San Diego Comic Fest 2020

Pam, me and Ka-Blam

The San Diego Comic Fest is a heck of a show! 

Held at Sheraton at 4 Points in San Diego, it makes about 2000 people very happy. Everything about it is classic comicon.

First up is Pam Jackson, Pop Culture Librarian (She got to make up her own title) at the San Diego State University, at my table in the artists alley.

AND me in my Ka-Blam shirt. They are the best drawn-book floppy printer, and only about a dollar more per issue than '80's prices! High quality, friendly and helpful. You can't go wrong with the Blamster.

Girls can do that.

Diana Leto and I ran the "Girls Can't Do That" panel. We were told we had the panel only a week before. There was some scrambling, but we got our art files together, and with my moderator chops and Diana's tech expertise, the panel was fast and furious and funny. Audience member Buzz Dixon told us "this was the best panel" he'd ever attended, and took our picture. Mucho gracias, Buzz!

Mary Fleener did even better with the Underground Panel. Her, me, Roberta Gregory, Trina Robbins, Bruce Simon. QUITE the lineup. Again, well-organized, ran fast. At the end, an audience member threw a wad of cash at Mary and said, "Take everybody to dinner!"

Sketches

That night we hit the Emerald Chinese around the corner from the hotel. The place was full of comicon folks. Drawn book people aren't racist OR stupid. Our table plowed through a mountain of goodies like savage badgers. It was so good!

Stinz

Of course, folks show up for sketches. I did this little drawing of Stinz in a guy's book. And after 30 years, asked myself why a centaur would need a cane. Fashion, of course!

Colleagues!

One of the best reasons for going to SDCF is to meet up with old friends and colleagues. Here we have Roberta Gregory and the Lustigs! 

John is the creator of Last Kiss, an hilarious series based on old romance comics he bought the rights to and provides with smart-alecky word balloons. It's a big hit, and for good reason!

Surf's Up!

This year's theme was The Two Rays - Ray Bradbury and Ray Harryhausen. 

There were crazy old movie posters all over the big panel room. Thanks to the volunteers who put in so much time making it fabulous!

Here we have Robert, on the surfboard of the RatFink installation. It's built of slats and chicken wire and cloth and spray plastic. 

He also built this party-girl Medusa. Who else feels sorry for the Gorgon? She was just minding her own business when a guy showed up and cut her head off.

The art of war.

Robert gives her a Miss Comic Fest banner AND a glass of wine! She's one of the gang, now.

Appropriate headgear.

Here's Robert with an absolutely fabulous samurai warrior. A fully home-made costume. Cosplay amazes me.  These people turn out the greatest outfits.

Spider Cool

The guy in the samurai costume makes a different helmet crest for each event. They're plastics - he must be running them off a 3-D printer. I wish I'd asked.

We can't have a comicon this year without the Spiderverse. This cosplayers's outfit matches the carpet!

Finally, a starry character from a comic book I should know. Whatever it is, it's grand. It's covered with tiny fairy lights.

That's all I had time to photograph this year - there was so much going on!

If you get a chance, head to the SDCF. It's worth it. 

See you next year!

Norwescon 2019 Author Readings

This flyer says it all. Roberta Gregory, Bruce Taylor and I are giving a room party, reading session and costume giveaway. 

It's Friday night, only three hours, so stop by our little relaxicon before the convention's heavy lifting starts! 

Not only are we great fun to listen to read and talk to, you might need something extra sparkly to wear around the parties and dances. 

Emerald City Comicon 2019

College roommates.

I thought tabling a comicon was hard. Try promoting a comicon on the whole floor for four days! In this case, the second annual RainCon, also known as "The Sequel."

Thursday, I talked individuals into each taking one of an inch and a half of RainCon flyers. I thought I was done, but the promotion went on and on. Sunday afternoon, I was still hooking up people in the beer garden. I am now completely out of business cards. I think the show will be getting a wheelchair and "disabled" cosplay group (although I hesitate to use the word about any cosplayers, who are about as able as they come).

I'm afraid I put most of the photos for this show up on Facebook, but I retained some IMPORTANT ONEs. Like the college roommates in "Wicked."

Here's Roberta Gregory, on the first day of the show, at our organization-and-coffee table, where we figure out where we'll be all day, just before we split up to go running around the hamster maze that is the Seattle Convention Center. Every year I have to relearn that thing.

I are beer.

Next year, I'm planning on using this time space for San Diego Comics Fest. A lot of my old friends and colleagues are in San Diego - of course - and I need to drop in and see them once in awhile, as well as take care of my substantial and loyal fan base.

Of course I'd think a picture of me in the beer superhero photo frame is important. Or funny. 

Northwest Press's Zan Christiansen is always good for a laugh. Here he is trying hard not to cover fellow booth babe Steve's face. We agreed that "LGBTQ" can be replaced with "BLT" in conversation, because we are tasty, greasy and salty.

Hearing that RainCon is featuring the LGBTQ community this year, Zan made sure I had plenty of wonderful books for the RainCon comic shop dollar box. 

Before you think that's just being nice, we've discovered that the people in Forks - who have only ever known superheroes - will not only load up from the dollar box on authors they've never heard of, they'll show up at RainCon as a brand-new fandom for those authors. I'd very much advise contacting Evan Sveum at the Raincon website or on the Facebook Friends of RainCon pages about sending him some copies. Even dinged ones are welcome - and it's a great way to use slightly damaged product. At a $1 a pop, the fans will grab them.

Roberta Gregory, Pequinoes, Seattle

Roberta Gregory and I had some good rest times when we could have something to eat and a beer. Like at Pequinoes, a nice Mexican place in Seattle. I don't think I've ever had better nachos. The IPA and Ale went down nice, too. A good break after running around ECCC all day.

Roberta Gregory, The WildRose mural, Seattle

We even got around to the WildRose, Seattle's wonderful lesbian bar - and one of its oldest drinking-and-eating buildings of any sort. And look at the brand-new mural!

It's so pretty, I have to use mine, too. With others posing before it.

2017 Emerald City Comicon Report

Just The Thing For Spring

First of all, on the absolutely fabulous Artists' Alley on its OWN floor (the 6th), we have Carla Speed McNeil in one of the Nasty Woman Pussy Hats I've been freehand crocheting out of remnant thrift-store wool. She models it with her ever-so antique Hermes scarf. It's just HER.

Roberta Gregory says to watch for it on Jaeger in Carla's Future books. While drunk, probably.... or will Nasty Women march in Finder?

Touch it.

THIS IS HOW THIS STUFF GETS STARTED. Us writers are more like the party than most people think. We're more like the directors of Despicable Me, who giggle their way through their commentaries, and doing Minion voices.

While you're at it, you need to get her "No Mercy." One of the best and most horrible and true.

Now wait until Chris Pegg finds out about the Bible plot we have for him. He can play Jesus - or Joseph, who we KNOW must have been a hottie.

Time to Die!

Emerald City has a No-touchy policy on co-splayers - but what do you do when the Gang O' Deadpools and Harly Quinn show up and say "Spank that thang!"?

At sci-fi shows, the Klingons are the crackpots who do what they want any way they want. Looks like Deadpool will be taking over that roll at comicons.

RED DWARF! RED DWARF! Do not look upon me, oh Mr. Flibble of glary death. I

Queen of the Potato People.

used both these photos because I are a Dwarfer, of course. 

I dare yo.

And now more Deadpool nuttiness. Including Mashups. That movie may be faux X-rated, but it's a genuine clever silliness generator.

I don't know what this next character is, but her dad engineered the wings, and they fold down

Fly girl!

and outwards. Amazing stuff on the floors, every year.

Gotta catch up.

I love when the anachronisms of everyday life show up in fantasy. As in this gorgeous creature with her purple-and-scythe, texting away between photo-ops.

Of course, had to get a legit pose photo, too. One of my favorite costumes this year.

Stop me. I dare you.

Sharp!

More Deadpool goofiness. "I'm playing Deadpool. I'll do whatever I want! So there!" (Except during Lent?)

WHEW!

Speaking of able costuming, this woman with CatBus and Totoro had never made a costume before. I find that hard to believe! She has a career ahead of her.

She's discovering how hot it gets on the show floor, however! 

Passengers and all!

Back in full costume, in front of one of my favorite booths every year, Fez-O-Rama. Each year I am more tempted.

Long Day!

Poison Ivy is a great costume, but it comes with very high heels. An Ivy kicks back with the kimono she wears to get to her car in the Seattle rain or cold parking towers, and no shoes. I say she could get away with red flats. To match her hair.

And of course it wouldn't be America without lying religious assholes showing up.

These JeHos could have just posted, "We have a cool imaginary fan club, too! And books!" Instead, they couldn't help themselves.

Trolling for kiddies.

They're pushing cures for "depressed teens." One of their number showed up and said, "We need more kids!" 

Thanks a lot, you mental child molesters. I pity the gay kid tries to not commit suicide in YOUR fake-doctor hands. 

At least they're forced to be on the street with the ticket-scalpers where they belong.

The Amazing Hawaii Comicon 2016

Me NOT wading with Man-O-Wars

If you want to have a lot of fun and sell books and meet wonderful creatives and fans, go to the Amazing Hawaii Comicon. I went with Roberta Gregory, who made it that much better, being able to share the adventure with a long-time friend and colleague.

The Ka-Blam photo

William Doc Grant and the Hawaii Comics Alliance got trip tips for us, Roger and Elizabeth Pankey let us time-share a condo, and Hawaiian Cartoonist Jon J Murakami toured us around 3/4 of O'ahu in two trips. We got to see and do and eat everything we'd planned. 

First of all, here's the obligatory shot of me in my Ka-Blam T-shirt. If you need floppy-size comics, they have the best inks, clear paper, color and prices. I'm going to get one of their black shirts, too. 

I just like this photo of me.

Just for good measure, here's the convention badge and what's left of one of the leis Jon gave us.

Beautiful places to stay:

Makai (Toward the mountains)

The next two shots are the view from our condo window in Honolulu, Waikiki. 

The first one is makai - toward the mountains - over the golf course. 

Mauka (Toward the water)

The second is makau - toward the water - over the canal. 

In the morning, talapia in the schools rise in bunching black schools to feed. 

Fairy terns flip between the buildings, looking like the paper "birds" in Spirited Away. The terns are endemic in the northern islands, but in the south, they only live in Honolulu. Perhaps, like peregrine falcons on the mainland, they like the artificial cliffs?

And now more convention photos:

William Doc Grant gave Roberta and me paper hats full of pennies. We saved the pennies to buy spam musubi, and played Angry Birds with the hats. 

Roberta is threatening the properly terrified Erin Hamada. 

Angry extinct Hawaiian bird

Be afraid!!

Erin makes the most amazing food pillows, including bitten eggs. 

They're expensive to ship outside Hawaii -But perhaps the little key-chains of the eggs? They have emoticon faces on them, which make them even cuter. 

Here's Roberta and Erin with Erin's giant bread and onagiri pillows. We ere calling her Pillow Woman. A con nickname, of course.

Here's a Soldätchen (little soldier) I was doodling on for kids' day, Sunday. I'd somehow left all my good pens at home, so was making do with ball points. 

A couple little girls were watching with their dad, and I asked 'em if they wanted it. They did. I'd post the photo, but one needs to protect kids.

However, I can post an adult with her picture of a Söldchen (little girl soldier). This is Hannah - and she's happy with the next doodle I did. 

Now for the cosplay! A blurry (sorry! - wonky little IPod camera) Deadpool pirate with a costume based on a fancy thift-store jacket, an Aquaman with REAL scale mail he made himself, and the dapperest of dragons. 

I've never been much for superheroes, but I just love all the mash-ups. Harley-Quinn shows up as anything, and at Emerald City in Seattle, there was a flapper joker. Gender-crossing and everything. Cosplayers are social years ahead of us all.

Lazy Photographer:

I didn't get any more photos of the trip, but Roberta did! 

Baobob tree in park

The following are a selection of her photos It was us at the beach, and us eating everything Hawaiian we could find. We saw the valley of temples, the north shore, you name it. These photos are sorta kinda in order.  

Jon was the most diligent tour-guide. If we could get to it in time, he showed it off, and told us all the details. 

Our timing was kind of bad; a huge rock that had sat in a window formation since anybody could have remembered was swept away by the waves a short time before we showed up. 

Over the blowhole; Elizabeth Pankey, Jon Murakami and me

And birds! Admittedly, most of them are imports, but when else could I see Brazilian cardinals flying about, and shoo Australian zebra doves out of breakfast?

Yes, Hawaii has racism and homelessness and all the general problems, but all anybody really cares about is food and the beach. Which is as it should be. We missed a luau I'm beginning to think we should have skinned out of the con to go see.

After the con, we moved from the condo to a little hostel near the beach. In a quiet, cool alley, where you could sit on the lanai and look at Diamond head.

Under the Bo tree, Botanical Gardens

Chickens and cats were all about in the country, clean, well-fed, and utterly unafraid of humans. Which shows you just how nice the humans are.

See the blue toenails? Everybody has blue toenails. Or people who paint their toenails. The color of Hawaii IS blue.

On the beach at Waikiki

Cree Nicole, who co-splayed at the con, was sharing our hostel room. She and I ended up walking all over Waikiki at night, making like regular tourists. I kind of talked her into buying glow-in-the-dark batshorts. 

We ended up at a neat little bar around the corner from the hostel, accessible only by a strange, twisty little staircase. Yes, the margarita was poured by a barkeep with a high elbow. 

I no longer feel guilty for never learning to surf. Early throat and sinus operations make it impossible for me to keep water out of my lungs. I TRIED body surfing but ended up hacking out water. So I went back to floating in the lagoons. 

Dole Pineapple plantation, me and Jon

Although watching the kids using McDonald's trays to body-board was still pretty tempting. And the best fun is watching body-boarders off the jetty in the evening waves.

Menehune are the Hawaiian Little People. They're supposed to be mischievous. I found out, if you ask for ANYTHING, they get it for you, free and cheap, so long as you thank them.  

Pali overlook, with boss cat

This is just a small portion of the stuff we did, so we'll end with the food report, and wishes that you have been or can go to Hawaii some day.

I would like to know if our conventions can serve

Spam Musubi, the basic Hawaiian spam-and-rice snack. It was the go-to food all over the island.

BEST Hawaiian food: the dark purple Okinawan potato. 

And - I never thought I'd recommend McDonald's - but haupia (coconut custard) in a fried sugar crust. No, you can't get it unless you're in Hawaii. 

Shrimp-truck happy cat

The same with the Dole plantation fresh-picked-pineapple ice cream. It's like you have to come up where I live for REALLY fresh salmon.

Seattle, you can get poi at Uwajimaya for the same price they sell it for in Hawaii. 

Note on Hawaiians and garlic: the Hawaiian idea of a little garlic is mouthfuls. So if you go for shrimp scampi - say hi to the cats and chickens - be prepared to frighten vampires at a distance.

Roberta and I almost didn't get back on the plane....

Me in alleyway, Diamond Head

Buddhist temple

My menehune haul

Diamond head down the alley.

MAHALO nui loa!