Microcon at That's Entertainment 11/24/2026

Me at Free  Comic Book Day at That's E circa 2009

I've been going to That's Entertainment in Worcester Massachusetts back when it was still on Chandler Street. Their Park Avenue location has become something else over the years. I've been doing shows and appearances at the store since maybe around 2006 or 2009. 

I'll be tabling at their upcoming Microcon on Saturday October 24th. I'm looking forward to it. I always have a great time at That's E. The staff have always been great to me. 

If you're looking for something to do, why not come on out. The event runs from 11AM till 5PM. Go to their website for more info:

That's Entertainment Worcester MA

 

Thoughts on Indie Comics Creator Con 2026

 

This is like the third convention I've done in sports complex. I'm actually not sure why a lot of conventions are holding them in this type of venue. I'm wondering if the complex is a bit more affordable than the usual hotel or convention center. Not sure of that though. 

But I braved the alleged raindrops and made it down there to set up for Indie Comics Creator Con. It's actually raining more this morning than it was yesterday. 

Because of the potential storm, both sales and attendance were down considerably.  Needless to say, I didn't do great. But I definitely did better than I thought I'd do. 

As always, I offered commissions throughout the entire event. Nobody was interested so I sketched the entire day. If anything else, I'll have work ready for the next weekends convention up in St. Albans... again in a sports complex.

Actually, there might be something in this. I could call it my "complex tour". Ha ha!! Maybe not...

This one I DID manage to sell seconds after I completed it.

But my thoughts on the show. The first and foremost what impressed me was the caliber of guests. They had indie artists flying all the way in from California to attend. And if you go on the Indie Comics Creator Con website you can see this past Saturdays guest list.

The other thing I touched upon in a previous blog post. I saw a lot of creators selling their own comics and 'zines. This cheered me considerably. I still saw some of the usual fan art prints, stickers and key chains a lot of young creators seem to be selling more and more. But they still had either a comic or a 'zine for sale as well.

I'm not sure if there are people who look down their nose at them (you never know) but 'zines are fine. It's an attempt to tell a story and get it out their for people to read.

I don't honestly care if they're printing them out at home or going down to Staples to do the job. They're telling stories. That's all that matters.

I do print on demand. And even that is probably frowned upon or seen as "you're not a professional".

Still, I'd rather be seen as that and doing new work rather than doing nothing at all.

I also ran into my friend Dave Gordon at the show.

Its always good to see Dave and his friend Ken at the events. Ken had been Dave's copilot (of sorts) as he has been navigating the convention circuit for the first time in the past few years promoting what he has described as his graphic novel situation comedy Being Gordy. 

Definitely check his work out if you haven't. It's a lot of fun and really SHOULD BE a situation comedy on Netflix or one of the streaming platforms. 

The three of us ended up opted out of going to the after party (we're autumn roosters and not spring chickens anymore) and went to the Shannon View Inn instead for dinner after we left the show. I had missed the drink and draw Indie Creator Con hosted the night before and Dave really liked the ambiance and suggested it. I can see why he liked it. I thought it was pretty nice too.

We ended up chatting about our experiences with conventions as well as our mutual friend Andy Fish and toasted him. Dave had gone to high school with Andy.

After that Dave and Ken headed back to the hotel they were staying at and I made the 1 hour trip back up to Massachusetts to sleep in my own bed.

Well, another conversation in the books. Now it's onto Rail City Fanfest. 

Rail City Fanfest

 Next weekend I'm heading up to Vermont for Rail City Fanfest. For more information about the event, go to their website. 

Rail City Fanfest

It's a bit like Plastic City Comic Con where there's no real artist alley or vendor area. It's all sort of mixed together. AND they did a really nice job feeding us to boot!!

Hope to see you there!!

Indie Comics Creator Con 2026

I'm really hoping to make it down to this event in Warwick RI tomorrow. Depending if the weather behaves itself. Because this event looks like a lot of fun.

As of right now it's 12noon till 8PM at Teamworks Warwick, 170 Jefferson Blvd, Warwick, RI. But the times could change with the impending storm of doom.

Everybody Has A Story To Tell...

 I saw this on someone's Bluesky profile. But I promise this won't be angry old man yelling at cloud type blog post complaining about the rise of fan art at shows.

Picture of me taken just last week...

I started doing the convention circuit again regularly in 2022 or 2023. And the one thing I have noticed especially at comic conventions is young creators doing fan art prints, stickers, key chains and charms more and more and publishing their own original comic book stories less and less.

Again, this isn't a call to get rid of these creators who have dedicated themselves to selling fan art. But as someone who went to college for comic art and spent most of my career creating my own comics, part of me is sad to see less creators putting out their own stories. 

But I would much rather see a balance at the show rather than it being overpopulated by one or another. 

I do my share of pen and ink sketches and prints based off pop culture characters. But I also sell my own original books. 

The other thing I've been seeing in the areas that are supposed to be designed for Artist Alley is tables selling 3D printed figures, scented candles and vendors selling used comics and licensed merch.

But some of that I wonder is due to less of the comic professionals doing the shows so the events are trying fill the spaces somehow with whoever signs up.

So, back in 2024, I signed up for Savannah Comic Con. I hadn't stepped foot in Savannah Georgia since I graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design. 

It was definitely one of those bittersweet "you can't go home again" experience. It was nice to see the city again after over 30+ years. However, all the people I knew while I was there had all moved on. So, it was kind of a lonely feeling as I ate a late lunch at the Six Pence Pub. Which sadly turned out just as disappointing as I remembered it. Beer was good though. 

And the convention itself turned out to be a disappointment saleswise. Which happens. But driving 15 hours and barely making gas money does sting.

However, the highlight of my trip was I got a chance to meet Dame Darcy. A comic artist whose work I admire greatly. 

During the convention a young creator came up to my table and marveled at all the books I had on display. Which, to be honest, wasn't as many as I usually have. However...

They told me they would love to make their own comic but they don't think anyone would read it.

So I said to them that everybody has a story to tell and everybody has an audience for their story. I told them it doesn't have to be a superhero story. It could be a comic about their life. Find what interests them and write about it.

I did a small convention on the Cape (Cape Cod for those of you not from Massachusetts) and I saw a lot of young people putting out 'zines. Which as far as I'm concerned is great because they're telling their story. And it's an inexpensive way to do so and I encourage it.

I've wondered if the reason young creators have been leaning more towards fan art prints and merch more and more because print on demand can be pricey. Or they're complacent making a living just doing the convention circuit selling prints and inexpensive merch.

And some of that might be how many comic cons have been rebranded as fan expos and fan fest over time. The people attending may not necessarily read comics. So they're going for their audience. Many more willing to toss their money at an inexpensive sticker, key chain or charm rather than someone's graphic novel or comic book. 

Just the nature of the beast.

But honestly. The whole point of doing the convention circuit is so you don't have to do the convention circuit as much. You either make connections or find your audience so people then search you out online to buy your work.

But you havd to do the leg work to get that audience. 

Again, I don’t want to see these fan creators go away or get run out. But I would like to see a balance it's fair for both fan artists and people putting out original comics and artwork.

Consider Subscribing To My Patreon

I'm currently working on a new short Doctor Who comic just in time for Chicago TARDIS. I had just completed another for Long Island Doctor Who the previous month. Since 13th Doctor Jodie Whittaker is going to be the special guest at this years ChicagoTARDIS, I decided to do a 13th Doctor story in time for the convention. 

But not only that, I decided to make it a multi-Doctor story AND bring back an old friend of the Doctor.

But just WHO is this mysterious other incarnation of the Doctor 13's teaming up with and WHO is the old friend?

Well!! To find out before it goes to print, consider becoming a member of my Patreon page. Subscriptions start as low as $3. And since I'm not connected to a major publisher, what i make on Patreon really does help out immensely with the out of pocket printing costs for my books when I'm selling at conventions.

With the $3 subscription you get an early look at the projects I'm working on. The $10 subscription gets you a copy of the book when it goes to print. 

Click on the link to check it all out. 👇

House of Hasenpatt

Diary of the Black Widow Turns 20!!

It might not mean anything to some of you but it means something to me. 

20 years ago my very first full length comic work Diary of the Black Widow was published!! First as a three parter and then as a graphic novel. And then much later collected with it's sequel The Spaghetti Strand Murder.

Enjoyed by some. Reviled by some others. Love it or hate it, it was a graphic novel. 

And I'm planning on releasing a 20th Anniversary edition. So stay tuned!!

 

The Long Goodbye...

 Andy and I shared a love for the works of Raymond Chandler. So I know he'd appreciate my choice of blog titles. 

Actually the first anthology I worked on with him was titled the Big Sleep. A lot of fun and it was my first deep dive into actually finishing a comic art project which would lead me to completing my first graphic novel Diary of the Black Widow. So I owe a lot of that to Andy.

The last few days have been rough. I've been through it before but it never gets any easier. Besides Andy, two friends of mine lost a loved one as well. One lost their Father and the other their Mother. And I went to pay my respects to both. 

My wife and I went to Andys calling hours on Tuesday. It was such a nice turn out and it spoke volumes the kind of person he was and how many people's lives he touched just by being a good person. They also had a lot of his comic art and illustrations on display as well as the toys and memorabilia he collected and decorated his studio with. Even the quote on his prayer card was from The Wolfman. Andy loved the Universal Monster Movies.

The memorial service was sad but a nice send off for Andy. His son's did him proud talking about their father and again, it was a nice turn out. 

I don't do well with grief. I never have. But I feel like the statement "You'll get over it" is callous because you never really do because there's a void in your life where that person used to be. I have an Aunt who passed in 1999 and I'm still brought to tears when I hear Claire de Lune by Debussy. My grandparents have been gone for over 20 years. And I still tear up when I hear We'll Meet Again sung by Vera Lynn or  Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller.

I feel like grief changes over time as the fond memories of the person come to the forefront of your mind more and more. But "get over it"? I don't think so.

I'll remember the good times I had with Andy. The lessons I learned. The advice he gave me. Talking endlessly about old movies and Batman. A character we both enjoyed despite Bob Kane being a first class putz. 

It's going to take a while to process my grief. But I won't be "getting over it".

Still Mentally Unpacking A Lot...

Photo courtesy of Robo Picto Comics.

 These last few months have been very difficult. I'm still working through my grief after losing my friend Andy Fish over the weekend. 

Andy was like the older brother I would have wanted. I didn't have an older brother because I WAS the older brother. But I would have wanted him to be just like Andy.

Andy had also helped me through by own grief back in 2005 and 2006. In the stretch of a year I lost both my Grandparents. Andy knew them as well and had a great deal of fondness for both of them. 

He especially had a great deal of respect and admiration for my grandfather. That and my Grandfather was just a very easy person to like. He had a very kind soft spoken nature and made everyone he talked to feel like the most important person in the room.

 My grandfather's death hit me the hardest. I had been very close to him. Andy knew how much it affected me and we talked about it quite a bit.

Andy at one point said, "Your Grandfather seemed like the type of person that would have lived forever" and honestly I couldn't have agreed with that statement more.

And I feel like that statement applies to Andy as well. 

If he was short with you, it meant he liked you. He was the type of person who couldn't be bothered with someone he didn't like. And if he was giving you a "older brother" type of talking to, it came from a place of experience and he was hoping to steer you on the right path from his own experiences. 

Andy also taught me not to be jealous of anyone else's successes. And to be honest, THAT'S the best outlook to have. Its a pointless and destructive to be hateful and bitter. It's all too easy to look at someone else's success and fall into that trap of constantly saying "Why did they get all the luck"?

Well, that person you're accusing of having nothing but "lucky breaks"might've worked their collective tails off to get where they are. You don't know their story. And being in the right place at the right time isn't a bad thing. 

Thats why us creative types do all these shows. You could do 86 of em where you're basically the invisible man and make enough for gas money. 

Heck, I did a show where what little I made went into lodging and I barely had enough for gas money. I did another where I barely broke even and then almost broke my neck driving 16 hours straight. By the way, never drive 16 hours straight. It's just as dangerous as driving intoxicated. Maybe worse. 

But then there's that one show where you meet that one right person (or persons) who likes your work. And the next thing you know you're working on that dream project. Or string of projects. 

That's the outlook Andy Fish imparted on me. You need to work hard to get where you want go. Sitting around and complaining about how everyone gets all the breaks won't do anything. You've got to get out there and make your own luck.

I have always been proud of both Andy and Veronica's success because I know how hard they've worked to achieve it. And in return they've always been kind and encouraging to me.

I have been very moved by the outpouring of love towards Andy I've seen over the past few days since he left us. It speaks volumes to the type of person he was and the lives he's touched just by being a decent human being.

Andy lives on through his wife Veronica (who was the best person to be with him), his three sons (all great people who made Andy proud) and all the family and friends who were blessed to know. 

It's going to take some time to process my grief. Something I feel like I've never been good at. But it definitely would have been a much sadder world if I never met Andy Fish at all.

Will the Black Dandy Returns? Oh, without a doubt!!

The Black Dandy was a collaboration that I really enjoyed working on with Andy Fish. The original story we did was so much fun to work on. It was our love letter to the Shadow, Spider, Green Hornet AND the Phantom Creeps. All those bits of crime noir and movie serials Andy and I loved.

I had always hoped after I finished my own Black Dandy story, Andy would do his own. AND I had hoped he'd completely ignore my plot and did his own as if mine didn't exist. In the same way none of the Green Hornet or Dick Tracy movie serials weren't connected to one another. Sadly, that won't come to pass. But I am grateful for the character we both created and the collaboration we did. 

Will the Black Dandy return one day? All signs point to YES!! I have every intention of penning a follow-up tale. If anything else as a tribute to my good pal Andy Fish. 

In the meantime, THE BLACK DANDY STRIKES! is available in TWO editions. Standard AND one with the existing pages from our collaborations. You can get them on Lulu.com: 

The Black Dandy Strikes! (Special Edition)

and

The Black Dandy Strikes! (Standard Edition)

Also, even though Andy's no longer with us, please consider contributing to his gofundme to help his family with medical and funeral expenses. Everything helps.

Andy's gofundme

 

Andy T. Fish

Andy and me at the original Boston Comic Con back in 2007

 This is a tough one and to be honest, I'm not good with words and don't process grief very well. 

I feel like I've known Andy Fish forever. His son Joe would come over to my grandparents house to play when my cousin Jae was visiting from California. 

But I feel like I got to know Andy better when we worked at the Worcester Art Museum together. A talented artist and writer. Honest and never pulled his punches. 

We both shared a love for old movies of the 30s and 40s. Especially film noir, movie serials, the Marx Brothers and Andy even eventually won me over on the Basil Rathbone WWII Sherlock Holmes series (although we both agree Nigel Bruce is the most slappable Watson of all the various adaptations) which I avoided but admittingly find enjoyable. 

We both also shared an appreciation for Batman. And a shared dislike for Batman co-creator Bob Kane. Who, as Andy has stated, lived the life of Bruce Wayne while leaving Bill Finger to die in poverty.

We both enjoyed the 1966 Batman television series and the storied Andy told me about working with Adam West on projects were incredibly entertaining and made me appreciate Wests offbeat sense of humor all the more.

He was very particular about his Batmen and we'd have longish discussions on the subject of Batman adapted onto the screen. 

Above all, Andy was a good father to his son's Matt, Joe and Adam. And a loyal husband to his wife Veronica. And a good friend to many of us who had the privilege of knowing him. 

I'll miss you Andy and my heart goes out to Veronica, Matt, Joe, Adam and all his family and friends right now. 

My Grandfather (who Andy had a great respect for) used to end his letters home during WWII with the words "Goodbye for now". Which I feel like is fitting. 

Goodbye for now, Andy. You will be missed.

Confessions of a Ukaholic

 

Sometime between 2013 to 2016 I decided to learn ukulele. I've never been musically savvy. I can't sing and I throughout my younger years learning an instrument was something I wanted to do but I had trouble wrapping my brain around. But I loved the videos of Peter Sellers playing the ukulele on talk shows as well as George Harrisons love for the instrument. He used to keep ukulele's in the boot (trunk) of his car because as he put it, "You never know when you might need a ukulele".

So for my 37th Birthday my wife got me my first ukulele (as seen above) and thanks to the tutelage of a talented friend from Worcester, I got a basic understanding of the general mechanics of the instrument. 

I own probably about 12 now.

Do I have delusions of a recording career? Heavens no!! I just like to sit down in quiet moments and strum to myself. Or from time to time play along with friends. It's just fun for me.

Welcome Home, Russell Edson

 

Another great collaboration I had the pleasure of working on was Welcome Home, Russell Edson with writer Joshua Michael Stewart and artist Aaron Krolikowski. 

A fictional telling of the factual prose poet and illustrator Russell Edson coming back from the afterlife to attend a family dinner. And to inform the loved ones he left behind the afterlife isn't all it's cracked up to be. 

I've known Josh since probably the second grade. On top of being an incredibly talented writer and prose post, he's also a very incredibly gifted musician and composer. We've been talking about doing a collaborative project for some time that would be a union between the prose poem and the graphic novel. And this was it. 

Aaron I've known since my first year at SCAD. He's always been a wildly imaginative artist and performer doing everything from staging plays to forming Bonzo Dog style band. 

With this project I had done the penciling, layout and added the gray tones and lettering digitally. Aaron has done the inking.  I had always liked the Batman story The Untold Legend of the Batman and didn't know for years John Byrne did the pencils on issue one because Jim Aparos style is so distinctive that Byrne's own distinctive style gets lost in it.

I also got into some of Jules Feiffer graphic novels and loved his loose approach but couldn't achieve it myself. Aaron's own loose style was close to that, so I called upon him to join Josh and my artistic endeavor. 

I'm very pleased with the results and am looking forward to my next collaboration with Josh and Aaron. 

You can get your copy by clicking on the link right here. 👇 

Welcome Home, Russell Edson

And you can learn more about Russell Edson here. 👇

Russell Edson on Wikipedia

Next Project: The Giant Rat of the Sumatra

 

"...for which the world is not yet prepared", according to Sherlock Holmes himself.

And yet here I am telling it... or at least ONE writers idea of how it went.

In the last two year, I've attempted to have at least one new Sherlock Holmes comic book or graphic novel completed in time for 221B Con in Atlanta. Last year I happened to get TWO done in time. For those projects I decided to adapt two of the Basil Rathbone radio plays. This year I decided to choose the radio adaptation of The Giant Rat of the Sumatra. 

Originally, I wanted to have it completed in time for A Parallel Case of St. Louis this past July. But I found I wouldn't have had the book finished and printed off in time for the conference. So I shifted gears and worked on my short Doctor Who comic with my friend and writer Lee Shackleford for LI Who. Unlike last year, I DID get it finished and make copies in time for the convention in August.

So, now that I have pretty much recovered from travels, I started work on the pages for the Giant Rat again. And like my previous comic book projects, I am currently serializing them on my Patreon page.

As I mentioned in a prior blog post, I'm using what I earn on my Patreon page to help fund the print costs for said books when I do shows and conventions. I'm not attached to a big (or even small) name publisher or fabulously wealthy. So much like your local PBS Station (mine is WGBH Channel 2 Boston or WGBX Channel 44) the contributions I get from support on Patreon does help out. And I am grateful for that kindness. 

Memberships start at a mere $3. But I also try to give a little extra incentive for the $10 tier where if you become a member at that level, you WILL get a copy of that book when it goes to print.

Click on the link below to check out my Patreon and consider becoming a subscriber!! 

The House of Hasenpatt

Okay, enough of the pledge drive rigamarole. You get the idea.

I'm up to about page six of the project. I'm hoping to have it all done by the end of September and up on Lulu by early October sometime. Although, I've still have a few books available through Amazon's Kindle Direct (formerly Createspace), I've been trying to have more and more of my work available via Lulu.com because I think they have a much better print quality than Amazon does. 

But I have a list of all the books I currently have available either in print or as an ebook on the side bar to the right. So click on the link of the book to check out the book you're interested in. 

I'm also going to showcase a book of mine each month. Both new releases as well as books of mine I just want you to check out. So watch this space.