SDCC: Who You Didn’t Meet but Should Have!
By now you’ve certainly heard all of the big announcements and reveals that are customary to San Diego Comic Con. Sara Lindsey (comicbloc writer and ladyfriend of mine) and I had the chance to attend this year’s event. Instead of telling you more of what you already know, we thought we’d take the chance to tell you about some of the great creators we got to meet who may not be on your radar yet.
The convention itself was a massively overwhelming clustercuss of everything we love. Year in and year out we try to prepare but there’s just never any way to really prep yourself for constant interaction with thousands upon thousands of people. That’s why it can be such a pleasure to bump into some of the same faces throughout the convention that remind you of what a good and genuine crowd comic nerds are!
For those who haven’t been to SDCC, the city of San Diego becomes completely overrun by the convention to the point that you have to go well outside of the downtown area to avoid seeing Slave Leia’s and Spider-Men eating at restaurants and filling the lobbies of every hotel (but who would want to avoid that?) Because of this extreme takeover of the city, the nightlife in San Diego can seem daunting as bars are packed with all of your favorite creators, actors and industry related folks. We’ve found that this can be a great opportunity to get a word in with people who you’d otherwise have to devote an hour in line to, just to say you like their work.
On our first night out we got to meet Mike Holmes, who has been drawing fill in artwork for the Adventure Time Comic and will be the principle artist on the new Pendleton Ward comic adaptation “Bravest Warriors.” His website www.mikeholmesdraws.com is filled with his spectacularly accurate self-portraits done in the style of other artists. His range is astounding as he and his cat, Ella, are drawn in the styles of everyone from Bill Waterson to Paul Pope, Rob Liefeld to Chris Ware. His site also promotes a general array of Q&A’s, original sketches in various styles, and genuinely funny thoughts. Be sure to check out “Bravest Warriors” when it comes out in October, both the comic and the show, but also give his book “Mikenesses” a read. It’s 100 different versions of Mike that really showcase his artistic variety and ability.
“Get Jiro!” Is a book that has been garnering a great deal of attention thanks to the OGN’s co-author, Anthony Bourdain: celebrity chef, TV host, and successful author. The book, which came out last week, is an amazingly visceral tale that pits sushi chef Jiro against the monopolies of self-obsessed chain chefs in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles.
The story itself is a strange, fun ride through comic book culture through the eyes of a food-oriented protagonist.
However, what truly makes this story a success is the artwork by Langdon Foss. His heavy-handed, detail-oriented pencils make every panel pop in a way that sensationalizes every aspect of Jiro and his journey. Foss has had quite an atypical career in the comics industry bouncing between publishers, and in and out of various side projects. Get Jiro! is an amazing entry into the Vertigo library that will hopefully keep Foss in the comics industry for a long time to come. His website www.lllama.com houses a collection of various sketches, galleries, and ways to get in touch with him. Keep an eye out for his works to come, as his pencils are some of the most stylistic, and artistic out there.
Gambit has always been a fan-favorite character, but unfortunately hasn’t received much spotlight in the past few years. Well, James Asmus is making sure the Cajun gets his dues in his own monthly serial beginning in August.
Along with being a contender for “nicest guy ever,” James’s work in the past at Marvel has been nothing short of spectacular, but with most attention given to bigger name characters and crossover events it’s easy to miss out on Asmus’s books like Generation Hope, and Captain America and Bucky, which Asmus co-wrote with Ed Brubaker. Asmus’s theatrical background and energetic personality are hard to miss on panels, and even harder to not see in his writing. Which sure seems like a nice change of pace from the typical “bad-ass-cool-guy” routine that accompanies Gambit. This new series coupled with his upcoming run on Thief of Thieves will undoubtedly give us a more colorful, energetic approach to these series’.
If you aren’t already reading Locke and Key, you’re sorely missing out on one of the greatest original series of our time. Inventive storytelling, and beautifully creepy artwork accompany this series’ stellar characters through their eerie journey. When we saw there would be a panel for Locke and Key Sara and I knew we had to go for even the slightest hint at what’s to come for the titular Locke’s. What we didn’t expect however was the author, Joe Hill to greet everyone in line before the panel. While we were waiting outside in the line, Hill made his way through thanking everyone for their support and presence.
While most if not all of the creators I have met in my convention experiences have been delightful, grounded individuals, I have never experienced or witnessed such a humbled and gracious interaction between creator and fan. Joe Hill is an absolute class act and deserves you’re money, so do yourself a favor and go buy all of Locke and Key, so you’ll be caught up for the final arc, “Omega.”
It’s always motivating to hear the stories from creators about how they got involved in the industry, and this year I heard one of the best breakthrough stories yet. James Tynion IV who has been writing backups, starring Alfred’s father, in Batman will be writing his own series Talon as part of DC’s next wave of New 52 material coming out in September.
Tynion, who used to be a student of Scott Snyder’s impressed Snyder so much with his writing that he was taken on as a co-author on the Batman annual starring Mr. Freeze. Having so recently been announced as a creative force at DC, this was Tynion’s first time on panels, but he was still able to build hype around his new series. Briefly talking to him, it was clear that this was an undertaking that came from a place of passion and enthusiasm, which is always great to see.
At a convention like San Diego it can be easy to miss out on the smaller stories when flashy events and packed convention halls steal the spotlight. However, you sometimes have to step out of the spotlight to notice all the hidden goodies that others may be easily passing by. This takes some risks, such as going to panels that may or may not be worth attending, or reading stories that haven’t been pre-hyped for you. This is a step in the right direction, for those truly interested in comics.
Saying no to a sleepover outside Hall H in exchange for a days worth of panels and meet-and-greets (not to mention the after-hours events) is, without a doubt, worth missing something that you can surely youtube later. With this said, we encourage you to make your next con as risky as you can manage. We’ll see you there. And we’ll probably say hi.
You can follow all of these great folks on twitter:
@LangdonFoss
@mike_holmes
@JamesTheFourth
@joe_hill
@JamesAsmus
and the bloc at @ComicBloc