Comic-Con

Yup, I just got back tonight. For the most part it was a lot of fun. I spent a lot of time in the small press section talking to people, picking up mini-comics, and pimping Atrox stuff. I handed out a bunch of the atrox mini-comics that we had printed.

One of the highlights of the convention had to be the Deepak Chopra/Grant Morrison panel about spirituality in comics. Apparently Mr. Chopra and Mr. Morrison have teamed up with the Virgin Megacompany to launch a new comics label called Virgin Comics. There was a lot of talk about reinventing the Super Hero for our modern era and reestablishing them as the great mythic figures of our age, representative of the ultimate potential of our species, heralding and inspiring the evolution of our own thoughts and actions. Or something. Like many endeavors rooted in new-agey philosophy, I found the whole thing to be long on ideas but short on specifics. The ideas are awesome, but an actual plan of execution seemed lacking. Granted, Chopra and Morrison admitted as much up front, so I'm sure their working on it. In the meantime there was a lot of talk along the lines of "if everyone can alter their perception then we can blah blah blah." with no real talk about how that change will take place. The conversation was fascinating though and it was great just to hear Chopra and Morrison wax philosophical about comics. At the very least it appears that the launch titles from Virgin Comics are heavily based on eastern, specifically Indian, myth, which is cool with me 'cause those stories are awesome.

While in the lobby of the convention center, Frank and I happened across a flyer offering an open invitation to a dinner for fan fic and slash fic writers. Having spent so much time working on Forget My Chrome Embrace last year, Frank and I felt obligated to go, so that's how we spent our Friday night. It was a delightful evening. We enjoyed a big family-style Italian meal at Bucca De Beppo with twenty-some-odd slash writers. Frank and I were two of only three men at the table. There was much talk of fandoms and shippers and Stargate SG1 and Harry Potter and "Snarry" stories. It was so wonderfully nerdy I couldn't stop smiling. Also, an important self-discovery was made when I realized that I find women dressed as male pirates (complete with goatees) attractive. I suppose if I'd thought about it before it wouldn't be a surprise. I mean, it's only a short leap from Marlena Dietrich in a man's tux and top hat (hot) to a woman in full pirate regalia and beard. At any rate, I am not terribly concerned with how gay this might seem to anyone. You either get it or you don't.