Initial Thoughts
Arrived on Friday right about 3 p.m. There was what looked to be a huge line to get into the con at the opening, but credit to the Reed group because the line moved VERY quickly once the doors opened. I was probably several thousand people back in line and yet was through the doors by 3:15. I don't know how that compares to prior seasons, BUT based on what I've heard, it was like night and day.
The layout was terrific. Really well lit, wide aisles for the most part and segmented really well. Dark Horse had a choice spot right at the main entrance, and seemed to be doing great business as a result. Straight down to the left in the back was the podcast arena. It was a great space and each podcast had a dedicated area.
Artist Alley was ENORMOUS. I was really overwhelmed. I hadn't been to a con in awhile and this was the first time I really cared about artist alley. I saw the list of artists attending beforehand but I really wasn't prepared once I got there. Everywhere I turned were either artists and writers I really dig, including some true legends. And then there were TONS of artists I didn't know well but their stuff was just phenomenal.
I know a lot of people say that San Diego isn't a great place to go shopping. Well, I can't speak for others but New York certainly was. There were TONS of vendors, ranging from the big name NY LCS' (Hanley's and Midtown) all the way to the very highest end book sellers (the place to go if you want Action #1) to lots of things in between. There were three or four vendors with hundreds of $1 long boxes that were chock full of great stuff (more on that in a minute) and, on Sunday, a good chunk of those bins became $0.50 bins. It was also easy to negotiate with the guys (more on that later).
Friends, Old and New
Hearing the geeks read off who stopped by their booth just bewilders me because I was around podcast arena quite a bit and yet STILL managed to miss way too many great community members that I was really looking forward to meeting. Off the top of my head, here are the people I did get a chance to meet/see again:
*** The Geeks -- Bry, Peter, Pants, Shane, Kevin and Jamie D [who came on Saturday]
*** Charlito and Mr. Phil of ISR
*** Ian and his girlfriend
*** Rick Gordon, his lovely wife and their two sons
*** Jim and Sean from Raging Bullets
*** The Comic News Insider team, Joe and Jimmy
*** Umar (DaFixer)
*** Tim "Freaky Tiki" and his buddy Tracy -- The three of us hit dinner and a few beers on Friday night; both were GREAT guys
*** Mike Norton
*** Andrew Charipar
*** Buzz
*** Uncle Sal
*** Jamal Igle
*** Dyslexicon
*** Malpractice
*** Spano Mano
*** Skaboss
*** Chris and Ryan from Wild Pig
*** darrel
*** Julian Lytle
*** Juan from Geeks Unite
*** Raph aka Wraithmaker
*** Joe Sergi aka Justice
*** Lenny aka ctowner1
*** Jeff Tsundis
*** Krispin and his wife
*** Logan MacLoud
*** Lobo
*** Randy Gentile
*** Kevin Mellon
Note: I'm 100% sure I'm forgetting some people, so remind me and I'll edit the list!
The Artists
Phew, where to begin! Like I said, WAY WAY too many artists to accomplish a fraction of what I hoped to. First, the bad news. I really didn't get a chance to meet or interact with the "Guests of Honor", guys like Stan Lee, Frank Miller or Grant Morrison. Not that I didn't want to, but frankly there were so many awesome creators sitting in Artists Alley that I just couldn't justify waiting in huge lines for a few minutes with the big gets. Just seemed like the trade off was too large to handle.
Now, onto the creators I did get a chance to meet, if ever briefly...
- Carmine Infantino -- Just went up and thanked him for all he's done for comics. I also asked him who his favorite character was of all the ones he worked for...if you guessed Detective Chimp you would be right! Baffling, right? He was really disappointed to hear that Chimp was a member of Shadowpact, he didn't see why he should be in a magical group. He also told me that Bat Lash is one of his favorites and he hoped the re-launch did well.
- Jim Steranko -- Being a Marvel zombie and a huge Nick Fury fan, I was giddy to meet Steranko. Didn't talk with him very long but did get him to sign a sketchbook he was selling.
- Nick Cardy -- Mr. Cardy was as nice as could be; and when I picked up a sketch book of his to sign, he was cool in that he stopped signing some guys pile (must have been 50 books in the pile) to sign and dedicate my book. Very cool that he didn't make me wait to go through the guys huge pile.
- Walt Simonson -- SUPER cool moment. Walt had a HUGE line on Friday and so I didn't get a chance to chat, but late Saturday he was back at his table and just chilling. So I went up and shook his hand, thanked him and mentioned that he was one of the earliest artists that I knew by name and made me a collector. I don't know that there's a nicer dude in comics. We probably chatted for about 10 minutes and then I busted out a copy of Thor 366 and had him sign it.
- Mike Norton -- Norton drew me a kick (bleep) Puck sketch which was just super cool of him. Got a chance to chat a bit with him about his new gig on Green Arrow/Black Canary, too. If you're not reading GA/BC, GET ON IT!
- Buzz -- Buzz had some family responsibilities that kept him from hanging at the con full time, but I did get a chance to chat with him for a bit and also saw some pages from his upcoming book, Lunar. If you're a Buzz fan, you are going to LOVE these pages!
- Mark Buckingham -- The Fables illustrator was as nice as could be. He cut the line off right after me and, much to my chagrin, it turned out the EVERYONE in front of me wanted sketches from him; while I just wanted a book signed. About 10 minutes into the first sketch, he asked if anyone just wanted a signature and brought me up to the front and signed my copy of Fables #50. As a result, I bought his sketch book and he dedicated that, too with a little head sketch of Rose.
- Dexter Vines, Mark Morales and Clayton Henry -- Dexter, Clayton and Mark were all sitting together at a table and funny as hell. I ended up looking through a lof of their original art and ended up chatting with them for a good half hour. The guys sounded like they were having a blast and were giving each other some good natured ribbing about how much $$$ they were making. I ended up buying a FRECKING SWEER page from Mark (penciled by Clayton, inked by Mark) of Alpha Flight. Had Dexter sign my copy of Civil War #7, too. Mark did a sweet Deadpool head sketch for me as well as knocked off a few bucks from the asking price on the page I purchased.
- Steve McNiven -- Another guy that was swamped initially but I happened upon him just as he was returning from a panel. He signed Civil War #7 for me and by that time there were about two dozen people behind me waiting to get stuff, so I thanked him and rolled out.
- Mahmud Asrar -- Mahmud is one of my favorite up-and-coming artists and he did a sweet Deadpool sketch for me before the con. When I picked up my sketch we had a nice chat about his time visiting NYC and how great it is to be a European visiting the U.S. right now b/c of how weak the dollar is.
- Geoff Johns -- Johns was one of those dudes you just kept seeing walking around. Finally I just went up to him and thanked him, told him he was on his game [like he needed me to tell him that! ] and said that Blackest Night was going to be the hit of 2009; to which he said, "Let's hope so!"
- Simone Bianchi -- Simone was NOTHING like how I pictured him thanks to all the ribbing he gets from Sal. I told him I was THIS CLOSE to buying the Deadpool vs. Wolverine cover and he asked me how much Sal was charging; then we joked a bit about Sal and finally he signed my copy of Wolverine #50. Good guy.
- Peter David -- Peter David is, easily, one of my favorite writers of all time and he was completely by himself when I approached him. Had him sign a copy of Hulk from back during his classic run, that guest starred X-Factor. He laughed and said he hadn't been asked to sign that issue in a long, long time. Another very nice guy.
- Aaron Lopresti -- Aaron spent a good run drawing Ms. Marvel [one of my fave Marvel women] and now is doing Wonder Woman. I chatted with him for a bit and was surprised to find that he prefers to draw horror and monsters to beautiful women. He joked about being "typecast" as a babe illustrator but said that he can't complain considering it's lead to becoming the regular penciller on Wonder Woman. His son was there too and was a cool kid, reminded me of myself back in the day. His son prefers "math and science stuff" to comics.
- Rick Remender & Tony Moore -- Remender and Moore had their own area that was not exactly in Artists Alley. I chatted with Remender for a bit and had him and Moore sign the first Fear Agent trade. Rick said he really appreciated the fact i was buying the floppies on End League and said more fans need to buy the monthlies. I asked him if that's REALLY important b/c so many fans think "wait for the trade" and he said we can't imagine how important it is for most books. I told him he and other artists should be more upfront about that, because too few are honest about that issue. Tony Moore's art is THE BOMB and were it not a bit pricey for my budget, I would've bought a page or two. Either way, he was a cool dude and signed a few things for me.
- Yanick Paquette -- Yanick is penciling Young X-Men and I got him to sign the first issue. I asked how the book was going and he said 1st issue sales were pretty good, but obviously they need to stay strong if he's going to remain on the book. We talked a bit about how, as a Marvel exclusive, Marvel won't keep him on the book if it doesn't sell well enough. He's committed to the first 5 issues but then a fill in will do an issue or two before he returns.
- Jim Calafiore, Mike McKone & Mark McKenna -- These guys had their own booth set up and were doing their thing. I'm a big Exiles fan and they've all done big chunks on the book. Had the chance to chat with them for quite a bit and bought a sweet page from Jim featuring one of my favorite characters, Blink. All three guys were very laid back and clearly good buddies as they ribbed on each other.
- David Peterson -- Just thanked him for Mouse Guard; also told him I really wanted to buy something from him. Gorgeous stuff.
- Jamal Igle -- Jamal gets the award for "most pestered" by me. I felt bad because each time I would roll by his booth he would smile and try to recall what he was supposed to draw for me. Anyway, he ended up doing a great Deadpool for me and was super nice to my son Colin on Sunday, as well. Jamal's wife is expecting any minute so GOOD LUCK!
- Rich Buckler -- Buckler signed a copy of one of his FF issues for me, I have always been a fan of his stuff.
- Reilly Brown -- Reilly Brown happened to be sitting at a table randomly on Friday (not his regular spot) and I ended up looking through his original art as I'm a huge Deadpool fan. I actually found a SWEET page by Reilly featuring Deadpool, Ka-Zar and Shanna [also favorites] and asked him to hold it for me [I didn't have a way to carry it that day]; unfortunately I never found his main table and so I'm guessing the page goes back into circulation.
- Julian Lytle -- Julian was holding it down next to Angry Gnome comics in AA. He did a sketch for me and was a very chill, cool dude. Wish he posted more on the forums; but I'll take what we can get.
- Kevin Mellon & Dennis Hopeless -- Mad props to the entire Cadence crew, as they were doing free head sketches for everyone. I had a chance to say hi to Kevin Mellon; and he and Dennis both signed a copy of the Gearhead trade for me. Way cool guys.
- Andrew Charipar -- Hardest working man at the con. Was sketching at 3 pm on Friday, was sketching at 4 pm on Sunday. The man ever stopped.
- Bob Almond -- Bob sells his art for REALLY good prices and, had I not already blown through a ridiculous amount of money, I would've bought a few pages from him. We chatted for a bit about the Priest run on Black Panther (Bob was involved in the series) and how it needs to be created; as well as how Chris needs to be back in comics in some capacity.
- Andie Tong -- Andy is the artist on the UK Spidey and was going AWESOME and affordable commissions. If you see him at a con, please do yourself a favor and get in line for a commish.
- Todd Nauck -- Todd was doing sketches for $25, ridiculously low. Very nice guy and someone that I've always enjoyed his work.
- Keith Giffen -- Didn't have anything for him to sign, but I had to go up and thank him for years of comics. Seemed like a really happy, upbeat guy.
- John Livesay -- John stopped by the Henry/Vines/Morales table while I was looking at art, and I just thanked him for the nice work on Legion. He said that if I like what's come so far, just wait for what's coming next.
- Sean Murphy -- Charlito showed Tim (aka Tiki) pages from a "new" artist and said he was selling them for $5. Tim and I rolled over to find Sean Murphy and ended up chatting him up for a bit. As it turns out, Sean wasn't doing sketches b/c he was celebrating that weekend having been named a new DC exclusive artist. If you haven't seen Murphy's stuff yet (I hadn't), you are going to LOVE it. I don't know what they have planned for him, he couldn't tell us obviously, but I think he's got the chops.
- Alex Maleev -- Maleev was hard at work every time I went up to his booth; banging out gorgeous commissions. He was kind enough to sign a copy of the first Maleev/Bendis Daredevil trade for me though.
WHEW! Seems like I accomplished more than I realized; and yet as I look through the list of Artist Alley, there were another 30 guys I would've loved to get something from or say Thanks to. I guess that's what next year is for!
The Swag
I could've easily spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at this con; there was cool stuff to buy at every turn. I wish I could say I showed restraint, but looking back, I can't say that I really did. I DID manage to not impulse buy a gorgeous Simone Bianchi cover from Uncle Sal; but only because I called my wife and threw the idea out and was given a clear indication that buying that cover would NOT be well received on the home front.
- Fantastic Four #52 -- FINALLY I got a great copy (8.0 with great cover appeal) of Black Panther's first appearance
- Strange Tales #135 -- First appearance of Nick Fury, as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.; found a great dealer who was willing to negotiate on price b/c I was buying two issues from him
- Captain America #117 -- The other issue from said collector, and the first appearance of The Falcon, WOOT WOOT! Both of these issues are VF+ grades easily
- Alpha Flight 2-page Splash original art -- Penciled by Clayton Henry, Inked by Mark Morales
- Exiles original page -- Penciled by Jim Calafiore, inked by Mark McKenna
- Mark Buckingham sketchbook, signed
- Aaron Lopresti sketchbook, signed
- Nick Cardy sketchbook, signed
- Jim Steranko sketchbook, signed
- Carmine Infantino book "The Amazing World of Carmine Infantino", signed
- Incredible Hulk #337, signed by Peter David [got the issue in the $1 bins at the con]
- Thor #366, signed by Walt Simonson [got the issue in the $1 bins at the con]
- Civil War #7, signed by McNiven and Vines [got the issue in the $1 bins at the con]
- Fantastic Four #333, signed by Rich Buckler [got the issue in the $1 bins at the con]
- Fables #50, signed by Mark Buckingham [got the issue in the $1 bins at the con]
- Wolverine $50, signed by Simone Bianchi [got the issue in the $1 bins at the con]
- Gearhead TPB, signed by Mellon & Hopeless
- Daredevil TPB "The Widow" signed by Alex Maleev [got from $5 trade stand]
- Fear Agent TPB "Re-Ignition], signed by Remender & Moore
- Knights of the Old Republic TBD #1 [$5 trade stand]
- Clone Wars flip book
- Iron Man Masterworks [35% off at the $5 trade stand]
- Mike Norton sketch (Puck)
- Jamal Igle sketch (Deadpool)
- Mark Morales sketch (Deadpool)
- Andie Tong sketch (Deadpool)
- Andrew Charipar sketches (Beta Ray Bill & Deadpool)
- Julian Lytle sketch (Deadpool)
- Mahmud Asrar sketch (Deadpool)
Pizza Dinner
A lot of the people I mentioned meeting were in attendance at the Podcast dinner event on Saturday night. Charlito and Joe & Jimmy, the Comic News Insider guys, really did a great job putting that together. There were too many people to effectively say hello to all of them; but at least I got to meet a bunch of folks and put faces with names. To those I didn't get the chance, here's to future cons!
A Buzz and Uncle Sal of a Different Color
Buzz was all business at his table mainly because he was under a tight time restriction to get his commissions done. Seems that Buzz' family obligations are keeping him from tearing up the town late night as he's known for.
As to Sal, well I've come to learn something. There is UNCLE SAL and there is SAL ABBINANTI.
What do I mean? Well I'm sure you all know Sal sells original art for a number of acclaimed artists. Well, picture Sal in a tailored Italian suit and COMPLETELY SERIOUS. That's what we saw at NYCC. The main reason, as I'm sure he'll chime in, is that Alex Ross was in attendance this year and, given Alex' enormous popularity, Sal was on his very best behavior handling his BUSINESS. I can tell you that, without question, Sal's original art table was the most formal, serious and professional art table at the con. Alex was at the table for a majority of the conference, unfortunately he wasn't really accessible. I guess he figured if he started signing it would open the floodgates. Either way, Sal was very nice (in a formal polite way) the few times I stopped by the table, and I look forward to seeing UNCLE SAL make an appearance at another show when he can let his hair down.Sunday = Kid's Day
I was pretty worn out by Sunday but had renewed energy b/c I brought my 5-year old son for Kid's Day. It was an awesome capper to the great weekend. Sunday was very low key and chill compared to Saturday, with 1/2 the artists bailing on their tables (probably hung over) and a lot of folks clearly marking time until it was time to pack up and go home.
Having my son there turned it from a anti-climactic last day to a special experience. He was BEAMING at the chance to have his picture taken with Stormtroopers, Darth Vader, the Imperial Guard, Darth Maul, Obie-Wan Kenobi, and a bunch of other Jedis and Sith from the Light Saber training group. The 30 minute Light Saber battle on stage was a huge hit for him, and he's still talking about how Darth and the Stormtroopers showed up at the end to execute Order 66 and take out all the Jedis.
We also hit all the toy aisles (which I had avoided on Saturday and Sunday) and got him a sweet 6-pack of special clone troopers as well as some Cars the Movie cars and a few Star Wars figures to bring home for my younger son. Colin broke his wrist on Friday and was in a sling, and was a bit nervous about attending. But the best part was how nice all the community members made him feel. Special props to Norge, Jim, Rick, Ian, Charlito, Bry, Shane, Peter and Pants for making my son feel comfortable. Very cool of you all.OK, that about does it for me. What a fantastic ride and, for sure, I learned a LOT about what to see and do. Next time I'll be much better prepared to ensure I get the commissions and sketches I want from the artists I most covet; as well as who to buy back issues from. I really wish I had the time to pour through the hundreds upon hundreds of $1 bins; but since my son was with me on Sunday I passed those up.
Hope others share their experiences, too!