As I write this Monday afternoon, I haven’t even unpacked from the
New York Comic Con. I don’t even know how I’m conscious, given I
got home at 4 am Monday morning and am working on around two hours
of sleep. But I missed writing this blog and didn’t want to miss
any more days than absolutely necessary.
Today you get the big picture. Tomorrow, after I have unpacked and
found my notes, you’ll get more details.
The center of the big picture is that I had a wonderful time. Yes,
the Javits Center and the organization of the convention were both
inadequate for the size and scope of the convention. That both the
venue and the organizers fell somewhat short of my expectations is
something to be addressed later. Their failings did not diminish
the wonderful time I had.
Here are some of the high notes of my New York Comic Con. In some
cases, I’ve redacted the names of individuals and other identifying
elements of these stories. Because, while I often share personal
stuff, I don’t always feel it’s proper to share the personal stuff
of other people.
I finally got to meet Jason Goodman, Brendan Deneen, and others of
the Atlas/Ardeen crew. Knowing what I know of how some of the big
comics companies occupy, I am so grateful to have fallen in with a
lot who get me as a person and a writer and, because of that, are
making it possible for me to do what I consider a pretty terrific
comic book. If you like what I’m doing on Grim Ghost, much of the
credit must go to the people who let my style and vision shine in
that title. I hope to be working with them for many many years to
come.
I saw so many old friends, some of whom I hadn’t seen in decades,
some I’ve never met, but, who, through the wonders of the Internet,
have become good friends. I’ll mention some of them by name as the
week progresses. For now, imagine the high school reunion of all
time...where you actually liked all your classmates.
I met many people for the first time, though, sometimes, they were
people whose work I’ve enjoyed for years and decades. One meeting
sticks out for me.
I’m signing comics at the Atlas booth. A gentleman starts telling
me how much he liked comics I wrote back in the day, comics based
on a property that was not original to comic books. He told me his
name. I had a total fanboy moment. He had written episodes of and
novels of the same property...and his stories are all favorites of
mine. Plus he’s written other books and stories that entertained
me just as much. And he liked the comic books I wrote. If all the
hot air coming from the Marvel booth - across from the Atlas booth
- wasn’t taking up all the available oxygen in the area, I would’ve
floated into the Javits Center rafters.
Another notable moment was when a good friend told me how a simple
act of kindness I did for him was instrumental in bringing him out
of a crippling depression. He’d been waiting years to meet me so
he could tell me that in person. It was a humbling moment because
it made me realize how even a simple kindness can be pivotal in a
life and how often I had been the recipient of such kindnesses in
my own life. If I’m a good guy, I’m just following the examples of
the professionals I learned from at the start of my career.
I was frequently appalled by the unthinking thoughtlessness of NYCC
attendees who pushed through the crowds there and blocked/impeded
the progress of fellow attendees who were in wheelchairs or pushing
child carriages. At one point, I was so angered by this behavior
that I thrust out my arm to clear the path for a parent struggling
to get through the crowd. Much to my amazement, this worked and,
much to my further amazement, when one of the discourteous masses,
a very large member of said masses, angrily asked what I thought I
was doing, I simply held up my pro pass and told him I was clearing
a path for the parent. The large man actually backed down from me
holding up my pass. Now I know how Axel Foley got away with that
sort of nonsense in all those Beverly Hills Cop movies.
That seems like a pretty good place to stop with the blogging and
start with the unpacking. I’ll be back tomorrow with more of this
New York Comic Con report.
© 2011 Tony Isabella
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