Every Year We Say Never Again...

The crowds, the parking nightmare, the shuffling/shambling walk made necessary by the shear mass of humanity in the convention hall. Ah, yes: San Diego Comi-Con! 

Every year Gabriel and I make the trek down from Los Angeles. And every year we see the huge mass of people spilling across Harbor Drive and wonder what the heck we were thinking. But then we get inside and notice that along with the glitz and media hype there actually are some comic books. Not only books, but creators too. And lots of wonderful folks that we haven't seen since the previous Con. 

This year was a little different for us, since we were signing copies of our book Heathentown at

 the Image booth. Thanks so much to all of you who dropped by! It was a busy weekend in general, since Gabriel was also on a panel focusing on film illustration on Saturday in between signings. 

It was great to meet up in person (sometimes for the first time) with "virtual" friends. A big hello to Elton Pruitt, Ken Marcus, Brian Winkler, Joyce and Trevor Goring, David Gallagher, and everyone else that we only get to see a couple of times a year due to the fact that Gabriel and I tend to hide out in our respective studios, at all costs avoiding doing anything that might actually help promote our book. Hmm, maybe I shouldn't admit that last part...

On Sunday we finally had a bit of time to relax and sight-see. My favorite costumed character, 

Number Six (from The Prisoner) seemed to be missing this year, but I did spot a young woman dressed as the 4th Doctor, so that sort of made up for it. At the APE Entertainment booth I picked up Sullengrey: Sacrifice by Joceyln Gajeway and Drew Rausch, which belongs on the shelf of any horror fan. Do yourself a favor and get a copy! Drew was kind enough to do an awesome sketch for me too.

The plan was to leave early and get back to Los 

Angeles in time to pick Camila Pup up from where she was being boarded, but the traffic gods had other ideas. So when we had only made it about 20 miles in the first two hours we decided to cut our losses and head to the beach instead. It was rather surreal to lay on an almost empty stretch of sand, in the shadow of that fertility-goddess-shaped power plant, the traffic crawling by on the bluff above our heads, reading a Jonathan Lethem novel.  Oh well, all's well that ends well...