In the end, it wasn’t the jet lag that defeated me, nor the enormous task of turning a massive convention center and the surround area into a geek temple in the space of a day-plus, nor the ravening crowds on Preview Night that sprint for those exclusives and limited-editions that they must have¹.

In the end, it was the simple fact that whatever age you have to be to work all day in the San Diego Convention Center, not leave until approximately 9:30pm, search for a place with food that can serve you before it closes for an hour, not see food until past 11:00pm, and then inhale a friggin’ enormous French Dip and a truly prodigious amount of fries² followed fairly immediately by a brief walk to the hotel and then bed, I am no longer that age. My digestive tract spent a couple of hours in the night prompting thoughts like, When will you learn to just get a sandwich to bring with you to Preview Night, genius? and If you’re going to feel this crappy in a bed, you should at least have gotten drunk for it³.

In any event, the magic happened, I got to talk some with Dave Maass from the EFF about the smart meters in the UK that spontaneously switched themselves to Welsh, with Pat Race about the mess that the new governor of Alaska has put their state in (NB: Pat & Aaron have made it to the short list for the Eisner Spirit Of Comics Retailer Award, so if you are involved in the final selection, you should vote for them because they’re the best), and with Karla Pacheco about her brand new (released yesterday!) Punisher Annual #1 which involves jet skis in space.

I also got to visit the Space Gnome trading post (Earthbound representative, Shing Yin Khor, and trade a hand-written copy of my favorite poem (Litany, by Billy Collins) for an invitation to an interstellar trade guild. It’s a joyous thing that Khor is doing, having certain neat little things that you can only get via trade — this year, the Gnome is accepting handwritten poems, cuttings of succulents, or (as always) a good rock — is a celebration of capital-A Art that we should all be glad of. The stuff available for sale is always beautiful, quirky, and worthy of your time and earthly currency units.

Pictures:
It’s the usual, really; the organized chaos of setup looks largely the same from year to year, although this year pretty much everybody told me it went suspiciously smoothly.

The Space Gnome’s wares are colorful, and what’s that? Oh, yes, Khor has a book releasing in a few weeks, with a single preview copy for thumbing-through. Show that you pre-ordered it from your vendor of choice and you’ll get a bookmark.

Best cosplay went to Peter B Parker, right down to the sweatpants and mismatched shoes. Only could have been better if he had a bagel or a cold slice of pizza, but hard to carry your purchases with one of those in your … wait. Computer, zoom in and enhance on sector 7G! That is the booth of Rooster Teeth, who seem to have encountered some kind of setup misfortune, in that there’s nothing there. I’ll hop over today to ask them what the deal is.

Panels to watch for:
Gina Gagliano will be talking about Random House Graphic at 2:00pm in Room 28DE; there will be a discussion of comics as real reading at the Library from 5:00pm.

_______________
¹ More than once, I heard people buying Andy Bell’s latest toy exclaim excitedly, I have all of the color variations except ____ ! or These are my favorite! When asked if they wanted their toy signed, faces would light up and they’d ask, Could I? Only one guy answered with a shrug and a disinterested Nah, and he was carrying an actual case (like, easily 75cm on a side of cardboard) of Funko Pops. Definitely the sort that haunts Preview Night to snag up exclusives and low-volume releases for the eBay crowd. No joy for toys in his heart.

It’s only Bell from Dumbrella at booth 1335 this year, but Chris Yates sent along some appropriate Bafflers!, and Rich Stevens sent along a selection of his pins. I have a supply of his various Pride-themed nerd pins for giveaway; show me a receipt that you donated any amount of money to RAICES or a similar organization and you get one.

² I just want something small and fast I’d claimed while looking over the menu. An hour ago I’d have eaten a lot but now I just want to keep it reasonable. Then I saw the mound o’ food hit the table and went inhalatory on it. Good job, Gary!

³ Oddly, I don’t feel that bad this morning; it was the flavor of up-all-night where you want to say I didn’t sleep at all, I was just lying there awake and then you remember the quite detailed conversation you had with people who weren’t there and figured you actually did sleep. That’s what I’m telling myself, anyway.

Long day yesterday, long one ahead today as I head into the maw that this the San Diego Convention Center. Reports as I’m able.

Packing and logistics today, travel tomorrow. Posting sparse until later in the week. You know how it is.

And we make it at last to the wind-down, which weary resignation is a recurring theme when talking about San Diego Comic Con and Sunday, whether considering advance planning or the actual experience. Sunday remains the kid-themed day, with lots going on for the younger fan of comics, not to mention the wild rush to finish up commerce before things that getting torn down until next year. And hey, Con ends at 5:00pm, so there can’t be panels that don’t start until 9:00. I think …

Sunday
Food Network’s Chef Duff Goldman
10:00 — 11:00, Grand 10 & 11, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
I love that dude, and the joy he brings to creation. I may just go check this one out.

Space Wizards: The Quest To Define Speculative Fiction
11:00 — 12:00, Grand 12 & 13, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
Wait, there’s a panel about Space Wizards, and they didn’t invite Jon Rosenberg? That’s messed up.

The Adventure Zone: Murder On The Rockport Limited! Graphic Novel
11:00 — 12:00, Room 7AB
Two McElroys (Travis and Clint), Carey Pietsch, and Satine Phoenix talk about the brand new graphic novel adaptation (it releases the day before Preview Night).

140-Odd Years Of Looking At The Future
12:00 — 1:00, Room 25ABC
Junior high school me, with a serious habit of ’60s-and-later hard SF, would shit himself at the possibility of being in a room with Larry Niven, David Brin, and Greg Bear (who, at 17 or 18, was one of the founders of SDCC). The topic will be time travel, and discussion will be guided by Dr Travis Langley (professor of Psychology, Henderson State University).

Growing Up with Comics: Introducing Younger Readers To Graphic Storytelling
12:00 — 1:00, Room 28DE
One of my great thrills in life is giving a stack of graphic novels (some exactly age appropriate, some that require stretching a bit) as a birthday present as part of my grunkle duties. Last year I watched a seven year old forgo a water fight on the hottest day of the year when she say I’d given her a copy of The Witch Boy². So I imagine a good deal of the discussion from Cecil Castellucci, Sarah Graley, and Amy Mebberson will be variations on Put comics in front of kids and let ’em rip, but they’ll find much smarter ways to express that thought.

iPhones And Wands: Can Tech And Magic Coexist?
1:00 — 2:00, Room 25ABC
Clarke’s Law gets a workout from the likes of Gene Ha, Maya Kern, Katie O’Neill, Bree Paulsen, Carey Pietsch, and Ursula Vernon, with moderator Lilah Sturges.

Short Form Comics For Every Reader
1:00 — 2:00, Room 28DE
There is a certain irony in inviting Randall Munroe to this panel, given that probably his most famous comic¹ took four months to play out and has an entire wiki built around its 3102 frames. But join Sarah Mirk as she talks to Munroe, Aminder Dhaliwal, Ebony Flowers, Kevin Huizenga, and Sophie Yanow about getting ideas across in just a few frames.

Super Asian America
2:45 — 3:45, Room 5AB
Do me a favor. If CB Cebulski shows up to bother Andrea Walter, CB Lee, and Wesley Chu, somebody smack him.

Wonder Women CEOs — Female Owned And Operated Comic Publishers
3:00 — 4:00, Room 7AB
Quoting here: One day a female comic publisher will be standard — until then, we have Wonder Women! Hoo-howdy, that’s a crappy topic sentence, and whoever wrote it needs to re-evaluate where they are in life. As previously noted, it’s women that do the nuts-and-bolts work of getting comics out, and as the big two become less relevant because their corporate masters see the money brought in from Wednesday sales as a rounding error, the small companies are going to fill those niches. Hear about the revolution in the offing, and try to convince Sandy King Carpenter (Storm King Comics), Enrica Jang (Red Stylo Media), D Lynn Smith (Kymera Press), and C Spike Trotman (Iron Circus Comics) that you’ll be useful to the new regime. Comics is about to be a women’s game, and the dudes currently running things are placeholders.

Spam of the day:

Bring Your Doorbell Into the 21st Century 2.4g WiFi connectivity, Android and iOS compatibility, image capture technology

I have a bell. I also have glass up and down the front door, and other windows that look out on the front door, and a dog that loveloveloves new people bouncing up and down scrabbling at the front door.

Under no circumstances am I bringing your shit-security, hardcoded-admin-credentials Internet Of Things thing into my house. Fuck outta here with that nonsense.

_______________
¹ Depending on who you’re talking to, of course. In my day job, it’s more likely to be a discussion of scrubbing SQL inputs or computer voting being an inherently bad idea.

² Certain of the grand-nieces and grand-nephews have had to be informed by friends that not all graphic novels come signed and sketched by the creators.

I continue my befuddlement at the the programming decisions. It’s just … yeah. But on the bright side, this will be the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing, so that’s cool.

Saturday
How To: Absurd Scientific Advice For Common, Real-World Problems
10:00 — 11:00am, Room 4
Given the similar timing we saw yesterday, it appears that Randall Munroe is a morning person. He’ll be talking about his forthcoming book, How To, which will doubtless involve some questionable logic, safety, or rationale. Wouldn’t have it any other way.

Comics Arts Conference Session #9: Focus on Carey Pietsch: Comedy And Fantasy In Comics With Clint McElroy
10:30 — 11:30, Room 26AB
Carey Pietsch has been doing a bang-up job on her The Adventure Zone graphic novels, and McEldad Clint has proven to have a pretty good eye for writing comics. I’m guessing that the early start is what makes the organizers think that the relatively small Room 26AB is sufficient for anything McElrelated? Same logic that put Justin in the similarly-sized Room 32AB for a dinnertime start on Thursday.

Comic Book Law School© 303: Super Lawyers Unite!
10:30 — 12:00, Room 11
Session three gets into the thornier issues around intellectual property, which expected to include licensing comics for television streaming services, online and social media IP protection, the 12 biggest copyright and trademark myths, Dr Seuss vs. ComicMix, and memes: tributes or infringements?

Sesame Street Puppets Live!
11:30 — 12:30, Horton Grand Theatre
I can tell you everything you need to know in five words: Big Bird will be there. Also The Count, Grover, Bert, Oscar, and Elmo.

Quick Draw!
11:45 — 1:00, Room 6BCF
Hey, organizers? I know that having Mark Evanier host a battle of Sharpies between Sergio Aragonés, Scott Shaw!, and this year’s sacrificial lamb special guest, Disney legend Floyd Norman, is gonna be great. It always is. But y’all need to invite Lar DeSouza. Dude’s, like, Roadrunner fast.

IDW And Oni Press: Rick And Morty vs Dungeons & Dragons
12:00 — 1:00, Room 25ABC
Looks like all of Zub’s appearances this year are going to be D&D related? That’s cool. He’ll be with editor Chase Marotz and Wizards Of The Coast game designer Nathan Stewart.

Innovations In Comics
1:00 — 2:00, Room 9
Did I mention that Shing Yin Khor is repeating her Space Gnome Mercantile Exchange again this year? You can trade her a good rock, or a handwritten copy of your favorite poem, or a cutting from a succulent for some awesome stuff. And if you’re a previous trader with the Gnome, you can get special stuff. I mention all this because if you can’t find the Space Gnome at table O-04, you can stalk her at this panel, or one of the others she’ll be at. It’s easy to miss her, she’s tiny.

Anyhoo, she’ll be talking with Panelists Jordan Plosky (founder, ComicBlitz), Atom Freeman (Sales & BizDev, ComicHub), and Nick Coglianese (founder, Key Collector Comic App) to talk about technology, ideas, and innovations on the horizon. Moderated by Brett Schenker (founder, Graphic Policy).

Ask Me Anything: Pick Educators’ And Creators’ Brains On Comics In Classrooms
2:00 — 3:00, Shiley Special Events Suite, San Diego Central Library
Gina Gagliano and Mark Siegel on the same panel? Talking about comics in schools? Yes, please. Also featuring Meryl Jaffe (Johns Hopkins), Derek Heid (Temecula Valley Unified School District), Tracy Edmunds (curriculum development consultant), Ben Costa, and James Parks, with moderator/educator Talia Hurwich (NYU).

Women Rocking Hollywood 2019: Women-Powered Projects And The Push Towards Parity
2:00 — 3:00, Room 7AB
At various times in the history of this-here blog, I have mentioned that Los Angeles resident Dave Kellett is married to TV showrunner-producer-writer-story editor-and-everything-else Gloria Calderon Kellett. I believe that I have, on multiple occasions, mentioned that in that particular household, Glo is the funny one. She’ll be talking with Alison Emilio, Liesl Tommy, Catherine Hardwicke, Cheryl Dunye, Jen McGowan, Angela Robinson, and C Fitz. They are, between them, responsible for the likes of How I Met Your Mother, One Day At A Time, Twilight, Queen Sugar, Rust Creek, True Blood, Professor Marston And The Wonder Women, ReFrame, and The Walking Dead. Moderated by journalist Leslie Combemale.

Invader Zim
2:30 — 3:30, Room 24ABC
Sam Logan’s been writing a bunch of Invader Zim comics, and he’ll be part of the panel talking about where the series has been and where it’s going. Naturally, Jhonen Vasquez will be there, writer Eric Trueheart, and Oni publisher James Lucas Jones.

Becoming a World Builder: How To Start Making Science Fiction And Fantasy Comics
3:00 — 4:00, Room 29AB
This is the real nerdy stuff here, digging in and making a whole world for your story, knowing that your readers will only see a fraction of it. Marc Bernardin, Spike Trotman, Richard Starkings, Ariela Kristantina, Clive Hawken, and Jim Zub — Wait, is that right, Zub’s on this? It’s not D&D related. — talking to moderator by Kiersten Wing.

“Get Drawn In” To The Next Generation Of Digital Comics
4:00 — 5:00, Grand 12 & 13, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
Shing Yin Khor again; I think this is her fourth panel of the show so far? Anyway, this is about a streaming platform called Graphite, and their Chief Content Officer, Tom Akel, has gathered up some folks to talk about it. That’ll include creators Nick Seluk, Ryan Benjamin, and Leeanne Krecic, along with publishers Filip Sablik (tell him BOOM need to pay their fucking creators) and Robert Napton (Legendary).

Rolling The Dice: Where Comics And Role Playing Collide
5:00 — 6:00, Room 28DE
How playing let’s pretend in groups greases the creative muscles for story making. Includes Kieron Gillen, Spike Trotman, MK Reed, and Jim Zub (back firmly on D&D-related ground). Moderated by Ivan Salazar and Jose Sagastume.

Kiki’s Delivery Service Screening
7:00 — 9:15, Horton Grand Theatre
This movie is a damn masterpiece, and the screening is in honor of its 30th anniversary. Later in the month, it’ll be simulcast to theaters across the country, so if you can’t get tickets for this showing, you’ll have a few more chances.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
7:45 — 8:45, Room 6BCF
It is nearly eight pee-em, and now is when you trot out Andy Samberg, Melissa Fumero, Terry Crews, Joe Lo Truglio, Dirk Blocker, Joel McKinnon Miller, and executive producers Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici? This is weird, right?

NXonNetflix Presents the Comic-Con 2019 Masquerade
8:30 — 11:30, Ballroom 20
Consecutive late night number three for Los Foglios, as they fulfill their annual duties hosting cosplay’s greatest competition. Doors open at eight, but tickets are handed out at noon at the Masquerade desk outside the ballroom. Overflow seating (no tickets required) in Room 6A and the Sails Pavilion.

Happy Birthday, Troma
9:00 — 10:00, Room 25ABC
Okay, Troma and their low-budget, schlocky (I mean that in the best possible way) movies are legendary. But you know why you want to see this very late night presentation? Because Chuck Tingle will be there, buckaroos. He’ll be part of the panel, moderated by Megan Silver, talkig with Troma impressario Lloyd Kaufman, WWE wrestler Dolph Ziggler, actor/director Trent Hagga, writer James Rolfe, producer Patricia Swinney Kaufman, and more. Get pounded in the butt by the shared love of tongue-in-cheek splatter films.

Spam of the day:

The most simple and cheapest digital organising system on the market with 64GB storage capacity.

It’s a USB thumb drive. I’ve got like a dozen of them in reach as I type this, up to 128GB in size. You are not impressing me.

Getting caught up, what with yesterday being a holiday and all. The Thursday programming list went up a little while ago, and here’s what’s happening at Comic-Con two weeks from today.

Friday
The Factual And The Actual
10:00 — 11:00, Room 32AB
Starting things off early on Friday, with Randall Munroe, John Hendrix (The Faithful Spy), Don Brown (Rocket to the Moon! Big Ideas That Changed The World #1), Dylan Meconis (Queen of the Sea, review coming soon), Jim Ottaviani (Hawking), and Rachel Ignotofsky (Women In Art) talking nonfiction and nonfictionish comics, moderated by Judy Prince-Neeb (Chula Vista Public Library).

Comic Book Law School© 202: Let’s Make A Deal (or Three)
10:30 — 12:00, Room 11
The legal education continues, with this session on income-related topics: licensing, and agreements covering merch, manufacturing, and distribution, and how contracts govern it all.

Bedside Press: What’s Next?
12:00 –1:00, Room 25ABC
Remember yesterday when I thought we’d never see Scott Kurtz inside the San Diego Convention Center again? Well, today it’s Kris Straub that’s returned, talking about projects coming from the Canadian small press, along with fellow creators Amanda Deibert, SM Beiko, Steenz Stewart (editor extraordinaire, hire her after the Lion Forge implosion fiasco), Lilah Sturges, Ashley Robinson, and pubisher Hope Nicholson.

Feminist Comics That Rock
12:00 — 1:00, Shiley Special Events Suite, San Diego Central Library
Meanwhile, we’ve got a just as compelling session in the same timeslot as the Bedside talk, over at the library so it’s pretty much impossible to hop between the rooms and catch half of each. Raina Telgemeier, Peggy Burns, Claudia Aguirre, and Jennifer Holm, moderated by Candice Mack (LA Public Library). Not that I’lll get to either, as I’ve got an interview lined up at 12:15. Grrrrr.

LGBTQ+ YA Graphic Novels
1:00 — 2:00, Shiley Special Events Suite, San Diego Central Library
If you were at the library for the noon slot, stick around for Rosemary Valero-Connell (Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me), Sarah Graley (Kim Reaper), Claudia Aguirre (Morning In America), and Lilah Sturges (Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass) in discussion with Amanda Melilli (ALA Graphic Novels And Comics Round Table).

Steven Universe
1:00 — 2:00, Ballroom 20
But if you’re a Steven Universe fan, you weren’t in any of those sessions listed above, because you’ve been in line for Ballroom 20. Shelby Rabara (Peridot) moderates, with Estelle (Garnet), Michaela Dietz (Amethyst), Deedee Magno Hall (Pearl), and Rebecca Sugar. Songs! Laughs! Trailer for the movie!

America’s Best Comics Editors And What They Do!
1:30 — 2:30, Room 8
I love the nuts-and-bolts discussions of how thing get made. I can’t think of anything that would keep me from listening to Jann Jones (Legendary), Henry Barajas (Top Cow), David Mariotte (IDW Publishing), Chynna Clugston Flores (Image Comics), Shannon Eric Denton (WildStorm/DC Comics), Sarah Gaydos (Oni), and Elizabeth Brei (IDW) talk about the editorial process!

Spotlight on Ursula Vernon
1:30 — 2:30, Room 24ABC
Godsdammit! Except this. Because as I believe I have established, I loves me some Digger, and everything else that Ursula Vernon creates.

A Conversation With Sonia Manzano (AKA “Maria” from Sesame Street)
2:00 — 3:00, The Theater, Comic-Con Museum
No lie Maria was one of the moral lodestones in my early education. Unfortunately, the Comic-Con Museum is like 5 miles away at Balboa Park, so this ain’t happening. Just as well, I need to get lunch sometime today.

Graphic Novel Or Illustrated Book: You Make the Call
2:00 — 3:00, Grand 12 & 13, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
It is one of the rules of this page that you should see Karen Green, Columbia University librarian, speak whenever you get the chance. She’ll be talking with creators William Stout, Armand Baltazar, and Mark Wheatley, along with JC Vaughn (VP Publishing, Gemstone). Unfortunately, I’ll still be at the Vernon retrospective.

Kids And YA Graphic Novel Publishing: Behind The Scenes
2:00 — 3:00, Shiley Special Events Suite, San Diego Central Library
I am becoming convinced that somebody said, Hey, let’s put every single panel Gary would want to see overlapping in one big block on Friday, at the far corners of the city! Why else would I miss out on hearing :01 Books publisher Mark Siegel, with Tracy Hurren (Drawn & Quarterly), Maya Bradford (Abrams ComicArts), Andrew Arnold (HarperCollins) and moderator Carla Riemer (librarian, Claremont Middle School).

Science And History in Comics
3:00 — 4:00, Shiley Special Events Suite, San Diego Central Library
This is getting ridiculous. Maybe if I find food I can eat on my walk from the Vernon retrospective on my way to the library, I could hear Jim Ottaviani, MK Reed, Ben Fisher, Emily S Whitten, and moderator Tracy Edmunds.

Spotlight On Kurt Busiek
3:00 — 4:00pm, Room 28DE
Mentioning because the spotlight will be controlled by Scott McCloud, who besides being a genius has been buddies with Busiek since middle school. Nothing better than watching two old friends catch up and shoot the shit.

Graphix Fix: Great Graphic Novels For All Ages
4:00 — 5:00, Room 32AB
Scholastic Graphix superstars including Jim Benton, Sarah Graley, Jennifer Holm, Varian Johnson, Shannon Wright, Jon J Muth, and Raina Telgemeier. I suspect the room may be too small.

Comics Law: Disney, Malibu, And The Uncensored Mouse
4:30 — 5:30, Room 24ABC
This sounds legit fascinating: a discussion of a court case where Disney stomped on a publisher for printing public domain Mickey Mouse newspaper strips. Tom Mason (editor of the reprints), Dave Olbrich (publisher of the reprints), Nat Gertler (About Comics publisher), and Michael Lovitz (IP attorney).

Best And Worst Manga Of 2019
6:00 — 7:00, Room 4
I’m not making it to the show floor at all on Friday, am I? This one’s always fun, and features Brigid Alverson (my good friend and fellow pixel-stained wretch), Christopher Butcher (who has a birthday today, go wish him a happy one!), Megan Peters, Rob McMonigal, and Deb Aoki. Lots of experience and impeccable taste on this panel, find out what they loved and what they hated.

Creator Origins: A Candid Conversation On LBGTQ Comics Creation
6:00 — 7:00, Room 9
I’ve lost track of how many panels have caught my eye today … twelve? Fifteen? [Editor’s note: this is number seventeen, and we’ve got a still to go.] Megan Townsend (GLAAD) taking to Joe Glass (The Pride), Clive Hawken (Delver), Spike Trotman (Iron Circus Comics), and Ivan Salazar (comiXology).

Comics Of The Internet: The Memes, the Myths, The Legends
7:00 — 8:00, Room 9
It’s about comics that go memetically viral. Sounds a lot like one that happened last year on Sunday, and even also features Hope Nicholson, this time with Jose Sagastume, Ivan Salazar, and Kris Straub.

MAD vs New Yorker Cartoons: Which Are Funnier?
7:30 — 8:30, Room 24ABC
Oof. Too soon?

TGIF Keenspot Panel Party Hosted By Rob Potchak
8:00 — 9:00pm, Room 28DE
I’m not entirely certain that Keenspot shifting from their traditional very last timeslot of the con is actually doing them any favors, considering they’re now up against Friday night food, parties, and the friggin’ Eisner Awards.

The Girl Genius Radio Play
8:30 — 10:00, Room 8
Yepper, somebody is bound and determined to ensure that Phil and Kaya Foglio don’t get to bed at a reasonable hour at all this year.

The World Of Drive
9:00 — 10:00, Room 9
Oh, come on! Look, I stand second to no man in my love of Drive, and the work that Los Angeles resident Dave Kellett and his colorist Beth Reidmiller have put in to make it such a great strip. And I really, really love what happens when LArDK talks with his directing partner, Fred “Not The Beethoven One” Schroeder. But if I’m awake after this day at 9:00pm, I’ma be wherever the impromptu Comics Camp reunion is happening, with booze close to hand.

Spam of the day:

I horny as fuck and need that sweet reiease I’m e2/f with pouty lips and a tight pussy.

Is e2 something like twenty-exty-six?

It’s that time when we find out what’s happening in the programming tracks of San Diego Comic Con, and something about this year seems … odd. Did programming always go so late? Sure, some screenings and replays and such would start well after the convention center was mostly empty, but I can’t recall actual panels that started at 9:00pm in previous years. Or maybe it’s just stuff that I noticed because it has some interest for me being thrown into such late slots? We’ll figure it out together, friends. Onward.

Thursday
How to Get News Coverage
10:30 — 11:30, Room 8
Quoting: A lot of publishers have no idea what to submit to the press, how to submit it, and why they are being overlooked for coverage, so please yes go learn from these people and make my inbox a little more civilized. Comics journalist Rik Offenberger moderates Tim Chizmar, Glenn Hauman, Jez Ibelle, Heidi Mac, Alexander Raymond, Rob Salkowitz, Francis Sky, JC Vaughn, and Josh Waldrop, with independent comic creators Ed Catto and Holly Golightly.

That’s … yeah, twelve people is about six too many for any panel.

Comic Book Law School© 101: IP Law Basics, Simple as 1, 2, 3 . . .
10:30 — 12:00, Room 11
The annual seminars on IP law relevant to comics, each worth 1.5 credits of California MCLE. IP attorney Michael Lovitz focuses on the basics of intellectual property rights available to creators and business owners and will provide attendees with the foundation needed for understanding which rights are available to creators of comics, games, films, and other creative works, as well as insights on how best to safeguard ideas, creative works, characters, brands, and names/titles, from genesis through publication and distribution, and beyond.

Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks in Conversation
1:00 — 2:00, Room 28DE
Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks talking about lots of stuff, including presumably their collaboration on Pumpkinheads, out from :01 Books in August.

The Making of a Graphic Novel Publisher: Random House Graphic
2:00 — 3:00, Room 28DE
Gina. Emmer-Effin. Gagliano.

D&D: All Bards
3:00 — 4:00, Horton Grand Theatre
The last time Jim Zub played D&D on stage, he shaved his head to get into character. This time he (and all the other players) will play a bard and no combat allowed! There’s no telling how weird this may get, especially considering Sam Sykes and Chuck Wendig (they live-tweeted a weird story that became an actual movie!) will be there, along with Paul Krueger, Pierce Brown, and EK Johnston.

Webcomics: Truth in Four Panels
3:30 — 4:30, Room 4
Not really sure if I get the premise — four panel comic strips are more credible than news? — but I guess we can listen to JR Gervais (YoungCannibals.net) and Eddie deAngelini (CollectorsComic.com) explain. Moderated by Jeremy Wein (founder, NYC Podfest).

Artist as Brand, Rise of the Artist Entrepreneur
5:00 — 6:00, Grand 12 & 13, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
I desperately wish Brad Guigar could be at this panel, just to get his impressions afterwards. Greg Spalenka (artist/educator moderates Daniel and Dawna Davis (founders of Steam Crow, publisher of monster products), Melissa Pagluica (writer, comic book artist, author of Above the Clouds), Ray Chou and Vincenzo Ferriero (founders of Mythopoeia, Skies of Fire), and Ashleigh Izienicki (illustrator).

How to Make a Webcomic You’ll Actually Finish
5:00 — 6:00, Room 9
Maya Kern (Monster Pop!) is talking on many of the same topics as that last session, judging from the description: This panel offers a presentation that examines comic making through the lens of [career, and work/life balance] sustainability, with a Q&A session at the end.

Working in Comics: The Folks Behind-the-Scenes
5:00 — 6:00, Room 23ABC
The 5:00 hour is getting crowded. Sarah Gaydos (E-I-C at Oni Press), Shing Yin Khor (Kickstarter Thought Leader 2019), Cara O’Neil (social media strategist at Dark Horse Comics), Chloe Ramos-Peterson (library market sales representative at Image Comics), Nancy Spears (VP, Sales at DC Publishing), and Michele Wells (VP and executive editor for DC Books for Young Readers) talk about the non-writing, non-drawing work of comics. Also please note? The folks doing the work that get you your funnybooks each Wednesday? Women.

Will Eisner: Defending Comics/Graphic Novels as “Real Reading”
5:00 — 6:00, Shiley Special Events Suite, San Diego Central Library
Really crowded; dang, I think this is the one to see in this hour: Parents and administrators are still fighting the concept of comics as literature, and the educators on this panel have excellent methods for addressing these challenges. Moderated by John Shableski, panelists include Erin Hill, Lisa Harrison, Joe Onks, Nichole Santangelo, and Amy Pitotti.

Passion into Cash: Animate Characters and Make Money
6:00 — 7:00, Room 11
Listing this because it appears that Scott Kurtz, who I thought would never set foot inside the convention center again, is setting foot inside the convention center. Innnnteresting! Also Cory Casoni, Laura Williams-Argilla (director of product management, Bits at Twitch), and Dave Werner (Adobe experience designer, YouTube illustrator and animator).

Comics PR and Marketing 101
6:30 — 7:30, Room 8
Lotta smart people: comiXology head of content Chip Mosher moderates Alex Segura (Archie), Spike Trotman (Iron Circus Comics), Hope Nicholson (Bedside Press), Kel McDonald (The Stone King), and Ivan Salazar (comiXology).

Condensing an Idea: Making the Difficult Palatable
6:30 — 7:30, Room 26AB
Again, lotta smart people on this one, and in direct conflict with the smart people on the last one. Damn, SDCC scheduling, why you gotta be this way? How to delve into complex worlds and come out the other side with stories we readily consume. Panelists include Kurt Busiek, Jon B Cooke (Comic Book Artist), Randall Munroe (xkcd), Dani Colman, Tea Fougner (editorial director for comics, King Features Syndicate), and moderator Barbara Dillon.

From OSHA Violation to Superhero: The Lab Accidents That Will Most Likely Give You Superpowers
7:00 — 8:00, Room 6DE
There’s nobody listed in the description so it could be a complete bust, but I love the title.

Spooky Kids
8:00 — 9:00, Room 23ABC
Mariah McCourt (Stitched), Lilah Sturges (Lumberjanes), Shing Yin Khor (The American Dream? A Journey on Route 66), Louise Simonson (New Mutants), Che Grayson (Noble), and Amanda Meadows (Lionforge senior editor) talk about spooky stories for kids, but this is getting ridiculous. You can’t stay on the floor until the show’s done and do this panel and eat diner before 10:00pm at the earliest. I may have to go by Shing’s booth and slip her some snack bars so her righteous hanger doesn’t cause her to change to her Lumberjack Form and wreak havoc but then again that would be spooky.

Webcomics Advocates: The Webcomics Gathering
8:00 — 9:00, Room 9
We see this one every year, but usually a bit earlier in the evening. Brendan Creecy (Brax the Alien Rocker), Patrick Scullin (Super Siblings), Eddie DeAngelini (Collectors), Ambrose Quintanilla (Gopher-It Comics), Daniel Sansonetti (Daniel’s Way), and moderator Kristen Parraz (Comadres y Comics podcast) talk webcomics. Features the 30 second lighting round o’ advice, but seriously — can you believe they’re starting this late?

The Storyteller’s Guide with Satine Phoenix
8:00 — 9:00, Room 32AB
Can you believe they’re starting this late with a friggin’ McElroy Brother on the dais? Moderator Satine Phoenix and dungeonmasters Travis McElroy (Adventure Zone) and Kailey Bray (Damsels, Dice and Everything Nice) improv a story in real time.

How the West Got Weird Again
9:00 — 10:00, Room 23ABC
And we’ll wrap with what will be the first of a couple of late nights for Phil Foglio, what with his traditional hosting duties at the Masquerade on Saturday. Western stories crossed with zombies, monsters, aliens, etc, moderated by David Boop, with Jonathan Maberry (Joe Ledger series, V-Wars), Foglio (Girl Genius), Eytan Kollin (The Unincorporated Man), and Naomi Brett Rourke (Straight Outta Tombstone).

Spam of the day:

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So this will perforce be on the shorter side.

• Firstly, everybody in the States enjoy your day off, maybe take some time to consider what freedom in this country actually means, and if you’ve got fireworks in your future please be careful¹. If you wanted to watch fireworks with other comics folk, the Cartoon Art Museum in San Fancisco is hosting a viewing party.
• Secondish, we’ll probably see a release of San Diego Comic Con programming tomorrow or Friday; I’ll be sure to bring that to you when it drops. In the meantime, may I remind you that the Will Eisner Spirit Of Comics Retailer Award nominations have been released? And that Pat Race and Aaron Suring, the generous gentlemen behind Alaska Robotics Gallery (and Juneau Mini-Con/Comics Camp, and more involvement in the arts scene of Juneau than can be recounted here) are nominees? Indeed, they’re the first nominees on the page! Okay, alphabetical order and all, but I like to think it’s also because they’re the best.
• Thirdwise, if you ever wondered what I sound like, I was on a podcast with my excellent friend Jon Ferocious J Sung² and my new friend Besha. Come listen to me achieve Peak White Guy! And if you find the discussion that Besha and I had around unfortunate medical experiences, find me in person (preferably with booze to hand) and I’ll share the story that I didn’t tell, of the Most Unfortunate And Embarrassing Patient Packaging Challenge Of All Time. It’s a corker.

Okay, that’s it. Be well, friendos.

Spam of the day:

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I’m not sure if the translator algorithm is flaky, or if the spammers can’t spell/use recognizable grammar in Russian as well as English.

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¹ I’m on EMS holiday duty tomorrow night, and I’d rather not deal with anybody that’s blowed up, thanks very much.

² You may remember him from such internet image searches as This party’s better than it seems and God Hates Jedi. He’s been a significant part of the Dumbrella at SDCC efforts until fairly recently, when he and his wife decided to reproduce themselves. Apparently carrying around a toddler in a BabyBjorn in the pathogen-rich environment of the San Diego Convention Center for four days is too big of an ask. Whatever, J.

Hey. Question for you. Why are women so damn good at comics? I mean, why are there literally so many more women whose work I am excited to follow than dudes? Is it because dudes held the entire industry to themselves for so long, only letting in other dudes that looked and thought and wrote like them, resulting in staleness and homogeneity? And women, long excluded, had to up their game and be so much better than dudes who could get published just for showing up?

• Case in point #1: Dylan Meconis. She has a wicked edge to her stories, one that treads the line of humor and messing with you for being a chump, whether she’s exploring the French Revolution (via vampires), the Age Of Reason (via werewolves), or comic/SF convention culture/cliche (via the apocalypse).

  And today, her latest graphic novel hits the stores:

  This book is full of:

  • cool nuns
  • 16th century infographics
  • recycled folklore
  • embroidery trash talk
  • questionable chess strategy
  • shameless pandering to the lutist community
  • identity crises
  • dubiously symbolic flora
  • mysterious pinnipeds
  • loud young redheaded women

  There is also:

  • one (1) nun who’s kind of a jerk
  • one (1) hot lad who probably knows how to do Sword Stuff
  • one (1) fake saint and her relic, which is in point of fact a dried fish head

  Not to mention your standard royal exiles the inconvenient alternate claimant to the throne that would be the lead talking point in most elevator pitches. We’ve seen that before, but embroidery trash talk? Yes, please. There is more raw creativity in that description than in most ten-year runs of dude-centric comics.

  Additionally, I can state unreservedly that it’s gorgeous, having been present to see some of the pages painted in late April 2018. Queen Of The Sea is part of Candlewick’s expansion beyond children’s books and YA prose into the graphic novel space, and they are not screwing around. Grab a copy as soon as you can and join me in reading it.

• Case in point #2: Shing Yin Khor, who wrangles watercolors, powertools, and emotions with equal facility. Their memoir of traveling the historic Route 66 releases on 6 August, retelling a road trip with their dog Bug in search of their passions in life (including, but not limited to, giant muffler man statues, roadside dinosaur statues, and what it means to be American). They’re working on her next book, a graphic novel about the Chinese contributions to the American west, particularly in and around lumberjackery. And they just got announced as one of the featured guests for SPX this year:
  

  #SPX2019 SPECIAL GUEST: Ignatz winner Shing Yin Khor @sawdustbear, a Malaysian-American cartoonist and installation artist exploring the intersections of race, gender and immigration. Their forthcoming graphic novel, “The American Dream? A Journey on Route 66” is out in August.

  #SPX2019 SPECIAL GUEST: Cartoonist Rosemary Valero-O’Connell @hirosemaryhello who’s opening eyes with her latest, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me w/ writer, @marikotamaki. Past works includes Lumberjanes. Her illustrations work has been shown in galleries internationally.

  #SPX2019 SPECIAL GUEST: @marinaomi is the award-winning cartoonist of 4 graphic memoirs and the Life on Earth YA graphic novel trilogy as well as founder and admin of the Cartoonists of Color, Queer Cartoonists, and (soon) Disabled Cartoonists databases. http://MariNaomi.com

  #SPX2019 SPECIAL GUEST: Ignatz Award winner for Promising New Talent, @biancaxunise! Her body of work focuses primarily on the daily struggles of identifying as a young black feminist weirdo in modern society and has been featured in The Washington Post, The Nib, BBC and more.

  Checking out the Special Guests page at SPX, there’s a dozen names so far, more than half of whom are women — Emily Carroll is there, Eleanor Davis, and Raina Telgemeier. The dudes there are interesting, too — Eddie Campbell and Jaime Hernandez are essential in any conversation about comics, Box Brown does astonishingly detailed documentary comics, Ed Piskor and Kevin Huizenga are amazingly accomplished — but the women are the ones whose next work I’m dying to see.

• Case in point #3: Abby Howard does comics that hit that Kate Beatonesque sweet spot. Just detailed enough to get across the story point or emotion she’s shooting for, just esoteric enough in topic that nobody else is doing the same thing, and absolutely hilarious when funny is what she’s shooting for. Her long-running autobioish Junior Scientist Power Hour may not always be true to life — I’m not convinced her cat Spoons really went on a hero’s journey that took place in a magical realm entirely contained in Howard’s ass — and it may have been fallow while Howard was working on her utterly charming Earth Before Us trilogy, but it’s always been great reading.

  And now, it is coming to an end. She’ll keep up the journal comics on her Patreon, and the previously-uncollected JSPH strips are getting the print treatment, courtesy her new Kickstarter campaign. If you didn’t pick up her first JSPH collection, you can get it along with the new one at an advantageous price!

  It’s been a while since we busted out the Fleen Funding Factor, Mark II, but the math projects that JSPH2 will finish in the range of US$39K-58.5K (on a goal of US$30,000), with stretch goals ranging up to US$65K. She’s at 41% of goal since launching yesterday and 28 days left to go, but I need anybody with an interest to pledge so that this one completes, because if it doesn’t I might not get the original art I pledged for, and that would be a tragedy.

Spam of the day:

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I was going to do a Seuss-rhyme her to express my ire, but man that’s one hard style to emulate. Guess I’ll have to content myself with Fuck you, scamming scum.

It’s time for the SDCC planning to begin in earnest, with the release of the exhibitor list and the floor map. There’s some changes of note, some of which can be determined at a glance by clicking through the picture (the one above takes you to the magnifiable PDF, the one below merely to s more legible, larger PNG):

Did you see it? It might take you a moment. DC Comics isn’t in the center section with the other publishers. They are waaaaay down at the southern end of the hall¹ next to Warner Bros. This should alleviate some of the center-section crowding and aisle clogging, while simultaneously answering the question How many people will travel an extra 30 aisles to stand in an enormous crowd for sneak peaks at whatever “Crisis” DC has dreamed up next?

Also, What happens when that crowd can’t overflow into the areas of surrounding aisles, but is instead constrained by a structural wall right over there? Also also, How badly will the small vendors at the 4500-5000 end of the hall hate DC by the time Thursday is over? Answers on a postcard.

Except For DC, It’s Mostly The Same
The Webcomics, Small Press, and Independent Press Pavilions remain reasonably accessible from the “B” lobby. Let’s break ’em down.

As in previous years: centered roughly on booth #1332, you’ll find a majority of the webcomickers who will be at the show within about a 1.5 aisle radius; some are slightly outside the orange area, but not too far. Those that return are all in the same spots, barring any changes to the map and listings.

Notes:

• No news yet on which TopatoCo creators will be along; we’ll update once we know.
• Hachette (1116), Harper Collins (1029), and Simon & Schuster (1128) remain in Publisher’s Row; :01 Books (2800) and Macmillan Children’s Publishing (2802) continue to colonize the corner with the bend, where their lines will not obstruct main aisles.
• 1232 and 1235 remain, as last year, assigned to Flex Comics (muscle bros hang out there) and Pulsar Entertainment LLC (whose home page prominently features the words MONETIZE YOUR BRAND!), respectively. Inertia, I guess.
• Dumbrella this year will only be Andy Bell because Rich Stevens has decided it’s more important to support his wife in making modern life less stressful pffft, whatever. Another exhibitor will be sharing the space, but the name is not announced yet.
• Penguin/Random House will be taking a chunk of space (1514, 1515, 1623) close by; this is where Gina Gagliano’s new Random House Graphic enterprise will most likely be found.
• Jim Zub will be back for the first time in three years. Citizens are urged to remain vigilant, but calm.

Small Press Folks Are Awesome Folks
Right by the Webcomics section is Small Press. Here you should find:

From the Small Press section, you’re close by:

Notes:

• Gallery Nucleus is closer in than previous years, and will feature arty types when they aren’t hanging out at Mondo down in booth 435. Keep an eye out for your Scotts C, your Beckys and/or Franks, and alumni of the various Flight anthologies. Oh, and they’re listed in the guide as Nucleus.
• No confirmation yet on which webcomickers will be at the BOOM! booth when, but I’d expect a pretty strong rotation.
• For all the drama around the acquisition/merger with Oni, Lion Forge will be over at 5543, which is along the front wall, by entrance C (tucked between Diamond and the wall).

Now head back toward the “B” Lobby into the Independent Press area and you’ll find Terry Moore at Booth 2109, which is split (in accordance with tradition) with Jeff Smith (who remains the best).

Scholastic (that means the Graphix imprint, and that means Raina, Amulet, BONE and other megasuperstars) is in 2115.

Going back to that larger map of the northern half of the exhibit hall. Wedged in between the Marvel and IDW megabooths you’ll find Keenspot in Booth 2635.

The Far End Is Actually Kinda Different
There’s still some neat stuff if you keep wandering past the video games, Star Wars, Legos, and suchlike.

Give yourself time to make the trek, what with DC bringing more folks than usual to the high-numbered end, and you’ll find both Udon Entertainment (4529), and The Hero Initiative (5003). Katie Cook will be at table HH-17, but she’s one of the holdout folks in Artists Alley — it’s mostly comic book types these days. Jim Zub might be found at Udon at some point, or hanging with his Skullkickers partner, Edwin Ironpinky Huang (EE-06).

Know what’s not down this way for the first time in forever? Copic. Their longtime distributor stateside, Imagination International, reportedly lost their license this year, and Copic no longer appears on their list of marker brands. Maybe content yourself with a visit to the Moleskine booth, way back towards the Webcomics Zone (1621)?

Offsite
Every year for the past half-decade the amount of stuff you can see outside of the exhibit hall has grown; I’m guessing we’re only a year or so away from complete parity. If you know of anything especially good, let us know and we’ll add it here. Otherwise, just wander the city and see what you got.

Spam of the day:

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and

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Identical layout to these spams, but different products (diet; drones) and different fake unsubscribe addresses. Sneaky, but not sneaky enough.

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¹ Also the end of the hall closer to Mexico and the CBP immigration station that is illegally preventing asylum-seekers from presenting themselves at a port of entry as the law and international treaties require them to do. Just saying, if anybody should happen to have a misadventure with some earth-moving equipment over some CBP/ICE vehicles, pretty sure it gets you a straight ticket to the heaven of your choice.