I’ve heard that Politics and Prose is one of the best bookstores in the country and after my visit there I believe it. The truth is, though, that even though I’ve been talking to and entertaining kids for years I was still terribly nervous beforehand. And my heart sank when I saw them setting up a projector and I realized that I hadn’t thought to bring my computer (you can project graphic novel pages up on a screen and do a pretty cool live reading). One of the reasons I was nervous is that the week before I had been listening to author interviews on the Barnes and Noble website and all the authors seemed to have a horror story about their first signing.
But we set up a big drawing pad and the moment I was up in front of the kids (a wonderfully modest-sized group), talking and drawing, I felt great and everything went splendidly. Another cartoonist, David Hagen, even happened by chance to wander in and stayed for my talk about the "Three Secrets of Comics."
Afterward we had a little Hatke Family Homeschool Field Trip to the National portrait gallery. Definitely an artistic gem in Washington DC.
Oh, and tomorrow I will be signing at the Main Street Book Company in Front Royal from 1pm to 3pm.
Also, I made a comic about the day (you can click the images for a larger version):
Enjoy the weekend!
