Signs, Sigils, and Portents

_Kate works each day nine to five_, serving with true
dedication...

Who is *Sergio Aragones*, and why does he keep following me
around?

I was driving my bicycle past the *San Diego Convention
Center*. Out of the corner of my eye, a suspicious looking
man taps another man on the back. I turn and look. The
"other" man is obviously--_too_ obviously?--a gangster. The
first man is no other than Sergio Aragones. _He_ continues
walking.  A signal of some kind?

Where are all these _Spawn_ t-shirts coming from? Is it
related? Is San Diego on the brink of an invasion of goggle-
eyed, slobbering aliens?

Her license said Massachusetts. Her eyes said _addict_.
She'd blasted every red light between here and Boston, and
the toad was by her side. A few minutes later I heard a
splash from the bay. I did not turn and look. What addiction
drove her to cross the country for a quiet town with
reasonable swimming? Maiden?

Her bumper sticker said _Love Animals. Don't Eat Them_. I
was mourning the chicken and pig that had given their life
for my lunch, when a rhinoceros burst from nowhere and
rammed the side of her car. The force of the impact threw me
back into the San Diego Transit bus behind me. She merely
swerved back into the W-2 lane and continued on. At the
Convention Center, buses labeled _Diamond Comics_ were
ferrying _something_ from the *San Diego Zoo*. For what
purpose do they loose 30,000 mad animals in downtown San
Diego? Mother?

"If you wear a costume that includes weapons, please keep
them attached to the costume. Don't draw or aim them." Does
this mean I can bring my Glock? And will it help against the
Rhinos?

"One of the best things about the Con is being in the same
place at one time with over 30,000 other people who love
comics, science fiction, fantasy, films, Japanese animation,
and gaming just as much as you do. There's nothing else like
it." Especially if you're the rep from Spire Comics.

_Free Speech Just Got a Lot More Expensive_. The Comic Book
Legal Defense Fund, P.O. Box 693, Northampton, MA 01061 1-
800-992-2533, has their own booth. Burton Joseph, Paul
Mavrides, Sandy Presant, and Peter Kuper will speak at times
to "be announced." "Peter Kuper, expert witness in Mike
Diana's trial, will be signing limited editions of his
'That's Obscene' comic strip, first published in the Village
Voice."

"Forthcoming" from Byron Preiss Multimedia: R. Crumb
Screensavers. Shake yer butt and get in line!

I was right! Aliens! Malibu _is_ San Diego! Seduction of the
Innocent is back! (Bill Mumy, Miguel Ferrer, Max Allan
Collins, Steve Leialoha, Chris Christiansen) And the three
biggest babes in Comics are Catwoman, Cat Yronwode, and
Omaha the Cat Dancer. (Courtesy _The Mask_, San Diego Comic-
Con Comics #3)

The Comic-Con is 25 years old. So is Rip-Off Press, and
they're still smoking! _Terry & the Pirates_, _Flash
Gordon_, and _Li'l Abner_ are 60 years old. Paper doll
fanatics take a look at pages 46-47 of the Souvenir Book!
_Daisy Mae_ and _Fan Girl_ by *Trina Robbins*. _Felix the
Cat_, meanwhile, has survived 75 years as a cartoon icon.
And, of course, lots of *Jack Kirby* tributes and memories,
which we may or may not survive.

Coming up: _Comics and Political Correctness_, _Electronic
Publishing_, _Donna Barr_, and the _Third Annual Comics Art
Conference Report_. Arrrgghhh! I feel the creature inside!
Hand me that gun, Wilma.

That's not a gun, that's a comic book!

Next Year: July 27-30.

And where is the Crone?

              She serves you ice cream, and sodas, and pizzas (all
              kinds). And tacos, too. Dig it._
Jerry Stratton
[j--r--y] at [teetot.acusd.edu]
"I love San Diego! Where else does it rain chili dogs and
popcorn?"
               -- The Mask