And the Eisner goes to...
...Coraline! Ah, well. We feel very loved that rapunzel's revenge was nominated at all. And it reinforces two very important life rules to live by: 1. Never get involved in a land war in Asia, and 2. Never go up for an Eisner against Neil Gaiman.
Comic-con was huge and loud and crowed and hot and cool and crazy and fun too. I'm sorry I wasn't clear--I see from the comments that people were looking for me there! The truth is, I'm nobody at Comic-con. At bookseller conventions like BEA or librarian conventions like ALA I might be asked to do signings, talk on panels, be represented in a booth. But at Comic-con, I'm tiny potatoes. I was just there as a participant like everyone else, then attending the Eisner Awards Friday night.
At the Eisner gala, some of the tables were labeled "Nominees," but ours said "Eisner Staff." It was also the farthest one from the stage. We took it as an ill omen--we were not going to win. And we didn't, but then others from our table did win, so our paranoia was completely inaccurate. It was such an honor to be there with so many great writers and artists and comics folks. Amazing.
Ran into Jennifer Holm and Brandon Mull, and got to hang with Nathan and Mindy Hale. We didn't plan very well, so I didn't get to any writer panels. Got to see Holly Black and Tony DiTerrlizzi, but missed their talks. But got to a few others:
Batman: The Brave and the Bold - our favorite cartoon on TV now. Awesome! And they showed an episode that'll be on next season. It was so funny, so great. Imagine watching it in a room with thousands of fervent fans who laughed and cheered and at the end gave a spontaneous standing ovation. Awesome. The director, producer, and some of the voice talent were there.
Dollhouse - Joss Whedon is one of my favorite living writers, and he's so funny and witty live. Eliza Dushku joined him, and they showed an amazing and totally different unaired episode of Dollhouse.
Cartoon Voice Talent - This was so fun. Six professional voice actors told anecdotes and did voices for us. Gave me an appreciation of that industry. I was laughing so hard at some of the stories. I wish I could retell them all. Chuck McCann is my new hero. Their stories reminded me that what it takes to succeed in any creative profession is a lot of perseverance, constantly working to improve your talent, willingness to make a fool of yourself and just go for it, and basic kindness and civility to others. Do what you love, people! Follow your passion! And be nice about it.
Quick draw - Several professional artists drew for us, their papers showing on big video screens. The host asked them questions like, "Draw what would be torture for you" or "Draw what you would be doing instead of hiking the Appalachian trail." They were so fast, clever, and talented. Loved this. Sergio Aragones is another new hero.
One-liners overheard at Comic-con:
"So, if anyone asks, I'm dressed as Rainbow Bright."
"What if you gave Darth Vader a basket of kittens and a basket of puppies? He wouldn't know what to do!"
"Star Trek fans and Star Wars fans can get along."
At the Batman panel, they introduced some of the voice talent. They said, "And now, Batman himself!" A regular guy came out on stage and everyone cheered, but a six-year-old girl behind us began to shout, "That's not Batman! That's not Batman!" She was so the girl that would have declared that the Emperor had no clothes.