This was my 20th year in a row exhibiting in Small Press at San Diego Comic-Con, in pretty much the exact same spot (yes, I’m including the last two “virtual” comic-cons). Being behind the Cool Jerk table once again was like muscle memory, although there were subtle differences that apparently evolved over the past three years. For example, the exhibit hall floors lost a LOT of their temporary carpeting, the security detail had changed hands from Elite to some other service, you can no longer roll your cargo into or out of the exhibit hall (they instead want you to carry your hundreds of pounds of merchandise from the concourse across 20 yards of lobby carpet into the exhibit hall), several mainstay exhibitors (eg. DC, Dark Horse) were no-shows for whatever reasons, and cosplay seemed to be about half as prevalent as usual.

The only new product Darlene and I had at the table was our collaboration, 88 Hours— Lost and Scared, a full-color graphic novella documenting the five-day span that our doggo Doctor was missing due to a negligent pet-sitter. Many people knew the story already, having watched it unfold live on social media back in 2018, but to see it illustrated and packed with additional information was a totally new experience. The San Diego Union-Tribune thought our story was compelling enough to publish a column about it/us, as did Times of San Diego (and a hilarious site run by a robot). We’ve received a lot of great feedback — some of it emotional — and we think it’s a contender when awards season comes around. Each book is pawtographed by Doctor and you can get a copy (or two) via my Cool Jerk store, here!

Now, on with the show!

How things look a couple days before the show.

Here we are at the table, with longtime friend and comic-con bon vivant Dennis Schamp dropping in!

Let’s get to the cosplay. Here’s Beetlejuice (Mindy Conley) and Stimpy.

Excellent Rogue from the X-Men: Evolution cartoon.

The lovely Nadja (my buddy Sandra Krombacher) taking a rare day trip out of the shadows. She slayed me.

It’s not all about the cosplay, tho. It’s also about capitalism! Aw, who’s the best boy? YOU are…!

Definitely a must-have for any kitchen.

A lovely print with a bonus Kumi Mizuno in the corner (thanks, Darlene!).

Almost bought it.

OK back to the cosplay. In related news, here’s Dr. Doom…

…and Reed Richards.

And here’s Reed and Doom, clearly variants from another timeline since they’re not at each others’ throats.

All hail! Prince Namor of Atlantis is in attendance. Imperius Rex!

Kate and Clint— Hawkeyes.

Did you think Rawhide Kid? Kid Colt? Nope— Two-Gun Kid.

I’ve seen Hela before… but Surtur? That’s a first!

Richard Rider (Nova) stopped by. His helmet’s eyes light up with the power of the Worldmind OF COURSE.

Not the first Sailor Moonknight I saw (there were at least three on the floor), but this one is the best.

In related news, here’s the aforementioned Sailor Moonknight in her Jake Lockley identity, along with a couple long-time Cool Jerk allies (they’re most certainly seen in my previous comic-con photo wrap-ups).

Hey, has anyone seen my Wookie co-pilot? I wish I could find him in this crowd.

Best use of masks we saw.

A gaggle of Spidey rogues (and Peter Porker in the back, likely attempting a sneak attack).

Doctor Strange variant from Earth 92111 has entered the chat.

Unused clip from “Spider-Man: No Way Home”(2021)??

Best for last— crossplay Disney villains Hook, Prince John, Gaston and Hades. *chefs kiss*

San Diego Comic-Con International is back for reals this year. I say “for reals” because the last two summers SDCCI had to do things virtual, and their mini-convention in Nov. 2021 wasn’t really much of an affair. But hey, the pandemic is over, right?? So you’ll see Darlene and me in Small Press as we’ve been every year since 2003, table K-9.

And if that isn’t a perfect segue, I don’t know what is!

This year we’re debuting a new book: 88 Hours— Lost and Scared. (Or 88 Hours if you’re nasty.) It’s an off-brand format with an off-brand true story of our dog, Doctor, and how he went missing over five days due to a negligent pet sitter. It’s an emotional, multimedia tale filled with twists, turns and surprises, and luckily a happy ending. We’ve been fulfilling pre-convention orders all week and if you’re not able to make it to SDCC in person, you can order one online at the Cool Jerk store. The book is 32 pages, full color and retails for $10 ($1 of each sale goes to A Way Home For Dogs, a local charity run by Babs Fry, who played an instrumental role in 88 Hours).

We’re exceptionally proud of this book and, not gonna lie, it took more than two years to complete due to PTSD. Look for a write-up in The San Diego Union-Tribune this week!

Beyond 88 Hours, the Cool Jerk table will largely be populated with all the familiar products and publications, including:

• All Cool Jerk collections — Hodabeast, Chickadoowa, Bimboozled and Thinkulus — and Doc Splatter Ominous Omnibus. Get ’em signed by yours truly!

• The Mightily Marvelous Cool Jerk Fun Book! It’s my first all-ages product, if you can believe that. *looks through archive, believes it* It’s a magazine-sized laugh-maker filled with puzzles, games, mazes and other fun stuff. A mere $7.

• Like, For Shore! The Complete Works. It’s three volumes collecting more than 170 college-era strips that preceded Cool Jerk. Armpit, Puppy and the rest of the Spittle Beach gang are all there, and I remastered nearly every strip in graphite. The first printing is in a very limited run of 75 signed-and-numbered copies, and most are gone. Sold as a set, $18.

• Canvas Panels are here for $15 a pop, or $40 if you want a long-form canvas (contains a whole strip, not just one panel), which I can custom-make for you if you order one up in person or online.

• Cool Jerk Enamel Pins. They’re $10 and you get one-of-a-kind original art with each pin. Choose among the COOL word balloon, JERK thought balloon and/or the ubiquitous CENSORED bar… perfect for any jacket, backpack or tongue piercing!

Attendees will also find The Girl Who Kicked The Donut Habit (Darlene’s second comic) and the Jerkopædia (Official Style Guide to Cool Jerk), both of which I’ll have on hand in limited supply. Also running a bit low on T-shirts, but I’ll bring what I have.

And last but not least, here’s a convenient map I whipped up while getting my second Moderna booster.

Click it to embiggen it!

Hope to see you at the show! Wear a mask and stay safe!