|
I arrived into the San Diego Comic Con International on Friday with the goal of re-connecting with creative people I had met last year, buying t-shirts that attracted my eye, and meeting a short list of additional creators.
After only viewing a cover before the con and wanting to find a certain mystery artist, I quickly found Mark Brooks in Artist Alley. He does the art chores on Marvel's Amazing Fantasy. I am impressed by his ability to dynamically portray his figures as if they are in motion. These characters jump off of the pages. Even if the character is standing, he makes the effort to pose them in a way that reinforces the character's attitude. I plan on picking up some issues of Amazing Fantasy after seeing more of his portfolio.
Next, I paid a visit to Joe Phillips. He creates covers and interior work for the young gay male themed magazine Xodus. I got a copy of the magazine signed after learning about the magazine through my freelance work with the men's fashion designer Sergio Davila. Sergio will be featured next month in the magazine and I thought it would be fun to have a signed copy at the store. Joe was very sweet and was asked by another fan if he was going to be at one of the gay panels. Joe quickly replied he was not invited. Therefore, I decided to pay a visit myself.
Honestly, the Crossfire 3 panel was very easy going and relaxed. They were all very motivated to get their gay and lesbian themes out there without disturbing their mainstream audience and editors too much. This does not mean they are holding back from bringing gay situations to mainstream comics, they know from experience adding drag queens and outing characters as gay is not going to go over an editor easily. It was good to hear from some of them that they were beyond proposing typical gay bashing themes and really strive to portray life situations of gay characters. Overall, they are making progress and will continue to as long as editors allow gay dynamics spill into the mainstream.
On Saturday, I finished up seeing the creative people I had met in past years and made a few new contacts. I bought five t-shirts for friends and myself. I found eye catching shirts from Haiku 5-7-5, Eyesuck Ink, Joshua Ellingson, and Gris Grimly. I ended the show by shadowing some friends as they looked at fantasy art before cutting the day short because I had worn myself out seeing The Crystal Method and Paul Oakenfold at 4th And B the night before. Thanks to the organizers and industry for creating an amazing experience. I'll be sorting through these postcards and business cards until the next convention.
|