Last weekend at Cape-Con in Cape Girardeau, MO I was set up next to the “Mike and the Ninja” team.

Mike and the Ninja creator BrianRhodes (L) and well, the Ninja- or at least one of them.

There was one on Saturday (Josh) and one on Sunday (Thomas- above).

Mike and the Ninja is a webcomic where things just never go right for Mike and when he meets a ninja named Stu his life is never the same again.

What I really liked about meeting the MATN Crew was that they had a good table set up, including printed copies of the comic (some standing up, some fanned out on the table), fliers, stickers, a price list, and the name of the comic across the front of the table. But what really made them stand out was a booth ninja! The ninja would stand very still in front of the booth and when someone would walk in front of their table the ninja would spring into action and hand the potential reader a flier or sticker while striking a martial arts pose. It was a lot of fun to watch, especially when the ninja would catch someone not paying attention to their surroundings! The creator of Mike and the Ninja and “introvert at heart” Brian Rhodes decided to try something new at his hometown show this year when his cardboard stand up of  Stu the ninja was damaged earlier in a move. He enlisted a couple friends to don a mask and black ninja attire and help him promote his comic. It worked, and worked well. One of the other things I noticed was the Mike and the Ninja web address (URL) on all of their promotional items. Why is that so important some folks may ask- well, for a webcomic it’s everything. You’d be surprised at how many creators forget to promote their website.

I’ve said it before, if you’re going to set up at a show bring a friend. Most shows will let you bring an extra person to work your table, if not it’s worth paying a bit extra to have another body there. If you’re a bit shy and have a friend who isn’t bring them, give them a tee with your logo or art on it and let them be your pitch man(or pitch woman). If you have a friend who doesn’t mind dressing up as one of the characters in your book bring them. If nothing else you’ll get a bit more attention for your booth/table and have someone there to talk to and/or watch your booth if you want to do sketches,  go see some of the show, meet with editors, or go visit the restroom- very important for a weekend show!

Good luck to Brian and “Mike and the Ninja”.

Lin/neenjah