SPRING CLEANING

After catching up on past convention issues, Madeline still didn’t toss all the business cards from vendors and cosplayers. What else can we do with them...?

Some of the many business cards we've picked up at conventions

Madeline Strum Photography

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

On my fi rst trip to New York Comic Con, when I had a press badge and wanted to be a good reporter, I tried to write down everyone’s name and costume. That idea fell apart pretty quickly when I had no idea what the character or game names were that people were saying. Business cards are such a smart idea for helping other people tag you in captions later. Before I toss them all into the recycling bin, I think it could be entertaining to see what happened to some of these creators in a year without conventions—or at least without conventions for ADW. Even though they’re old, the stack of cards leading us to people who are actively creating is big so we’ll stretch the updates out across upcoming issues. —MV

Two cards Madeline picked up in 2013

Madeline Strum Photography

MASSIVE FANTASY

The purple card didn’t ring a bell, but the giant ant sculptures sure did

Days before their wedding, Sarah Braly proposed her fiancé write the comic they were always talking about so they could sell it at a table in The Block at New York Comic Con 2013.

Braly talked to Madeline about High Fructose Zombies and her sculptures in 2013

Braly and David Phillips not only wrote, illustrated, and published High Fructose Zombies in time to sell it, but Braly also sculpted Zomtreatz—candybars with sharp teeth and cupcakes with bloodshot eyeballs. The toyline was sold at PIQ Grand Central, but the links on the business card for High Fructose Zombies haven’t been updated since 2015. Lucky for me, I picked up Braly’s card as well as the High Fructose Zombies card in 2013. Braly seems to have been busy as an artistic fabricator, sculptor, and illustrator, though, for companies ranging from the Omaha Zoo to American Greeting Card.

sarahbralystudio.com

When her portfolio site loaded on my screen, I wondered why I was looking at giant fiber glass and epoxy ants, but then it clicked. This had to be the artist who made zombie candy come alive. You can check out what she has been sculpting and painting for Henry Doorly Zoo by following @zombieswtattoos on Instagram. —MV

The front of the iheartguts.com card we picked up ages ago

Madeline Strum Photography

Spreading cheer and scientific knowledge

The original guts are still available with the original puns, but the collection has not expanded to include glands and joints What stuck out to me in 2015 as more of the “so ugly they’re cute” trend is a source of information for the curious and comfort for patients. From prostates to sweat glands, I Heart Guts has found ways to make all body parts adorable. The descriptions of each part’s job on iheartguts.com are funny and accessible. “Our cute plush organs have helped people laugh in the face of illness since 2005,” according to the site that offers love, style, and geeky puns based on the work of illustrator Wendy Bryan Lazar. The plush organs were named Best of Toy Fair 2014 by Popular Science magazine and Best Educational Plush Toy of 2020 by Creative Child magazine. “The guts make the perfect post-op pillow pal, sparking smiles during tough times. You’ll fi nd our gutsy pillows in top science and health museums, award-winning hospital gift shops and trend-setting toy stores.”

The business card I picked up in 2015 has a dozen characters, but iheartguts.com now has almost 60 body parts with explanations of how they work. Not all the characters are available in plush form, like elbow joints, but there are T-shirts, buttons, erasers, magnets, and more in the shop. Visiting the “Free Stuff” link offers games, posters, and Zoom backgrounds. A trip to the site is at the very least inspiring to anyone who needs to see smart and heartfelt ideas successfully merged. —MV

Shop patches, keychains, and socks with clever names like “Ova Achiever,” “Hear of Gold,” “You Move Me,” and “I Heart You.”

iheartguts.com

From a cardboard bin to a site full of testimonials about the pride, comfort, and joy the body buddies bring

The back of the card from 2015

Madeline Strum Photography

RECYCLING TIME

Going through the stack of cards, I was curious about the Cane and Able book link but didn’t check up on the Lego contacts. All of these companies still exist, but I’m gonna go ahead and put the cards in the recycling bin. We’re all caught up on past convention issues and I can’t imagine, “You gave me your card ten years ago” is a good opening in the future.

Cards we can go ahead and recycle

Madeline Strum Photography