San Diego Comic-Con 2007 (part 1), Wednesday Preview Night & Thursday
First cartoonist I ran into on the convention floor was Sonny Liew, one of the Flight artists, and artist of Wonderland from SLG. Sonny lives in Singapore, so running into him was a treat.
I wasn't in the hall on Preview night (my first signing was Friday morning), but it looks like RASL did very well. This might be a good year for Sci-Fi. Here is what Publishers Weekly said:
"Two of the biggest stories of Preview Night were the announcement that Roaring Brook's First Second imprint will publish a graphic novel collection of Paul Pope's cult sci-fi series THB; and Bone creator Jeff Smith will self-publish a new series called Rasl, a stark, sci-fi series about a dimension-jumping art thief with personal problems. The series will start as a b&w periodical next year, published in an oversized edition and sold initially through comics shops before it's collected at a smaller trade book trim-size in full color. "I'm trying to mix the old comic book market with the new book market," said Smith."
A dimension-jumping art thief with personal problems. I'm going to use that!
For more RASL coverage, you can check out Heidi's blog at The Beat, read an interview I did with News-a-rama, or ponder Tom Spurgeon's Comics Reporter list of Day One Observations – always worth reading!
On Thursday, I signed once at Cartoon Books booth (#2207) and then at Dark Horse.
The stuffed Fone Bone finds some friends…
For more signing & panel times, click here.
A dimension traveling art thief. That is just freaking great. I swear never have I ever thought of that. Its original and wow. Cant wait till its a graphic novel.
Comment by Marcus — July 27, 2007 @ 7:46 pm
I love that preview that was great! Awesome closing line.
Comment by Marcus — July 27, 2007 @ 7:52 pm
Oooh… cool links with the RASL coverage. It’s gonna be great!! What a concept, to print it in black and white and so large, and then to do the collection in colour in a “normal” size at the end.
This is what I’m wondering… how much of a genre piece is it going to be? In other words, Bone was definitely a fantasy story, it took place in the entirely fictional Valley. It had all the elements of fantasy – monsters, weaponry, fantasy locales (towns and bars and forests), myth and saga, etc. Is RASL going to be a scifi story in the same way, or will it be more of a real world story with only a few scifi elements (the dimension-hopping technology and how that affects the story)? Right now I don’t see RASL as your “typical” scifi (in outer space, with spaceships and laser guns and other technology and aliens and such). I’ll admit, that was what I was looking forward to, an entire scifi world in the way that Bone is an entire fantasy world. But this preview really whets my appetite for RASL, whatever its genre trappings may be. The projected January 2008 seems like a lifetime away!
Comment by Brandon — July 28, 2007 @ 8:49 am
Actually I read a series called M.Y.T.H once that had similar elements from both bone and Rasl, dimension hoppin kid and his demon buddy, there was magic and all sorts of things like that. I found a real interest in the dimension hopping concept
Comment by Marcus — July 28, 2007 @ 12:10 pm
Actually I read a series called M.Y.T.H once that had similar elements from both bone and Rasl, dimension hoppin kid and his demon buddy, there was magic and all sorts of things like that. I found a real interest in the dimension hopping concept
Comment by Marcus — July 28, 2007 @ 12:10 pm
Hey Jeff!
It was great getting to meet you at Comic Con! And thanks so much for taking the time to watch my two cartoons on my ipod, I was glad to get your opinion on them!
And of course, the stuffed Fone Bone toy was one of my favorite purchases this Con, along with the 3 PVC pack!
–Mike Gray
Comment by Mike Gray — July 31, 2007 @ 10:40 pm
Was great popping by the booth and saying hi to Vijaya since I missed her when I came by in NY. Haven’t had a chance yet to recover from the con, but looking forward to cracking open the RASL book. Such a unique project to followup after Bone (aside from Shazam).
I remember an old Hero Illustrated interview, if I’m not mistaken, that mentioned a superhero concept you had that involved the character having adrenaline type super powers. Still waiting for that to come about as well. All in due time.
Keep up the good work as always!
- D
Comment by Derek Fridolfs — August 1, 2007 @ 12:31 am
My friend stopped by the booth on Saturday to pick up a stuffed Fone Bone for me. And she also got me the colored #6 signed by you. Thanks so much!!!
I hope to get out there one day.
Comment by Harvi — August 3, 2007 @ 2:59 pm
“I JUST READ THE 6TH BOOK OF BONE THE BEST ONE….YET….”
Comment by TYLER P. SWEENEY — August 4, 2007 @ 12:25 am
Just finished “Shazam” it was nicely done. You do great work. Keep it up!
Comment by ward — August 4, 2007 @ 12:50 am