POST SD CON UPDATE 1: "HOME IN ONE PIECE"

To keep in the spirit of online post-con updates, I will do my best to provide you with mine. First of all, THANK YOU to everyone that stopped by my booth--intentional or otherwise! Sold a bunch of CHARLATAN BALL TRADE PAPERBACKS (available in stores next week!), some ART OF ANDY HARD COVER and did a lot of commission sketches. I really enjoy meeting new folks, reacquainting with old friends and all those that fall in between. This was my 2nd year working the floor/table under the Image Comics Banner--I still have some tweaks to work out, but all in all, meeting the likes of Trevor, Sean, Adam and their gang, Michael, Tim, Robert and his son Michael made it all worth while. Getting to display next to Glen Brunswick (Jersey Gods), Mike Allred and family (Madman), Andy Khun and Phil Hester (Firebreather) was super, super cool. Then there was my table mates--seriously, I was sandwiched between Elvis and The Beatles by way of David Mack (Kabuki) and Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie and Matthew Sheret (the boys of Phonogram). Their tables had queues that were almost always at least three or four deep (usually girls!)--they were 100% rockstars of the medium; and they couldn't have been nicer.
Sort-of-beginning of the weekend optimism.

If you weren't able to make it down to San Diego this year, this is the sort of display I dig; if not a little over the top.

It happened to occur to me that every time someone commented on a costume, it was always accompanied by some sort of preface like: "bald Superman" or "old Wonder Woman". I'll be nice about the pic above and just say it was "animated series Storm".

There was some speculation as to whether or not this Raper/Rapee duo was actually mother and son.

No joke; sure, this was someone from TITMOUSE STUDIOS (no pun intended), dressed as The Pro--but this year's con really brought out an onslaught of for real call girls and prostitutes, as witnessed coming and going from the hotels (I shared my room with 3 other dudes, mind you). Gotta give them props; it's pretty smart of them to capitalize on the event. On a completely unrelated note, I found it strange to discover 2(!) exes that have absolutely nothing to do with comics in attendance and working...weird. Almost as weird as seeing Jeff Conway signing at the Wizard booth with the other Celebrity Rehab creepazoids.

Two legends of the field: modern master David Mack (in a rare moment with a non-female fan), talking to none other than Jim (Nick Fury: Agent of Shield) Steranko! I swear to you my goal in this lifetime is to look just like him when I get older.

It was also a convention of reconnecting with old friends and colleagues. Here's a few: Michelle Bryan, Steve Marmel (creator of Disney's Cloudy with a Chance) and Bob Boyle (creator of Ying Yay Yo and Wow Wow Wubbzy)

My two new favorite people in the whole world. Robert and Michael, had I finished packing up early like I planned, I would never have met the best father in son in matching awesome Kirby Surfer tees team from Texas on the planet! You made my con. Best of luck in your endeavors, my like-minded friend.

And home again in time to see my favorite band (and Imperfect Duplicates of Dodger Dare composers), The Starlight Mints playing at the Troubadour in LA.

I'll post some of my drawings and sketches from the con next.