Hey, hey, hey, everyone! It’s your intrepid Web Editor here with a quick report about WonderCon.
What’s to say about WonderCon 2011?! WOW! What a year! WonderCon keeps on growing, topping all previous years with a jam-packed exhibit hall and programming schedule. CBLDF was kept plenty busy slinging free speech, putting hot signed premiums in fans’ hands, and signing up new members!
The highlight of our show was definitely making sure fans got to meet Frank Quitely, who is not only the amazingly talented penciller behind All-Star Superman, We3, and The Authority, but he may also be the nicest guy in comics! Frank donated his time to join CBLDF at WonderCon, and he was a trooper, signing books at the CBLDF booth every day of the show. His CBLDF exclusive print was also a hit, flying onto the walls of Fund supporters left and right! If you didn’t have a chance to pick it up, you can get the full-color version here and the limited-edition black and white facsimile edition here. You can also pick up the CBLDF exclusive Frank Quitely signature postcard series here and here.
CBLDF also debuted a brand new T-shirt during WonderCon 2011. Fans of Free Speech can now declare their love of banned comics with the I Read Banned Comics tee, 100% cotton and 100% awesome! Another show hit, folks who missed us can also get the shirt in the the CBLDF store here.
As for our other big debut at WonderCon, Cohen v. California, another CBLDF exclusive fragrance from Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs, had folks talking and smelling wonderful! One man’s vulgarity is another’s lyric — with notes of black tea, apricot, honey, saffron, apple blossom, tolu balsam, ginger grass, white ginger root, and vetiver, the first 50 bottles of Cohen v. California come with a signed and numbered print by CBLDF President and Beanworld creator Larry Marder. You can order yours from the CBLDF store here.
Who boy, did we have some great panels during WonderCon! On Friday, our fearless executive director, Charles Brownstein, moderated a spotlight on Good Fighter Terry Moore about his post-Echo plans. Brownstein and Moore bantered about digital comics before Moore announced his new book, Rachel Rising, a supernatural story that Moore promises will transcend expectations.
Brownstein went on to join Sergio Aragonés, Mike Friedrich, Paul Levitz, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Marv Wolfman for CBLDF: After the Code, a lively discussion about the Comics Code and the threats that still exist in the post-Comics Code world. The creators shared personal anecdotes about their experiences with the Comics Code and censorship in the medium, especially how the prevalent perceptions of a time period influence people’s reactions to reprinted and original content. You can find a recording of the panel (minus the first few moments) here.
On Saturday, the Terry Moore (Echo, Strangers in Paradise), Tom Hodges (Star Wars), and Carla Speed McNeil (Finder) threw down for the CBLDF: Live Art Jam. Each artist took a turn on the projector to showcase their artistic process before a packed room of fans and CBLDF supporters. The art was auctioned to benefit the Fund, raising $700 for the CBLDF warchest!
We’d like to thank our intrepid crew of volunteers: Angela Moeny, Ricardo Gomez, Adam Richards, Dan Robb, and John Willis. Big thanks also to the WonderCon staff and volunteers for helping us manage the lines for Frank Quitely.
Where will you find us next? Stumptown! Come visit us at booth 308 April 16-17, 2011, during the Stumptown Comics Fest in Portland, Oregon.