COMIC CON - Wed and Thurs
We've got to dole this out over time, I think. Long post ahead, anyway.
I was hoping to have my Bunnim and Atrox shirts before going, but no, UPS opted not to actually get them there when I asked. They tried delivering them Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, however. THANKS, UPS!
Anyway, we left Wednesday afternoon. It was me, Matt, Emory, and Leslie in one car (TEAM MATT), and Paul, Liz, Mike, and Frank in another. We made it down to the hotel first because Paul drives like a grandmother. After checking in we immediately headed over to Preview Night.
After standing in line for like an hour last year, we straight-up breezed through the line this year. The new bar code system totally works. Mike didn't have his own badge, so he posed as me on Paul's pass. So we were both Jeff Stone for a few days.
Unlike Mike, I did not think ahead and bring stuff to get signed on Wednesday night, so I just kind of wandered around taking in the sights. I mean, there's some things to look at. Mostly I just found out where all the publishers were so that I could hit them up over the next few days. Lindsay showed up, having driven down after work, and we all went and had dinner at Dinney's. DENNY'S!
Oh wait, here's a funny story. I noticed that Top Shelf was selling Alan Moore's new book Lost Girls, and convinced Emory and Leslie that they should buy their copy right away in case they sold out. Now the thing about Lost Girls is that it is pornography. Literate, well-written, heartbreaking... but porn. So Emory and Leslie headed over there and Emory walked up to the woman behind the books. Now what Emory and Leslie did not know was that the lady was Melinda Gibbe, the artist of the book and Alan Moore's wife. So Emory walks up, slaps down his credit card, and says "We've come for your porn!" And Gibbe just takes this in stride, says "Well, I can't take all the credit for it," and notes to the guy next to her "They've come to purchase our smut." It only dawned on Emory when the guy opened up the wrapping on the book so that she could sign it. Maybe Alan Moore will hear that story.
On the way back from Preview Night, we noticed this strip club called Pure Platinum had a big silver balloon sign saying "Comic Con." There was a smaller banner saying that on Friday or Saturday you could get in free with your Con badge, and that the strip night would be hosted BY WOLVERINE. We were sorely, sorely tempted to go. But we didn't. SHOCKER. Still, can you imagine?
Thursday morning we got up bright and early and hit the Con proper. I wandered the floor a bit then went to the Telltale Games panel, which focused on the videogames based on Bone and Sam and Max. Steve Purcell, the creator of Sam and Max, was there, as well as Dave Grossman, who used to work at Lucasarts games and was the co-creator of Day of the Tentacle (along with Tim Schafer, the greatest videogame maker to ever live). The panel was a little dry, but it was just nice seeing Steve Purcell and catching some footage from the Sam and Max game. I brought my Sam and Max book for Purcell to sign, but didn't get around to it that day.
I went to find JH Williams III's booth so he could sign my Seven Soldiers #0, but when I went to his table I found Bruce Timm there instead. Timm was selling original sketches and I had to splurge and get one. I went with the Joker, because it is simply a killer design. Oh, and if you don't know who Bruce Timm is, he was the designer of all the big DC animated shows in the 90's and 00's, like Batman, Superman, and Justice League Unlimited. He is simply the SHIT.
Later that day was the epic Deepak Chopra/Grant Morrison panel. It was awesome. They seemed to really get along. Frank got up to ask a question, but they didn't even get close to him because both of those guys tend to go on a bit once they get started. I've been working on a Grant Morrison impression, and it's pretty much grounded by the way he says "Superman." Maybe I'll do it for you sometime. Paul's right that those guys are long on ideas and short on practicalities, but it's nice to bask in some optimism every once in awhile.
Morrison/Chopra ran long (shocker), so I didn't go to the Dan Clowes panel, but I caught up with Mike and Lindsay afterwards so I could get him to sign my copies of Ghost World and Ice Haven. We were pretty close to the end of the rather sizeable line, so we were worried he wouldn't get to us, but it all worked out. Clowes seemed impressed with my old and rather battered copy of Ghost World that I had bought back in college because I am CUTTING EDGE.
Mike developed a crush on this girl a few people behind us, but didn't talk to her despite Lindsay's and my encouragement. I can hardly blame him. She was cute, though. Mike has good taste.
That night we all wound up eating at this Crab Shack behind the convention center. Mike and I got the popcorn shrimp and it was delicious. About 20 feet away from us was this table of loud twenty-something kids. They started having a whipped cream food fight in the middle of dinner. At this point Leslie's friends Hilary and Andrew and their friend Karen(? I'm so bad with names) had joined up with us. Andrew was energetic, to say the least. And this song came on in the restaurant and Andrew jumped up and he and Frank started dancing, and then someone at the other table yelled "Queers!" and the fun just dissolved. But then Emory suggested that we buy the other table a fruity rainbow drink so Andrew flagged down the waiter and bought the fruitiest rainbowiest drink ever made and asked the waiter to deliver it to the guy at the other table. I thought it might spark an international incident, but it all turned out okay. He got the drink as I passed by their table on the way back from the bathroom, and I think the guy wanted to start some shit but his friends wouldn't let him. In the end he just raised his glass to us and thanked us. Emory and Andrew should team up more often.
Next: Friday! I drink beer from a long glass tube!
I was hoping to have my Bunnim and Atrox shirts before going, but no, UPS opted not to actually get them there when I asked. They tried delivering them Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, however. THANKS, UPS!
Anyway, we left Wednesday afternoon. It was me, Matt, Emory, and Leslie in one car (TEAM MATT), and Paul, Liz, Mike, and Frank in another. We made it down to the hotel first because Paul drives like a grandmother. After checking in we immediately headed over to Preview Night.
After standing in line for like an hour last year, we straight-up breezed through the line this year. The new bar code system totally works. Mike didn't have his own badge, so he posed as me on Paul's pass. So we were both Jeff Stone for a few days.
Unlike Mike, I did not think ahead and bring stuff to get signed on Wednesday night, so I just kind of wandered around taking in the sights. I mean, there's some things to look at. Mostly I just found out where all the publishers were so that I could hit them up over the next few days. Lindsay showed up, having driven down after work, and we all went and had dinner at Dinney's. DENNY'S!
Oh wait, here's a funny story. I noticed that Top Shelf was selling Alan Moore's new book Lost Girls, and convinced Emory and Leslie that they should buy their copy right away in case they sold out. Now the thing about Lost Girls is that it is pornography. Literate, well-written, heartbreaking... but porn. So Emory and Leslie headed over there and Emory walked up to the woman behind the books. Now what Emory and Leslie did not know was that the lady was Melinda Gibbe, the artist of the book and Alan Moore's wife. So Emory walks up, slaps down his credit card, and says "We've come for your porn!" And Gibbe just takes this in stride, says "Well, I can't take all the credit for it," and notes to the guy next to her "They've come to purchase our smut." It only dawned on Emory when the guy opened up the wrapping on the book so that she could sign it. Maybe Alan Moore will hear that story.
On the way back from Preview Night, we noticed this strip club called Pure Platinum had a big silver balloon sign saying "Comic Con." There was a smaller banner saying that on Friday or Saturday you could get in free with your Con badge, and that the strip night would be hosted BY WOLVERINE. We were sorely, sorely tempted to go. But we didn't. SHOCKER. Still, can you imagine?
Thursday morning we got up bright and early and hit the Con proper. I wandered the floor a bit then went to the Telltale Games panel, which focused on the videogames based on Bone and Sam and Max. Steve Purcell, the creator of Sam and Max, was there, as well as Dave Grossman, who used to work at Lucasarts games and was the co-creator of Day of the Tentacle (along with Tim Schafer, the greatest videogame maker to ever live). The panel was a little dry, but it was just nice seeing Steve Purcell and catching some footage from the Sam and Max game. I brought my Sam and Max book for Purcell to sign, but didn't get around to it that day.
I went to find JH Williams III's booth so he could sign my Seven Soldiers #0, but when I went to his table I found Bruce Timm there instead. Timm was selling original sketches and I had to splurge and get one. I went with the Joker, because it is simply a killer design. Oh, and if you don't know who Bruce Timm is, he was the designer of all the big DC animated shows in the 90's and 00's, like Batman, Superman, and Justice League Unlimited. He is simply the SHIT.
Later that day was the epic Deepak Chopra/Grant Morrison panel. It was awesome. They seemed to really get along. Frank got up to ask a question, but they didn't even get close to him because both of those guys tend to go on a bit once they get started. I've been working on a Grant Morrison impression, and it's pretty much grounded by the way he says "Superman." Maybe I'll do it for you sometime. Paul's right that those guys are long on ideas and short on practicalities, but it's nice to bask in some optimism every once in awhile.
Morrison/Chopra ran long (shocker), so I didn't go to the Dan Clowes panel, but I caught up with Mike and Lindsay afterwards so I could get him to sign my copies of Ghost World and Ice Haven. We were pretty close to the end of the rather sizeable line, so we were worried he wouldn't get to us, but it all worked out. Clowes seemed impressed with my old and rather battered copy of Ghost World that I had bought back in college because I am CUTTING EDGE.
Mike developed a crush on this girl a few people behind us, but didn't talk to her despite Lindsay's and my encouragement. I can hardly blame him. She was cute, though. Mike has good taste.
That night we all wound up eating at this Crab Shack behind the convention center. Mike and I got the popcorn shrimp and it was delicious. About 20 feet away from us was this table of loud twenty-something kids. They started having a whipped cream food fight in the middle of dinner. At this point Leslie's friends Hilary and Andrew and their friend Karen(? I'm so bad with names) had joined up with us. Andrew was energetic, to say the least. And this song came on in the restaurant and Andrew jumped up and he and Frank started dancing, and then someone at the other table yelled "Queers!" and the fun just dissolved. But then Emory suggested that we buy the other table a fruity rainbow drink so Andrew flagged down the waiter and bought the fruitiest rainbowiest drink ever made and asked the waiter to deliver it to the guy at the other table. I thought it might spark an international incident, but it all turned out okay. He got the drink as I passed by their table on the way back from the bathroom, and I think the guy wanted to start some shit but his friends wouldn't let him. In the end he just raised his glass to us and thanked us. Emory and Andrew should team up more often.
Next: Friday! I drink beer from a long glass tube!
posted by Jeff at 9:56 PM
2 Comments:
Yes, Virginia, There is a Wolverine: A True-Life Mini-Play
Me: But that won't be, like, the real Wolverine?
Emory: Of course not, Frank. It's just one of Wolverine's helpers.
But I just told that story in *my* blog!
Oh well, it's kinda like Rashomon this way.
Mike
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