SMUDGE

Last Saturday was the inaugural of the newest comic show in the WASH-VA-MD area, SMUDGE. Organized by Matt Dembecki and Tina Henry, it was a fun day of indie local cartoonists and kids "of all ages" as the saying goes.

In my high school days, I went to a lot of Sci-Fi and fantasy cons - not too many comics shows. When Jeffrey was alive, I thought it would be fun to take him to one of those. The geekasphere abounds at these events, and I would sometimes be asked by my more normal friends (when I would drag one of them along) why I enjoyed them so. My answer would always be the same - I would glance around, and within a second or two spot someone in a wheelchair or otherwise disabled, with a big smile on their face and surrounded by friends.

When our bodies fail us, it is our imaginations which we turn to for freedom. No one judges at these events - everyone is an equal or potential hero. I wish I could have exposed Jeffrey to that mentality. If I had thought of Master Jeffrey while he was around, he could have been a celebrity. Oh, it would have been so great for him to sign prints and pose for photos... another lesson about opportunities lost and acting on your dreams before it's too late.

Anyway, I was given the chance to run a comics workshop and the group was wonderful. From 6 to sixty, they all participated and had fun, and many of them read my Master Jeffrey samples and promised to look him up once they got home. Little by little, Jeffrey's memorial grows.