Thread by @LuckyNakazawa

Allow me to share my @neilhimself story. In the summer of 2013 I exhibited at Comic-Con with artists Bwana Spoons & Le Merde. My 10th year in a row with Bwana at CC! I was a working artist but also did security/doorman work in LA to make ends meet. cont. #TheSandman

It was the Mon night after the last day of CC when I returned from SD and went straight to working the door at The Bar Marmont still high from all the art and comics I’d just consumed in the 5 days prior in the altered reality that is CC. Cont.

The cultural decompression was too sudden and I was suffering a bit from the bends. Mon at a bar can be slow so that night fate would find me stealing eye fulls from the 2013 CC souvenir book which sported a #Sandman cover illustrated by the unrivaled @DaveMcKean cont.

#Sandman was celebrating its 25th anniversary, it was a big deal. I brought the book to work to give to a friend (Hi Candy!) as a gift as they were a huge @neilhimself fan. While holding this book and reading about Sandman, a shaggy-haired gentleman walked up to my post cont.

at the door which provoked my brain to say “Ha hah this guy sure does look like Neil Gaiman!” But that would be impossible as my brain explained to me that NG would probably still be in SD meeting with bigwig folk. Cont.

Being a doorman I did my duty to greet my guest but he beat me to the punch + said “Oh! Who was just at Comic-Con?” eyeing my CC book. Even after hearing his accent and interest in the CC book my brain was still arguing with me. “Not possible I tell you! You’re dreaming!” Cont.

From here, it gets a little hazy because I was dumb-struck, but we introduced ourselves & I told him I was a big fan. He was friendly & gracious & gave autographs to my co-workers who asked. Two lovely ladies joined him for dinner but I was too stunned at this point Cont.

to register their identities/age or do my job at the door properly. I was informed that they were the actors @Vangsness & @OfficialKat. As they left, I took a pic for them and used that as my opportunity to take a pic with Gaiman. This pic is my blurry proof. #BarMarmont Cont.

It was not a dream. I’ve since shut up the part of my brain that said “ @neilhimself won’t walk up to you and say hi while you are reading a #Sandman Anniversary souvenir book while working the door on the Sunset Strip.”
And here is my #Morpheous tribute art.
The End

I believe photo credit from that night: @bryceless