Greetings,
First, let me apologize AGAIN for another long gap between Cosmic Updates.
Lately, life has had a funny way of reminding me that I’m not twenty-five anymore. I’ve always been a “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” kind of guy. With enough hard work and enough determination, I believe that NOTHING is Impossible.
Unfortunately, my back has a different opinion.
Years of abuse have finally caught up with me, and one tiny spot in my spine has managed to bring everything else to a screeching halt. I had a “procedure” done a little over a week ago and honestly expected to bounce right back. Instead, recovery has taken … let’s just say … a little longer than I’d hoped.
But enough about me - let’s talk comics …
A Tale of Two Conventions
Since the last Cosmic Update, I attended two very different events, and both reminded me why I love this industry.
The first was Infinity Con in Tallahassee.
If you’ve followed Cosmic Times for any length of time, you’ve probably heard me mention my good friend David Heringer. David and I have been helping each other with conventions for years - he lends a hand with PalmCon, and I do everything I can to help with Infinity Con.
Our friendship actually goes all the way back to the very first Infinity Con I attended in Lake City back in 2016. Let’s just say ... if you were there, you know i was a trial by fire that somehow became the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
This year’s Infinity Con was, without question, the BEST one yet.
The floor at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center stayed busy all weekend. There was an energy in the room that was so positively charged, it was palpable. Fans were engaged, creators were busy, vendors were smiling, and behind the scenes everyone worked together like one big family.
Watching David’s vision continue to grow has been incredibly rewarding. Nobody works harder to improve their show year after year, and seeing all of that effort pay off made me happier than I can put into words.
A couple of weeks later - literally the day after my back procedure, David and I teamed up again, this time to attend GCX (Gaming Community Expo) at Universal Orlando.
Part gaming expo, part community celebration, and part experiential entertainment, GCX has a little something for every gaming fan. A very unique aspect of GCX is that the show floor is actually the sound stages on Universal’s back lot. They use the old Nickelodeon theater, and three stages where movies like The Waterboy and Sharknado were filmed.
What struck me most about both Infinity Con and GCX was that neither relies on huge celebrity guests to draw a crowd. Instead, they focus on building memorable experiences and giving attendees reasons to stay, explore, and have fun.
It reminds me that putting the fan experience first is still the right path, something I will continue to foster with PalmCon.
A Fully Turbocharged Review
One of the biggest questions surrounding our last release Turbocharged Teenager was simple:
Would readers actually “get it?”
My co-writer Kevin LaPorte and I intentionally made the book weird. We folded in elements of our humor and sarcasm that we normally leave out of our writing. We knew this strange hodgepodge of humor and horror wasn’t going to be for everyone.
We actively asked for feedback because neither of us knew how it would be received. At Infinity Con, I had several readers stop by to tell me how much they enjoyed the book, one saying that he laughed at nearly every page turn. This super positive face-to-face feedback was very nice to receive.
Then came an unexpected bonus.
Our friends over at Comic Geek Speak featured Turbocharged Teenager on Episode 2086 and gave it an incredibly thoughtful review. If you haven’t listened to CGS before, I highly recommend the podcast, I’ve been listening to it even before I launched Cosmic Times. The discussion about Turbocharged Teenager begins around the 44-minute mark, but the entire episode is worth your time.
When you write something that’s so heavily influenced by your own sense of humor, there’s always that nagging fear that the jokes will only be funny to you. Hearing the Comic Geek Speak crew (especially Pants) completely understand what Kevin and I were trying to do was both validating and incredibly motivating.
If you picked up Turbocharged Teenager, thank you. Every review, every recommendation, and every person who tells a friend about the book gives projects like this a better chance of becoming something bigger. Hopefully, this won’t be the last time Matt Mish fires up his engine.
One Last Ride
The end of an era is almost here.
The Good, The Bad, and The Prehistoric rides into the sunset with its third and final issue, and the Kickstarter pre-launch page is officially LIVE.
While Zach puts the finishing touches on the book, you can head over to the pre-launch page today and click “Notify Me on Launch.” That simple click helps more than you might realize and ensures you’ll be among the first to know when the campaign goes live.
I’ll be sharing much more about the project over the coming weeks, both here on Substack and across all the Cosmic Times social channels.
Thank you, as always, for sticking with me through another Cosmic Update. Your support of Cosmic Times, PalmCon, and these crazy comic book adventures means more than you probably realize.
Until next time...
Stay Cosmic,
Martin
Aaaaaaaaaand TG TB TP followed!