I figured I'd better get around to reporting something on the Con before it escapes me entirely.

Well, I returned Friday evening after three days that included a total of about ten hours sleep, two hot-dogs, one real dinner, two medium bottles of water, and three cups of coffee. Naturally I was depleted of everything necessary for survival, so it was nice to come home to real food and sleep.

Be that as it may, this year's show was still bigger than last. No on- site passes were sold, as the entire week was sold-out online weeks prior. Parking at the convention center opens at 5 AM, and cars began lining up before the lot even opened. I was up at 4 in the AM every day just to make it there by 5:30. One has to park under the convention center if one is to make off with bags of loot. This was probably my largest acquisition to date. My bag was literally breaking, and I had to double-bag my stuff with those giant, canvas, giveaway-bags distributed at the bigger booths. It'll take me weeks to pour over this stuff. I got several books signed, and even had a few artists doodle something inside.

One of the coolest things was a limited edition portfolio I bought from Gary Gianni, who happened to bring some of his own copies with him. Being that they were his copies, they were low numbers also. Very nice artwork by a very nice guy, as most of the artists attending were. One mistake I made was getting a small print from Eric Powell at the beginning of the evening on Preview Night. Ever try carrying around a rolled-up print through crowds whilst your hands are already full? The thing was totally creased by the end of the night. Ah, so that's why I saw all the nerds with the plastic tubes. They may be geeks, but they ain't stupid.

After resting Saturday and Sunday, I've been spending all day today reorganizing my studio. "Now where to put all these books?"I had to finally break down and use a fairly empty shelf that was previously occupied with a nice, marble chess set. Well, one has to have priorities, so the chess set had to go to make room for the books. I seriously need to reevaluate and start selling off some of my "reference" collection (see, anything used for artist "reference", it's a tax write-off).

Back to the Con... As I said, it was packed to capacity. I met some nice folks, and even signed a cover or two (remember? the event guide?). Not many new films being previewed at the film studio booths this year, but the comic industry is booming, what with the comic-to- film business going gangbusters. I got a few leads on which I'll follow up as soon as I catch up on the current Z2H book. Speaking of which, I need to return to that, so I'm off for now. Back to the ol' drawing board.

IT'S HERE!

Well, it's almost here, at any rate. Tomorrow evening is Preview Night at the San Diego Comic Con ('Geek-Fest' to some). I'm one of the fortunate souls who live within driving distance (it's about a two-hour drive south of my home, to be precise), and a buddy of mine is putting me up for a couple of nights (he lives about an hour north of the convention center, but it saves me on the cost of petrol, which means more cabbage for books). I pity the poor wretches who have to make a major travel vacation of the trip. Hotels and parking can be a nightmare.

Speaking of parking, I'll be leaving here quite early so I can park under the convention center, rather than having to park some remote distance. Lugging a load of booty (as in "pirate booty", not "big bum") many blocks away can be a burden, and it's so convenient being able to scamper down to my vehicle to dispense all my findings within, unloading my burden so that I can go back up and refill my bag. I'm always looking forward to the post-Con time when I can enjoy all the material. Am I just preaching to the choir here? Aren't all attendees eager to get home to pour over their stuff? Anyway, I'm looking forward to the Bud Plant booth, my first stop to do a cash drop, armed with their latest catalog (which I highlighted profusely). This year I plan to actually attend some of the seminars, which I always plan on doing but which I never seem to get around to because I'm usually too busy shopping for cool stuff (I'll report on some of my acquisitions when I return). 

In any event, I suppose I can finally let the cat out of the bag, for those with whom I have yet to share. I was contacted by the Creative/PR Director of the Con to do the cover of the Events Guide. This year will be the first year they produce it in color. Hopefully it'll offer some good exposure. Hopefully I can grab a stack of these for my family and friends. In the meantime, "See you at the Con!"

Comic Creation Nation

It's official. I'll be illustrating CCN's newest title, "North Wind".
Or is it "Retribution"? Or is it "The West Was Lost"? Well, they
haven't seemed to nail down the title, but I'm less interested in the
title as I am in the artwork. This one's going to be illustrated a
little looser, with a limited palette, or at least that seems to be
the plan.
I have a bad habit of trying to clean up my final art, and many folks
seem to think it kills the initial spark. I have to say, it's often
true. I've done thumbnail doodles for painting concepts, and the
finished painting often isn't as dynamic as the sloppy little doodle.
I'm not sure if I overwork things, or if something gets lost in
translation.
Perhaps there's something about allowing one's imagination to
'complete' the doodle in one's mind that makes a rough sketch so
appealing. It's like the difference between a book and the film
version of the book. With the book, one participates in the creative
process, imagining what things look like, the sound of a characters
voice, and so on. When the film fills in those gaps, one's imagination
takes a back seat, and the film producers often don't do as good a job
as one's own imagination, at least not to one's taste.
On the other hand, it may also be that rough drawings have more
dynamic movement in the characters, or often are composed by instinct,
where one has better judgement because there's no second-guessing
oneself.
Anyway, trying to do a loose "look" is difficult, because if it's
contrived, then it's not really "loose" at all, and we're back to
losing what we wanted to gain in doing it "loose" in the first place.
If that seemed confusing it's because I should be getting to bed and
I'm low on oxygen. So, good night.

Just finished working on the first issue of Black Jack O'Breen about a
week ago. I thought I could now get some sleep, but Comic Creation
Nation (CCN) has me testing for a new title. If they decide to keep me
on that, I'll be doing another month of all-nighters. Oy.
Here's a panel from a page from BJO that's also posted on the Z2H
gallery.