Comic-Con 2009 Post #4
Saturday, July 25
Astonishingly, despite all that’s already taken place, the convention’s only about half over!
Saturday starts later for me than some days, so I’m actually able to have breakfast in the hotel with David. Jeff’s off having breakfast with some fellow authors. We almost don’t make it to breakfast when the elevator we’re in stops on the fourth floor on the way to the lobby, and a guy in a motorized cart rams into the doors unexpectedly, stalling the elevator for an unknown period.
My friend Christine and I have lunch together, outside in the sunshine in back of the Convention Center. When the sun gets to be too much, we duck into the Green Room. She has to leave for a panel before I do, but while I’m putting away our teacups, Ray Bradbury comes in and I get a chance for a quick greeting and a kiss on his cheek, which is wonderful, since I won’t make it to his panel. Try to track down marysgarage1
but oddly, since she’s on her way to her panel, I miss her.
The vampire panel, AKA the Stoker / Whedon panel, is moderated for me by Dracula expert Les Klinger.
1:30-2:30 Bram Stoker: The Joss Whedon of His Day?: Moderator Leslie Klinger (The New Annotated Dracula), an authority on the influence on generations of storytellers of Stoker's work, discusses Stoker's impact with panelists Dacre Stoker & Ian Holt (Dracula: The Un-Dead), jeanne_stein (The Anna Strong Vampire Chronicles), Chris Marie Green (The Path of Razors), Tony Lee (From the Pages of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula': Harker), J. F. Lewis (Staked), and Steve Niles (30 Days of Night). Room 5AB
I lead the panelists to the autograph area, and turn on my heels to get back down the hallways to my next panel, the not-vampires panel.
3:00-4:00 Monster Mash: Because vampires shouldn't get all the attention, panelists Amber Benson (Death's Daughter), Alice Henderson (Voracious), Walter Greatshell (Xombies: Apocalypse Blues), S. G. Browne (Breathers: A Zombie's Lament), Marlene Perez (Dead Is So Last Year), robgoodfella (The Cal Leandros Novels), and Samantha Sommersby (Forbidden: The Temptation) discuss their use of other monsters in their works, drawn from myth and their own imaginations. Moderator: Maryelizabeth Hart, Mysterious Galaxy. Room 2
All the panelists appear to be having a good time, even Rob Thurman, who doesn’t hyperventilate or faint or anything! Sadly Samantha is ill and doesn’t make it. :( BTW, for those of you who were there - remember, it’s totally
evil_pod_13’s fault that hambam was harassed from the podium for texting during the panel…
After their autographing, it’s back downstairs to the Exhibitor’s Hall (we all know one of the #1 rules of Con is wear good shoes, right??!!) and take care of various stops there to check in on publishers before meeting Jim and Jeff for dinner. Had a nummy dinner at the always fabulous Acqua al 2 followed by gelato at the Chocolat Cremerie
Got in at a surprisingly reasonable hour to discover David and Holly and friends having room service and playing bananagrams.
Sunday, July 26
Have an actual family breakfast, and pack out of the room, leaving our stuff at the bell desk. Our bellman cautions us to make sure we return to the hotel, and is pleased to hear we’d parked a car - he said he constantly sees guests leave luggage, go sightseeing, then go directly to the airport, forgetting to collect their luggage from the hotel on the way.
Another bright and early panel, but this time Super Librarian Robin Brenner is in charge, and I’m being Vanna White again.
10:00-11:00 Kids' Graphic Novels: What's new and wonderful in the world of comics and graphic novels for kids in 2009? Moderator Robin Brenner, creator and editor-in-chief of NoFlyingNoTights.com, highlights the works of panelists Lewis Trondheim (Tiny Tyrant), Gene Yang (American Born Chinese), Derek Kirk Kim (The Eternal Smile), Eric Wight (Frankie Pickle and The Closet of Doom), Chris Schweizer (Crogan's Vengeance), Jennifer Holm (Babymouse), and Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Lunch Lady), who all recommend other great titles. Room 3
During the signing, Eric Wight very kindly sketches Buffy’s Willow and Frankie in my copy of his book. Help the staff reassemble after the signing, and I’m mostly done. I meet with a small press publisher at the MG booth and get catalogs and some sample books. Then I spend what seems like most of the rest of the day trekking across the Extremely Large and Crowded Convention Hall in search of the elusive marysgarage1
, who I finally find, much to my joy.
I saw Chris and Tim and Pam and Didi and clochetterd
at various random times during the con, with much less effort. So Con goes.
Run into kradical
for like 18 seconds on the Far Side of the Exhibitor’s Hall.
Check with Keith Knight that I’m up to date on book collections.
Pick up the Littlest Pet Shop Superhero Kitty because it’s pretty adorable and there’s no line to speak of.
Also get a sketch of an armadillo girl by Mary Bellamy in Artist’s Alley, because one can never have too much armadillo stuff.
For better or for worse, there isn’t much I’m interested in purchasing and in my budget this convention. Sad for the collection, good for the pocketbook. My only CCI comics purchase was the three issues of “Love and Capes” I was missing.
I check in with the staff and our various publishing partners and publisher friends a final time at the Convention Center, then we head out.
Astonishingly, despite all that’s already taken place, the convention’s only about half over!
Saturday starts later for me than some days, so I’m actually able to have breakfast in the hotel with David. Jeff’s off having breakfast with some fellow authors. We almost don’t make it to breakfast when the elevator we’re in stops on the fourth floor on the way to the lobby, and a guy in a motorized cart rams into the doors unexpectedly, stalling the elevator for an unknown period.
My friend Christine and I have lunch together, outside in the sunshine in back of the Convention Center. When the sun gets to be too much, we duck into the Green Room. She has to leave for a panel before I do, but while I’m putting away our teacups, Ray Bradbury comes in and I get a chance for a quick greeting and a kiss on his cheek, which is wonderful, since I won’t make it to his panel. Try to track down marysgarage1
but oddly, since she’s on her way to her panel, I miss her.
The vampire panel, AKA the Stoker / Whedon panel, is moderated for me by Dracula expert Les Klinger.
1:30-2:30 Bram Stoker: The Joss Whedon of His Day?: Moderator Leslie Klinger (The New Annotated Dracula), an authority on the influence on generations of storytellers of Stoker's work, discusses Stoker's impact with panelists Dacre Stoker & Ian Holt (Dracula: The Un-Dead), jeanne_stein (The Anna Strong Vampire Chronicles), Chris Marie Green (The Path of Razors), Tony Lee (From the Pages of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula': Harker), J. F. Lewis (Staked), and Steve Niles (30 Days of Night). Room 5AB
I lead the panelists to the autograph area, and turn on my heels to get back down the hallways to my next panel, the not-vampires panel.
3:00-4:00 Monster Mash: Because vampires shouldn't get all the attention, panelists Amber Benson (Death's Daughter), Alice Henderson (Voracious), Walter Greatshell (Xombies: Apocalypse Blues), S. G. Browne (Breathers: A Zombie's Lament), Marlene Perez (Dead Is So Last Year), robgoodfella (The Cal Leandros Novels), and Samantha Sommersby (Forbidden: The Temptation) discuss their use of other monsters in their works, drawn from myth and their own imaginations. Moderator: Maryelizabeth Hart, Mysterious Galaxy. Room 2
All the panelists appear to be having a good time, even Rob Thurman, who doesn’t hyperventilate or faint or anything! Sadly Samantha is ill and doesn’t make it. :( BTW, for those of you who were there - remember, it’s totally
evil_pod_13’s fault that hambam was harassed from the podium for texting during the panel…
After their autographing, it’s back downstairs to the Exhibitor’s Hall (we all know one of the #1 rules of Con is wear good shoes, right??!!) and take care of various stops there to check in on publishers before meeting Jim and Jeff for dinner. Had a nummy dinner at the always fabulous Acqua al 2 followed by gelato at the Chocolat Cremerie
Got in at a surprisingly reasonable hour to discover David and Holly and friends having room service and playing bananagrams.
Sunday, July 26
Have an actual family breakfast, and pack out of the room, leaving our stuff at the bell desk. Our bellman cautions us to make sure we return to the hotel, and is pleased to hear we’d parked a car - he said he constantly sees guests leave luggage, go sightseeing, then go directly to the airport, forgetting to collect their luggage from the hotel on the way.
Another bright and early panel, but this time Super Librarian Robin Brenner is in charge, and I’m being Vanna White again.
10:00-11:00 Kids' Graphic Novels: What's new and wonderful in the world of comics and graphic novels for kids in 2009? Moderator Robin Brenner, creator and editor-in-chief of NoFlyingNoTights.com, highlights the works of panelists Lewis Trondheim (Tiny Tyrant), Gene Yang (American Born Chinese), Derek Kirk Kim (The Eternal Smile), Eric Wight (Frankie Pickle and The Closet of Doom), Chris Schweizer (Crogan's Vengeance), Jennifer Holm (Babymouse), and Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Lunch Lady), who all recommend other great titles. Room 3
During the signing, Eric Wight very kindly sketches Buffy’s Willow and Frankie in my copy of his book. Help the staff reassemble after the signing, and I’m mostly done. I meet with a small press publisher at the MG booth and get catalogs and some sample books. Then I spend what seems like most of the rest of the day trekking across the Extremely Large and Crowded Convention Hall in search of the elusive marysgarage1
, who I finally find, much to my joy.
I saw Chris and Tim and Pam and Didi and clochetterd
at various random times during the con, with much less effort. So Con goes.
Run into kradical
for like 18 seconds on the Far Side of the Exhibitor’s Hall.
Check with Keith Knight that I’m up to date on book collections.
Pick up the Littlest Pet Shop Superhero Kitty because it’s pretty adorable and there’s no line to speak of.
Also get a sketch of an armadillo girl by Mary Bellamy in Artist’s Alley, because one can never have too much armadillo stuff.
For better or for worse, there isn’t much I’m interested in purchasing and in my budget this convention. Sad for the collection, good for the pocketbook. My only CCI comics purchase was the three issues of “Love and Capes” I was missing.
I check in with the staff and our various publishing partners and publisher friends a final time at the Convention Center, then we head out.