Wow, who knew? My first comic con since starting ULTRASTELLAR was also my BEST comic convention, ever! What’s my grading scale? A cross-section of everything!
The 2024 Boston Kids Comics Fest was held in the central atrium of Northeastern University’s Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Complex. Open to all six floors above and a hypnotizing spiral staircase, it’s an amazing area with so much light and space. Now fill that with a wonderful, constant, enthusiastic crowd full of so many kids (and parents & other adults) who genuinely wanted to see comics. Result? I had the absolute best time, talking to folks about comics in general and my story in particular.
I don’t know about how it is for other creators, but my experience making comics is pretty darn solitary, writing & drawing in isolation for long stretches of time, endlessly wondering what people will think of it… so believe me when I say it was a singular joy to look out into the convention at various times and see — completely unprompted — various kids who bought ULTRASTELLAR just sitting and reading it!
Plus, the first boy who bought my book, bless his heart… he came back to tell me he loved the book, then brought his friend over to recommend they buy a copy as well, and THEN returned again to say “you should charge more for this story!” There’s never been a bigger smile on my face than that moment.
And what a surprise hit my spontaneous display concept turned out to be! In the days before the convention I cooked up the strange idea to craft a diorama box of a key scene from my story, where main character Trevor goes back to his old tree-fort to meditate (trust me; it’s a big moment). I almost abandoned it when I worried it was cheesy, but ultimately kept going… and I’m so glad I did. This lit-up, cut-out diorama cube lured curious passers-by to my table, and from there we’d start chatting!
I also re-learned the wisdom of having someone else help work your table, so you can see who & what else is happening there. Thankfully I called in family to join me by the end of the day, freeing me to take a much-needed stretch break and stroll around the con.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by my table, for the chats, and for trying my book! And a VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU to all the organizers and staff of the Boston Kids Comics Fest for creating such a fantastic event. I certainly hope to return again, next year!