In a taxi speeding down Interstate 5 on Friday night during Comic-Con 2007, I looked out the window to see fireworks exploding over the water. It was unusual in that I couldn’t recall ever watching fireworks while in motion before. It was an unexpected moment of serenity. For one moment I could forget about all the things that went wrong on this highly anticipated vacation and just lose myself in this simple spectacle. Would that the moment were less fleeting.

For the past few days, you’ve read all my complaints about the ways in which my Comic-Con debut sucked: the flight, the hostel-to-hotel transition, the San Diego transit system (such as it is), the size of Comic-Con itself, etc. I’ve gone to cons where I’ve had bad experiences before, but never to such an extent. I wasn’t kidding about the crowd-phobia I felt, which I also had a little bit of at both New York Comic-Cons (especially last year). Something about being around so many people at once is unsettling to me, and I think this is a more recent phenomena that has nothing to do with comics conventions. By Saturday I was able to get it more under control, but then, I wasn’t on the exhibit floor nearly as much on Saturday. And while I did hang out with friends both during and after each day, there were moments where I still felt alone. I can’t explain it. Top all of this off with a general lack of sleep (if I only had a dollar for the number of times people said to me how tired I looked) and a nagging toothache, and I can’t honestly say I had a great time this weekend.

And yet there were moments that I wouldn’t have traded for anything. I can’t begin to tell you how glad I was to have finally met and hung out with Pam, for instance. She’s been a supporter of this blog practically since its inception and has provided me with more advice, insight and help than anyone (with the exceptions of Jon and Guy here at PCS). As a Glyphs Comics Award judge, she threw herself into the task with fervor, and she’s graciously agreed to write a guest article for an upcoming issue of UVC. I was hoping I wouldn’t be a disappointment to her when we met, but nothing could be further from the truth… although I probably should’ve warned her when she let me crash at her hotel room that I snore. Maybe then she wouldn’t have had to throw pillows across the room at me all night long. But that’s another story.

Even though animation isn’t exactly my area of expertise, it always sounds so much more fascinating when I hear Jen talk about it. And every time we get to talking, one topic leads into another, and another, and before you know it it’s almost midnight. She and her friends provided a welcome distraction indeed from the con. And the hospitality provided by the Antidote Trust crew at their dynamite booth, which included giving away copies of UVC all weekend, could not have been more accommodating.

Would I choose to come back next year? I told everyone I wouldn’t rule it out, even though a part of me would just as soon avoid it altogether, especially since this show has apparently broken attendance records. Still, though, next year I would presumably be smarter about the whole thing (as would Ron, if he decides to send me out there again). And San Diego is a beautiful city. One nice thing about staying out in the sticks was getting to see the panorama of the seaside landscape on the drive into the downtown area.

I dunno. Ask me in December.

But at least I can say I’ve been to Comic-Con now. And surely that’s worth something.

Related posts

• No related posts.