It’s now Thursday and I’m still not fully recovered from Comic-Con. I’m not sure if this is a symptom of getting older, or simply that I went a little crazier than usual this year. Probably both. Regardless, I had a lot of fun in San Diego. I think having a successful project to promote definitely helps and so does having a lot of friends at the convention. And fortunately, I was very lucky to have both this year.
On the project side, San Diego Comic-Con marked the debut of the Fraggle Rock hardcover. It’s been fun seeing the individual issues come out, but I don’t think it fully struck me how great this collection is until I saw it all compiled into a single volume. That’s a lot of talent in one book, as well as a lot of diversity. The stories are fun and unique, the art is beautiful and lush. People were talking about our book at the convention, and I can see why. It stands out. I’d like to say it was all by design and to some extent it was. Joe LeFavi, Paul Morrissey and I set the bar high when it came to stories and art. However, I didn’t realize how well it would all work as a collection, with all the stories laid out side-by-side. That was serendipity, and it struck in the middle of the Archaia booth at the San Diego convention center.
As for friends, I’m fortunate after eight years of working on comics to have quite a few in the industry, and it’s always nice to catch up with them at conventions. But this year brought several friends to San Diego whom I hadn’t seen in years, including one partner-in-crime whom I hadn’t seen since I was first introduced to her nearly five years ago. That made this more than a convention for me. It was more like a reunion.
You see, for those of you curious about comic book editing, there’s a very simple trick to having a fulfilling and successful career as an editor: work with people you enjoy working with. There are plenty of talented people out there, but not all of them are going to be pleasant or professional. I realize that this isn’t a reality for many editors out there. When you’re responsible for getting a dozen comics to the printer on time each month, you don’t always have the luxury of working only with your favorite artists. But I’m not in that position right now, and one thing I’ve learned is that my limited time is too valuable to waste on working with people I don’t truly like and admire.
And in that spirit, I’d like to thank all of the talented Fraggle Rock writers and artists who contributed to our first volume and helped us promote the series at Comic-Con. They’re all great people and unbelievably gifted at what they do:
Jeff Stokely
Adrianne Ambrose
Nichol Ashworth
Sam Humphries
Jeremy Love
Grace Randolph
Bryce P. Coleman
Michael DiMotta
Katie Cook
Dave Lanphear
These guys aren’t just artists and writers. They’re friends, and when you work with friends, you can’t really call it “work,” can you? And for those of you who worked on the book and couldn’t make it to Comic-Con, hopefully you’ll be joining us in New York or at another convention in the future. I need you to sign my book!