My big surprise at the Toronto Fan Expo

The Toronto Fan Expo had something on its opening day that I'm not used to in the convention circuits - a nine o'clock closing time. Because it started late in the afternoon, closing in the evening hours certainly made sense. However, I took my time getting down on that first day (and had some trouble getting in), so I only intended to scout the location and plan what I'd do the following day. By the time I was through the doors, I had only 1.5 hours to look around.

I went straight to Artist's Alley to see who might be sequestered there. After seeing how San Diego's Artist's Alley had a superstar lineup, Toronto was more like what I'm used to in Calgary - locals and small talent. So, I went up the first row glancing at names then came down the second.

There, at the end of that row was a table covered in Rex Libris merchandise. Behind the table sat a bald, bearded man. He noticed the Ordo Bibliotheca t-shirt I was wearing and complimented it. "Are you James Turner?" I asked. "I am." he replied.

James Turner's Rex Libris was one of my favorite reading experiences. The "librarian hero" gimmick caught my eye, but Turner's humourous scripts held me as a customer through all 14 issues and encouraged me to try his Warlord of Io and Other Stories.

I knew that Turner was from the area, but the convention's website made no mention of his presence. I thought the listings included guests at Artist's Alley, but no, for there he was.

And what a bounty he had at his table! Magnets, buttons, an Ordo Bibliotheca official membership book...and the unpublished 2nd Warlord of Io story! Wait, unpublished? Yeah, except for the ten copies Turner printed himself. Now, one of them is mine.

But then the realization hit me; I had no money! I had spent the last of my cash on Toronto's subway! I spirited away for the nearest cash machine which was, thankfully, very near, and returned to collect the products.

But more importantly, I was able to speak with James Turner. I was finally able to express how much I enjoyed Rex Libris, what I thought of Warlord of Io, and made all manner of comments on his artwork, SLG's online store, the direct market, advertising and a host of other concerns. And I showed him my profile picture used in my Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe bio (the one I use as my online avatar).

More about the Warlord of Io comic later; for now, I'm simply pleased to recall my meeting with Turner. Mark Gruenwald once advised readers not to seek out creators they admire - "once you find out the guy's a slob in real life, how can you not let that color your impression of his work?" James Turner is no slob.

Peter Briggs

On the exhibit floor of San Diego Comic Con 2009 there were many (too many) booths set up to promote movies, television programs and video games, often interfering with the traffic around the comic book booths. You know, comic books. The thing one would expect to find at Comic Con.

So, I wasn't really at San Diego to be saddled up with promo cards or glimpse celebrities. I had my list of people to see and products to locate and I didn't make space for the Hollywood side of the business.

But...it's not as though I was against wandering the floors. I only ever passed the video/movie/tv booths on my way to a comic booth, but I spent a fair amount of time walking through the comic book areas, looking around aimlessly.

That's how Peter Briggs caught my eye. He grabbed me with a question: "Did you like Hellboy?" referring to the 2004 motion picture. In fact, I did like that movie a lot. "Well, I wrote it." was his response. So I moved in and started talking to him, telling him how I appreciated the movie, especially as I hadn't read any Hellboy comics prior to the film.

Briggs was there to promote his upcoming film Mortis Rex and had a numbered supply of promotional posters to hand out. He autographed it as he passed it to me; he did the same for everyone who stopped for a poster. But, here's the thing: he stopped to talk with me first and asked questions about me, rather than making a hard sell for his picture. I was especially floored when he asked "Michael, have you ever thought about writing for the movies?"

A lot of talent at conventions find the daily grind overwhelming; some keep to themselves and have to be drawn out by their visitors. Many squeeze in work during their convention time, especially the artists. Some have so many priorities that they don't have time to chat, they need to move on. I appreciate that (I've worked the other side of the table after all), but the convention encounters I recall most fondly are those from lively, animated guests. By engaging me as a person, Briggs ensured that I would remember the encounter; by learning about me and personalizing his autograph, he made his promotional poster into an item I treasure. I enjoyed my brief time with Briggs so much that I returned the following day with my cousin so that he could collect a poster.

I found that Briggs actually has an interesting resume, made up of screenplays with natural appeal to the "geek" crowd. Unfortunately, with the exception of Hellboy his scripts (Aliens vs. Predator, Judge Dredd, Highlander: The Source) were not the final drafts; some of them were jettisoned entirely. If Hellboy is typical of his strengths as a writer, then it's certainly a pity.

It's also good to know that Mortis Rex is on its way. What's it about? Well, if I tell you it's about Roman soldiers fighting giant monsters you should know if it's up your alley or not. Check out the website.

Meeting Jim Steranko

Paraphrased from an actual event.

6:45 PM, Saturday day night of the San Diego Comic Con. The exhibit hall was getting ready to shut down and I was wandering aimlessly, trying to figure out my evening plans. Wandering through the booths I saw a table with four men seated behind it and no one standing opposite. A sign on the table read "STERANKO."

I paused. Jim Steranko? I hadn't planned on meeting him. Was he really there? Why wasn't there a line-up? What was this table? What on Earth could I ask him to sign? I moved closer to the table and examined their products, hoping to find something to buy. It was the table of Vanguard publications and as I made my selection (a print of the Shadow slightly larger than a postcard; has there ever been a better Shadow artist than Steranko?), another fan stepped up to have Steranko autograph his Nick Furys.

As I watched Steranko sign the books I saw that he used a black Sharpie and that it was his only autograph pen. The Shadow card had heavy black areas on it. I pulled out my silver Sharpie from my bag, the same Sharpie I'd used to autograph handbooks at my occasional signings.

I should mention that I try not to bring up my status as a Marvel handbook writer when I meet creators. Often, I don't see why they should care unless we've had prior communication. Unless I see an opening to mention it in conversation, it doesn't come up.

When my turn came I offered the silver Sharpie to Steranko. He took it up happily and as he wrote he remarked "it works great." I replied that it was my autograph pen - that I wrote for the Marvel handbooks. I also complimented him on his Nick Fury work.

As Steranko finished up the signature he didn't let the mention of Marvel pass him by. He had a story to tell. By now, another fan had appeared to seek an autograph. He asked the new arrival, "Do you mind hearing a very sad story?" The fan replied, "No, I would love to hear it." A pause. "That came out wrong."

Steranko told me about a conversation he had with Marvel Licensing. He had called them up to see if they would be interested in helping the Jack Kirby Estate. The response? "Who's Jack Kirby?" Then Steranko remembered, "First I told them who I was and they didn't know me. But then they didn't know Kirby either. Now, I'm a minor architect in Marvel's history, but Kirby? They didn't know him."

It was indeed a sad story, but I feared that by identifying myself as a Marvel employee, I may have given him the wrong impression. "Well, that's Marvel Licensing," I replied, "I have nothing to do with the office - I'm just a freelancer."

Steranko began another story. By now, more fans had begun to gather, each hanging on his every word. He pointed out the recent return of Captain America, a character he had drawn in the past in one of the all-time best-regarded Captain America stories. "But no one asked me to be involved."

Steranko wanted to be involved? I wished the editors had known this. "Yes, they had a few past Captain America creators involved - Roger Stern, Mark Waid, Joe Simon --"

"...Yeah, and Joe's a friend of mine. But no one asked me."

All I could voice was an observation: "They must not have realized you wanted to be involved."

He went on. "I have a painting of Captain America which no one has ever seen. It's not finished yet, but it is the most perfect portrait of Captain America. Now, much of my work has been homaged..."

"Delicately put." I interjected.

"...Or, shall I say, ripped off." he continued. "And once this painting gets out, it will be ripped off by everyone because it captures the character perfectly. Now, Michael," he pressed his finger into my chest. "This painting would make you cry. Because it is that beautiful."

I couldn't mouth much more than "I believe you." and expressed a desire to see the painting.

I won't forget this conversation soon. And I certainly do look for the day when the painting is completed and released.

My hero, Ron Lim

Ron Lim has been one of my favorite artists for a very long time. I've followed his work on books including Psi-Force, Silver Surfer, Captain America, Spider-Man Unlimited, Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, Infinity Crusade, J2, Wild Thing, Avengers Next, Fantastic Five, Cable/Deadpool and Skaar: Son of Hulk. It was a definite pleasure to have Lim's art grace the cover of the Marvel Legacy: the 1990s Handbook our crew put together a while back and when we wound up with extra money in the budget for last year's All-New Iron Manual, I was thrilled when my editor suggested Ron Lim for additional character art.

San Diego International Comic Con 2009 means many things to me; one of them is that I finally met Lim in person. I introduced myself as the head writer of the Iron Manual book and he said he was glad to meet a collaborator. Do you know what that means to me?

Well, my good friend and co-writer on the handbooks Mike Fichera certainly doesn't. Somehow, the allure of Lim's work has evaded him. In fact, he often lashes out against Lim's art. Mike is a brilliant engineer, fine writer and a decent artist in his own right, but his one failing as a human being is his hard-hearted assessment of Lim's ability.

I chatted up Lim about his past work. He mentioned how pleased he was to draw the Silver Surfer again recently in the pages of Skaar and I opined he drew him as brilliantly as in the 90s. I brought up the Infinity Gauntlet and Infinity War and Lim beat me to the punch by recalling how little he cared for the third installment Infinity Crusade; he said it wasn't his best art and didn't pretend to understand what the story was about; that spared me from having to bring it up. I brought a copy of X-Men 2099#1 for him to sign and he was visibly delighted to see it. When I brought up Nightwatch he laughed at the memories it drudged up, telling me how painful it was; I asked him about the alteration to the character's costume on Nightwatch#1's cover and wondered if it had to do with Todd McFarlane's lawyers, but Lim didn't recall the circumstances.

Speaking of McFarlane, I told Lim how back in the day when McFarlane, Liefeld and Lee were considered the greatest talents of the industry, he was the greatest in my eyes. He laughed at that, but it was true - as a teenager, I considered him a superstar easily the equal (or better) of the Image founders.

Lim offered me a free sketch; who could I choose but Captain America, the hero whose book was my first regular exposure to Lim's art. When I came to pick up the art I reminded Lim that he had made his debut on the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition back in the 80s; I mentioned it as a bridge to my own work and he thought that was neat. Although I only meant to visit SDCC once in my lifetime, Lim did his best to persuade me to return; I think he could tell I was having a great time.

Lim's next project will be a Hercules mini-series alongside Bob Layton. I will be there. Mike Fichera will be out drowning kittens.

My San Diego Comic Con experience

I'll have a few other things to blog about the con, but as my first time to see SDCC, I was awfully happy; from the Thursday to the Saturday, each day seemed to be better than the previous. My personal highlights were:

Thursday

• Collected some autographs from Brent Anderson and Bill Sienkiewicz!
• I met Ron Lim; more about that in a later post.
• I bought a copy of Stan Freberg's autobiography, It Only Hurts When I Laugh. I had tried to buy it off amazon.ca last month but Amazon cancelled the order after two weeks after deciding it wasn't in stock after all. Thank goodness it worked out this way because it meant I could get it autographed by Freberg himself!
• I had Scott Kolins & Aaron Lopresti autograph the Marvel handbooks they'd done covers for.
• I attended the Marvel: X-Men panel which was okay.
• I attended the Gold & Silver Age Creator panel which was very interesting but the guests had to be constantly reminded to speak into the microphones; when I could hear them, I heard some interesting tales. Jerry Robinson carried himself nicely.
• I attended a panel on Graphic Novels in Libraries which turned out to be different than what was on the label. It was a panel about using graphic novels in library programming which was a little interesting but not relevant to my own work.

Friday

• Visited Steve Lieber to collect an ashcan of Underground#1; luckily Jeff Parker had blogged about it.
• I met two posters I knew from the comicboards.com message boards: Rad Chipmunk & Evil G:DR.
• I also met Chad Anderson, one of my co-writers from the handbooks. It turns out that he's a terrific being in person and we had a great time visiting.
• The That 70's Panel was one of the best panels of the weekend; I knew I wouldn't be able to attend Doug Moench's own panel the following day so it meant a lot to me to see him in person and witness how quick-witted he was; he and Marv Wolfman dominated a fair bit of the panel with their lively recollections and at one point Moench brought down the house with two words: "Jim Shooter." Gene Colan was late arriving but it was nice to see the enthusiastic response he elicited from the crowd.
• I attended the Cup o' Joe panel which had that neat Marvelman news, though no one seems sure how big the news really is.
• I wanted to attend the Rifftrax panel but the line was ridiculous; disheartened, I walked into another hall just to sit down and found myself attending a Peter Jackson/James Cameron panel. How does that figure?
• The Eisner Awards were not exactly the Academy Awards in terms of spectacle, but I was pleased to see several of my picks win and Jeff Smith & Terry Moore were great presenters. The highlight of the evening was easily Russ Heath accepting his induction to the Eisner Hall of Fame by saying (paraphrased): "I'm glad to be alive to accept this." With just those words he got off the stage to a thunderous standing ovation.

Saturday

• I went to Russ Heath to congratulate him on his award; he was perplexed at the response to his "speech" the previous evening but recalled one person telling him it was memorable because it was short and funny. I bought a print from him.
• I went to the Marvel: Dark Reign panel and met up with Rad, G:DR, Chad and another handbook writer, Anthony Flamini. This worked out brilliantly and allowed Anthony, Chad and I to dish on the handbook experience with each other over lunch later. The panel itself was overshadowed by a single young fan, Christian, who won our hearts and minds by flooring Quesada with statements like as "Norman Osborn, you're not the man--Obama is!"
• I went to the Ray Bradbury panel and ducked in on the last minutes of the Green Lantern panel to ensure I had a seat. Geoff Johns closed the Green Lantern panel by leading the audience in the Green Lantern oath. It turns out, I know it by heart. This may not sound like a big deal coming from a huge comic book fan, but as someone with maybe two Green Lantern comics in my possession, it did surprise me.
• Ray Bradbury was simply wonderful; he didn't say much (his agent did most of the talking), but I hung on each of his words. His passion for life and art amazed me.
• Bradbury was followed immediately by the Human Target panel which included a preview of the show's pilot. It's not bad, but Jackie Earle Haley is too interesting to be a minor character and it can't be good that so many people like him more than the star. The same room held the special Watchmen: Director's Cut about 2 hours later. About the only way I could have seen it would have been to stay in the room but I forfeited it so that I could catch up with people on the exhibit floor. And so...
• With only minutes left in the day I met Jim Steranko. More on this later.

Overall, I had considered SDCC to be something I should do once in my life but the experience had me pondering a return visit. There was no doubt in Ron Lim's mind: "You'll be back." he said repeatedly. Time will tell.

Looking one weekend back: the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo

The 2009 Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo was the best experience I've had as a guest thus far. I spent the weekend stationed at Another Dimension's booth. Also in attendance there were Riley Rossmo & Dave Casey of Proof and Fiona Staples of Wildstorm briefly joined us on the first day.

The advantages to signing at Another Dimension were many. For one, it placed me nearer to the crowds as they pressed their way through, often stopping for something from Another Dimension's wares and discovering me by chance. Second, it provided me with a crowd of people (there were about ten of us at Another Dimension at most) to converse and pass the time with during the slower moments. Third, Another Dimension provided me with food and that's the way to a man's heart.

I, in turn, was good to them. They provided some shelves of Marvel books I had written and did my best to sell them to passerbys. Although I had a stock of my own books to sell, I often helped people find items which I knew Another Dimension had in stock which really pleased them.

A few of my friends came by; a few mutual friends appeared as well. The most memorable person to visit my table was a boy who identified so strongly with Iron Man that he would claim to be Iron Man. He did share his real name with me, but I was sworn to secrecy.

In all I signed 29 copies of my books. I also signed 2 copies of the convention sketchbook even though I had nothing to do with it.

After completing one sketch of Proof Riley asked me, "How's your lettering?" I replied, "I've never lettered." He returned with, "How's your printing?" I admitted that I could print and he had me provide a speech balloon for the sketch.

I made a little time to see a few guests whose work really mattered to me; I collected autographs from Bryan Lee O'Malley, Michael Golden and Sergio Aragones. I didn't intend to spend much time or money on product at the show, but the crowd at Another Dimension - particularly Riley - spurred me on as we started informal competitions to see who could find the most interesting/rare comics at the lowest prices. At one point, I unearthed a copy of DC Special#5, an all-Joe Kubert book. When Riley saw it he reached out and grabbed it, creating a brief tug-of-war! It was like something from a sitcom, but Riley relented in my favour (I later gave it to him as a gift). I also bought a page of Riley's Proof art when I saw it had the Ink Monkey; Ink Monkey is my favorite Proof character. I also received a Robocop on a Unicorn sketch from Dave.

After each day's work I joined the Another Dimension crowd for dinner/drinks, a relaxing way to close each evening.

My Five Day Roadtrip: To Seattle and Back Again

DAY ONE

- In the morning I rose, dressed and packed my only travel bag. Realizing that I probably wouldn't have lunch and needing to eliminate food which would otherwise spoil, I took in a large breakfast. I left the house to catch a bus to Edmonton.

- On the way to the bus I made a brief excursion to look for shoes; all of my sneakers had been worn out and discarded and I realized that my boots would be too much for traveling around Seattle. However, the store I visited had nothing to interest me.

- I caught the Red Arrow bus to Edmonton. Red Arrow remains the superior bus between Calgary and Edmonton; I can't believe that Greyhound hasn't got an express.

- I was received in Edmonton by Olav, who was providing his car for the roadtrip. Olav brought his Calgary Flames jersey along, even though we planned to stop in Vancouver. After gathering Earl, the third member of our entourage, we departed from Edmonton.

- It was a long drive that evening. During the trip, the "check engine" light came on in the car, even though Olav had left the car with the mechanic before the trip. Unable to find any clue to the problem and not experiencing any unusual performance, we carried on. Had supper at A&W's.

- We arrived in Kamloops and stopped at a hotel for the night.

DAY TWO

- Departed Kamloops in the morning and headed for Vancouver. We didn't stop for breakfast so I made do with a muffin from a gas station

- Delayed while entering the city when an accident tied up traffic. When we passed the scene of the accident, I was stunned to see that one of the cars was a blackened, smoldering wreck.

- Went to meet Olav's friend Nathan for lunch. Nathan was attending a Stargate convention in Vancouver and Olav thought it might be funny to attend the convention. When we learned it was $200 at the door, we thought better of it.

- By now, Olav's Flames jersey was winning him some colorful remarks (and occasional warnings) from the locals. We met Nathan at a Red Robin's for lunch. When Calgary had a Red Robin's I frequented it often with Craig; I was amazed to find that the franchise still existed on the west coast. It was a good thing I had a harty meal because we didn't have supper that night.

- Earl & I dropped Olav off to visit some relatives, leaving the two of us with the car. We tried our best to navigate the city and finally found a mall where I bought two pairs of sneakers. With plenty of time to kill, Earl offered to treat me to the film Fast & Furious. Since he was paying, I accepted.

- We met up with Olav again in the evening. I was ashamed to admit I had gone to see Fast & Furious and was evasive about what we had been up to. When Olav noticed that the "check engine" light had gone off, he assumed that Earl and I had done something to the car, possibly taken it to a garage. Earl and I played along with this idea, neither confirming nor denying Olav's assumptions. This would later prove to be a BAD IDEA.

- We decided to continue on to Seattle that night, but getting out of Vancouver and on to the correct highway was a lengthy and difficult task. We experienced no problems crossing the border, but Olav tired out before we could reach Seattle; we stopped at a hotel 30 minutes from the city and remained there for the rest of our stay.

DAY THREE

- We all slept in, missing the complimentary breakfast I had hoped to catch. We traveled on to Seattle, located the convention center where the Emerald City Comic Con was being held, then took a quasi-breakfast/lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Concerned about the number of meals I was missing, I took in another big lunch.

- At last, we went on to the convention. We traveled the floor both together and separate. Olav was most interested in acquiring new Robocop on a Unicorn sketches, while I had a lengthy list of autographs to seek out.

- Passing Gail Simone's table, I was surprised when Earl expressed ignorance of her work. I cajoled him into buying a Birds of Prey trade from her.

- Olav and I stood in Paul Smith's line for a lengthy period; I only wanted some autographs, but Olav was hoping for a sketch. I conversed with another person in line for most of the wait and he showed me a sketchbook full of great images which had been gathered over years, including the likes of Gulacy, Eisner & Kaluta. Smith was funny and gracious, but declined to sketch Robocop on a Unicorn.

- I visited the Proof table to see the book's complete creative team. Although I've known Riley Rossmo & Kelly Tindall for some time, I had never met writer Alex Grecian before. I collected autographs and admired a Dr. Who sketch Kelly was working on.

- I visited Stan Sakai's table to collect an autographed poster and receive his autograph on Usagi Yojimbo#99. I introduced myself as a friend of Texcap and related how Tex had convinced me to purchase the single issue. I mentioned that I was waiting for the collected Usagi trade so that I could follow the title from its beginning. "Oh, you're one of those." Sakai replied.

- I introduced myself to Christos N. Gage, collected some autographs and chatted about his work. I also apologized for not following his Wildstorm work, telling him that I couldn't follow Wildstorm's continuity. I also told him how I had used my blog to help promote the recent Avengers: The Initiative Featuring Reptil#1.

- I spent a ridiculous amount of time (1.5 hours?) at Jeff Parker's table, chatting him about Interman, Mysterius and others. Jeff kindly introduced me to one of his fans as "the guy who keeps me from making mistakes." I spent a great deal of time admiring the sketches Jeff drew for fans. I asked Jeff for a Robocop on a Unicorn on Olav's behalf and he supplied one.

- I met Jay Faerber and purchased a new copy of Dynamo 5 Vol.1 (Olav lost my copy) and the not-even-in-stores-yet Noble Causes Archives Vol.2 from him. I also apologized to him for insulting him at comicboards.com about 10 years ago.

- I also collected autographs from Khoi Pham, Ben Templesmith and Greg Horn.

- I finally went through the vendors and found myself searching for 1950s Atlas comics. One vendor had an amazing stock of Atlas books at reasonable prices; I walked away with a $50 stack of books.

- Near the end of the day, Olav mentioned that he had seen Lars Brown at the Oni booth and mentioned I was here. I sped to Oni, only to find Lars had left. Right then, I knew I would have to return the next day.

- After the show we wandered around looking for a place to have dinner. We finally chose a Mexican grill.

- We returned to the hotel reasonably early that night and spent some time reading the comics we purchased before bed.

DAY FOUR

- Earl and I rose early enough to take in the free breakfast.

- We went back to Seattle and rode the monorail to the Science Fiction Museum/Hall of Fame (rock n' roll) facility. Olav had free passes.

- The sci-fi museum was interesting - it displayed costumes, props and models from the likes of Star Wars, Star Trek, Terminator, Outer Limits, Battlestar Galactica, Planet of the Apes and so forth. There was also a lot of emphasis on sci-fi novels, with many of them displayed in cases throughout the exhibits.

- Unfortunately, the museum gift shop was a major letdown. It's a rather small shop with only a few shelves of books and most of them the sort of sci-fi books you can find at any Chapters. Given all the acclaimed and hard-to-find books on display at the exhibit, you would think the curators would use the gift shop to seize an opportunity for people to read the books for themselves while the titles are fresh in their minds. I just may write a complaint letter.

- The Hall of Fame wasn't that interesting to me; the exhibits included a history of guitars, a history of Seattle-area music and a display of local concert posters. Borrrring. But free.

- We took in lunch at the Cheesecake Factory again. While Olav and Earl went off to explore more of Seattle, I went back to the con to see Lars and other guests I had missed.

- Lars was the first person I sought out on arrival; we caught up briefly (we had been side-by-side at the 2007 Calgary Expo) and I bought an autographed copy of North World Vol.2 (not available at any of my local shops).

- I sought out a few autographs from Kurt Busiek and apologized for insulting him at comicboards.com about 10 years ago. This was a good weekend for my karma.

- I also obtained autographs from Mike Mignola, Stuart Immonen and Matt Fraction; that made everyone on my list.

- I visited the Proof table again while Riley was doing a Dr. Who sketch. I asked Riley for some paper and a pen: I had a special mission to undertake; when Riley learned what it was, he threw in a crayon. This would prove vital.

- I stood in line for Star Trek's Wil Wheaton, although he was absent from his booth when I arrived. Ahead of me was an attractive woman named Madison who was an exuberant Wheaton fan; when he finally arrived she began shrieking and jumping about. Without any paper for him to sign, instead she had him autograph her left breast; sayeth Wil: "I feel like a rock star." She loaned me her camera to take their picture.

- And now it was my turn and I presented Wil with the paper, pen and crayon along with my request for a sketch. Without flinching, Wil went to work with the crayon, commenting on the picture as he drew, much to the delight of his onlooking fans. Wil completed his masterpiece and I gratefully returned the pen and crayon to Riley, allowing the Proof team a chance to soak in Wil Wheaton's Robocop on a Unicorn.

- I went back to the vendors and picked up a Usagi Yojimbo poster, Fell trade and Losers trade, all for Earl. For myself, I found a $0.50 bin full of my own Marvel Universe handbooks; I took them all.

- I met up again with Olav and Earl at the end of the con. We had originally intended to visit a Travis concert in the evening, but Olav suggested that we start back toward Alberta instead. We agreed.

- We crossed the border back without incident and took in supper at a White Spot.

- It was on the drive back that the "check engine" light came on again. Earl and I confessed that we hadn't been to a garage as Olav had assumed, earning us his ire.

- We stopped again in Kamloops, albeit at a different (cheaper) hotel.

DAY FIVE

- Again we started out without taking breakfast. Lunch was spent at a Denny's.

- I should mention that aside from some snow & fog on the first night, this trip was full of clear, sunny weather. Certainly not what Seattle's reputation led me to expect.

- Olav & Earl dropped me off in Calgary after 6 PM. And so, the trip is finally over.

TALLY

Number of Autographs Collected: 15 different creators Number of Meals Missed: 5 Number of Vehicles Used: 5 (2 buses, 1 LRT, 1 car, 1 monorail) Number of Bad Vin Diesel Movies Seen: 1