Comic-Con season is over, which means we're now entering Halloween season. Well...maybe my fellow horror nerds and me. Not everybody is ready for it, lol! I mean...you can find the spooky stuff at Ross and Michaels already...So, to me, it's official! But I digress...

San Diego Comic-Con has come and gone..now what?

I talked about my experiences with Comic-Con more in-depth in a special edition newsletter previously. If you missed it, you can always read it here.

How to beat the Post Comic-Con Blues or: An Appreciation of Comics

Before I forget, I just wanted to give a shoutout to all the people behind the scenes that made it happen and also kept us safe! Kudos for a great job! As I'm writing this, I've not had any signs of the Con-Crud or the Rona, yay! Crossing fingers it stays that way. I tallied up my steps and figured I walked about 30 miles in those five days. All in all, it was a successful event and I hope SDCC made some money so that next year they can do a printed version of the Souvenir Book again.

In the past, I'd get all bummed out once the event was over and fall into a post Comic-Con funk for a little while. This year, I was so grateful it took place in the first place, I regarded each day as an extra gift and felt much more gratitude. Also, I planned ahead and made sure I had something to keep me busy right after. I had to really cram and memorize a lot of dialogue for my role in a comedy short that filmed just three days after SDCC. The day after the shoot, I finally hit my low spot physically (exhausted) and emotionally (also exhausted) and I needed a day or two to just chill and be a useless clump on the couch. This also gave me some time to reflect and consider a few artistic avenues...

When people hear Comic-Con these days, they think cosplay, celebrities, Hollywood, games and toys. That's a little sad, because it all got started to promote...you guessed it...COMICS! I have to admit, I'm not a huge comics nerd (like a lot of people like to claim to be these days, cause it just makes them so damn cool... *sarcasm*), but I came to really appreciate the art behind it over the last few years. Sure, way back, as a kid, I devoured the Asterix series and still love it for nostalgic reasons. My dad collected them all and even got a few editions in the Fränkisch dialect, which are hysterical. I remember reading the Yps comics (wildly popular in Germany) and later MAD magazine and assorted comic strips here and there. I didn't get into all the DC and Marvel stuff at all. It just wasn't my thing. There, I said it..*gasp*!

I had a blast at Comic-Con and got out of it what I hoped for: Inspiration! I'm blessed to be friends with some brilliant Comic creators and have been able to learn more about the process and all the work that goes into making a comic book. And let me tell you...it is mind-blowing how much work it is! From the writing to establishing the characters to story layouts for comic pages, to then drawing, inking and coloring...it takes countless hours of blood, sweat and tears and a whole bunch of talented people. I learned to not just blow through the pages, but to appreciate each panel on the page. I realized how clueless I really was about the art of comics. Thank you to my friends for opening my eyes to it!

Just a fan

Of course, me being Her Dark Half and all...I'm drawn to the more sinister, creepy and scary comics. And of course funny, wildly inappropriate comics. Or a combination of both. Mostly, anything that doesn't have super heroes in it. (Do you hate me yet, lol). Not that I don't appreciate the art!

A good friend of mine, who happens to work in a local comic book store, Comickaze, knows my tastes pretty well and always has recommendations for me. That also helped to introduce me to a variety of comics I wasn't aware of. He also keeps me from forgetting updates on the latest Alien comics or whenever the next series of The Nice House on the Lake comes out. So, make friends at a good comic store if you want to expand your horizons. Or set up a Pull List. There is so much good stuff out there!

One creator I've been following and who's work I adore is JP Ahonen from Finland. No, you won't find him at Comic-Con. This is one of the reasons I want to mention him, cause ya'll need to check him out. He doesn't know me - I'm just a fan! I found his comic strip Belzebubs by accident on Instagram; and it is darkly hilarious - totally metal and adorable at the same time. From his Webtoon page: "Belzebubs documents the lives of your average satanic demon-worshipping family next door, their romantic affairs and the sluggish evolution of the father’s hapless black metal band." He's also on Patreon if you want to see more of his work. This incredibly gorgeous and earnest, yet also fun video below makes my dark little heart swell with 'awwwww':

Now what? Your turn!

Ok, time to wrap up this newsletter, which is a little shorter this time around - can you tell? Ya, it's been a bit crazy the last two weeks. I didn't even mention our wedding anniversary that usually happens at the same time as Comic-Con. My husband admits how lucky he is, not feeling the pressure to have to come up with an amazing gift or special date because I'm seriously preoccupied and distracted by all that other shiny stuff!

What I want to know is what YOU have been up to!

If you’ve read my past newsletters trying to prompt you to get creative and maybe even unleash your dark side, you should have doodled or tried your hand at creating in some way, riiiight?

Lemme see! Seriously! If you don't mind sharing, I'd love to show off some of my readers' art in a future newsletter! You can see how to reach me in the links below.

I did sell an original painting in the Art Show (woot!) and wanted to say thank you to the buyer, whoever you are! I won't find out your name until SDCC sends me the check. Thanks for supporting a local artist, even the unknown ones! Blessed be!

As for the other original paintings that I still have available - I'm thinking about adding them to my HerDarkHalf Etsy store. Take a peek if you're in the mood for some art that'll be perfect to add to your Halloween collection this year!

That's it for today - as always, have a creative weekend!

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Thank you from the bottom of my black little heart!

Dark Greetings….and summon you in two weeks!

Pia

If I haven’t heard from you in a while and you’d like to say hi, please drop me a quick message by replying to this newsletter or writing to [email protected]

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