Oddly, today was not negative at all. It was actually exceedingly pleasant. But tomorrow is Preview Night, and that’s Day Zero in my mind, so, in order the first day has to be Negative One, positivity aside.
I managed to pack yesterday with little rush or fuss. As a result, I managed to not forget anything. Well, I take that back. I didn’t remember to bring a baggie of laundry detergent, but I’m going to bet that I can pick some up somewhere in LA for a relatively reasonable price. And even so, it’s so minor compared to other things I’ve needed FedExed from the Buckeye State that I’m considering it a win.
I woke up at the unThomly hour of 5:30 without any real effort. I even slipped to Starbucks to partake of Free Pastry Day. I had the banana chocolate chip cake, and it was quite tasty. And it had the icing of freeness on it, which is always good.
My flight out was great. Not too many screaming kids, an aisle seat. Things were going so swimmingly that I started exaggerating on my Twitter feed just to make it interesting. So, if you were wondering why I said I was sitting next to a New York cop who was going to Nakatomi Plaza to see his estranged wife, now you know.
Bob picked me up at the airport, we grabbed a bite at In-n-Out (Damn you, Eugene, for addicting me to their delicious burgers and fries!) and headed south. No traffic to speak of, no hassles, just pulled into the hotel without issue.
Man, this is a boring report, isn’t it?
Fine, we went to visit with Chris Ryall over at IDW. He’s got some cool things to reveal at the show. I can’t tell you what, but if you, like me, thought Cop Rock was cancelled too early, well… I’ve said too much already.
Have I mentioned that IDW publishes the Love and Capes collection? And that it is gorgeous and you all need one? I think I don’t say either thing enough.
Bob and I then set up my booth at the show. No issues getting badges, did the whole set-up in one trip, and things even seemed to be going well for my booth mate, Paul of Toon Tumblers.
Did I mention that Paul does the awesome Toon Tumblers glasses? With new characters, like Iron Fist, Spider-Woman, Silver Surfer, Doctor Doom, the JLA, JSA and Green Lantern coming out? I really should mention that more.
Bob and I headed to Mission Beach for a late dinner and sunset. We did our Con Shopping, buying water and pretzels. And we even kind of stopped at Ghirardelli’s for a little ice cream repast. And now I’m back here.
I suppose it’s a variation of the old “it’s quiet… too quiet” thing. But it does seem like this has been the smoothest start to a show yet. Let’s hope it continues.