The setting: The Emerald City Comic Con, Seattle, WA February 2005
INT SPRAWLING CONVENTION FLOOR, DAYLIGHT

The line to the signing table for Brian Michael Bendis extends down past the end of the row where sits Andy Kubert, past the trash cans overflowing with refuse and in a graceful snakelike fashion to the decimated “Freebies” ghetto, where piles of Free Comic Book Day giveaways from the previous year litter the table tops. In this line I stand waiting, not only for the opportunity to briefly meet and politely praise Mr. Bendis for his efforts on POWERS, not only to have him sign a couple of books I have carted all the way from Missoula, MT, but just for a moment to have his semi-undivided attention in order to pitch him my grand idea; that is this site. A full fledged, functional website that would lift POWERS from the page by mirroring the mocked website in the book. In short, fans would read their latest issue of POWERS, it would include a mocked-up screen shot of the site (insert link w/ visual reference here) and then the story could continue outside the boundries of the ‘ol four-colored panel. In short, it was my hope that Mr. Bendis would easily and quickly agree to bring P!Online to life.

As I edge nearer to Mr. Bendis, I realize that he is tirelessly gracious, conversational with every single fan, and seemingly, approachable. My hopes buoy a bit with each step as I hear more of the conversations of those that precede me. It seems everyone is antsy to talk about the New Avengers…I couldn’t guess why…

The man immediately before me finally takes his place square in front of Mr. Bendis, my mind rolls through the pitch again as he begins to bow. He bows, and bows again, and then again. A series of bows. He’s a serial bower. For his part, Mr. Bendis laughs a bit and waves him off, more embarrassed at the serial bower than anything else it seems. Once the bowing concludes the man turns to a wheelie. An effing wheelie! You know, the kind that elderly women drag behind them to pile their groceries in. He then lifts a 40 issue stack off the top of the cart and slides it across the table to a smiling Mr. Bendis like a grand stack of poker chips.

I break a sweat.

Mr. Bendis signs every last book, chatting, scribbling his name for the 462, 587 time that day (I know, I tallied) and finally after some chit-chat the man fastidiously returns each book to it’s bag, shuffles them one-by-one into their proper order, squares the stack, strap locks the entire haul and off he wheels.

I step forward with a courteous smile, 2 books for signing, and my pitch.

Love your work on POWERS.

Hey thanks.

Have you ever considered possibly bringing the P!Online website, out of the book and onto the web.

Have you been to jinxworld?

All the time, almost daily.

Really?

Yep. I was wondering if you have ever thought about extending the story through the web site. I’m a web designer at the University of Montana, in Missoula –

You came from Montana?

Yep.

Wow.

It’s only about an 8 hour drive.

Well thanks for making the trip. Hey why don’t you grab one of those POWERS Activity books over there on the way…

…thanks my daughter will love it.

"Thanks my daughter will love it"... an hour in line, and my daughter ends up with the prize. I am a 38 year old man, equipped with drive, talent, a decent vocabulary and a friendly demeanor, and the best I can do after 16 hrs in the car, a 40 min bus ride each way to the convention center, an hour walk from the bus stop, and a frozen TV dinner 400 miles from my family is a Retro Girl connect-the-dots. Then several months later, in retrospect it hits me. Good idea, bad timing. Inappropriate time, setting, and method. Most importantly, inappropriate approach. Did I really fool myself into thinking that my idea and my modest credentials would win Mr. Bendis over?

The better portion of a year has passed and scores of hours of code later, I am well arrmed with this bright and shiny website, crafted with care for a series of books that has given me hours of entertainment, I will strike out on my quest again, to add a little something to the world of POWERS. But first, if you'll excuse me I'll be heading to Costco to buy that wheelie and practicing my bows. See you in Seattle, April 2006 Mr. Bendis.