Don Bluth after the TITAN AE panel. © Amid Amidi.

Observations from the Expo Floor
Out on the convention floor, animation fans could find the usual assortment of anime dealers and animation art galleries but there were also a few interesting surprises this year. While making my way around the booths, a little comic called Herobear and the Kid caught my eye. I was immediately attracted to its great expression-filled drawing, combined with its stylistic choice of leaving the construction lines in the finished comic. These traits also made it obvious that this comic was done by an animation artist. So it was hardly a surprise when I found out the creator was animator Mike Kunkel whose credits include Tarzan, Hercules and Cats Don't Dance. Owing some similarities to the Calvin & Hobbes strip, the first issue of Kunkel's Herobear is extremely entertaining, in addition to being that rare type of comic that has an equal appeal to both kids and adults. Doug TenNapel, another animation artist and the creator of Earthworm Jim, offered his newest comic, Gear, which he hopes to turn into an animated feature at Fox. Which brings up a very interesting point. More than ever, Hollywood is turning to innovative small press titles like Gear for animation ideas and the results were quite noticeable as I strolled the floor. It seems that every artist you met either had an animation production deal with a studio or was in the process of getting one. And that's not really a surprise considering that animation studios like NELVANA send people down to the Comic-Con for the express purpose of finding unique comic properties to turn into animation. Just as a couple examples, Jill Thompson's relatively new comic Scary Godmother has already been optioned by Mainframe for a CG-animated series, and Jeff Smith said that he is cautiously optimistic that Nickelodeon will give a greenlight to his Bone animated feature.

Herobear a comic book by Mike Kunkel. © Mike Kunkel.

Another major trend at this year's convention was the arrival of the Internet as a serious force in comics. Two major online comic stores declared their presence with booths and heavy promotions, while nearly every comic artist, as well as many dealers, had an email address or website on their business cards. Some artists, like Kyle Baker, who are completely fed up with the big publishers like Marvel and DC, are making the Web a serious part of their game plan. Baker has opened up his website, KyleBaker.com, to keep fans abreast of his latest endeavors which include a short animated film; and when he fulfills his promise to self-publish his next graphic novel, the site will play an even more important role in selling and promoting the book. The comic industry has been rather slow in realizing the importance of the Internet but this year clearly signified a turning point.

Mike Kunkel, Herobear's creator. © Chris Duarte.

For many people, myself included, the yearly trip to the San Diego Comic-Con is anticipated like a 5-year-old looks forward to a Disneyland trip. And like Disneyland, you're bound to meet crazy costumed characters, end up spending a lot of money, wait in long lines (for autographs though, not rides), and have an unforgettable time that will be remembered for years to come.

This is Amid Amidi's sixth consecutive trip to San Diego Comic-Con International. He spent way too much money at the Con this year and must now sell some of his junk on Ebay to recuperate his costs. He was happy to have lunch at the Con with two of his favorite comic creators -- Jeff Smith (Bone) and Patrick McDonnell (Mutts). He is currently working on a coffee table book about animation, and it'll have lots and lots of pictures to make up for all those "scholarly" cartoon books that think pictures make them look less scholarly.