Wondrous Wondercon - two
You know what Saturdays at conventions are good for?
Sitting in panels and being off the show floor, that’s what. I did a little too little of the former and too much of the latter for my tastes. Yeah, sure, I was enticed by quarter comics from the 90s, but I managed not to spend any money at the Lee’s Comics two-dollar spinner (think I still have a short AVENGERS story arc that I grabbed from them at SDCC and still haven’t read, lost in moving boxes or somesuch.)
In my early prowl of the floor, I wandered over to artist’s alley (mostly because the artists are often interesting to talk with and there’s fewer folks there). Stopped and spoke with Russ Heath and, well, now I know more about Russ Heath than when I started. And some of it…I really didn’t need to know. Really. But I did find out that he’s supposed to be doing a Jonah Hex story for DC (whether it’s part of the normal series, which has already showcased some famed artists, such as Jordi Bernet or was a standalone miniseries isn’t clear.) What is clear, however, is that I hope to be half the man that Russ Heath is at 80. Damn straight.
Oh, and as for “real man” stuff, I’ll note a distinct decline in the presence of glamour models over years past. Not sure if the geek crowd doesn’t open their wallets as much as they expected or what. And really, I’ve got no problem with glamour photography, but mixing that indiscriminately with regular comics artists isn’t the best idea. Not that you could tell a hell of a lot of difference between the glamour photographs and the singular subject matter that motivated a few of the artists/publishers with their wares on display.
As for the crowds, I want to say that they were on a par with the Saturday of Last year (and people swear up and down that Moscone West is a smaller venue, but I don’t agree and am far too lazy to look it up.) Still, nothing compared to the crush of SDCC, but more people than I’m comfortable around. Of course, most of what they were interested in was stuff that I wasn’t really here for. ‘Cept for the big queue for Patrick McDonnell. I could have waited in that.
Met up with Graeme and Ian (Brill of the lamented Brill Building) and headed over to the DC Universe panel. Not that I’m really reading a lot of the mainstream DCU books at this point. They’ve gotten pretty unpleasant by and large, though there’s notable exceptions, I’m sure.
Right?
These sorts of things are always interesting to me as an outsider. My knowledge of all things DC is rapidly disintegrating (bourbon dulls the pain). I read INFINITE CRISIS and was able to follow the thread, even I thought it ended up being…a mess, and oh yes, Graeme’s prediction of a shinier, happier new DCU was pretty wrong, don’t you think? But there are a lot of people who follow this far more closely than me and are very passionate about it. Of course, most of them seem to tow the party line pretty well. The ones who don’t are far more interesting, though.
Like the one reader who asked “So, when are you going to put out a SUPERGIRL book that girls can read?” I’d add the same of WONDER WOMAN (or AMETHYST or any of the multitude of solid female characters that DC could field without embarrassing themselves—hey, I never said that they couldn’t do it without giving them a makeover and scrubbing them down a bit, but it could be done.) DiDio’s reply was very telling. Basically it boiled down to an admission that the current editorial direction of SUPERGIRL (all two years of it or more) had been misguided. He didn’t go out and say that there was going to be a massive reboot and redesign of the character, but at least there was an acknowledgement that perhaps the current Supergirl was created for, uhm, boys and not for girls. Yes more boys read comics, but we all know it doesn’t have to be that way.
Or course, there won’t be a lot of change (just like we’re not going to see the shoujo Wonder Woman book) because DC seems to believe that you can lead new readers to mainstream incarnations of the mainstream DC Universe characters. There’s but one market for those books, and it’s the same market they’ve held for thirty years (only smaller and grayer and willing to spend more per single issue than before.) But I can hope. DC has the tools at its disposal, if only they want to use them. I’d love to think that Minx, for instance, will attract new readers, but the vibe that I’m pulling off the previews that I’ve seen is that these books are aimed at the artcomix crowd. Which seems misguided. They already have books they want to read, and by and large aren’t going to be interested in YA fiction. I’d love to be proved wrong in this, rilly.
The other amusing moment came courtesy a kid named Wyatt. And this hasn’t been covered all that well (though CBR brought it up.) In the midst of the DC-love-in, which DiDio orchestrated pretty darn well, I might add, a kid, probably in the 9-11 age range, approached the microphone and asked:
“Is Wally West dead or alive?”
DiDio, who’d teased and prodded the crowd like a maestro until this moment, froze up. Wyatt stood at the microphone, unmoved. The moment hung in the air, not unlike the odor of a bad mackerel.
“You’re not going away, are you?” DiDio asked, finally.
Wyatt didn’t answer.
The crowd grew restless. DiDio grew increasingly flustered. Wyatt didn’t twitch.
You don’t get this. A nine year old kid was staring down the public face of DC comics. If you’re not seeing the metaphor here, then you’re not looking particularly hard.
DiDio blinked. “Wyatt, come on up here! We’re gonna make you an honorary panelist!”
Wyatt approached the dias with a little confusion, and then sat behind the far right microphone. Judd Winick thoughtfully removed the open beer that had been on the table nearby (apparently a tradition since some Texas comic show, I didn’t get the reference. I mean, it must have been a tradition, right? They were drinking BUD LIGHT for God’s sake. Only powerful compulsion can make people drink that swill.)
Now empowered, Wyatt sat behind the mic. And without missing a beat, DiDio indicated that the crowd should ask Wyatt (as a panelist now) if Wally West is coming back or not. The crowd complied and Wyatt sat befuddled for a moment. The question was repeated and directed towards Wyatt. He paused.
“He’s alive!” Wyatt said sharply into the mic. The crowd erupts in applause. Wyatt does the Rocky Balboa thing and steps back into the crowd.
But you’re getting this, right? A kid who reads comics knocked the wind out of the behemoth, if only for a moment. Yeah, sure the kid was co-opted not too long after that. But for a moment, Wyatt had kicked the giant in the shins and made him cry. Maybe there is a little hope after all.
Stepped out for some lunch after that and then headed back for something that was billed as the Image comics panel. Only it was really the LAST CHRISTMAS STORY panel. Rick’s a fun guy, and I’m sure that Patton Oswalt can tell a joke or too, but it wasn’t my bag. And the crazy homeless guy talking softly to the audience from the right side aisle didn’t really make me want to stick around, either.
Back as time permits, folks. My daughter is climbing on my shoulders right now and that’s making it more than a little difficult to type.
Excuses, excuses. I know.