On my way to WorldCon 2008 in Denver
Posted August 4th, 2008 by Howard Tayler
This Wednesday through Sunday, August 6th through 10th, is the 66th annual World Science Fiction Convention, held this year in Denver, Colorado. Sandra and I will both be there at the Colorado Convention Center, along with some of the biggest names in Science Fiction and Fantasy.
I’m not on any panels. I didn’t ask to be put on any panels. I figured I’d be too busy in the Dealers’ Room selling books and drawing pictures. The good news is that this means I’ll be really easy to find, as will the piles of Schlock loot.
We’re bringing shirts, posters, books (including Sandra and Angela’s Hold On To Your Horses), Tagon pins, a few badge ribbons, and just twenty-one sets of those magnetic warning signs (the manufacturer has had a hard time keeping up, and the magnets were popular at Comic-Con.) We’ll also have pre-order forms for Schlock Mercenary: The Teraport Wars (Web pre-orders begin in about two weeks), and you can get an up-close look at a nice print of the cover.
If you’re in Denver but not attending the convention, I doubt our paths will cross. My evenings are going to be full of room parties, meetings, scheduled events, and perhaps even some filk, so I’m not able to accept invitations to dine out. I know WorldCon is kind of pricey to attend, but if you want to see me in Denver, attending is likely your only option.
As a special treat for those attending (I know, I’m just rubbing it in now) I did eight single-panel comics for the newsletters they’ll be publishing throughout the event. I’m quite pleased with the way they turned out. (Okay, fine. You can see the first one…)
August 4th, 2008 at 11:55 am
[snerk] You’re really cutting Denver’s air quality some slack. If you’re lucky, the Brown Cloud won’t just eat you.
D.
August 4th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Just got back from L.A., where they had fires adding to their own brown cloud. It was AMAZING.
If Willy Wonka built Los Angeles, the air would be chocolate milk.
August 4th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
You realize I’m going to have to remove my eyes with a spork for that visual?
D.
August 4th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
If I still lived in Denver I’d be there. DDN is right, the brown cloud is an impressive sight, but it’s worst in the winter. I suspect it’s a combination of particulates from the sand we dump on the roads plus the cooler temperatures bringing out the brown color in the NOx.
August 5th, 2008 at 1:55 am
I was wondering how many of these conventions are held each year?
Justin
www.the-comics-page.com
August 5th, 2008 at 2:11 am
Danm work and this pesky need of money stuff. I am really sorry I am going to have to miss this. Have fun there.
August 5th, 2008 at 6:01 am
Will those unlucky ones among us who can’t attend ever get to see the rest of your comics for the newsletters?
August 5th, 2008 at 7:39 am
Ah, irony. I live 30 minutes north of downtown Denver, but am essentially flat broke at time of writing, as I just moved. If WorldCon were NEXT week I could almost justify buying a day pass … I expect, Howard, that it’s much too late to persuade you to attend MileHiCon in October; perhaps we can muscle you out here for that next year?
August 5th, 2008 at 7:45 am
Never mind, sorry, just read the “Howard at Your Convention” section again. I’ll try you again for 2010.
August 5th, 2008 at 9:15 am
The punchline would have also worked for “Oh I’m flying straight from here to the Olympics in Beijing.”
Did no one CHECK the air quality of Beijing in August? Unbelievable.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:47 am
I resemble that cartoon. While planning to drive across the country, I bought four cans of Big Ox (flavored canned air with 65% oxygen). The only time I really noticed the thinness of the air was at Vail Pass (11K feet), but the stuff helped keep me awake on the road.
August 5th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
I never actually lived in Denver, only Boulder or Colorado Springs myself. If the smog trapping is worst in winter then it sounds like it’s pretty much the same behavior as SLC which Howard is probably more than familiar with.
August 6th, 2008 at 7:31 am
Yeah, the inversion we get in the Salt Lake and Utah valleys can be pretty bad. It’s at its worst when you have four or five weeks in a row of no snow, sub-20s (F) temperature, and steady creation of pollution by industry, commuters, etc.
One good snowfall clears the air right up, though.
RE: More WorldCon comics — I’m sure I’ll post them eventually.
August 6th, 2008 at 7:59 am
I do love the smell of Colorado air after a good snow. Dry, crisp, clean. :D
August 8th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Shouldn’t the “2″ on the oxygen tank be a subscript?
August 10th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
For anyone else who isn’t at Denvention but still would like to see the newsletter comics - either go to
http://www.denvention.org/ and click on the newsletter links or go direct to http://www.denvention.org/publications/newsletter2.pdf (and 3, 4, 5 - just the way you’d expect). Slide down the pdf — and there they are. Waiting for flying cars in 2108, Howard’s characters running away with the story, a great view from an elevator, and write-your-own-dialog. Just for fun.