San Angelo Comic Con - Day 1

The convention is off to a slow start. To be honest, it's a little discouraging. We were hoping to make a splash in a new area, sell tons of books, and make loads of new contacts. Although sales are lagging behind and book sales are non existent, we are making good contacts.

It's definitely a situation in which we will turn lemons into lemonade. During the day, we made some amazing contacts and actually picked up a few pieces. David Sanchez will be the illustrator for our new Nosferato vampire. His work is labeled as "hyper realistic" and to be honest, it's amazing. His attention to detail is outstanding. 

Due to the slow pace of the con, I found myself with a little time to wander around the convention. I was very fortunate to bump into Mr. Sanchez. As soon as he told me he was an artist, we started talking about art and style. It caught me off guard when he referred to his style as 'hyper realistic'. We chatted for a bit, then we part ways. When I finally managed to find him at his booth, I was blown away. His art is amazing. The nosferato we will be using has incredible detail - down the discolorations on the skin and fine line creasing across the face. To say I was impressed is an understatement. I feel quite honored to have him agree to work with Tortured Earth.

Ashton had far better luck with game sessions. He managed to run a couple of sessions throughout the day. People wandered on and off his game table as often as our vending table. His sessions typically lasted for two hours and everyone returning to our booth praised the game sessions. In the end, all we can hope for at conventions is for someone to take the time to stop and give us a try. Expectations beyond that are pushy.

A former student helped us on the sales table. He's fairly new to the convention scene, so the whole affair still holds a certain glamor. Like anyone starting something new, there is always that moment anxiety and fear as you have to greet new customers and sell them a product. With a little modification, we managed to up both is appearance and confidence with a little sprucing up.

All in all, despite the slow sales and low attendance, the show hasn't been a waste of time and resources. We've made great contacts and have attracted valuable artists. In addition, the game sessions are sowing the seeds for future ventures into the area. I can't say the show has been a success. However, the losses are tempered by our contacts gained.