Comic-Con International was, as always, insanely crowded, chaotic, overpowering, and a ton of fun. We had a number of authors there, plus our sales force braved the con for the first time, and loved it. Most of Comic-Con is running around meeting authors and others, then wandering the floor in sensory overload, but here are a few highlights.
Wednesday/preview night, I found the most traumatizing sight of the con: colognes based on Star Trek, including Pon Farr, Sulu pour homme, and Shirtless Kirk.
Thursday's Morrow/Avon/Eos cocktail party was a blast--with authors, booksellers, bloggers et al. hanging out in the swank Bardello lounge. The unisex bathroom was alternately a hit or a shock, and apparently I missed Dolph Lundgren walking past totally drunk... Attendees included Raymond E. Feist, Sophia Nash, Guillermo del Toro, Richard Kadrey, Jocelynn Drake, Merrie Destefano, Lou Anders, John Picacio, Ann Vandermeer, and many more.
Friday morning Guillermo del Toro signed THE STRAIN and gave away a few galleys of THE FALL. That afternoon Brom signed THE CHILD THIEF.
That afternoon, our BITE ME: Beyond Vampires in Urban Fantasy panel was a huge success. Authors included SDCC Special Guest Tanya Huff, Random House YA author Lauren Kate, and Eos authors Mario Acevedo, Merrie Destefano, Jocelynn Drake, and Richard Kadrey. Room was packed (despite Joss Whedon speaking down the hallway) and topics ranged from vampires, writing and research, to evil unicorns. Signing afterwards was great, run by the fabulous Mysterious Galaxy booksellers (special thanks to Maryelizabeth Hart for all her help!).