Comic-Con hit San Diego last month and our enthusiastic intern Marianne hit the floor and shared these highlights! A few words from Marianne:
is the place where geeks reign supreme- where individuals dressed as Storm Troopers, Spider-Man, and Disney princesses are the norm .But the San Diego Comic-Con is no longer simply a comic book or science fiction convention. It is truly become a pop culture phenomenon. Hollywood stars arrive to promote their latest films or television shows, publishers showcase their latest fantasy books or graphic novels, and even smaller artists showcase their paintings, comics, and more.
With the attendance reaching over 100,000 attendees and thousands of exhibitors, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer size of such an event. And yet, with patience and a clear head, one can discover some wonderful treasures and gain some insight to what is or will be the next big thing. I was lucky enough to attend this year’s con, and while a great deal of my time was spent devoted to television panels, I also spent some time listening to and speaking with authors, artists, as well as checking out what popular publishers deemed appropriate to bring to Comic-Con.
I had the pleasure of attending a panel for author Jeff Smith, who has a decent sized and devoted following. I saw an enthusiastic and excited young boy who had even brought his book in hopes of obtaining an autograph. Smith’s books are for both young and old and are both done in the comic style, and more adult graphic novel vein. He showcased work from his Bone series, as well as Rasl. (You can see his works here:
http://www.boneville.com.
Unfamiliar with his work, I was charmed by a reading he treated the audience to. At another panel, its members discussed video games which are being turned into comics to read. I was unfamiliar with many of the games they spoke of, but it was clear that not only were many audience members privy to these games and their worlds, but also that they are dedicated to them. Much similar to way J.R.R. Tolkien created Middle Earth, many of these video game creators have developed exhaustive worlds for their characters to inhabit, and for, now, writers to expand upon.
One type of book, whether it be a comic style novel suitable for children, or the more mature graphic novel- seemed to be the common thread as I checked out publishers on the convention floor. Anime style graphic novels were everywhere- one that stood out artistically for me was the Amulet series, published by graphix, which is an imprint of Scholastic. IDW publishing capitalized on both the media/pop culture and fantasy demographic showcasing their graphic novels based on popular fantasy television shows including “Angel,” “Ghost Whisperer,” and “True Blood.” TV shows seem to be a popular inspiration for novels as well. The USA network show “Psych,” which made its second appearance at the convention has spawned several tie-in books.
And quite interestingly, the panel for the crime drama “Castle” not only promoted its upcoming book, but the actors also read quite a titillating excerpt to entertain the audience. What makes this book different is that” Castle” is about a mystery writer named Richard Castle, whose latest book in the show is entitled Naked Heat. This fictional book is now in real life stores for people to read, written by “Richard Castle.” The real name of the author is unknown, but it’s quite a clever tie-in the blurs the line between fiction and reality. As for traditional publishers, the Disney Book group brought a slew of new editions such as The Lightning Thief, and multitude of other publishers from Penguin to Harcourt showcase mainly YA fantasy novels.
Lastly, I had the pleasure to catch up with fellow SDSU graduate Ryan Claytor, creator of Elephant Eater comics
(http://www.elephanteater.com), who was showcasing his “And the One Day Series”, including the latest installment #8. These autobiographical comics are simply drawn and insightfully written, and are limited editions of 100. Each book features amusing conversations with English professor Harry Polkinghorn from SDSU and Claytor himself.
Books such as this are another commonplace to San Diego’s Comic-Con. The floor is filled with talented artists and writers, some well seasoned, and some still relatively new in the publishing business, some signed with notable houses, and some self-published. But all have something unique and interesting to bring to the table. And there’s no doubt in my mind that many of these artists were very well received by the enthusiastic, sometimes eccentric, but always devoted attendees, to one of the year’s most popular events.
If you would like to read about Comic-Con visit:
http://www.comic-con.org/
Posts
