SPX wrap-up
Sep. 29th, 2005 07:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jkcarrier
As usual, this will be high in silly anecdotes, low on meaty content. Check out Tom Spurgeon's links for a bunch of much better con reports: http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/briefings/commentary/2977/
*I was a little apprehensive about the 8-hour drive to Bethesda, but it went off without a hitch. No traffic at all, coming or going. It was actually kind of cool, tooling down the highway, CD player cranked, like some teenager on summer vacation.
*I got into town Thursday night. Since the con didn't start until 2:00 pm on Friday, I figured I'd spend the morning sightseeing. Riding the subway was kind of a new experience (I'd actually done it on a previous trip to D.C., but that was like 25 years ago). To get to the trains, you had to walk through this weird, red-lit tunnel, and then ride down a looooong escalator. I'm not usually too squeamish about heights, but I had a death-grip on that handrail, lemme tell ya. The trains were very clean, modern, etc. but I couldn't help but think about all the DOOM-type video games I've played that took place in gloomy industrial tunnels...
*Anyway, I made it downtown and soon realized that knowing which subway stop a landmark is near, and actually knowing where the landmark is, are two different things. I wandered around a bit, trying to get my bearings, but it was so blasted hot and humid that I soon said "to hell with this" and plopped my sweat-soaked ass back in the subway to go back to the hotel. I did stop to buy some socks, since I'd forgotten to pack any (Later I heard that Matt Feazell had to make a sock run as well -- is this some small press sock conspiracy? I blame Diamond).
*By the time I got back, grabbed another shower (seriously, I was soaked; I looked like I'd run a marathon), and got some lunch, it was just about time for the con. Apparently there was some delay in getting things ready, so I hung out at the registration table for a few minutes. Thus, when the doors opened, I was the first paying customer. Neat.
*On Friday the air conditioning was not up to snuff, leaving a lot of sweaty, uncomfortable sellers and buyers. Things had much improved by Saturday, thank goodness. I blame Diamond.
*As always, it was great to see all my old con buddies like Pam Bliss, Mike Carroll, Jim Coon, Terry Flippo, Bob Corby, Kel Crum, Matt Feazell, Jane Irwin, Paul Sizer, Jan Hachigian, Raina Telgemeier, Sean Bieri Carla Speed McNeil, Suzanne Baumann, Matt Dembicki, Rafer Roberts, Neil Kleid, and others who will never forgive me for forgetting to mention them...
*It was also cool to meet face-to-face with folks I had previously only known via their comics, or the internet: Jim Ottaviani, Jen Sorenson, Trisha Sebastian, Brian Wood, Johanna Draper-Carlson, Jon Hastings, Dean Haspiel, Gary Groth, Jeff Mason, etc. etc. A few folks actually recognized me from my Livejournal icon, which was cool but strange...
*I definitely have to get a table next year. Not because I think I would do great business, but just to keep me from wandering around and spending so much money! There was so much great stuff on display -- seriously, I wish I could've bought something from every table. You guys who do SPX every year might be a bit jaded, but take it from a relative newbie -- THIS IS A FUCKING AMAZING SHOW! I think I spent more money on Friday than I did all three days at Wizard Chicago. I tried to pace myself more on Saturday, but I came home with an assload of books (look for reviews in the coming days-weeks-months as I plow through this pile of small pressy goodness).
*Holiday Inn Select: Slowest. Elevators. EVAH.
*Was too tired to go anywhere Friday night, so I decided to just eat at the hotel restaurant. I was afraid it would be packed, but it turned out to be nearly empty. Ran into Jim Coon and Terry Flippo there, so we ate together. Same thing happened at breakfast Saturday morning -- hardly anyone there, bumped into Rafer and Nan Roberts. It was like a private UFO dining room or something.
*The only panel I attended was Denise Sudell's "Sex in Comics" talk, which turned out to be really good. It was an interesting mix -- People who did smut strictly for the money (Gary "Eros" Groth), people who approached sex from an almost sociological perspective (Robyn Chapman and Kelli Nelson of "True Porn"), and folks who just liked erotica for it's own sake (Trisha "Smut Peddler" Sebastian and Justin "True Travel Tales" Hall). Denise was greatly amused by the fact that the "Sex" panel came right after the "Romance" panel ("Next up, the 'Awkward Morning After' panel...").
*Had dinner Saturday night with the Sequential Tart crew at the legendary Mongolian BBQ. Carla patiently explained how the whole bowl-plate-number tag-buffet thing worked for us newbies. I filled a bowl with random stuff, most of which I couldn't identify, and hoped for the best. Turned out ok, and no gastric distress afterwards, so I count it as a victory. I think I was the only person at the table who used a fork instead of chopsticks, though. I had thought about bailing out early to go to the Ignatz Awards, but the company and conversation was too good.
*The party migrated to Pam's hotel room, where we continued to talk shop and general B.S.. As usual, I grumbled about the futility of trying to sell "mainstream" content in an "alternative" format, and Jane Irwin put a bug in my ear about putting my stories online. She assured me that the technical hurdles were no big deal ("Get 'Movable Type' -- you whack it with a hammer and it spits out a web site"). Something to think about, anyway.
*Hit the road first thing Sunday morning (and so missed the picnic -- I definitely gotta work my schedule out better next year). Again, smooth sailing all the way back to Cincy. The end.
*I was a little apprehensive about the 8-hour drive to Bethesda, but it went off without a hitch. No traffic at all, coming or going. It was actually kind of cool, tooling down the highway, CD player cranked, like some teenager on summer vacation.
*I got into town Thursday night. Since the con didn't start until 2:00 pm on Friday, I figured I'd spend the morning sightseeing. Riding the subway was kind of a new experience (I'd actually done it on a previous trip to D.C., but that was like 25 years ago). To get to the trains, you had to walk through this weird, red-lit tunnel, and then ride down a looooong escalator. I'm not usually too squeamish about heights, but I had a death-grip on that handrail, lemme tell ya. The trains were very clean, modern, etc. but I couldn't help but think about all the DOOM-type video games I've played that took place in gloomy industrial tunnels...
*Anyway, I made it downtown and soon realized that knowing which subway stop a landmark is near, and actually knowing where the landmark is, are two different things. I wandered around a bit, trying to get my bearings, but it was so blasted hot and humid that I soon said "to hell with this" and plopped my sweat-soaked ass back in the subway to go back to the hotel. I did stop to buy some socks, since I'd forgotten to pack any (Later I heard that Matt Feazell had to make a sock run as well -- is this some small press sock conspiracy? I blame Diamond).
*By the time I got back, grabbed another shower (seriously, I was soaked; I looked like I'd run a marathon), and got some lunch, it was just about time for the con. Apparently there was some delay in getting things ready, so I hung out at the registration table for a few minutes. Thus, when the doors opened, I was the first paying customer. Neat.
*On Friday the air conditioning was not up to snuff, leaving a lot of sweaty, uncomfortable sellers and buyers. Things had much improved by Saturday, thank goodness. I blame Diamond.
*As always, it was great to see all my old con buddies like Pam Bliss, Mike Carroll, Jim Coon, Terry Flippo, Bob Corby, Kel Crum, Matt Feazell, Jane Irwin, Paul Sizer, Jan Hachigian, Raina Telgemeier, Sean Bieri Carla Speed McNeil, Suzanne Baumann, Matt Dembicki, Rafer Roberts, Neil Kleid, and others who will never forgive me for forgetting to mention them...
*It was also cool to meet face-to-face with folks I had previously only known via their comics, or the internet: Jim Ottaviani, Jen Sorenson, Trisha Sebastian, Brian Wood, Johanna Draper-Carlson, Jon Hastings, Dean Haspiel, Gary Groth, Jeff Mason, etc. etc. A few folks actually recognized me from my Livejournal icon, which was cool but strange...
*I definitely have to get a table next year. Not because I think I would do great business, but just to keep me from wandering around and spending so much money! There was so much great stuff on display -- seriously, I wish I could've bought something from every table. You guys who do SPX every year might be a bit jaded, but take it from a relative newbie -- THIS IS A FUCKING AMAZING SHOW! I think I spent more money on Friday than I did all three days at Wizard Chicago. I tried to pace myself more on Saturday, but I came home with an assload of books (look for reviews in the coming days-weeks-months as I plow through this pile of small pressy goodness).
*Holiday Inn Select: Slowest. Elevators. EVAH.
*Was too tired to go anywhere Friday night, so I decided to just eat at the hotel restaurant. I was afraid it would be packed, but it turned out to be nearly empty. Ran into Jim Coon and Terry Flippo there, so we ate together. Same thing happened at breakfast Saturday morning -- hardly anyone there, bumped into Rafer and Nan Roberts. It was like a private UFO dining room or something.
*The only panel I attended was Denise Sudell's "Sex in Comics" talk, which turned out to be really good. It was an interesting mix -- People who did smut strictly for the money (Gary "Eros" Groth), people who approached sex from an almost sociological perspective (Robyn Chapman and Kelli Nelson of "True Porn"), and folks who just liked erotica for it's own sake (Trisha "Smut Peddler" Sebastian and Justin "True Travel Tales" Hall). Denise was greatly amused by the fact that the "Sex" panel came right after the "Romance" panel ("Next up, the 'Awkward Morning After' panel...").
*Had dinner Saturday night with the Sequential Tart crew at the legendary Mongolian BBQ. Carla patiently explained how the whole bowl-plate-number tag-buffet thing worked for us newbies. I filled a bowl with random stuff, most of which I couldn't identify, and hoped for the best. Turned out ok, and no gastric distress afterwards, so I count it as a victory. I think I was the only person at the table who used a fork instead of chopsticks, though. I had thought about bailing out early to go to the Ignatz Awards, but the company and conversation was too good.
*The party migrated to Pam's hotel room, where we continued to talk shop and general B.S.. As usual, I grumbled about the futility of trying to sell "mainstream" content in an "alternative" format, and Jane Irwin put a bug in my ear about putting my stories online. She assured me that the technical hurdles were no big deal ("Get 'Movable Type' -- you whack it with a hammer and it spits out a web site"). Something to think about, anyway.
*Hit the road first thing Sunday morning (and so missed the picnic -- I definitely gotta work my schedule out better next year). Again, smooth sailing all the way back to Cincy. The end.
