In comparison to the trials of previous years, I'd say today went alright. The only wrinkle (and one hardly worth mentioning next to slicing my hand open with a box cutter a couple years ago) was the banner.
I had it shipped to a local Fed Ex to be picked up by me. The FedEx in question is about 10 blocks from the convention center in a path that goes right through downtown San Diego. I've made the trek many times over the years shlepping a cart loaded with boxes, it's not fun but not exactly a hardship.
I had not considered how big a tube containing an 8ft x 12 ft banner would be. It was big.
That's about 9ft tall with a 10 inch circumference. That is tough to navigate through ten city blocks full of people. My FIRST thought was just take the thing out of the tube and fold it into a reasonable sized clump. Unfortunately the ends were screwed shut.
That is one severe tube...I don't really think using drywall screws to keep the thing shut was necessary. This was being sent to San Diego not Beirut. What the F8ck exactly were they concerned was gong to happen to this tube that is needed to be screwed shut. That banner is only 13mm vinyl. I only weights like 5 pounds. The carboard tube weighs more than three of these banners. what the hell? whatever.
My SECOND thought was just to curb stomp the tube and tear/rend/unravel the tube. The problem there was the likely possibility that the banner was printed wrong and I'd have to send the f*cker back, in which case I'd need the tube intact. So, Josh and I carried the thing back through downtown like some Laurel and Hardy movie. and got it to the booth and opened it.
!
...I'd say they could have used a smaller tube. Anyways, it showed up on time and...it was actually printed correctly. I would have lost that bet.
Onto setting the f*cker up...
Looking good, eh? The trick is securing the thing so it actually stay up and straight for four days. That is a job for a taller man that I, so I let John have at cable tying it to the metal piping.
Even he wasn't tall enough...but he had an idea that some would call -unorthodox, by I call -pragmatic
anyhoo, things went pretty smoothly. The banner looks good, the books showed up and look good and we are off to the races. Wednesday is "preview" night and the show is only open three hours or so. We moved a pretty good amount of books in three hours...my drawing hand is going to get a lot of miles this weekend.
I have some video to put up of the rest of the convention once I figure out how, but for tonight I gotta finally get some sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be a busy day. I'll see you afterwords and let you know how it went.
Keep thinking positive thoughts.
Oh, yeah...the new single issue got here today, thanks to my cousin 
Later...