Pixie Trix Comix & Hiveworks Community

Azrael wrote:Freeze frame. Farewell, John Geils

Tenjen wrote:iam sure this is elsewhere in the forum but it pisses me off to no end

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/04/20 ... -sketches/

Without her and her work, this place would not have existed. I wouldn't have met such interesting people or have been friends with them/you all. This place was amazing for me and helped reinforce a set positive values, empathy and positive perspective towards others that would have died in me during my youth had I not had this sanctuary as well as her and her work.

To see her treated such and having lost income because of it infuriates me.

Follow-up to my previous post on being denied entry to the US to attend C2E2...

First, thank you all for your support. I had no idea that post would blow up like that. I didn't get a chance to reply or thank everyone as I was on my way back home. 16hr+ drive to get back, so it was a little hard to keep track with social media, and all of a sudden, news! Yeah, my face ended up plastered on comic news sites. I just hope I'm not remembered in the future as the cartoonist who got turned away at the US border!

Since I wrote my first post barely 30 minutes after coming out, I was a little shaken, so please excuse me if I forgot to mention that although I did get a body search, I wasn't manhandled or anything. The two women who performed the search were simply doing the job they were told to do. Sure it's a little odd to get your bra and panties checked out like that while you face a wall legs spread open, but it could've been worse if you know what I mean. ;)

The agent who was dealing with my case, was polite. Although, I will admit that Marc & I chuckled a bit at the fact that it started pouring rain like mad just as he had to escort us out of the US. Basically, they bring you back to your car (that area is covered) but where he had to direct us to leave, to open the gate to send us on our way with our refusal papers, well, that wasn't covered. The guy was drenched hehe.

A few people tried to offer suggestions on what I should do next time. Many talk about visas. Once I saw I wasn't entering the US, I asked the agent what he thought I should've had, and he said "I don't know... maybe an o-1?" From what I gathered online, an o-1 visa is best for someone who's gonna spend a lot of time in the US, not 3 days once or twice a year. (Like, if I was on tour for a year as a musician in the US, it might make sense, but hey, if you know otherwise, let me know!)

Others recommended a B-1, and from what I gather, that implicates me filling out a form each time I plan on going, pay $160, and schedule an interview beforehand to tell them exactly what I'll be doing there, and from the PDF I saw about the B-1, I still wouldn't be allowed to sell/sketch on a 3 day trip. You can take orders, but you have to ship those orders from your country of origin. Basically, the B-1 is more for doing meetings and signing contracts, not really made for a freelance cartoonist doing sketches.

With that said... not sure what the answer is yet (and I'm not the only cartoonist in this situation, trust me.) I'll keep looking into it. In the meantime, I'll keep doing cons in Canada on occasion.

In closing, I'm OK. Seriously.