San Diego
Making my Nerd Pilgrimage...
San Diego.
I only make it out to the big show every four years or so, with some big gaps over the two decades plus that I’ve been going.
I’ve got a lot of memories from that show. Most of them with my brother Drew (creator of Star Storm from Image Comics. Check it out HERE). We traveled out there twice when were just newbies, a few years away from my first professional gig at DC. I spent most of it standing in endless portfolio lineups. Getting critiques from editors at DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, a bunch of publishers who don’t even exist anymore. And the day after the show me and Drew would go down to the beach and do our best try try and surf. Never with much luck.
After I became a pro I went down with Drew and my girlfriend (now my wife, sitting beside me as I type this). Those times were fun, too. I loved going to the booth Mike Mignola always shared with Geoff Darrow. Then the fine arts booth beside it with Dave McKean, Greg Ruth, Kent Williams (was Bill Sienkiewicz at that table back in the day, too? I forget.) Then over to the amazing art books (I think maybe it was Bud Plant?). I got “The Dreamer” signed by Will Eisner. Something I never really do but I’m happy I made an exception that one time. “I’m glad I thrilled you.” he said. Still trying to surf. Still mostly failing.
On one of those trips we also met up with out buddy, writer Matt Manning and his old friends, now living in San Diego, they took us out for tacos, and we all went down to the beach, the stars were shinning and tiny white crabs crawled up from the surf on to the glistening sand. After that they drove is back to the Hyatt bar to rejoin the comic world and I was sad we couldn’t stay on that beach all night instead. You never know what you’re gonna see…
A good few years after that I went down solo for the big PR push for the Deadly Class TV show. That was surreal, the massive banner on the Image Comics booth, the rickshaws and buses with our logo on them. A swanky party with the cast. On the flight home the next day, nursing a hangover, I got emotional about the whole thing and had to duck into the washroom to be alone. It was overwhelming. I really couldn’t believe it all. Not that a TV show validated anything. The comics are the important thing for me. But I can’t deny it felt like a pretty cool side-quest to be on, regardless of how long it lasted (which, as you probably know, turned out to be not very long at all). Regardless though, I’d gone from unrecognized and jobless when I started out, to a hit comic, lots of excited fans, an a big ol’ gang of professional friends, some of the nicest and most talented creators in comics.
Now I’m headed back, solo this time. Deadly Class is in the rear view, Kaya is still going strong, I have a DC Black Label Superman comic coming in September as well as the next campaign for Thunderhead.
On top of that I’m writing two projects for some major publishers. Can’t talk about that stuff just yet, but it’s very exciting.
I’ll be sitting beside some of modern comics greatest creators at the Felix Comic Art booth. That’s a new one for me, very excited to see what that’s like. I’ll have sketches and a brand new sketchbook.
Things are good. I’m busy as hell, but things are good. And I think there’s something about going back to San Diego every few years that helps me look at my place in comic, and comics in general. That I find really energizing. Some people have a problem with Comic Con and the Hollywood of it all. And I get that, I feel that way too sometimes. But in the end, it’s comic book Mecca. You gotta respect it.
So anyway, San Diego, here I come.
Will I try and surf this year? Probably not. It’s a short stay. But there’s always next year. And hope springs eternal…
SDCC 2026 SCHEDULE:
SATURDAY, 10 - 11am:
IMAGE COMICS PANEL
Room 28DE
SATURDAY, 11 - 12pm:
IMAGE BOOTH SIGNING
Booth 1915
SATURDAY, 12 - 1pm:
FELIX COMIC ART SIGNING
Booth 4612
SUNDAY, 4 - 5pm:
FELIX COMIC ART SIGNING
Booth 4612