The creator of Strangers in Paradise and Echo was here last Thursday as part of the events surrounding the Jeff Smith exhibit at The Wexner Center. Initially I liked Strangers in Paradise because the women looked real and their story was interesting. I wasn’t really into superheros anymore and had long given up my fantasy that some latent power would surface and make me special. By this point I knew I was special because of who I am.
Terry talked about how he went from editing the video work of other people to drawing, writing and self-publishing his own artwork. It wasn’t an easy road but living your dream is rarely easy. He took questions from the audience before signing items and meeting fans. Like most question and answer sessions it was slow to get started but Jeff was there to pitch the first question.
Terry is one of the most gracious signers I’ve met or seen in action. He spoke to everyone in line and found something to talk about with each person. If someone asked for a picture he was willing to do that too. I’ve been to some author signings where they’re more focused on signing the book or item than actually meeting with anyone.Â
After the signing a group of us went to dinner at one of the nicer restaurants in town. (You can see me next to Terry or just my hands at the dinner table by going to Jeff’s site.) Good conversation and good food go a long way towards making memories. I’m not always the best conversationalist because sometimes I’ll go into writer mode without realizing it but on this particular evening I wanted to take it all in. For instance, I noticed the sound of the chef’s torch on the maple syrup creme brulee and the toasted marshmallow smell before someone commented on it.
And the really funny part? Hearing Jeff and Terry talk about having their story lines set and then veering off in an unexpected direction but having to follow it was just like hearing my writer friends talk about some of their characters and story lines. The only difference is that when the story is published in periodical format (like a comic or a serial story) there is no going back to fix the plot holes.