Monday, 19 September 2011 05:12 pm
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deckardcanineFor the first time in six years, I attended a con this weekend: Intervention, the Internet Culture Convention, focusing primarily on webcomics. A co-worker who knew of my "Downscale" pointed me to the con's debut last year; this year I took him up on it, partly because it was Metro-accessible. Alas, he bowed out due to temporary family illness. We compared our impressions of the con today.
Intervention lasted three days, but I knew that one would be enough for me. I did stay longer than I expected: seven hours, five of which were taken up by one-hour panels, each having at least one member in common with another. The other two I spent on lunch there at the Hilton, browsing and shopping at booths, casually observing tabletop RPGs and card games, and sampling video games ranging from last-month releases to the Commodore 64.
My interest in the panels varied. "Digital Vs. Traditional: The Pros and Cons of Each" was like a seminar on cartooning approaches. I offered a pro for traditional that others hadn't mentioned before Q&A: If you've spent all workday at the computer, it feels good to take a break. "History of Comics as a Medium" was the most informative panel; I liked many trivial tidbits and now understand why cartoonist Chris Flick had a character complain, "You STILL can't print FLICK!" "Back in My Day: The Webcomic Veterans Panel" had the appeal of multiple cartoonists whose work meant something to me. "Web Comics Inprov" was just a run-of-the-mill amateur comedy performance largely based on exercises I already knew, but that's enough to elicit many laughs from me. "The Computer Is Willing, but the Spirit Is Weak: How to Build the Motivation to Keep Going" ironically failed to sustain my attention, possibly because it ran 6-7 p.m.
I'd come, above all, for a reunion with Bill Holbrook and a first meeting of Brad Guigar. The former has a more southern accent than I remember, presumably from six more years as a transplant in Georgia. Turns out the latter was present only last year, but I wasn't too disappointed to meet Chris Baldwin instead, especially since he generously offered to sign and draw in a "Little Dee" collection I bought. It occurred to me only then that "Downscale" also has four main characters of different species, one of them human. I mentioned it to Mr. Baldwin, and he asked me to write the info on a card for him. Hope to hear back!
In addition to that collection, I bought A Duel in the Somme, a graphic short story written by Ben Bova and Rob Balder and illustrated by Mr. Holbrook. I'd read both before, but I like to show economic support and facilitate reading by people who prefer hardcopy. Then to support John "The Gneech" Robey and maybe decorate something, I bought a button showing Dover Cheetah with the caption "Kiss the geek."
All in all, I found Intervention less fun than Anthrocon but also less embarrassing. It helped that nearly half the attendees and panelists were female, and children seemed well accommodated. If it weren't more local than Pennsylvania, I wouldn't bother going again, but I think I will.
Intervention lasted three days, but I knew that one would be enough for me. I did stay longer than I expected: seven hours, five of which were taken up by one-hour panels, each having at least one member in common with another. The other two I spent on lunch there at the Hilton, browsing and shopping at booths, casually observing tabletop RPGs and card games, and sampling video games ranging from last-month releases to the Commodore 64.
My interest in the panels varied. "Digital Vs. Traditional: The Pros and Cons of Each" was like a seminar on cartooning approaches. I offered a pro for traditional that others hadn't mentioned before Q&A: If you've spent all workday at the computer, it feels good to take a break. "History of Comics as a Medium" was the most informative panel; I liked many trivial tidbits and now understand why cartoonist Chris Flick had a character complain, "You STILL can't print FLICK!" "Back in My Day: The Webcomic Veterans Panel" had the appeal of multiple cartoonists whose work meant something to me. "Web Comics Inprov" was just a run-of-the-mill amateur comedy performance largely based on exercises I already knew, but that's enough to elicit many laughs from me. "The Computer Is Willing, but the Spirit Is Weak: How to Build the Motivation to Keep Going" ironically failed to sustain my attention, possibly because it ran 6-7 p.m.
I'd come, above all, for a reunion with Bill Holbrook and a first meeting of Brad Guigar. The former has a more southern accent than I remember, presumably from six more years as a transplant in Georgia. Turns out the latter was present only last year, but I wasn't too disappointed to meet Chris Baldwin instead, especially since he generously offered to sign and draw in a "Little Dee" collection I bought. It occurred to me only then that "Downscale" also has four main characters of different species, one of them human. I mentioned it to Mr. Baldwin, and he asked me to write the info on a card for him. Hope to hear back!
In addition to that collection, I bought A Duel in the Somme, a graphic short story written by Ben Bova and Rob Balder and illustrated by Mr. Holbrook. I'd read both before, but I like to show economic support and facilitate reading by people who prefer hardcopy. Then to support John "The Gneech" Robey and maybe decorate something, I bought a button showing Dover Cheetah with the caption "Kiss the geek."
All in all, I found Intervention less fun than Anthrocon but also less embarrassing. It helped that nearly half the attendees and panelists were female, and children seemed well accommodated. If it weren't more local than Pennsylvania, I wouldn't bother going again, but I think I will.