FRIDAY...
We arrived...we had our rooms!!! GREAT START!!!
Got the table and started making rounds. Talked to Jimmy P and Tucci, got a few things signed, and just generally scoped the area. Lined up interviews, and just got my daughter Paige acclimated to what was going on. My wife scouted art and where people were set up, and grabbed all the free **** she could! Met up with Luchador Al (the guy is a FUCKING BEAR!!!- HUGE MAN!!) , Sal Cipriano, Russ McIntosh and a few other small press guys from various boards. All great people with great books. Also met up with my friends Bill Lange & Marc Deering at the CBLDF booth, George Broderick & Chris Yambar, Franco Aurilian...ahh...I can't spell it!, and settled in next to a great painter named Ron Rouselle, and just behind Jim Calafiore, and situated down-wind from Randy Green and the Tsunami guys, all in matching sky-blue hawaiian shirts.
Paige received a sketch of Sponge Bob Squarepants from an artist from the Nick-Toons magazine, and basically charmed the hell out of everyone she met! Many creators commented it was nice seeing children at the shows, enjoying it for themselves, and the parents getting the sketches of what the kids wanted, and not goading them into Wolverine or Witchblade.
Nothing much else to report on Friday afternoon, except the usual meet-n-greet's, and basically got all my interviews (Billy Tucci, Jimmy P., Beau Smith) that I intended, except for BENDIS! as his lines were HUGE! Also, this was the busiest Friday ever in my 6 years at the con. Hung out with Rob Hunter for a bit, and he and his partner Patrick Hatfield showed me a web-toon they're working on, called Seeker. It looks like a cross between Moon-Knight and Task Master, and really...it was COOOL!. They used their laptop to show me the rough animation, and I was impressed. I'll have scans from the preview book on my site later this week!
Friday night started at Chuck-E-Cheese up the street. Then it was onto the Casino night! I cleaned up on the blackjack table, playing next to Sonic the Hedgehog artist Ken Penders. My wife and daughter (mostly Paige) were doing great across the ways, playing who knows what! All I know is that everyone there was loving Paige, and she was the center of attention. We got our tickets at the end of the night, and put them mostly in the Pokemon items, and a few other things for good measure. Well, out of the 3 HUGE Pokemon lots of toys, she won 2. As she went up to get them, she wooped and hollered, and had the place cheering! She even hugged the people giving her the stuff! We also won a lot of Avenger's #1 (vol. 2) deluxe editions with 24 kt. gold Liefeld signatures and a Previews exclusive, Virus figure, and 3 X-Men cartoon videos & the X-Men: Dark Phoenix Saga DVD.
The wife and Paige headed to the room to sleep (about 12:30 am) and I headed to the bar, where Al & Tucci were holding court. Jimmy P., Jusko, and later, Frank Miller showed up, making it a great gathering. I bought a few rounds, and as people started leaving (about 1:30-2) I ended up with my friends Lange & Deering, Russ (russmc on the boards) and my buddy Paul who was my guest for the weekend. We all found a few things out concerning a name above, and another creator. It was intense, and led to a weekend of espionage and probing (Sorry...no names or details will be revealed, but suffice to say, by Sunday, all was well, due to work by me and another name above (moreso him tho' as he is a great guy!).
Never made it to the penthouse party. We had too much fun at the bar!
Saturday...
Mostly spent the day getting books signed. Still no BENDIS! interview, as the guy was swamped. I met my favorite painter (actually, tied with Jusko) Joseph Michael Linsner. He commented that he loved my shirt (an orange, buttoned number, sporting blue "custom" flames coming up from the bottom). Linser was super cool!!! Busted Jimmy's ass most of the day, and just missed the line capping for Frank Miller. Lange tells me to leave Kel's HC for Miller, and he'll take care of it! Met up with a few people from the BENDIS! board, as well as 2 great guys we all know as MattD & Weisenheimer!!! Really cool guys that I wish I had more time to hang with!
I bought 2 pages of original art from Buzz.
Krystal bought me an Alice Cooper painting by Don Pendicini and also the Alice Cooper figure.
We went to the CBLDF quick sketch and won a Jamal Igle Wolverine (BIG sketch!) and a guy who won a Patrick Block Huey, Duey, & Louey sketch, gave it to my daughter, saying he already had two, and he felt she should have it.
At the charity auction, Krystal got a a Hercules original shooting script ("The Last Salmoneus Story") signed by Robert Trebor, and a 1 of 1000 Salmoneus signed card...but it was unsigned. When we got it signed the next day, he said that it was now the only card in that set that was personalized. We also got invited to the Xena party that night, but didn't make it. I also got a signed Noble Causes piece (soon to released from Image, it's a story based on "What if the Kennedy's Had Superpowers!) It's signed by all the creators (Jay Faerber being one) and is the piece being used for the promo ads.
Artist Ron Rouselle, who was set up next to me, gave Paige a matted print of a faerie (I had bought a different one for Krystal earlier). Paige was soooo excited! Ron was a great guy to talk to all weekend, & I offered to pay for it, but he refused. THANKS RON!!!
Met with Terry Moore of Strangers In Paradise fame. He gave Paige a wonderful sketch of a fairy he's going to be doing a new book of. You should have seen her face as he drew it...priceless!! He also drew me a nice little sketch!
Nothing much else for Saturday show hours. Really packed in...
Saturday night started at the Mardi Gras party. My wife retired early, so I took Paige down for a bit. She was so excited that this was her "first concert!" Ookla the Mok played, and we stayed for their set. They threw candy out and Paige ran around grabbing it all. All the adults were picking it up and giving it to her. We went up to the room after Mok, and I went to the bar, planning to them head to the penthouse. Well, as I entered the bar, all I heard was shouting about the party be invitation only that night. All was the funniest, shouting he was gonna sue and file a class-action suit, and get Johnnie Cochran. Funny as hell!!!
Retired about 2 am.
Sunday...
...dawned and was the slowest day. I did my BENDIS! interview finally, and basically finished off my signed books. We went to the Quick Sketch again, and won a BEAUTIFUL Jeff Smith Bone piece. Paige again, whooped it up, as the audience cheered. Jeff posed for a picture with her and the art, and made the comment that it was nice that she won it, as most people groan when his piece comes up, as they want super-hero or fantasy art. To hear her cheer, and see her smiling, he said, was really great for him!
Evan Dorkin's sketches were hilarious!!! He drew a Human Torch saying "OH ****! I'm not the Human Torch, I'm just some schmuck on fire!" A Hulk saying "Hulk big bastard! Hulk kick all your asses!" and a drunken Iron Man saying "OH ****! I was fighting the Titanium Man in this downpour and my iron underpants rusted fast!" Man...he was funny!!!
My wife, at the Sunday Charity Auction, got an original Ed Beard painting, 2 prints from Al Bigley, 2 slabbed books (Wolvie #4 & Wonder Woman #300...eh!), a very nice original painting that was used as a gaming card art, by Ron Rouselle (Yes...him again!!!) Krystal didn't realize it was his art, until after we picked it up. It was matted and framed with the artist proof card mounted with it. A very nice piece!!! She also got an X-Files: The Movie 3-D floor display, that was used in the movie theatres. It's HUGE!
Tucci called me over and offered to do a sketch for me. He even gave me a San Diego edition to do it on. He did a GREAT Cherry for me!!! Man was it cool...and I got him hooked on the book, as well!
(For those who don't know, if you've been to my site, you've seen the Cherry head-shot at the bottom of the Home Page, and in the Links section...Well...that's what I have tattooed on my arm)
I also got a sketch from Oeming of Cherry, but I had to pose for it. He used my tat as the reference!
I gave away alot of books, I got a lot of great contacts, and I met a ton of great people!!!
I have to say again, what a GREAT SHOW!!! Next year they are expanding it as they had to turn away retailers and publishers. Artist Alley will be bigger as well, but moved more towards the far end.
It was great meeting people from the various boards!!! All of you are great friends online, and it's a great feeling to now have faces to go with the names. It makes that friendship even better!!!
Take care!!!
