This year the San Diego Comic Con hit its 40th anniversary. This is the comic book fan convention that started them all, and continues to set the standard – well, if the standard you are looking for is an all-media convention. This con’s focus is primarily on movies and television for which the filmmakers and performers come out in droves to promote their upcoming projects. Comic Con also celebrates toys, card games, animation, video games, illustration, fantasy, science fiction, books and – oh yeah, comics.
This shot featuring a lifesize Transformer helps show a little of the crowded experience that defines Comic Con.
While I don’t attend every year, when I do go, it is purely to seek out and revel in the creative accomplishments of cartooning. If you can squeeze your way through the throngs of 125,000 fans (many of which come dressed as their favorite pop culture figures), you just might stumble across a great artist or two tucked between a few mega corporate booths. Many of these artists are creating spectacular work that really MUST be seen, but usually is not heralded by companies with big distribution channels. The independent spirit is alive and well at Comic Con.
The Great Silver Age comic book artist Gene Colan with his wife Adrienne and Chad Frye.
But most of all, Comic Con is a spectacle. Every time you turn your head it’s another astonishing display. You might see giant robots, movie actors such as John Heder and Richard Dreyfuss, moms with strollers carrying lightsabers, movie directors, the cast of NBC’s Chuck or CBS’ Ghost Whisperer, someone speaking in Klingon, a girl who made a dress out of Warner Bros. big cloth giveaway bags, Matt Groening, Sergio Aragonès, twelve Wonder Women, a girl dressed as David Shannon’s book A Bad Case of Stripes, film score composers like Christopher Young and Bear McCreary, security throwing out people without badges, a family dressed like The Incredibles, etc. etc. Comic Con is a veritable wonderland.
So, for those of you who missed the menagerie, I have a few photos to help you experience Comic Con. Maybe next year you’ll grab your deerslayer and lightsaber like this fella and come as your own Jedi detective, too!
Sherlock Holmes envisioned as a Jedi – he even has Argyle socks!A blue-haired fan chatting with great cover artist Adam Hughes.Chad Frye with wonderful illustrator Steve Chorney standing in front of some of Steve’s originals.The amazing comedian and voice actor Stan Freberg with his wife Hunter at their very first Comic Con appearance! Stan was the beaver in “Lady & the Tramp”, and did a host of voices for Warner Bros. such as Pete Puma, Jr. Bear, and one half of the Goofy Gophers among others.A terrific Captain America who spontaneously got into a fight with this other costumed character who was on stilts! Some of these fans go all out when they make their costumes!I hung out at the National Cartoonists Society (NCS) booth quite a bit. Here Richard Thompson (cartoonist of “Cul-de-sac”) is chatting with John Kovaleski (who was selling collections of his “Bonanas” comic).This is a set piece used in the upcoming “Where the Wild Things Are” movie.One of my favorite things about Comic Con is hanging with cartoonists. Here at one party I’m hangin’ with Andrew Pepoy (“Fables” inker), Dave Dotson (“Outzkirts” comic strip), me, Denis LeBrun (formerly of the “Blondie” comic strip), and my writer friend Steve D’arcangelo.Some folks came in teams of costumes. Never saw these people buy anything.Sometimes you’d see the real deal on the show floor. Leonard Nimoy was there for several days cleaning up signing autographs at $60 a pop.Chad Frye with terrific artist Jim Lee.Former Seinfeld writer/producer Tom Gammill who now creates the comic strip “The Doozies” with David X. Cohen (co-creator of Futurama), his wife and Chad Frye.A great trio of Disney villains.Some booths just have huge neat geeky exhibits and photo ops.A homemade Han Solo in carbonite costume. I was happy to just put on my store bought clothes.
Each year at Comic Con, the Eisner Awards are given to the best and brightest talents in comics. Hosted by Bongo Comics’ Bill Morrison and assisted by his lovely wife Kayre, the Eisners have become a fun event of professional schmoozing and back slapping. It’s a true blend of the new young talent all the way through those who helped set the standard. If you attended, you would have rubbed shoulders with Neil Gaiman, Paul Levitz, Jane Wiedlin, Murphy Anderson, Stan Freberg, Bernie Wrightson, Bill Sienkiewicz, Gary Gianni, Scott Shaw!, Kazu Kibuishi, and many others.
The Eisner Awards (named after Will Eisner) honor the best in the comic book business. Here Mark Evanier and the legendary Jerry Robinson (creator of the Joker) are presenting the Bill Finger Award for lifetime achievement in comics writing.Comedian and voice of Ratatouille Patton Oswalt at the Eisners. The Eisners were hosted by my friend Bill Morrison who strangely is not in any of my photos, but his lovely wife Kayre is here in the background as she tended the trophies.Eisner presenters and the writers of the Night at the Museum movies Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant on either side of Chad Frye.The best part of the Eisners was when my friend Russ Heath was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Here he is accepting his trophy from Sergio Aragones.Here’s a closer shot of Russ with his Hall of Fame Eisner trophy. As the only living recipient this year, Russ said, “I’m just glad to be alive to accept this thing. Thanks!” That was it! He got thunderous applause.There’s no better way to complete my Comic Con photos than with a shot of my favorite costume from the 4-day affair. Nothing says “The End” like a whoopie cushion.
