Albert The Alien

FRIDAY:
I got up (probably much earlier than I needed to), and went to the gym where I ran into Alex – the artist guest relations head for Wizard. I did my workout and headed back to the room for a quick shower, followed by breakfast at the Hyatt. I was quickly joined by Dean Haspiel (The Red Hook), and eventually by Danny Fingerough and a few others. In the background we could see X-Files actor Mitch Pileggi (Skinner) having breakfast with his handler, and a few other friends.

After paying the bill I headed over to the table to open for the day. Russell arrived soon after, and with him was our mutual friend Steve Horton (Satellite Falling).

Brothers in comics. From left to right: Steve Horton, Russell Lissau, and me

Come buy some comics from this guy at the show!

Gene Ha was hard at work all weekend

Around 2:30pm, I gathered up some friends (Ali Cantarella, Steve Horton, and Dean Haspiel) and we did a panel about Breaking into Comics. It was an eclectic group, each with a very unique entry story (and different definitions of “breaking in,” since not all of them have worked for Marvel or DC, but all of them have made a living out of comics). We had an impressive turnout – probably 60+ attendees – and mostly fielded questions from the audience. Since it was a larger panel group, we didn’t get through a lot of questions – we all had stories to tell and input to give on questions – but the answers were very unique and helpful.

After the panel we returned to our respective tables and continued to sell for the rest of the day. I headed to dinner with my friend Lauren, and after we returned to the Hyatt bar to hang out with friends. There were several groups hanging out at the bar, in fact, and we selected a spot that was a little more quiet so we could talk without losing our voices. We were eventually joined by my cosplay friends (who I call “The Nicoles,” because they are both named Nicole), and had a few drinks until the bar closed. At that point, it was time to say good nights and go to bed.

Comic creators and friends, hanging out at the Hyatt bar

Selfie with Lauren!!