I got to thinking today (yesterday by the time this gets posted) about the first San Diego Comic Book Convention, a then-amazing event that occurred in 1970 and drew, I believe, around 500 attendees. I am now hosting panels that have two and three times that many people in the audience, and some folks are speculating that this year's attendance will top 70,000 or maybe 75,000 — every one of whom will probably be blocking my way as I attempt to make it through the hall tomorrow. Cartoonist Scott Shaw! and I are said to be the only two people who've attended every single one of these conventions. He actually has me beat in that he's been present for at least part of every single day of every con, whereas I missed a few days.
We've both watched as the annual shindig has morphed into this colossal multi-media affair that attracts not only everyone in the comic book business but also key players in animation, gaming, character licensing, Manga and any motion picture that contains a super-hero, alien, robot or other unearthly being. It also changed names a few times in there, emerging finally as the Comic-Con International. (As I understand it, "San Diego" was dropped from the name because when it comes time to negotiate costs and dates and such with the city, it helps to be able to threaten to move the convention to some other locale. Which is kinda hard to do if you're the San Diego Con.)
One thing which hasn't changed is that the best part of it all, at least for me, is just meeting people, talking with friends, seeing friendly faces. I did two panels today but after them, I took an hour to stroll down to the far end of the exhibit hall — otherwise known as New Mexico — and visit the section known as Artists' Alley. It was crowded but I still wonder how many attendees make it down as far as what may be the most interesting section of that room. It's several rows of artists, many of whom self-publish little comics or art prints, sitting behind tables and selling their wares and/or doing sketches. The level of talent is high, and the enthusiasm for comics is unconnected with sales figures or the weekend grosses of movies like The Hulk. The folks in Artists' Alley do comics simply because it's what they want to do. And if no one is rushing to pay them to do comics, big deal. They'll do comics anyway.
To get to that sector of the hall, I had to pass through the toy and gaming areas where companies like Hasbro and Pioneer Electronics have huge displays. For about 300 yards, it didn't feel like the convention I grew up with. It felt like a trade show for some other business. But when I reached Artists' Alley, it was the San Diego Con again.
I did two panels today — three, if you count a brief appearance on the TwoMorrows Panel where I dutifully plugged the heck out of my new book from them, Wertham Was Right. It's another collection of old columns (plus some new ones) about comic book history and collecting. It's out, and you can order a copy by clicking here.
The first panel I moderated was the annual Jack Kirby Tribute Panel, this year featuring Wendy Pini, Stan Goldberg, Sal Buscema, Larry Lieber, Mike Royer, Michael Chabon and our special surprise guest, Stan Lee. The Jack Kirby Collector (another fine TwoMorrows publication) will probably be running a transcript but I have to say it was the best of the eight zillion Jack Kirby Tribute Panels I've hosted, thanks to moving and eloquent words from the dais. When they get me the tape, I'll try and post a few excerpts here.
There is no way I can quote the other panel I hosted — the annual Quick Draw panel, this year featuring Scott Shaw!, Jim Lee, Kyle Baker and the world's fastest cartoonist, Sergio Aragonés. Basically how it works is that I throw out challenges and they have to draw whatever I force them to draw and it's all very funny and the audience has a good time and you'll see it next year if you missed it this time.
Other than all of the above, it was a good day. I even made my annual vow to never again eat a piece of pizza from the convention hall snack bar. (I wonder if when the Republican National Convention was in that building, Donald Rumsfeld had to eat that pizza. Talk about your Weapons of Mass Destruction…)
Tomorrow (today by the time you read this), I host five consecutive panels, one right after another. Check in and see if I live through them. Good night.