Friday: The Fans Don't Lie
I knew that my gut instinct regarding the ABSOLUTE line from DC was pretty much on, but I got a very vivid demonstration of it at the Vertigo panel on Friday. When talking to the crowd about who was reading what title, Karen Berger would throw out various titles and get a variety of responses. FABLES? Brought down the damn house; thunderous applause erupting on an exact cue. ABSOLUTE SANDMAN? Well, not so much. Those things are the prey of climax predator collectors, the kinds of books that are bought on birthdays and Christmas and only then. They don't do much to get the books into a wider audience, despite sitting on the shelves at big box bookstores and the like. I ask again, why don't I see a selection of ABSOLUTES or fancy Marvel hardcovers in Costco or Sam's Club or the like? Yes, they're declassé and only rubes in the suburbs go to those sorts of retailers, but dammit, that's a lot of eyeballs that they're passing up.
That's neither here nor there. I should be talking about Friday.
The Vertigo panel was a lot like every other one I'd been to, lots of diehard fans, lots of people who started reading these books when they were part of the regular DCU (though quite a few who hadn't yet been born when Vertigo split out of the DCU proper. And still, there was a nagging suspicion that the line is relying heavily on back catalog. A lot of their new offerings seem interesting in presentation, but that doesn't always translate to making for a book I wanna read every month. Notable exceptions exist, of course.
It was also interesting to note Vertigo snatching up more characters that had their roots in the DCU proper, but never letting Vertigoized characters back. It's kind of like a roach motel (forgive the analogy) for old magic/horror properties. They go in, but they never get out. Madame Xanadu and the House of Mystery (or was it Secrets) are the latest to go. But with Matt Wagner writing, you can bet that I'll be paying attention to the new MADAME XANADU book. Oh, and Josh Dyshart's take on THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER looks pretty damn good as well. Jamie Delano writing John Constantine again? If only for the duration of a single hardcover OGN? Yeah, I'll probably get that (though I'll admit that some of the post-HELLBLAZER takes on the character, like THE HORRORIST, didn't light my fire as much as they could.)
You know what I'd love to see sometime from Vertigo? Something funny. Darkly funny, even. But something not relentlessly serious and deep. But I suppose you gotta give the people what they want, right? Hmm. I guess ARMY @ LOVE kinda fits that bill, but I was thinking something along the lines of some of the Vertigo: Pop! books or something like that. I know, howling at the moon am I.
So, the floor. Friday was like Saturdays usually are. No surprise. Avoid the middle of the showroom and you'll be fine. Avoid the freebies and celebrities and you'll be fine.
Spent lunch with friends at the BBQ joint not far from the convention center. Gets my thumb's-up. Solid Kansas City barbeque, excellent onion rings and potato salad (and I'm picky about potato salad.) Kinda hot and stuffy in the building, but no more so than the show floor, really.
Oh, if you're dillydallying about getting in line to have Paul Pope sign something, thinking "how popular can he be?", well, think again. I did that and when I got over to AdHouse for his afternoon signing, there was a line of terrifying length. Didn't help that James Jean was signing at about the same time. Long story short, I'll see Mr. Pope when/if he ever tours through San Francisco. Still haven't taken a look at the PULP HOPE monograph yet, either. Maybe I'll get around to it when I stop blogging.
Y'know, I'm pretty sure I'm missing an entire panel in here somewhere. There were many that I meant to get out to see, but just didn't manage to somehow. Too much overlap, too much good stuff at the same time. Too much having to cross the floor to get to the exits that lead to the conference rooms and sometimes just saying "bugger it" and finding a nice corner to meditate in (in an increasingly futile effor to hang on to my sanity.)
Missed one group dinner, but managed to catch the second one (in the relatively serene locale of Joltin' Joe's Tavern and Pool Hall, far from the maddening crowds, or is it madding? Can't ever remember.) Then drinks and crowdwatching at the Hyatt. I'm sure the folks who were there for the Biochemistry Conference or whatever square event it was were very surprised by the Assault of Comicdom on their normal after-conference-routine. They kinda did stand out of the crowd.
Walked back to the hotel. Or at least walked until I found the Longest Train In The World parked between me and my hotel. It stretched past the Convention Center itself and all the way to my hotel in Little Italy. Over a mile. I'd have crossed it while it was parked, but I'm in no hurry to star in my very own YouTube video.