Knoxville Anime and Comic Convention 2010

This past weekend I took the advice of several folks I've encountered this year and set up stakes at my first comic con! I'm a total comic nerd and truly enjoyed the experience. I mean, what a freak show. Makes me think of the Michael Franti lyric - "All the freaky people make the beauty of the world." I was certainly entertaining to see so many people comfortable enough to dress up and get into character to run around this small gathering of dealers trying to earn their votes for a costume contest. Though a modestly sized event, the weekend afforded me the opportunity to get my feet wet and gab with dealers and artists about such events.

Saturday night, my wife and I got to lay low and enjoy the DelMonaco wine we picked up on the way into Knoxvegas. DelMonaco is this swank little vineyard off the cut in Baxter, TN just off of I-40. We got to sample the recommendations of their British distiller who apparently got stuck at the bar and wasn't even really sure how to ring us up. We almost got a steal until the owner finally made her way by.

Sunday was a gas despite a very passive crowd. One costume wearing gal gave me a very humbling compliment by comparing my work to that of west coast legend Robt. Williams (the first time I got that one... I'm usually just called a sicko or sadist.) The highlight of the weekend in all honesty was meeting an artist to recommend to you now constant reader. He is Billy Tackett, zombie artist extraordinaire. Billy had some great advice for me from his travels on the circuits pimping his zombie work to the masses. Billy has some really cool Uncle Sam zombies and a forthcoming comic, Dead, White, and Blue. Look out for it.