geardrops [blog]

I realized I needed a wrap-up post for Comic-Con. Because you care, and I care that you care, and you care that I care.

The problem with Bill Willingham is that he wants more readers, just not you. He made this abundantly clear by wasting easily a fourth of the Fables panel mocking the television-viewers in the room, instead of talking about Fables-related things. Sir, I understand you’re bitter that the line to 6DE wrapped thrice on itself solely because of Venture Brothers and nothing to do with yourselves, but it’s not very classy when you let it hang out like that.

9 looks promising. District 9 will either be amazing or shit.

Doc Hammer cannot seem to remember that the room might be populated with those under the age of eighteen, even when reminded.

Audience Member: I just wanted to start off by saying, Mr Publick, I’m sorry for trying to lure you to my hotel room last night.

Jackson Publick: Were you?

Audience Member: You were pretty drunk.

Doc Hammer: Wait, where the hell was I when this happened?

Jackson Publick: Probably drunk too.

Doc Hammer: [to audience member] Damnit, why didn’t you ask me? I could have been waking up in your tub right now.

This only got worse as the panel continued…

Audience Member 2: Just wanna start by saying I love you guys…

Doc Hammer: And I love you. Let’s go back to your hotel room. Can we get that first guy involved? The one with the glasses? You and I can do a high-five over him.

James Urbaniak: So I just noticed… on the back of these little nameplates, it says: “Please be aware that some of your audience members might be under the age of eighteen, and that you are advised to keep the content of your panel appropriate for this audience.”

Doc Hammer: … [staring at this second audience member] … [realizes he looks a little young] …

Jackson Publick: You know what we should be talking about? Vegetables.

Doc Hammer: Yeah! And when I say ‘get it up and keep it up’ I mean your grades.

This was some of the milder stuff. My hobby during this was to watch Keith Crofford simply react.

Watchmen was fun, if for no other reason than Zack Snyder wound up accidentally hosting a food drive simply from being asked if he preferred smooth or crunchy peanut butter (so you do not freak out, I believe the answer was smooth). An audience member cried out that he must have jelly, to which he replied: “I don’t want any jelly that could possibly have come from this audience.”

In the end, a good time was had by all. And I received an ARC of THE CHILD THIEF, which is great so far. Was pretty sold on THE MAZE RUNNER but, alas, no ARC to be had.

So I’m writing this from Matt’s laptop, a MSI, which is saving me from doing this on a phone. Which I would have. Growing briefly accustomed to the fact that the backspace key is not broken and I do not have to shift-highlight to edit. I feel somewhat spoiled.

I shall be brief.

If you’ve been following twitter, you’ve seen the bulk of my escapades.

Got to con far too early, and wound up demanding an Amp, lest I die. I had intended to go to things which would benefit me as a writer but I only did one thing. Still, it was good. Holly Black was there, and far more animated than I ever expected her to be. Good advice from that panel to come later, but the best quote was, “The war didn’t make me crazy, it just confirmed all my worst fears.”

The Dr Parnassus panel was incredible. I can’t speak on it, because words fall flat. I feel like this is going to be Terry Gilliam when confronted with a budget.

Currently hanging out with guildies. You’ve seen the effects of this. The video is myself and a guildmate, Squibbie, singing in the gnome voice. You have been forewarned.

One of the better quotes of the evening: “A true pacifist inventor does not create a death ray, even in their sleep.”

Perhaps more tomorrow. Oh, and I’ve managed to write another 1400 words of Runner, bringing me up to 56.5K. Wonder if I can beat 60K by the end of con. We shall see.

As per the usual summer activities, I will be attending ComicCon. The schedule has (finally) been released, and the time has come for me to parse through and find what it is I wish to peruse.

Thursday

• 10:30-11:30 Science Fiction That Will Change Your Life ]Room 8]
• 12:30-1:30 Richard Hatch: Battlestar Retrospective [Room 6A]
• 1:30-2:30 Avatars, Icons, and Antiheroes [Room 7AB]
• 3:30-4:30 Evolution of Fantasy [Room 3]
• 4:30-5:15 Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus [Hall H]
• 8:00-10:00 Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog [Room 6A]

Room 6A for Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog? Fucking Room 6A? Seriously, ComicCon, didn’t you learn from last year when you had to open up THREE MORE ROOMS to accommodate everybody? And had to cancel the PANEL because there wasn’t ROOM? Just leave Ballroom 20 open, you will fill it, believe me.

Friday

• 10:30-11:30 Coraline [Room 6A]
• 3:45-5:00 Sony Pictures Entertainment: Legion and District 9 [Hall H]
• 4:45-5:45 The Mighty Boosh [Room 6A]
• 10:00p-Midnight Spike and Mike Double Feature [Room 6BCF]

And Coraline in 6A. Really, organizers. Do you want to piss people off? Guarantee that they will be turning people away for this panel.

Saturday

• 1:00-2:00 SteamPunk Meet-Up! [Room 24 A]
• 2:45-3:45 Sony Pictures: Zombieland and 2012 [Hall H]
• 3:30-4:30 Spotlight on Ray Bradbury [Room 6BCF]
• 3:30-4:30 SLG Publishing [Room 10]
• 6:00-7:15 Adult Swim Development: The Venture Bros. Panel [Room 6A]
• 8:30-12:15 Watchmen: Director’s Cut [Room 6BCF]

Sunday

• 3:00-4:00 Full-time Creative Work on a Part-time Schedule [32 AB]

Of course, there are overlapping times, and I probably won’t make it to everything I want to go to. But we shall see.

I haven’t blogged about a fat stack of things that have happened to me in the past few weeks.

One: I went to ComicCon. I have to report on the Watchmen panel, though I’m sure everybody’s been saturated with this shit as it is. Still, some funny moments sprang from there.

Two: I had some major deadlines at work. I mean, major. This-Will-Go-On-Your-Permanent-Record major. I demoed my new feature, and I nearly killed myself with stress finishing it due to technological difficulties. Swear to God, if it ain’t one thing, it’s another.

Three: Saw The Faint in concert again. New album is out. I have to make some comments about that.

Four: I’M BUYING A MOTHERFUCKING CONDO.

My offer was accepted yesterday. Signed the final paperwork today. Contingencies end on the 17th, escrow closes on September 4th. I may be “sick” on the 5th.

I’ll eventually blog in detail about these things. But this is just a bump to say I ain’t dead, bitches.

Though progress on my second book has all but come to a halt. I’m scribbling down my page-a-day for things that aren’t the book, but they’re all going straight to the trash. Loose ends that amount to nothing.

I want to go home and rest. But tonight I fly to southern California for my godson’s birthday.

(Have I ever mentioned the terrifying fact that I have been entrusted with the spiritual upbringing of a child? I’ll let that sink in.)