The Midnight Library: The 2018 Comicon Report

Winter Summer's Inn's Sandy Tsiang, our wonderful
BNB host, with Amy Thomson, Edd Vick,
and Guest Creative Carla Speed McNeil.

Carla and her art and me in my Ka-Blam tshirt -
Ka-blam is BEST for POD floppies1

This must have been our best year ever, at the Clallam Bay Comicon. 7th year, and the 6th in the Clallam Bay Lion's Club.

Guest Creative Carla Speed McNeil got jump-started for her art and career - the girl just had cabin fever and needed a vacation! Everybody really enjoyed her talk about how to get started in comics and stay in comics. It was a riveting talk. Girl has been BUSY!

Jake Richmond, the creator of the webcomic Modest Medusa, showed how easy and fun it is to start making webcomics, as well as facing the challenges of finding time to create, build an audience, and make a living.

Saturday concluded with the costume and cosplay contest. The only particants were the Curtis family, but they put on a lively show. Carla judged them and they got lots of prizes, donated by the Clallam Bay Visitor's Center, the Sunsets West Co-op, and all the tabling creatives.

Sandy as the Red Hat's Night Lady. Yes, the RH's threw
heavy-duty vodka shooters again.

Of course, the evening ended with dinner at the Clallam Bay Inn, whose waiters were kinda shocked how well we tip. We have friends. After that, it was fireworks in Sekiu, watched from the Clallam Bay Beach.

On Sunday, Larry Lewis reprised and expanded on his original demonstrations of making and selling minicomics. Minis and zines are the ground zero for getting started in the comics world, and everybody from Robert Crumb to Neil Gailman has done some form of small, inexpensive self-published booklet or pamphlet. Larry's form is almost like origami, covered with tiny, intricate images and lettering.

Carla, me, Edd and Amy at the Clallam Bay/Seiku
Fundays parade, Saturday. We're just watching.

Clallam Bay's Dennis Hondorp, who recently retired as the production coordinator/buyer for independent set building, shared his life in the film industry. His talk began as an historical overview, and he seemed a to feel a bit left out - until he began to tell backstage stories about well-known actors and got a shock - not only did the audience KNOW about the "Seven Degrees to Kevin Bacon Game," but considered him a coupe in making points in the game.

The Ribbon Sisters! We couldn't resist buying
parade pretties from an enterprising
costumer crowner selling her wares.

With the input of the audience and other creatives, he ended up sparkling and excited as anybody newly in the industry. He volunteers at the Clallam Bay Visitor's center - and says to come down and ask him anything about working in film!

Kalen Knowles offered a crazy new game at his table - a form of exquisite corpse, the body parts chosen by rolling dice. It looks like crazy fun.

The next day, I took Carla and Roberta Gregory all over Neah Bay. Photos below!

Carla giving her talk Saturday.

The Stranger ad, funded by a grant from the Olympic Peninsula Visitor's Bureau, brought in three times as many guests. So - money well spent, guys!

With the success of RainCon (Forks) and Optaccon (Sequim), I was GOING to stop running the comicons, but with the Curtis family volunteering to take over costume contests, and everybody all excited about NEXT YEAR - well, I guess you all better start watching for 2019. I'll rev up right after New Year's - but get your rooms fast if you intend to come. We're STILL TINY.

Enjoy the rest of the photos! I usually just continue the blog in the captions.