Dream King's Detour

July 2005 was a banner month for local fans of fantasy, horror, and sci-fi as it was marked by the Manila stop of the Magical Mystery Tour of Neil Gaiman, New York Times bestselling author, multi-awarded comic book visionary, and as it turns out, all-around nice guy.

For a whirlwind three days visit made possible by the British Council and Fully Booked, Neil alit on our shores amidst the political firestorm last July 9-11. He was rather taken aback by the rallies occurring outside his hotel window, and was even more surprised by the rock star welcome accorded to him by his rabid fans.

So the freaks and weirdos (including this author) all came out of the woodwork, wearing goth hearts on their sleeves. As July 9 dawned bright and early, a motley line began to form outside Makati's Rockwell tent- as early as 5 AM for passes to the 3 PM reading and book signing event christened with appropriate fan geek flair as "The Gathering". Since the venue could hold about 1000 people, the event organizers only printed 700 stubs to hand out. By the end of the day, close to 3000 people had shown up and many had to be turned away for the next day's event. . Although I had an inkling as to how many other people were into Gaiman's works, the actual turnout was still overwhelming. It was such a trip to see de facto community sharing a common interest, all aglow with knowing smirks and flaunting inside jokes with outlandish garb and accessories. More than a few were in costume as Gaiman characters! Just as surprising was the broad spread of ages that turned out, from the gray haired to the doll-toting tots (no doubt fans of his children's books).

I was number 378. I couldn't believe it. For months and months I had been waiting for this moment, regularly checking Neil's blog (http://neilgaiman.com/journal) and pestering the Fully Booked people for as much info as I could get. Neil is one of the Internet's most popular bloggers, with semi-regular updates alternating between whimsy, skewed insight, and support for worthy causes. Reading his blog is like getting a glimpse into the crafting of his work and a distillation of his personality.

What makes Neil Gaiman so special? Catapulted to fame by the seminal 90's comic book series 'The Sandman,' Gaiman has transcended (but not turned back on) his comic book roots into the world of books (American Gods, the upcoming Anansi Boys, children's literature including Coraline and The Wolves In The Walls), television (the Neverwhere miniseries for the BBC, which he adapted into novel form), film (various projects in development including a computer-aided Beowulf with Bob Zemeckis, and adaptations of his various works), and the immensely popular online blog, which loses none of the quality of writing because of its dynamic format. All of his work is stamped with an indelibly unique take on matters from the mundane to the esoteric and macabre. Gaiman elevates the art of storytelling with light-footed and always elegant prose fraught with resonance.

As soon as the doors opened for the reading, a mini stampede filled the tent to capacity. Mr. Gaiman was running late as he was being held up by interviews and Manila traffic. Meanwhile, the increasingly restless crowd was kept entertained by the in-theme goth band The Late Isabel. At the pinpoint moment that the wait could be borne no longer (poor The Late Isabel were being booed), he arrived, and a Gaiman-christened "wall of sound" just erupted. An abashed Mr. Gaiman was moved to comment that "Filipinos are noisier than the Brazilians, not crazier, but noisier." He explained to the effect that similar to his first visit to Brazil, he had no idea what to expect from the Philippines and that the welcome he got was overwhelming. Needless to say, the Filipino Gaimanheads did themselves proud with more whoops and cheers before settling down to listen to what turned out to be an excerpt from his upcoming book "Anansi Boys," out in September for the US and UK but due in October, for this market. As his laptop was having printing problems, Neil just read the whole thing off of the laptop screen, adding to the charm of the whole affair.

The excerpt, taken from somewhere in the middle of the book, was classic Neil. Tragic, comic, and engaging, you could hear the proverbial pin drop - barring the collective guffaws in all the right places. You could tell that this admittedly partisan crowd will be there to snap up their copies the day "Anansi Boys" hits shelves.

After about an hour or so of the reading and a very short q&a session, the book signing began at about 4:30 PM. Beloved copies of books old and new came out, clutched tightly to nervous breasts (the big fear was to get tongue tied when face-to-face with Neil) or splayed out for all to see (in the case of geekier-than-thou rare editions). As a friend of mine observed, next to the multitude of Sandman copies, the sentimental favorite to get autographed seemed to be the fantasy graphic novel "Stardust."

The way things were set up, people lined up by tens to go up the stage to get their books signed and have a photo taken. Me being number 378 entailed hours of waiting, wandering round the mall before finally coming back to the venue at 9 PM to sit it out. By this time, Neil had been signing over four hours almost non-stop and the numbers weren't even halfway through. I finally got my turn at about 11 PM. Although the organizers decided to cut the 700 short to 500, Neil stayed on until the last person left-way past 1AM. The convivial, camp-out atmosphere inside the tent was punctuated with hysterical crying (right after or just before meeting Neil), favorite book discussions, and random goofery by the hosts to keep flagging spirits up. Aside from a request from Neil to lessen the use of flash (his eyes were hurting), he kept signing till his hand dropped off. He was so gracious that he always had a few words to say to each person that went up to him, even striking up the conversation to set you at ease.

The guy just ahead of me in the line had a stroke of luck: just as he went up to Neil, the ink in Neil's pen ran out and had to be changed. This took a couple of minutes and extended his chit-chat time. This was already around 11 PM and the organizers were getting antsy, asking people to hurry things up. Mr. Gaiman however remained always accommodating to photo requests and small talk.

When it was my turn, I had had a speech in my head but I tossed it out and ended up thanking him for being patient and inviting him to spend more time here to see places other than malls and bookstores. Who knows, we might even get a novel set in the good old P.I.! I got a pic and my books signed - only one allowed with a dedication, I had 4 total. But most importantly, I got the intangible, priceless experience of having met and talked to someone I admire. Around midnight, it was off to home happy, but tired (and all we did was wait in line!).

The next day, July 10, was another reading and signing at Fully Booked's spanking new branch at the Greenhills Promenade. This was to accommodate all those turned away the day before, as well as for people in that area. Although I didn't attend the signing, I dropped by and saw the line stretched outside the bookstore almost to the parking area!

The final reading and signing was scheduled on July 11 at Fully Booked's Gateway Mall branch in Cubao. Before that, however, was the special Writer's Forum sponsored by the British Council at Music Museum Greenhills. This event was put together to give local aspiring writers and artists a chance to ask questions and interact with Neil Gaiman, a successful professional in their fields. Although I arrived at the venue right on time, I almost got turned away because of the sheer number of attendees. The hall was standing room only, and yet no one seemed to mind.

Questions that people asked ranged from the breathless fanboy- type ones to actual thought provoking, original questions that sometimes caught Neil off-guard. His responses were all candid, never canned and he sincerely expressed the possibility of a future Filipino character in one of his projects or even a collaboration with a Filipino, if the right opportunity came up. These answers caused the biggest stir, especially among the comic artists, to whom an imprimatur from Neil would mean instant fame.

All in all, the Magical Mystery Tour was a fantastic experience on all counts. For one, it proved that there is hope against the dumbing down of culture, with intelligent entertainment able to be big in its own right. On a more personal, fan's note, it is gratifying to have made it known to Neil Gaiman how enthusiastic his audience is locally, and that it would always be worthwhile to make the Philippines a stop on future tours. Proximity with such a caliber as Gaiman crafts can only inspire local talent to evolve and develop further.