India!
- Ron
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
India - Amazing!
A few days late with this thanks being at the Happy Valley Comic Con over the weekend, just down the road from the Penn State campus. It was to have been my third convention in as many weekends, but I was forced to cancel my appearance at Alaska Comic Con in Fairbanks the previous weekend because of illness. I picked up a dose of the flu (or something very much like it) on the flight home from Chennai, India, and was too under the weather to make the trip. I know Dan Parent of Archie fame also missed the con due to the flu. Sincere apologies for missing the show, I was truly looking forward to the Alaska experience. Hopefully I can make it to Fairbanks next year.
The visit to Chennai was as amazing as my previous India trips, both the convention itself (which was packed) and touring around the city. My friend Soumya Das, who lives in the exotic land of New Jersey but was back home in India to see family, journeyed to Chennai to hang out with me. Our tour included the museum at AVM Film Studios, an amazing Hindu temple, and the beach where waves from Bay of Bengal rolled ashore, plus a fabulous lunch of Southern Indian cuisine.
The convention itself was what I’ve come to expect in India, which is a large and enthusiastic crowd, keen to chat and get autographs and selfies. The staff and volunteers at Comic Con India are a constant presence, looking after you, minding the lines, arranging press interviews, managing the booth, and in general making life easier. Many thanks to all of them.
India is overwhelming, exhausting, exhilarating, enlivening, fascinating. There’s so much life everywhere, at all times. I know it won’t be my last trip to India, and I’m currently working on some Indian-centric projects. My friend Soumya’s Hierophant Entertainment ( https://www.thehierophantentertainment.com/ ), which is already making gorgeous action figures inspired by Indian mythology, is also creating comics inspired by the same Indian mythology. I’m writing a series for Hierophant you’ll be hearing more about soon.
Pod People
I’ll be on the Haven Comics: Shop Talk podcast this Thursday, March 5, at 8 p.m. Here’s the YouTube link to watch live:
Bourbon Cowboy
I’m returning to the Lexington Comic & Toy Convention on March 27-29, my third year in a row at the show. Normally I only repeat shows like my local Albany Comic Con, or Baltimore Comic Con. But Lexington is such a fun show, run by people who take such great care of you, that it’s an easy decision to return. Their amazing Green Room, with a daily barbecue spread and even a masseuse, doesn’t hurt either.
The other attraction to Lexington is the bourbon trail, with a number of distilleries in the area. I’ve previously taken the tours at Woodford Reserve and Castle and Key, both highly recommended, with my pal Wes Gift. This time we’re hoping to visit Buffalo Trace and a couple of the distilleries right in the downtown area.
I’ve agreed to another couple of international conventions for later in the year, which will be announced in the next few months. Most of my other appearances for the year are also yet to be revealed, but it wouldn’t do for me to spoil the the shows making the initial announcements.
Green Team
Green Lantern #600, containing a new Kyle Rayner story by me and Darryl Banks, releases at the end of March. Hopefully next time I’ll be able to share at least some designs, and maybe a few pages from our story. Pretty happy with how it came out.
