Meeting Scott McCloud

We meet Scott McCloud last night at Henderson in Arkadelphia, AR. It was an informal Q & A and book signing. It's hard to describe just how cool this was. He sounded exactly like I imagined him in my head, when reading his books. My favorite part was the fact that he didn't just talk about what was in the book, but what he had been thinking about. He signed the two books we owned by him , Understanding Comics and Making Comics. I highly recommend both books. There many others of his I haven't read yet. Understanding Comics is the type of book, that should be read by any artist, or anyone who views art, not just those interested in comics or graphic novels. Although it took Cliff a few years to get me to read it, cause I thought, "I know how to read comics." Well, not as much as I thought I did. Making Comics is just like it sounds, although those interested in conveying moods in facial expressions or body language in their figural work should give the second chapter a read. I got to ask him a question I had been struggling with on my own graphic novel, and without telling him too much, he gave me the perfect answer. I didn't even have to tell him what it was about. How cool is that? If you ever get a chance to meet him, do it, you'll never regret it. No matter how little sleep you got.

By the way, I have to say how surprised I was to find out that the library at Henderson has a comic/ graphic novel collection. They also have a comic club. Who would have thought? I also have say a thank you to Robert O'Nale for taking and emailing a picture of us with McCloud. I didn't even think to take our camera. I didn't get a chance to talk to Scott's wife much, but she seems like she would be a cool person to talk to. What a great evening!

Now for something completely different-

Woohoo! Indy won the Superbowl! They are Cliff's favorite team. I'm so proud of the Colts. Although Denver is still # 1 in my heart.