I'm home and almost unpacked and decompressed. There is something very enjoyable about living at that pace for a few days. I couldn't do it every week but I get an odd feeling of excitement when I look at the little schedule sheet I make out for myself and see that I have a breakfast meeting at 9 AM, an interview at 10:30, a business meeting at 11, a panel at 12:30 and so on. Yesterday, I had panels at 10 AM, 11:30, 2 PM and 3 PM…and these are not grudging obligations. These are things I wanted to do. Just as today, I wanted to go home and do nothing, at least on a timetable.
The convention has changed names over the years but this one was the 47th…so it was my 47th. I haven't attended every day of every con but I've attended at least one day of all forty-seven to date. I can't tell you my favorite moment ever — maybe the time everyone chipped in dough to give Jack Kirby a surprise birthday party — but I'll tell you two from this one…
One was meeting Congressperson John Lewis, a genuine superstar of the civil rights movement in this country. He was an unannounced-in-advance presenter at the Eisner Awards…and a winner of one, as it turned out. Not long after I presented the ones I presented, he sauntered into the green room backstage where I was dining…so he was ripe for the meeting. Nothing particularly interesting was said, especially since I resisted asking him if he'd stage a sit-in to protest the cole slaw in the buffet supper. Mostly, I told him I admired him for all the same reasons everyone admires him and he grinned a tiny grin and said, "Not everyone does," which I suppose is true of anyone who accomplishes something noble in this world.
Other fave moment: Sergio's award.
Many awards are presented at the convention but the biggie is the Icon Award, which has been given out since 2006, starting with the one they gave to Frank Miller. A week or so before the con, I was contacted by David Glanzer, who among his other serious duties, is the convention's spokesperson. He told me the convention had voted to give this year's to my partner/best friend Sergio Aragonés and they wanted to present it at Quick Draw! I said, "Okay, if I can make a bit about it." We kept it an absolute secret, especially from Sergio.
If you attended Quick Draw!, here's what you saw happen. Quick Draw! is where three cartoonists — in this case, Sergio, Scott Shaw! and Keith Knight — do drawings based on challenges, some of my devising and some from the audience. In setting up the next challenge, I explained what the Icon Award was and how it had been won by the likes of Ray Bradbury and George Lucas among others. I said (approximately), "This year's winner will be announced later today so right now, let's decide who we think should get it!" The cartoonists on stage set to work drawing their nominees while I polled some folks in the audience for their suggestions.
Sergio drew his fellow MAD veteran, Al Jaffee. Scott and Keith both drew Sergio and gave nice, warm speeches about how they felt he was worthy. Sergio, as a joke, flipped over his drawing of Jaffee and on the other side, drew himself begging for the award. He, of course, had no idea what was happening next. I said, "Well, we'll find out who the winner is when it's announced later today. Now, let's start the next game!"
Just then, Peter David yelled out, "When is the announcement?" or words to that effect. I forget exactly what he said or what I'd told him to yell out. I consulted my notes and said, "Well, how about that? It's being presented here at Quick Draw!" And then I introduced David Glanzer who walked out and presented it to a very-stunned Sergio.
At times, I'm pretty good (I think) at reading the minds of an audience. When David was announced, I'd say a third of the people present realized exactly what was about to happen. When David mentioned that Keith Knight had said much of what he was going to say and then mentioned MAD, another third of those present realized who the winner was and the rest did too, but were waiting for final confirmation before celebrating.
Once it was certain, there was the biggest, happiest and longest standing ovation I have ever seen in my life. Around three thousand people — the capacity of that room is close to that — were standing and clapping and cheering and a few of them were even crying a little. Sergio's eyes looked a little moist, too.
For the rest of the con, people were stopping me and saying they'll never forget that moment. A few asked me if I'd had anything to do with my friend being chosen as the recipient. Nope. Not a thing. If it had been up to me, he would have gotten it of course but it was their good idea. I don't have ideas that good.