As we stroll through 2024, we begin to see more conventions supporting the independent comic creator. Shows like Bedrock City Mini Con, Eastern Rim, and the return of Staple! gives us hope that the demand for stories from a new and unique perspective is thriving. Not only are some of these artists breaking into the industry, but they those flourishing from the work that they do. These kind of things are not unheard of, there are several successful adaptions from independent comic creators. Everything from Kickass, The Boys, Paper Girls, Invincible, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and The Walking Dead just to mention a few, have proven that the entertainment industry is always thirsty for a fresh perspective.
But reality seems to hit harder when we see the local guys that are closer to home bang on the Hollywood drum. We see the likes of Benn Dunn –creator of Antarctic Press– who sold the rights to his comic “Warrior Nun” to Netflix, where they produced two solid seasons (we hear that a third season being discussed on a different platform). Now we have the likes of Scott Chitwood under Red 5 Comics, with a film adaption of their comic “Afterburn”, which is being played by A-list actors such as David Bautista and Samuel L. Jackson. This comes to show us all that it pays to persevere in this game and although these achievements are nothing to balk at, it shines a new light of inspiration to all the creators out there making new worlds worth diving into.
Speaking of shining a light, Comic Indie Con is proud to have an event for 2024! There was an enormous amount of positive feedback at the show, with some artists even asking if we would be open to doing a two-day show. And although we don’t have immediate plans for this, we will definitely be keeping our options open in the future. For now, we would love to bring back the same indie energy we had going from 2023, and we hope to bring in a fresher taste for all things indie in 2024! Although our focus is indie comics, by no means are we isolating other fantastic independent works. We hope to bring in local indie board game creators, indie novelists, and especially some crafty indie artists and their awesome merch!
Don’t miss out this year! Be sure to mark your calendars! This year we will be at Silver Street Studios on Saturday, September 21st, at 10 am.