I don't quite remember the last time I was in Toronto, but I have a feeling it was 25 years ago. Maybe it was less, but I'm not sure. Back then I went to Toronto in the winter, and even though to get from here to there you had to use the underground tunnels because it was so $%@$% cold outside, I loved the city. It was cosmopolitan like New York, only civilized. It was clean. The people were nice. The city was great.

I'm pleased to report decades later that hasn't changed. There is a huge tower pretty much outside my window that seems to be 8 million feet tall; the CN Tower it's called. Whether it's actually 8 million feet tall I don't know, but I hurt my neck looking up to the top. The city itself is in disarray; they are building on every square inch, but even with construction crews everywhere, it still feels cleaner than New York. And, of course, the people are nice. But hey, it's Canada. What do they have to not be nice about? They're like the U.S. without the need for psychiatrists. No, I wouldn't move there because the winters are still nine thousand degrees below zero - a recorded fact. But that's in Celsius. God knows what the temperature is in real degrees. The money here is cute, too. And their two dollar coin has a hole in the middle of it. I guess so you can string it like a necklace.

But as I say the city is like New York but still more civilized. And the people are great, and the con, although incredibly small on its opening Friday, was okay because the people are just so polite. I was speaking with publisher Ross Richie of BOOM! studios who asked me how do you get Canadians to get out of the swimming pool? I don't know. How, I replied, do you get Canadians to get out of the swimming pool. "Excuse me, Canadians. Please come out of the swimming pool." That's how nice they are and that's how nice the fans are. And I got the pool all to myself.

Seriously, today was just opening day. An afternoon with no panels. Sort of San Diego Preview Night during the afternoon since it starts at 3PM and only runs to about 8PM. Tomorrow I have my panel. I think it's called something like, How Nice are Canadians, ey? And what about those Titans? But I had nice talks with people, and a few pros in a way you can't at other cons since you're always running here and there. I had a good chance to reunite with my old Titans partner, Tom Grummett who showed me pictures of his new born granddaughter. My God. He was like 11 when we worked together and it wasn't that long ago.

There weren't a lot of people here, but tomorrow, Saturday, is going to be a whole other ballgame. I'll have a more serious report tomorrow since there will be things to seriously report. Today was silliness and I appreciated it.

Labels: Toronto Comicon