Matthew Sheret

“I took a plane I took a train” Quoting The New Pornographers again, but appropriate. After leaving the welcoming arms of Quintin and Aanand in Quebec I visited Caitlin briefly in LA before rolling on to San Diego. I waited two hours for Team Phonogram in the wrong hotel before we finally united in our room. Besides myself and The Boys we found ourselves joined by Chrissy – cruelly brought low by a sprained ankle – and Miss Katie West, who both proved to be fine foils for our increasingly shattered trio. A trio who started every morning staggering around our room in the finest underpants known to man.

It isn’t impossible to do justice to the Con Floor, but words aren’t quite enough. Instead I just insist you search Flickr for SDCC cosplay. We all spent close to 45hours manning the booth between Wednesday night and Sunday afternoon, fueled by coffee, company, and a parade of friends and fans. The sales numbers were fascinating to watch, my own obsessional attention to scorekeeping providing a nice breakdown for Jamie to pick over while Katie and I counted cash on Sunday. The fanzine sold very well, although there are a few left. I hope to be setting up a store for the remaining copies soon.

There were a few moments in which I had to do a double take, wrapped into Kieron and Jamie’s social group as I was. I had the pleasure of being introduced to Amber Benson and Wil Wheaton on the convention floor, as well as the magnificent Ben Templesmith, who I still owe a couple of drinks for taking delivery of Phonogram vs The Fans. Getting to know Antony Johnston better over the weekend was a treat, although we spent Saturday night trading Too Much Information stories in the hotel bar. Dinner with Becky Cloonan, Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O’Malley before the Eisners was pretty special, as was the final drinks on Sunday with Kieron, Chrissy, Becky, Katie, Jamie, Antony, Ray Fawkes, Brian Wood, Matt Fraction and Caitlin Kittredge. Be it in Bristol, Stockholm, Leeds or San Diego comics people have been bloody lovely, always welcoming and always happy to trade drinks and war stories.

While I seem to have bypassed the crippling San Diego SARS, I was party to the deep-trauma of Con Floor Mania, in which Kieron and I cracked. The first hints came on Friday, when a reader dropped by the booth. We asked what her name was, Amanda, and then began to sing the ‘Amanda is Amazing’ song at her (repeat those three words in a fractured harmony several times and you’re pretty much there) until she ran away. We also shouted random facts about Dickon Edwards at a passing stranger, which Kieron recounts much better in his post. Suffice to say, after spending all that time behind a table in a noisy room filled with thousands of people and failing to see much daylight for days on end then your view of acceptability and reality takes a sharp turn left.

The close of the weekend was suitably dramatic, as we dispersed throughout the US: I wound up having breakfast with Katie, Jamie and Becky before heading to San Diego airport for my flight. When that was delayed I missed my connection, and had to stay for sixteen hours at Denver International Airport. I came close to crazy.

But I made it through that, and have memories of an incredible close to my trip. Thanks to everyone who said hello, bought me lunch, put me up or otherwise put up with me: you’ve all been wonderful.