The Daunting Comic Convention: Making the Sale

The last part of this series I talked about a hard seller. It was my feeling that hard selling is a broken method for a few reasons. Foremost was a quote from our neighbor at the last con "When people buy from me I love them, when they don't I hate them." Its treating people as a resource that you tap into and then throw out when its dry. Among this terrible perspective are a few other things that make hard selling simply terrible:

Fighting a hard seller.

1. Hard selling often works on pressure shame and guilt; these are the same things that have made Church so unpopular over the centuries. It pushes consumers away and doesn't invite people into your work, in addition most people are at conventions to enjoy themselves, not be slammed as "Bad parents" because they didn't buy their kids a book on comic history (True Story).
   
2. While there is not anything wrong with grabbing peoples attention, screaming at them and insulting them to pressure them to buy is counter intuitive. It works on a flawed concept. Pressuring people to buy comic book entertainment at a convention is yelling at a person in a grocery store to buy food when they are hungry. Screaming at them tends to just make them feel uncomfortable.
   
3. Finally you end up making yourself a Pariah; fellow sellers are going to not want a table near you, or want to work with you. You've made a name for yourself, but a bad one, and angry people who are losing sales because of you, then complaining to the convention managers could eventually get you banned from cons.

All this nonsense ends up alienating everyone! There are better ways, and they start with making a connection. Talking with people at cons might seem distracting to the major Ferengian goal of profit, but creating an impression is more important even than direct gain. The other gentleman made an impression, but it was a bad one-When a person talks badly about an experience they had at a store its likely to make them never visit the store again, its likely to make the listener choose to never visit that store, or even if they had visited the establishment to rethink their visit next time.That's why impressions are so vital; creating positive ones make people talk and advertise for you. 

Additionally making a connection makes them invest in you as a person. It will more than likely visit your table at the next con, and make them consider buying or setting a certain amount aside to buy from you next time. 

That is why I try to help people see beyond the direct buy or die relationships some salespeople have with their consumers. Its much longer term, and an impression made now can help you further down the line as you are adding to, if not your consumer base, then your fan base. Where the alternative is slowly burning one person at a time which will result in a dwindling pool of potential consumers and investors.

In the conversation you have with them you need to assess their interests. Ask them questions, like what genres do they like, or even subtler what movies do they enjoy. If they are into mystery and all you have is sci-fi... well then its likely they won't be personally interested, however you should tell them about your product anyway, because their 3rd cousin's sister's best friend might LOVE sci-fi, and need to have it. When you are engaging with someone its not just them, but their entire network!

If they do seem interested though you shouldn't sit there silently and wait for them to say "I'll take it!" Instead after talking with them and garnering what their interests are ask them if they would like to buy! Its as simple as that! Especially if you think they would love your book! Additionally you can offer other incentives like a free small sketch perhaps even in the book that makes the book unique and gives it more intrinsic value.

Gotta have that sales
 knock out punch!

One last thought I will leave you with. You need to have a concise summary of what your work is. Going on a long schpiel and telling people spoilers to try to get them interested can result in them losing focus. Greasers in Greece while not our strongest artistic piece always piques peoples interest. Especially when our summary of the book is "what happens when you put Grease and Sparticus together" or "what Grease would be like if it was directed by Zac Snyder." Simple one sentence summaries can really boost peoples interest, work on them and have them ready for a con!

Now go... Sell my minions!

You can only slighty trust Sir Thomas J. Griffin as he is a ginger and will try to consume your soul. He will then turn your essence into paint, from which he creates comic covers like those for Greenpoint of view and other works for Gryphon Knights Comics.

Webcomic Review: Wish³

The comic Wish³, by Sylvia T. Leung, is a 400+ page complete webcomic manga. That's right, you could sit down right now and read the book from start to finish! Heck, you can even order the volumes online right now from the same place we sell Greasers, on Lulu.com!

I started reading the book after I graduated high school and it wasn't finished until I had graduated college. I'd check back religiously because there weren't too many cheap sources of entertainment for a student in New York other than Web-comics.

This book starts off with Basil Toback, who is turning 18, eavesdropping on his family. He finds out  the 3rd born of any generation of his lineage is cursed to be the wielder of  three wishes. It is a curse because after the 3rd wish is made the wielder goes insane and dies. Unfortunately, Basil also finds out his family intends to use the wishes themselves with no regards to Basil. Eluding his family he begins a long quest to bring an end to this curse. His journey pulls him through other dimensions and peering back in time to the wishers of ages passed, finding allies, and strange enemies alike.

I really enjoyed Wish³; it captures the feeling of any one who just turns 18. That age brings with it a lot of harsh realities. like the struggle for independence, and finding a purpose. Watching Basil work through these struggles was reflective and cathartic for me. It also encapsulates a lot of interesting aspects of Japanese style and culture.

The supporting cast really stand on there own. Many times the supporting cast become so overshadowed by a lead that they become little more than plot devices, something I like to call "Goku Syndrome." Wish's cast really works, because, while the focus is on breaking Basil's curse, they have their own dilemma's they are facing.

Seeing this work come together before my eyes was really invigorating for my own creativity. I watched the artwork evolve from inks with pencil shading, to grayscale, to full color. It was really remarkable to see Leung's improvement over time, and how the layout and details in her work became more polished. Watching the production and how it comes together is like a bonus form of entertainment for following webcomics.

This style of artwork is a bit underwhelming as it is similar to many other artists who have had manga influences on their work. Even still the story is really beautifully rendered, and action is conveyed creatively. At times, you can get lost in the panels and feel like you need to reread a page to take it all in. Additionally, Sylvia proves herself a master of Prismacolor, her marker brand of choice that is infamous for bleeding a lot. In the age of  the web-comics, most done digitally, it is impressive she crafted this book with analog tools like pen, ink, marker, and watercolor.

Sylvia herself was always quick and open to questions, and sharing her methods. The website is full of concept art and behind the scenes information. She seemed to network very well as we see covers by guest artists like Christopher Berkeley, who worked in the animation departments on the animated Green Lantern, and BATMAN: Under the Red Hood.

I recommend this book to everyone, but especially to fans of anime like Blue Seed, or books like Harry Potter!

Sir Thomas J. Griffin is an artist and anime caricature working for GryphonKnights Comics. He's illustrated books like Greasers in Geese , Hero, and The Only Choice.

For any who enjoyed Wish³ I'd recommend reading GryphonKnights's own coming of age story,  Greasers in GREECE!

Your Promiscuous Comic

So your into comics, huh?

The truth is comics have been around.

There's not one comic that exists that you can claim as yours. The X-Men issue #1 you own was handled by at least one factory worker, at least one distributor, and at least one retail worker before those perfect corners, luscious colors, white gutters, even staples ended up in your hands.This was before you sent it to CGC services to get it graded and slabbed.
Thank God, those CGC guys use protection when handling your book! Who knows what those other guys had!

Maybe you can claim the comic you wrote, or drew is yours. What about the copy that ended up with a 5 year old? She colored in the black and white parts. She showed her mom who congratulated her for a good job and asked for her autograph. The black and white parts were a snow scene in your story, now thanks to the orange and red Crayolas, there is a lava portion instead. Did you collaborate with that 5 year-old? Are you going to denounce her book as non-canon? You can probably claim it's yours, if you claim the child is yours.

Did you create the character that appears in a comic? Did you come up with the plot? What about the readers who offer their interpretation of what happened? What about those who assign a meaning, to what happened, one you never thought of? Are you going to disagree with them in public? Or secretly claim that was your intention all along?  That character has left your hands and has been handled by someone else. They've made stories you couldn't dream of. You'll still get credit. After all Icebox and Ovenflame wouldn't exist without your initial guiding hand. The sad part is when Alan Moore reinterpreted them and brought about their sexual awakening, where we learn Ovenflame is a pyro-sexual and that that's ok, fans have started to ask for the "realistic" version. Your version is the cartoon version. It's dated, and for kids. At least, to those aware of it. Most people won't ever remember you were involved. No one will say it's yours.

No. No comic is ever yours. But there is a time where you pick one up, read it, and get invested in the story you read. That's the only thing you can claim ownership of:

The moment.

It's also true for when you hit save on the Word document, or add that final touch of India Ink to page 23. That moment is yours and it's precious, and the only unselfish thing to do it to share it.

Check out the gooses in Greasers in Geese

A lesson about comics, and maybe life.

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to respond below.

Dimitrios Fragiskatos
Author and new contributor to this blogspot

Check out our comics at Gryphon Knights Comics

and patronize us here

Stylistic Differences and Their Effect on a Comic Book

Today I was thinking about stylistic differences. In fact I was talking with my brother about that very thing. I had mentioned to him my need to refine my art style, and he commented that for the last book I illustrated the art was perfectly fitting for the content.

   
Greasers in Greece is after all a comedy and my style tend toward the cartoonish and silly. Its not that I can't do other styles, but this is the one that really fit the content. If you check out the image to the right you can see that this is the style that encompasses the Greasers and their universe.


One of the final things my brother had said was "imagine if the Greasers were drawn by anybody else?" after a paused he added, "Or more specifically what if it was done by someone like Rob Liefeld?" Its that final comment that got me thinking. Its true that style can totally change the feel of a story. And as is often the case, when a muse seizes you you can do nothing but obey.


For those that are not familiar with Rob Liefeld's style it is very different from my own. His characters are often tall have rippling muscles and more often than not have grim serious expressions on their face. He is at times ridiculed but he became popular and well regarded in the industry so quickly that his style became iconic. Liefeld changing his own style would be Jennifer Grey getting a nosejob all over again. Her look was iconic and changing it made her unrecognizable.

Understanding that detail I took my cartoonish style and replaced it with a more Liefeldian image. It completely changes the effect and the mood of the book.

Style can be intrinsic in creating the right pairing between art and writing. I had to be wary of this for the horror book called The Only Choice by Indie Comics Tracker. I used heavy contrast to set a dark and haunting tone to the book.

Next project you work on keep these concepts in mind so you might have great success!


Sir Thomas J. Gryphon is an artist and plebeian playing at making the next great comic, books like WOW Signal and others at GRYPHON KNIGHTS COMICS.

An Introduction & a WIZARD

So I've been an artist with this team of Gryphon Knights Comics for about a few months now and we've gotten some cool stuff done.

We've redesigned an old site, we've got a Twitter up and running, we have a vibrant facebook with lots of extras and images, and then of course there is our website for Gryphon Knights Comics, to which we have recently added another comic. All in all its a fun gig. I feel like the coolest thing about our site is that we offer most of our books for free to readers with the exception of Greasers in Greece.

My contribution to the site is illustration for the book HERO, and I write and draw the Wow! Signal and I co-write and illustrate the Meanwhile books. You can also find a bunch of my other artwork on my deviantART page.

So introductions aside this blog will be run by the three owners of the company to talk about it, their influences on their art especially what has helped inspire them to create the books they have.

With that said let me impart on you a little advice the Simpsons once gave me: If you are ever in trouble, just blame The Wizard...

Tom Gryphon

"A WIZARD DID IT!"