I think I’ve been to Comic-Con three times. It’s always a blast, and exciting and exhausting. I’d never gone alone before, though, so I was a little nervous.

Keith Robinson, showing off all his worldly goods, including Making It books.

First I tried to register as Professional, or Press. Annoyance #1.

“Yeah, really great, YAWN, but give us some proof. Send it to us on a piece of paper. Hardcopy is about our speed. We don’t understand websites or blogs too well…Who are you again?”

The talented Dan Piraro signs Bizarro books. (Dan is a fellow cartoonist with me in Parade, so I have to say something nice about him.)

I thought the hard part was going to be the long drive down there – I’ve never driven that far by myself. But then I tried to get a hotel room… Most hotels there are kind of crappy, but that’s all part of the adventure, and San Diego has a very convenient shuttle that goes from most hotels to the convention center, so you don’t have to deal with parking.

Her bottom cartoon gave Keith an idea. Below.

I called in early June. Turns out if I didn’t call within the first few minutes of the first day reservations opened- in February- you’re screwed. Read more »

The Idea
This was one of my earlier cartoons- one of my favorites. Here is my constant concern and tension about food and relationships. Will he still like me, if I like food better? (I typed “batter” first.) And what’s more important, a guy or ice cream? And can I have both, please?

I’m always curious about other people. What are they thinking about all day? Or at the movies? Maybe I’m weird, but I daydream even there.

I think this cartoon works on several levels. Notice that I reversed the usual roles of the guy thinking only about food, and the girl thinking about him. When she stays on what pleases her, she has the power! Wait until he finds out… But I like his determination and masculine stubborness, anyway. He’s probably very sexy. Read more »

“Yes, yes that’s right…we’re just fans, waiting to get autographs.”

The Idea.
The musical Cats has been around forever, but I did this early cartoon when it was still exciting. ;)

I’ve gone to plays since I was little. As soon as my flock of girlfriends was old enough to persuade our parents we were old enough, we used to take the train to center city, or even NYC on occasion, to see whatever play had matinee shows.

I went to an all girls high school, so we were even more boy crazy than most teens, and to read about actors and then go see them in person was heaven. We were brave, too, because nothing is more driven than a gaggle of intense, smart, yearning young girls. So we would hang around backstage and back doors to get autographs, chat for a moment with the actors if we were lucky, and keep our eyes on our watches to get the train back to the suburbs on time. Read more »

I have this weird thing, where, when I color a cartoon, I often decide that there aren’t enough colors. Not that there aren’t enough colors in my paintbox or on my palette ( or more recently, in my Painter Essentials 4 program), but not enough colors in the universe.

LA is green.

I can’t even think of the colors I need and want, which makes it that much harder. I get mad looking at my huge cardboard color wheel; who the hell invented this, with not enough colors on it?

I’ve noticed greens are one of the hardest to find. I think I bought most of the shelf watercolor tubes in green. My mainstays and faves are olive and lime green, but I’ve noticed lime green doesn’t go very well with a lot of other colors. Turquoise is good, but then you’re tending towards blue, and that’s another whole can of worms.

But one day last “winter” – the best season for photography in LA – I saw this from my window. This is nature’s way of saying “green rocks, and don’t you forget it.”