Day 2 Denver Comic Con by Gabe

Day Two Son – More of Denver Comic-Con
By Gabe Llanas @xraystyle
Rolling into the house after midnight. Exhausted, ready for sleep, but not finished yet. I sit in front of the computer (much like I’m doing right now), and pound out yesterday’s round up article. Finished I send it to Juan. I stumble back up the stairs. I crash into bed, and my alarm is going off.
The typical Team LLanas mayhem is in force. Kids are waking up, a milk run is required, Juan will be here at any moment, showers still need to happen, Mel and Ashton are with me on the floor today and they are trying to get ready with as minimal level of hassle as possible (no cosplays today at least). Juan is pulling up and we are out the door on the way to Denver.
From the moment I wake up, my phone is dinging and buzzing with people trying to talk to me about all sorts of random shit that is happening today, and tomorrow. I have to put it all on hold to get some notes taken down. My mind isn’t fresh, and it seems like every word that I write is a struggle to think through. I should utilize the trip to take a nap, but I’m so excited for the coming day that there is no settling down.
Getting to the convention center we park in the garage and head down the stairs to the street. Walking around the whole building chews up a bunch of time, and a line has formed even for the media and the exhibitors, but it is moving quickly. Our first interview is at 9am and we are again cutting it pretty close to the wire (would we have it any other way). Line moves, bags are checked and we are moving. We get to the escalators up to the exhibit hall and the staff stops us. “Media can’t go up until 10 today,” the guy says. I have a minor shit fit because I have and interview at 9am and it is two till nine, and the interview is just a few seconds of walking past the elevator. A badged guest is told she can’t go up either. It is quickly becoming an issue. The staffer can’t get his boss to tell him what to do, and then by chance a programing director happens by and I ask him if we can go up.
“Media can go up at nine,” he says, and I’m on my way up the escalator before the sentence is out of his mouth.
A bee line to the Stranger Comics booth, to talk with Sebastian about his epic fantasy world. These books are works of art, the first in the series, a book called The Untamed, took ten years to paint. Covers from Jae Lee, and interior art that is just stunning grace the covers of Naiobe. This isn’t just sword and sorcery fantasy, the is high fantasy that scratches a few itches.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Next we have some author interviews (which ended up being at odd times due to more convention confusion). The first with John Stith is all about science fiction, and the ways in which it can reflect our would. Holding a mirror up to humanity and society. I expressed my long desire for there to be an alien invasion to bring humanity together. Wendy Terrian has created a world where cryptozoological beasts live and are in hiding due to a barrier that makes them difficult for us to see (like the Predator). Evil wishes to tear down that barrier and unleash creatures that go bump in the night on the world. Born of a chance television encounter with the concept of a Chupacabra, this book series promises to bring thrills and excitement.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I was on my way down to the Coast City Room again, to host another panel on Diversity in Comics. This one featured, Crystal Skillman, Christina Blanch, Mark Morales, and Jennie Breeden. This was a slightly less contentions panel than the last Diversity in comics panel was, but the discussion was just as lively. With a lot of wisdom around how diversity should and can be handled better by the bigger comic book companies, and the way to use indie comics as a vehicle for change in the industry.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I then went and had a one on one interview with Alitha Martinez. Long time listeners of the show will know that I tend to get emotional quite easily. This interview struck some chords with me, and maintaining the emotion just wasn’t there today. The woman’s passion, her fire, her focus for writing and art is staggering and contagious. When the episodes come out, if there is a single one you don’t want to miss, it is the one that has this interview in.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The rest of the day I spent time with Aston walking the floor, and interviews many people in Artist’s Alley. A lot more than I can think to name, but you will hear all about it when you check out the Denver Comic Con episodes of the show.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I can’t wait until tomorrow.
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More reports from the floor tomorrow. And then it is back to real life.