Greetings, geektastic readers! This weekend I went to San Diego Comic-Con, where I saw/did/screamed at/selfied ALL of the things. I mean, not ALL the things-that would require a time-turner, a TARDIS, and at least four clones of myself. Join me on my multi-part journey down the rabbit hole, where I recap all the nerdly things you need to know.
It’s Saturday at the Con, and geek fatigue is setting in. My feet hurt from trekking across the expanse of the exhibit hall, and my over-caffeinated system is finally wearing down. SDCC would make a killing if they set up napping booths.
I start the day at “Camp Out with Lumberjanes!”, a panel featuring creators Shannon Watters and Noelle Stevenson, along with editor Dafna Pleban, illustrator Carolyn Nowak and associate editor Whitney Leopard. The panel was riding high off of their double Eisner win for Best New Series and Best Publication for Teens (13-17). I’ll delve into the panel more next week with my Lumberjanes interview, but some highlights were the little girls nervously asking questions (so cute my ovaries ache) and the panelists making fun of each other. When asked who they’d love to see involved in the series, Noelle quickly responded with Gwendolyn Christie (Brienne of Tarth on Game of Thrones) if only so she could carry around Noelle in her pocket. We share the same dream, Noelle!
In other queer lady news, it looks like Korrasami will continue on in comic book form. Co-creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino announced that Dark Horse Comics will release an all new graphic novel series based on The Legend of Korra. DiMartino told the crowd that “we’re definitely going to focus on Korra and Asami’s relationship” which was met with a round of applause. No release date has been set for the series, but we’ll keep you posted as the story develops.
From there, it was off to “Hannibal: Savor the Hunt,” which featured executive producer/creator Bryan Fuller, executive producer Martha De Laurentiis, and stars Hugh Dancy and Richard Armitage. In celebration of the popular meme, the panelists donned flower crowns and wore them throughout the panel. Though Hannibal was cancelled by NBC, the producers haven’t given up hope of finding a new home for the series. There may even be a Hannibal movie in the works. The panel briefly touched on the lesbian relationship between Alana and Margot, and Bryan Fuller shared stories of going back and forth with the network over different lesbian sex euphemisms he was/was not allowed to use. Apparently he and the censors finally agreed on “button-stitching.”
I wrapped up the day at “Gay in Comics 28: At the Intersection of Comics and Life,” featuring out panelists Paige Braddock (Peanuts, Jane’s World, Stinky Cecil) and Hilary Price (Rhymes with Orange). Hilary discussed the challenges of writing a newspaper strip and how she used veiled language and allusions to tell queer stories. Paige discussed her ongoing series Jane’s World, and the difficulties of making a comic that is “too gay for straight papers and not gay enough for gay papers.” She also discussed her lesbian romance novels, which she writes under the pen name Missouri Vaughn.
Thus endeth my Comic-Con adventures! Stay tuned for interviews with some terrific queer comic creators. Did you go end up going to SDCC? What was your favorite thing to see/do there? Share your nerdery with me @ChelseaProcrast
