CARTOON BLUES: PLATFORM ANIMATION FESTIVAL, DAY 1

Last night was the opening party for the Platform Animation Festival in Portland. I had gone down midday to pick up my badge and various stuff, including the super swell messenger bag they packed all of the pre-reg' goodies in. The guy handing out the materials recognized my name and pulled one of the most regular faux pas (pases?) comic book editors encounter.

"I like your comics," he said.

"Thanks," I replied.

"Are you still writing?"

"Of course. I've had a bunch of new stuff recently actually."

"Really? Are you still doing comic books with Chynna Clugston? I love Blue Monday."

This is a step up from the usual, "So, as an editor, you do what? Write all the bubbles?" First of all, if you call them bubbles, you're an idiot. Second, I'd like to know, if I introduced myself as an editor at the New York Times, would they ask me if I wrote all of the articles? If I said I was an editor at Simon & Shuster, would they inquire what novels I write? Is it that hard to understand how a comic book editor is an editor like any other?

Anyway, I didn't make the first night round of shorts. I had thought I would, but I got to working on revisions of Love the Way You Love vol. 6 (more of that later), and when I looked up, it was too late. I did go down for the party, however, as my DVD Talk editor was going to be there, and they had free champagne, which was the perfect mask for my otherwise dark mood. A few other people I knew showed up, including the whirling dervish Plastorm. (Check his blog, he saw last night's cartoons and can give you the skinny.) He had a friend named Slater, but it was loud in the party hall and I heard it as "Spider," and so baffled everyone with my seemingly rude question, "Is that the name it says on your birth certificate?" Later we goaded Spider (that's his name now, I decided) into hitting on a young lady he was admiring, and as he did so, hung back and did a play-by-play commentary as he impressively worked his way into a group conversation, eventually jettisoning the other members of the group. It was a special kind of work. We thought it was over when a guy in a strange combination special needs helmet/Mexican wrestler mask tried to move in on the action, but he was thwarted, too. It was an inspiring sight for two married guys and the walking dead to witness.

(Yeah, the walking dead would be me. What of it? Like you couldn't smell the rot all over me. It was nice of you not to bring it up, though.)

Naturally, I forgot my new camera, beginning the string of what I am sure will be a long line of me forgetting my camera.

Current Soundtrack: Echo & the Bunnymen, Siberia

Current Mood: morose

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All text (c) 2007 Jamie S. Rich