(no subject)
IMPRESSIONS OF PHOENIX COMIC CON 2013
Overall, it was exhilarating, amusing and exhausting. I’m impressed with how well this con is run. The organization was impeccable and has likely ruined me for other cons. The communication was been excellent. I was taken care of and looked after every step of the way, from greeting me and picking me up at the airport to having someone guide me to my various panels. The con hotel is also extremely nice.
Phoenix has lived up to its name by being hot as hell, around 100 degrees. I’m not sure this city would last long without air conditioning and misters. The convention center is fairly new, about five years old, and a confusing labyrinth of upstairs, downstairs and weirdly spread out blocks of rooms.
I got in Friday around 3, checked in, and managed to get to my first panel at 4:30, a retrospective of G.I. Joe. I’d been given a table for people to find me for signings, so I settled there for the next hour or so. They’d placed me immediately next to my Amethyst artist, Aaron Lopresti, (another indication of how well things were thought out by the organizers), and that was great because I had no visuals, but Aaron had a nice big image of Amethyst. And directly across the aisle was Hi-Fi Digital Color, Brian and Kristy Miller, who did the colors on Amethyst and who were largely responsible for getting the con to invite me. It was great to meet them in person.
The Elfquest table was nearby, so I was able to connect with Wendy and Richard Pini. To my delight, we were able to have dinner afterwards. I hadn’t seen them for years and it was wonderful to catch up.
From nine to midnight I went to the guest mixer where I indulged in the free drinks with a bit of rum. Not my wisest decision of the evening. Earlier, on my way to meet up with Wendy and Richard, I ran into Mira Furlan on the elevator. I hadn’t seen her in fifteen years, but she remembered me instantly. She is such a sweet, warm woman and she greeted me with hugs. We chatted briefly as we were both on the way elsewhere, but she had just met another couple on the elevator who turned out to be old friends of mine from Tucson, writer Janni Lee Simner and her husband Larry. So that was another delightful moment of reconnecting.
I got to see and talk to Mira longer at the party, then Janni, and Jim Valentino - yet another person I hadn’t seen in ages. I met a bunch of people, including Jonathan Glapion, the inker on Birds of Prey; Matt Wagner, whose work I’ve liked for a long time; and people whose names have been erased by the rum.
I woke up Sat. morning remembering why I shouldn’t drink. I felt pretty rough. I headed out of my hotel into too-bright sunshine and early heat. The streets were still quiet, almost no traffic and few people walking around yet. But a minute later, I heard “Oh my god, Christy Marx!” A highly enthusiastic Jem fan -- a young woman with her brother in tow -- ran across the street to tell me that she had come to the con specifically to see me and couldn’t believe her luck. We did the photo shoot thing, the first of many photos I ended up taking with people during the day.
The con had a suite set up with a full breakfast for the guests, which did a lot to help me feel human again and I got a chance to talk with Matt Wagner a bit more.
I did a panel at 10:30 on Writing With a Female Voice. One of my sister panelists was Colleen Doran, who I’ve met before, and we had a cracking good time with the topic of writing as a woman, for women, the perceptions of female vs. male writers, etc.
My next panel was at noon with a group of animation professionals to talk about careers in animation. It ranged from me as the writer to a couple of storyboard artists, a production person, and a designer, so it presented a well-balanced and complete look at the entire process. Both panels had engaged and appreciative audiences.
The rest of the day and in between panels, I sat at my table and did signings. Most of the books I signed were Amethyst and many sad Amethyst fans lamented the book being cancelled. I signed Birds of Prey, as would be expected, but I was amazed at the other things people showed up with. One man brought both of my Sierra adventure games. Another man brought the first two comics I ever wrote along with a couple of the mini-comics I wrote for the He-Man toy packages. One woman brought a Sisterhood of Steel #1. Several people brought Jem DVD boxes and other Jem materials, including an original doll still in the box.
There were no less than three beautifully-realized Jem cosplayers who sought me out. It’s amazing how devoted the Jem people are. One sweet young woman was nearly overwhelmed by the experience and couldn’t leave until she had sung me her favorite Jem song. She had a nice voice and did a good job of it.
Another favorite of mine was the gentleman from a “wee village in Scotland” whose life had been dramatically altered by discovering the Conan the Adventurer animation series I did. The series sent him on a lifelong search to learn more of Robert E. Howard, to the point where he is now a REH scholar and has gone to the REH convention in Cross Plains, Texas.
I was pleased by the large percentage of girls and women who attended the con. There were also more people in costume than I usually see at the bigger cons, ranging across the full spectrum of fandom. I even saw a couple of people costumed as the TV-headed robot humanoids from the Saga comics. There were many children done up in full costumes, making for numerous adorable moments. I saw an awful lot of zombies. I’m not sure whether to chalk that up to the popularity of the Walking Dead, etc. or whether zombies are simply a cheap and easy costume to come up with. There was a high number of furries, including several in complete head-to-toe enclosed furry suits.
From five to seven, I went to the Babylon 5 cast reunion event. They had JMS as a major speaker at the con and they had nearly every single surviving actor from the cast. Boxleitner had to send a video message because he was shooting something, but the other dozen or so actors were there. JMS and Jerry Doyle pretty quickly hijacked control of the panel away from the two moderators, told a great many funny stories and spent a good amount of time memorializing those who had died. The con had prepared a memorial video that was nicely done and I was touched that they even mentioned Peter Ledger in the list of B5 contributors who are gone.
I didn’t manage to connect with anyone for dinner, but I had a recommendation, so I walked a few blocks to a section called the Cityscape which is brimming with restaurants. The food was good, but the ambience was noisy and I was glad to escape and collapse back at the hotel.
Sun. morning, I spent a few hours at my table before I had to leave and signed more books, was visited by a terrific Jem, signed the first two Red Sonja comics I wrote, and a batch of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle stuff, including an animation cel.
It’s like being a spider in the middle of web with each spoke radiating out along a different line of my career and the projects I’ve worked on, reaching out and affecting all kinds of people in a fascinating array of ways. I do have crossover fans who like my work across media, but most seem to be dedicated to one particular niche or another.
I was very happy to see Peter David at his desk signing books and looking damned good for a man who’d recently had a stroke. It was good to be able to give him a hug.
I grabbed lunch in the pro area and couldn’t resist introducing myself to Will Wheaton. We chatted for about five minutes. He was sweet and self-effacing and felt like someone I wish I could know as a friend.
And then it was off to the airport and back home. It was a great time. I hope I can talk them into inviting me again next year.
Overall, it was exhilarating, amusing and exhausting. I’m impressed with how well this con is run. The organization was impeccable and has likely ruined me for other cons. The communication was been excellent. I was taken care of and looked after every step of the way, from greeting me and picking me up at the airport to having someone guide me to my various panels. The con hotel is also extremely nice.
Phoenix has lived up to its name by being hot as hell, around 100 degrees. I’m not sure this city would last long without air conditioning and misters. The convention center is fairly new, about five years old, and a confusing labyrinth of upstairs, downstairs and weirdly spread out blocks of rooms.
I got in Friday around 3, checked in, and managed to get to my first panel at 4:30, a retrospective of G.I. Joe. I’d been given a table for people to find me for signings, so I settled there for the next hour or so. They’d placed me immediately next to my Amethyst artist, Aaron Lopresti, (another indication of how well things were thought out by the organizers), and that was great because I had no visuals, but Aaron had a nice big image of Amethyst. And directly across the aisle was Hi-Fi Digital Color, Brian and Kristy Miller, who did the colors on Amethyst and who were largely responsible for getting the con to invite me. It was great to meet them in person.
The Elfquest table was nearby, so I was able to connect with Wendy and Richard Pini. To my delight, we were able to have dinner afterwards. I hadn’t seen them for years and it was wonderful to catch up.
From nine to midnight I went to the guest mixer where I indulged in the free drinks with a bit of rum. Not my wisest decision of the evening. Earlier, on my way to meet up with Wendy and Richard, I ran into Mira Furlan on the elevator. I hadn’t seen her in fifteen years, but she remembered me instantly. She is such a sweet, warm woman and she greeted me with hugs. We chatted briefly as we were both on the way elsewhere, but she had just met another couple on the elevator who turned out to be old friends of mine from Tucson, writer Janni Lee Simner and her husband Larry. So that was another delightful moment of reconnecting.
I got to see and talk to Mira longer at the party, then Janni, and Jim Valentino - yet another person I hadn’t seen in ages. I met a bunch of people, including Jonathan Glapion, the inker on Birds of Prey; Matt Wagner, whose work I’ve liked for a long time; and people whose names have been erased by the rum.
I woke up Sat. morning remembering why I shouldn’t drink. I felt pretty rough. I headed out of my hotel into too-bright sunshine and early heat. The streets were still quiet, almost no traffic and few people walking around yet. But a minute later, I heard “Oh my god, Christy Marx!” A highly enthusiastic Jem fan -- a young woman with her brother in tow -- ran across the street to tell me that she had come to the con specifically to see me and couldn’t believe her luck. We did the photo shoot thing, the first of many photos I ended up taking with people during the day.
The con had a suite set up with a full breakfast for the guests, which did a lot to help me feel human again and I got a chance to talk with Matt Wagner a bit more.
I did a panel at 10:30 on Writing With a Female Voice. One of my sister panelists was Colleen Doran, who I’ve met before, and we had a cracking good time with the topic of writing as a woman, for women, the perceptions of female vs. male writers, etc.
My next panel was at noon with a group of animation professionals to talk about careers in animation. It ranged from me as the writer to a couple of storyboard artists, a production person, and a designer, so it presented a well-balanced and complete look at the entire process. Both panels had engaged and appreciative audiences.
The rest of the day and in between panels, I sat at my table and did signings. Most of the books I signed were Amethyst and many sad Amethyst fans lamented the book being cancelled. I signed Birds of Prey, as would be expected, but I was amazed at the other things people showed up with. One man brought both of my Sierra adventure games. Another man brought the first two comics I ever wrote along with a couple of the mini-comics I wrote for the He-Man toy packages. One woman brought a Sisterhood of Steel #1. Several people brought Jem DVD boxes and other Jem materials, including an original doll still in the box.
There were no less than three beautifully-realized Jem cosplayers who sought me out. It’s amazing how devoted the Jem people are. One sweet young woman was nearly overwhelmed by the experience and couldn’t leave until she had sung me her favorite Jem song. She had a nice voice and did a good job of it.
Another favorite of mine was the gentleman from a “wee village in Scotland” whose life had been dramatically altered by discovering the Conan the Adventurer animation series I did. The series sent him on a lifelong search to learn more of Robert E. Howard, to the point where he is now a REH scholar and has gone to the REH convention in Cross Plains, Texas.
I was pleased by the large percentage of girls and women who attended the con. There were also more people in costume than I usually see at the bigger cons, ranging across the full spectrum of fandom. I even saw a couple of people costumed as the TV-headed robot humanoids from the Saga comics. There were many children done up in full costumes, making for numerous adorable moments. I saw an awful lot of zombies. I’m not sure whether to chalk that up to the popularity of the Walking Dead, etc. or whether zombies are simply a cheap and easy costume to come up with. There was a high number of furries, including several in complete head-to-toe enclosed furry suits.
From five to seven, I went to the Babylon 5 cast reunion event. They had JMS as a major speaker at the con and they had nearly every single surviving actor from the cast. Boxleitner had to send a video message because he was shooting something, but the other dozen or so actors were there. JMS and Jerry Doyle pretty quickly hijacked control of the panel away from the two moderators, told a great many funny stories and spent a good amount of time memorializing those who had died. The con had prepared a memorial video that was nicely done and I was touched that they even mentioned Peter Ledger in the list of B5 contributors who are gone.
I didn’t manage to connect with anyone for dinner, but I had a recommendation, so I walked a few blocks to a section called the Cityscape which is brimming with restaurants. The food was good, but the ambience was noisy and I was glad to escape and collapse back at the hotel.
Sun. morning, I spent a few hours at my table before I had to leave and signed more books, was visited by a terrific Jem, signed the first two Red Sonja comics I wrote, and a batch of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle stuff, including an animation cel.
It’s like being a spider in the middle of web with each spoke radiating out along a different line of my career and the projects I’ve worked on, reaching out and affecting all kinds of people in a fascinating array of ways. I do have crossover fans who like my work across media, but most seem to be dedicated to one particular niche or another.
I was very happy to see Peter David at his desk signing books and looking damned good for a man who’d recently had a stroke. It was good to be able to give him a hug.
I grabbed lunch in the pro area and couldn’t resist introducing myself to Will Wheaton. We chatted for about five minutes. He was sweet and self-effacing and felt like someone I wish I could know as a friend.
And then it was off to the airport and back home. It was a great time. I hope I can talk them into inviting me again next year.