San Diego Comic-Con is the largest comics and media show in the country, receiving hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. With Portland being one of the highest concentrations of comic book talent in the country, it's only natural that the Rose City would be well-represented at the event.
Portland Recap
Special guests Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett were once again in the enviable position of having underestimated demand for their book, Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel. Guinan confirmed that demand was high, and expected to sell out before the weekend was through.
The pair were further surprised when, during their Spotlight panel, they were presented with the convention's Inkpot Award for Excellence in Comics. Previous recipients of the award include Stan Sakai, Todd Klein, and Batton Lash.
Joelle Jones was also a guest of the show, and participated in her own Spotlight panel with Jamie S. Rich, moderated by Portland Mercury editor Erik Stephenson. She also discussed the Art of the Graphic Novel with a guest list that included fellow Portlander Craig Thompson, Chester Brown, and Joyce Farmer.
Thompson pulled double duty at the show, appearing at the Top Shelf booth to sign copies of the hardcover release of his book Blankets, and at Pantheon Books to build anticipation for his new release, Habibi. For fans of his work, Thompson had created a tri-fold poster which merged his three books (Goodbye, Chunky Rice; Blankets; Habibi) into a single, multi-environmental image.
New Yorker cartoonist and Eisner nominee Shannon Wheeler (Too Much Coffee Man) demonstrated the process he uses to create a comic in his Master Session, taking suggestions from the audience. Assisted by moderator Charles Brownstein of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Wheeler explained tricks and techniques of his trade.
Artist David Hahn was happy to be signing copies of issue two of All Nighter. The book, originally intended for Marvel's Minx imprint, was set adrift when Minx closed down. Hahn was able to rescure All Nighter and secure a publishing deal with Image Comics.
Much like Guinan and Bennett, Barry Deutsch found himself running out of copies of his Eisner-nominated book Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword.
"I don't know how many I brought with me," he said on Friday, "but they're going to be gone by the end of the day."
Deutsch was optimistic about having no more books, as it showed great interest in his story and left him time to attend panels during the convention.
Laura Hudson, whose website ComicsAlliance was nominated for an Eisner, talked about the future of the monthly comic along with Mark Waid, Vijaya Iyer, Amanda Emmert and moderator Douglas Wolk. A spirited debate was had, with the unreserved Waid squaring off with comics retailer advocate Emmert over the health of the periodical.
Their book, Stumptown, was nominated for Best Limited Series, and creative team Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth were on hand to talk about the importance of place, Dex Parios' family, and Jim Rockford. They also gave an estimate about when readers could expect the next arc of the private investigator's story. Moderator Ben Saunders (Do The Gods Wear Capes?) led the discussion.
Rucka participated, along with his wife Jen Van Meter and Carla Speed McNeil, in a panel about the important of first pages. Led by Douglas Wolk, the group displayed their selections and spoke about what made each page one special.
Witch Doctor
At the panel for Robert Kirkman (Walking Dead)’s new imprint Skybound Entertainment, locals Brandon Seifert and Lukas Ketner talked about their medical horror book Witch Doctor. Or at least Seifert did as he waited for artist Ketner to find his way to the ballroom.
"He's fantastic, but not good at directions," Seifert joked.
The first issue of Witch Doctor sold out its first printing and is well into its second, according to the author. Issue 2 was released ahead of schedule to be available at Comic-Con, and the rest of the 4-issue miniseries is expected on time.
Coming up for the "magical medical mashup" about slightly disturbed Dr. Vincent Morrow is a one-shot in December, followed by a new story arc in March. The cover for the one-shot, which is called "The Resucitation," depicts an invisible man in a tub of ice. Seifert described the premise as being based on the urban legend of travellers waking up in ice with a missing kidney, but in this case there's a twist.
"He's got the incisions, but two kidneys," Seifert explained. "The mystery is to figure out whose kidneys they are!"
Angel Punk
To commemorate their first appearance at Comic-Con as well as the release of Angel Punk issue 1/2, Relium Media teamed up with Things From Another World to host a floating party. Arriving on a chartered double-decker bus, guests stepped out of their shoes and onto a 400-foot yacht to eat, drink, and read comics. Copies of issues 0 and 1/2 were placed throughout the ship for perusal.
Angel Punk's Fan Engagement chief Jake Rossman and writer/creator Devon Lyon were on hand, as were the book's legendary colorist Steve Oliff and Legendary Comics editor-in-chief Bob Schreck. Eisner-winning cartoonist Shannon Wheeler and Emmy-winning director Sam Liu made conversation as a DJ wove tunes in the night air. Partygoers took spins around the harbor in the ship's boat and danced until late.
TR!CKSTER and The Gear
Across the train tracks from the Convention Center, Pixar artists Scott Morse and Ted Mathot created TR!CKSTER, a comics- and creator-focused event space to give fans and artists some breathing room, away from the video games and movie promotion of Comic-Con. Open to the public, TR!CKSTER patrons were able to check out original art and prints from Mike Mignola, David Mack, Bill Sienkiewicz, and more.
On Saturday night, Michael Allred (Madman)'s band The Gear played for an excited crowd, supported by acoustic performances from Kirby Krackle's Kyle Stevens and cartoonist Andy Kuhn. Allred, joined by his sons Han and Bond, and daughter-in-law Nicole, played an updated yet classic blend of psychedelic rock that had the crowd on their feet.
Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards
On Friday night, the Indigo Ballroom at the Bayfront Hilton was filled with comics luminaries and fans alike, waiting to hear who 2011's winners would be. The event was emcee'd once again by Reno 911!'s Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant. This year Portland had several nominees, both from creators and the local publishers:
Best Short Story
- Greg Rucka, with artist Michael Lark, for I Am An Avenger #2
- Bryan Talbot and Camilla d'Errico's "Little Red Riding Hood" in Fractured Fables, from Silverline Books, Jim Valentino's Shadowline sub-imprint
- Fractured Fables story "Cinderella" by Nick Spencer and Rodin Esquejo, also from Silverline Books
Best Single Issue
- Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil, by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben, from Dark Horse
Best Continuing Series
- Morning Glories by Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma, from Shadowline
Best Limited Series
- Stumptown, by Greg Rucka with artist Matthew Southworth, published by Oni Press
- Baltimore: The Plague Ships by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, and Ben Stenbeck, from Dark Horse
Best New Series
- iZOMBIE, by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred
- Morning Glories, by Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma for Shadowline Books
Best Publication for Teens
- Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword, the debut by Barry Deutsch
Best Humor Publication
- I Thought You Would Be Funnier, by Shannon Wheeler
Best Graphic Album-Reprint
- The Amazing Screw-on Head and Other Curious Objects, by Mike Mignola, from Dark Horse
- Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites, by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson, from Dark Horse
- Motel Art Improvement Service, by Jason Little, from Dark Horse
- Wednesday Comics, edited by Mark Chiarello, including work from Kurt Busiek and Michael Allred
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
- Richard Corben on Dark Horse's Hellboy
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)
- Juanjo Guarnido in Blacksad, from Dark Horse
Best Cover Artist
- Rodin Esquejo, Shadowline's Morning Glories
- Dave Johnson, Abe Sapien: The Abyssal Plain (Dark Horse); Unknown Soldier (Vertigo/DC); Punisher/Max, Deadpool (Marvel)
- Mike Mignola, Hellboy and Baltimore: The Plague Ships, both published by Dark Horse
Best Coloring
- Dave Stewart, for Hellboy, BPRD, Baltimore, Let Me In (Dark Horse); Detective Comics (DC); Neil Young's Greendale, Daytripper, Joe the Barbarian (Vertigo/DC)
Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
- ComicsAlliance, produced by Laura Hudson (www.comicsalliance.com)
Best Comics-Related Book
- The Oddly Compelling Art of Denis Kitchen, by Denis Kitchen and Charles Brownstein, edited by John Lind and Diana Schutz (Dark Horse Books)
Coming back to the Rose City with awards were Rucka (Short Story), Stewart, and Wheeler, while Dark Horse celebrated wins for Blacksad and Baltimore: The Plague Ships (Cover Artist).
The Portland Comic Books Examiner will have in-depth news on Portland panels and Spotlights in the days to come, as well as slideshows with images from the largest comics party around.
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