Cartoonist Tony Moore (co-creator of The Walking Dead comic book series) designed this very fun poster for the Cincy Comicon (September 12-13), which pays homages to the old comic book ads for novelties and practical jokes. He did such a good job that I asked him to write a bit about it.
Since the real heart of our convention is its multitude of creators, we really wanted something that said to fans, "Hey, you love this person's work, and you should come meet them. Also, all these other great folks you also love will be there!" On top of that, add the simple basics of who/what/when/where, and it's a hell of a lot of info to cram into a small space. While we were brainstorming, my wife, Kara, who is also a co-owner/director of the show said, "My favorite part of old comics is reading those ads with the prizes for selling magazines." I think those old ads captivated every kid who ever saw them, and you had to check out every entry from the Life-Sized Skeleton to the Onion Gum and X-Ray Specs. That was the spark for the piece, and I was off to the races, treating each headlining creator as one of those Honor House or Grit premiums, and trying to be funny when I was able.
The real challenge came in making it feel authentic. Between the type and design, the newsprint, the weak inks, and the off-register printing, I tried to find that balance of keeping it eye-catching enough that you'd have to stop and wonder, but also use every bit of what I know about separations and pre-press to capture all those familiar printing flaws that make a dig through the old long box so endearing.
Since we're a new breed of old-fashioned comic book show, the whole thing just seemed right.
