Hey all!
Sorry I didn’t go through with my promise to front-load a week’s worth of comics. I ended up way, way more busy getting DropKick stuff prepared for Comic-Con. Speaking of Comic-Con, you should read the five things I learned there.
This was my first trip to San Diego, let alone Comic-Con, and let me tell you… that place is insane. First of all, the name “Comic-Con” is a misnomer. I knew that going in. People have been complaining about it for years. But you don’t fully understand their complaints until you see it for yourself. When you walk into that giant, giant room, your excitement level at its peak and your heart pounding in anticipation for… something (you’re not quite sure), you walk under the giant entry-banner and into…
Hell, basically. It’s the most crowded place I’ve ever seen, the only thing I can compare it to is the Iron Bowl at Bryant Denny Stadium (I’m from Alabama… can you tell), only on acid. People are hot, angry, wearing insane costumes, genuinely rude, approaching violent, but very passive aggressive about it. The attractions are like walking through an Arabian market circa WWI. People shout at you from every booth begging you to try the latest in whateverthefuck they’re selling, be it Iron Man 2, some new video game, or a Elf-brand suntan lotion (you can sell donkey shit to a nerd if you call it Elf Donkey Shit and sell it with a cute girl in an elf costume).
Speaking of girls, let me talk about San Diego. San Diego is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. And, keep in mind, this is DURING an event that crowds the city with ugly people. I can’t even imagine it on a normal weekend, but it’s got to only look better. For one thing, there’s actual women. Maybe Los Angeles has jaded me on what to expect when it comes to the fairer sex, but I’m accustomed to girls hiding in the dark of bars or deep in the bowls of shopping malls. In Los Angeles, finding cute girls can be more of a quest. You can find them, and they are indeed out there in great numbers, but it does take more of an effort.
San Diego just throws them at you. I would like to see if it’s that way when there is NOT a Comic Convention going on, but most of the girls I met there were locals (I rarely hung out at places near the con… I was trying to avoid it whenever possible).
The city is also so clean. They seem to collect taxes and actually use the money on useful things like sanitation, public transportation, and police. Unlike, I don’t know, North Hollywood, which just recently built this ugly fucking thing:
This is the only picture I could find on Google of the damn thing. Yeah, it looks like a children’s drawing. But, I assure you, it is quite real and straddles Lankershim Ave near my house. It looks worse in real life.
Anyway, my tax dollars went to THAT thing and not, I don’t know, cleaning up the trash on the street or driving out one of the hundreds of ugly car dealerships that litter my neighborhood. You can’t call it an “Art’s District” if it’s driving economic factor is used cars (pun damn intended).
Well, to wrap this up and to stop complaining about that sign (SERIOUSLY, IT’S HIDEOUS), San Diego was amazing, the Con was entertaining, and I bought a lot of comics.
Also, I met the following people, and they were very gracious and delightful, giving me professional advice and even reading the DropKick comic Andy and I brought:
Brian Wood, maybe the best writer I know off the top of my head, creator of DMA and Northlanders. DMZ should be read in high schools across the country. It’s damn literature.

David Petersen, creator of the insanely excellent Mouse Guard (and probably the nicest guy on Earth).

Doug TenNapel, creator of Earthworm Jim and just an amazing comic book author as well.

Scott McCloud, all-around comic book genius. Andy sold a comic to him for a quarter.

Bryan Lee O’Malley, creator of Scott Pilgrim, funny guy.

Dave Garcia, inker on the Tick.
Bob Polio, artist on the Tick.
And, damn, not to mention Ben Edlund, the man who created the damn Tick.

Current Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles artists Jim Lawson and Mike Dooney, who were really fun to hang out with and gave me some great advice.

Zander Cannon, the fantastic artist and now current writer of Alan Moore’s Top Ten.

There were tons of others we met as well. Sorry if I forgot a shout-out. Please drop me a line and chew me out if you wish. Thank you all so much! It meant a great deal to me.
Until next time, folks. I’ll be back tomorrow with more Meaningless, as I am presently unemployed and have no excuse not to!