Comic-Con Day Four: The End???

Comic-Con Sunday, in years past, was usually a day for things to slow down a bit, but since Friday and Saturday were sell-out days, the dealer floor remained as crowded as ever. And to make matters worse, Sunday is officially designated as “Kids’ Day” by the Con, which means the already-overpacked aisles were loaded with irritating parents charging through with their SUV baby strollers, oblivious children coming to a dead stop to look at something and not noticing the hordes behind them trying to get through, and –- my personal favorite –- kids coughing without covering their mouths. (Have I mentioned that I don’t particularly care for children who aren't related to me?)

Anyway, it seemed like a good day to go upstairs and check in on the panels. Since I don’t read X-Men or watch Jericho, I decided to give those a pass and look into some of the more academic offerings. I sat in on “Graphic Novels in Libraries” long enough to hear several teachers rave about how comics help kids learn “talk-reading” and “think-reading.” Also, one should apparently never give “unflipped Manga” (that is, a translated Japanese comic that still reads right-to-left instead of left-to-right) to a dyslexic child. I’d never really thought about it, but it makes perfect sense.

Then I wandered over to “Comics Are Not Literature,” moderated by author Douglas Wolk (Reading Comics), which wound up being one of the most fascinating panel discussions I’ve ever heard at Comic-Con. While occasionally getting into grad-school speak –- there was discussion about “the stranglehold of the 19th century novel” and “interpreting the narrative” –- the talk was both heated and heady, leading to lots of little clusters of animated chat afterward. I hope they do it again next year.

I capped off the day with the annual “Starship Smackdown,” featuring Mark Altman and Robert Burnett (two very nice guys, who made the must-see cult comedy Free Enterprise), which features a panel of “spaceship-ologists” refereeing mock throwdowns between the great starships, aliens, robots, and computers of film and television. Ever wonder who would win in a battle between Superman II’s General Zod and WarGames’ WOPR computer? You’re in the right room. (Bear in mind, however, that the geek references fly fast and furious, with many of them going right over this non-Trekkie’s head.)

A few last tidbits: The Henson Company is developing a new Muppet sitcom called Tinseltown, about an actor (who’s a pig) and his manager and longtime companion (a bull). Brian Henson told the Con crowd that since he, unlike Miss Piggy’s Frank Oz, can’t do female voices, he decided to make the show about a male couple. Also, Kevin Smith announced that he would be releasing a supplemental disc for his great queer-inclusive comedy Chasing Amy, featuring a new documentary and cast Q&A (the latter, presumably, is the one I attended at Vulgarthon 2005 at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood). Smith has also been tapped to direct an episode of the new NBC spinoff Heroes: Origins.

And with that, we pack up our new books (I can’t wait to tear into I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets: The Comics of Fletcher Hanks) and T-shirts (I snagged an “I Read Cavalcade of Boys!” at the Prism booth) and head back home.

Ace and Gary, better known as the Ambiguously Gay Duo, say ta-ta, San Diego! See you next year. -- Alonso Duralde

Comments

[Sara Ryan]

Hey, I'm so glad you enjoyed the "Comics Are Not Literature" panel. I was one of the panelists, and I think we all had a lot of fun with the discussion. Apologies for my own use of grad-school speak -- it seemed called for, though!