Time out to Con

I dragged Colleen to the Comic Con the Saturday after she got back from STP. It was a fine day to spend in air conditioning, as this was one of the hottest days during a prolonged stretch of blistering temps.

Got to meet one of my idols, Ray Harryhausen, Stop-Motion Artiste and all-around geek god. He animated my namesake movie, Jason and the Argonauts, (remember the skeletons that grew from hydra teeth?). Getting waay up there in age, but he still made a bunch of appearances and signed stuff for people.

Also got in on the Frank Miller autograph session. This was a result of a lottery, which I did not win. Lesson for the kids: Perserverance Pays. I hung out in front of the line, stopping by the guard every so often to let him know that I was serious about getting Mr. Miller's sig. I finally clinched it with 15 minutes to go in the signing, and a few people had idiotically not realized that they had won the lottery. I played my trump card--A copy of Daredevil #158 that was his first major gig as an artist. The guard saw it, melted, and gestured the girl over for a wristband. He snuck me in, and I think that FM actually recognized me from a meeting two years ago. That year, he and Neil Gaiman did a combined signing for which I was totally unprepared. I didn't bring anything of note, and ended up having to buy something at the Con to get it signed, when I had at least a dozen worthwhile Frank Miller items at home.

So the end of the journey came when I slapped down that comic in front of him, he looked up at me and said "Where'd you get this old thing?"
"I was about to throw it out..." I quipped, and then shut up. He signed, badda bing, I was out. I remembered to thank the guard profusely, and offered him a beer. No need, he said. Good to know that preparation and human courtesy can win out over a random drawing.