Well, it's a little more than a month until I head to New York. Not that I'm counting down or anything. I've been doing my best to try and not get on Cathy's nerves by talking about all the things I'm going to be doing and planning. It's not that she's upset with me going, it's that I've probably been a little negligent in the Italy planning trip. Which is a fair enough point. I've asked now when I can take my vacation this summer so hopefully I'll back on that by the end of the month. Then we can get to work on when we're going, how long we're staying and what we're going to try and do.
And budget for it. Italy for 3-4 weeks is going to be a bit on the pricy side.
As for New York, well, more details about the con are beginning to come out. I'm resisting the urge to buy a VIP pass or one of the "Ultimate Experience" packages, just because they cost anywhere from $200-$500 extra and I can think of better things to spend the money on. I did drop $20 to see Neil Gaiman because I've always been a fan of his, plus the money goes to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which I consider to be a worthwhile expenditure of money.
But there's also other guests there I'd like to meet. Frank Miller (300, Sin City) is going to be there signing stuff. Do I bring something along for him to sign? I have a very nice, leatherbound copy of The Complete Frank Miller Batman I'd love for him to sign. The cast of Hellboy and its creator, Mike Mignola, are going to be there.
Plus, I'm beginning to get some idea of what I'm walking into. This con is going to be a madhouse. Which is fine. I think its just a matter of managing my expectations.
The one thing I really want is to get some sketches from artists. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but it's not unheard of for people to go with sketch books. I wasn't sure about the etiquette involved, so I emailed a well-known comic book columnist and asked if he had any advice.
Boy, did he ever. In fact, he spent pretty much all of his last column addressing my questions and concerns. That was awfully nice of him and his answers were thorough. At least I have a better idea of what to expect.
I thought I might get bored spending three days at this con. Instead, I wonder if I'm going to have enough time to get everything done.
Now I just have to make sacrifices to the gods to make sure my flights get out. You wouldn't think you'd have to worry about blizzards in mid-April, but given the lack of major storms we've had this winter, I'm getting worried that we're karmically due. On the other hand, maybe Newfoundland is just absorbing out quota for the year. Jesus but you guys are getting pounded this year.
Anyway, tomorrow, something that has nothing to do with either comics or curling, I promise.
Last Five
1. Wake up dead man - U2
2. Start me up - The Rolling Stones*
3. From here you can almost see the sea - David Gray
4. This little light of mine (live) - Bruce Springsteen
5. Sister Jack - Spoon
5 comments:
Newfoundland getting pounded this winter? Not in town anyway. Yes it was a piss off that my sisters flight couldn't land tonight and was diverted to Halifax - she just spent 7 months in Afghanistan and was on her way home and I'd love to see her NOW. But really we've had a very tame winter here.
Oh look... it's snowing outside again... that will make it over 60cm of snow in the last 7 days here in Montreal...
Dups
Hey Craig... just wondering if you are familiar with the work of Steve Oliff, of Olyoptics. He is a comic book artist in his own right, but is more famous for his work as a colourist. He spent some time in NL around 1986, and shared living space with me for about six months. I have a small collection of work by him, including a few originals, most notably a never-published Spiderman story that he drew, copied and then hand-coloured. It's probably worth something, though I don't think I could ever part with it.
Sorry Craig--it has been pretty tame this winter. Central and Eastern Canada have been getting the worst of it.
Ah, I'd been hearing complaints from Cathy's folks about how bad it's been. I'd forgotten that through weird quirks in geography that Mount Pearl tends to get more snow than St. John's.
Or that, perhaps like most of the rest of Newfoundland, God just hates Mount Pearl.
(Oh, come on, I haven't taken a shot at MP in a dog's age)
And Geoff, I certainly know of Oliff, who was a pioneer in computer colouring for comic books. And I'm sure his art is worth something, but really, that kind of thing is invaluable as a personal momento.
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