Pam’s Pictorama Post: As I write this we are on an Amtrak speeding toward Washington, DC. We have just consumed sandwiches from Vesuvios in Penn Station which were remarkably good if also incredibly expensive. However, you can pay a lot for mediocre or even bad food in Manhattan, let alone in Penn Station, so I am satisifed. (Simultaneous with writing this Kim informed me that his sandwich was not as good – sometimes it pays to be a vegetarian.)

Most of you know that we are making our way to our nation’s capital where tomorrow (yesterday to when this is likely to be published on Saturday) for Kim to speak at the Library of Congress. Yay Team Deitch!

Needless to say, this has resulted in Kim grinding away at a talk about the arc of his career. He has it constructed in long hand on large sheets of paper tucked into the front pocket of our rollerbag. With a huge tip of the hat to our friend Bill (@Kartalopoulos) who pulled together the core of the images for us. (I will spare you the drama of some of the assembly! Eeeck!)

Meanwhile, early this morning we placed poor Blackie in the bathroom of our apartment where he will sadly be imprisoned for the next four days. Because he requires shots and is a skilled hider we could not figure out another solution that would ensure that the cat sitter (a lovely brother and sister duo from work) cat snag him and give him a shot. I can only say this didn’t go especially well and I remain concerned about him – and the bathroom door which he is clearly clawing his way through.

Just a few images from the Library of Congress display assembled for us. Segar Popeye dailes, a fascinating long notation about color for this strip by Grace Drayton and a Gasoline Alley Sunday page, partially hand colored.

We kick off tonight with a signing after we get settled at the hotel for a bit – assuming this train chugs along as expected. The balance of the weekend is spent at the SPX small press convention. Kim has been twice before but it is my first time. I hope to be showing you some excellent bookstores and an antique store I have scoped out for our down time. (Ed note: the Amtrak played a nasty trick and, after the train rolled backward for a bit, we were almost two hours late and went right to the signing as below.)

Friday dawned rainy but the sun came out and the humidty rose. We were treated to a splendid special selection of comics from the Library of Congress collection. Mind blowing to see Popeyes, Yellow Kids and Gasoline Alley cheek by jowl with Roy Crane and Krazy Kat – they had a daily Krazy Kat, love the dailies!

Then off to Kim’s talk. Some gentle ribbing about me getting him into a new suit for the event and he did look extremely handsome. Kim took us through 60 years of comics in his How I Got My Start in Art, chock-a-block full of about 40 odd images. There was plenty of time for questions and even a few were thrown my way which was sort of fun for me. (Ed. a link to it will be posted in a few weeks and I will share it.)

Kim’s relief at being done was (understandably) palpable! After we joined a large swath of the group for celebratory pizza for lunch. After, I took us on a bit of a goose chase to an enclave of antique stores and an rather superior used bookstore. Wild goose chase because although it was close to the hotel it was far from where we had lunch. Nonetheless, purchases were made (Kim is tucking into a Howard Fast book on Valley Forge and a bio of the director Carol Reed; I am sporting a jade ring in rose gold and reading a British juvenile series, The Five Series – more on that if worthy.)

Friday night (now as I finish this, last night) was the celebration of the 50th year of Fantagraphics, Kim’s publisher, and we toasted them and now let the con begin!