Basie's in-store @ Isotope!
So, Basie, the local 7-year-old whose comic I reviewed a while back to much notable acclaim over at prismcomics.org, has finally gone totally pro: he had his own in-store appearance at my LCS, Isotope Comics Lounge.
James Sime, Isotope's mad monk, was the first to champion this budding writer/artist's career, famous as the place is for its wide selection of 'zines, mini-comics, and self-published manifestos. Months ago, I picked up Basie's first offering, The Masked Mutant #1, and wrote what I thought was a not unfunny piece: treating two comics made by kids who could barely write their own names as though they were breakout talents up for the Eisners. Not that I don't know anyone like that, of course....
Well, there Basie was... bent over the drafting table James sets up for these occasions, surrounded by adoring fans, signing autographs, doing sketches, and showing off his portfolio, his original paintings, and a whole painted cityscape made of re-purposed milk cartons, mailing tubes, and even a Tinker Toy container. Folks in Artist's Alley in San Diego next weekend take note: any booth with a home-made city complete with tiny cars becomes 85-90% awesomer automatically. Fact of life.
Basie's parents were there too, and heaped mountains of undeserved praise on me for writing the review, which they said they had gotten MUCH pleasure out of sharing with friends and family. His dad even had a copy of the review printed in what I joked was Basie's "press kit." The delighted gleam in his eye made me feel badly that Masked Mutant #1 had to share my column with another kid-made comic. Maybe Wizard will finally go to press with that Basie retrospective I hear they have in the works, and thereby right that wrong once and for all.
While perusing his portfolio (I am not making that bit up: the kid ACtually had a full-on portfolio), I saw a comic starring a ninja. In a cringe-worthy misspelling moment shred by us adults, we noted he spelled it "N-i-g-u-s." Maybe he uses Jesse Helms' old dictionary? On one page, the ninja is recovering from battle injuries in that ever-popular comics device, the hi-tech tank of bubbly water -- usually a "micro-nutrient bath" or somesuch -- meant to heal anything from acute radiation poisoning to elective surgery scars caused by installing that Adamantium skeleton you always wanted.
I told Basie that this reminded me of The Vision, a synthezoid character in Marvel's Avengers, who was always getting destroyed and ending up in the aforementioned tank. It now occurs to me that we never once used the term "synthezoid" when talking to Basie, preferring the much more generic "robot." Were we somehow afraid that word might corrupt his innocent brain? I suppose it's best to leave the sensitive discussions to his parents. Like the correct spelling of "ninja."
At any rate, I found a reference pic or two in the shop and asked Basie if he'd do a drawing of The Vision in a bubbly tank for me, encouraging him to illustrate extensive damage where appropriate. What he turned out was the absolute greatest: there hangs Mr. Scarlet Witch, a few body parts floating loose in the tank, eyes closed and dreaming synthezoid dreams. The undisputed highlight, though, was that Basie even thought to include The Vision's yellow cape in the scene, hanging on a conveniently placed hook right on the side of the tank.
Please forgive me if I get a bit dramatic, but I can scarcely convey what joy it brings a fanboy like me when he sees a kid like Basie not only NOT forget Vision's cape, but also include it in a place where it won't get ruined by stubborn micro-nutrient stains. That, my friends, gives me great hope for no less than the future of the Geek Race as a whole. Excelsior!
Basie, I hope you had as good a time as I did today! As for you James, score another one for The shop and your unbesmirched rep as the dude living on the bleeding edge of coolness. Isotope Comics Lounge: They won't get micro-nutrients all over your cape.
Unless that's what you're into. This is San Francisco, after all.
