For now, Red 5 Comics is keeping a cool head. "We are
feeling very good about it" is as specific as they get towards Bodie's
perceived success. But it speaks volumes. And I'd much rather have subtle
expressions of optimism than a brass marching band banging out overblown and
exaggerated sounds of triumph. Don't speak too soon, don't count your chickens
before they hatch, it ain't over 'til it's over. I believe in all of that. But
deep down, I know Bodie is making a splash, and I know Red 5 feels it, too.
Bodie Troll #1 is indeed selling out in comic shops across
the country, and in some cases, across the globe ( a fan letter from Australia
alerted me to that). Chalk it up to shop owners buying smaller quantities of a
book from a creator few have heard of, but also count on folks who bought on
speculation, fell in love with Bodie, told their friends, and copies began
flying off the shelves. That's what I'm hearing in the fan letters I'm
receiving, and the personal encounters I've had at comic conventions. "The
cover looked cute, so I gave it a shot. Now I love Bodie, and can't wait to
share this with my kids." That's becoming a mantra among my readers, and
it warms my heart like nothing I've ever experienced before.
I've always wanted, but never really had, a strong female
readership prior to Bodie. Now women and girls make up a substantial percentage
of my audience. Kids have typically been polarized by my past comics work--they'd
be attracted to the cartoon art, but their parents were repelled by my more
mature content. But Bodie is anything but mature, and has become a comic that
they can enjoy, laugh at, copy off of in their own youthful cartooning
attempts--all a first for me. And men, historically my main reading audience,
their reactions have completely blindsided me. They used to read my comics for
the bawdy gags and sexy "wimmen folk" found within. But there's none
of that in Bodie (well, a few innocent gags about bodily functions, perhaps). I
worried the sweet, innocent humor and characterizations of Bodie would lose me
their readership. Instead, it's strengthened it. Grown men--sports fans,
car-enthusiasts, all machismo and testosterone--are dropping their guards and
allowing themselves to be wide-eyed kids again, with that old, familiar taste
for fantasy and silliness and a firm and an unflinching belief in the
impossible. It's Peter Pan syndrome in the best possible way. Bodie is giving
that back to them, if just for the 26 page time span of one of his adventures.
It's the greatest gift I can give my readers. And their enjoyment is the
greatest gift they can give me. And man, are they generous.
As I type this, Bodie Troll #2 is uploading to Red 5's
server. It's slated for a June 19th release, and I'm already planning some
signings at comic shops in Michigan and Illinois. I had my big reveal of Bodie
#1 at the C2E2 con in Chicago this past weekend, and the reception Bodie received
was better than the best I could hope for. Two moments in particular stood out
for me, and I've captured them both here:
This little girl is Olivia. She just wandered up to my table
and began pouring over one of my Bodie issues. I didn't need to sell her on the
idea. I didn't need to say a word. Something about the fuzzy little guy just
drew her in, with no help from me. Then she started asking me all the right
questions that an inquisitive four year old could about my character--why he
wanted to be scary and why he wasn't, why I said he was tiny but he looked so
big on my convention banner, why the squirrel on the cover of issue #1 wasn't
scared of him--it was all pure gold. This was precisely what I wanted--little
kids--little girls--enjoying Bodie Troll. Olivia's mom asked her if she wanted
a copy, and she enthusiastically said yes. The first photo was secretly snapped
when she was reading, but the second was after the book became hers.
The second moment was encountering Rena Newman, a fan I'd
met a year ago at another Chicago Con (one which shall not be named, but
suffice to say it rhymes with Lizard World and I'll never go back there again).
This fan was one of the bright spots of my time spent at that show, so seeing
her at C2E2 made me smile.
Upon seeing Bodie, she burst with enthusiasm about
how cute he was (I've seen plenty of women and no shortage of men do the same
thing). And when she saw Cholly and realized the resemblance she shared with
Bodie's barmaid-best friend, Rena went berserk with glee. My pal and fellow
comic creator Jay Jacot snapped this pic of Rena holding her copy open to a
particularly Cholly-centric page. This photo is running in the back of issue
#2, and will start off a Cholly lookalike contest that winds up in issue #4.
In the immediate future, you can find me this weekend at
Green Brain Comics in Dearborn, MI, where I'm bringing Bodie for Free Comic
Book Day. My fellow artists Joe Foo, Jay Jacot, Jeremy Bastian, Jim Anderson
and David Petersen will also be there, all of us signing, selling and smiling
with our fellow comic fans.
The weekend of May 17th, I'll be sharing a table at The Motor City Comic Con with Joe Foo, with plenty of copies of Bodie #1 on hand.
As stores are all but sold out, my personal stash will be much sought after by
Bodie junkies. So be sure to score your fix this weekend, or at Motor City on
May 17th-19th!
That does it for Bodie for now. My other comic property,
"Dead Duck", is running through its last story right now, with part 9
online as of this posting. For those who have faithfully followed my comic for
all these years, this installment finally reveals Zombie Chick's origin, so you
do NOT want to miss it!
Thanks for your time, folks! Keep on reading and talk to you
soon!
--Jay
