This Just In: Sea Lions Love Comics!

A few months ago we finally made it back to San Francisco. Much as we love it there it's just far enough away that we seldom get around to making the trek. True, we did attend the Treasure Island Music Festival last fall, but that was all about the rock and the roll and the giant Ferris wheel, not about sight seeing.





This time, though, was for my birthday. So along with visits to all the museums and bookstores (and of course the Tiki Room) we had to visit the sea lions that hang out on Pier 39. I helped to rescue more than a few marine mammals during my tenure as a wildlife vet tech a few years back, so I thought they would be happy to see me. Boy was I wrong! Hardly any of the big stinky critters even bothered to show up.

As it turns out, I shouldn't have felt slighted. In fact, we were lucky to see the few that did show up. Last November the 1,700 or so sea lions that had been hanging around Pier 39 for the last 20 years decamped suddenly for parts unknown. Only recently have a few stragglers returned. No one knows why they left, no one knows where they've been, and no one knows if they'll return.

Today, however, I learned where they are right now: Oregon. That's right, all those sea lions just packed up last fall and moved to the Oregon coast. What could possibly be in Oregon to tempt them? More fish? Well, maybe. Rain? They're already soaked. Hipsters? They can see plenty of those in San Francisco. I believe that leaves just one thing: comic books. As far as I can tell, a large percentage of American comic book creators live in and around Portland. The sea lions must just be getting as close as they can to this comic book mecca.

Will they ever return to Pier 39? I think it's unlikely. The rents in San Francisco are a little high for most comics professionals.