CrockerCon is back and it’s a big one. It’s been 10 years this year and I’m proud to say I’ve been a part of every one so far (I even had the distinct honor to draw the poster for the 2019 show). What’s even more special is that this year also marks the 10th anniversary of Long John since the firstpageswere posted in June 2014, so I’ve always thought of CrockerCon as a sort of birthday party for the comic.
As always, I’ll have a table at the show with the normal assortment of books and merch (pins and posters). Additionally, I will also be co-hosting a panel about webcomics at 8:30pm in the Meeting Center with Melissa McCommon of the incredible webcomic, Epic Chaos!
The show starts at 6pm and goes until 9pm. If you’re a member of the museum (which I heartily recommend), it’s a free event for you. If you’re not a member, you can get through the door at the price of $25.
I’m always excited for this show, but never more than this 10th anniversary year! I hope to see you there!
I am super excited to be a vendor at the very first comic-con hosted by local game shop, Great Escape Games! Even though it’s a show about comics, it’s being hosted at Sacramento’s premier spot for tabletop gaming––from role-playing games to wargaming, Great Escape Games’ Summer Comic-Con is the place to go for anyone with nerdy tastes! I hope to see you there!
Date: Saturday, August 3, 2024 Time: 12 PM – 8 PM Where: 1250 Howe Ave #3A Sacramento, CA Admission: FREE
Food is involved in the fight, though this is not, per se, a food fight.
With the summer here, work on Chapter 6 is going full speed ahead. I draw and ink in batches of 3-4 pages (depending on complexity) and have been making steady progress over the last month. Most importantly, I’ve been really happy with how the pages have turned out.
Progress is always seen in the rear-view mirror, and I always worry about how much I’m actually stunting my progress because––as I’ve stated before––I’m not someone who draws a lot. I tend to draw when I either a) force myself to or b) draw pages of the comic. So, along with all the normal intrusive thoughts of self-doubt and despair, there’s the added worry of whether I’ve worsened in the intervening time.
This is one of those few times when I actually feel the improvement, especially when it comes to the finished pages. When I’m digging into a page and getting it drawn, it’s all small goals and step-by-step challenges. With that, there’s been a fun realization that occurs after I finish inking a page and I sit back and think, “woah, that’s an entire page!” Luckily, that surprise and joy has been happening a lot as I continue through chapter 6 of Long John.
A small reward has been more than a few good, expressive (and, the case of the images below, grumpy) faces.
One triumph I’m especially feeling with these pages is a real step forward––not huge, but it’s there––with my inking. I can’t qualify it and I’m not going to say it’s consistent, but something about the line quality and control has resulted in either panels or entire pages that feel, to me, “professional” or, at least, professional-adjacent. I’ve always been down on my inking, mostly since I don’t lean too heavily into rendering and textures (saving that work for the coloring stage, generally), but I’ve gained a confidence with my tools to try some stuff out and, the results of which, were pleasing.
So, as a big experiment in terms of style and technique, I can say each chapter of Long John has had me clear a new artistic hurdle. It’s nice to see that continue, in a holistic and aggregate kind of way, into chapter 6.
