What better plan for the night before Mid-Ohio-Con opens than attending a performance of SPAMALOT? So the ever-beneficent Mark Evanier took Carolyn Kelly and me to the theatrical treat -- and, not only was it a grand comedic musical, but also ... Well, at this very moment, he's preparing a write-up on HIS blog. To which there's a link on the left. Check it out. And treat yourself to SPAMALOT, if you get a chance.

And here I am, just after midnight on Thanksgiving morning, not only having had a swell day, but also having had the opportunity to read via color proofs the opening chapters of Mark Evanier's incredible book on Jack Kirby. I'm on the record now, only part-way through it, that this is one of the must-buy books of 2008. Seriously: great writer on a great topic -- with great art. Great.

Carolyn Kelly and I started the day with a breakfast at the Hyatt (Oh, no! Not a what I had for breakfast post! Don't worry.) Then it was heading to Ohio State University's comics collection.

Wups! And I may not have time enough to do an elaborate post yet, since dinner may be in the offing. If this gets cut off shortly, check back now and then, because I'll add to it.

At any rate, I must say the collection and its conservation is a researcher's dream, and the team handling it all comprises the sorts of people you'd hope: caring, careful, thoughtful, wise, informed ... You get the idea.

The collection began with the donation of Milton Caniff's papers (and those papers were, themselves, many and varied; Caniff kept -- it seems, from what I've seen -- almost EVERYHING). It's now far, far, FAR more.

And the chronicling is an ongoing process, as the inventory of material is thorough. In fact, Carolyn and I ended up the visit participating in inventory of donated strips from the San Francisco Academy of Comic Art. I tackled some (already pre-sorted) THIMBLE THEATRE strips, starting in 1940. That inventory consisted of noting the title, date, and credited creators of each clipped strip. The point here is not only that the collection has incredible material but also researchers can FIND what they're looking for.

Another point here is that the collection is available to researchers, not just OSU students. It's carefully monitored, carefully stored (wear a sweater, maybe a sweatshirt over that; it's chilly), and access is controlled. But it's going to be there for our kids, too -- despite the incredibly fragile nature of what was considered ephemera. Wow. More in days to come.