by Ken Davis » Sun Feb 22, 2015 11:14 am
I went to the '93 SDCC, with Carbunkle Cartoons, while we were working on Baby Huey. It was an overwhelming event then and I'm certain it's even more overwhelming now. Even with a industry pass it was nuts getting in--even back then. Took over 2 hrs to navigate the convention floor ONCE.
But there really is nothing like it, and the amount of money in that room is scary.
When I went, Image was just starting up. Rob Lefield had his full-sized mock-up of the Youngblood space-ship on the foor--full-sized. Todd McFarlane was just launching Spawn toys, and had a huge booth with TV monitors running all along the top.
I stopped to watch the start of the looped "first" commercial: Smoke effects generators running on screen, Todd comes out of the smoke wearing a leather jacket, speaks to the camera ( with a bit of a lisp): " Hello boyths and girls, I'm Todd McFarlane and this ith THPAWN!!!!"
God help me, I just about lost it. About 2 dozen other people around me were giggling, laughing uncontrollably...
I was collared at the Penthouse Comics booth by some large fellow, who called me out because I was wearing a Carbunkle Baby Huey t-shirt. I spent a half-hour easy talking to him, and a stunningly gorgeous woman ( who MAY have been a Penthouse pet) who asked me to contribute work to the magazine--I had to decline because I was committed to Carbunkle at the time. Seriously, the calibre of talent working for Penthouse Comics was waaaaaaaaaaaaay out of my league, then or now.
Later got to chat at length with Gene Colan and Gil Kane in the artists area--the guys were left alone by almost everyone. Only a couple people went up to chat with them. They both gave me some heart-to-heart advice on being a cartoonist, that I've never forgotten.
SDCC is an event that, I think, every fan has to visit at least once--like a pilgrimage to Mecca. It is a assault on the senses, total 100% over-whelm at every level........a tsunami of geekery. But there's nothing else like it.