Bleeding Neon

I packed so much into the quickly passing four days spent in the San Diego area this past weekend, I wasn’t sure where to start with my recap, so I’m going to let my poorly composed and intermittently shoddy camera phone photos help structure the tale of Comic-Con International 2009.

Due to a combination of other obligations and financial restrictions, Sara and I missed the preview night of Comic-Con (Wednesday) and the opening day (Thursday). We drove down in the AwesomeMobile Thursday afternoon, arriving at our hotel, a Courtyard by Marriott about 15 minutes from downtown San Diego, about 6 p.m. That’s the view from our room up above. Thursday night we took a winding drive on a search for food through University City and La Jolla, eventually ending up in Del Mar. Just in time to catch a pizza joint just as it was closing. Because in Del Mar, apparently pizza after 9 p.m. is just unheard of. (continue reading…)

We’re about to round a corner with the completion of this week’s two pages from The Utopian. Page 31 is now live, but Friday’s strip is not only the tense conclusion of Part 4 of the serial (“Out of the Closet”), but also will be the last page in the first print collection, which will be released this fall. I received cover art from Mark T. Zeilman (also bass player in a certain awesome local rock band) last week, and, well, I am trying really hard not to post it yet, because it’s pretty rad.

As I’m heading to San Diego for Comic-Con International tomorrow, there will be no new Utopian pages posted next week, but I’ll be back with Part 5, “Revelations,” the first week of August. Which is, coincidentally, 33rd Annual International Pj Week. Bring your party hats.

I’m sure I’ll have all sorts of news for you after I get back from Comic-Con, but until then, chew on the latest article I posted on Examiner.com about Nevada Ballet Theatre’s fall season, and keep your eyes out for tomorrow’s Las Vegas Weekly, in which there should be a Pj-penned article about fast-rising Vegas electro-core band This Romantic Tragedy.

Oh yeah, if you want to be really amused, check out Cracked.com’s “Worst Webcomic” forum, in which the forum trolls dwelling there do their best to ooze snarky criticisms all over The Utopian. Of course, since someone started posting links to my webcomic over there, traffic on my site has increased hundredfold, so I guess that goes to prove, once again, there’s no such thing as bad press. If I get really bored one of these days (because, you know, that happens), I might address each of their complaints in a blog post in my own refined and delicate manner.

And to end on a more positive note, how about good press? Internet pals Kevin Church, Benjamin Birdie, Max Riffner and others get some love for their webcomics over at NPR.com, which is about the most awesome sauce you’ll ever taste.

Today you get a two-fer. My parents were on a photo binge today and sent my brother Joshua and I photos of … photos. From like 20 years ago. Actually, almost 25. Yipes.

So, here’s Josh and yours truly, circa 1986:

And 20 years later, at a holiday party in 2005:

I know, frightening, right? You should be proud of me for not being afraid to look like an ass, at any age.

Also, please note the “thumbs up” gesture was merely a precursor to The Fist.

Nevada Cancer Institute director Dr. John C. Ruckdeschel and Ricardo's of Las Vegas owner Bob Ansara

Last Thursday, Sara and I went to Ricardo’s of Las Vegas, a long-time local favorite for pretty decent Mexican food. The restaurant had teamed up with Nevada Cancer Institute for “Dine for the Cure,” an event held to raise money for the local nonprofit. Ricardo’s owner Bob Ansara pledged to donate 30 percent of all proceeds from that evening to NVCI.

When we were there at about 7 p.m., it was definitely more packed than usual for a Thursday night. I figured that was a good sign, and that the donation to NVCI would be significant, at least $1000 (OK, ANY amount is significant, I know, but this is a business donation from a big event, not a personal thing). But according to the publicist for the event, Ricardo’s donation (thus far, not sure why there’s no final tally after four days) is just over $500.

Unless I’m crazy with the math, $500 is 30 percent of about $1667. For Sara and I, dinner (two entrees, no appetizers, one beer) was about $40. There were some big parties in there that night, but even averaging $40 per meal over the four hours of the event, that’s only approximately 41 meals. Really? Come on, there had to be that much being consumed in just the hour we were there.

Those numbers just don’t line up. I’ve never run a restaurant, but if just over $1500 is your take on a “special,” busy weeknight, then I can’t imagine you’re making enough to keep your doors open regularly. I worked at a movie theater in high school, and I’m pretty sure our nightly take on the concession stand was that much.

Well, either way, we had a good meal for a good cause, and it was very cool of Mr. Ansara to do this (blatant PR grab notwithstanding), but let’s double-check those numbers!