A gawky middle-aged man saunters around wearing thick black rimmed glasses, an orange sweater and knee high stockings — making him the quintessential Velma from Scooby Doo. I watch a flock of vampire goths sulking near the bar as they hiss at Batman and Robin. A woman with rainbow hair and a Pikachu t-shirt slowly thumbs through binders of male homo-erotic illustrations. The smell in the air at the Marriott Convention Center in Burbank is undeniable: Nerd.
I adjust the laminated pass around my neck and enter Bent-Con, Los Angeles’ comic convention that celebrates LGBTQ (and Allies) contributions to pop-culture and geekdom.
I was a panelist at the 2014 Bent-Con in Burbank, CA this past weekend in the panel, “Ungays in Comics: Not-LGBT Creators on their Work,” moderated by Rebecca Hicks.
It made sense to be there. I love comic books, all things techie (I was actually in the same hotel for the 3D Print Expo back in February) and have an unholy fascination with erotic art. I realize that like Velma, the vamp goths and Rainbow Lady, I too, am a big-time nerd.
Many attendees were surprised to hear that Bent-Con was my first comic convention. Truthfully, attending these conventions never really interested me. But thankfully I reconnected with an old friend and writer, Tómas Prower, who insisted that Bent-Con would be a great opportunity to talk conceptually about my work and give insight into my creative process. The panel went better than I expected: I answered the panel questions intelligently and I didn’t leave the panel with regrets.
I sat alongside Jane Clark (Creator of Meth Head and Crazy Bitches), Rebecca Hicks (Creator of Little Vampires), and Mercer Boffey (Creator of Justice for Hire). Our diverse panel of actors, directors and comic book illustrators started off with good-humored questions like “what moment in pop culture made you realize you were ungay?”
My response went something along the lines of “In 1995, the groundbreaking film, Caspar the Friendly Ghost came out, marking my coming out as ungay. In the moment when Caspar (Devon Sawa) reveals himself as a real flesh and bones boy to Wendy (Christina Ricci), during the Halloween dance I remember feeling a tingle in my heart (and panties), making me realize that I was unabashedly and unequivocally ungay.
The last question of the panel was probably the most serious: “What’s your advice for artists and creators who want to work in your field?”
My answer was (and is still) this: Always remember that the most powerful force in the Universe is momentum. In physics, in business, in relationships, momentum is what moves us forward. It’s what creates that snowball effect, but it requires consistent effort and energy. I’ve noticed many people who are stuck in a rut have encountered another great force: resistance. And most of the time, this resistance comes from within us and can be embodied by laziness, shame, self-doubt and apathy. Like all people, I’ve met resistance many times, but we must acknowledge and maneuver around those pockets of resistance to continue creating honest and thoughtful work.
Bent-Con was super fun. My advice: Keep nerding on and you WILL succeed! It’s science!