Wonder-Con 2009: Additive
WONDER-CON 2009: Supplicative supplemental – WONDERLUST KING
Here’s where I cover all the things that I didn’t cover. I’m not filing this with The Beat as really, this is stuff that’s only of personal importance.
These will be as scattershot and disconnected as the images on an 8x8 wall of television sets set on random channel change every thirty seconds (I’ll digress on the limitations of using produced media for cut-up material at another time, shattering illusions about the nature of randomness and authorial authority.) Buckle in, for the ride will be bumpy.
The wandering snack vendors didn’t get far enough into the aisleways for my taste, seeming in particular to dodge the hallway I was in. I’d have happily shelled out five bucks for a bag of peanuts, shelled or not, and a bottle of water or perhaps something with some caffeine. I don’t get it. I bathed and everything.
As for the particulars of my booth, it was on a corner, but somehow I was only provided one table. What else did I have to do but to turn it 45 degrees and thus allow me a field of vision across both parts of the intersection. Apparently this was a stroke of genius, as opined by more than one visitor to the booth. It certainly did make the booth pop out of the uniformity surrounding it. The maroon tablecloth didn’t hurt in that regard.
You can find out if someone is really from the San Diego area by asking “Roberto’s or Adalberto’s?” There is only one right answer and I’m not going to tell you what it is. I don’t do that to myself anymore, but I did get through many a visit to my girlfriend (before she became my wife) by way of the carne asada burrito platter. Aw dang, I just gave it away.
On one of the days, perhaps it was Saturday, I was visited by a gentleman who wore a black t-shirt with a Basket Starfish silkscreened on it. The image was by Ernst Haeckel (who I’d mistaken for Karl Blossfeldt, the naturalist photographer), great German naturalist illustrator (and prime mover on the Art Noveau aesthetic). Printed beneath the appropriated image (probably clip-art by now) was the phrase GIANT SQUID. They’re a band from the SF area and will probably appeal to listeners of Tool and the like. I’d say they’re metal or prog-metal, but there’s something else going on there with a lot of ethnic flavoring besides the crunchy guitars. If you’re in their neighborhood, give ‘em a listen. Or hit I don’t have to since Aaron gave me the disc for nuthin’. Thanks Aaron. And uncharacteristically, I wrote “FUCKING METAL” in his copy of MURDER MOON. Fucking metal indeed. Which reminds me that I missed Chuck BB over at the Oni booth.
Had a couple of lovely visits from John Layman, which is really weird, particularly if you know him. He was pretty enthusiastic about CHEW being announced at the show at the Image panel. Having enjoyed both PUFFED and SCARFACE, written by Mr. Layman, I look forward to reading CHEW. In trades. Someday. Though I gotta say, it’s not for the weak of heart. Or stomach.
Not to paint with a wide brush, but most of the people interested in webcomics (aside from the whole “it’s for free!” thing) were younger than me by a significant amount. They often had animal ears perched on their heads as well. You can whine about how comics are hard to read on your computer, but it will change nothing.
Cosplay percentages, by the by, were something like 60% anime or more and 40% western comics or movies. Do with that figure what you will. Though I have to say, if there had been a father and son dressed as Ogami and Daigoro Itto, I’d have run up and hugged them, katana or not.
There were still bootleg dvd sales going on, ban or not. I really want to get some of those new Godzilla (okay, not new, but “newer”) flicks, but not like that.
I stayed the hell away from Stuart Ng books this year. When I sell the option to STRANGEWAYS, I’ll come back. But now, let’s just say that I realize my weaknesses and work within, not against, them.
Being the first guy to use the men’s room and walking in to the motion sensors just waking up like they’re goofing off on the job is a little weird. “Oh, hey! Naw, we weren’t sleepin’! Just restin’ the old peepers is all.”
Hearing that someone enjoyed reading something that you wrote is priceless. This can’t be said enough, after staring into an LCD screen for who knows how long and rearranging word balloons and wondering what the hell you’re doing and why don’t you just get a job at Borders because the pay will be better and seriously, why are you even trying this anymore at your age you ought to know better. All that gets waved away with a phrase, if only for a moment or two. If I could bottle that sensation, I’d give up water. Eventually this will be less of an issue, but I’ll take what I can get while I’m thirsty.
If there was stuff besides WATCHMEN at the DC booth, I didn’t really see it (aside from creators from other books, who were probably asked “What did you do in WATCHMEN?” more than they would have liked.) I’m very curious to see their plan as to what they sell after WATCHMEN and if their initiative to get chosen books into WATCHMEN’s fans pans out at all. Oh, personally, I’d recommend SKREEMER for the literary bent and MARSHAL LAW for the I hate superheroes bent.
I didn’t hear any talk about a distributor alternate to Diamond come up in my chats with publishers or retailers. My suspicion is that there simply isn’t enough money in the real world (as opposed to the less-real world of the internet) to justify investment of the capital required. The books that Diamond won’t pick up, by and large, will likely not sell well enough to offset the costs, not unless the market is expanded. But expanded into what? Oh, and let’s be clear. My book is on that list. I am not positive that Diamond will pick up the second volume, but then I wasn’t sure they’d even bite on the first one, either.
No table presence for any of the major comic sites. Plenty of coverage at the show on the internet, but nothing in the real world to tell people where they can waste time at work reading about the comics that they like to read. This strikes me as a missed opportunity. But then the idea that comic stores in town don’t always come out in force for these shows also strikes me as a missed opportunity (no matter how much I love those stores.)
Only one person mistook STRANGEWAYS for HIGH MOON. I wonder if this sort of thing ever happens to David Gallagher?
Skipping lunch is never a good idea. Even a token lunch. By the time I made it to Noriega Teriyaki, I could feel my body absorbing the nutrients from the miso soup and nigiri-style sake (the salmon, not the fermented rice drink) like Swamp Thing absorbing the power of sunlight to regrow a severed limb in the first movie (thus guaranteeing that Mikester will link to this piece, or run away screaming: either is equally likely.)
I do enjoy running away to the circus, but only because I know home is waiting for me. One day my family is going to get sick of my shenanegains, but until then, I’ll keep plying my trade in the funny farm.