Unlike yesterday with its sparse attendance, throngs of people, wall-to-wall, filled the Austin Convention Center. Fans waited in long lines to get a picture with Adam West and Burt Ward while standing in front of the Batmobile and to meet Lee Majors and Ray Park.
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Photo by Alan J. Porter
Disappointingly, the legendary Michael Golden garnered little attention. It was particularly glaring considering across the aisle hundreds waited for Joe Madureira.
Art by Michael Golden
I spent a thoroughly entertaining lunch with Chew artist Rob Guillory. We discussed the origins of the popular title, his career, working with John Layman, and our mutual respect for Image Comics PR and Marketing Coordinator Betsy Gomez.
Before lunch while waiting for Guillory to finish talking with some of his many fans, I noticed the artwork Kody Chamberlain. Set up on the table next to Guillory, his stark, realistic work created quite a contrast to his neighbor’s cartoony-style. Chamberlain’s beautifully rendered comic Sweets details a New Orleans crime story in the days leading up to Katrina.
Art by Kody Chamberlain
Though I appreciated the pavilion aspect, rather than being buried in some dank room somewhere, of the gaming happenings, it was dominated by that symbol of 1990s avarice Magic: The Gathering. What about the more modern, egalitarian card game Dominion? Or the excellent sci-fi board game tie-in Battlestar Galactica?
I stopped and chatted with artist Paul Maybury (whose recent works can be seen in Strange Tales II #2) at the STAPLE! booth.
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Page from Paul Maybury’s story in Strange Tales II #2
All-in-all, another fun, albeit tiring day. This show is proving to be infinitely more fun than the last Wizard World Texas I attended.
My Sunday visit will probably prove to be a short one. Running out of steam.