Another COVID test. Another negative result. I think I'm safe.
I need to keep reminding myself that five days at Comic-Con is not just five days at Comic-Con. There are also several days of prep and several of recovery. I'm almost unpacked. I'm almost back to my normal pace of work. I'm almost caught up on sleep. Here are some other things I oughta mention…
One of the "challenges" I gave the cartoonists this year at Quick Draw! was to draw something that would show us what the con would be like if it moved, as some have suggested, to Las Vegas. When I mentioned that possibility, just about everyone in Room 6BCF gave out with a pretty loud groan of disapproval. I think the folks who want to see Comic-Con move to Sin City are drastically underestimating how much most people would hate that.
Speaking of Room 6BCF at the convention: There's a guy on an Internet forum who for some reason seems to live to piss on everything everyone does. A lady posted that she loved the Cartoon Voices panel I moderated on Saturday in that hall and that the place was "packed." The pisser — who I don't think was even there — responded that it wasn't; that there were loads of empty seats. One of our panelists, superstar voice actor Neil Ross, took this photo from the stage just before we started. If this isn't packed, I don't want to be in a room that is…
And remind me: I still have to tell the story about what happened on that panel with Amber Jones, AKA "Amber the Fangirl." You may be able to spot her and her father in the second row in that photo. She's the one grinning and holding up two fingers.
While I'm at it: Some other "I love to complain" person — I think on Facebook — complained about the presentation of the Bill Finger Award at the Friday night award ceremony. They were irate that when Athena Finger (granddaughter of Bill) and I presented, I didn't give Athena the opportunity to say anything. There are two things wrong with this complaint, one being that I opted out of making the presentation this year because my injured foot didn't allow me to make it over to the hotel where the trophies were being handed out.
I prevailed on my friend (and a fellow Finger Award judge) Charlie Kochman to take my place and I handed him the speech I'd prepared which clearly indicated a place where Athena could have made whatever remarks she wanted to make if she wanted to make any remarks. Before the presentation, Charlie asked her and she declined…and I just called her to verify that. Some people just want to find things to criticize.
And there's nothing wrong with that if/when you know what you're talking about…but you don't have to be too eager. I have a lot of e-mails here asking me to elaborate further and write about the controversy engendered by formal Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Roy Thomas claiming a co-creator credit for the character Wolverine. I said what I had to say in a series of posts that began with this one and I had a civil exchange of e-mails with Roy about it that ended with us remaining friends but agreeing to disagree.
Let's find something we can all agree on, huh? I'll try this: "Simone Biles is awesome." Anyone want to fight over that?