Convention Confessional

    (Skatoon, 2005)
™ and ©2005 Rob Reily and Steven Walters

Note to aspiring creators: do not read Rob Reilly and Steven Walters’ purportedly true tales of comic-convention misadventures unless your will is strong. It may daunt your determination to surmount the struggles at the bottom of the comic book food chain. At its best, it’s a funny collection of stories about trying to hustle some work in the midst of the most concentrated collection of nerdy faults and fetishes on Earth, as in “On the Outside Looking In.” At its worst, it’s hard to maintain sympathy for two guys whose outrage that their hard work is being ignored by lesser intellects recedes only to try and bury a bone in girls who are taking potential dollars away from them. That’s probably the point where healthy cynicism swells to throat-clogging proportions. The book succeeds when it sticks to two underdogs trying to have an adventure and pursue their dreams, in their own vicious way.

— Brendan McGinley

From the Comics Buyer’s Guide:

Reilly and Walters are two comics creators trying to make it in the biz. In order to raise awareness and move product, they attend conventions. Their experiences vex, annoy, infuriate, and exasperate them—but amuse the reader.

Whom do Reilly and Walters find so vexing, annoying, infuriating, and exasperating? Racist con attendees. Half-naked booth girls. “Satan” selling out his own kid. And poor Jim Mahfood, who does not appear to be in on the joke.

It’s not the most polished comic you’ll pick up this year. Occasional misspellings, such as those that appear in this issue, are usually a turn-off (at least to those who can spell). But what it lacks in bells, whistles, and proofreading, it more than makes up for with sheer, unbridled honesty. No, make that brutal honesty. Anyone who has attended a con—on either side of the table—will be able to nod his head knowingly, as Reilly and Walters let loose with the invective that we feel compelled to keep in check.

The cathartic value alone makes this worth picking up.

— Jack Abramowitz
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#1


Cover Price: $2.95
2 copies available from $2.13 		Rob Reilly, Steven WaltersRob Reilly, Steven Walters
#2


Cover Price: $3.95
2 copies available from $2.50 		Rob ReillyRob Reilly
#3


Cover Price: $4.50
2 copies available from $2.99 		Rob Reilly, Michael Avon Oeming, Neil Vokes, John Broglia, Scott WegenerRob Reilly, Michael Avon Oeming, Neil Vokes, John Broglia, Scott Wegener