Portrait of the Artist: L.A. Comic Con 2023

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

L.A. Comic Con 2023

Thanks to a fortuitous set of circumstances, I was fortunate to exhibit for a part of this year’s Los Angeles Comic Con, specifically Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 2–3.

But first a confession: My primary goal for attending this year’s show was to see actors Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monagham, and Billy Boyd who, of course, played the four lead hobbits in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film adaptation. Wood and Astin actually appeared at last year’s 2022 L.A. Comic Con. However, when I showed up to see them, it turns out that I got my wires crossed and showed up on the wrong day! So when I discovered that all four of them were going to be at this year’s show, I saw a chance for redemption!

On the first evening of the show, Friday, Dec. 1, I went to the L.A. Convention Center in downtown L.A. where the convention was being held to pick up my badge. I hoped this would enable me to avoid the lines on Saturday when the hobbits were scheduled to appear. I also scoped the floor and visited friends and colleagues who were exhibiting. I was impressed by how busy it was. While there, I discovered that CAPS (Comic Art Professional Society), the cartoonist organization I belong to, had two booth spaces. One of the publishers there with a table to themselves graciously said they could clear space for me to sell some of my comics! So on Saturday, I brought in some books to sell and was heartened when I quickly sold several items the brief time I was at the table. So I decided to return the following day with more product.

As for the hobbits, they didn't disappoint—being in the same room with them was a geek moment come true. They have wonderful chemistry and a great (dare I say it) fellowship, having done the films together and, in more recent years, making appearances and "touring" (as they joked) to mark the twentieth anniversary of the films. In fact, this very month marks the release of the final film of the original trilogy, the Return of the King. They were engaging and hilarious, and deeply appreciative of what the films mean to so many people.

What's great about the L.A. Comic Con is that rather than hosting these appearances in a restricted hall with limited seating, the "main stage" is just on the floor of the exhibition hall, open to all attendees. And there's a huge screen above for those having difficulty seeing the stage. It's standing room only in front of the stage, with some seating off to the sides. I couldn't get a seat, but was able to stand on the raised platform with a great view.

As a bonus, when I showed up about 15 minutes before the scheduled panel to ensure I had a seat, actor Matt Smith was on stage!

Seeing the hobbits was a wonderful treat and a dream fulfilled, so anything that followed—like making sales—was gravy!

Another panel I attended was Craig Miller’s "Star Wars Memories." Miller was director of Fan Relations for Lucasfilm from 1977–80, going on to a career as a marketer, writer and producer in film and television. The panel is based on his book, Star Wars Memories: My Time in the (Death Star) Trenches, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at the start of his career and working at Lucasfilm and on the original Star Wars trilogy. I purchased and read the book in 2019, and have had the pleasure to get to become acquainted with Miller partly because we have exhibited at some of the same conventions!

I must say this year’s L.A. Comic Con had a great vibe and good crowds—I know the show’s been around awhile, but to my eyes it really felt like it came into its own. It helps, of course, that the show is in my own backyard—each day, I simply took L.A.’s Metro line to the convention center from West L.A., a ride of only about 35 minutes (and this included taking a small box of comics and a banner stand in a carrying case with me on Sunday!). I always enjoy the opportunity to soak in downtown L.A.’s atmosphere—indeed, the convention center is just next door to L.A. Live, an entertainment complex with concert venues, theaters and restaurants, as well as the Crypto Arena sports arena.

For more photos from L.A. Comic Con, see additional photos at the end of this post or see the full gallery. Some of the friends I saw at the show can be seen here.

Godzilla Minus One

So I took advantage of being in downtown L.A. to catch the new Japanese film release, Godzilla Minus One, at the Regal LA Live movie theater just up the street. (Located right next to L.A.’s Crypto Arena, I’m embarrassed to say it’s the first time I’d walked through L.A. Live, though I did go to Crypto for the first time earlier this year to see the Go-Gos in concert.)

The film was AMAZING—indeed, an epic spectacle that was so fresh and exhilarating, it felt like watching a Godzilla movie for the first time! This is a Japanese production from Toho Studios, the studio that owns the franchise, which has released 34 films to date featuring the mega-monster since 1956, and not part of the franchise produced in the U.S. under license.

The production design, music score (a callback to the original Japanese Godzilla theme), cinematography, storytelling, and special effects were all top notch—in fact, the film credits Takashi Yamazaki at the end for "writing, directing and vfx." He's a special effects artist turned director, who apparently put this film of wonder together for only $15 million, though it easily looks like (and surpasses many) $150–200 million films.

And though the film is very epic, the story is still very intimate and human-scale. The movie begins in the final weeks of World War II, where we meet a Japanese pilot who feels guilt for failing to fulfill his final duty as a kamikaze pilot due to not wishing to senselessly die for a conflict that's already over, and anguish for not aiding his comrades when they first encounter Godzilla in the opening scene of the film. Though fate brings him a young woman and a foundling child who, like him, have lost their families in the war, he remains haunted and anguished, and cannot accept the second chance he’s been given at life until he can find redemption—which he eventually decides can only be achieved by joining the cause to fight Godzilla, which may mean certain death. As the friend I saw it with and others have noted, it’s a Godzilla film by way of Steven Spielberg, with fleshed out main and supporting characters dealing in their own way with post-war trauma and the threat of the atomic age—down to its Saving Private Ryan color palette.

Like many of the original Godzilla films, the movie also has serious themes on its mind, with the mega-monster a metaphor for the threat and horror of nuclear war, but puts the impact on the people who have to live deal with the traumatic aftermath (from both the monsters and war alike) at the forefront.

Nevertheless, at the end of the day, this film is still to be enjoyed as a grand epic spectacle of the old school with plenty of thrills and surprises, and highly recommended!