ECCC 2012's Artist Gallery

(Image: one of 300, ECCC limited prints by Marc Silvestri)

The primary appeal of attending a convention like ECCC is getting the chance to meet the artists, writers and celebrities that are involved in the comic book industry.  The first person I wanted to meet was Phil Foglio, here looking rather dapper in his steampunk attire...

I've been a fan of Phil's work, since his What's New with Phil and Dixie appeared in Dragon Magazine.  (Said magazine is still available on-line, through Wizards of the Coast).  Today, Phil and his wife Kaja are busy with their popular steampunk saga:  Girl Genius.  Phil signed the copy of Agatha H and the Airship City that I bought.  As he did so, I realized I forgot to bring my copies of What's New with Phil and Dixie, Volumes 1 & 2 with me for him to sign.  I spent so much at Phil's booth, I got a free Girl Genius themed tote-bag.

The $3 booklets Kyle Shold was selling caught my eye.  Hey, after shelling out money in the double-digits for books and merchandise, coming across something for less than $5 was a bargain!

I chatted with him for a few minutes and discovered he was just starting his first webcomic, The Prevailist, about a hero in a dystopian-future America. 

I passed by the Wayfarer's Moon booth several times in my wanderings, before I realized I use to read the webcomic and still have a link to their site on here on my blog.  (See the On-Line Comics tab).

So I purchased a copy of The Road to Southfield, which Jason Janiki and Leigh Kellogg signed.  Now I have to catch up on what's going on in the Wayfarer's world.

Okay, I admit it.  I've found the allure of fictional bad girls, irresistible.  Primarily because the way their drawn.  (In real life, though, I want nothing to do with even a not-so nice girl, let alone a true bad one).  I've read Vampirella on and off, since my pre-teen years.  In the early 1990s, another mystical bad girl skyrocketed to popularity:  Lady Death.

I chatted with Lady Death's creator Brian Pulido and purchased an ECCC commemorative comic he created.  As he signed my copy--once again--I realized I forgot to bring my copy my own for him to autograph.  I this case it was The Art of Lady Death, Vol 1 that I bought at Comic Book Ink last summer.

Tyler Walpole did an ECCC commemorative fantasy print, which I liked an purchased.

Not only were artists of the pen & ink variety attending the convention, but performers of the silver screen were also on hand.  These folks made themselves available to sign autographs and to pose for pictures with their fans.  However, these were highly orchestrated events and there were additional costs involved. 

Since I have two friends who are big fans of Chuck, I decided a couple of autographed photos from Adam Baldwin would make nice presents.  And for the final time, my forgetfullness continued to be a recurring theme of my ECCC experience.  This time, I forgot to bring my DVD set of Firefly.  (Sigh).  Anyway, since there was a long line of fans, I had just enough time to say hello, discuss how I wanted the photos signed and wish him well.

Next time I attend a comic book convention, I'll be sure to write myself a note listing all the paraphenalia I'd like autographed.

There were a few artists I didn't get a chance to meet, like Marc Silvestri, while others I chatted with, admired their work, but didn't buy anything from them.

I really admired Echo Chernik's evocative work.  Her giant Ice Cream Cthulhu marquees were definate eye-catchers.

And just before leaving I passed by Dawn Wolf's booth and snagged her business card, which is a work of art in and of itself.