That's me interviewing Disney Legend Floyd Norman on Saturday at the San Diego Comic Fest…a different kind of comic book convention in San Diego but a very enjoyable one, nonetheless. Enjoyable for me, anyway. If you go to Comic-Con just to see movie stars and hear about next year's movies and to shop the giant Dealers' Room, you might have been lost at this intimate gathering which was just about comic books, especially older comic books. I love The Big One in July but for a guy like me, there's a lot of fun in just hanging around for a few days with folks of my generation, talking about how comics used to be.
Which is what I did. This was a small con in a small space with a small array of dealers (some of whom had very small prices) and a small guest list and I sure wasn't bored. I don't think anyone was.
The theme of the con was Jack Kirby, who would have turned 100 this August. On Facebook, I saw someone say that this con took us back to the days of the other San Diego Con, when you could sit by the pool in the evening and talk with Jack. I didn't check the pool at the hotel but I don't think he was there. They did though have three people who worked with Jack — myself, my then-partner Steve Sherman and Jack's favorite inker, Mike Royer. We did a number of panels about him and there were others. Attendees seemed quite happy.
The convention, by the way, concludes today. I had to get home. I kinda wish I was back there instead of back here.