Indigenous Comic Con #1!

With no variant covers! What you saw was what you got:

[ wish I knew who drew this like it was nothing, when, actually, it’s everything ]

You know George RR Martin tells that story of having the first ticket to the first comic con? That’s how getting to be a guest here feels to me: like a new, excellent thing is happening. So many cool people—creators, readers, fans, cosplayers, 1491s, friends, food trucks, movies, green chile every other breath—and so many excellent books to be buying:

And somehow I forgot to put Jay Odjick in that array. Let me fix that here:

And I think I have a couple more scattered around the house, in the usual reading places. Probably with melty ice tea sitting on them, as I never take as good care of comics as comics has taken care of me, all these years.

Was cool being on a panel with Elizabeth LaPensee, too. Last time we were in front of people talking it was . . . for Al Jazeera TV, I think.

And thanks to the Twitter people who thought to post these pics (Cassandra, Oxlabs). And I may be wearing a Denver Comic Con shirt there. And a necklace I bought for two dollars in the women’s part of the Goodwill. Also, one of those books up there, it’s Elizabeth’s.

While I’m stealing pics, too, let me nab one from Sterling HolyWhiteMountain:

That conventional hall floor? Every table with more amazing merch than the last table? Every person I brush shoulders with having worlds of necessary information in their head, earned from hours and hours of sitting alone in a quiet place with a book? These are my people. This is my place. I’m hardly ever as at home as I am at a con, with people whose names I don’t know, but who share my same heart.

Thanks to Lee Francis and Native Realities and whoever else was involved, for throwing a great get-together. Now let’s keep it going year after year. Click the logo to go to the place: