Nerd Inferno Tour Photo Dump/Diary Of Sorts (Patreon)

As promised, here's the Nerd Inferno Tour photos I took, or at least most of them.

I don't usually take a lot of photos at signings or cons. I don't tend to have timebecause I'm too busy signing stuff. And if I'm not too busy, I tend to forget. A recent thing that I'm adjusting to is having more people ask to have their picture taken with me, which I am fine with but I always feel weird because I'm not super comfortable having my picture taken in many situations (I'm more comfortable taking selfies with my cat). Anyway, the point is that when I take a bunch of photos with folks I feel like it tricks me into thinking I took more pictures at an event. But those photos are in other people's phones, not mine.

Anyway, I probably have more shots of hotel rooms, snacks, books, sketches and dogs than people on line or the crowd (if there is one). I try to take photos of cosplayers when I remember (and feel comfortable asking). I have a few photos of folks in cosplay or with gifts that I am not posting because they asked not have them posted.

While I didn't take a ton of photos, it adds up after seven events. Feel free to ask any questions you might have about them and I'll answer in the comments. The photos start with my signing pre-orders and prints at JHU Comics, and each signing is prefaced by a flyer from the event. There's no Heroes Con announcement flyer because I was added the day after the program book wen tot print and no one had time to make a flyer. What a crazy week ramping up to the show.

Overall, the tour was amazing. It really was. I'm so grateful to everyone who hosted me, and everyone who came by the tables. I can't tell you how much it all meant to me. Personally and professionally. Seven events in eight weeks eventually did take a small toll on my health but I'm very glad things worked out the way they did. There wasn't a single sour note in any of the interactions I had with people. I enjoyed every minute nehind those tables, and the time spent with hosts, friends and folks afterwards. The last-minute addition of Heroes Con was the cherry on top, it wore me out but it was the most successful show I've ever done. And one of the most fun. I have no complaints about anything, except for nodding out momentarily on the highway on the drive back, forcing me to sleep at a rest stop for close to an hour. But that had nothing to do with the events themselves, I just have to remember I'm not a kid anymore, even if I act like one.

I don't have time (or memory, alas) to do a proper tour diary. I should've taken notes, but I was either busy, hanging out with folks, or too tired. One thing I can say is that a lot of very kind fans gave me little gifts of fan art, crafts, snacks and even throat lozenges (which I used this week while sick, ty!). I was given a companion Winky statue to put next to the one I got last year, a Winky bracelet and a batch of drawings of her. I also have drawings and paintings of the Eltingville characters, Milk & Cheese, Georgina and even myself. I keep everything that folks give me and appreciate the fact that folks like my work enough to draw fan art based on it. And my cat. The other thing I can mention in general is that during the tour I drank way too much Dr. Pepper and ate way too many candy bars, Vienna Finger cookies and Calbee Shrimp Chips, among other snacks. I definitely gained some weihtght and bloated up some and wasn't feeling all that swell after eight weeks of over-indulging in junk food. But, boy, did I enjoy it all. Maybe getting sick was a good thing because it was a bit of a factory reset. All I've eaten this week was oatmeal and dry toast with water and apple juice. yesterday I had some soup. I've deflated a little bit. Maybe I can eat better, exercise a little. Try to get in better shape.

Cripes do I want a Dr. Pepper.

Okay, here's where I went during the main part of the tour, with a few scattered memories:

THE TOUR SITES AND DETAILS:

COMIC SHOPS

JHU COMIC BOOKS SITE: https://tinyurl.com/y4fmtcdk

JHU Comic Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jhucomicbooks/?hl=en

If you're ever trapped on Staten Island, visit my old place of employment. It's an absolutely excellent shop run by Ron and Nick that carries a full line of comics, GNs, gaming stuff, etc. I had a great signing here to kick off the tour, it was also Free Comic Book Day so things were pretty hectic. We blew past the scheduled signing hours as expected. I signed a lot of books and saw a lot of fans, friends , some repeat appearances from last year's signing and a great dog. Had a terrific time and the store had a great day. Had fun afterward grabbing food with Ron and folks.

FORBIDDEN PLANET NYC SITE: https://tinyurl.com/nhhmswps

Forbidden Planet NYC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forbiddenplanetnyc/?hl=en

If in Manhattan check out this venerable full-line shop filled with comics, GNS, collectibles, gaming and psychotronic-style movies. Great location and tons of stuff. My thanks to Matt for his longtime support and having me at the shop. The signing went way longer than the two-hours advertised, Matt was cool enough to let it ride and we closed the place down that night, caught up a bit and I went off happy to the ferry. Met some great people, a few I'm still in touch with.

AUSTIN BOOKS AND COMICS SITE: https://tinyurl.com/zrx6b4us

Austin Books and Comics Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/295sv64j

If you find yourself in Austin, by all means head to Austin Books and Comics and prepare to be overwhelmed. First off, it's huge, made up of a strip of connected shops. Comics. Fanzines. Pulps. Magazines. Gaming. Statues. Toys. Collectibles. An art/print gallery. A Sidekick store that's like a junk/thrift/vintage shop filled with treasure. I spent my first day in town going through the store instead of seeing the town. A browser and crate-digger's delight. And they hold events regularly. My thanks to everyone there, and super-thanks to Dale W. for setting up the signing and hanging out with me. And going above and beyond to work out getting me to Heroes Con last-minute. The signing was a record for me, I signed from 1 pm until 2 am, with a one hour break for a Q&A (afterward I had a small break to talk with Coop and meet his awesome kid. I wish I had had more time to hang out!). I signed for customers until 10, then signed employee books, then their remaining copies of Nerd Inferno and a crate of Milk & Cheese vinyl figure sets they had in storage. I drew on all of the figures and signed the boixes. Contact them if you're looking for a signed set. When the extended signing ended Dale and I realized he'd have to take me to the airport in six hours or so. When he picked me up I signed his copy of Wednesday Comics. I had a friggin' blast in Austin and still think about the barbecue they gave me. And the nifty fast food burger joint with the really good and affordable chocolate shake. My first flight in years and while I was super nervous on the way there (even pilled and edibled-up I couldn't sleep), I was better on the way home. Maybe I was too exhausted to be freaked out.

FOUR COLOR FANTASIES SITE: https://www.facebook.com/FCFComics/

Four Color Fantasies on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fourcolorfantasies.bsky.social

Four Color Fantasies on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fourcolorfantasies/?hl=en

Here's a direct link to their photos from the signing which I stole for the post, including one I couldn't steal of me hugging Frank the pug: https://tinyurl.com/2j4cyr4m

If in Wincester VA visit this swell super-friendly shop and say hello to Erik and the staff! Erik had me in last year to do a signing and I had such a fantastic time there meeting people and hanging out that I told them I'd be happy to come back. The drive down went well and I got there early enough to nap a little before a bunch of us got together for dinner. Had a terrific burger and we talked horror movies. And I got to meet Frank, the little pug that Lori was doggy-sitting. I fell in love with Frank! Everyone did! I wanted to steal him and take him home to Winky to have as a friend. It was a really fun night. The signing went great and I couldn't believe the ratio of cosplayers, it was amazing. Everyone was just as awesome as the last time, I even made money, which I don't really stress at store signings. Drank Dr. Pepper and had candy bars and did a bunch of sketches and someone gave me a lovely bracelet with Winky's name on it. And Lori brought Frank back and I got to hug him and have him on my lap for a little while. His owners came by and took him away. Cruel people. I want to steal Frank.

CONVENTIONS

NEW DORP COMIC CON SITE: https://www.facebook.com/p/New-Dorp-Comic-Con-100067778044040/

A fun, super-relaxed high school show that I attend as often as I can to support it and the comic club it benefits. I've tabled their five or six times and it's great to see it do better every year. The cosplay track seems to be really growing, judging by this year. Also happens to be my Staten Island alma mater, although I graduated from the old school building. This was the only event of the tour where I wasn't crazy busy, likely because I'd just done the kick-off signing at JHU Comics literally up the block two weeks earlier. It was funny because they had my table set up so my line wouldn't interfere with anyone else'es like it did last year -- I was swamped with Eltingville fans that day to my and everyone's surprise. This year I never had a line. But I had a swell time, and things picked up after a dead hour and eventually I signed a bunch of books and sold a few things. Another artist there told me he was doing 40 shows this year -- I was already tired after three. I don't know how people do that. Anyway, JHU -- set up next to me -- did really well at the show. Afterward I went back to the shop with Nick and Tess and signed more Nerd Inferno books and prints and then a bunch of us had dinner across the street at the same place we went to after the kick-off signing. We talked about comics and comics people. Fun, easy-going day.

FOREST HILLS COMIC CON SITE: https://www.foresthillscomiccon.com/

A Queens high school gym show that I did for the first time as part of the tour. I had a busy day at the show, the six hours blew by meeting super nice people. And sometimes super nice people and their kids. I tried to draw Homer Simpson for one little girl who was interested in how to draw him but flubbed it (it's been ages). Also flubbed a bart, who I should remember because he's who I drew the most for Bongo. I recommended a Simpsons drawing book to her and her father for them to get, I hope it worked out for her! It's the one I used to draw my Simpsons stories. Got to meet up with an old friend from the Eternity Comics days, Delfin Barral. After the show we walked to my car and hung around to catch up. Got to meet his cool daughter and sign a Beasts of Burden Omnibus for her, Delfin told me later she really loved it. Which made me super happy. Briefly spoke to Sean Chen as the show was breaking down. Saw Kyle Baker leaving, Insant Piano in the house (gym). The show was so busy for me, I did very well and had a swell time but was expecting to be able to walk around and see a few people, maybe buy something. Maybe another time. I can't complain about being busy at a show! The drive home was lousy but I went and got Wendy's after I made it to the Island. Sometimes a Frosty just hits the spot. I sat around with Winky and watched movies that night. A really nice, gratifying day. Enjoyed the show very much and would go back if asked. Bonus points: It's held at my step-father's alma mater (in a really beautiul school building).

HEROES CON SITE: https://www.heroesonline.com/heroescon/#

My favorite big comic show. It's all about comics and the people who make them and love them. The fans are terrific and it's great seeing fellow creators in a relaxed setting. I hope to be back asap. Maybe I'll write about some of the things that happened there some other time. For me, personally, it felt like a bit of a homecoming after not having been there for eight years. Or any big con, for that matter. I was so happy to see so many folks. This is going to be a long post so I'm not going to get into Heroes as much as I'd like. Like I said, maybe another time. Maybe a video. Or maybe some day down the line. This wasn't just a great time for me, or my most successful show -- it was a great exerience and meant a lot to me. Everyone was terrific and I felt very happy to be with comics people, friends and fans. Saturday's dinner at a ramen place with Chris Pitzer, Jim Rugg, Tom Scioli and others was exactly what I needed, for reasons other than the great food. The Sunday night after-party was a lot of fun, I met some nifty cartoonist folks, talked comics, got to say hello to a few people I missed during the con. Wish I had gotten to talk to Walt Simonson more, wish there was more time to catch up with Eric Powell and Andrea, wish there was more time to look around for comics. I bought one cheap pre-code PS Publishing hc at half price and looked at some Arkham books and old pulps. No one had any old strip reprints I was looking for. My favorite couple who attends Heroes -- Kirk Spencer and his wife -- gave me some regional sodas like Cheerwine and snacks and caramels she made. Which were great. I was on air when I got home. And the money I made at the show was a real shot in the arm because I was expecting to lose money during the tour. I wasn't going to have much time to get any work done at home, and store signings and high school shows aren't places where I expect to make money So, yeah. Heroes Con. Crazy!

UPCOMING EVENTS

NOMAD COMIC BOOK SHOW: https://www.instagram.com/nomadcomicbookshow/

July 25th, Chandler, AZ! Looks like this is a small, unassuming free event put on by folks who just want to put on a comics show that other folks will enjoy. They spent money on flying me in and putting me up so folks should come out and support them. I'll be there along with Steve Niles (if you read the Comics Journal interview you'll know Steve was one of the reasons I started doing Milk & Cheese comics way back in the day) and artist Chris Shehan. I've never been to Arizona, I hear it will be hot. The record high temperature for Chandler in July is 119 degreees celcius. I'm all a-scared I'll die.

INFINITE REALITIES COMICOPIA: https://infiniterealitiescomics.com/comicopia/

Nov 7-8, Tucker, GA! A new show put on by the Infinite Realities comic shop folks. Looks like they're using the Heroes Con game plan of being solely about the comics, which sounds great to me. I'll be there both days and rumor has it that I'll be appearing on a panel.

I wasn't expecting to type for this many hours, so, yeah...after 3 am...I'm off to bed with a comic book, some water and a batch of pills. Maybe a Winky Cat if she's feeling social. She's currently asleep in the studio on a chair by my side. Thanks again to everyone who came out to the signing events and stopped by the table at the cons. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with the patreon while the tour has impacted posting. Hope to meet more of you in Arizona and later on in Atlanta. Good night.