SDCC 2009

[Philip Roworth]

I live in Sac, but for most of the year I go to UC San Diego, so come September, yes Dawn, I will be in SD

Tara, it would be great to meet again before i head back down

[Michael Painter]

Hey Phillip,
Yeah, I used to go through that too. I just recently graduated from UC San Diego, and will be working there for the forseeable future. So yeah, if any SD'ers want to meet up, that's cool.

Also,
in Sac, right now I'm getting comics from A-1 comics. I'll be here until I get my new car and get my driver's license.

[Eduardo Blake]

CBR's write up:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page ... e&id=22326

[mrs.dawnsmith]

CBR's write up:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page ... e&id=22326

Oh my god! They totally mentioned me!!! Haha! I'm famous!!!

[Stephanie Horn]

hehe, you are now official Dawn!

[Mark Coale]

Only made it to one Panel thursday, but it was not the JSA one (instead Richard Thompson). I really just didn't have the time or inclination to deal with the line at that point in the day.

It helped knowing everything would be podcasted by DC.

Not having gone in 5 years, i had forgotten why I dislike the show so much. I mean, I know I hate the crowds and their churlish behavior, but it;s always worse than imagined.

I was glad to see some old friends at the show. Otherwise, I bought 2 comics (from scott morse), one ashcan (from Steve Lieber) and one sketch (a Paste Pot Pete from Colleen Coover).

On the whole, I'd say I had a much better vacation before the con (going to Padres game, some local BBQ) and after (Schulz museum and Miyazaki Q&A).

Give me Baltimore or Charlotte any day. :>

[Bill Willingham]

Hello all. The following is an open letter for Mr. Bill Willingham regarding the Fables panel at SDCC.

Mr. Willingham,
I am posting this open letter in forums that belong to you and your fans. I realize that this makes me a guest in these places, as I am not a Fables reader, and as a guest I will do my very best to keep these comments civil and constructive.

At San Diego Comic Con, there are many many panels and activities for fans to attend. These take place in large ballrooms and are scheduled back to back throughout the entire day. The folks who put the convention on do not clear the rooms between events, so if 90% of the room stays when one panel concludes, only 10% of the room will be available to the people standing in line. This is a difficult situation for everybody, creators like yourself, and fans like me. We all do the best we can.

This year, the Fables panel was followed by a Venture Bros. panel, and there were a large number of Venture Bros. fans ’squatting’ your Fables panel. I was one of them. However, I am not entirely evil. I let a number of Fables fans who swore to me that they’d leave the room when Fables concluded (Meaning they weren’t taking a seat I would later be interested in) in front of me in line. Still, I am aware of the potential for frustration when confronted with a number of fans of someone other person’s creation sitting where you would rather see one of your own.

That said, we all do the best we can with these unfortunate circumstances. I was rather surprised when you proceeded to insult the Venture Bros. fans numerous times throughout the panel. Comments along the lines of “This is something strange and mysterious: something you would have to read”, describing how the process of opening and reading a book works, and other comments insinuating my illiteracy were not appreciated. Instead of viewing the 1000 Venture Bros. fans as a captive audience that could be turned into fans of your creation as well, you viewed them as a threat and treated them as such. You very quickly turned a room full of people who had never heard your story but were receptive, and happy to know they didn’t have to stand in line anymore (after 2.5 hours of waiting) very sour to whatever you might have to say afterwords.

You have to protect your fans who came to see you, and you have to treat them best first. I understand this. I am in no way suggesting you should have changed the content of your panel to a sales pitch, which would have been insulting to your fans. I’m suggesting that if you hadn’t repeatedly attacked the other folks who had no opinion of your story, the excitement of your own fans and the interesting aspects of the story you had to tell would have become a sales pitch to them by default. We, the non-Fables fans should have been thinking “This looks interesting, I should pick up a copy to see what it’s all about”. Instead we were left thinking “When will this such-and-such quit insulting me so we can get on with what we came here for”. I have no doubt in my mind you cost yourself a few potential fans that day.

Thank you very much.
Dave Chandler

*Edit: I have just realized that my registered 'posting name' is not my given name. In an effort to show good will I have signed this letter with my real name, but I understand if this is post is removed. I am not interested in 'stirring the pot' and simply hope that this letter finds itself in Mr. Willingham's hands. Thanks again, Dave Chandler.

Dear Dave Chandler,

First, thank you for your well-thought out letter. And thank you for using your full name here, which I understand you failed to do in some of the other places in which you posted this letter.

Rather than respond point by point, I hope you'll forgive me, busy as I am and still weary from the SDCC, for jumping straight to the crux of your complaint.

So, you're a fan of a TV show whose driving engine is joyful and unflinching mockery about anything and everything, and yet you took umbrage at the gentle ribbing you received at the Fables panel, when you were squatting in said panel, denying your seat to an actual Fables reader?

Fair enough. Message received. But I don't really care.

But it's clear that you care, so I wouldn't blame you if you vowed never to unfairly steal a seat inside a Fables panel again. That would sure show me.

Thank you and goodbye,

Bill

[Trish Tatman]

So, you're a fan of a TV show whose driving engine is joyful and unflinching mockery about anything and everything, and yet you took umbrage at the gentle ribbing you received at the Fables panel, when you were squatting in said panel, denying your seat to an actual Fables reader?

Fair enough. Message received. But I don't really care.

THANK YOU! That's what totally got me when I first read that letter. When you watch a show (heck, an entire network) that does nothing but intelligently (and sometimes not so intelligently) make fun of everyone and everything and then turn around and get angry when someone pokes fun at you...?

Maybe I'm wrong, but Bill is there to see Fables fans. Discuss things with Fables fans. Take questions from Fables fans. Not pander to anyone who isn't a Fables fan but happens to be squatting in the room. If a ton of Fables fans were squatting a Venture Bros panel, do you really think the writers/producers of VB would let it slide without a few well-placed jabs? Come on.

In the future, you can avoid being made fun of in a panel you don't want to be in, but not being in the panel to begin with.

[Michael Painter]

I'm sorry as well to Dave or anyone else who felt ribbed, but I agree with Bill as well.
I waited two hours just to ensure I got a seat into the panel. I came for the Fables panel, and honestly I really don't understand the hate towards Bill. He wanted to talk to Fables fans, and honestly you cannot immediately recap others to someone to a series in 10 minutes of an hour panel. New people not introduced to the series really would be out of place in the environment. Also, I'm glad Bill had some fun at the panel as there were others who sat next to me who were rudely listening to Adult Swim programming on a portable DVD player. I really don't feel sorry for the squatters, sorry.

[Stephanie Horn]

I'll give Mr. Chandlier credit for not simple bashing the people in this forum, and being very polite and following the rules in a forum he will probably never visit again.

I'm a HUGE fan of Venture Brothers. I think it's hysterical, and honestly, Bill's "ribbing" of the Venture fans was very much in line with the humor of the show. I thought he was being funny. As to the statement of the "a room full of people who had never heard your story but were receptive, and happy to know", it is my experience that it is sadly false. I was surrounded by people who were simply camping, and they were either reading, listening to music, or sleeping through the panel. Few were receptive. Most of that room was not there for Fables, most of the Fables fans were left outside. The fans didn't really get their panel, because most of that room wasn't there for our panel. I only got in (after waiting 3 hours in line) because a woman who worked for the Con grabbed the legitimate fans out of line.

I'm trying not to be rude mind you, but campers ruin panels. I can't stand campers. It's extremely rude. Many people made this huge deal about the Twilight Campers taking over Hall H, and how terrible they were. That's what happened to our panel, most of us got shut out by people who didn't care about it's content. Despite wanting to stay for the Venture Bros. panel, I left so that someone else in line (who I essentially cut) could take my seat.

(sorry, I lost my temper a bit) Regardless, I'm sorry that some people were personally insulted. It's sad, but they shouldn't take everything so seriously.

[mrs.dawnsmith]

I only got in (after waiting 3 hours in line) because a woman who worked for the Con grabbed the legitimate fans out of line.

I helped too!!!

[Stephanie Horn]

Yes, Dawn helped too. Without Dawn and Matt I really WOULDN'T have made it in!

[muteddragon]

Yes, Dawn helped too. Without Dawn and Matt I really WOULDN'T have made it in!

The Stephanie Horn being denied entry into the Fables panel at SDCC is just wrong!

[Stephanie Horn]

Yes, Dawn helped too. Without Dawn and Matt I really WOULDN'T have made it in!

The Stephanie Horn being denied entry into the Fables panel at SDCC is just wrong!

Haha, I know, right? I need a badge that says "If Fables related, I must be admitted" haha!

[muteddragon]

Well if Bill, Bucky, Matt & company recognize you from this forum, I think you'd be good. Though I don't think they'd be at the doors of panels.

[WarPlayer]

I hope to attend SDCC sometime, again, someyear. To make sure I get in to Fables stuff, I guess I'll have to dress as someone. ... I am too large and grey for most of the characters... Maybe I can be King Cole, or the new and improved version (the cover seems to suggest he's putting on weight) of the former Jack of Fables. I could play the jerk for the day. Whatever it takes, that's a good motto.

[Heather Farris]

I think I'll be Red Riding Hood, and then use the red cloak for a Scarlet Witch costume, so I can go as two characters.

[Kelley Mansell]

Ok! Now we're talking! SDCC 2010. Clockwork Storybook fans take-over!

I totally agree though, I don't think the purpose of the panels is to educate and sell people on the product, and trying to win more fans. It's there for the people who are already fans and to get them excited about whats going on!

If it was the other way around, I think the creators of Venture Bros. would do a lot more ribbing & have a lot meaner things to say to the squatters than what Bill had said. I listened to the panel and I thought it was very gentle ribbing for the situation.


I once organized an event on my college campus, I had Gov. Jesse Ventura and Kinky Friedman speak at the school. Well, some of the teachers had offered extra credit for students who went. Well, the room I had for 300 did NOT accommodate for the 1500 that showed up. As someone who put a lot of work into organizing the event, it was frustrating to seat the people who didn't want to be there, "were only doing this for the extra cred", those who thought being there was stupid, or were Perry supporters just there to crash the thing. When the people who really wanted to be there because they were Texas independents, or Kinky/Ventura supporters, or people who were honestly interested in politics, were being denied entry.

Sure, they had a reason to be there, just was the Venture Bros. had a reason to be there, whether it's a good reason or not.. but it's sad to see others, who have a genuine interest in the conference to turned away because of that.
The Con operators need to clear the rooms after panels. Or have separate lines for different panels. Or re-plan things so next year, this type of thing doesn't happen again.

[Eduardo Blake]

Yes, Dawn helped too. Without Dawn and Matt I really WOULDN'T have made it in!

The Stephanie Horn being denied entry into the Fables panel at SDCC is just wrong!

True Madness that.

[Bill Willingham]

We're working on ways to make sure this doesn't happen again. Still considering options right now, but most ideas involve taking the panel out of the SDCC hands.