Sam and Fuzzy Q & A: Con Edition
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"How come you don't do more cons? Jeph does like dozens every year, and you do, what... three?" -Allison

Six is my "magic number" of annual con appearances. It's magic in the sense that, if I do any more than six, I would go completely nuts.

Don't get me wrong... I really enjoy going to conventions! But they involve a lot of work, and a lot of traveling -- and whenever I have done too many too close together, all that work and traveling starts to take a serious toll on my brain. Keeping the number of shows to a manageable size is my way of ensuring I still have a good time and don't explode.

Speaking of which, here is how my con schedule is shaping up for this year!

Emerald City - Seattle, March 13th and 14th
TCAF - Toronto, May 8th and 9th
Comic-Con - San Diego, July 21st-25th
Anime Evolution - Vancouver, August 13th-15th
Webcomics Weekend - New England, November 6th and 7th

That's everything I've committed to so far! I'll let you know if any more pop up.

"I was eating dinner the other day and found myself remembering and laughing at Aaron's face in the last two panels of this comic. Everyone thought I was a bit weird and it was sort of hard to explain. :P I was wondering if this ever happens to you? Do you laugh at your own comic jokes at all?" -Amanda

Almost never! To be honest, by the time I've finished spending 8 hours writing and illustrating a comic, I've "lived" with the joke so long that I can't even tell if it's funny or not anymore.

But I like to go back and read through the comics a year or two later, when I've forgotten most of the jokes and can actually be surprised by them. For the first time, I can experience and react to them the way readers do. It's a nice feeling. (When the jokes are funny, anyway.)

"So Sam became Emperor of the Ninja Mafia, and has been trying to turn them into a force for good. Recently in Daredevil, Matt Murdock became leader of the Hand Ninja Clan, and has been trying to turn them into a force for good. What's it like having Marvel Comics so blatantly steal your ideas?" -Colin

It's OK. Makes me feel better about my next storyline, where the government institutes a "Ninja Registration Act" and Sam gets killed by the Red Skull.

That's it for this week, and for the "Employee of the Month" storyline. That leaves just one storyline left before the conclusion of our current volume!
But first, we take a quick break for the fifth "annual" Obligatory Guest Artist Webcomic Duration (O-GAWD). See you on Monday!

-Sam Logan

YYY

I'm having a lot of fun with Big Bang Mini. Despite the friendly-sounding name, It's actually a surprisingly robust (and difficult!) shooter. It also has some pretty stellar art direction, with each and every level represented by a dramatically different graphic style.

At times, it kind of reminds me of Henry Hatsworth or Scurge: Hive... two other clever little games that were crafted by small but intensely talented design teams. They all have a sort of unquantifiable "personal" feel, and practically ooze with the love and care that went into making them. I'm glad stuff like this manages to find its way to the DS now and then!

"Employee of the Month" arrives at its epic conclusion on Friday. Don't miss it, chief!

-Sam Logan

XXX

The conclusion of "Employee of the Month" is upon us this week. It continues on Wednesday and wraps on Friday. Which means...

...O-GAWD (Obligatory Guest Artist Webcomic Duration) is almost here! I've just received a few of the guest strips that will be running next week, and they are seriously stellar. It's always a treat to see other artist's take on my characters... even if I am somewhat intimidated by how good they look!

The drawings, I mean. Not the artists.

Although...

-Sam Logan