Comic-Con Report Day One!

It seems a bit late to do this but what the heck, here's my report about last month's Comic-Con International:

Because I like to drive a whole lot more than I like to fly, my son Edward and I drove down to the Big Show in San Diego. We stopped off overnight at my mom's house, got in a nice little visit, and then on Thursday spent four hours driving at a leisurely 5 miles per hour on the Southern Californian parking lot the AAA maps jokingly refer to as freeways and highways. My son and I got to the con around mid-afternoon on Thursday. Of the three hours we were in the convention center I talked for two hours non-stop. In fact, talking was pretty much what I did for three days. Was this boring for my son? Oddly, no. He loves to listen in on adults talking. I think he's also facinated by seeing me "at work." And I'm definitely working when I'm at a con (I do have fun, too). So much of my work as a graphic designer (and occassional cartoonist) is very solitary and to a kid it must look like Dad's job is to sit at home all day. At Comic-Con, Edward could see people happy and excited to meet me, talk to me, get sketches from me, etc. It's nice.

After the show we got some pizza (Pat and Oscar's -- 2 thumbs up!) and brought it back to the hotel room for some fine father/son time. But not too much father/son time. I needed to finish working on my Comic Book Heaven: LIVE! presentation. I tend to fuss endlessly with things and wanted (needed) to spend just one more evening banging the presentation into shape on a borrowed laptop. The presentation earlier in the year at WonderCon did not turn out as good as I had hoped and technical problems at the 2003 Comic-Con presentation almost killed me outright. I wanted my presentation at Comic-Con this year to be as free of mistakes as possible. Do it right! That was my mantra. Then the laptop broke. It wasn't my fault. I was just opening it. Gently! The laptop was a loaner from the Master of SLG Publishing, Dan Vado. The screen would now not stand upright on its own so I had to prop it up with a pillow. Verrrry, high tech. Otherwise, the laptop worked fine and I got my revisions made. Now the presentation for Friday would be perfect, right? Not exactly.

Next: Comic-Con Report Day Two!