kybearfuzz | George Perez, The Cincinnati Comic Expo, & More

I managed to walk through two days of the Cincinnati Comic Expo and had a good time. I even talked longtime MIA

cubtharsis into joining the melee.

The main attraction for me was meeting George Perez. I got there as it opened and made a bee line for his booth. There was a small line already, which quadrupled in minutes after I got there.

I normally don't get ga-ga over celebrities. I admire their work, but as a person I don't feel the need to get autographs or photos. George Perez is one of the very few I have dreamed of meeting. I've been a fan of his for over 30 years and have tried to emulate his work, his amazing sense of detail, etc. After two hours in line, I got to the table where I asked him to draw Marvel's Hercules. It took him four minutes and then got a photo with him with the drawing. Yeah, I'm acting like a goober, but it truly does reflect how I felt at that moment -- pure amazement. It was a bucket list moment for me.

George drawing Hercules, George and Me with the Hercules drawing, and George working on Firestorm for another attendee
We ran around for the rest of the day, buying comic books, tee-shirts and posters, and saying hi to other friends who were attending.

Afterward, we went to dinner then

cubtharsis and I hit the USS Nightmare for a scare, caught up over coffee at Starbucks, and hit the 701 Bar for a beer. I got home at 1 AM, exhausted.

I went back to the Expo yesterday for a couple of hours. George Perez had a much shorter line on day two. I heard that the crowded line had already been there and gone that morning. I got back in line and watched him draw Aquaman for a pretty blonde lady. I thought about getting Wonder Girl or Troia drawn, but instead wanted the long-haired and bearded version of Aquaman instead (it fits the bearish theme of the art on my walls in my comic book room). It was amazingly detailed and just stunning. Both of the pieces I had him do are below:

Hercules and Aquaman
After all that walking around on concrete floors, running my usual four mile run, and my chest and back workout, I'm worn out. I took today off to recover, but it was a great weekend.