CAPE Crusade

Yesterday was CAPE here in Dallas, sponsored by Zeus Comics. The event’s pretty unique: an outdoor Free Comic Book Day event with more than eighty talented creators as well as me, too.

Things went really well. I sold fairly well, I think, during an event that has the name “free” in it’s name. There were a wonderful number of kids there, which I think is one of the most important parts of the day: getting kids into the hobby.

And, while it was a big event with big names, there weren’t huge crowds or lines. Mark Waid, Robert Kirkman, and Gail Simone all had some pretty thick crowds, but it wasn’t so bad that you couldn’t drift over and talk to them. I know Mark the best, and at most shows we walk by each other’s tables, exchange a few witty bon mots, and then go back to our busy day. Here, I got to talk with him a little more, about things Super Friends and toys and comics. I got to meet Gail Simone for the first time, something really not possible for me at most shows because of her well-deserved crowds.And I gave her some copies of the book, of course. I did miss Robert Kirkman, who my cousin Jamie turned me on to with his Christmas gift of the Invincible hardcover . I would have liked to have told him how much I like his book.

The day was a little chilly to start. And windy. Chilly and windy. Jesse and Christine were real troopers with the weather. It wasn’t, but it certainly started out... unpleasant. Cold doesn’t bother me too much, although the wind certainly caused issues for my light and frothy books.

The event does seem to be a little bifurcated. Zeus has a shop nearby, but there didn’t seem to be a lot of cross-traffic. That could be just anecdotal, and that there was a good amount of crossover. CAPE certainly wasn’t hurting for people either way. I moved some books, a commission, even a t-shirt, which seem to be the hardest product to sell (and the one that takes up the most space in my suitcase, despite my cool space saver bags).

I also got to talk with Scott Hinze from Fanboy Radio, and more importantly now from Heroes for Heroes, an organization supplying our troops overseas with comics, MP3s, iPods, iTunes gift cards and the like. I’ll be donating a chunk of books to them for sure.

I’m very glad I came to CAPE. And I’d certainly do it again. Having said that, Free Comic Book Day 2009 is a year away, and there are still forty-eight states that I haven’t visited for the big FCBD event yet.