They tell me I'll be having my knee surgery on Monday so that's good. I'm not able to walk for more than about two minutes (or thirty seconds going up or down stairs) without it feeling like someone has taken a backhoe to it. I'm getting along okay but that's largely because I'm not trying to do much more than sit here and write, go in and sleep, hobble to the bathroom and occasionally get up the nerve to go downstairs to feed cats or me. I'm fretting not so much about the surgery but about whether I'll heal sufficiently in the 24 days I'll have before Comic-Con International, which convenes 27 days from today. If I don't, I'm thinking of arranging for one of those royal sedan chairs to transport me around the convention. Paula Deen has offered the services of some Nubians to carry it and me.
The con, of course, starts the evening of July 17 with Preview Night, the night when we all get to preview how mobbed the thing will be. On the four days that follow, I will be moderating thirteen panels, including Spotlights on Leonard Maltin and Tony Isabella, our traditional two Cartoon Voice Panels, the usual Sergio-Mark panel, Cover Story, The Business of Cartoon Voices (that's the one where we tell wanna-bes how to maybe get into the business), a tribute panel about Joe Kubert, the annual Jack Kirby Tribute Panel (with special guest Neil Gaiman), Quick Draw! (with special guest cartoonist Neal Adams) and several others I'll plug here well in advance.
The passing of Kim Thompson has hit the industry pretty hard. I suppose there was someone out there who didn't like the guy. You can't be in a position of power, with the ability to say, "No, we won't publish your book" without somebody not liking you. But if someone felt that way about Kim, I sure never heard it. One of the highest compliments you can pay someone in that position was utterly applicable to Kim. When he said he'd do something, he did it. I wish everyone in publishing was like that. Heck, I wish everyone in the world was like that. I expect there will be a panel at the con to remember Kim and folks will tell stories that underscore that.
Thanks to all who've written me to encourage more Tales of My Father. There will be more. You may also get stuck with a couple of Tales of Various Uncles.
And thanks to all of you who backed Carol Lay's Kickstarter. One of the things that has made me happiest in my hour of agonizing knee pain is to see her total go over the top as it did last night. You will all be rewarded with a great comic book and whatever rewards apply to your pledge level. If you didn't pledge, there's still a few hours left to pile on and get your copy and bonuses. This blog may not have the most readers but it has the best readers.