There are many things that make Salt Lake Comic Con great. The cosplay, the panels, the guests, the general atmosphere… but to my mind, the single best thing about conventions is the opportunity to mingle with creators you love.
While a panel or a photo op may give you a fleeting moment or distant glance at someone you enjoy, a walk down artist alley or a stop at one of the many booths can provide you some priceless face time with the minds behind some of your favorite comic books or art. My first such experience happened last year in San Diego when I met Kevin Eastman, he was personable and charming and gave me a taste of what a good creator experience can be. One such experience happened this year in Salt Lake.
JJ Harrison was there and we had the pleasure of housing his table right inside the Big Shiny Robot booth. If you’re unfamiliar with Harrison’s work you should check him out, which you can do by clicking here.
Quickly, Harrison is an illustrator and cartoonist with a light and whimsical style. You can’t look at anything he’s done without a smile creeping across your face. He has illustrated a children’s book, “Ninja Boy Goes to School,” and several covers for the “Adventure Time” comic book, among other things. Getting a close look at his work was entertaining and excellent in its own right but the moment that cemented the truth that he is a very cool guy happened on the second day of the con.
I’m lucky enough to have a boy who loves most of the same things I do. Despite his young age, there aren’t many age appropriate things I enjoy that he doesn’t like as well. This means that when the time comes for Comic Con, he is generally as excited to attend as I am, perhaps more. One of the great many things we share a love of is the aforementioned “Adventure Time.”
In the midst of con chaos on Friday we took a moment of respite from the foot traffic in the Big Shiny Robot booth and while I was recharging, the boy did what children are wont to do and started to wander. He also has the privilege of not yet being hammered down by society and will approach pretty much anyone with a friendly face or something interesting going on. Both of those qualities happened to be present within just a few feet. Just a few feet away was Harrison with his laptop right at eye level and on it was an image in progress of Marceline.
I’m always tentative about approaching people, even in a convention environment for fear of bothering them, but the boy has no such limitations and approached Harrison to inquire as to his activities. I expected a short few word answer followed by a look that said ‘who’s kid is this and why is he bothering me?’ not because Harrison has a reputation for that (he doesn’t) but because I generally assume that most people are jerks wrapped in skin. Instead he explained that he was working on a drawing and demonstrated how his digital drawing tools work. Then he asked a question, “Want me to tell you a story?”
He had no idea who I was or who my son was, and the boy certainly had nothing monetary to offer in exchange but he spent the next 20 minutes showing him an unfinished issue of “Adventure Time.” The book was contained entirely on the laptop and the word balloons hadn’t even been added yet, meaning Harrison had to dictate the story panel by panel based on the art work alone. Throughout the entire exchange I kept a sharp eye out for the ‘get this kid away from me’ stare but it never came. He finished the story with a smile and I took the opportunity to wrangle the boy and give JJ his time back.
My kid certainly has no idea who he was talking to or the official nature of the content he was given access to, he just saw someone drawing some characters he enjoys. It’s not clear how much the moment meant to him, but he remembers it, and it meant a lot to me. These are the moments that make Comic Con great and the reason that JJ Harrison is one of my new favorite content creators. He had no incentive to take that time out but he did anyway. I’m a firm believer in the equal exchange of time, he gave a moment to me, a moment that I treasure and that’s why I’ll continue to buy the books he works on and support him in the future. I’d recommend that you give him a moment as well, check out what he’s going on and if you happen to find yourself in the same room with Harrison at the next convention, go say hi, and maybe toss him a few dollars from some quality art work, you won’t regret it.