9: Keep your chin up.
Greetings and Salutations!
Welcome to this month’s episode of The Lemon House Monthly, your home for all things weird and wild from the mind of comic book writer and karaoke expert Andrew Leamon.
Let's get down to business…
It’s May is Maytag Month! The sun is out. The weather in Chicago is finally tolerable. Things are looking up. So let’s get started!
- / FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
- / WRITING UPDATES
- / FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT
- / PUPDATE
/ FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
So I had the honor of tabling at Howling Pages in Chicago for Free Comic Book Day. It was actually my first time tabling, so I was nervous, but it actually went great!
I handed out free copies of “We The Dreamers” and got to talk about “Camera Man #1”. Thanks to everyone who stopped by! Excited to make more work to sell and discuss!
As I announced last month, I’m going to HeroesCon June 20-22. I’ll be tabling with Alex Breen and Wells Thompson. We’re doing a road trip all the way from Chicago. If you’re at the show, come say hi! We’re looking forward to meeting and catching up with folks. Bring copies of Radiant Black #22 or Camera Man #1 and I’ll sign ‘em.
/ WRITING UPDATES
Camera Man #2 is still coming along! The script is ready. Xander will start drawing shortly.
I’ve been taking classes for Brian Michael Bendis’ comic writing Masterclass. He gave the class the assignment last month to write a five-page autobio comic, which was quite the therapeutic exercise. Trying to tell a personal story from one’s own voice is harder than it appears. And this was a traumatic story, so it was challenging on many levels, but oh-so worth it. I learned a lot.
And then after I got home from Free Comic Book Day, I received a message from someone asking me to pitch them some short comics. I pitched four stories and received the green light this weekend to start scripting two of them. I’m writing a modern romance and a tale inspired by my love of Twilight Zone. I’m excited to share more when I can!
/ FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT
I think I can safely say that it’s been hell for everyone. Every day is exhausting. Every headline is draining.
My mental health has been going through it lately. The chaos and the overwhelming odds of everything get to me. Sometimes I look at the world and the comic book industry and I wonder if I should just quit. I wonder if I can do this. If I even matter.
I’m here to tell you what I have to tell myself each and every time. Your feelings are valid, but if you believe this world or this dream is worth fighting for then you have to keep going. You might feel alone, but you aren’t. You have community and support. At the very least, you have mine. Drink water. Take deep breaths. Go to therapy. (If you enjoy the creative arts, I recommend art therapy.) And dust yourself off.
We’ve got a world to protect and you’ve got a dream worth fighting for. Let’s fight the good fight!
/ PUPDATE
Ruthie’s been such a good girl! No real updates beyond that.
Until next time!
Thank you for reading this month's “The Lemon House Monthly”!
Be sure to follow Andrew on all social platforms as @aleams.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to send him an email at andrew.b.leamon@gmail.com.
See you next month for another exciting episode!