San Diego Comic-Con: Day 2

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Have you ever been on a Disney vacation? You know how after a while you just need a break from the “Happiest Place on Earth”? Today was not that day, but close, I did leave early- don’t fret or feel sorry for me I got everything done that I wanted to today & wore my fez and comic Hawaiian shirt for good measure. Today, I had just a few things on my list most of them required the presence of Jeff Smith. If you do not know or have ever heard of Jeff Smith… I am sorry. I am not talking about the Frugal Gourmet- I speak of the Eisner award winning creator of Bone.

This actually demonstrates the difference between Comic-Con and other comic book conventions. Two years ago I went to C2E2 and after a wonderful breakfast with Sue stopped in to get some things signed by Jeff Smith for my classroom. I was confronted with a sign being held by the person in front of me that read “Last in line for Jeff” I decided to wait… What was one more person? I held onto that sign until today. See at Comic-Con there are lines… Lines to get an autograph of some actor who played in some show that was cancelled after three episodes but has a cult following, that or t-shirts. At Comic-Con comics aren’t that important, so unlike C2E2 I walked up to a rather short line and then had a nice conversation with Jeff Smith who took a picture with Cecil and drew a wonderful piece of artwork below “Last in line for Jeff” and now I am happy. The only other things on my list was a photo with the TARDIS and a copy of Dave Kellett’s wonderful Eisner nominated book. Done & done. The only session I wanted to attend was Jeff Smith’s which I did and that got me thinking. Finally before calling Sue to see about a late lunch I headed up to the Art show and saw some cool things, and some amateurish things, but sadly while taking pictures of some Klingons, Cecil lost his Jayne hat… He no longer has the same control over Firefly fans. Tomorrow will actually be a day away from the Con- but fear not, we will be attending an event (the Nerdist podcast) with the Doctor & Pond in the evening so geekiness will not be avoided.

Preparing for the next adventure…

So here I am, the summer is winding down, I have been to England, I have been to Mini Meet East Meets West, and now I come to final part of this adventure- San Diego Comic Con.  I have been to San Diego many times, and to Comic Con once before, but this time I am going not as a complete fanboy, but as a fledgling cartoonist.  I know I have so much to learn, so much I need to understand.  While I like the direction the strip is taking, I’m still struggling with the art.  I need to improve how I draw and ink.  I’m rushing myself and it shows.  But today I took a look at the program for Thursday and Friday.  I am overwhelmed.  Unlike a Mini Event where it was kind of loose, there is so much going on.  One thing that I torn about is the Eisner Awards.  part of me really wants to attend and experience it, but then I saw that this documentary is going be shown at the same time.  I really like Jeff Smith’s work.  I’ll make a decision but it won’t be an easy one.  If you have never read- Bone I highly recommend it (another comic books you should be reading cache).  My students are a little apprehensive, but soon they are hooked.

I just went back to read the post on Boneville and it looks like the DVD will be available at the Con along with some new Bone t-shirts.  There are a few places I need to make sure I stop by on Wednesday night to guarantee I can get the stuff they have… the list keeps getting longer.