I usually only attend one day of NYC Comic-Con. Nothing against the Con itself, but I think I left my “go crazy in a hotel for three days” mojo behind in the early 90s, and if not then I’ve definitely lost that thrill since taking my current job where I’m in hotels a good third of the year. I also usually go to the Con on Sunday, because as my friend Pat O’Connor constantly reminds me — that’s the day you get the best deals in the dealer room because they don’t want to take the stock home with them.
This year I had tickets with friends to see Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC on Sunday (an overall great show, and those two ladies were at top form). So I went to Con on Saturday. Since I really wasn’t looking to buy many comics, I wasn’t worried about getting “the best deals.” It really was all about meeting writers and artists this time around. (Although, for the record, I did finally acquire the four-issue TARZAN/JOHN CARTER: WARLORDS OF MARS mini-series Dark Horse put out a few years ago.)
I got to meet and talk to actor James Marsters and author Jim Butcher briefly, and they both signed my copy of CHANGES, the latest Harry Dresden book. Butcher’s Dresden series is perhaps my favorite of all time, and Marsters does a masterful job as Harry in the audiobooks. Now if I can track down actor Paul Blackthorne and get him to sign the same edition, it’d be a Dresden hat trick!
I also got to meet and get a picture with Joyce DeWitt, Richard Kline, and Priscilla Barnes of THREE’S COMPANY. Ask me for the whole story some time if we meet in person — it’s a funny story but needs vocal inflection and facial expressions to really work.
Other than the Butcher autograph, my main reason for going to Con was to meet up with three writer-artists.
First stop was my old acquaintance Tim Fish, creator of the graphic novels CAVALCADE OF BOYS, STRUGGLERS and the new TRUST/TRUTH. Tim is a wildly talented artist and very friendly and funny man who deserves a much wider audience than he has, and I always look forward to seeing him at Con.
Second stop was new acquaintance Gordon McAlpin, creator of the very funny workplace/relationship/entertainment comedy webcomic MULTIPLEX, the first portion of which has recently been collected into book form. It was great to finally meet Gordon and chat geekily with him in person. He is as personable in real life as he seems in print.
Last stop was Tom Siddell, the creator of the young adult fantasy webcomic GUNNERKRIGG COURT, to which I do a dis-service by saying most people call it “a female Harry Potter.” It is definitely so much more than just that. There are two print volumes of the webcomic now in print. Tom was also friendly, but by the time I got to him there was a large line and I was starting to feel the effects of 7 hours with only a diet coke and a buttered roll in terms of food intake. I’m sure I struck him as rather mono-syllabic.
I always have a great time, but this year it was great to go in with an agenda and fulfill it rather than get distracted. I look forward to seeing all three of these great writer-artists and hopefully others, at Comic-Con 2011.