Every year at Comic-Con I see tons of fans waiting in line at the VIZ Media booth hoping to score a free bag. People tell me they’re somewhat collectible. And I have to admit the totes are pretty snazzy. But this year my favorite giveaway bag came from the Ace/Roc crüe. As you can see, it rocks hard, dude.
I was so smitten by the bag I decided to attend the Ace/Roc industry panel. What a gas! I can only hope that one day our Haikasoru books inspire such fervent behavior from readers. People in the audience were squealing with delight as they peeped covers of upcoming books.
It was also fun to see the editors on stage. They were bubbly and cute, and seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the books they worked on. A shiny gold star to both Anne Sowards and Jessica Wade—you guys put a big smile on my face.
In other Comic-Con news: I heard a bit of Twilight bashing on the Bram Stoker panel (apparently vampires aren’t supposed to “sparkle” in the sunlight). And author Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind) was bold enough to snip at Harry Potter during the Evolution of Fantasy panel. Later, at the Monster Mash panel, there was Comic-Con love for Amber Benson (Tara from Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
And finally: On the way home late Sunday night, I spied a copy of The Lord of the Sands of Time in the bookstore at SFO. Thus proving that Compass Books is one of the best bookmarts in San Francisco.
