Howdy! The second day of the convention is much like the first, with the crowds growing steadily, and the buzz in the room gradually becoming louder. I've spent almost the entire day sitting in our booth greeting the hundreds of members of this mailing list who are here at the convention. The line of folks stopping by to see me has been so steady, in fact, that bathroom breaks have become a precious commodity. I really don't mind, however, as it is just so much fun to be able to meet people face-to-face who have been a part of our online community for so many years. Last evening, I was one of the guests at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund reception. The party was held at an Irish pub in the Gas Lamp district, a wonderful 20-block entertainment area that abuts the San Diego Convention Center. The party was so successful that, at one point, I saw people standing over 6 rows deep on the sidewalk outside the pub. Standing in the crowd were such legendary comics greats as Will Eisner, Neil Gaiman, Jim Valentino, Mike Richardson, and Denis Kitchen. As a bonus, seated outside the restaurant next door, was the wonderful Stan Lee. Because seating in the pub was at such a premium, I took my family to a very tasty Cajun restaurant around the corner, and spent all of my time shuttling back and forth between the two venues. Even walking down the dark streets of San Diego, however, I found myself regularly being stopped by well-wishers. This entire week has been like a dream come true. Tonight are the Eisner Awards, the Oscars of the comics world. During the Eisners, in a special ceremony, I will be presented with the 2003 Comic Book Legal Defense Fund "Defender of Liberty Award". As the time draws near for the ceremony I am still quite vague about what it is that I will say during the 3 minutes that the convention committee has allocated for me to give thanks. As a general rule, whenever I speak publicly, I only construct a very bare bones outline in my head beforehand, and then let my thoughts and emotions lead me into an extemporaneous speech. What I am sure I will cover, however, is a thanks to my family and the wonderful staff of Mile High Comics for providing me with the resources and personal freedom to support the CBLDF. This award easily belongs to them as much as it belongs to me. The other cogent point that I wish to express is that all of us in the world of comics comprise a single community. We may have different personal interests, and vastly differing views of the world, but we are all members of a group that appreciates the wonders and beauty of graphic storytelling. Within that context, whenever any governmental or corporate entity attempts to deprive any one member of our community with any element of their right of free expression, they are attacking the rights of us all. It is only by standing together in solidarity with those among us who are being oppressed that we prevent that same oppression from coming down on our own heads. Supporting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is not only the morally correct thing to do, it is also simple exercise in personal patriotism. Allowing anyone to extinguish the rights of any one of our brethren is to abandon those same rights for ourselves. Given the sacrifices that our forbearers in this democratic society went through to guarantee those rights for us in the first place, I am of the opinion that failing to act to protect those in our community who are being persecuted is a dereliction of personal responsibility. If nothing else, we owe it to future generations to always passionately protect the personal freedoms that we are blessed with today. Speaking of personal freedoms, the convention has become an increasingly vibrant venue for personal exhibitionism. The costumes are being shown are increasingly imaginative, as Pam's pictures will easily show you. While Pam got some good pictures today, tomorrow will be the big day, as the legendary SDCC costume contest is tomorrow evening. One very interesting aspect of the costumes is the broad spectrum of the convention demographic who now dress up. In the old days it was just the young guys, then a few years ago the young women joined, and now it has even moved into the little old ladies. No kidding! Yesterday I saw one 60 year-old lady was conservatively dressed, except that she had black and white pancake make-up on that made her look exactly like a ghoul from "Night of the Living Dead". Her husband looked very nervous. Another lady of similar age just went by in a wheelchair, done up in full Klingon. Then Pam saw the 65 year-old lady in the "Classic Trek" miniskirt costume. This place has become an incredible place to not only see things, but also to be seen! I am really, really looking forward to the costumes tomorrow... (click on image for larger view) One quick commercial item I wanted to stick into this e-mail is a weekend 30% off codeword sale. Because so many of our online customers are here at the convention, we've seen about a 10% dip in our usual online sales. Nanette is not keen on our spending money here, while simultaneously having reduced cash flow at home, so I promised her I would goose things up a bit by offering a quick sale to those of you who can't attend the convention. Type in the codeword SANDIEGO (one word, no space...) on your order form over this weekend, and you'll get 30% off any order, including trade paperbacks, with the exception of supplies, statues, and the Dallas Stephen comics. Given that we already have a 30% off San Diego sale in effect on all back issue comics and magazines, this means that you'll be able to get a net 51% off on all back issues, and 30% off all trades. With free shipping on all domestic orders over $30, and all International orders over $75, that makes a pretty nice consolation prize for not being able to attend the show. This codeword sale will end on next Wednesday morning at 10 AM. Enjoy! That's it for today. CrossGen publisher, Mark Alessi, is hosting a panel in just a few minutes on "Technology in Comics." CrossGen is premiering the latest versions of their wonderful new "Comics on Disk" here at the show, and I am eager to hear what's coming next. As most of you are already aware, I believe that at least some measure of the future of comics involves electronic comics, both online, and on storage devices. Mark Alessi is the leader in innovation in this entire field of growth for comics, so it will be very interesting to hear what he has to say. Happy collecting! Chuck Rozanski, President - Mile High Comics, Inc. Advance Previews of next weeks comics from Marvel, DC, CrossGen & Image Friday Pictures Klingon Family Hulk and friends! Amber Benson, Tara from Buffy the Vampire Slayer Shi Warrior The Nurse is in! Devil Woman Colorful Hair! Demoness Lucky Guy! Black Angel Nice Shoes! Tattoos and Pretty Girls! More Bad Girls! Top Cow Girl Rows and Rows of Dallas Stephen Comics Guys can wear fish net stocking too! Metal Bikini