Emerald City Comicon 2007: Day One Continues!

Blank Label Comics: Beware the Dark Side
Originally uploaded by Heidi Meeley.

Pictured is the Blank Label Comics booth that was directly across from us being visited by Darth Vadar. Evidently he is a big fan of Schlock Mercenary and wanted a sketch! Too cool.

It was incredible to see my fellow bloggers, and I loved seeing Laura and her sister Lisa throughout the day. They were having so much fun it was infectious! Jim also ran in and out of the booth showing me what sketches he was getting and sharing information.

I do have to admit something though.

I got cabin fever after awhile and really wanted to get out of the booth! As much as I loved having it and I enjoyed the interaction, I just couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing something. I talked Jim into spotting me so I could take short jaunts. I ran over to see Kirk and Pamela Jarvinen, two people I adore. Kirk had a table over at Artist's Alley and I had really missed them! We hadn't seen each other since last year's con, so I wanted to at least say "hi".

Knowing that Jim would be getting his own cabin fever, I ran back over to the table and ended up having great conversations with several con-goers. I should have asked ALL your names. I met Sheryl Schopfer who does the great webcomic Deer Me. She has also contributed excellent pieces to girl-wonder, so I pretty much talked her ear off! Thank you again, Sheryl!

I can't talk about the show without giving a shout out to Quenton Shaw and the gang from QEW Publishing. Quenton is a class act, and I didn't get to speak with him nearly as much as I had hoped to because we were both so busy manning our booths. Soon, Quenton- I have an e-mail to answer! I also talked to Ben Hansen and his lovely fiance Jolene. Ben is a hot up and coming artist that I have had the privilege to interview and speak with. He and Jolene are as down-to-earth as it comes, and I love to see them.

Jim surprised me with a fantastic sketch of Lady Blackhawk by Terry Moore. I just about cried with joy because it was so gorgeous. I will post it in the upcoming days. He snuck over to the HERO Initiative booth while Terry was sketching there.

I got some wandering time a bit later and ran over and got my Private Wars novel signed by Greg Rucka. I asked him when we could see more Queen & Country books, and he said not in the near future, but that he had one done. He also said that the next issue of the comic would come out in September, which made me very happy. Queen & Country is one of my favorite series.

I had also heard that Mike Oeming was going to arm wrestle for HERO Initiative on Sunday, so I went over to have my Ares TP signed and ask him about arm wrestling chicks. He said he would, so I was pretty pleased, but nervous at the same time. I figured there had to be a catch- the man was obviously gifted at arm wrestling and would probably beat me easily, but I was considering it. More on that in the next report!

The great thing about having a booth is that you get the coolest neighbors. Phil and Kaja Foglio's Girl Genius booth was right next to us, and Jonnie Allan and Stykman were across the aisle. Blank Label Comics was facing us, so I watched them intently. They looked like they were having so much fun! I was happy when I got to meet Howard Tayler the next day, and check out their wares. If I would have had the bank, I would have spent a mint!

The other fun of the day from my perspective in the booth was watching the people in costumes walk around. Jim and I both got our picture taken with Power Girl and she and I had a nice conversation about how she made her costume. Power Girl was at the show both days having a wonderful time. For some reason, several men seemed to be pretty focused on her! Heh.

There was also a dude dressed as Catwoman with fishnets on. He was a bit eccentric, but he appeared to be having more fun then anyone else, so I asked if I could take a picture. He let me and I will put it up here soon. What I loved about his outfit freaked out a few of the more conservative types!

Our friends Joe St. Pierre and Shon C. Bury were sharing a booth again this year. We had enjoyed being their booth neighbors and hanging out with them a great deal last year, so I made sure to go say "hello". They are both very nice and are a hoot to go out with.

Later in the day I headed over to the HERO Initiative booth and got a sketch of Wee Hughie of The Boys from Darick Robertson. It is another fabulous sketch, and having it done by Hughie's "Dad" really sealed the deal. Robertson had some interesting news about The Boys, and I am anxious to see if it pans out.

The big rumor at the show was that Gail Simone was going to take over Wonder Woman. I can't substantiate the rumor, but I do know it made the rounds. With news of her leaving Birds of Prey, it wouldn't surprise me, and I would welcome her on the title with great joy.

One bummer of the day was that I didn't get to go to any panels. I wish I could have, but Jim's pursuit of sketches and my booth made it impossible. Our friend Brian spotted us as much as he could, but he was also working at HERO Initiative, so I didn't want to abuse his time too much.

After meeting and hanging out with Frank Cho at a Seattle Con four or five years ago, we got to see him again. I love Frank. He has a quick wit and a great sense of humor. He was very busy so I didn't want to monopolize too much of his time, but he was very sweet and gave me a copy of his sketch book. Thank you Frank!

Another highlight was meeting Angela Bullock. She is an intelligent, nice lady and I got to have a brief conversation with her. I wish we would have had more time, but she and Mike were leaving early the next morning. It was a pleasure to meet you, Angela! Come back to Seattle soon!

This might sound strange but the day was so busy (but fun) that I am really fearful I am forgetting something important. I am a bit mad at myself for not being able to post about the show in a more complete fashion until now. It was surreal to want to blog but be at the gym knowing that I had a contest to finish! I don't regret it, but I fear it has clouded my memory a bit! Well, that and a bit of a cocktail here and there... but I digress.

The show ended at 6 p.m. and we headed over to the Elysian Fields with Kirk, Pamela, Joe, Shon, and Brian. It was a perfect evening. I haven't laughed that much and that hard for a long time. Kirk and I talked metal while our spouses lovingly and kindly allowed it. Thank you Jim and Pamela! We also all tried "dirty girl scouts" but that is a story that I will keep to myself for the time being.

Needless to say, I had a wonderful day and a magical night. I didn't want it to end. How was I to know that Sunday was going to be as action packed and fun? Incredible. I am a lucky girl.