Fanboy Moment at C2E2

Me and Tony Moore!

Finally catching my breath (well, not really but getting some momentum going in the studio anyway) after attending C2E2 this past weekend. These conventions are always crazy and I end up chained to my table doing drawings all day for people and not getting much of a chance to walk around. That’s what I’m there for, so I don’t mind that at all but I do sometimes wish I could walk around a bit and see more than just my immediate area. I can only imagine what it must be like for the really big name comic book artists and writers at a convention like that. I sat at a table next to Dan Jurgens, whom I know from being a fellow Twin Cities native, and that poor guy had to specify times that he would draw and times he would sign comics, and then spend a great deal of time being patient with people who didn’t understand why that was necessary. To be fair, MOST people did understand and were very respectful… but a few were not. He handled it very well, as he is a real pro.

Because I don’t get to walk about much, I seldom get to see folks I would love to meet and chat with unless they happen by my booth and say hello. I saw a number of people I knew both in the industry and a few old pals from my Chicago Six Flags days and also NOW Comics, which is always fun. I was especially happy to have gotten to talk with one of my favorite humorous cartoonists/comic book artists Hilary Barta. I’ve been a big fan of his since his Marvel “What The-??” days. I love meeting and talking with fellow cartoonists. Sadly I am not very active in reading comics these days, and only pick up occasional stuff that catches my eye here and there, so I am shamefully unaware of the work of some incredible modern comic book artists. Boo to me, but it is also fun to discover that kind of thing at these conventions.

I did have one major fanboy moment at C2E2. I’m sitting at my booth drawing and this guy with an exhibitor badge comes up holding a couple of art prints. He introduces himself as Tony Moore and hands me the prints as a gift, already signed to me. I say thanks and start asking him about his work as I look over the art he gave me. They are really REALLY good, and look familiar to me although I don’t recognize the subject matter. Then he mentions “The Walking Dead” and it suddenly clicks to me. Tony Moore…the original artist on¬¨‚ĆThe Walking Dead comics! No wonder that art looked familiar, I have his Walking Dead Vol. 1 graphic novel “Days Gone Bye” sitting next to my drawing board RIGHT NOW as I have been working on a zombie spoof comic project for the last few weeks and his is one of the books I am looking at for inspiration. I LOVE those books and his art in them. I can truly say I am a big fan of his, and here he was at my booth giving me a couple of prints and telling me how big of a fan he was of MY work!

I have to say I geeked out a bit. He asked me to do a commission for him of Alfred in a Wally Wood E.C. spacesuit, which I somewhat nervously did. I was so rattled I didn’t even reciprocate the free prints with copies of my Holmes print for him. D’oh! At least I refused to take anything for the Alfred drawing… Anyway, that was the coolest thing that happened to me at C2E2.