I’ll admit, physically Dawn and I have been feeling cruddy for the last few days. It’s like we’re getting the “con crud” ahead of the convention this time instead of after it. Still, I can reach over now and hold in my hands the 200-page published trade paperback collection of our comic book. I can do a search for Zombie Ranch on Amazon.com and bam!
There we are. This weekend as we sit down behind our table at the seventh annual
Long Beach Comic Con, we’re going to have the books for sale to Ye Publick for the first time.
That’s all kind of amazing to think about. Sometimes we joke about how the comic is our “child”, and if I ran with our comparison we could think of our debut online and at the 1st LBCC in 2009 as the occasion of its birth.
This, then, would be like seeing that kid graduate college. I mean, if our kid were graduating college at Age 6, which is one of the ways the metaphor falls apart. The sense of pride (and time and money and effort spent) is undeniable, though, even if it’s not really comparable. I really feel like we’ve reached a positive milestone, and that’s a great feeling to have.
Of course, as many college graduates find out, graduation doesn’t guarantee victory in life. Even as we reach further, Dawn and I try to be very careful with our expectations and not get too heady with any idea of success. I expect that this weekend’s debut of the trade will sell maybe 5 copies at most to people we don’t know. I am ready and willing to be proven wrong, but if we sell absolutely none at all beyond fulfilling Kickstarter backers and friends who missed out on the Kickstarter for whatever reason, I am prepared for that. Pride in achievement is a very subjective thing, and if I wanted to get back to the parent thing, well, mom is far more likely to pin their kindergartner’s first drawing to the family fridge than The New Yorker is to feature it in their magazine. Unless maybe mom runs The New Yorker. Mine, while a lovely and very capable woman, does not. On the other hand, I still like to think this product came together well enough that I can unashamedly ask thirty dollars for it.
It’s entirely possible that not too many people out there will agree, which is understandable, especially if they don’t know us or our work. But for now I want the “kid” to know that its parents, at least, are proud and glad to know it’s here.
8 thoughts on “540 – Trick Hello”
Scarsdale
Called it, she figured he’d do this, if by choice or by zombie voodoo. I’m sure the “friendlier” questioning will start soon, if she doesn’t just kill him out-right. Or just add him to the herd.
Crazyman
Gotcha!
Zombatar
This turn of events is a surprise only to Eustace. And, maybe, Eustace’s subconscious. After all, this way he doesn’t have to actually risk actually attacking Suzie, which gives him a greater chance of survival than actually attacking her. I wonder what he was promised/threatened with?
ConcordBob
Not to nit-pick, but since sights are on target, finger should be on the trigger. Especially this close.
The usual rule is “keep finger straight and off trigger until sights are on target”.
Dr. Norman (not a real doctor)
Not to nit-pick, but since that was current philosophies regarding trigger discipline have evolved.
Of course, it will depend on who you get/got your training from.
Experiments have determined that the fraction of a second to go from finger off the trigger to finger firing when appropriate is insignificant, and the risk of firing unintended is greatly reduced.
Dr. Norman (not a real doctor)
I did the google thing and I believe I saw how you reached this conclusion … but there are two parts to it – One should not omit the second part.
“Trigger Finger Discipline: · The practice of keeping your finger “off the trigger” until your sights are on target AND YOU ARE READY TO DISCHARGE THE FIREARM.” (Caps are my own)
Crazyman
She wants him alive so she can question him; otherwise, he’d already be dead.
ConcordBob
Good discussion on trigger discipline!
His skin is very pale / gray. Is this malnourishment, or has he been poisoned with a mind-control drug? I would have to go back and look a t all various of skin tone.