San Francisco Feb 10 2006<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I had my first “trade paperback” for this convention, and I was hopeful that, as people had told me, I would be able to start making a little money with it. <\/font>Trades have a much higher cover price, and since they usually collect a story arc, buyers like them as a whole, easy package.<\/p>\n Of course my “trade” wasn’t exactly a trade. <\/font>It only collected twenty-five pages worth of previous story, and that’s as many pages as a single comic has. <\/font>Also, it was oversized. <\/font>But I couldn’t exactly call it a graphic novel, because it was two thirds reprinted material, and fifteen out of fifty-six pages were pin-ups.<\/p>\n I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high, but I hoped I would see a little better money made at this con. <\/font>Not to mention I felt I’d done decently at Wondercon the year before.<\/p>\n One kind of neat thing about this con was that half a dozen people who had contributed pin-ups to the issue were going to be there. <\/font>I was excited to see them all again and give them copies.<\/p>\n I had requested once again to sit with Ryan Sook and Mick Gray. <\/font>This time, I was “by” them, but they were on a table together, and I was separated from them by a narrow aisle. <\/font>Shucks.<\/p>\n I popped over at one point to say hi to Ryan. I say “popped over” because even though we were “by” each other, I had to physically get up and walk over to visit. <\/font>I gave him a copy of the Doris Danger book, since he was in it. <\/font>He was so gracious, he kept saying, “Are you sure?” because he didn’t want to put me out by giving him a copy. <\/font>I was thinking, Please. <\/font>It’s the least I can do, if you were kind enough to contribute to it. <\/font>I felt like I should give him more, if he wanted any.<\/p>\n He asked what I was working on now. <\/font>I had just talked to someone at my table about this very thing. <\/font>At my table, I had told the person, “I’m doing a story about an atheist who dies and finds himself in a Christian Fundamentalist afterlife.” <\/font>There had been an uncomfortable pause. <\/font>I then further explained that the atheist found himself arguing all the problems with people literally interpreting their scripture, and this person breathed a sigh of relief.<\/p>\n So now, with Ryan, I just gave the whole pitch at once, including the “arguing all the problems” ending – so that there wasn’t the same uncomfortable pause I’d gotten the first time around. <\/font>But now, after hearing the entire pitch, Ryan gave an uncomfortable pause.<\/p>\n Later in the week, Elizabeth told me, “I didn’t realize Ryan is really religious. <\/font>His wife told me.” And then I understood the uncomfortable pause he had given. <\/font>Woops…I guess there’s just no winning with that kind of subject matter for a story.<\/p>\n Mike Mignola was only about four people down from my booth. <\/font>I went over to give him a copy of my Doris Danger book, which he had a pin-up in. <\/font>At that moment, at the front of the long Mignola line, was Nick from Texas. <\/font>Nick did Ryan Sook’s website, and I believe he did one for Mike as well. <\/font>He had a sketchbook full of drawings of Hellboy characters by a lot of great artists, and also one I had drawn him the year before. <\/font>Right as I walked up, Mike was flipping through, and I realized when he got to MY sketch, he said, “Wow, that’s nice.”<\/p>\n Not one to miss out on a chance to bolster myself, and make sure Mike knew who I was, I immediately and blatantly blurted, “Nick, did Mike Mignola just say he thought my sketch was nice?” <\/font>Mike looked up, and I gave him the Doris book.<\/p>\n Mike Allred was billed to appear at this convention. <\/font>I assumed, without assigned tables, he would be pretty difficult to hunt down. <\/font>He had a talk scheduled here and there, but no actual table sit-down time that I could find. <\/font>I wondered if I would be able to hunt him down, because I knew I wouldn’t have time to go listen to a talk. <\/font><\/p>\n I later learned from him in an email, that he actually just did his panel discussions, and then ditched the con to do San Francisco sight-seeing. <\/font>And who can blame him!<\/p>\n Mario Hernandez did his usual stop by our booth, and then come back behind the table, sit down, and hang out with us for an hour or so. <\/font>Elizabeth and I are so fond of him! <\/font>While we were visiting, a woman came up and said, “Mario, I don’t know if you remember me. <\/font>I’m Laura. <\/font>My husband, Mike, is such a fan of yours, and he’ll be so sorry he didn’t have a chance to see you.” <\/font>Of course, by then, I realized this was Laura Allred, Mike Allred’s wife. <\/font>I asked if Mike might be able to stop by, and she said they were just leaving, and Mike was already out at the car. <\/font>I was bummed not to get a photo with them, but glad at least to be able to give Laura a copy of the book for Mike.<\/p>\n Also in the book and appearing at the con were Ramona Fradon and Thomas Yeates, both of whom were great to see again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" San Francisco Feb 10 2006 I had my first “trade paperback” for this convention, and I was hopeful that, as people had told me, I would be able to start making a little money with it. 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