Who knew that San Diego would be as muggy and humid as New York this time of year? As Carol and I were in town for Comic-Con, the walks to and from the convention center were intense…and a little bit sweaty. Carol prefers the word dewy, but no matter what the phrasing, it was HOT.

Despite those brief walking workouts, I’m a little bigger now than I was when I left New York last week. I thought I had been doing well on my personal diet and health program, but something about being in San Diego knocked that right out of me. I blame Mrs. Fields and her seemingly ubiquitous cookie kiosks at the Con. They’re everywhere and they’re delicious. And it was very easy to grab one or two on the way to the latest panel discussion.

I find that many things are counterintuitive about San Diego, a city I lived in for more than 10 years. It should be the sunny land of health and fitness, but something about San Diego seems to bring out all my bad habits. Yes, there’s the food, but there’s also this weird temptation to smoke, a habit I kicked a while ago. I didn't yield to temptation, but it was haunting me there. I think it’s because the little-known secret about Southern California is that it’s really not as healthy as you would think. When I lived here, I knew far more closet smokers than I ever encountered elsewhere. You could easily get the impression that you could get away with murder out here, but they’d happily lock you up and throw away the key if you smoked in the wrong place. And that’s about right. There’s a hidden side to this sunny madness, believe me.

But enough about cigs. Let’s all strap on a nicotine patch and get down to comics. Comic-Con was a blast, a whirlwind, and an amazing adventure all in one. My head is reeling from it all, especially the many educational panels (here’s a tip for those who go next year: Yes, those really popular panels are very interesting, but instead of standing in a long line for a crowded room --- or not getting allowed in at all --- try one of those less popular discussions; some of them are incredibly informative…and the air conditioning works better in those rooms). I got a nice education in library and teacher issues, as well as making a lot of contacts, all of which will be put to good use in content coming to this site over the next several weeks.

We want to hear from teachers and librarians who have stories to tell about how they are using graphic novels in classrooms and libraries. You can click here to introduce yourself, and we will be in touch. If you are in school and like what's going on at your school with graphic novels, be sure to get your teacher to write us once school starts up. Or shoot me a note with your teacher's contact information.

Beyond that, I kept up with all my reading material while I was in San Diego. That included reading Amulet, Book Two: The Stonekeeper’s Curse on the flight out there (see the link to the review below) and The Big Kahn on the way back, which we will have a review of soon.

And we picked up books and giveaways from the convention center that Carol stashed in the extra bag she brought with her. All 50 lbs. of it! When she volunteered for this duty, she was thinking a cab would drop her at the curb where the skycap would deal with the bags for her. Instead that line was too long, and so she did not miss her plane, she had to tote this along with her own baggage into the airport (and she by her own admission does not travel light) and up the escalator. She assures me there was nothing graceful about this! That said, I’m looking forward to getting through everything and reporting back to you after I do.

One last thing...her flight home proved to be just as much fun as a day at the Con as she sat with two young guys from the UK who had made the trip as their first foray to the States. Can you imagine? Between their jet lag and their naivete about the scope and scale of the event, they provided great entertainment with their stories --- and Carol managed to quiz them about graphic novels in the UK when she was not napping on the flight back. The one thing we know about comic readers --- everyone has great stories!

Feature Story: Our 2009 Comic-Con Report

Kids Reviews