Comicon Part Two

Part Two

The convention was amazing, despite the long and bewildering line to get in. It was a lot bigger than last year. I was surprised that the lines to meet the artists were not very long at all. I guess there was more than enough to keep people busy. I did see some huge lines for things that I had no interest in, such as the media celebrities. I sorry, but Will Wheaton is barely a celebrity, let alone one I would wait in line to meet. Ray park was there. He is pretty cool, but again, not someone I would wait in line to meet. Besides, what would I say to Ray Park? Uhh..You were awesome as (insert role here). 

I had done my homework on the official site for the comicon. Or at least I thought I had. I knew that Frank Cho would be there. He is one of my biggest idols, and by far one of the best comic illustrators I have ever seen. It was great to finally meet him, but a little disappointing overall. He was friendly, but not very engaging. There was not a huge line to see him, so I was kind of expecting to get to chat for a few minutes. All I got was a smile and hello, he signed the books I brought, and then I shook his hand. That was all. He didn't even ask my name. Like I said, it was great to meet him. I guess I was expecting more from an Idol.

Now Ben Templesmith was more than I expected. He was one of the few artists I specifically wanted to see. I brought my copy of the first issue of Fell for him to sign. 

Meeting Ben Templesmith was awesome. He was funny and engaging. He asked my name and personalized the signature he gave me. He made me feel appreciated as a fan. He cracked a joke about only having to sign one book instead of the usual stacks that most people bring. It restored my faith as a fanboy. Chris was there with me as well, and Ben drew a quick sketch with his signature. Such a great guy.

I had read the list of artists on the website, but I guess I had missed some names because while we were wandering around the artist alley, I found David Petersen. He is the creator of one of my favorite independent comics.  

Mouse Guard is an amazing fantasy tale about an elite group of mouse warriors. It looks cute at first glance, but it is a deep and gritty story. I was so happy to meet David, and get signed copies of his latest story arc. He was happy to meet a fan, and was pleased to hear that I found his work inspiring. I even got a couple of buttons for my collection. It was a pleasant surprise to meet him.

The other surprise encounter I had was with Dave Kellet. I had met Dave briefly at last year's comicon. He was handing out promotional fliers for his web comic Sheldon. I was taking fliers all day last year, so I didn't give it more than a cursory glance at first. I read the sample strips during the ride home and found them hilarious. That evening I went to the website and instantly fell in love with the characters.  So to see him again this year was much different than our last encounter. This time it was as a true fan. I watched as he sketched a hilarious cartoon of a Borg with a pot belly for a kid and his brother. Then I got to introduce myself and tell him how much I loved his comics. He was very happy to hear that I discovered his work at last year's convention. When I told him that the US postal service owed him a set of buttons he remembered me from the order I had placed last year for a set of Sheldon buttons that he had to re-send after the first set didn't arrive. Dave was selling copies of his books, so I picked up the one I really wanted.

He captures the humor of the breed perfectly. I told him about the two pugs we had when I was a kid. Then Dave sketched and signed a picture of Oso the Pug in the inside of my copy. It was the highlight of my day.