zoetica

I may well be too exhausted to be doing this but i know that once the week starts i won't have any time to document my spectacular comic con experience.

First - here is a link to a small set of photos i snapped around the con. There aren't many because i was busy livin' it, man.

I rode into San Diego, weary after a 4 hour drive, around 11 on Saturday morning. First order of business was dropping SG merch at the loading dock of the convention center. After, i parked near, paying a ridiculous amount for convenience and avoiding the swarthy rickshaw boys.

After a brief hello at the SG table i went off to greet Jerry, ping Molly and check out the situation, overall. It wasn't exactly the hell i expected. It was, actually, much like Comic Cons of the past, with perhaps less effort put into costumes. Most fascinating were the amount of people i ran into! Keep in mind, many many thousands of people were in attendance, the odds of seeing ANYONE i knew were slim to none, really. Now, some highlights:

Spike TV
while weaving through the crowd half-zombied from dehydration and sleep dep, i got ambushed by SpikeTV people. They explained that they were filming some stuff about people's costumes, and also searching for certain looks. I explained that i wasn't wearing a costume, and was told this was fine. I was skeptical, as the people in front of me were 3 little girls dressed in what looked like Strawberry Shortcake outfits. They then filmed me, twice, while asking to talk about my "costume". I wasn't wearing a costume. I told two presenters this, on film, twice. They were expectant and, later, annoyed. I managed to plug Plastikwrap, which i was wearing, at least once. People though i meant i was wearing actual plastic wrap. It was entertaining. We all laughed.

Pardon me,
Someone materialized behind me, asking quietly and much too closely, "Are you dominant?". I turned around, astonished, to see a man in his 40s who was serious. I inquired as to what about my appearance made him say that. He just sort of..assumed? How does this happen, people? How does one decide that it's ok to approach a complete stranger about S&M in the middle of bleedin' Comic Con. While holding your Con goody bag. How. How. How.

Warren Ellis
Molly and i dropped by the Avatar booth to greet Warren. We had a small chat, I bestowed upon him 2 Soviet era pins i brought from Moscow in '92. He wore a hat. I also introduced Nadya as we were escaping today. It was lovely, though much too brief and painless. Drink plans fell through due to me being comatose, damn it.

Autographs, etc
I'd like to thank those who were polite and not creepy when asking! Molly was witness to the recognition factor, and advised me to finally do a book. My "What's Zo Wearing?" photographer Andrew Yoon and i have been discussing a fashion book for some time now, but after this weekend i do believe i'll expand on this a bit. Universe, grant me time management skills beyond any i have ever known before this day. And anyone reading this who is a publisher/knows publishers - contact me if you have any advice in this regard.

Molly


Have i mentioned i love Molly Crabapple? This little lady lives in New York which makes meetings few and far between, but spending a good chunk of Saturday with her was sheer pleasure. Wit sharp as a piano string and the tongue of a drunk Victorian sailor [particularly when aforementioned rickshaw boys are involved], all despite being possibly more exhausted than even me.

Dr Sketchy's San Diego launch
A complete and total success! Tons of people came, packing the BlueFoot Lounge to the brim. Great artists and photographers were in attendance, and a few surprise guests! Meredith pleased me to death with her presence, as did Dame Darcy meeting whom was too long in the making. Nadya and her ridiculously talented friend Paul Comeda joined, along with a photographer from Ghetti Images whose name i forget due to current near-braindead state. Molly was a fab hostess, of course. The music for the night, courtesy my car's CD library, was Tom Waits' "Real Gone" and a 12 Rounds album. By the end of the night i was utterly spent, and i hope everyone i met will somehow contact me. I was gifted a bloody mary, $60 in tips for my raunchy posing and some wonderful portraits by an anonymous woman, whose name i hope to decipher from her signature. After, we attempted an outing, only to find we were much too tired for any such business.

I wish i'd bought more books, had time to look at more art in peace, had more time to spend with all the great people i met and saw over the weekend.

I feel my brain actually dissolving into mush, so i'll end this, but not before informing you that the so-called art show upstairs was the most gloriously awful joke ever.

Exhibit A: Unicat



As an effect of illin' the past few days, I sounded exceptionally raspy all weekend and have now lost my voice entirely. Perhaps, if it's still this way tomorrow, i'll make a video. I'll also unpack tomorrow. I'm positive i'm leaving a lot out so please feel free to refresh my memory. and if you have pictures, send them my way! guh. zzz.