I have this story for a comic. Only it’s not really a story… okay it’s a story in the very loosest sense but it’s not about plot or things happening. So in this Not Story, the main guy character wants to talk to me about Video Games. In fact he’s angry I don’t remember more about them. And I’ve been thinking at some level, like a heavy process in the way back undeveloped areas of my brain meat and every now and then the character will pop up and make vague motions with his hands and tell me about Video Games right up in my head’s security camera and it makes him hard to ignore but most of the time he’s like “Where’s Waldo” somewhere in the background of my mind. He’s making fairly rude gestures and I think adding graffiti to all the buildings and and he does other stuff but it’s all out of sight cause all he wants to talk to ME about is Video Games.

It’s a little distracting. These Video Games mean more to this character then just what they were. And I’m not even sure if I can get what his points about life are from them but it all ties back into Video Games some how. I GET that he’s young and that this stuff is important in some odd way but I’m worried cause I just can’t seem to remember enough about the video games I played when I was young to fill in what this guy needs.

I’ve got Gauntlet the arcade game, and Legend of Zelda, and Sonic… the first one. I’m thinking Mario and Duck hunt and Ghouls and Goblins, and The first Metroid, and that rather silly bomb game you played with a robot or something? Wasn’t there some sort of Maze game where you’d try to go through a maze? I think that one was on an early computer. Also maybe Ultima 4 for the early Macs or was that Might and Magic? It was in Black and White.

Of course Street Fighter 2 but it gets sort of vague after that cause I think this guy isn’t much older then 12 or 13 and there’s some level where the time frame and the games don’t mesh.

For a fictional character he’s driving me crazy. So I was going to ask you guys… What do you remember playing as a child that fits in with the games above. I know I’m missing a lot of stuff that came out around that time. Maybe Oregon Trail, Lemonade stand? Anyway, anything would be helpful as looking through Video game histories are not as helpful as I thought. =O

So yay I’m back from my trip to Anthro-con, where I impersonated myself and hung art for 4 people minus the other me. That was fun. The convention center for Antro-con is top notch and I’m glad Clubstripes bought two tables. Even with one artist we still used all of the space. I had booth help from a good friend and also since he was living in Pittsburgh a place to stay that wasn’t the hotel that cost 200 dollars a night… yowch.

His place in Pittsburgh was really neat too. He only lived on the base floor but he had 3 floors and a basement of space. Everything out there is tall and the houses are built incredibly close together… There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of street lights. and I kept thinking that this was the perfect place to shank someone in the night. Thankfully no one decided that would be fun around his house. Staying at his place reminded me off going to camps where they have quint but rundown buildings for the kids to sleep in. Also some of his windows were put in upside down. =] Somehow the houses had a lot of style even thought they were tall 3 story rectangles.

Driving was fun too. What is up with the streets there? They are crazy. There’s one intersection by his house that has a two way yield going under a coal train track that’s elevated. one of space between the struts on the bridge is blocked by beams so both sides of ongoing traffic must make a run through the single opening. It’s a good thing he lives on a dead end street. I wanted to take pictures of that one. The downtown area is a complete mess and they really need better signs around that town cause one wrong turn can take you across a river or two or out to the airport. We got lost so many times.

The con went very well for us. I got to talk to a lot of people and this time I had enough sleep to recognize some of them. Oh, and thanks so much Serenity for the con badge. That was super sweet. Got to talk to a few artists I liked here and there but mostly ran the booth. I did buy some art in the artshow and have so far managed to keep from putting them in a drawer and forgetting about them. Most art I buy ends up tucked away for some reason. It’s possible because I don’t have many good frames or that I know as an artist that sunlight destroys and thous I never want to hang stuff where it could fade.

I pimp people:

Matt Sherer of Badly Drawn Kitties fame hung out with us and helped at Marcy’s table which was next to ours. He was happy to come with us on our food adventures to the Brazilian Barbecue place which was an awesome cycle of meat cooking on swords that travel to your table. Tender juicy slightly cooked meats. It was good if pricey. Don’t order the desserts though they’re a bit over pricey. Over all though really worth it.

TK Labus. I bought some art show pictures from her and her group. They collaborate a lot so I have, I think, a part of something she and Amy Fennell “Lyosha” drew. Which is cools. I also bought TK’s con badge samples and I still wonder if I should have given her more money. Hmmm, it’s probably okay. I liked their stuff much.

Talked very briefly to Ursula Vernon who creates the comic Digger which I enjoy a lot and in the archives is free right now for the Eisners. I actually voted this year.

Hmm, I meet a lot more people than that but I’m tired. So I will leave it here… I hope I fill in the rest and touch on A-kon. Cause I’m bad about this stuff a lot of the time. Heh I still need to paint that comic page.

If you’ve donated (=D) I have sent all of you your free sketches through email attachments to your Paypal email. Please let me know if you have not received them. Thanks so much guys. =]

I think I may make a subscription area with a password that people who donate will receive so all of the thank you sketches can be enjoyed by anyone that donates. However I’m still thinking about how to do this… my webcomicsnation site can do automated subscriptions. I might set it up there.

I haven’t been on the net much and I feel kind of internet-negative of late. I think, I’m just rather detached from what people are doing online since I’m getting back to drawing the comics. So far, I’ve finished a 2 page My Muse story with Reason and also I’ve gone back to my sad abandoned one pager that’s grown to be 5 to 6 pages. As soon as I finish that longer story I’m going to start updating My Muse again.

The con season though is quickly approaching like a large truck with no headlights. I’m going to 2 cons back-to-back and I’m sure that will be a happy wonderful thing if I don’t get sick or die.

I’m hitting A-Kon 17 on June 9-11 in Dallas, Texas. I have a table in the Komik Market, in Section D, Map of the Komik Market. I should also have panels in the art show… but I still have no idea what to put on them. Eh, I’m sure I’ve got stuff to put up.

Then the week after A-kon I’m going to Antro-con on June 15-18 in Pittsburgh, PA. I’ll be helping to run the Clubstripes booth in the dealers room and I’ll have art in the art show.

Then about a month after that I head off to San Diego Comic Con on July 20-23 in San Diego, CA. I won’t have a booth but I’ll have stuff in the art show and think I may decide on certain times to be at the art show itself so that if any of you guys want to meet me at the con you’ll be able to find me. Unlike last year. Woe. I’m currently not hanging out at ANY of the booths I’ve been at before so the times I make to be at the art show will be the place to find me. Otherwise I’ll be wandering the floor to look around and talk to people like all the rest of the peeps.

Edit: It appears that I’ll probably be in Califorina for Anime Expo on Saturday and Sunday. I’ll just be wandering around as far as I know. So I’m not going to be easy to find. Should be fun, but is it too much to hope that they run the convention better this time. I mean really last time I went Expo it was a mess.

Sigh, I’ve done almost no work to get ready for these cons. I really should get on that or something.

I run to do errands… finally. To mail things I go!