Well, I made it to the con on Friday afternoon, with two of my three kids in tow (which was why I passed on the lunchtime gathering), my 9-year-old and my 6-year-old. They had a blast, and it only set me back $200 in toys and pizza.

We caught the Stan Lee/Joe Quesada mutual admiration society at 6:30, but the highlight for me was walking down the aisles of the main floor, in an aisle that no one seemed to be spending much time in. I looked at the original art on one lonely, unfrequented table, and realized that the artist sitting there sketching was Frank Brunner. Yes, THAT Frank Brunner. AND NO ONE WAS SPEAKING WITH HIM, like they didn't know who the hell he was!

But it got worse. At the table next to Brunner was a short little completely bald man whose features rang a bell. Then I looked at the artwork around him, and the nameplate. Here was CARMINE INFANTINO, Mr. Flash himself, sitting all alone being completely ignored by these hopeless fanboys in search of Liefeld. I had to tell my boys just who this man was, and Carmine insisted on shaking each of their hands and learning their names. Then I went out of my way to show my boys at every table we stopped at just how much work Infantino had done.

I'm sorry, Carmine should have been a guest of honor on the same level as Stan Lee.

Anyway, we stayed right up till 8:00 and then hopped the ferry cross the Hudson home. Won't be returning for the rest of the weekend, but both my boys said it was their "best day ever"!