On the Road with the CBLDF: Atlanta ComiCon
On the way to Atlanta, there was something to remind me of comics everywhere I turned. At Bradley International Airport in Connecticut I spotted at least two Superman emblems and one Captain America shield on the t-shirts of passing travelers. On a layover in Charlotte I caught a shelf full of new Spider-Man pocket books and saw more of the same in Atlanta where Nita Staros picked me up on her second revolution of the airport maze.
Nita drove us to Top Shelf
World Headquarters, cleverly disguised among the suburban lanes of
Marietta, Georgia. Chris Staros was in the inventory bunker when
we arrived, packing books for the hundreds of supporters whose phone orders
saved the company this month. While I settled in, Chris answered phones,
which are still ringing at a steady clip. Later on he showed me the Top
Shelf command center, which boasts an impressive display of Elvis memorabilia
and a table holding most of Top Shelf's library. While Chris ran credit
cards, I thumbed through Kochalka's outstanding new volume of the
Sketchbook Diaries and talked about some upcoming CBLDF premiums
in the same vein. But more on that at Pittsburgh.
Next morning Chris and I went down to the convention center and set up
for the show. Bob Schreck, Christian
Gossett, Chuck Rozanski,
and the Jolly Roger Studio guys were all spotted walking the floor.
Later that evening a star-studded welcome party ran until the wee hours
at the Ramada. Mike Mignola, Joe Linsner, Sam Kieth, Frank Brunner
and several other comics luminaries were spotted having a good time mixing
in the crowd.
The convention was comfortably navigated all weekend and had lots of
cool creators and merchandise on the floor. Biting
Dog Press had some beautiful handmade editions of work by CBLDF board
member Neil Gaiman; Top
Shelf unveiled two new books; TwoMorrows
displayed their range of magazines; there was even an exhibitor who purported
to be the real Fat Freddy. Could've been, because the most surreal
moment of the convention came when I saw him eating lunch at the same
table as a group of GI Joe and
Cobra agents.
During the show the Fund unveiled a stunning selection of signed Frank
Miller comics, donated from Frank's private stash to benefit our current
casework. Frank donated work representing the spread of his career, from
prime Daredevil to Dark Knight through to Sin City, Give
Me Liberty, and Hard Boiled. If you're a Miller fan, you owe
it to yourself to stop by the CBLDF table when we come through your town.
Top Shelf and CBLDF experimented with a program that we're going to be
trying again at WonderCon and Pittsburgh.
We can't say too much about what it is yet, but if you're at either of
those shows bring your member card and find out first. If you're not a
member, there's no time like the present to sign
up.
With another new program, we signed up a bucketful of new members --
literally. Atlanta saw the season's first CBLDF Member Raffle, in which
Savannah, Georgia's Jerry Sanford won a signed copy of Neil
Gaiman: Live at the Aladdin. Congratulations, Jerry, it's in the
mail! We'll be doing this again in other cities, so bring your member
card and show it at our table for your shot at some top premiums in exchange
for your donation.
I got back to the CBLDF office in Northampton on Monday and will be off
again on Thursday, this time for WonderCon
in Oakland. This is the first year the show runs under the aegis of Comic-Con
International, the same folks you bring you APE
and San Diego every year. Come by our table on Saturday and meet Judd
Winick and Matt Wagner. They'll sign a few of your comics and
if you drop a bit of dough in the donation jar, you can probably cajole
a little sketch out of them.
If you're in the Bay, come by and say hi. And don't forget your member
card.
Charles Brownstein,
Executive Director
