Unshaven Comics ventured from our humble homes in the Chicagoland suburbs (and Kenosha, WI) to make our way out to GalaxyCon Oklahoma City, a couple weeks ago. While we’ve done GalaxyCon shows prior (last year specifically in New Orleans), this was a fresh city for we Unshaven Lads. The hypothesis? A new city means new energy. New fans. New sights and sounds. And while I’d love to have a grand narrative to unravel for all y’all this week… I’m headed back to the well of a long listicle to work through the wins and losses we faced tabling at the con. If you don’t mind the predictable format, and grant me some grace? Let’s crack on, kiddos. 

Win: Sales.

Our rule of thumb has long been “Twenty books a day keeps company extinction away”. That metric above all else typically means we’ll have banked enough bucks in the till to cover the cost of the table, and some sundries that got us to said convention. With that in mind… I’m elated to report we netted 86 trade sales of The Samurnauts. This included 48 books moved on Saturday — two away from a single day sales record! In short? OKC came out to buy from Unshaven Comics, and that was the biggest win all weekend.

For the uninitiated, you might ask “how do you sell so well?”. I’ve covered it pretty well in the past, but the TL:DR of it all is: Kyle Gnepper is our secret weapon. His mutant ability to suppress empathy long enough to pelt the con populace with our time-tested perfect pitch without flinching for hours on end is the single biggest secret to our success. So, tip of the cap to my brother from another mother. 

Loss: The allure of a cheap hotel stay.

The truth of the matter is that Unshaven Comics is composed of three people. Hotel rooms don’t often come with three beds. In the past, we’ve always gotten two beds and a pull-out couch, or brought an air mattress. This time around, as I perused the hotel availability around the con, a special caught my eye. A hotel so inexpensive we could afford 2 rooms for the same price as one we’d normally book. And it was by the airport — which I’ve personally known to never be the worst part of town, given how hotels close by are typically tapped for layovers and the like. And given the specific brand of the hotel in question was quite reputable and met our needs of offering a decent continental breakfast… we booked.

Well, the joke was on us. It turns out we were just far enough from the airport that we were absolutely in the less than great neighborhood we wanted to sidestep. Oh well. At the end of the day, we were close to normal suburban sprawl for dining options and sundries. The hotel was relatively quiet, and far as we could tell… plenty safe. Would we come back to it specifically should we return to OKC? Not a chance, fancy pants.

Win: GalaxyCon’s logistics.

Having been a part of over 100 cons since our humble beginnings… we Unshaven lads know a thing or two about the logistics of a good show. The ease by which we’re able to enter the building for the first time, get our passes, and load in our materials  — and then how easy it is to reverse the process at the end — can set the tone for things to come. 

I am elated to declare GalaxyCon was pitch perfect. They opened the show floor to artists all day into the evening the day prior to show, and the Oklahoma City Convention Center has an astoundingly easy loading dock to locate and enter. We walked right in the open bay, were given our passes, and got all our materials in without any guff. 

And while the actual show days were a smidge too long (Friday and Saturday both ended at 8PM!), it’s hard to argue giving con-goers plenty of time to explore and have fun.

Loss: Old men don’t make time for memories.

The downside then to a con that really does maximize open hours means any chance to see the host city is all but decimated. And truth be told, my cohorts and I aren’t often interested in deep dives into the local culture. We’re kinda suburban dad homebodies equally happy with a good meal from a chain restaurant and reminiscing together than necessarily becoming would-be tourists. And while OKC is known to have some great onion-forward cheeseburgers, top-notch steaks, and other hearty fare… we honestly explored only a single sprawling strip mall and the surrounding area for our dinners. Finger of shame though specifically to the “top-rated” Chinese buffet (according to Google, Yelp, AND TripAdvisor) turning out to be absolutely the worst. Trust me when I say: Unshaven Comics knows Chinese buffets. And OKC delivered an OK-D-minus in that department.

Win: Old men learn from their mistakes. Kinda.

As we Unshaven Lads all near the middest of our forties, a few old-man-adjustments have crept in to our con life. For one of us? It was adding compression socks to the fit. For another? Protein bars added throughout the day to keep energy up. And for all of us? A commitment to no more fast food, and always aiming to get something green on the plate at least once a day. For once in a good long while? We traversed the entire long weekend without anyone complaining… only cheering at turning in early to ensure we were well rested each day. L’chaim!

The Biggest Loss: Where did the Indie Comic Makers go?!

I truly hate to bury the lead here kiddos. The info above really was the long and short of our fantastic experience at GalaxyCon: Oklahoma City. But under the surface of the show, something continues to gnaw on me: the absolutely limited number of comic book making compatriots in the aisles of the artist alley. While the show boasted a heaping helping of awesome established stars of the medium (Cory Smith, Megan Levens, Bob Hall, Dexter Vines, Christopher Priest, Dan Jurgens…), I’m always on the lookout for folks of a similar stature as Unshaven Comics. 

As I walked through the artist alley… row upon row… I only counted perhaps half a dozen actual indie comic creators — and this included ya boys and the ever-present Onrie Kompan (our fellow Chicago-based pal). SIX among what was likely 200+ other tables. This floors me. It depresses me. A decade prior, Unshaven Comics would be among dozens upon dozens of fellow creators at any given show. Part of the appeal to the comic con had always been that notion you could catch the next generation of talent in the comic book medium. But here, at this decidedly expansive-focused show… Comic Bookery was merely a pockmark in comparison to anime bric-a-brac, stickers, poster prints, novelists, plushie-producers, and the standard slog of vendors (with barely a handful of long-box comic vendors!). 

Stay tuned to this, as we continue to go to cons. Is the industry changing under our noses? Did it already change and we’re late to the party? Perhaps it’s time I had a sitdown with Mike and Bob to discuss. 

 Thanks, Oklahoma City. We’ll see you down the road!