Posted in: Comics | Tagged: 2012, comic con, Comics, san diego, sdcc

The Little Guys Of Comic Con

Published Fri, 27 Jul 2012 08:00:36 -0500

Last updated Fri, 27 Jul 2012 08:09:50 -0500

Will Romine wrote for Bleeding Cool from San Diego Comic Con;

Now that the initial hubbub of Comic Con footage and breaking news has died down, I thought I'd give some ink to the little guys of the Con. These folks don't get nearly enough recognition. The big boys of Comic Con roll in with their sizzle reels, autograph signings and free tee shirts, spending millions to kiss the ring of the geek community and gain our blessing for their mega scale projects.

The little guys, on the other hand, arrive with nothing more than an attendee badge, xeroxed promo materials, and dreams. These guys may not have the coffers of a Warner Brothers or a Marvel Comics, but they have something equally valuable: heart. I discovered one of these little guys in the men's room, of all places.As I lowered myself to vanquish the double-headed hydra of con-walking and poor eating choices, the following comic strip greeted me at eye level.

The strip is called "The Missing Digit". If it was just a couple of stick figures reading the phone book, I would have at least given the artist props for strategic product placement; an audience is at its most captive with pants at half-mast. That the comic strip was genuinely funny made me want to meet this master craftsman. I followed the link and met the mind behind my toilet-time reading.

Alan Truong is an Atlanta area cartoonist who has decided to do what he loves first, and then find someone to pay him for it later. The "micro tag" that I found in my stall was one of thousands that he placed all around San Diego at places where people tend to direct their focus. From bathroom stalls to the "eye" of the SDCC logo, no target was left untagged. "It's like an Easter Egg hunt" said Truong, "I find fun places to hide them and hope that, when people find them, I can bring a little chuckle to their day and maybe direct them to my site." As a result of his SDCC micro tagging blitz, his site has been featured on icanhazcheeseburger.com, a remarkable feat for a website with no discernible cat-content. Mr. Truong would eventually like to get his website up to a million unique hits, but what's more important to him is that the site offers to the masses what his microtag does for the lucky individual.

If you want to brighten both your day and his, go to www.TheMissingDigit.com. It's cheaper than KickStarter and unlike KickStarter, the Missing Digit is updated twice weekly. You can also follow him @themisseddigit. Alan Truong loves you and wants you to be happy.

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