2011 Comicon - Personality.... it goes a long way....

"You have to get on your knees" she said, "I want you to beg!"

I looked at the area around me, the red carpet sprawling beneath my feet, it was as if the room had cleared just for this occasion. "On my knees, huh?" I replied with a smile. "Ok, if that's what you're into."

How was it that I got here again? Oh yeah, now I remember.... it was Friday, my head was wrapped up in other things and The Man was getting into it with someone, busting her chops as he does. She was giving it right back. Impressive. Any chick that can handle his shtick and keep it going was worth talking to. He'd tell you the same.

"Because you like him" I heard him telling her when he pulled me into the conversation and away from where my mind was. He looked dead at me, gesturing with his hands, "I know he likes you."

I looked at her, who was staring at me now, and then back at The Man. They were talking about me. "Well," I said with a slight shrug and an indifferent tone, "there's a lot to like."

Was I talking about her or talking about myself?
Yes!

Then I walked away. I had my reasons.

my reasons... I'm Batman!

"You should have talked to her." He told me. It was the second time that day he tried to get me talking to a girl he knew I'd be into. He had a woman, and knows full well how much I need one to free me from my cage. Its the sort of thing friends do. 

"I'm not there, dude." I replied. "If something's gonna happen for me its going to have to just happen. I'm in no position for anything else."

When I saw her again I decided I wanted a shot of the girl that hung with The Man. She was good looking, sure, but it was her personality that stood out, her banter, her mannerisms. This one had character. 

there goes Tokyo....

"I was talkin to you yesterday." I told her. 

"You must mean the blond." Humble. Nice. 

"No" I smiled, my tone saying NO WAY! "It was you. My friend was breakin your balls." 

"About what?" 

I didn't want to say it. Now I broke into a grin. "About likin me. Mind if I get a picture?" I knew I'd be using it for this story. I raised my camera. 

"NO!" she yelled, lifting her hands in front of her face. "You have to buy something first." This went on for a minute or two before I conceded. "Ok" I said with a shrug. 

At that moment the artist grabbed her, sensing I was getting away. He held her there until I got my pic. I had the wrong lense on. 

"I'm the model for the story" she said, picking up one of the books. Then the artist went into his sales pitch, showing me his work. She was the model. The process he used was exactly something I talked to The Man about doing two years ago. It was the idea that got us going to Comicon in the first place. 

He set up his story like shots in a movie, then photographed the scene. Then he posterized the pictures with photoshop and re-inked them. Or something similar. You still need artistic talent to pull it off, and sets and actors to shoot. 

I was in already. I came here to see something different, and this was. I wanted to do this myself, so I wanted to see how he did it. And I would have bought them just for the picture of her. I do things like that. Besides.... I needed something to write about; I didn't tell them that though, I let him sell me on it anyway. 

So I got on my knees, and she really gave me something to remember her by. That was fun. That was great.

 

That was the Loaded Barrel Studios booth. The artist is Jared Barel. The model is Mars Alexandra. The books are "Brielle and the Horror" and "Grey" 

So far I haven't checked out Grey, though I'll probably have read it by the time you read this. Brielle and the Horror was excellent. Two issues weren't enough; I NEED to know what happens next. I feel like I've been left hanging and its driving me NUTS! I want to get back in there, re-engage Maverick!

The art is definitely different. It might take some getting used to for some of you, but there's a lot to like, and you can tell over a span of just a few issues that it keeps getting better. At times the lettering pops, which is huge. But what impresses me the most is that shooting the panels for this look is much more like directing a movie than anything else. The pacing is superb; another must with this type of storyline. You know my thing is storyline. I hope they can keep it going, and I think you should check it out.

The title of this piece is "Personality.... it goes a long way", so how does my little story tie in? Just as I had said in "Doing it right" with how Jenna pulled me back to the instigatorzine booth, Mars Alexandra was the reason I became interested in Loaded Barrel (Amazingly the booths we right next to one another; read between the lines and you'll put it all together). This time it was how the girl carried herself, her sassy, playful attitude that made her memorable. If she had been a dead fish, non-responsive to The Man's charm, or worse, a dismissive bitch, then I wouldn't be writing about this right now. But as she was, she was perfect. 

Add to that how Jared jumped in right when he sense he had to, taking the time to show me each of the books on the table while being very personable in the process and they won themselves a new fan. And as of this writing, I am a fan. 

Once again, a team of people personally invested gets it done. This time by giving me an enjoyable experience out of what comes naturally by being themselves. Even Ringo, who snapped the photos, had a smile on his face the entire time. I hope they do well and find nothing but big things ahead. Mars definitely lets the beast out of the cage, and it's beautiful to see.

Speaking of letting the beast out, this sexy beast just above (I told you I'd get back to her in yesterdays post) had some of that going on herself. You can tell she's having fun. But it wasn't enough for me to give a damn about what she was selling, and there's good reason, none of it her fault at all.

I've gone on in detail this week about how important it is to get noticed, and then once you get that notice, to have something worth showing and worth saying in order to keep the attention that's so hard to gain. I hope my stories served well to illustrate the point.

But getting noticed is a double edged sword. Its of the utmost importance to get noticed the right way, and for the right things. Being remembered for the wrong thing, something negative, can completely turn your audience off and destroy any chance you had with them. 

Tomorrow we'll talk about the WRONG way of doing things..... but that's all for now folks.... 

Later People.



Join my fanpage John LaSota - Writer

Or our creative team's page The Mad Doser Presents

And if you need a healthy helping hand from a Personal Performance Consultant

Coach LaSota

2011 NYC Comicon - Is she Jerking off Jack in the Box?

There's a certain little red head who was really cool that I promised to have a couple of good pics up for in today's piece, but I didn't have time to write what I'd wanted to and do it justice, so that's going to have to wait to tomorrow. Hopefully she tunes into that bat channel to get the shots.

In the meantime though, today's edition is going to be just a little bit of fun, for me at least.

Is she jerking off the Jack in the Box guy? Look at that picture, it definitely looks like that's what's going on. And if you had seen this woman in real life its a possibility. As The Man had said when I snapped this shot, she has porn star looks. The photo really doesn't capture her sexy, and that's what leads me to what I'm going to talk about today.

For as long as I can remember Comic books and the entire world that accompanies it was looked down upon as if it was something just for geeks and nerds. I remember as a kid, even well into high school, that once you busted one out (wait, what? Busted one out....) or began a conversation about it you were destined for the inside of a locker.

This isn't the red head I was talking about, but she'll also be making an appearance in that very same piece, and look how naughty she is.

I was never stuffed in a locker (we didn't have any), and though I was small enough to fit into one back then, I would have punched just about anyone in the face sooner than look at them at the time, so it never would have happened anyway. But that doesn't mean that I didn't get the label. Not that I exactly helped myself in other areas either.

What she was selling, I don't know. But does it matter?

Back then, COMICS = GEEK!

And maybe it still does, I don't know. What I DO know from the thousands upon thousands of people strutting around Comicon this passed weekend is that even if that's the case there are so many of us out there now that we're as free to be who we are as a gay couple in Chelsea.

Another thing that I know is that us geeks love the ladies. While I was really disappointed this year, as opposed to years passed, with what I saw in terms of both the models and costumes of the paying customers, there was still plenty to be gawking at.

She was working for Daz Studios. If you've ever used PoserPro, its a sick program that lets you make movies with digital characters in almost any way you can imagine, then you know Daz because they make a lot of the packages that you use in PoserPro.

Well, they decided to go with their own program now, cutting Poser out of the process. I own PoserPro but I'm pretty much retarded when it comes to learning software (or anything else for that matter), so I never did get anything going with it. Now I want to try the Daz Studios version.

Of course, I wouldn't know about any of that if it wasn't for the gypsy girl here. She's actually one of the models for their packages, so you can buy and download her if you want to take her home with you. Just like in my edition 2011 Comicon - Doing It Right, here's a beautiful woman who's personally invested.

I have to say too, she wasn't all too thrilled while she was working the booth, but MAN could she turn on that fake smile and look like she really meant it when she had to. I've known some of the ladies that do this work for sometime now, had this conversation with them about how they have to do that, and I can tell you this, she's a seasoned pro.

WHOA! There's nothing Nerdy or Geeky about this now, is there? Those bad boys are making me hungry!

These were just two of the thousands in attendance, hot as hell. They were nice enough to stop and let people take pictures of them for a while, and really, why else would you go through all the trouble of dressing up only to be a bitch about it?

Well, I don't know, but you have to ask the little bunny here. She wouldn't tell you if you asked. I was going to hold this pic back for a piece I'll be doing a few days from now on how NOT to do it right, but she still looks pretty good, and she was so nice I don't mind completely objectifying her here. Little bunny... I'll see you next Tuesday!

GET DOWN AND GIVE ME.....

huh huh, huh huh... yeah... give me..... How awesome is this print? By the time I saw this bad boy at the end of the show I was already broke, and I don't have wall space left for this sort of thing anyway, but I was tempted to rearrange the furniture to get that up there. And if you don't think women like the one in the drawing exist in real life.....

Think again! At Comicon they have all kinds of women, any that you can possibly think of. Actually, I took this shot because of the poster in the back. That's Catwoman with the face of Audrey Hepburn. Adam Hughes has to be my favorite artist, specifically because of this. As you all know, I'm completely in love with a woman who's been dead almost twenty years now.... but I'm not alone. And that's a major part of what's so great about these comic events... no matter what kind of a freak you may think you are or what makes you think so, you're going to find someone else thinking the same way. Here you're part of the club. That freak is celebrated... you're even great for it!

Of course, as things always tend to go, Adam Hughes wasn't around any of the times that I passed. My only real reason for posting a second of these pictures is because I know my buddy Walt will be all over that blond. He's probably licking the screen right now. Nice necklace honey... talk about porn star hot... lost in all of this is that the little patriot next to her is pretty sweet too.

There's really no reason for me to have this up. None. Once again though, the picture doesn't do her justice. They rarely do though, do they? Unless of course its staged to be perfect. 

Me, I don't stage anything to be perfect, because I'm not perfect, and neither is life. But no matter who you are, once a year or so, no matter what it is that you're into, Comicon gives all of us a chance to be perfect even if its just for a little while.... and you have to dress up like a cartoon character to do it.

Now I lost my train of thought. Where was I? Did I even have a point today? I'm not sure if I did, so tell me what you took from it cause I've got nothing. Better things on the horizon....

Later People!



Join my fanpage John LaSota - Writer

Or our creative team's page The Mad Doser Presents

And if you need a healthy helping hand from a Personal Performance Consultant

Coach LaSota

2011 NYC Comicon - Doing it Right

I stopped dead in my tracks at the end of the aisle, my head turning back towards the direction that I'd come. After completing one full lap of the Javits Center the 2011 New York City Comicon had degenerated into looking for random things to take pictures of. There was nothing there that made me stop and say to myself "Whoa! THAT I have to see!"

And then something caught my eye, or rather, someONE. I walked passed, but that vibe stopped me, something I hadn't felt since....

I shook it off, or at least tried to, but we all have those things that catch us in a certain way, the right way. After two more steps toward where The Man had wandered ahead I knew that I had to go back. I've been to a lot of conventions, met a lot of people, but I'd only gone back for a picture with a person one other time. So this meant something.

She was nice, and let me take a shot of her despite the fact that I had asked in an inaudible mumble. That's how I remember it now anyway. Looking at her, I was gone, unable to form a coherent thought. And when I saw how she looked in the photo I melted. I tried showing it to her in the camera, I needed her to see, but again with the mumbling. All I can recall was some head shaking and gorilla noises that caught in my throat while she handed me a card. And that was that, The Man pulled me into another conversation.

It wasn't enough. I can say every way I feel and express any thought or emotion that fills me with a pen and piece of paper with perfect clarity and without trepidation, but talk to a woman who catches me that way and it all goes to hell. There wasn't much of a decision. When you notice something special in a person they should know it, so I printed the picture, in all the ways that it touched me, and I decided to make sure she saw what I saw in her.

Getting ready to go to the event the next morning I finally looked at the card she'd placed in my hand for the first time. I had no idea who she was working for, what she was selling; I could have been walking around with pamphlets for gay porn hanging out of my back pocket and I never would have known it.

When I saw that it was for instigatorzine, a bi-monthly magazine that gives new writers and artists an outlet for exposure I was amazed. As you know, that was the very same angle behind The Mad Doser Presents. My second book, A Loaded Portrait, was put together to test the eBook format for that very thing.

The card also, smartly, had the booth number where I could find them again printed on it. It was something that I hadn't seen anywhere else during the entire show. There's no way I ever would have found them again without it.

When I happened along later that day she wasn't there, so I talked to the person who was, Keith Chiappone, Co-founder and Editor-in-chief of instigatorzine. Being that this was a racket that I had heavy interest in myself there was a lot to talk about, and Keith couldn't have been better explaining the history of instigatorzine, displaying their products, and what they were about.

Keith Chiappone

What caught my attention most wasn't even the fact that they pair artists with each literary entry (the art directly corresponds to the theme of a written piece). It wasn't that they cover all genres. What struck me is that here is a company that's doing everything the right way.

I know that I can write, but like many people out there I have the hardest time getting anyone to take notice, at least not on a scale that allows for doing it professionally. The entire purpose for doing shows like Comicon is to be seen on a mass scale. Vendors spend thousands of dollars securing booths at the show, bring in all their wares, but then stop short of hiring a model to put butts in the seats. They end up being one more boring table easily passed by.

Of course, getting noticed is only part of it. Once people are paying attention its up to you to keep it. Which means having a quality product worth buying into and a man (or woman) behind the plan with the passion, knowledge and engaging personality to get them into it just as much as you are.

I can't tell you how many times I've seen people do one while totally disregarding the other. They all end up the same way, not standing out from the rest, and the 2011 New York City Comicon was full of them.

 This image is different than the 1st set of eyes, if you look closely

As I explained to Keith, I never would have noticed them if it wasn't for the girl I needed to have a picture of. She got me hooked. Then they did what they had to in order to make sure you knew exactly where to find them again. Once I got there I got a table full of a variety of their work, stuff that was different than what anyone else had (which is what I look for) displayed before me with that engaging and knowledgeable young man drawing me into their world.

And I have to say, I'm in. For three days now I've been thinking about writing a new story just to submit to their magazine. And I'll be subscribing here just as soon as I'm done writing this piece. I believe in what they're doing because I've been there myself, and because of how well they do it, and you'll be in too. So please, check them out.

Later on in the day I was finally able to hand the young woman the photos. I don't know if she ever looked at them or not, but it doesn't matter. They were for her if she wanted to see something I saw as beautiful, and that was the only point, just as I try to do for you here every day.

I had asked about her, whether she worked for them or not, if she were someone that they hired for the show, wanting to learn as much as I could about how they do their thing for when I'm ready to do the same. As it turns out, she's Jenna Kildosher, the Senior Literature Editor for instigatorzine. So she's as smart as she is beautiful and personally invested in what they're doing. That's the trifecta right there, the magic formula. I'm always telling you how you're only as good as your support system, and what I was told is that a lot of the staff there knew each other from college, and as they go they continue to bring in more people that fit in with their vision and where they want to go, ever expanding that support system. One more thing that they're doing right.

Because of these things, I have no doubt that they're going to succeed in whatever they do.

Jenna Kildosher and I at the instigatorzine booth at Comicon

As for Jenna and what I saw.... maybe you see it too, and maybe you don't..... I'm constantly speaking about and posting pictures of a certain ideal of whats hot... but that's not necessarily MY ideal of whats hot. I've always looked for something different, a spark, the sort of vibe that stops me dead in my tracks. It's something in the eyes, something about soul.... lightning...

That's my ideal. Jenna's a 10.

Tomorrow I'll be telling you a little story about just how far personality goes. I just hope you were getting what I was trying to show you today.

Later People



Join my fanpage John LaSota - Writer

Or our creative team's page The Mad Doser Presents

And if you need a healthy helping hand from a Personal Performance Consultant

Coach LaSota