Tuesday, February 26, 2008

SUPER REAL NOTES - WonderWrap

Well the annual aught eight Con to the Wonder was last weekend...
High hopes dashed on the rocks an all that aside, it was a good show (last years all pro sales were back to reality this year for me, but many I talked with said the same, and indeed said those they talked with concurred, so perhaps I wasn't alone).

As ever, it was cool to see returning faces, catch up with friends and acquaintances...

It was also cool to share space with the Gnome crew, Dave Dwonch (writer/artist/creator), and John Williams, aka Super Ugly (cover artist).
Dave, center here, was of course pimping Gnome and doing some slick sketches, mostly for his many fans on the Comic Geek Speak forums. John was doing his first con, with his Super Ugly artbook (which I had to pick up, good stuff), prints, paintings, you name it, all in that inimitable "Ugly" style!

Prepping late into the night Thursday, and only catching 2 hours rest before leaving for an early AM flight, I was tapped by the shows end Friday and crashed.
Saturday the Gnome gang and friends hit some dinner and the Isotope Darwyn Cooke party. We'd done the same last year, but the 'Tope was much more user friendly at that DeMaitais party... when we showed up for tip drinks, comics, art, and networking, the place was comfortably occupied, but within an hour or so it was madness and we had to escape the crowd.
I guess we were there long enough to make the scene though (see side pic from the Newsarama article)... too funny! We were barely there (but long enough for me to put back three Isotope super strength Jack and a tiny bit o Cokes)...

I've said it before, but the Isotope is a great shop, boldly going where others have yet to tread, and worth a look when in the Bay Area!

I did manage to get out my trusty "Friends and Neighbors" sketchbook I take with me on my journeys, where I do just as the name implies, and pass it to friends and neighbors at cons for sketches of either their characters, or mine, often times with humorous mash ups of the two... This time I got it to Dave, who worked up this great Kityana of Super Real, holding "gnome".
I'll try and remember to share these here from now on...

I got a little fanboy thrill (still happens some times) when I realized I was just across an aisle from J Campbell, and had to grab one of his 07 sketchbooks (wanted to get the awesome 10th anniversary oversized Danger Girl print too, but resisted)... It was fun to see some of the sketches he did at the show.

So, another show has flown by, with very little time spent outside my table... some day. Of course, the occasional good costumes go by, including the requisite Star Wars, Spider-Man, etc, but also a great troop of Cobra Commandos... why have I not seen more of those?!? They were cool!!

Coooooooobraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next up? April and 3 shows, Portland, NYCC, Stumptown, followed by Emerald City 2 weeks later!
Is it April yet??!!

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