introduce the new fan to your product. Most people get the message that you can’t sit there all day and talk to them, some will wait you out and continue the convo. If they’re respectful of other fans and you interrupting, that’s actually ideal. Customers tend to come to a table that already has someone standing there anyway. Let him talk!
The problem arises if the Talker didn’t buy anything and is rambling about some comic book drama you don’t have a stake in. You also don’t want a guy spewing his controversial opinions loudly in front of an audience that might frown and associate you with those bad takes. This is rare, but if you have to jettison the Talker, simply say something like, “I would love to discuss this, but I can’t right now. I appreciate you stopping by. Please, take a postcard and shoot me an email sometime.” This way, you’re not rejecting him, you’re just asking him to talk to you in a more appropriate venue.
The Woman With Kids: Now if you have a comic aimed at kids, this is pay dirt. Start your pitch, invite the kids to look and wait for the moment they pressure mom into a sale. Kids are messy and rough with product, so anticipate damaged product over the course of a show.
But if you don’t have a comic that can be sold to kids or the kids are too young or she just pushed a baby carriage to block your entire table— You might need to move her along if she starts rearranging things in the carriage. (I had one mom that actually attempted a diaper change right in front of me.) First step, just start pitching her the comic. If you’re lucky, she’ll buy it for herself. 80% of the time the answer will be, “Oh, I’m just here with my boyfriend/husband.”
If she still keeps blocking your table and looks like she’s camped out for the day, just keep pitching. Mothers like this are usually looking for a moment’s peace from the bustle of the con, in front of your table is not the place. Don’t get mad, keep being friendly and your incessant sales pitch will get her walking. If she still doesn’t get the message, you can try “Thanks for stopping by!”
Kids Alone: Don’t sell to kids directly without the parents there. Parents have to approve their purchases anyway. In rare instances, the parent has given them some money to spend and are testing the waters to see if a kid can manage the money. As a rule though, assume the kid will need to bring his parent over for the purchase.
Teenagers are usually okay to sell unless your comic has a hard adult theme. You should still be a little wary depending on their apparent age, but it’s usually fine.
Rude Customers: Maintain your composure at all times. Unless a customer does something very extreme like damage your merchandise or attack you, just keep your friendly façade up until they walk away. (They may actually still buy, they may just be an a-hole.) If they make noise like they’re not interested just say, “Well, thanks for coming by.” They’ll get bored and leave. It’s on you to be patient, not them.
Cosplayers: Odds are, they don’t have money on them. They’re in costume. They tend to be a bad bet in terms of customer potential unless they walk up directly toward your table with interest. If they have a costume related to your genre (like cowboy costume and you have a Western) you might have a chance in talking them into passing out some of your fliers for a few minutes. (Make sure you talk to them a few minutes to confirm they’re not insane.) Otherwise, you might not want an endless stream of fans taking pictures in front of your table.
The Shirt Factor: One of the ways I size up a potential fan is to look at their shirt. Fanboys love to wear t-shirts of superheroes or dragons or whatever. That’s usually a signal to what they like so use it to chat them up if they approach. “Which Spiderman is that on your shirt? Ben Reilly? Oh, yeah I remember him. Anyway, I’m Tony and this is my comic…”
Overall, just be nice to everyone. Someone that doesn’t buy today, might remember your pleasant demeanor and buy something in the future or at your online shop. Negativity is for the end of magnets, not your comic con table.
Remember, you’re not there to draw. You’re there to sell and promote. Keep an eye out for customers and engage, don’t bury your head in work. Photo from Pixabay.
Ending the Day
In a one day show, you pack up and leave. You may be tempted to leave early with the first person that cracked and decided to beat traffic— Resist. I’m usually the last guy in the room to start packing up. When the row you’re table is in looks like it’s being completely dismantled, it’s probably time. A good con will usually force vendors to tough it out until the end time.
As the show dies off, it’s a good time to run back to those vendors that seemed interested in your comic. If they have a store and made some money, they might take a few books. Get a business card. At the very least, you might have a lead for a future signing or sale sometime in the future.
When it’s over, box up everything, take down your sign and load up your car. This is usually when I wish I had an assistant! Fortunately, I have it down to a science and can make it in one or two trips. Hot tip: If you’re in a hotel, borrow the luggage cart and you can make it to your cart in one trip. If it’s raining, pull to the front of the hotel and take advantage of the overhang.
Multi-Day Shows
The end of the day doesn’t mean it’s over. Decide what you’re going to leave at the table. Obviously, take the money, your phone and valuables. Usually I just pull my tablecloth over the merchandise on the table, then push my chair to block the boxes underneath the table. Artwork and displays— Especially stuff you spent a lot of money on, should probably go with you back to the hotel or spend the night in the trunk of your car.
A post-con dinner is a good time to network and connect with fellow creators. Many of them will be starving and anxious to go to dinner. The cliques will quickly form and can sometimes get out of control. (I personally led a 35-person entourage after a Philly show to Chinatown where we took over the whole second floor of the restaurant.)
Try to meet up with someone local, they’ll know the best places and deals on dinner. If you’re hardcore, you have food packed back at the hotel that you’ll be heating up on a hotplate.
Networking
I’ll get into this in another column, but the best place to network is in the hotel bar associated with the con. Either it’s the host hotel or the one connected to the convention center. Set up shop early and be prepared to buy drinks, you might talk yourself into some extra freelance work.
Con Parties
This will be another column in detail (I have many stories!) but they are also an opportunity to relax, eat and party. They are also good for networking, if you’re lucky. Be advised, being hungover for the con on Sunday (the money day) is the worst thing you could possibly do. Drink responsibly, fanboy.
Second and Third Day of the Con
Again, show up early and be prepared. Treat it like a job and be professional. The last day of the con will be your money day. Fans have come for the weekend often unload their wallets on the last day, depending on the show. They also appreciate it when a creator stays on the last day if the ones around them leave. Some people just want to spend it all before they go home.
Like a one-day show, you’re going to pack up and leave on the last day. Unless you’re staying an extra day before the drive home, you should check out of your hotel room on the last day before you arrived at the con. (Another reason you’ll need to be up early.) The moment your car is packed, you should probably head out. Sometimes it makes more sense to have dinner until the traffic out of the city dies down and other times it makes more sense to start your trip to eat somewhere that’s cheaper. Do the research ahead of time and you’ll save yourself some money or time.
With any luck, you’ll be talking all the way home about how it was a fun and profitable comic con.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves comes out this year, and the merchandise for the film is starting to roll out. Last year we covered the Gelatinous Cube from Hasbro, and now more action figures have surfaced for you to feed to the iconic D&D threat. One of those figures is based on Hugh Grant’s character named Forge. Yes! Finally! A Hugh Grant toy! I can recreate all my favorite scenes from Mickey Blue Eyes, but with dragons, dungeons, and cubes!
The three newly announced figures, the others being Michelle Rodriguez’s Holga and Justice Smith’s Simon, are part of Hasbro’s 6″ line of collectibles. Like Marvel Legends, these D&D Golden Archive figures feature lots of articulation, detail, and windowless packaging. Yup. Hasbro still thinks collectors want to display pictures of model renders rather than the actual toy. Sigh.
These figures are pricey, like Hasbro’s other 6″ toy line. Each character is $24.99. Forge, Holga, and Simon are available right now.
Photo Credit: Hasbro
Photo Credit: Hasbro
“Forge is a Human Rogue and currently the Lord of Neverwinter.”
Photo Credit: Hasbro
Photo Credit: Hasbro
“Simon is a Half-Elf Sorcerer and a descendant of the great Wizard Elminster Aumur.”
Photo Credit: Hasbro
Photo Credit: Hasbro
“Holga is a fierce Barbarian from the Uthgardt Elk Tribe with a surprisingly warm heart.”
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will premiere in the U.S. on March 31st, 2023. Although the film does not have the over-the-top charm of the 2000 movie, it’s evident that co-directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are trying to give the new fantasy epic an MCU flavor. Does it land? Let us know.
Hasbro must drum up a lot of goodwill if it hopes to retain the Dungeons & Dragons customer base. Following the OGL 1.1 fiasco, there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the legendary TTRPG and the future of the franchise’s multimedia efforts. Will fans continue to spend money on D&D merchandise or movies if Wizard of the Coast keeps up its shenanigans?
The star and co-creator of Rick and Morty, Justin Roiland, has been charged with false imprisonment and domestic battery. As reported by NBC News, the charges stem from May 2020, and Roiland has since pleaded “not guilty.” However, the case continues slowly through the court system, and many details are off-limits to the public. Roiland was arrested in 2020 but released on a $50k bond. The arraignment occurred in October of that same year.
Roiland’s alleged victim has remained anonymous. She has a protective order against him, which forbids Roiland from threatening, harassing, or monitoring her. He must also stay 100′ away from the unnamed victim until the order expires later this year. Most of the information regarding this case is still under a protective order.
The complete list of the charges against Roiland is as follows:
(1) felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury
(1) felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud, and/or deceit
We’re not sure when more info regarding the case will be released. Justin Roiland is scheduled to reappear in court on April 27th. This follows his January 12th, 2023 court date, where Roiland was offered a plea deal. Since all the court proceedings are so secretive, it is unknown whether he agreed to the deal or what it included.
This isn’t Justin Roiland’s first time being accused of scummy behavior. Now that the news about the domestic violence charges is circulating, old skeletons are starting to tumble out of the closet. Be warned that some of the resurfacing tweets, texts, and videos are bad.
Yeah, he has a weird fascination with underage people in sexual situations. Will this current legal trouble open up the floodgates? We’ll have to wait and see. Given that the case has yet to have an official trial date if it ever makes it that far, who knows what else may come to the surface. With so many facts about what happened under wraps, there may be some intense news on the way.
‘PuraOre! Pride of Orange’ is a sports anime from the Japanese animation studios CAAnimation and C2C. It ran in late 2021 for a single season of twelve episodes. Crunchyroll acquired the license to release it in the United States and has produced an English dub of the series.
Anime News Network revealed the cast in an article:
Bryn Apprill as Manaka Mizusawa
Ryan Bartley as Yu Kiyose
Lizzie Freeman as Ayaka Mizusawa
Julia Gu as Naomi Takagi
Morgan Lauré as Kaoruko Yanagida
Michelle Marie as Mami Ono
Kayli Mills as Riko Saginuma
Katelyn Barr as Maya Walker
Ashely Biski as Minato Shishiuchi
Anthony Bowling as Takahito Suzuki
Chris Cason as Shunzo Nishigori
Christie Cate as Eri Yamanaka
Christina Costello as Rio Teruya
Suzanne DeCarma as Juri Kikuchi
Caitlyn Elizabeth as China Yoneyama
Caitlyn Elizabeth as Rikako Mizusawa
Dorah Fine as Akiho Hayashida
Analesa Fisher as Ema Yoshiike
Stephen Fu as Sou Sato
Rachelle Heger as Seiko Kuga
Shara Kirby as Mona Fujishiro
Krystal LaPorte as Atsumi Kawakami
Elsie Lovelock as Yukino Mizusawa
Yuuki Luna as Kanna Maruoka
Maddie Matsumoto as Yuka Iihara
Deneen Melody as Kaori Mihara
Deneen Melody as Mari Mihara
Corey Pettit as Yôko Matsunaga
Cat Protano as Sachie Kaibara
Sarah Roach as Rino Nakayama
Lindsay Sheppard as Mami’s Mother
Lindsay Sheppard as Ruri Sakai
Natalie Van Sistine as Naomi’s Mother
Natalie Van Sistine as Runa Hirano
Micah Solusod as Ryoma Nakayama
Elizabeth Sweet as Machiko Sugawara
Helena Walstrom as Shino Ukita
Sarah Williams as Keiko Nohara
Apphia Yu as Junko Yaginuma
You can watch the trailer below:
The show was directed by Takebumi Anzai and written by Touko Machida.
“Third-year junior high schooler Manaka Mizusawa is tasked by her teacher to put a poster up about a trial ice hockey class sponsored by the Dream Monkeys, their city’s local professional team. Interested in attending the class herself, Manaka also persuades her younger sister Ayaka and her clubmates Kaoruko Yanagida and Mami Ono to join her.
When the four gather at the gymnasium where the tutorial is held, they meet fellow third-year students Riko Saginuma and Naomi Takagi. As the girls practice their hearts out, their fascination for the sport increases, motivating them to play on a competitive level. Wanting to experience the unique and exciting memories that ice hockey can offer, the girls gradually form a team that has the potential to reach the top.”
‘PuraOre! Smile Princess’ is a mobile game developed by EXNOA based on the anime that is no longer in service.
Vin Diesel is returning to voice the alien tree Groot in the MCU feature film ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3,’ but that is not the only place you can find him. Marvel Comics is giving the iconic hero his own solo limited series with ‘Groot.’
“This April, see the thrilling mission that turned Groot into one of the galaxy’s greatest defenders in an all-new limited series,” Marvel said on their website. “The iconic hero will headline his very own solo series that will reveal his never-before-told origin and depict his first breathtaking battles! Launching with GROOT #1, the series will feature the momentous return of writer Dan Abnett, known for redefining the Guardians characters and Marvel space as we know it in his acclaimed run of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and epics like ANNIHILATION and WAR OF THE KINGS.”
They continue, “Abnett will team up with rising star Damian Couceiro, known for his work on GHOST RIDER: RETURN OF VENGEANCE and X-FORCE, to take readers back to Planet X to explore Groot’s early days and uncover the truth about his home and species. Groot’s thrilling journey across the galaxy will see him cross paths with the original Captain Marvel and introduce the distant ancestor of a fellow Guardian.”
Abbnett expressed his excitement for the series, telling fans, “I am Groot! No, that’s not right… I am delighted to be back WITH Groot for this series that will explore his early life and adventures, reveal some secrets of his home and his people, introduce some fantastic new characters, reveal a couple of big secrets… and also guest star some VERY unexpected Marvel characters.”
“So it’s back to the future for a blast from the past…. no, that’s not right either… If you like Marvel Cosmic, you’re going to LOVE this,” he added.
The comic book is set to hit comic book stands on April 5, 2023.
Last year, Eagelmoss, a premium model kit subscription service provider, closed up shop. No matter where customers were in their builds of the Ghostbusters Ecto-1 or Back to the Future DeLorean, they were out of luck. At $50+ a month for a few parts, many people were looking at nearly a thousand dollars flushed down the drain. Luckily, a company has come to help clean up this mess.
According to Ghostbusters News, Fanhome has picked up Eaglemoss’s licenses and customer database. While not every subscription is back on track, the Time Machine and Ecto-1 will be soon. In addition, Fanhome will let former Eaglemoss customer restart their kit, saying, “You will be able to choose from which issue you resume your collection – allowing you to continue where you left off.”
Back to the Future DeLorean builders will also get a 2nd chance to finish their models. Unlike the Ecto-1, the Time Machine is currently in the pre-order stage. Fanhome will let customers start their Time Machine wherever they want, but you cannot order previous issues independently. So, if you have a broken part, it may be easier to find that piece on eBay or through one of the various reseller sites instead. I stopped my subscription when it got into the BTTF III railroad parts. So, If I ever want to finish those ancillary add-ons, I can.
If you’re interested in starting the Ecto-1 model, here’s a breakdown of the costs for those in the U.S.:
The Ecto-1 is complete in 37 packages (141 assembly stages and magazines).
The first package contains two assembly stages. After that, you will receive a package each month containing 4 assembly stages and a magazine featuring your build instructions.
Each package is $55.96. The 1st package is now at the special price of $8.00, and the 2nd at $41.97. Don’t miss the chance to enjoy this special offer!
Shipping & Handling on your 1st package is completely free! From the second package onwards, the S&H cost is $9.60 per package.
Other subscription model kits include Knight Rider‘s K.I.T.T. and the Enterprise 1701-D.
Over the three years it took for me to get all the DeLorean model parts; I encountered some strangeness. Three times I got duplicate parts in the mail. Twice, the parts were damaged beyond use. Sometimes there were three-month gaps between shipments. Were you an Eaglemoss customer? Let us know your experiences in the comments section below.
