Hey everyone!
It’s that time of the year again, when comics, film, and pop culture fans from all over the world are getting ready to head to San Diego for the biggest con of them all, San Diego Comic Con!
Happy to say that I will be attending this year, and have already scheduled a couple of signings, so you’ll be able to find me if you’re willing to elbow your way through the massive crowds of people on the show floor! I’ll drop my full schedule in a couple of weeks for you.
It’s gonna be a weird, but interesting one this year, as Marvel, WB, and pretty mush all the major studios have declined to go big with a lot of new media projects and announcements, due to the ongoing writers strike, and impending potential of an actor’s strike as well - I guess you can’t announce a new movie if your stars might be on the picket line.
So, does this mean a return to Comic-con being about… comics? I don’t know, but I’m excited to find out!
I’m prepping for the trip now, which means getting in touch with the publishers I work with, and reaching out to editors and other industry professionals that will be there to try and set up some meetings, but one thing I love about the experience is there’s almost always some unexpected thing that happens that makes my weekend, and it’s usually not something I set up ahead of time. So, lets talk a little bit about one of the best experiences I’ve ever had at a convention.
Great Con-versations
Ok, I hate myself a little for making that joke. But whatever.
There was a thread going around on Twitter asking people to post an interaction with a comics professional that had an impact on, and really stuck with them - I replied with a story I’ve told on twitter before, but I don’t know if I ever mentioned it here.
It was my 2nd or 3rd time at NYCC, and I had gone to a panel where Grant Morrison (highly recommend you subscribe to their substack, Xanaduum) was talking about writing for comics. It was a great one, filled with a lot of fun stories and anecdotes.
Grant was hanging out for a little bit outside the hall as fans came up to him, mostly for photos or to ask him to sign something. I was waiting on line too, as Grant was and is one of my favorite writers in the industry. Though, what I was holding wasn’t a copy of We3 or All-Star Superman, it was a copy of my first self-published comic, Gutter Magic.
I don’t exactly know why I wanted them to have it. Sure, there was maybe some fantasy of them reading it, and loving it, and saying, hey, come co-write the X-Men with me, but let’s be honest, I knew that wasn’t going to happen. I figured they would take it, politely, and chuck it once they got back to their hotel room.
But I don’t know, I just wanted them to know, they inspired me. Inspired me. And this was the result, for better or worse. Not a masterpiece, not god’s gift to comics, just me, pushing through all the fear and doubt, and getting something on the page, and printed. I just wanted them to know they had a part in that, and it meant something to me.
So I finally got to the front, and handed them the comic, mumbling through how I really loved their work and how it inspired me to write this and get it made, and they looked at it, looked at me, and handed it back.
There was a split, split second where I felt my stomach drop - I committed some sort of faux pas, I was bothering them, I was an idiot, but then they smiled, and said they couldn’t take it if I didn’t sign it for them. And fuck, I can’t tell you how great that felt.
I can try, but really, like, I was floating on air for the rest of the convention, and I still smile every time I think of it, which really helps when I’m feeling down or discouraged. As a move, it was just pure class. Perfect.
So perfect I even forgot to get a picture. :P
Now Grant may very well have chucked it back at the hotel, or the second I turned my back. I don’t know, and never will. It was a big moment for me, but for Grant, I’m sure it was just a blip. Still though, I am forever grateful for the gift they gave me, that moment of feeling like I was worth the trouble of asking for a signature.
It made me reflect a bit on a lot of my early con experiences, encountering writers and artists I admired and wanted to emulate. People like Jim Zub, Charles Soule, Declan Shalvey, Justin Jordan, Matt Rosenberg, Joshua Williamson, Ed Brisson, Chris Sebela, and Jason Aaron, just to name a few.
I think, like a lot of newer creators, I was hyper-focused on myself, and trying to build a career. I was probably kind of annoying, to be honest. But each one of them was gracious and generous with their time, and attention, which they really didn’t have to be. Many of them have become good friends over the years, and people I can really count on for advice and support. But really, it all started with them being willing to give me five minutes of their time. To listen to my questions, be interested in the book I was showing them, to just treat me like a peer, and not a wannabe. Again, it’s hard to express how much that means.
And now, being a little bit on the other side of it, I can see how hard it is to do. I don’t think I’m anyone’s hero, or favorite writer, and sometimes I feel so screwed up in the head that the very idea someone would ask ME for advice makes me laugh - but people do… when I table at cons, when I do signings, sometimes even just meeting them randomly walking around.
And with all the swirling chaos of big conventions, it’s very hard to just shut out where you’ve got to be, who you have to, or want to talk to, and what you’re trying to accomplish, to just focus on someone else. To hear about their work, their dream gig, what they’re trying to do in comics.
But every time it happens, I do my best to honor the gifts that have been given to me, by giving them to someone else. If someone thinks enough of me, or my writing, to buy my books, and seek me out, then I think they’re worth whatever time I can give them. Sometimes it’s five minutes, sometimes it’s more (or less), but the least I can do is show up for the people who are willing to show up for me.
So, if you’re going to be in San Diego, or at NYCC later this year, please do come by and say hello. I’d love to meet you and hear about what you’re up to!
Thanks for reading… should have a big announcement in July, a new book that I’m really excited to share with you. And of course, I’ll let you know how the con went, and if I get to see Grant Morrison again!
- Rich
Have a terrific SDCC!
Great stuff, Rich!