Ok, so all the blah blah blah about Wizard Chicago Comicon not being about comics anymore because they didn't have the 12 highest selling creators on the roster, or no long list of panels that force people to spend the majority of the prime hours waiting in line to sit in a room and hear things that they could read about in 10 minutes after the show... is dead wrong in my opinion. This years show was INCREDIBLE for me and it was because there were hundreds of comic fans showing their love for artist alley and all the creators that were there.
The lack of what people have come to expect from cons seemed to have kept people out on the floor and checking out what Artist Alley had to offer. I've never seen the aisles of the Alley so packed. And i personally have never signed as many comic books as I did this weekend. The love for OZ was beyond what I could have ever expected and I am grateful to each and every person that came by and showed there support.
I had the chance to talk with a ton of fans and a few of them really were quite touching. A father bought the original cover to Wonderful Wizard of Oz #8 (with Dorothy running thru the field on her way back home.) to give to his daughter when she goes away to college so that she knows that she can always come home. If that wasn't enough to pull on the old heart strings, an artist told me that while battling cancer going thru kimo, reading my blog lifted up his spirits and got him back to his art. Come on, tell me you wouldn't just break down right there. These were just two examples of how my incredible fans made me feel so good about creating art and that it means more than just a few lines on paper. I am truly grateful to each of you.
i'd also like to send a big thanks to Jesse Labbe and Anthony Coffey for the sketches, art and the BEAUTIFUL book
BERONA'S HUNDRED YEAR WAR (i can't seem to find a link to an official site for the book).
Seriously, I had a great time this weekend and it was great to hang with everyone again! I'm glad to be back home with my ladies!
See you at the next show.