New York Comicon - Post-Game Wrap-Up

I attended my second New York Comicon last weekend, and had a fantastic time. I lived in Brooklyn from 1999 to 2001, so visiting New York is always a treat, as it allows me to reconnect with old friends and familiar places. Instead of staying a hotel, I crashed with my friends Clay & Kate, who live in the same neighborhood I lived in back in 2001. That makes it very nostalgic, taking the same train to the same exit, etc.

The convention itself was fantastic. I shared a table in Artist's Alley with Mahmud Asrar and Yildiray Cinar, the artists on Dynamo 5 and Noble Causes. In addition to being talented artists, they're also really friendly, funny guys. So hanging out with them is always fun. It was really cool seeing them get all excited to meet a favorite artist of theirs, only to find out that the artist is also a fan of their work. That happened more than once.

I also got to meet the fifth member of the creative team on all my books -- after the writer, artist, colorist, and letterer. And that's Jonathan Chan, one of Image's production artists. When we submit the finished files to Image, Jonathan is our regular production guy. He assembles the book, putting together all the story pages, letters pages, sketchbook material, house ads, etc. as well as the inside and outside covers. He then sets everything up at the printer and gives us our proofs to sign off on. Jonathan's a great guy and an essential member of the team, so it was a true pleasure to meet and hang out with him.

These days, when I go to conventions, I rarely go as a "fan." That is, I don't shop for stuff, I don't get stuff signed, I don't go looking for autographs. I'm there to work my table and appear on panels, that sort of thing. But all of that professional posturing went out the window when William Katt walked by my table. It's no secret that I'm a huge Greatest American Hero fan, so when I saw Ralph Hinkley himself, I had no choice but to go up and talk to him. We had a very nice chat, and I tried to contain myself as best I could. But check out the goofy smile in the photo, and you'll see that I'm beaming like a fool. I actually went back up to Katt's table the following day to drop off a copy of Dynamo 5, and mentioned that my step-dad is a big fan of the Perry Mason movies (in which Katt appeared as Paul Drake, Jr.). Without prompting, Katt whipped out a glossy of himself and Raymond Burr and signed it to my step-dad. My step-dad was floored when I gave him that photo a few days later.

Another highlight of the con was getting to meet guys I've collaborated with before, or hope to in the future. Guys like Andie Tong, Kris Justice, Chris Burnham, Wayne Nichols, Gabe Bridwell, Kieran Oats, and others I'm sure I'm forgetting.

All in all, it was a great show. I'll definitely be doing it again in 2010.