Musing from San Diego: Part 1

Call it a reclamation project, a fanciful getaway with tens of thousands of the most interesting geeks possible, or merely a work trip, this is the reality of the San Diego Comic Con. Four days of the most wear and tear that your feet and back can handle, along with all the associated eye strain of thousands of properties vying for your full attention.

(Has anyone ever done a study of the effects of wall after wall of comic book covers on the eyeball? Even for the jaded among us, it has the ability to actually make you want to shut down and stop having to process the visual information that you’re being bombarded with. Seriously.)

Lis Fies and I spent the better part of two days winding our way through the convention to present a number of editors with proposals for our graphic novel Pistoleras, which was my prime focus in going down this year. Considering that I’ve been on the other side of the table at shows like this, (Defiant editors seemed to believe that I could give decent critiques of inking samples without making the prospective comic artist decide that its down, not across, with the paring knife, so I recall spending most of the day at a Chicago Con doing just that) I truly appreciate that time and consideration that we received from Chris Staros, Charlie Kaufman, Dallas Midaugh and Larry Brown, along with a few others, regardless of whether or not they find the project, my artwork or Lis’ script to their liking. Thanks to all who took the time to meet with us.

I was quite happy to meet for a moment with Valerie D’Orazio, whose blog, Occasional Superheroine, I enjoy reading.

I also picked up the new Star Lord by Keith Giffen, Tim Green and Victor Olazaba, which was so much damn fun that I read it twice. It was so much damn fun that I used it as today's graphic as well. As i've mentioned before, I'm actually making a point to follow the Annihilation: Conquest series, for better or worse, siince I love this type of cosmic story. The new Quasar is pretty good, but this issue is great. Giffen, when he holds back just a little before he enters Ambush Bug territory is at his best, and this issue somehow reminds me of the those old Defenders he drew with Steve Gerber, back when Scorpio committed suicide. Tim Green and Victor Olazaba take the art into Moebius territory, which a classic place to go for this story, well aided by Nathan Fairbairn's great coloring. "The Dirty Dozen" indeed, says Quill. If they go into hell to save the Kree, then I'm going with them.

Much more on Comic Con, and reviews on Quasar, the Wraith, Nova and a ton of free comics to follow. Also more on the original art market as well. Stay tuned. Pithy Observations ahead.