August 05, 2002
Comic-Con International 2002 is over, and I'm on my way home. I'm humming to myself about the matter, and the end of my favorite verse runs "if the Good Lord is willin' and the river don' rise, by tomorrow I oughta be -- Lord I oughta be there." And then we burst into the chorus with heavy harmony and a whole lotta "don' it make you wanna go home."Road trips are like that for me.
Some highlights from the 'Con: I got to shake hands with Larry Niven, and thank him for everything he's written. I got to watch Tom Vigil ink with a brush. I got caricatured (maybe I'll post a scan eventually). I saw waaaay too many toys and collectibles I don't have the time or money to properly appreciate (that did not stop me from buying some Stickfas). The best part, though... I had dinner two nights running with a group of webcartoonists that included 'Gav' Bleuel of Nukees, Jeff Darlington of General Protection Fault, and Pete Abrams of Sluggy Freelance. There were dozens of others, and in my current frame of mind I'm far too lazy to link them all. Suffice it to say that these folks are good company -- we had a lot of laughs, and I'd hang out with them anytime.
Actually, the best part was probably the Schlock fans who stopped by. There weren't as many as I would have liked (I want to be swarmed by adoring, drooling fanboys and fangirls, you see), but the quality made up for the quantity. Saturday morning was good for that. One fan even brought me a nicely labeled can of Genuine Imitation Ovalqwik, complete with a list of ingredients that included the methylxanthine alkaloids and buckminster fullerene. I did a lot of free sketches, and sold a few rather more detailed works on commission (they were inked, and even CROSSHATCHED, I tell you).
I also ran into a friend from my high-school days. She used to be a big fan of mine when I was playing keyboards in a rock band, and we were both a little dumbfounded that we'd run into each other on the far side of one continent and two decades from when we were in high school. It was cool.
And for all the fun I've had, I'm ready to come home to a (relatively) quiet house, where I can return to the (relatively) static routine of working a day job, raising kids, and drawing a webcomic. Here's hoping I can drive (relatively) fast, and absolutely safely.