"I remember the hotel staff being perplexed by the costumed and 'into the spirit' people who carried swords, crystals, folios, autograph books -- which were more important to the event than their luggage. I remember being on a panel speaking about comics with family values. It was moderated by a leather-clad biker who did graphic novels about a gay couple raising their son."
-- Lynn Johnston
"You're surrounded by people who know your work. . . . Hundreds of them -- you get such adulation, your head gets a little, like: 'This is fantastic!' "
-- Sergio Aragones
"When I first went, it was 1989, there were 11,000 people and I thought it was Too Big. I met everyone I wanted to meet and was delighted by the friendliness and accessibility of people. Now it's 150,000-plus people. You could fit the first San Diego Comic-Con I went to into the smallest hall of the current one -- and still have room to land a small spaceship."
-- Neil Gaiman
"My first memory of Comic-Con is from about five years ago. It was the first time I'd ever seen Darth Vader watching a porn-star-version of Snow White flirt with Captain America."
-- Stephan Pastis