GU Comics Day: Taking the zombies to a con

Last Wednesday I mentioned our new title Kung Fu Masters. This past weekend was the Asian American ComiCon (AACC) at the Museum of Chinese in America in Manhattan, where Kung Fu Masters artist Alitha E. Martinez had a table in “artist’s alley.” Author Evonne Tsang is also local, so she and I and a handful of copies of the book went off to the con.

(photo on the right: Evonne Tsang and Alitha E. Martinez show off a copy of their book. I took 97 photos with the shiny new iPhone. Most of them are out of focus. One of them is of my foot. And out of focus.)

Going to a convention is a great way to meet readers. I love seeing kids’ enthusiasm for books firsthand. Or discovering that older teen guys like The ElseWhere Chronicles. And hearing that adults are very much taken with the story and detailed art in Marwe.

(photo on the left: Evonne Tsang and stalwart GU editorial intern/Publishers Weekly manga reviewer Erin Finnegan. Trivia: Erin just got married in zero gravity. Really!)

Going to AACC got me out of the insulated, isolated office and gave me a chance to meet new talent, talk about trends, and even buy a few comics. Veteran Marvel writer Larry Hama regaled the crowd with stories about creating G.I. Joe and acting for Stephen Sondheim. After the convention, it was off to sample the local cuisine (Hainanese chicken, lychee bubble tea, and plum and roasted sesame gelato from Little Italy), and hours of chatting.

There are comics conventions all year round, ranging from small gatherings like AACC, to huge ones like this month’s San Diego Comic Con (130,000 attendees), to massive events such as Comiket in Japan (half a million attendees). I enjoy the smaller events like AACC, where you can pretty much meet everyone if you have a lot of energy and tireless feet.