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EXTRA // 11.14.02
BALTIMORE CONVENTION REPORT Ever since I started going to conventions, my experiences haven't been typical. The first show I attended, I made friends with an artist who introduced me around to all kinds of wonderful people, and ever since then, attending a convention for me has been more about what's behind the scenes than a simple show to visit. I
say this because more and more, I find myself avoiding finishing
convention write-ups. While trying to figure out why, I realized
that I want to share the wonderful times I had with my readers,
but I also don't want to create false expectations of what con-going
is like or give the impression that this is typical. It's not. I'm
very, very lucky So, conventions aren't the most normal of experiences for me at the best of times. This particular weekend, October 26 and 27, was even less so. Since my husband KC and I would be driving through the then-recent sniper settings, my parents were pacified only when I agreed to take their cell phone and pack food so we didn't have to stop. (This theory ignores certain biological requirements, but shhhh.) Our most direct route to the main highway took us past the Ashland Ponderosa, only a few miles from where I used to work and where the shootings came closest to me. We were doing our best to put all that out of mind. We needed to reach New York by mid-day Friday -- we wanted to say hi to Walt and Louise Simonson before they left for the convention -- so our morning started earlier than either of us would have liked. Plus, we had to figure out how to outwit the VCRs when it came to Daylight Savings Time, scheduled for early Sunday morning. I don't remember much of the trip (probably because I was busy reading 70-year-old mystery novels) until we hit the New Jersey Turnpike, which brought back fond memories. I used to drive that road almost every weekend when KC and I were dating and lived in the state. Why such an early start for a show that didn't begin until Saturday? Somewhere along the line, we'd volunteered to play chauffeur for Mr. Julie Schwartz. The plan was to pick him up Saturday morning, drive down to Baltimore, enjoy the show, and return him home at the end of the weekend. Aside from getting caught in some very cold rain early Saturday, that's pretty much what happened, but I'm getting ahead of myself. We did catch up with the Simonsons in time on Friday. They are such kind people, and it's always a pleasure to talk with them. Walt spent some time showing me some tricks of the trade. He'd recently done the art for JUST IMAGINE STAN LEE'S SANDMAN. As I flipped through, I noticed and mentioned something about the female character wearing only rope. He said that he'd done that to keep things interesting and make it easier on himself, since no one was likely to realize how her costume might change slightly from panel to panel. He'd also done a fill-in on CrossGen's PATH #5 that focused on a Viking character in medieval Japan. His flashback story was done in the style of the Bayeux Tapestry as an homage to one of the few visual items surviving from the appropriate time period. I'm always fascinated to learn more about the thinking behind artistic choices, but Walt does a particularly good job of explaining his. Currently, he's writing a 6-issue WONDER WOMAN arc illustrated by Jerry Ordway that I'm really looking forward to, especially after seeing some of the pages from the first issue. Also that afternoon, I learned a ton about editing through Weezie's stories about the lessons she learned when she was starting out. Someone really needs to sit down with her and capture some of the extensive knowledge she has about how to be a good editor. It's a shame that she's not doing more comic book work nowadays, with all her storytelling skill. (If you missed them at the convention, the Simonsons will be back in Baltimore December 7th to hold a Cartooning Studio as part of the Medieval Family Festival sponsored by the Walters Art Museum. Find out more at http://www.thewalters.org.) Next morning, dark and early, I'm trying to juggle maps, directions, and a flashlight to get us to Julie's home on time. Thankfully, with the rainy weather, there weren't a lot of other cars on the road, so we found our way into the city in plenty of time. Once we picked him up and got back on the road, I settled in to listen to some wonderful tales. It seemed that every science fiction writer whose work I'd ever enjoyed, Julie had met and had a story about, not to mention the comic folks! He did seem slightly surprised that I knew who all these people were, but I expected that. He knew me as KC's wife, not a fan in my own right. My goal that weekend was simply to make sure he got where he needed to be and had his needs met. With the help of a terrific convention staff, that was easy to accomplish. Brad, especially, was wonderful in checking on him and helping him get around. Spending time with Julie was an honor and a privilege. Once we arrived in Baltimore, there were a few hassles to work out, but Bonnie Nathan, convention co-organizer with her husband Marc, is one of the most amazingly organized people I've ever met. She was everywhere handling everything that weekend, and problems got solved quickly and directly. The location of the show was incredible! I knew they'd booked the Convention Center, but I didn't realize what that really meant until I saw it. Space everywhere! No trying to talk to people while a clueless fanboy bumps your butt because the aisles are too crowded! Room to stop and look around without being run over! Room for people to line up at one artist's table without blocking his neighbors' space! People have complained that the hall was too spread out, but I relished the room. The size made the attendance hard to judge, since there were few crowds but lots of people. My measure of a good convention is wishing you could have stayed just a few minutes more. I've been to too many shows where I've found myself just waiting for the last hours to be over until I could leave. Nothing like that happened here! With all the terrific guests, plus trading off time at Julie's table with KC, I worried that I'd run out of time to talk to everyone. As a result, I didn't even make it to the dealers' half of the hall, nor did I get to see any panels. Bad idea on my part, because there were some great lineups scheduled, but something had to give. They had a clever way to promote the panels, too -- the portal you walked through to enter the show had the schedule printed directly on it in big letters. The guest lineup was wonderfully diverse with truly something for everyone. There were classic big names (like Julie and Roy Thomas), modern "hot" artists (Adam Hughes, George Perez, and the guys from Top Cow), much-talked-about creators (Judd Winick, Geoff Johns), and independent talents (Carla Speed McNeil, Jason Little, Jimmy Gownley). Heck, Steve Geppi even stopped by! One of my first stops was the Alternative Comics booth. It's always a pleasure to see publisher Jeff Mason, and he had quite a crew of creators with him! He's gearing up for a big 10th Anniversary celebration in February 2003, when a number of exciting-sounding projects will be released. That date marks 10 years since the first issue of Indy Magazine, which will also relaunch that month at http://www.indyworld.com. That table was staffed, at various times, by Dean Haspiel, Leela Corman, Gabrielle Bell, Ellen Lindner, and Matt Madden, among others. Leela is working on something new to follow up her recent SUBWAY SERIES, but all she'd say about it was that it involved "Yiddish" and "underwear". Sara Varon, a talent new to me but one I'll be following, is releasing a collection of stories in June. Her samples were about beekeeping, since she's interested in urban farming, and her style reminded me of Craig Thompson. Gabrielle will also be putting out a collection of stories called WHEN I'M OLD as part of the anniversary celebration. She tells slice-of-life stories with a deceptively primitive style. Her sample work kept me engrossed. The second issue of the ever-intriguing RUBBER NECKER debuted at the show, but creator Nick Bertozzi was unfortunately kept away at the last minute. In keeping with the trend of reunion con (see below), I was hoping to say hi, since he used to sell me my comics in a Philadelphia suburb before we both went to work at DC Comics. More information on most of these projects can be found at http://www.indyworld.com/altcomics. For
some reason, I kept bumping into people I'd known a while ago. Barry
Lyga, for example, was at Wizard Online when I was at DC Online.
He's now working with Diamond with the book trade, a great opportunity
for someone as upbeat as he is. David Gallaher, the new Moonstone
Promotions Editor, used to work at Marvel around that same time.
He's writing a story for an upcoming VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE book
as well as the JOHNNY Carla Speed McNeil was part of the terrific artists' row. (You can read her work at http://www.lightspeedpress.com.) Since she's relatively local, she was there by herself, which meant she needed someone to "mind the store" when she had to step away briefly. This confused one of the nearby boothworkers. First he saw me sitting with Julie at his table, making change and helping out, and then he saw me cover her table. After I cleared up for him that I wasn't a Schwartz granddaughter or the Eisner-nominated Carla, we had a lovely conversation about what good things ACTOR was doing in the industry. (http://www.actorcomicfund.org to see how you can help.) I had a lengthy talk with Myatt Murphy, creator of FADE FROM BLUE. He and Scott Dalrymple, artist on the series, were giving away copies of issue #1 as a free sampler for the series, which is regularly priced at $1.50. I have no idea how he's making this work, but it's great to see a new, well-done series that's of interest to men and women with this kind of promotional support behind it. The story is gripping and the characters interesting and varied. Issue #4 is just out, and there are sample pages at http://www.secondtosomestudios.com. Jason Little had copies of his new book, SHUTTERBUG FOLLIES, a gorgeous hardcover from Doubleday that began life at http://www.beecomix.com. Not only is he incredibly talented, he's also very nice. After hearing me explain how I picked a stuffed Max Rebo as the subject for my sketchbook because I figured if I could draw him, anyone could, he drew me a four-image "How to Draw Max" in blue and orange pencils in the style of those old instruction pages. Vince Sneed and John Peters, the creators of FORTY WINKS, are planning a new miniseries called "The Bad Bishop" which should be out next year. Pandora and her new friend Annabelle return as reporters for the school paper. Bobby, a student at their school, is a former chess genius who doesn't want to be the subject of their next story. The creators are also looking at collecting the original four-issue miniseries into one book under the DVD model, with lots of deleted scenes and other extras. One of my "discoveries" this show was a guy named Rob Socha. He was plugging a superhero parody book called FIGHTIN' FUN COMICS (which seems to have a homepage at http://www.mediocrityoflife.com). Now, I blush to admit that I still haven't had a chance to read the book, but he had the funniest pitch I've ever heard. As soon as you walked by his table, he was talking to you in a friendly, not-too-pushy way, getting you involved in what he was selling. He was going a mile-a-minute, complete with answering his own questions, and telling jokes. His main gag was making fun of the books he was selling, especially the (purposefully) lame characters inside. I finally had to beg him to stop because my face was aching from all the laughter. That's the way to get customer attention! At this show, I also got to browse the portfolio of a woman named Danielle Corsetto. She'd done some slice-of-life comic strips in lovely watercolor tones. I hope she continues to work in comics; her work is great. You can see some at http://www.gracestudios.com. I don't often get a chance to check out the British comic magazine TRIPWIRE. If you're the same way, keep an eye out for their new publication. (The editor said it would be out at the end of this month, but I don't know if that's true over here as well.) They're putting out a tenth anniversary volume that collects the best of their stuff over the years with over one-third additional new content. There's an amazing lineup of creators, either interviewed or contributing pinups, and lots of neat looks back. They have a website at http://www.tripwiremag.com, but I couldn't find mention of this book there for some reason. Another magazine I checked out at the show was COMICS SPOTLIGHT. Their second issue, a focus on crime comics, was debuting there and is in stores now. It includes interviews with Will Eisner, Frank Miller, Greg Rucka, Steve Lieber, and many more as well as a historical perspective on Charles Biro (CRIME DOES NOT PAY). It's a timely topic and a wide-ranging overview. What other newsy things did I find out? Chris Pitzer, publisher of the new AdHouse Books (http://www.adhousebooks.com), was there representing both his own output and IDW. AdHouse's debut publication, PULPATOON PILGRIMAGE, won an Ignatz a few months ago, and their next project is Scott Mills' semi-auto-biographical MY OWN LITTLE EMPIRE. It's promised to be a romantic comedy, which I'm looking forward to. Insight Studios had a booth with Mark Wheatley and Marc Hempel, where they were previewing FRANKENSTEIN MOBSTER. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait almost another year to see this intriguing blend of genres. Painter John K. Snyder III is working on new covers for the Dark Horse reprints of Grendel #24-33. "Grendel, God, and the Devil" will be coming out starting next February. Mark Smylie, creator of ARTESIA, is still negotiating with publishers to bring his books back into print. However, the character recently appeared in a backup story by him published in DORK TOWER #16-18. Gene Gonzales, who's still working on the next McCANDLESS & COMPANY book, and I had a terrific conversation about the role of Spike on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. I wish we'd had more time to talk without distractions (and with a whole pile of videotapes to look at key scenes!). It's always a pleasure to see fellow comic journalists like Ed Mathews of PopImage (www.popimage.com), Greg McElhatton of iComics (www.icomics.com), and Heidi MacDonald of Comicon's PULSE (www.comicon.com/pulse). Greg was only there on Saturday so he could go run a marathon the next day in order to raise money for AIDS charities. He completed it successfully, which astounds me. Not because I think he can't run -- obviously, he can -- but because I can't conceive of spending that much time pounding one foot after another! Saturday night, Marc, Bonnie, Brad, Julie, Roy & Dann Thomas, Jeff Alexander, Steve Conley, Maureen McTigue, and KC and I all went to dinner together. Julie's one stated wish was to get some good crabcakes while in the Inner Harbor, and Bonnie, with her cellphone magic, managed to get the group of us in on a busy Saturday night at a famous local place. Steve took off early, since he had to run the same marathon Greg did, but the rest of us spent a while enjoying great seafood and better company. The location, downtown Baltimore on the water, was gorgeous. It would make a great vacation spot, although that would mean leaving the show to visit the aquarium or one of the many other nearby attractions. The area had some issues, though, like a Steelers/Ravens football game taking place right across the street on Sunday afternoon. As a result, travel was extremely congested, so many people took off early or stuck around later to avoid the mess of fans, many of them drunk. Still, that's the price you pay for such a terrific spot. The show was like a gathering of the tribe, giving me a wonderful happy feeling. I'd spent the previous weekend with some well-loved folks who didn't quite understand the appeal comics and books and similar hobbies have for KC and me. They'd rather go to tailgate parties at football games and compare notes on their pets. There's nothing wrong with that, but continually being reminded that I'm an odd duck wasn't completely comfortable. This convention weekend was full of other people like me, those who share my hobbies and interests. It was a great reminder that I'm not alone. Lots of people had second reasons for being there -- friends or family in the area, or business with Diamond Distributors. Top Cow, for example, hadn't been to the area before, but it allowed them to do some other business while meeting fans in the area. The Nathans were terrific at making everyone feel at home and welcome. They wanted to do the little things right, and at that they succeeded. When I asked Marc about his plans for next year, his response was "full steam ahead! Some dealers made a ton of money, some didn't. Our guests had a great time. One pro said it was the best show he'd ever been to. Chris Claremont wants to come back anytime, while Judd Winick said he was here for life." The Nathans did a great job keeping everyone happy. The show raised $6,500 for the CBLDF through donations, auctions, and other events. Visit http://www.cbldf.org for their writeup and information on how you can help this worthy cause continue supporting and defending our First Amendment rights. One of the fundraisers was auctioning off a convention sketch jam piece. While
wrapping up my report, I bumped into the gentleman who'd won it.
He was on his way out, and I asked him if he'd mind my taking a
closer look at the art (contained on a huge sheet of posterboard).
While I was admiring it, George Perez walked up and started adding
to the piece, since he hadn't had a chance to earlier. Bill Tucci
had previously done the same thing, enhancing an already terrific
prize. It was that kind of show.
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