ART WALK

Last nite, had a table in the "Graphic Artists and Their Art" section at the Pasadena Central Library. It was part of the "Art Walk", a night of bus shuttles to various museums around town. It was a crowded house but a rocky start; only two of us cartoonists showed, and it was only when we demanded a table in the main lobby that we got traffic, but not much at first. (I got the vibe pretty quickly and put the HUGOs away.) The other artist got fed up and left early. I nearly did too, but ...then it started going well. A lot of impressed people (non-comics peoples' reaction are always fresher and more open), good conversation, sold a pair of GRAPHIC CLASSICS volumes ($32 big bucks, buddy!). Giving the prices broke my heart; moms will NOT shell out $6 for a 32 page magazine for their kid; people are really impressed (almost amazed) to find someone drawing with their own hands, and many regard it as BETTER, and many prefer the word "comic" to "graphic novel". Though they're supposed to be "mainstream", "graphic novels" are a hard sell to civilians.