The Big Con: Day One. (SDCC)
Submitted by Kris X on July 21, 2006 - 02:49
Day One: Thursday.
I woke later this morning after Preview Night. The night without fans, overwhelming as hell and rows upon rows of exhibits. This is not a small Con, this is the big game Con.
Deciding to arrive later today, instead of braving against early morning traffic and long lines into the convention center, I arrived downtown. Downtown I learned an important lesson: Get a hotel by the center, you moron. Parking was impossible. An hour after arriving downtown we parked and trekked to the Con.
Let me take a moment to say that comic convention people are crazy. Not stupid, just crazy. There are people wandering San Diego that haven't been outside all year. It's almost as though the Comic Con is their annual day of exercise and viewing of the outside world.
So here I am wandering the exhibit floor and completely awestruck and lost. I had an hour to kill before my first panel with Daniel Clowes as spotlight. I made the choice to "shop" the floor. I move an inch and dodge for my life as a lady goes past me with a stroller. Minutes later I end up in a sea of white-pastey humans (I had the perfect camoflauge). I passed by Top Shelf and the Webcomic Pavilion, but was unable to find energy to buy anything that was out. So I just managed to scramble out a few bucks for art supplies.
Checking the time, which had ran from me, I went to find the rooms above for my decided panels.
Here is where I had a realization.
Webcomic artists are damn awesome, Print artists are nice from a distance.
Daniel Clowes' panel was interesting, but when I went up for a measely signature he turned me away. After his panel I attend Webcomic 101, and let me tell you this, those guys were down-to-earth, good people. I may have known all the advice given at the panel, but I instantly felt at home. Maybe it's because print artists are sick of fans, maybe it's because webcomic artists are more in tune with fans, I don't know--but I like it.
I'm going to be a webcomic artist the rest of my comic career, you're damn right.
Sadly after the panel, when I went down to buy these guys' stuff, the exhibit area was closed. Until t'morrow, I suppose.
