Comic-Con 2008 Post-Game Report
July 30, 2008, filed under: News, by Lex
So, I have returned from Comic-Con: a wild five days and sleepless four nights, crawling back to my home in the dead of night with a sore back, achy feet, and blood-shot eyes…oh, but it was all so worth it! I met a ton of great people, saw a lot of cool things and sold a bunch of great books (and bought my fair share too!), it was as a Comic-con should be. The seamy Hollywood presence that pervaded the show years past was less obnoxious this time around–it seemed comics were on people’s radar more than anything. Or at least, that’s the vibe I got in Small Press…a little oasis amidst the teeming masses.
I had a good spot not far from the Oni Booth, so traffic was good and it was nice to hear my tall banner get attention as folks passed by snickering at the idea of a “Kid Beowulf.” For all the folks who stopped by my table to see what Kid B. was all about: a big THANK YOU! You guys helped me sell out all the books by Saturday night, which is a first for me. Some highlights from the show include the fellow who bought my book on preview night and came back the next day to tell me how much he enjoyed it. Or the mother who ran out of cash on a really crowded Saturday afternoon, promised she’d be back with more, ran into the fray (at which point I figured she was a goner) and then returned a few hours later for the book. Or the fellow who wanted to buy my very last table copy on Sunday (which I needed for display), and came back at the very end of the show as the lights went down and asked for it then. And all the great folks in between who took the time to check out the book, your enthusiasm for Kid Beowulf has got me fired up to get cracking on book two and not disappoint!
I took some photos through the con of things that caught my eye, no doubt these are the exact same photos that caught everyone else’s eye, so I can’t vouch for originality, but they’re fun all the same. During the con I did some live-blogging via the Bowler Hat Comics site, so you can see more photos there too. For now though, here are the fanboy goods…
Ol’ Shellhead again, giving me the stink-eye…
How come this statue is more exciting than the movie?
This just makes me want to see Iron Man all over again!
Legoland Indy as convoluted as the movie was…
No trip to Comic-con is complete without a stop by Stuart Ng Books. Stuart is the go-to-guy for European comic imports. This is where I discovered one of my favorite artists, Pierre Alary, and his exciting musketeer themed comic Belladone (man–what I’d give to draw like that someday!). I’m particularly proud of this…my day job (working at the Peanuts studio) put me in charge of choosing the graphics for the PEANUTS booth. This was the best type of work as I got to approach it as a fan and pick images that I personally would have liked to see as part of the booth. They turned out really well and it was great to see the strip have a presence at Comic-con!
Finally, I had a very fanboy moment on Saturday when I saw the boys from the Totally Rad Show wandering through Small Press. For those of you who have never heard of TRS, it’s an online variety show featuring three rad guys (Dan, Jeff, and Alex) in a garage chatting up their favorite movies, games and comics. It’s smart, funny, and well-produced and it was a real thrill to meet the guys I eat lunch with every Wednesday. 
So, there you have it: my Comic-con experience. A good time was had by all. I’ll have another post up shortly featuring all the sketches I did while I was at the show and another featuring all the books I bought. Thanks again to everyone who stopped by my table! Punch out!
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aaaahh!! this post makes me wish that Comic-Con was every month..!!!!the Comicon was amazing!!ooo and thanks again!!
Seeya!!
Comment by Omar — August 1, 2008 @