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!

2014 Clallam Bay Comicon Panels and Events

Email me to make changes or put in a panel or event. FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED. Make up your own stuff, find your own panelists. You're grown-ups. PANELS ARE ONE HOUR - unless you want to arm-wrestle one of the other panel moderators (email links included). 

Gaming All Weekend, with Marcus Evenstar. See details below at *

Saturday, July 12, 2014: OPTIONAL. Parade, fun, fireworks, parties. 

Sunday, July 13, 2014: First Day of 2014 Comicon:

9:00 am: Show opens. 

11:00 am-12 noon: Project Wonderful Breaks the Ice. "Authors/artists/all creative people: how to spread the word on your work on a budget." Moderator: Linden Cook. Details below at **

1:00-2:00 pm:Only A Zombie, Live! Donna Barr and Roberta Gregory write the next episode before you very eyes! Come watch two classic drawn book professionals write prose without plans or limits, demonstrating that Editing is for Afterwards. The Zombie Challenge: If you're a west end local, compete to add yourself as a character to this Clallam Bay Zombie novel.

2:00-3:00 pm: The Potential Panel (because we lost our moderator): Science vs. Superman, the Bible, and Other Imaginary Books How the Bill Nye debate SHOULD have gone. We need a moderator. Bring smoke and mirrors and your favorite imaginary books! Yes, it's the Sunday afternoon comedy panel. Moderator: Angela Bocage has had to cancel due to a family medical situation, so we need people! Many hugs and hopes to Angela and a family knee!

3:00-4:00 pm: Torsten Adair presents! The world premiere live reading of his comics script, "Battleground State"! What happens when superheroes Ultraman Red and Ultraman Blue both campaign for President in Florida?! Needed: two males, a soccer mom, and two kids. And someone to work the slideshow on the laptop. Torsten Adair, narrator and a surprise role.

4:00-5:00 pm: Kitting Out Cheap. Dara Korra'ti shows how to get started in music without breaking the bank. For serious musicians on a budget.

5:00 pm: Show closes for the day. Let's go party!

Monday, July 14, 2014: First Day of 2014 Comicon:

9:00 am: Show opens.

10:00-11:00 am: Bagpipe In Your Supersize Drink: Donna Barr shows everybody how to make bagpipe chanters out of drinking straws. She'll have some; bring more. 

11:00 am-12 noon:  How To Make Your Own Comicon: Donna Barr shares how she did it - and how she got paid to do it. Note to attendees: go the Clallam Bay Comicon link and you'll see all the details.

12:00 noon-1:00 pm: Are We A Music Festival yet? Two bands!! TWO! Crime and the Forces of Evil - and! - Leannan Sidhe. Details for the performers at **

5:00 pm: Show closes. Serious hall clean-up! That means you, buster. We do the Lion's Club hall proud!

Post-convention potential event: Pickup games. And a second hall cleanup - and if you don't help, the Munchkins will get you. The blue ones.

Notes on our participants: 

*From Marcus Evenstart, Gamesmaster: "Greetings from MIB 2404, gaming advocate! I'll be bringing a selection of games to this lovely event from my collection: Munchkin (several varieties), Ogre Designer's Edition (now with giant monsters), Girl Genius (card game from the web comic), Tokkaido (travelers in Edo Japan). There are more on the shelf (Roborally, Myth Fortunes, Discworld, XXXenophile, Arkham Horror, etc.) but I'd rather not haul those unless there's a request.

"Since we're arriving on Friday for the full weekend, I'll have time for pick-up games. If we can't find a venue in town, I'll be bringing table and chairs and we could play at our hotel or other well-lit, warm & dry location.

Be seeing you!"

**From Linden Cook, Project Wonderful: "Hi everyone! I'm Linden and I manage the customer service experience at Project Wonderful. And I'll be kicking off the Clallam Bay Comicon's panels! It's an intro to advertising your comic or writing online, both generally and in our auction.

"I've worked with PW since 2008 and helped over 6000 people over that period, including designing and running many campaigns first-hand with a wide variety of budgets. I envision this panel as starting with a quick overview, and then ideally we can move to a Q&A format to gear the main information to whatever those of you there need right now.

It's going to be a fun weekend, and I'm looking forward to meeting everyone!"

***Dara Korra'ti, a.k.a. Solarbird the Lightbringer, is a supervillain musician, systems disrupter, and general Part of the Problem who has triggered more than her fair share of IBM Urgent Service Bulletins. She also built and operates Supervillain Studios, where currently, she's wrapping up work on the _Free Court of Seattle_ soundtrack album, _Bone Walker_.

Leannan Sidhe is a fey musician with wandering gypsy feet, a shimmering soprano voice, and writes music that tends to the bittersweet.