Me on the left, Anthony on the right.  Re-grouping before we plunge back into the seething crowd.

A vintage vinyl lion from the "Moon Dreamers" toy line, I think in the '80s.

I did this sketch on the way home from San Diego, while Anthony was driving.

Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls modeling for some professional comic artists in a "how-to" presentation we attended.  We were waaay at the back, as you can tell.

It was hard to see, but I did do a really quick pencil sketch of some of Amanda's poses.  She was wearing a very burlesque/cabaret outfit.  Black frilly panties, corset, long stockings, etc.  Awesome!

Another of my super-quick pencil sketches of Amanda Palmer from the ass-end of the room.

SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON 2009

a brief record of our exploits

     The books I'm promoting this year are "Wonderland," the hardback edition from Disney Press; and "Skelebunnies: the Complete Collection," and "Stitch: 10th Anniversary Edition" both from SLG Publishing.  All three books were published in '09, so it was a big year for lil' ol' me.  My signing schedule at the SLG booth was for an hour & a half each day, Thursday through Sunday. 

     THURSDAY, July 23rd

     Anthony drove us down to San Diego and we checked into the lovely Sheraton Hotel & Marina.  I'm not being sarcastic, either, it really was lovely, with a view of the marina and lots of boats gently bobbing.  We took the shuttle to the convention hall and thank god there was NO LINE for professional badge pick-up.  It's like Baby Jesus was smiling on us from on high. 

     From 4:00 - 5:30 I signed copies of Wonderland with Sonny Liew, the amazing illustrator.   The response to Wonderland is really, really great.  We have the most appreciative fans. 

     I got to talk to our publisher, Dan Vado, for a while.  That was nice, since usually the convention is so busy we hardly get to say more than just "Hi!"  The SLG booth was way smaller this year.  Tough times, people.  Instead of having a million SLG creators all signing at once, there were only 4 signing at any one time.  It was actually kind of nice.  Also easier for the hard-working SLG staffers.  I was a little worried it might be TOO easy for them, so I made sure to be demanding, and snap my fingers at them.

     My friend Jo from high school came by, and I got to meet her cool artist daughter, Kaitlyn.  Erika, one of my fellow library technicians, who works in the same school district with me, also came by to say hi. 

     Power to all library workers!!!

     A NOTE ON COMIC-CON BATHROOMS:  The bathrooms are horrible swamps of piss and garbage, the air thick with stench.  You have to wade through puddles of urine, and the sinks are slick and sopping with what you pray is just water.  At one point I overheard a man gag and cry out, “It smells like a DIAPER in here!”  Later, in a different bathroom across the convention hall, I would spy an actual diaper wadded up by the wall.  I gritted my teeth and held my breath.

     FRIDAY, July 24th

     PERSONAL GROOMING MISHAP #1:  I was furiously washing my eyes, to make sure they wouldn’t be irritated, and got soap right in Lopez (that's my left eye).  Burned like a fucker for at least an hour before slowly going back to normal.  Almost died.  I prayed no one would see my veiny, puffy eye and think I'd been crying.

     On the way over to the convention a group of the kids I work with in the school library called to make arrangements to meet up for lunch, so we met them by the SLG booth.  There were about 10 of them, and Jenny and Alison were in costume.  Jenny as "Blue Beetle," and Alison as a Gothic Lolita.  Alison had brought a gift she had made for me, an adorable little Devil Woobie (from my "Skelebunnies" comics, in case you don't know!) and it is so awesome.  I immediately gave it to Anthony for safe-keeping, because I tend to destroy things.  It made it home safely!

     We all ate lunch in the snack bar area on the second floor of the convention hall, and once again Baby Jesus smiled upon us and made an empty table suddenly appear right when we needed it.  If you've been to Comic-Con in the last couple of years, you know this is almost surely supernatural. 

     After lunch Alison, Anthony, and I went to see a presentation for artists on how to draw from live models.  I had scoped it out in the convention schedule just that morning.  To my giddy delight, Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls was to be the live model!!!  Even though we ended up in the very back row of a large dark room, it was still exciting to me.  Anthony did his best to get pictures for me, shooting over people's heads.  We found out Amanda Palmer is dating Neil Gaiman. 

     Later that day while I was signing at the SLG booth, Anthony saw Amanda sitting at a booth playing a tiny ukulele and singing "In Between Days" by the Cure.  I was ENRAGED that I myself did not get to witness this.

     From 4:00 - 5:30 I signed comics and did sketches at the SLG booth.  They had put Serena and I on the same schedule because they know we complain if we don't get to sit together.  I was wearing a pink shirt and a raspberry-colored tie with little black spiders all over it.  Serena said I looked like a cupcake, and the spiders were my sprinkles. 

     That evening from 6:00 - 8:00 was the Disney Creators Cocktail Party.  Anthony and I walked over to it with Serena and her friend Torrey.  It was held at a really cool bar/restaurant called Bondi, in the Gaslamp District.  It was a very stylish affair, with vintage Disney cartoons being projected on the wall, and free Disney books displayed on the tables and counters.  Anthony and I had a nice talk with Rich Thomas, our super-nice "Wonderland" editor.

     We got to hang out a little with Landry and Eric ("Little Gloomy," "Tron," etc), Derek Hunter ("Pirate Club"), and Art and Rose Baltazar, and a bunch of other cool people.  Art had been nominated for the Eisner Award for his "Tiny Titans" comic, and they were on their way to the ceremony.  The next day we stopped by his booth and he had the Eisner Award sitting there in front of him, so we congratulated him.  Yay, Art!

     Among the celebrants at the Disney party was Eoin Colfer, author of the VERY popular "Artemis Fowl" novels.  He was standing around just a few yards from us, and I thought about going over and talking to him, but it was so fucking LOUD in there because of the music and people that I figured it would just be confusing and awkward.

     On our way out, we all got free "Prince of Persia" T-shirts, I think because they're promoting that movie with Jake Gyllenhal.  We passed Sonny Liew (Wonderland illustrator) at the door, who was just arriving with some friends.

     From there we went to a local coffee shop with Serena and Torrey, and sat around talking for a while.

SATURDAY, July 25th

     PERSONAL GROOMING MISHAP #2:  (Reader, be advised.  This paragraph has a heavy dose of TMI)  I mistook medicated foot powder for baby powder, and doused it liberally all over my thighs and balls to prevent chaffing.  Because of all the walking we were doing, right?  Whatever the foot powder was medicated with must have been strong stuff, because it burned like a fucker.  I Almost died.

     From 2:00 - 3:30 I signed and sketched at the SLG booth.

     For lunch, we walked over to the Spaghetti Factory with Serena and Torrey.  While we were waiting in the bar for our table, we ran into Roman Dirge and had a nice little chat.  That was cool, because Roman "parted ways" with SLG, and we don't see him at the booth anymore.

     After lunch, Anthony and I walked back over to the convention to do some more shopping and browsing.  We made the mistake of staying until the convention closed that day, at which time every person who has ever existed came flooding out of the convention hall and into the streets, choking the entire city to within an inch of its life.  Catching the shuttle back to the hotel was a protracted, painful nightmare.  We even saw a girl fall and apparently get a concussion right outside the bus window.  There were paramedics, and a special crowd gathered, just to make sure she was as humiliated as possible.

SUNDAY, July 26th 

     After checking out of our hotel, we headed back to the convention.  I signed and sketched at the SLG booth from 2:00 - 3:30.

     A very nice man from the American Library Association came by to let me know that Wonderland had been nominated for the ALA's "Great Graphic Novels For Teens" list.  They release this list in January every year, and I hope our book makes the final cut! 

     By the time 3:30 rolled around, we were ready to head home.  Saying goodbye to Comic-Con is always a mix of relief, because we're fucking wiped out, and regret, because there are always people I wish I had more time to hang out with.

     When we arrived home that evening, Mr. Scoots was dancing with excitement.

     UP AND COMING PROJECT:  "The Royal Historian of Oz."  I have revised the script for the first issue, and completed a 5-issue outline.  I think it'll be cool.  It was on the back burner for a few years, but now we've placed it back on the front burner.

Me in the pink shirt, surrounded by a bunch of the students I work with in the school library.  They met Anthony and me for lunch on Friday.

Me and my friend Serena Valentino, signing at the SLG booth.

I did an original Skelebunnies sketch for the "Comic Book Legal Defense Fund" charity auction.  They printed a bunch of these cards from it.

The amazing SDCC 2009 special edition My Little Pony!!!  I think it's supposed to be "Two-Face" from Batman, because it's purple on one side, and green on the other.

Devil Woobie hand-made by Alison, one of the awesome students I work with.

The Devil Woobie in a natural setting.

Here we see the Devil Woobie sitting at the feet of his lord and master, one of the Skelebunnies.