More NYCC Guests and Cliffs Notes

It's finally officially official, we've added Joe Kubert and Joe Simon as our latest Guests of Honor at NY ComicCon. Simon and Joe Kubert, both at the show? This is a dream come true, they are true legends. Simon coming to The Con is really special as he does not do many of these appearances anymore. So don’t miss the chance to see a the legend that co-created Captain America (to pick just one of his amazing accomplishments in his career). As for Kubert, he and his sons Andy and Adam create dour exclusive show poster, that I blogged about earlier anbd you can get a look at here.

Be Our Guest - In addition to Simon and Kubert, I leaked a bunch of new Featured guests last week, took a look at them here.

That's The Ticket - ComicCon Tickets will be on sale at most major comic retailers this week, I'll get you a full list sometime next week.

Where I'm Not - Oh yeah, I'm not in Bangkok or Singapore where I am supposed to be. Weather in NYC on Friday put my flight into enough jeopardy that I cashed in the tickets and shelved the trip. Yeah, so right about now I should be landing in Singapore preparing to speak to groups of publishers, printers and illustrators there and then in Bangkok - what am I doing instead? Sitting in Borwalk writing a blog post and preparing to scrub the bathtub - But I am listening to a Hold Steady album I just grabbed from iTunes, and that helps.

Where I will Be - This reminds me, in the NYTBR today is a piece about handful of new visual books including THE ADVENTURES OF HERGÉ, CREATOR OF TINTIN. I was recently invited to Brussels as a guest of the Foire du livre de Bruxelles (translation, BookExpo Brussels!) so I’ve been reading about the country and it's got an amazing comic (strip, really) history including a comic strip museum and a huge array of shops. Looking forward to spending some time kicking through the comic shops and book shops and a good friend of mine who runs the International Booksellers Federation lives there and has promised me a tour of Belgium’s literary and visual history. I'll blog this in a few weeks - yes, try to quell your excitement.

Fresh Books and Stale Espresso - This is awesome. Northshire Books (one of the finest indy bookshops in the NE) is the first indy bookstore in the U.S. to install an Espresso POD (print on demand) book machine. It's awesome. It’s like Rube Goldberg, meets the Jetsons, meets Gutenberg. Read about it here.

More Bitching - I posted last week about how Amtrak and Dell taught me how to provide awful service? I got another great example. I needed to get a copy of my "bill" from Amtrak so I could submit an expense report, this is what they sent me:

Thank you for contacting us. Your ticket stub is actually your ticket receipt. However, if you have lost this stub you may request a ticket receipt copy. Effective November 1, 2005 a $15.00 fee will be assessed per reservation and a charge card number is required to complete the transaction. A representative from our Refund Department will contact you to obtain your credit card information.

HGH In Action - Lastly, this is what my team does when they are at work.

Yoko Kanno Comes To New York City! Maybe?

Earlier in the week, when talking about local (and awesome) band HAPPYFUNSMILE, I mentioned that the site of their most recent gig, a Japanese piano bar inside a Chinese restaurant, listed "Yoko Kanno" as an upcoming performer, and that this confused me complexly, as Yoko Kanno is -- simply put -- a goddess to anime fans. She's easily the most well-known, respected, revered, and worshipped composer in the anime realm and responsible for the aural side of animations including Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne, Macross Plus, and Ghost in the Shell: STAND ALONE COMPLEX. So, why, I asked, would she be in NYC? And, why, I further posed, would she be singing at a Japanese piano bar inside a Chinese restaurant?

The answer was pretty obvious: It wasn't the Yoko Kanno. It was just a Yoko Kanno. It was just another performer who just happened to be named Yoko Kanno. But, I couldn't be sure, and I had to hope it was the goddess. As such, I called the Japanese piano bar inside the Chinese restaurant that just happens to be called Aruba to make things even more surreal and sent over a few e-mails.

What did I hear back? Yes, it is the goddess. Yes, it is the Yoko Kanno.

Now, to be honest, even after speaking to Aruba, I'm not entirely sure it's the real Yoko. Again, why would she be in NYC? Again, why would she be singing at a Japanese piano bar inside a Chinese restaurant? But, hey, maybe Aruba's owner, Shige Kajiwara, is friends with Yoko. Maybe he's got some pull in the Japanese music industry. Maybe I've got to become his friend.

Whether or not she's the real Yoko Kanno, I'll be at Aruba at 100 Park Avenue at 9:30 PM on Thursday, March 20. And, yes, if she is the real Yoko I'm going to try to steal her for the New York Anime Festival. Hell, even if she isn't, if she's good, I may steal her for NYAF.

If you want to talk to Aruba to double check, confirm, or deny my story, you can reach the Mr. Kajiwara at skajiwara@nyc.rr.com. Let me know what you hear back!

Dr. Doom at New York ComicCon

Check it out - our first vid of the year from our new pal Random Guy!

Ask The Show Manager - Q &A on NYCC

Hello ladies and germs, it’s time again for another round of Ask the Show Manager! Here are a bunch of questions I’ve gotten in the last week, read through because your question might be answered! If you want to ask me a question, you can post it here on the blog, or use the fancy Ask The Show Manager form on the NYCC site.

-L

Q: I was at the show last year and was really excited and amused to see that you were hosting the Auditions of "Who Wants to be A Superhero?". As a fan of the show, I was wondering if you had any plans to have any of the former contestants or Winners at the Con this year? I'm sure having someone like "The Defuser" there would only increase the draw. -Dan
A: It was SCIFI who ran the tryouts last year, coordinating with Stan Lee’s appearance. To the best of my knowledge, they are not planning on doing it this year. Sorry!

Q: Is there going to be a V.I.P. Ticket available for sale anytime soon? That's the only reason I haven't bought a ticket yet, the line was outrageous and I don't think I would want to wait on it again this year. - Chris
A: YES!!!! We are going to have an awesome VIP ticket that will be available at the NYCC web site in the next 10 days. It’ll include some exclusive swag and even better, early access to the show floor and priority seating at the events. It is going to be awesome! Stay tuned and look for it by the end of next week.

Q: Will artist Mark Bagely be at the 2008 convention at the JJC? - Marisa
A: Unfortunately, he will not. AS I’m sure you know, Mark just jumped over to DC after a long run working at Marvel. It was a very controversial move and I really wanted him. We even had someone ask him personally. Unfortunately, he’s going to be in the thick of writing his new series for DC and can’t take the time off. L

Q: For the 2007 NY Comic Con, Kids under a certain age were admitted free with a paid Adult. Is that going to be done again for the 2008 Comic Con ? I do not see anything about it on the site. I have been waiting to buy my tickets to see if I need one for my 10 year old Son or not. It is getting close now and still the web site does not say anything, so I figured I would ask. - Jim
A: Here’s the deal – Kids 5 and under are free all three days, over 5 on Friday and Saturday and you’ll have to buy a pass. Because Sunday is Kids Day at NYCC all kids under 12 get in for free! We are asking you to reserve a pass for your kid under 12 for Sunday and then pick it up at the show, we’ll have a special counter set up just for Kids Day passes.

Q: Greetings, I've purchased 2 tickets for Sunday the 20th. I also indicated that I will need 1 free kids ticket. I am concerned that there will be a huge line for getting the kids tickets. Seeing that the FREE kids tickets will NOT be mailed...what is the procedure for getting the free kids ticket? Thank you. - Thom
A: Hey Thom, we will have a special kids registration desk set up for Sunday which we hope will make it nice and smooth. Because no money will change hands or anything, the line should move pretty fast. We want to be able to keep track of how many kids enjoy our first ever Kids Day and we thought the kiddies would like to have a badge just like pop…..

Q: Hello, I'm a woman who want to go to the New York Comic Com. So I wanna ask you some questions. First, I live in Japan, so how can I get tickets? I found that people input thier cuontry name with thier address when they buy their tickets online. I thought that I can get tickets online, but are tickets sent by airmail? When tickets are sent by airmail, how much are their postage? Tickets price are postage included? Second, I really wanna see T.M.Revolution's concert!! How can I see that? Is it possible to see it if I have a ticket Saturday, April 19? Are there reserved seats? Or free seats? I do wanna go to the New York Comic Com. Therefore I wanna know correct answers. - Sanae
A: Sanae, you can get your tickets on the NYCC web site. As for T.M. Revolution, we are still working with his people to determine if this will be a ticketed event or not. I will have a definitive answer by late next week. No matter what, you’ll be able to get your ticket for the concert on the NYCC web site and it will be general admission.

Q: How much are kids tickets for the show? I haven't been able to find pricing for children's tickets anywhere...I read on a forum somewhere that children under 5 are free (my boys are 3 & 5) but I want to confirm.....looking forward to bringing them to there first be convention! Please let me know. Thanks, Mike
A: Kids 5 and under are indeed free all days of the con and on Sunday – Kids Day at NYCC kids 12 and under a free! We have new verbiage on the site spelling it all out.

Q: Hi, I was just wondering when we might see more guest postings. I also was wondering why we dont see names like Jim Lee, Scott Campbell, Michael Turner, Ale Garza. These are some of my favorite creators. They were not there last year, and I am hoping they will be this year. - Brent
A: Brent, stay tuned. We’ve got a whole new round of Guests of Honor, Featured Guests and Artist Alley guests coming out in the next week to 10 days. Promise! As for your specific guest questions, Jim Lee was there last year. I don’t know yet if he’s planning to attend, however, we are planning a Wildstorm panel and it would make sense that he would be in attendance for that. J Scott Campbell lives in LA and sadly is not coming out. Michael Turner is not coming. He’s an amazing artist, but has yet to come. We’re trying for 2009. We have not spoken to Ale Garza but we are going to find out. So as I said, stay tuned!!!!

Q: Hello, I was wondering what day of the convention TM Revolution would be appearing and what his activities will be - will he be performing? autograph session? Q&A? Also how will entry be handles for his appearance - first come first serve or will reservations / tickets be made available. Thank you – Tamisha
A: T.M. Revolution will do his concert, and autographing and at least one panel at the con. Details will be coming out very soon. As for the concert, we are still working with his people to determine if this will be a ticketed event or not. I will have a definitive answer by late next week. No matter what, you’ll be able to get your ticket for the concert on the NYCC web site and it will be general admission.

Q: Hi, I'm a comic artist,(Snaked, Tank Girl, Metal Gear Solid, Judge Dredd etc) I registered (On the Pro section), but have not heard back. Just wanted some sort of comfirmation as I have to sort out flights to USA. Many Thanks, Rufus
A: All professional creator confirmations will be going out early next week. Hang tight, you’ll know for sure if your credentials were confirmed!

Q: I applied for a Professional Creator pass about a month ago. I was wondering what the status of that was and if that included the media portion of Friday's show at 10 a.m. Thanks R.J.H.
A: All professional creator confirmations will be going out early next week. Hang tight, you’ll know for sure if your credentials were confirmed!

Check It Out! NYCC Viral Vids Coming Soon!

Yeah, we've enlisted the underground creative talents of It's Just Some Random Guy, better known as the I'm a DC, I'm a Marvel dude to make some killer vids for The Con. They are awesome and they'll premiere tomorrow on It's Just Some Random Guy's YouTube channel, this blog, the NYCC site and all over the web. Stay tuned and in the mean time check out this teaser.......

-L

Conan Funny.....

Good book club gag from Conan......

Japanamerica Night At Kinokuniya!

It's no secret that Kinokuniya (1073 Avenue of the Americas) is my favorite bookstore. It's no secret that my love for the store borders on lust. It's no secret that after I inevitably screw up at the New York Anime Festival, I hope I'll have a home stocking shelves there. As such, whenever Kinokuniya holds a special event, I like to talk about it and -- even more -- get personally involved.

I'm pleased to say Kinokuniya will be holding Japanamerica Night on Wednesday, February 27. Roland Kelts, author of Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded The US, will headline the event, speaking at 6 PM, but he won't be alone. Nope, Mr. Kelts will be joined by TOKYOPOP creators Melissa DeJesus and James Barry, who'll also talk about their works and Japan's influence on everything that they do.

But what about me? The New York Anime Festival will be donating several boxes of swag, and anyone and everyone in cosplay who attends will get to take something home. Granted, it's February, but it hasn't been that cold in NYC, and if you think it's too chilly for the Faye Valentine outfit, I expect to see you there in at least an anime T-Shirt.

Oh, Kinokuniya will also be giving all cosplayers a 10% discount off all the manga in the store, so maybe it isn't too cold for Faye Valentine after all. Kinokuniya is the largest Japanese bookstore in North America, and their entire third floor is devoted to comic books, so you can do the math. I'm not sure of the exact percentage, but as my much hipper, trendier, and more happening girlfriend would say this "equals win".

Hip? Trendy? Happening? What am I doing pretending to be any of these things. I'm an anime fan. I'm now off to drown my dinner in kewpie mayonnaise and work on the World Cosplay Summit's Team USA website. I so equal win.

NYCC Show Exclusive Poster - From The Kubert Boys!

Here it is the official New York ComiCon poster! Pretty awesome. For being a loyal Medium At Large reader you earn a sneak peek at both the original pencil and the fully color versions.

As far as we know it’s totally unique on a few levels – it’s the first time all three Kubert boys (Joe, Andy and Adam) have ever done a poster together. And also a first, as far as anyone associated can tell, is having Hawkgirl, Batman and Superman all together in a poster.

We’ll be announcing Joe Kubert as a Guest of Honor the Week for The Con and we are also doing some really cool collaborative stuff with The Kubert School at The Con that I’m excited about…..

Enjoy the art! The straw poll around the office confirmed that we all think this is the coolest show poster yet!

-L

YOKO KANNO! X JAPAN! HAPPYFUNSMILE!

It's 2:04 PM on Monday, February 18th. I'm blogging live from the BookExpo America / New York Comic Con / New York Anime Festival booth at this year's Toy Fair in New York City. I grabbed breakfast from Dunkin' Donuts at about 6 AM -- a bagel and totally underwhelming Milky Way hot chocolate -- and haven't had anything since. I'm getting hungry, but it's kinda sorta difficult to go out and get lunch if you're the only one staffing a booth. Which I am. Odds are I'm not going to eat until the show closes, and then I'm going to get the closest, crappiest pizza I can find. Thing is, I love cheap, crappy pizza.

I think I just met the President of Toy Fair.

Anyway, talking more about food, I had lunch with Justin Sevakis on Saturday. Justin's the founder of Anime News Network and a friend of mine. We went to Yajai Thai, Justin's favorite Thai place in New York City. Needless to say, it was good. Yajai Thai is at 33-10 30th Avenue in Astoria if you'd like to give 'em a bit of business. Justin recommends the taro pancakes. I do, too.

Justin and I spent two or three hours at Yajai talking about all sorts of top secret stuff I can't share just yet. We also talked about music. I greatly admire the breadth, depth, and reach of Justin's aural appetite. Anyone who knows me knows I'm completely musically illiterate if it's not manufactured in Japan for 12-year-old girls. Justin, also from an anime background, started with the Japanese bubblegum pop, too, but his tastes have expanded to include anything and everything in the world that's "good."

There's a dog barking somewhere.

I was talking about music, right? One of the groups we spoke a bit about was X JAPAN, one of Japan's most-beloved and longest-running rock groups. They're holding an upcoming concert called "X JAPAN TO RESUME ITS ATTACK 2008 I.V. ~Towards Destruction~" at the end of March in Tokyo. It's a three day affair, with one of the days, March 29th, geared toward international fans. If you'd like to check out X JAPAN and live outside of Japan, head over to tix.com now. Tickets went on sale Saturday and will probably sell out today if they haven't already.

If Tokyo's too far away, one of my favorite groups -- and the only group not based in Japan that I'm even conscious of -- is putting on a little show on Tuesday, February 19th in New York City. They're called HAPPYFUNSMILE and basically perform high energy covers of traditional Japanese and Okinawan festival songs. Really. I love 'em, had 'em at the New York Anime Festival last year, and plan to have 'em back again in 2008.

Tuesday's concert is at 9:30 PM in Aruba, a Japanese-style piano bar inside the Peking Park Chinese restaurant at 100 Park Avenue. Honest. If you don't believe me, check out Aruba's website at www.hpnewyork.com/aruba/, and while you're there, take a look at their upcoming schedule, as there's something there that's currently vexing both Justin and myself.

If you look through Aruba's list of upcoming performances you'll see a "Yoko Kanno" is set to play March 20th. Who's Yoko Kanno? If you even tangentially like anime, you absolutely adore Yoko Kanno. Ms. Kanno is the composer to the scores to animations including Macross Plus, Cowboy Bebop, Vision of Escaflowne, and Ghost in the Shell: STAND ALONE COMPLEX.

But, the Yoko Kanno playing at Aruba couldn't be the Yoko Kanno, could she? I mean, legendary composer Yoko Kanno wouldn't come to NYC to play a few songs at Japanese bar inside a Chinese restaurant? Surely not. Surely, this is a different Yoko Kanno. I mean, there's no way. It couldn't be. It wouldn't be.

But what if it is? What if?

I'm going to be giving Aruba a call and am trying to make it to HAPPYFUNSMILE's show there on Tuesday. I'll have an answer about Yoko Kanno by Wednesday.

More NYCC Featured Guests.....

More tease, I know, but this week for you I've got the official show shirt, the Marvel variant comic, show poster and more....

But for the time being, late in the night on Presidents Day (does the Con Man get a holiday? No.) here are some additional featured guests....

Andy and Adam Kubert on the ever-growing list are Sean Michael Wilson, Arthur Suydam, Carmine Infantino, CB Cebulski, Frank Brunner, Geoff Johns, JG Jones, Joe Staton, Ramona Fradon and Sherrilyn Kenyon.

-L

Cliffs Notes.....

It's been too long since I've done some Cliff's Notes and way too long since I've written about BookExpo. It seems that NY ComicCon is the persnickety, willful child that is constantly starting fires and putting roofing tar in its mouth thus always getting my energy and attention. Meanwhile, BookExpo is the slightly more well adjusted child who is happy to sit in the corner and, well, read a book. Now, that is not to say the BEA is not fun, it's all relative you see. When I have booksellers lined up 10 blocks down 11th Ave to get into BEA then the insanity will be equitable....

Cliffs Notes:

BookExpo author events will be announced this week. Finally I’ll be able to reveal who the secret society and I selected for the author breakfasts and lunches! I have a prediction that the children's breakfast will be the biggest of them all - it's an awesome lineup.

The same day I blogged that we had Grant Morrison coming to NYCC, by a stroke of total serendipity, Newsarama had this interview with him.

Don't miss the upcoming Ultimate Experience offerings at NYCC. I mentioned it in passing during the Morrison post, but here it is again - Starting in about two weeks, you'll be able to purchase these once-in-a-lifetime packages as add-ons to your admission ticket. These ULTIMATE EXPERIENCES will feature meet and greets with your favorite creators, special outings, parties and yes. Basically it's access to the biggest names at The Con! Keep your eyes on The Con website or sign up for the newsletter.

I leave Friday night for a handful of speaking engagements in Singapore and Bangkok. I'm looking forward to the trip, but I have no idea what to expect. Has anyone out there been to either city?

On my nightstand – I’ve been on this gambling kick lately and took time off from Positively 5^th Street by James McManus to read Winner Takes All by Christina Brinkley, which in the end is a great profile of Vegas tycoon Steve Wynn, but not much more. Anyway, next in the stack The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America by David Hajdu (out in mid March from FSG). It’s essentially a retelling of the dark days in the 1950’s when censorship and other legal restrictions gutted the comics industry, and young kids who were coerced into participating in book burnings by overzealous parents and teachers. Here’s a review form Bookforum.

Here’s a nice piece from G4 on the NY Anime Fest featuring my good pal John McGeary:

Emma Premieres at New York Comic Con! Blogged Live from Toy Fair 2008!

So, a few weeks ago, everyone around the office was asked if they wanted to work Toy Fair, one of the largest -- if not the largest -- toy trade shows in the world. I, wanting a day out of the office and the power and pleasure of charging a bagel and cup of coffee to the company, immediately signed up. And, while I'm getting my day out of the office and going to expense my breakfast, both have come at a very high price. You see, I'm blogging to you live from Toy Fair now. It's 9:43 AM on Sunday, February 17th.

I should be asleep now. I should be between the soft arms and even softer chest of a woman. I shouldn't be in a suit and tie pacing about booth 3338 in Toy Fair's Reading, Writing, and Rhythm Section. I'm totally going to expense my lunch, too.

Don't get me wrong, Toy Fair's astonishing, but I just thought I'd be staffing a booth on a weekday. But I'm not. I'm here. Now. And I'm supposed to be talking to attendees about BookExpo America, New York Comic Con, and the New York Anime Festival. I hope I'm doing a good job. While I could easily spend the entire day talking to a single person about every facet of this year's NYAF, I'm probably less than qualified to even utter a single sentence about BEA or NYCC.

Someone asks about BookExpo? What do I say? "I sure hope Alan Alda comes this year." Someone asks about New York Comic Con? How do I respond? "I think we've got some comic book drawing guys, but I totally know we're premiering the anime series Emma!"

Anime's not that big of a focus here at Toy Fair. There are a few Japanese exhibitors, but there are a lot more board games, stuffed animals, and -- honestly -- normal stuff. That's okay, though. I like normal stuff, too. Like Doctor Who. I know the guys who manufacture all the official Doctor Who toys are on the show floor somewhere, and I've totally got to see if they've got the new fob watch accessory. I've been wanting a Doctor Who pocket watch since its brief appearance last season, and an official replica's just been released -- and is out of stock everywhere.

Speaking more about Doctor Who, my girlfriend got me a sonic screwdriver for Valentine's Day. A "sonic screwdriver" is another of the Doctor's gadgets. The odd, funny, bizarre, and wonderful thing about the present is that I already have a sonic screwdriver, and my girlfriend knows this, too. "I got you another one," she said. "I figure'd you'd want two." Isn't she sweet? Aren't I a geek?

Hold on. A few paragraphs up, did I say Emma would premiere at New York Comic Con? I think I did. Have I said that publicly any place before? I think I did not.

Yup, boys and girls, read through a few rambling paragraphs of nonsense and you're rewarded with a New York Comic Con anime announcement. I know, I know, I'm a marketing genius. Anywho, Emma will be released by my good friends at Right Stuf starting in June, but we'll be presenting the first episode for the first time in North America on April 19th.

Emma is the strikingly simple and sweet story of a house maid who falls in love with an aristocrat in 19th Century London. It's one of the most tender, touching, heart-felt, and purely genuine animations to come out of Japan in recent (and long-term) memory, and while it lacks giant robots, busty schoolgirls, and all the other traditional anime trappings, it deserves a viewing. Rather, because it lacks giant robots, busty schoolgirls, and all the other traditional anime trappings, it deserves a viewing.

Emma is the first anime premiere New York Comic Con has announced, but it won't be the last. I've got a lot more I want to say and am just waiting for a few okays from Japan before I start yapping.

The Curmudgeons Rant – What Dell and Amtrak Taught Me About Doing my Job Better

I cut my teeth in a bookstore, if you know me or read this post, you already know that. I used to tell my team in at the bookstore St. Paul that service was our trump card – it was all that we had ( we could be beaten on prices, selection and convenience, but not service and knowing our customers). Well I need to air a few issues on service (in other words out comes the curmudgeon).

I bought a camera from Dell for Christmas. After I bought it I leaned the ship date would not be until January. That won’t work. I found no way to cancel my order. No worries, I’ll deal with it later. When I did get to dealing with it, I find I have to ask for permission (they review returns case by case) to return something. Then I learn I’m 8 days past my “permissible return window” – no exceptions. I used to own a few small businesses, so in the course of the last decade I’ve probably purchased 10 Dell computers, 3 or 4 Dell printers, a Dell flat screen tv, and countless proprietary ink cartridges all from Dell. They lost a dedicated lifetime customer over 8 days and a $125 digital camera.

I was in Boston this weekend for business and took the train. Somehow the Editor-in-Chief and I lost our return tickets. No problem, right? This is Amtrak, people, how could I be so foolish! Amtrak has no way to replace tickets; you just have to repurchase them so down the tubes goes $110. This year the airline industry officially scrapped the last remnants of a paper ticket program, in the airline world, print really is dead, yet Amtrak hasn’t event started. From Gatwick airport I can buy a ticket on my blackberry and simply give the conductor my name and he can look up my tickets and check me in on site while I’m halfway to central London.

So I learned more form these experiences than just to complain more in my blog, really. I run events with 35,000, 15,000 and perhaps 70,000 people attending them respectively. Too often around the office we allow ourselves to fall into the lazy thinking of taking the customer for granted; “Well what do you expect, it’s a lot of people, of course there are going to be lines” or “Well not everyone can be a special case, there’s just too many people.” But the reality is that the rail industry once thought that way, and how are they doing? The reality is that a convention or a con is not always easy or enjoyable it can be tedious, tiring, frustrating exhausting. People too often feel that it’s something they must endure, because there is some value. But once the grind outweighs the reward, I’m out of a job. My job is to make the show fun, easy, valuable, whether you are a fan, a bookseller, the CEO of Harper Collins or a 12 year old cos player.

And now I’ve got to accomplish those goals without the use of an Amtrak train or any Dell products – they just made the shit list where the grind outweighs the reward.

I was reminded about this because I got a “Ask the Show Manger” question from the NY ComicCon site last night from a fan basically offering to run a contest at the con for us. He has a great idea and then offered to do all the work. So making these shows fun is not always about telling people what they want its about listening to what they want and then getting out of the way…..

-L