Awesome Con 2025

Curls Studio will be at the 12th year of Awesome Con in Artist Alley Table C-38 at the DC Convention Center April 4-6, 2025. Say hi and peruse our original comics, stickers, prints, enamel pins, magnets, and more! We will have the debut of issue 22 of Magic Bullet, a large format comics newspaper featuring Washington, DC based creators.

Awesome Con Short Film Festival presented by Joe Carabeo with Astray Productions will have three days of programming (see schedule below) as well as an award show and filmmaker meet-up on Saturday at 4:45PM in Room 204 (with cake to celebrate). Check out the wrestling belts the winners receive! Hope to see you at Awesome Con.

Friday, April 4 | Action, Horror, Sci Fi | 2:00-4:30 pm
Saturday, April 5 | Comedy, Drama | 2:00-4:30 pm
Saturday, April 5 | Awards Celebration | 4:45-5:45 pm
Sunday, April 6 | And Beyond! | 2:15-4:45 pm

VOTE FOR 2025 AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD
astrayproductions.com/vote

CulpeperCon 2025 Keynote Speaker

Join us at CulpeperCon for a celebration of graphic novels, pop culture, and storytelling -- connecting fans and creators through interactive events, art, and community. The event has many activities lined up: Bingo, Lego, Special Effects Makeup, Cosplay Contest, Games, Pokémon, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Scavenger Hunt, and more. 

I've been asked to be the keynote speaker at 9AM on Saturday, March 22, 2025. Hope to see you there!

Culpeper Con is Culpeper County Library's premier annual graphic novel and comic book convention, hosted by the Friends of the Culpeper County Library. Culpeper County Public Library is in the Southgate Shopping Center (271 Southgate Shopping Center, Culpeper, VA 22701).

Recap: Curls Studio's Year of 2024

In January we kicked off the year with a  Make 100 Kickstarter project for Total Solar Eclipse Enamel Pin to celebrate the Total Solar Eclipse that visited North America on April 8. I got to view it from inside the path of totality in-person at Niagara Falls. I also got to visit Canada for a few hours (my first time going out of the country).

At Awesome Con I got to take part in the panel "The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators" with Maria Laura Sanapo, Chris Mariano, and Marc Gaffen. Joe Carabeo presented the Awesome Con Short Film Fest. 

To expand the crowdfunding opportunities, I took part in "Pintopia 2" from BackerKit by designing a Peach Fuzz Enamel Pin for my Pantone Color of the Year project (which I have been doing for the past five years). I also ran a Kickstarter for the Cicada design that was created in 2021, but I introduced a new colorway in 2024 to represent the green Annual Cicada.

A highlight of being in New York during the time of New York Comic Con was visiting Philippe Labaune Gallery for the Mike Mignola exhibit and getting to meet the artist himself! I also got to eat at Katz's Delicatessen and attend the Harvey Awards. Ay NYCC Curls Studio had a collaboration with Cakes with Character by Jean Schapowal in which we offered a large complementary pinback button if you visited both of our booths.

We continued to exhibit at comic conventions and events. Here is our 2024 Tour list:

March 8-10 • Awesome Con
May 19 • Comic Logic Spring Lot Con
June 23 • STORYBOX Comics Fair
August 17-18 • Fairfax Comic Con
September 14-15 • Small Press Expo
September 20-22 • Baltimore Comic-Con
October 17-20 • New York Comic Con
October 25 • McKay Used Books Book-or-Treat
October 27 • Comic Logic Fall Lot Con

Overall, I did a good amount of freelance work this year with design and illustrations and that is where a lot of my time went toward as well as networking to gain clients. Curls Studio is looking forward to 2025 with a goal of creating more comics and storytelling!

McKay Used Books Book-or-Treat and Comic Logic Fall Lot Con

BOO-ks! I had fun evening last night from 5-7PM at McKay Used Books during their first Book-or-Treat Event in Manassas, VA. It was a very last minute show for me after just coming home from New York Comic Con (blog recap and photos to come soon from that show). They had games and candy for children and handled out passports so attendees could visit ever table to meet the vendors and get stamped. If they do this event again, I'd like to be able to be a part of it if I'm available.

On Sunday October 27, 2024 from Noon-4PM come out to the Comic Logic parking lot for their Fall Lot Con to peruse the goods and wares for sale from local creators, writers, artists, and more. Costumes are encouraged! There will be costume contests for kids, adults, and pets. Each vendor will have treats for kids to go "trick or treating" during the event. Curls Studio will be there with our big tent.

New York Comic Con is October 17-20, 2024

The East Coast's largest pop culture convention, New York Comic Con returns October 17-20, 2024 at Javits Center located at 429 11th Avenue. Carolyn Belefski and Joe Carabeo (Curls Studio) will be at Booth #2048 all four days (same location as last year, area with the low ceiling). The location is on show floor level 3. 

We will be giving a NYCC Exclusive Button gift featuring Curls eating a pizza with purchases $25+.

We are partnering with Cakes with Character to provide a complementary gift: If you visit both Curls Studio at Booth #2048 and Cakes with Character by Jean Schapowal at Booth #3077, you will get "stamped" and receive a large 3" button!

Curls Studio will have a revised Black Magic Tales 154 page omnibus comic book that has every Black Magic Tales story that has been told until this moment in time. We will have several of our hard enamel pins available for purchase -- including a few pins produced in 2024 (Annual Cicada, Peach Fuzz and Strawberry). We will also have prints of Avocado, which was produced last year. Carolyn Belefski's new character Everything Bagel will premiere at this year's NYCC as a glitter sticker. We will also have last year's Pineapple Chic glitter sticker.

Carolyn Belefski will be doing a special signing at National Cartoonists Society Booth #3810 this Thursday 1:00 PM – 4:00PM. 

Show Floor Hours 

Thursday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM 

Friday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM 

Saturday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM 

Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM 

Hope to see you soon in the Big Apple!

Baltimore Comic-Con 2024

Visit Curls Studio at Table E3

Friday, September 20 -- 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Saturday, September 21 -- 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday, September 22 -- 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Visit Curls Studio at Baltimore Comic-Con at Table E3 in Family Alley. Click on the map image above to see a large map of where to find us. We have a spinner wheel (which we found in the neighbor's trash and repurposed) -- with a purchase of any amount you can spin the wheel and get an extra something. 

This year, the Family Alley is sponsored by Scholastic. Scholastic’s Graphix imprint celebrates 20 years of graphic novels for kids.

Everyone say: Spoon! We are celebrating The Tick in Baltimore Comic-Con's Yearbook this year. Get your Yearbook signed at Curls Studio and we'll have these limited edition mini prints for consumption at Table E3. The original will be auctioned off during the art auction Saturday at 2PM upstairs in Room 339-342. 

Here are some "Curls Studio Visits..." Convention Films, produced by Astray Productions, to get you in the mood!

2008 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFyPIiWnZFA

2007 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDUL8zNv5FQ

As they say: I'll see you in Baltimore!

Small Press Expo 2024

This year's Small Press Expo will be held September 14-15, 2024. Visit Curls Studio at Table K11 at Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center (5701 Marinelli Road Rockville, Maryland 20852). 

Saturday, September 14 -- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday, September 15 -- NOON - 6:00 PM

The latest issue of Magic Bullet (Issue #21) will debut at SPX this year -- look for a new Black Magic Tales story (completed in 2023) in it!