*If We, Shad, Have Offended...*
                              
I feel like a superhero retiring his costume. The pants went
yesterday: I just wore jeans today. The computer, as well, I
left home this morning. Now, the floppy hat... the nude
shirt... the watch--the only time I ever wear a watch is at
the Con. I'll type this in my underwear, and then switch to
shorts & a t-shirt. And _not_ a Suicide Squid.

There.

Today was a very boring day. Everyone was tired, unaware of
their surroundings, and ready to leave. Donna Barr pulled
out on the dot to head for the airport, and back to
Washington and her sex life.

Jim's stuck at the Ciao! Booth until the end. Tyg has
disappeared, and I never saw Kathy today at all. David
Goldfarb was at the _Tesla Coil_ demo, but I pulled out of
that early to say goodbye to Donna.

Let's see what my notes say.

Overheard at the escalator: "We have to strike against those
Hollywood weasels."

I cheated at the _Malibu_ booth. They're planning some team-
ups between DC and Malibu creations, and are asking for
votes on who we'd like to see. There are the 'approved'
ballot entries, such as _Captain Marvel_ and _Prime_, which
_could_ be an incredible character study. And there is also
a space for write-ins. I voted twice. _Neil Gaiman_ and
_Steve Gerber_. Say, Beverly Switzler meets Sandman. (Maybe
_that's_ who left him.) And a second vote for _Sludge_ and
_Sugar & Spike_. I don't think the ground is tilled well
enough around Sheldon Mayer's grave.

I couldn't find the Tesla Coil demonstration anywhere on the
program schedule. Probably just tired. On the way back to
the exhibit floor, I passed Julius Schwartz.

Well, _any_ panel that he's in will be interesting. More
interesting than watching Neil Gaiman drawings go for $300
at the auction. I followed him past the freebies, but he
seemed as lost as I was. He did lead me right past the Tesla
demo, however. Score one for the Dirk Gently method.

The Tesla demo has nothing to do with comics. It's merely a
very impressive demonstration of some of Nikola Tesla's
inventions and research. Lots of lightning and sparks. They
travel to a bunch of cons. See it if you can.

Overheard on the exhibit floor: "This is just a big fucking
garage sale."

If you want to join the _Olivia Newton-John_ fan club, send
$20 to _Hopelessly Devoted_, c/o Doug Demsko, 465 S. Poplar
St. #1110, Hazleton, PA 18201.

America On-Line is pushing it's comic book section. They've
got DC Comics now, and DC has a full interface on AOL, with
separate icons for DC, MAD, Vertigo, Milestone, and Paradox.
They have an on-line encyclopedia of characters and creators
and pictures to download.


*Buy These Comics*

I picked up set one of Scott Shaw!'s _Oddball Comics_
trading card sets. These things are almost as hilarious as
Scott's slide show was last night. No comic book historian
should be without these. They're incredible.

John Picacio and Fernando Ramirez are doing something called
_Words and Pictures_, from Maverick Studios. Look for it.

How good is it? This comic is so good I'm telling you about
it now instead of cleaning the house. Why do flies always
show up during conventions?

Other things you must buy or be assimilated: Grant Morrison
& Steve Yeowell's _The Invisibles_; Donna Barr's _The Desert
Peach_; Jason Lutes' _Jar of Fools_; and William Shatner's
_TekSquid_.

See ya in the funny pages. I'm going to sleep.

Jerry Stratton
[j--r--y] at [teetot.acusd.edu]
"No cuddly toy can save her now, nor guns, nor beer.... Her
reality had become chaos... and her worst nightmare had come
true....."--Hewlett & Martin, Tank Girl 2.