The CGC experience (live!), day one at the con

The first batch of comics I sent off for slabbing was done via Wizard World Anaheim in 2011, so I had a pretty good idea what to expect. The details were different this time, as I sent four books to be pressed by CCS prior to grading and had five to try to get signed. The outcome, however, was nearly the same. In each case I had pre-filled my submission form using the PDF invoice, which saved vast amounts of time and frustration. I thought that at worst I might have to line out an item if a creator didn't show. My friend and I arrived at the Convention Center at about 10:05, expecting to have about a 20 minute wait in line. At 10:48 we finally crossed the threshold and headed straight to the CGC table.

My CCS dropoff was almost instantaneous. A quick scan of my forms, a quick scan of my books, and we're moving on. Signature Series, however, was a different story. My forms were filled out, my books were all window-bagged for convenience, but the furor surrounding such big names as George Perez, Neal Adams, and Mark Bagley coupled with Sal Buscema's rare signing opportunity made the CGC table quite busy indeed. At one point I saw three people trying to hurriedly fill out forms for their Peter Parker: the Spectacular Spider-Man #1s at the same time. Mental note to check eBay for PPtSSM sig series in a few weeks.

As stated, I only had five books I wanted signed and slabbed: Strangers in Paradise #1 and #3 from the Abstract Studios run for Terry Moore, Uncle Scrooge #219 and #285 for the great Don Rosa, and a Justice League America #1 to be hopefully triple-signed by Kevin Maguire, Keith Giffen, and J.M. DeMatteis. Because my creators were relatively low-wait, I got bumped a few times by mobs headed to one of the bigger creators with mountains of books. When I finally did get a witness, I sped through the process in part because I had a map of the convention floor with my creators' tables marked. Another guy was with us, who had no idea where his creator was located. My map and program got us there right away. Important lesson for signings: Failure to plan is planning to fail, or for those who prefer alliteration, proper prior planning prevents poor performance. The only real holdup was in Don Rosa's line, because he was happily providing sketches for any and all who came by. I enjoyed being there and watching him at work, but I know there were people at the CGC table waiting for my witness to get back there. I regret the inconvenience to all who were delayed, but I must admire Mr Rosa's appreciation of his fan base. I was finished with all my CGC work at 12:52 according to my text message log, almost exactly two hours. It was time for lunch and a break after three hours on my feet, counting the walk from the hotel. The first day at the con ended for me with the Fables panel from 3-5 pm. The Fables panel was enlightening and entertaining; I wholeheartedly recommend sitting in on this one if you have even a passing interest in the current Vertigo flagship.

All essential tasks were complete, and we still had all day Sunday to mill around. I'll conclude with a photo of Don Rosa sketching.

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