Only tangentially related to webcomics but I regret nothing, except that I wish I could have found a trophy that was even more sarcastically small. Onwards.

• She said it wasn’t going to be a regular comic, just a one-off gag sketch, but Abby Howard just could help returning to the idea of giving your pets People Juice and sending them to school. School 4 Petz is small, pure gag cartooning, often without text, each a perfect distillation of funny. Lately, dreaded continuity has snuck in with Lil’ Paulie, and the desire to worldbuild has manifested.

  Since I think that Howard will keep to her promise to not make School 4 Petz into a thing, I’d say bookmark that Twitter thread, as I also think that now and again Howard will have a fleeting idea and half an hour later there will be another wonderful three or four panels. Plus, you know, if she ever did make School 4 Petz into a thing, there are artists out there who make bank with the Anthrocon crowd and catering to furries in exchange for cash is way more productive and ethical than, say, involving oneself in cryptoart Ponzi schemes.

• With vaccine distribution ramping up (something like a quarter of adults in the US have had at least one shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, and the J&J single-administration vaccine is just starting to roll out), people are naturally looking forward to what the social aspects of life will look like when it’s safe to gather in groups again.

  If you forced me to make my best prediction, I’d say today — knowing that everything could change tomorrow — that the end of summer would probably support the holding of reduced-capacity cons. 100,000+ people together for four-five days? No. But a space that held that many people allowing for 50K or so, I think that might work.

  The megacons of the Spring and Summer will probably not happen in their traditional form this year either, but the smaller festival-type gatherings? Not MoCCA in April, but I’d say better than even odds on SPX in September. The SDCC-alike in November seems like a safe bet, too. However, I will absolutely never criticize organizers for playing it safe because a) we just don’t know, and b) they have to make their best decisions based on the best information available months in advance.

  Thus, the announcement that CXC will go virtual again this year, with exhibitor applications available starting tomorrow. From Boneville, which has the news in advance of the CXC page:

  Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s expo will be an online showcase with programming track that will air primarily on a CXC Discord channel and potentially other CXC streaming platforms. CXC will not charge a tabling fee for the expo.

  Those accepted as CXC exhibitors will work with CXC to provide programming that will air on Discord and other channels during the weekend of the show. CXC will provide training and support on using Discord and will also provide online support available throughout the weekend of the show. Additionally, CXC may also request that exhibitors participate in additional panels or programs during the show weekend. These programs may be scheduled in advance, and participation is optional. Honoraria will be paid to all exhibitors participating in programming, whether it is a panel, presentation, or Discord event.

  As with prior years, CXC’s exhibitors will be chosen via a juried selection process. We will notify those selected via email, and have a waiting list for those not selected.[emphasis original]

  That’s how you do it, and can I say it’s beyond past time for comics conventions to compensate those on panels and programming. If there’s not the cost of badges/travel to provide, then payment is the right thing to do, even if it’s a modest amount.

  Once things get back to in-person, this idea should be retained and spread — sure, the established shows will provide travel, lodging, and appearance fees for the biggest guests, but if you’re providing programming you should get something as well. Props to the showrunners in Columbus (Tom Spurgeon would be proud), and hopefully everybody else will get with the idea.

  The exhibitor application for CXC 2021 will be linked at the show’s blog starting tomorrow.

Spam of the day:

Impossibile trovare l’indirizzo di posta elettronica immesso. Verificare l’indirizzo di posta elettronica del destinatario e provare a inviare di nuovo il messaggio. Se il problema persiste, contattare il supporto tecnico.

Darn. Looks like I won’t get to carefully consider your offer (in Italian) about getting Bitcoin worth 100,000 Euro. Darn.