NYCC: Day Three addendum

I forgot to mention this in yesterday's post. At big shows like the NYCC, I never have the time (and, frankly, the energy) to walk around the place and look at everything. It's just too big, there's too much stuff, and the crowds make it difficult. So I usually end up coming home without buying anything.

But this time I got some help from a couple of my Mirage buddies in finding something to take away from the show. I think it was either Mike Dooney or Jim Lawson who saw it the first day and mentioned it to me -- "it" being a small original watercolor of a Triceratops by Jeff Jones (an artist whose work I have always admired). And near the end of the first day, Steve Lavigne offered to go pick it up for me while I was busy at the table. (He even managed to get the dealer to come down a bit on the price.)



I think I'll be hanging this piece in my pool room, alongside some other nifty Triceratops artwork I've gathered over the years, including several works by Jim Lawson and my friend Rob Engman. -- PL

NYCC: Day Three

Day three of the 2009 NYCC was much like the first two days -- busy! Not quite as insanely busy -- or as crowded -- as Saturday, but we were signing and sketching right up until we walked away from our tables for the last time.

Here are a few images from day three.

I got Mirage Studios CEO Gary Richardson to pose with two Turtles at the Playmates booth.



This very nice couple -- I believe their names are Jessica and Mauro -- stopped by and showed me two very cool Turtle items they had crafted. (The hand-painted thing on Mauro's necklace is either a flashlight or an MP3 player... I can't remember which.) Very well done stuff.



Remember the "Munden's Bar" story that Kevin and I did way back when for an issue of "Grimjack"? No? Well, this gentleman did, and he was asking people who had worked on "Munden's Bar" stories to autograph this t-shirt, and I was happy to oblige.



About an hour before we left, I finished this drawing which I was asked to do -- I think it is to be part of an auction to benefit the Inkpot Awards.



And the last thing I did before we left the show at 3PM was to sign this fan's t-shirt.



All in all, a good show. I met lots of nice people, got to hang out with my Mirage buds (including Steve Lavigne, who I don't get to see as often as I like since he moved back to Maine), spent a little time with Lloyd Goldfine (always a pleasure), and did more drawing than I've done in a while. I'll probably do it again next year (in October, I believe), but possibly just for one day. We'll see...! -- PL

NYCC: Day Two

We had another long, tiring, and productive day at the NYCC. Many items were signed, hands shaken, and sketches sketched. We met and talked with a lot of fans, old and new, including Vaughn Michael, frequent TMNT forum and bog commenter... nice guy.

I think I did four or five different video or audio interviews, three of them in the space of about fifteen minutes! That was kind of intense.

My brother Bruce -- the original #1 Turtle fan -- came to the show today, the first time he has been to a large comic convention. It was an eye-opening experience for him! But I think he had fun, sitting with us at our tables. I even convinced him to try his hand at doing Turtle head sketches, and he sold two of them! (Bruce is no stranger to drawing Turtles -- over the years, he has sent me something in the neighborhood of a hundred postcards and greeting cards decorated with his original drawings of the Turtles.) Here's a photo of Bruce at work drawing a Turtle.



We also had one dude stop by in his cool Turtle costume.




And this dude came over several times to show us his cool customized figures. Very nicely done!





Near the end of the show we were visited by Casey Jones and April O'Neil, who posed with us at our tables.



One more day to go! -- PL

NYCC: Day One

I'm back in my hotel room, taking a break after the first tiring but good day at the New York City Comicon. The other guys are doing a panel discussion right now, and I'll be meeting them for dinner shortly.

It was a pretty busy day, right from the moment we found our tables. We were signing stuff and doing sketches almost immediately. A lot of nice Turtle fans came by the tables to say hello and get things signed. I'd like to single out two in particular, both of whom surprised me with thoughtful gifts.

The first was this gentleman who gave me this cool drawing of Donatello and Etrigan the Demon that he had drawn. Nice!



And the second was this young lady who brought me a nifty toy Triceratops. It's the small version of that big Kota from Playschool. I have the big one at home, but I wasn't even aware that this one existed! It's definitely going to join the collection when I get home.



I have both of these nice folks' names... but I left them at the con! Hopefully I will remember to bring those names back with me tomorrow so I can give them their due credit. Thanks again!



I also spent some time today signing at the Playmates booth, and after my hour there I got my photo taken with April O'Neil and Casey Jones. -- PL