More Ups, less downs... all things Wondercon

Well, Wondercon 2012 has ended and I’d have to say it was well worth the trip out to Anaheim. 

With a stack of business cards and a few copies of the book in hand, I hit the floor with two goals.  Try my hand at networking and gather some good old-fashioned reconnaissance. 

Before I get into the recon, I’d like to say the networking went rather well.  I met a few publishers, put the book in some hands and made contact with a few folks who will no doubt be a welcome source of information and inspiration as we move forward. 

As far as reconnaissance goes?  The future, my friends, is most decidedly digital.  No, I’m not saying I’ve given up the pursuit of print, I’m just saying that the buzz of the panels seemed to be all about digital and what it means for price ($.99 vs. $3.99), access (no more Wednesday-only releases) and the potential for new readers (did you see that kid with the new iPad?) 

For a little more on the potential for digital go and check out www.markwaid.com and download the free PDF for his short story “Luthor.”  If you’re curious, it simply shows you that a comic doesn’t have to be one page/several panels, but can literally unfold cinematically with all the tension and involvement of a great thriller (that’s not to say a print comic doesn’t, he’s just pointing out that digital comics aren’t bound by the old rules.)

So, when all is said and done, I came away with a few things. 

1) Sam Humphries is poised to rule the world (http://samhumphries.com/)

2) Chip Mosher is the go-to guy for all things digital (having sat through three panels he moderated, I’ve come to the conclusion that www.comixology.com is damned lucky to have him as their VP of Marketing and Business Development.)  http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/03/18/the-digital-comics-price-fight-chip-mosher-vs-mark-waid/

3) Christina Strain has put out a beautiful book titled The Fox Sister  (http://www.thefoxsister.com/news.php)

4) Steampunk is everywhere.

5) Other than one awesome Hulk photo, everything I photographed looked like garbage (blurred, too many bystanders and one dimly lit snapshot of what looks like the inside of my pocket.) 

So what’s on tap for the (near) future?  We’ll keep you posted!

In the meantime… Up next… Let’s get back to some character reveals!

Have a good one,

Josh S. Henaman