If your mom was anything like my mom, when it was time to leave for school in the morning, you probably were hit with a very similar interrogation:

Did you do your homework?

Do you have your homework with you?

Are your gym clothes in your book bag?

Do you have your lunch?

What are you doing after school?

Didn’t we do this EVERY morning? Sure, but for every day you were sleepwalking through a chant of, “Yes. Yes. Yes. YES! YES! YES!!!!” there was a day when you had to run back to your room and grab something you forgot. Mom was RIGHT, and she ALWAYS let you know it!

Today’s lesson in Failure is: Be Prepared.

While I can’t say that none of you reading this are still living home with Mom… because, let’s face it, this IS a Fanboy audience… I can say that if you are old enough to be contemplating doing Indy Comics, you have to embrace organization. While I could give you all sorts of speeches at this point- Blah, Blah, You will be more efficient, or Blah, Blah, You will make a professional impression or even Blah, Blah, keeping records can keep you out of trouble with the IRS… I want to do what my Mom did back then as a good example of Organization.

Like most parental lists, the one I have in mind is connected with you going out into public and not embarrassing yourself. Like mom, I am going to be throwing out for you some specifics and some generalities- all of them are important, because in my time doing Comics, I have seen ALL of them forgotten at one point or another.

Here, in not particular order, is a list of things you should bring with you if you are doing a table at a Comic Con to promote your Comics:

1)     Hygiene. Mom’s mantra of, “Did you Wash? Did you brush your teeth? Are those clean clothes you are wearing?” still rings true today. Yes, many Fanboys who may come up to your table will smell like they fell down an open sewer, but there is no reason YOU need to go and do likewise.  Take a shower EVERY day before you come. Deodorant? It should be your friend. A new outfit EVERY day? If you want to shake my hand by day 3, you betcha! We are all busy and run on zero sleep during a con, but those of us who understand the social convention of not smelling like the monkey house at the Bronx Zoo can tell you- Soap is your friend!

2)     Table Set Up. Don’t expect there to be ANYTHING but the barest of tables and chairs waiting for you when you go to a Con, no matter WHAT they tell you. It’s a fantastic idea to bring some kind of tablecloth- preferably an actual TABLECLOTH and not a bed sheet. Yes, a disposable one is fine, but Blacklist  has a nice, black fitted cloth tablecloth and it makes the whole table stand out.

The Tablecloth does 2 things- it gives you a more professional look, and it allows you to put stuff under the table and not have those things in view of the world…

Also, if you want anything behind you like a banner, you need to think about that well in advance. Keep in mind that any setup of that type will need it’s own stand (putting stuff on walls is a no-no almost everywhere) and you most likely will have someone behind you, so your setup can’t take up TOO much room.

Daniel and I learned that first hand when we had a new banner set-up and couldn’t set it up to be as compact as it was supposed to be. The people behind us probably hate us to this day…

(Personal note to Tania Del Rio:  We really are sorry about pissing you off that day at MoCCA…We were young and stupid…)

And of course, these things cost money. Is it worth it? If you do a lot of larger shows like Daniel and I do, then yes it is. It gives you a professional look, and it is something to draw people’s attention to your table. If, however, you are kind of feeling your way though, then table set up should be limited to a CLEAN tablecloth. You can always build as you go.

(Cont.)

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