Ugh.
My back hurts and I’m still tired. Heck.. I might have caught ConFunk, too. But all that is downertalk, so let’s turn that frown upside down!
There is nothing like an SDCC to prove how much you can love your brother. Seriously. I think my brother and I bonded more this trip than any other time in my life. He was there for me when I needed him most. If he wasn’t helping to wrangle the huge signing lines, he was surprising me with IN&OUT burgers. When he dropped me off at the airport, I told him that I loved him, and it was some of the most truthful words I have ever spoken. So, this one is for your bro…
As I told him and a few others.. It is better to burn out, than fade away. So, 2007 was the year that SDCC burned me out. The show was HUGE for us. We had over 6 creators scheduled in and out at the booth, debuted 3 new creations and moved lots and lots of books. That said, I’ll reference another tune and say AdHouse is “stuck in the middle” and thus made me decide that this was the last SDCC where we would exhibit.
You see, we’re not small enough so that I’m only bringing in a few boxes here and there. We brought in over a ton of product. At least if felt like a ton. And… we’re not big enough to hire teamsters to fork lift it in. (Well, I guess we could, but then that eats into profit, y’know?) Add in the cost to exhibit, ship, travel, etc., and the sum pretty much tells me that SDCC isn’t really a show for the House. And then there’s location.. location.. location.
I saw Tom mention that Sunday Press and Picturebox could have possibly done better if they were located closer to Fantaland (if you will). Well, I kind of felt the same for us. I asked to be put over by Last Gasp, since that was where I exhibited two years ago, but that wasn’t meant to be. Granted, we still had a great show, but I don’t know how many people said they had been searching for us over there. Thanks to Rob at Top Shelf for pointing people in our direction.
But do you really want to hear about all that stuff? Probably not. So, here are some random thoughts, notes, etc., written on the first full day of having returned. So, if I forget anything or one, I apologize. It wasn’t intentional… it’s just that those brain cells are still sleeping.
- Big, BIG thanks to Drew & Josh for their load-in help. To say we got sweaty would be an understatement. Also, thanks for CHope, Joel, Jamie and Joey for manning the booth and the lines during the signing. Thanks also to James and Paul for being the rockstars that they are.
- This is the first SDCC where I didn’t really want to walk around. I mean, I did, but I didn’t have the urge like I use to in years past. Maybe the crowds killed that?
- Preview night… crazy times. Way busy. I did make time to sneak down to C. Scott Morse land and knock over a few things on his table. While I was down there, I walked around the toy-yard, and was hoping to pick up a few neat things. I did get one of the way cool new Super7 ghost figures. I like to support Super7. They’re good people. I tried to get another toy called “Twins” since my brother has some (twins, that is.) But they weren’t available yet, so it was a no go.
- PR2… These were pushed through the printer and advanced shipped for the show. A BIG hit. I dare say the book of the show. These will now be placed on a boat to cross the Pacific and should show up in stores in around two months. So, that means I’ll have to advance ship another few boxes for TCAF and Baltimore. Did I mention advance shipping is expensive? If you want to see the limited edition hardcover, James did a neat video.
- Eisners… As I think Heidi mentioned, it was fun for some, and a drag for others. Since we lost, I’ll go with the drag. It was an honor.. blah.. blah.. blah… Can I just go on record here and correct Fables Bill. The 1001 short story that won an Eisner was NOT the first sequential work by James Jean. I believe he has done something for the MeatHaus anthology. And I KNOW he did a piece for Project: Superior… THAT HE WROTE HIMSELF! And, it was one of the BEST stories in that freakin’ book! At least we got honorable mention ribbons. Oh.. and has Darwyn Cooke mentioned where he might have been Friday night? Nothing like losing to someone who snubs the awards. (edited.. I got an email from Darwyn that explained why he didn’t make it into the awards. Seems there was a screw-up with his seating. So, I apologize for using the word “snub” and all. I’m going to chalk it up to the jet-lag talking. That said, it still stings to lose to someone who wasn’t there.. but no worries. When it comes down to it, it’s a popularity contest, and I have to admit, The Spirit/Batman is way more popular than the two comics I published.)
- TV Celebrities.. Par the course, I don’t know a celebrity is at the table until they’ve left. Heck, I even looked at their badge and still didn’t recognize them. Oh well. Still, it was pretty cool, and I’m sorry Josh wasn’t there. Comic celebrities… I had a GREAT talk with Rian Hughes. Very nice guy. His new book is killer.
- Food… Didn’t really have any great food experiences this trip. We did hit Roberto’s Tacos on the way in on Wednesday and I got a Californian. It’s a burrito with french fries inside. Nuffsaid!
- Signing… So, I think it was Paul’s idea to have him and James sign at the same time on Friday. I guess I wasn’t really thinking, since I agreed. It became my joke called “splitting the universe in half.” I knew it was going to be big. Heck, I even went down to the security headquarters at 8:30am and talked to someone about sending over some help. One hour into the signing, and they show up. Of course I didn’t want to block my neighbor’s booths, but when you’re stuck in the middle of the aisle, where are people suppose to line up? (Oh.. and this was the second year I’ve tried to get an end-booth, but was denied. Gotta love that point system!) So, I really wanted to take a picture of the four security people as they tried to figure out what to do, but I thought that might have not been the best idea, since they were there to help us, afterall. We eventually moved the JJ people out to the lobby and the PP people over to the main aisle. We then brought around 3 in at a time. Saturday was better since we didn’t have both signing at the same time. And, just to be sure we were good, I asked Josh to go down to security on Saturday to ask for some help just in case. Get this… if we wanted security then, we’d have to pay $50 an hour! We were better off having the place get crazy and then having them show up! But that didn’t happen. Chris Hope and Josh Cotter worked the line like no bodies business! They were even complimented by people waiting. Good times…
- Stuff I got: Haven’t read ANY of it, but the stuff I’m excited about (and sorry J Chris, no picture!) is 5 by the Becky/Visilis/Fabio/Gabrielle/Grampa combination. I know I spelled your names wrong. I suck. Also, the Amanda Viselle book by Baby Tattoo. A couple of the new Sparkplug comics. The new fish mini by Robert Goodin and his wife. The promo book that Joey Weiser gave me. The blog book that Joel created for the show. Scrap Mettle by C. Scott Morse. The new 24/7 book that Ivan put out with Image. All the minis that people were kind enough to give me. (I’ll ebay them when I’m done… just kidding!) And stuff I know I’m forgetting. (Just remembered… The Last Call by Visilis and Oni! Can’t wait to read this.. thanks V!)
- THB:CFM#1: Yep, it was a hit. The few that I have remaining should be in the store in a few days.
Well, being that I’m still “burnt” I guess I’ll end it for now. If I think of anything else, I’ll edit it in here. Otherwise, thanks to everyone who came out and visited us during the show. Without you, there wouldn’t be a show. Without us, they’ll just find someone else to fill the space.
