Sep
10
interesting times.: friend, after all this time that felt like no time at all
Dylan encouraged and celebrated my risks. When I made waves for calling out gender bias in the industry or digging into shady finances, Dylan always had my back. I tried to reciprocate. When he wrote about the drawbacks of large institutional comics conventions, he emailed me a link. “I was tired of everything being nice. I may take it down.” “No!” I wrote back. I’m so glad he didn’t.
Unlike Susie and many other people I had no connection to and little awareness of Dylan Williams, but I definitely connect with his post at that link. Similar feelings and thoughts led me to press for Trees & Hills to stop tabling at MoCCA and SPX (much as I enjoy both shows) and focus on regional shows and non-comics events. There are so many people who might read comics but don’t, and I know our comics appeal to some of those people. When I tabled at my hometown’s annual Pickle Festival (that’s right), a man bought his first comic in forty years at my table! If I can grow the audience for comics as well as selling some, then I accomplish twice as much (and help out other cartoonists in the bargain).
