FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2013

RussellLissau

All of you -- ALL OF YOU -- should be doing a signing somewhere on May 4, unless you have a family obligation or are in a coma. Its free publicity and an opportunity to get your books into hands. Where will you be?

10-12: aw yeah comics in Skokie, IL
2-???: comix revolution in mt. Prospect, IL

JustinJordan

Heroes Aren't Hard to Find, Charlotte. No idea what time.

JasonFranks

I am signing from 5-6pm for All Star Comics here in Melbourne. 

JasonAQuest

Perhaps when I have books to get into people's hands.

TrevorAMueller

I had to cancel my Chicago appearances, due to a family obligation in Michigan. I'm trying to get a store in MI to do an appearance, if possible. It's late notice, granted, but I'm hoping for something.

Jimmie_Robinson

Blue Moon Comics

San Rafael, California.

12 - 3 PM.  I know the owner and this his new shop so I'm helping him out.

_Beth_Wagner_

I'm going to talk to one the retailers in town, although Free Comic Book Day at his shop is crazy as his shop is small and so it gets to be wall to wall people in there.

JasonCopland

I'll be at Tazmanian Comics in Vancouver, Canada. 11am-3pm.

Jimmie_Robinson

FCBD went okay.  The shop I went to was small but the audience was great and the traffic pretty good.  The store owner ordered Five Weapons from Diamond just to *giveaway.  But a customer also liked my Bomb Queen stuff and he purchased 3 trades right off the shelf, so that repaid the shop owner for ordering those Five Weapons.  Whew.

I only did one sketch, which was fine because I was not prepared.

I only had to do 3 hours, but I stayed an extra hour.  When I left people were still coming in and they had enough free comics to still giveaway (well, not mine... it was all snatched up within an hour).  I signed them all.

RussellLissau

Meredith and I did a pair of signings today. From 10-12 we were at Aw Yeah Comics in Skokie, and from 2-4 at Comix Revolution in Mt. Prospect. Sales weren't bad, $94 in books in those four hours. I did a dozen or so free sketches for kids, and we signed a TON of the Strawberry Shortcake FCBD book. Which is the point.

Interestingly, my best selling book was The Best of Omega Comics Presents. Four copies, including one to a female cop who loves crime comics.

SteveHorton

I signed 23 books in 4 hours ... five of which were bought before today and the rest bought from me. I also sold 2 glow in the dark posters. About $75 made in 4 hours. All of which I spent on a 10th wedding anniversary dinner with the wife that night.

AaronH

I did a signing at a shop in town and at a local library. SOLD OUT of everything I brought! The coolest thing is when somebody you have never met comes up and says "Awesome, I have the first two issues! I need the third one!!"

Jimmie_Robinson

Damn.... and here I was just giving away books and T-shirts.  Making money?  It didn't occur to me to do on FCBD.

JasonFranks

I did sketches in public for the first time in years. Wasn't easy; I'm not going to make a habit of it. 

No idea what sales were like but the numbers through the event was huge. The comic store set up four marquee tents in the alleyway a couple of doors down as well--three for signing artists plus one for merch and sales.

I drew... mostly Deadpool, but I also had requests for Clark Kent, New 52 Green Arrow, Ant Man and The Flash. Never drawn any of these characters before, so it was... educational. 

Jimmie_Robinson

Yeah, I'm not thrilled with drawing in public, either.  Especially for characters that I am not good at (i.e., superheroes).

JasonAQuest

When I was first exposed to organized fandom, I remember being confused by the notion that people would ask artists to draw characters that weren't their characters, unless it was something freaky like asking Sergio Aragonés to draw Batman or asking Frank Miller to draw Groo.  I still don't really understand why someone would want [insert random artist here] to draw an on-model superhero for them.

Anyway, drawing in public for me would be like... probably like being naked in public for most people.

RussellLissau

If I can make some boy or girl happy by drawing Harley Quinn, the Joker, Batman or them dessed as batgirl, I will. But just like exhibiting at cons, drawing in public isn't for everyone.

Funny story: Meredith colored all of the commission sketches I did on FCBD, and the attendees loved them. One grandpa insisted on paying us for a sketch, and I refused. Before he left, he slipped Meredith a $20 and whispered, "Buy your dad lunch today." I let her keep the $20.

AaronH

I did sketches, too, of superheroes I had heard of but couldn't recall from memory. It was almost like I was a police sketch artist and these guys were describing a suspect. But the most fun was sending people over to the comics professor I was set up with (a friend of mine, who is NOT a quick sketch artist by any stretch of the imagination) and having them ask him "hey will you draw me 1990s Green Arrow?"

Jimmie_Robinson

@AaronH - Dude, you're a brave man!  I could never do that.  What did you do, ask for a comic or use an iPhone for reference?