The Update of Bigness

Whoooooooooooooooosha. It's been a startling long time since I've had a moment to write all this down. I'm just traveling from one place to the next for like a month now, and it's not quite over yet. Otakon is happening this weekend, which will be large and crazy, but probably feel rather tame in comparison to Comic Con. But before I go off and recount my adventures, I should state that a. I'm very much looking forward to otakon, as it usually prooves to be much fun, and b. a week after that I'm leaving on a road trip for a week and a half with the family to go visit my granparents, recently transplanted from Los Angeles to ... some place in Illinois. After that, things should be a little less crazy. Or at least I won't be on the road or sky or wherever quite so much.

Right so catching people up on all that's happened this month.

Obviously several conventions happened. In rapid succession nonetheless. PortCon was the first, and was a new one for me. It was fun, and in maine. Which is a very pretty state. Also the only one I've been in where the milage markers are marked in english and metric. After hanging there in Dave and Beth's home state and recording the scandalous Mookie's birthday, I headed out to Vermont to hang with Crowie and her friends. This is, of course, where, I was flunk from an innertube at 30mph across the surface of a pond. It was fun. Ye old Day Star was not. After those couple of days of rest and relaxation it was time for Connecticon. It was even more awesome than last year. There within, not only did I meet up with my friends of standing: Brian (who was the MC this year), and Mookie, and Hawk and Ananth and Katyand Shannon (curse you and your halo thumbs!), Matt and Ian and Jes, Woody and Kendra, Brian (I will eat your cancer!) and Aido, the one and only Jennie, and of course our favorite Matt and Briana. I also made the acquaintaces of a number of other fine folk. Not the least of which were Dan Kim and Dave Cheung and his writing partner Jay ... who we sat between most of the con. That was interesting, lemme tell you. We also met new people. I am reminded that Larom was there too, so I can speak for the both of us on this matter. We met Greg Dean and his lovely wife for the first time. Also ran into Jeph, an interesting gent. Also we made the acquaintances of Brion and Jen, who turn out to also be cool folk.

As some of you know already, we kicked ass and chewed bubblegum (not necessarily in that order) in the Webcomics challenge. While Shannon may still be the lord and master when it comes to Halo, even her miraculous powers of gaming could not keep us from triumphing in the end. I believe the forums has a good run down of the details if people are interested in that sort of thing. The end result is that good times were had by all. Also my art was on the cover of the program book, that was pretty sweet.

So, after finally coming down out of the north after Connecticon I had a scant week to put together the Hunter Case (took me 6 days to pencil and ink all five pages) to jazz up Oni Press when I flew out to SanDiego Comic-Con. There I ran into many of the same people I met at the previous two cons. I also ran into other friends that I did not expect to be there: Chris, as well as folk that I'd like to think I could be friends with, assuming I actually spend enough time talking to them to become friends: Phil and Cheyenne, Gabe and Tycho, Eric. I'm sure there are others whom I'm forgetting at this moment. And if I have, my appologies, it's late, and I suck at names to begin with.

As for the rest of the convention, I've never seen so many people in one room. I also met and talked with many very cool people in the industry such as it is. And reactions to my work seemed quite positive, on the whole. More on that as it develops. Aside from having fun with people, sitting behind Fred's booth drawing things while the line to see he-who-had-stepped-out grew, chatting it up with important people like I knew what I was doing, acquiring much printed material, and enjoying the oddly not-quite humid weather of SanDiego, I acquired a couple of interesting quotes.

"I hear Comedity stock is up." -Tycho

"Your work is beautiful." -Editor for Disney Publications

And on that note I need to sleep so I can get up and do more art before Otakon comes 'round. G'night folks!



I almost forgot Shawn!. One should never forget Shawn.

Welcome to the Comedity. Don't step on the Penguin.
Garth (Monday - July 31st, 2006) -02:46:11