San Diego Comic Con 2025 in pictures

It was a full three days for me this year at SDCC 2025. On Thursday, I focused on taking photos at panels with the help of Jacobo Ramirez at the panel for Abrams Books with Jacq Cohen, Mark Evanier, Nate Powell, John Jennings, Grant Snider, Chip Kidd, Chris Ryall, Charles Kochman and Joseph Montagne, Phoebe Gloeckner's panel with Bob Wayne, Jeff Trexler and Dale Cendali, John Morrow and Mark Evanier's panel, Whilce Portacio drawing workshop with other cartoonists, a panel with Todd Klein, Liniers, Emil Ferris, Bianca Xunise, Eddie Campbell interviewed by Rob Salkowitz, a Jack Kirby panel with Tracy Kirby, Bruce Simon, Mark Badger, Rand Hoppe and Tom Kraft. And then I made time for a few signings with Caitlin McGurk and Caitlin Cass, Chip Kidd and Mark Evanier's Peanuts signing, and a Michael Cho, Chip Kidd signing for their new Avengers graphic novel with Abrams, but I forgot to take photos of them! At Fantagraphics, I got to catch up with Gary and Conrad Groth, Lauren Peugh, and meet for the first time, staffers, Melissa Brinks and Darren Chase. At some of these stops I ran into Drawn and Quarterly's Tracy Hurren (who I briefly chatted about the Giant Robot book she edited) and Julia Pohl-Miranda, Chris Pitzer, Stan Sakai, Bruce Simon, had a nice chat with John Morrow and Maggie Thompson, who i met for the first time. I also met for the first time, Francine Yulo, the Drawn and Quarterly marketing and sales liason. My help, Jacobo Ramirez treated me to Subway for dinner to unwind for the first day before us taking the shuttle back to the hotel and calling it a day since Friday would be an early start. One thing I noticed this year for many signings is that if a publisher is organizing the signing, they mainly want you to buy the advance release of the book they are promoting at SDCC. So fair warning, don't bother bringing much outside stuff to be signed. Charles Kochman regulated on me, during Mark Evanier's Peanuts signing when I brought about five or six of his comics to sign; it was not to be getting those comics signed.

Friday was jam packed for photo taking and video taking opportunities (boy, I wish I practiced panning video shots with my camera the night before the induction ceremony)! 10 AM Eisner Awards Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Daniel Clowes, Eddie Campbell, Phoebe Gloeckner, Todd Klein, Kyle Baker, Steve Schanes, Bill Schanes among those in attendance to give acceptance speeches and to receive their trophies from the hall of fame committee and organizers of Karen Green, Jim Thompson, Alonso Nuñez and Jackie Estrada. And there were proxies to accept such as Molly Rea for her grandfather, Rea Irvin, Ian Scott McGregor for his friend, Angelo Torres, Gwenn Seuling for her father, Phil Seuling, Joan Stack for her father Frank Stack, Amada Lucido for Philippe Druillet, Gary Groth for Joe Sacco, Caitlin McGurk for Lucy Shelton-Caswell, Paul Karasik for Roz Chast and John Romita II for his father, John Romita Jr. Some in the audience who I scoped out were Eric Reynolds, Paul Levitz, Peter Maresca, Todd Hignite and Chris Pitzer. Stephen Bissette accepted his induction via a pre-recorded video speech, which was projected on the screen.

After the hall of fame induction ceremony, I tried to canvas photo taking at the Drawn and Quarterly table with Craig Thompson, who listened to my sob story about why I missed his San Francisco book signing this past May, Walter Scott, Mimi Pond with Matt Groening making a surprise appearance to have a copy of Mimi's new book signed and then promptly posing with her for photos. I also saw Jonathan Baylis there. At Fantagraphics, I caught up with Briana Loewinsohn, Caitlin Cass, Eric Reynolds, who I had a very nice discussion with about Charles Burns' masterful work from the past year, Daniel Clowes, Jaime Hernandez, J. Gonzo, Greg Petre and Fake, who posed for a photo with my help, Jacobo Ramirez, and then before the exhibit floor closed, Janice Shapiro. While at Fantagrpahics, I got to chat with Julia Wertz, Thien Pham, super collectors John and Mark while waiting in line for Jaime Hernandez's signing, which I was first in line for for the first time I have been attending SDCC, and Darren Chase, who is really friendly and personable for small talk. The only panel I attended Friday was the Jaime Hernandez interview with Gary Groth to take photos and shoot a snippet of video. I went to one of the few free signings in the Sails Pavillon for DC Comics letterer Todd Klein, who designed the early Love and Rockets logo as well as The Comics Journal and Amazing Heroes early cover logos.

I got a second wind to take photos and shoot video of the nominee cards and acceptance speeches at the 2025 Eisner Awards. It was great to see Charles Burns, The Santos Sisters (Greg Petre, Fake, Graham Smith, Dave Landsberger and Marc Koprinarov) Caitlin McGurk, Joe Sacco, Tara Booth and Caitlin Cass win in their categories! After I got to take photos and do smoother video panning shots of the winners group photo portrait, I got to take photos of Wahab Algarmi, author and cartoonist of Almost Sunset, Caitlin Cass with her editor, Conrad Groth, a candid of Bob Burden posing with The Santos Sister creative team and also a posed photo of just them right after they were done with the winners group portrait. I got to meet Caitlin McGurk's husband, Erik and take their photo to commemorate their big night. I made my way to Tracy Hurren, the editor of Tara Booth's book that won the Eisner with Julia Pohl-Miranda with Tracy while they had big smiles going. Jacobo treated me to a beer, which gave me the courage to talk to Jackie Estrada and congratulate her for 35 years of organizing and overseeing the Eisner Awards without missing a beat. I mentioned to her I took a photo of her at San Diego Comics Fest 2019 that I thought is very good. She told me to post it on Facebook. At her convenience in the future, I hope to read her reply about seeing it.

I am not as young as last year and slowed noticeably on Saturday since Jacobo and I missed the shuttle back to our hotel and had to walk all the way back from the Eisner Awards hotel to our hotel, which is across the street from the airport! So, I mainly loitered at the Fantagraphics table to hit up Paul Karasik for an autograph and take photos of Mathew Klickstein, who was also signing with Paul. It was a very friendly and personable signing with Emil Ferris and her model and friend, painter Kurt Devine, who added his autograph after Emil Ferris autographed, a Ferris cover for a CAB program book, which Devine is a character in. I caught a candid of Graphitti's Bob Chapman chatting with Gary Groth and B.K. Taylor. I also saw San Francisco cartoonist Apple there. Some other photos I got at Fantagraphics were of Fake of the Santos Sisters comic book with my friend, Ben Ebert, John Pham, Lauren Peugh, B.K. Taylor. And Eddie Campbell, who I enjoyed chatting with about Jack Cole's painted art that I went over to his table in the artists alley to bug him some more and get a sketch in my heavy hitters sketchbook! At the end of the day at Fantagraphics, I met Hollywood producer Cotty Chubb, best known for Eve's Bayou, The Crow, Cherry 2000, Dark Blue, Hoffa and possibly Pootie Tang as well! He shared that he wanted to do a Love and Rockets film adaptation with the Hernandez brothers back in the mid 1980s and almost did, but ultimately it didn't come to fruition. Making my way from Fantagraphics to the artist alley, I made stops at the Drawn and Quarterly table to take photos of rising star Nate Gelgud and then Megan Tan, D&Q designer. We spoke about the Giant Robot book she designed, and the resolution quality of the photos I turned in that were included in the book. One photo was of Eric Nakamura, which accompanied his intro in the book. So of course, I had to take a quick candid of Eric Nakamura while I whizzed by the Giant Robot booth. And I finally took a photo of Sam Grinberg, which I missed out on last year at SDCC. Bonus was I got to take a photo of Sam and his cordial table mate, Fred Midnight Dogs.

Another SDCC in the books but this year, I can honestly say I enjoyed myself being there all three days and a bit sad to fly home that Saturday evening!

-Chris Anthony Diaz