blog: appearances

It’s nearly time again for me to start showing up in random cities across the country!

THIS WEEKEND, I’m honored to be a guest of AnomalyCon in Denver! 

AnomalyCon was formed by members of the Colorado Steampunk community, but embraces all Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculative Fiction in its programming.

Our mission is to provide a safe, fun, and creative educational entertainment space for geeks and fans that represents the intersectionality and diversity of experience in our local community and the world.

AnomalyCon will be held March 25–27 at the Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center.

I’ll be signing and sketching in the dealer room, and I’m also on panels every day! On Sunday in particular I’ll be presenting both “True Stuff from Old Books” and “The Making of Wondermark.”

This will be my first convention appearance in Denver and I’ll be very excited to see you there!!

April 7–10, I’m returning to Emerald City Comicon in Seattle!

I’ll be in the TopatoCo booth (#1102), on the skybridge that connects the convention center with the hotel. Look for the only place that’s flooded with wonderful natural light, and I’ll be there!!

This year, I’ll be tabling right next to my old pal Kris Straub! All the usual signing, sketches, and pleasant chitchat rules apply. No panels this year, sadly — just 100% hardcore behind-the-table action.

May 20–22, I’m returning to Maker Faire in San Mateo, CA!

Once again I’ll be in the Bazaar Tent, tucked off behind the fire-breathing pipe organ and the killer robot spider.

LATER IN THE YEAR: I’m heading back to Comic-Con in San Diego and Gen Con in Indy; and, I’m debating going to Kansas City for Worldcon. (Not 100% decided on that one yet.)

NOT ON THE DOCKET THIS YEAR: WonderCon; MoCCA; TCAF; VanCAF; and probably SPX.

I’m thinking of going back to MoCCA next year, though, perhaps? I hear it got fun again, after they moved it back into a regular building instead of the Lexington Ave Heatstroke Dungeon. Keep me posted, anyone who goes this year!

 

Of course, as you knew I would mention, it’s the last day to jump onto the Multi-Purpose Cards Kickstarter! Many, many thanks to everyone who’s pledged — it’s really, truly gone far better than I could have hoped, and now I have to sit down and make a bunch of commemorative plaques for everyone.

Outside the Kickstarter, those cards are also available in my own shop, along with my whole suite of (single-occasion) greeting cards! If you order the (same) cards there in the future, you’ll even get the sweet boxes, once we have them. BUT, you WON’T get a commemorative plaque with your order, as that’s a Kickstarter exclusive. So, you know, CHOOSE WISELY.

Completely aside from the Kickstarter: I like to make at least one new holiday card design each year, and this year I have a new one at the printer now! It’ll be available in the shop next week.

Here’s a timeline of cool stuff going on over the next month or so!!

THIS COMING MONDAY: My comedy team The Audience (pictured above) will be performing in Westside Comedy Theater’s annual month-long House Team Tournament! We do longform improv — meaning, it’s sort of a made-up one-act play. Last year, we came in second place in the tournament… This year, maybe we can do better???

Audience voting makes up part of the decision, so if you’re in the Los Angeles area, come on out! The night starts with two shows at 8pm, and then my team performs in the 9pm hour. You can show up at 9, but if the house is full you might not get in!

Admission is free and there is no drink minimum. Westside Comedy Theater, Santa Monica, CA!

NEXT WEEK: This year’s new holiday card design will be added to the shop! (Of course, if you don’t want to wait, you can also browse the existing holiday cards right now.) Also, next week Kickstarter surveys will go out, just as soon as Kickstarter finishes processing all the pledges.

THE WEEK AFTER THAT: The 2016 Wondermark Calendar goes up for pre-order! The ship date will likely be in early- or mid-December, so don’t combine that order with holiday cards if you don’t want to get your cards late. Kickstarter card orders will probably start shipping around this week as well — certainly, before Thanksgiving.

If all those commemorative plaques get finished, that is! Did you know each tiny plaque requires eight steps of assembly? I am not a smart man and I make lots of dumb promises.

My last appearance of the year: this weekend, October 17 & 18, I’m in Austin, Texas, at Dragon’s Lair!

I’ll be doing sketches and the usual tomfoolery starting at 1pm each day. Besides that, one of the main attractions of this particular event is the raucous “group panel” at 9pm each evening with 20 people trying to out-storytell each other.

It’s pretty super duper fun. I hope to see you there!!

 

TopatoCon this weekend was so fun!

I enjoyed it immensely — and so did Malki Jr, it looks like:

Malki Jr did not have what you might call an “actual plane ticket” that would let you ride in the “passenger cabin”.

Malki Jr did have quite the appetite, after his long, cold trip!

Malki Jr did not help set up the booth.

Here’s that scamp Malki Jr “mugging” for the camera!

Oh no Malki Jr

Malki Jr what have you done

I’ve got just TWO MORE APPEARANCES this year! I hope you will come to BOTH of them, somehow.

SEPTEMBER 26-27: TOPATOCON, WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS

Not ONLY is this going to be a fun time with pals and hangouts, but I’m ALSO going to be doing some presentations!

SATURDAY, 1:30 PM: True Stuff From Old Books with David Malki !

David Malki ! of Wondermark presents a slide show of fascinating, forgotten articles unearthed from Victorian-era newspapers and magazines. A man breathes fire! A steam-powered flying machine attempts its first flight! Inventors and adventurers dream big, and often die! And human nature remains unchanged through the ages.

SUNDAY, 2:00 PM: Go Away Sea Lions w/David Malki !, Spike Trotman, Kate Leth, R.K. Milholland

The internet! It connects everybody with everybody, at all times. Does this mean that every thought that flits through everyone’s head needs to be shouted constantly at strangers? POSSIBLY, but how is anyone supposed to know for sure? In this roundtable discussion, our panel of opinionated blowhards slash veterans of the troll wars will revisit another 90’s classic sorely in need of a grim, modern reboot: the concept of “netiquette”.

All this and Machine of Death game demos in the tabletop gaming section! There’s also workshops and stuff, but you have to sign up for those in advance to reserve your spot.  Tickets are on sale now, get yours posthaste!

OCTOBER 16-17: WEBCOMICS RAMPAGE, AUSTIN, TEXAS

I’m pleased to return to Dragon’s Lair in Austin this fall for this fun li’l event held at a great comics and games store! It’s a free event, just stop on by the store!

I am going to try NOT bringing a ton of books and stuff, and instead, doing a LOT more Roll-a-Sketches. I am curious to see how it goes! Come be part of the EXPERIMENT.

ANOTHER part of the experiment is “mentioning these events farther in advance than the week of”. I’ve tried doing it the old way, now let’s try doing it this way and see how it goes.