What’s New in 2025
Conventions, Feral Star in your LCS?, New Subscription Tiers, more!
Greetings! It has been quite a while since I posted an update which means I have lots of news to share. First of all, I want to thank the new subscribers who have joined in the last couple months. Your support is much appreciated! So, what have I been up to?
Conventions
I started off the year by tabling at Fan Expo Portland in January which is a three-day convention here in Portland, OR. It’s always a pleasure to be able to participate at a local con where I don’t have to worry about the added expenses of travel and hotel accommodations. The crowd had very diverse tastes and a couple fans were looking for original comic art pages. I was happy to be able to fulfill that niche.
The happy owner of page 8 (splash page) from Feral Star #0!
In early March, I tabled at Emerald City Comic Con. This was my fist time tabling at Emerald City and, wowza, it was an experience. It is a four day convention, ten hour a day. I picked up a couple commission orders early on so that meant I was usually at my table well before the doors opened to the general public so I could work on them free from distractions. It was by far my most successful convention financially but I didn’t quite break even when factoring in all the associated expenses: tabling fee, hotel, transportation. I am still trying to figure out what and how to sell what I have to offer so that I can finish out ahead of the game for the cons that have added expenses. I think selling original art and commissions is the way to go. I had some really fantastic conversations with other comic creators as well. These types of cons are always great for networking and learning the tricks of the trade from more experienced creators.
My table set up at ECCC.
A fun commission from ECCC.
Also in March, I tabled at Indie Comics Indie Comics Creator Con in New Haven, CT. This was the second year this con was held and I have tabled at both. This year it was bigger and better with more comic creators and attendees. Last year, it was purchased by Comic Art Fans which is an organization that facilitates the collection and sale of original comic art. Matthew Sardo was, once again, the event organizer with comic artist Jamie Jones organizing programs and panels. For me, IC3 has become like a family reunion where I get to hang with my fellow indie comics creators from Cosmic Lion Productions and beyond. It is also one of those rare cons where the focus is on indie comics and not general pop culture/fan culture, etc. This means that those who attend are looking for the best in self-published, small publisher comics and not Funko Pops or lightsabers or any of the other things that you will find at the bigger conventions. It was a great time had by all with drink and draw events, panel discussions, after parties, and much more!
My table set up at IC3.
Just a few of the Cosmic Lion Productions crew.
A pinup I drew for Rick Lopez’s Cosmicat.
Another gathering of very talented comic creators.
My haul of books from IC3 (I will be going through some of these in future posts).
Feral Star 1 at your LCS?
In December, Feral Star 1 was solicited through Previews World/Diamond Distribution. That means that comic shops nationwide could buy Feral Star 1 for their shelves for the month of February. Ultimately, the orders weren’t as great as I hoped they would be but it’s a start. My question for you is: Did you see Feral Star 1 at your comic shops? Let me know in the comments. One of the unfortunate things about the Diamond order is that they don’t report to the publisher which shops purchased the comic.
Feral Star 1 at Four Color Fantasies in Winchester, VA.
If you missed your chance to order Feral Star 1 from you LCS, you can still order directly from the Cosmic Lion Productions website.
New Subscription Tiers are Here!
In December, I decided to drop my hours at my day job and devote more time to making comics and art. This means that I am looking for creative ways to generate income from my studio practice. This is a big step for me and I intend to write more about it later. To help achieve my financial goals, I’m introducing a couple new subscription tiers here on Substack! These come with some added benefits that I hope you will take advantage of. For now, I will continue to post new Feral Star pages for free.
Free - Feral Star pages as I produce them will still be posted here for free. You will also see posts about my process, convention news, and other comics related content.
$5/month - You will have access to all of the posts here on Substack plus receive a physical copy of new Feral Star books as they are published.
$50/year - Same benefits as above but with a slight discount! (17% discount)
$150/year (Founding Member!) - You receive all the benefits above plus a 6x9 inch, ink on bristol paper, commission of any character you like. This is an original piece of art to add to your collection or give as a gift!
Unfortunately, I don’t know how to add the “Upgrade to Paid” button at this time so you might have to dig around a bit to get to the options. Maybe the button above does it for those subscribed at the free level. I don’t know. Anyhoo, I hope you all take advantage of these new, super cool, tiers! And, as always, thanks so much for all your support at any level. It means a lot.
Feral Star 2 is in the Works!
Here’s a teaser of what’s to come.
Thanks again for all your support! More news is coming soon.
Cheers,
John