Last night, I had the pleasure of having dinner with Jordan Mechner, creator of Prince of Persia, and today watched him give a brilliant panel.  He answered pressing questions from fans of his video games, as well as those waiting expectantly for the Prince of Persia movie (for which he wrote the script), and the upcoming graphic novel that is available at Comic-Con pre-release (at booth 1320).

I wanted to know, how does a game programmer turn screenplay writer and graphic novelist? How are these media related, and in what ways does he need to think differently to create a game, a film, or a book?

Mechner explained that the interactive game needs only present the surface of the story, because it's the player that creates the action within that world. A video game is meant to be played, not watched. At the beginning of the Sands of Time game, the Prince makes a mistake that turns almost everyone into a sand monster -- which is good for the game, because it means the player spends the rest of the game fighting these enemies. You press a button, and kill the monsters. But there's no button for "talk to someone." You can't interact with anyone in the game except to destroy them.

Artist Eddie Campbell is best known for his collaborative graphic novel with writer Alan Moore, From Hell, chronicling the Jack the Ripper murders in Whitechapel, England during the 1880s. With their edgy grittiness and ink renderings, Campbell’s drawing style feels like a series of spontaneous lively sketches jotted as feverish, visual notations in his sketchbooks.

Eva Volin and fellow judge on this year's Eisner panel. (Beth Accomando)

When I tell people I was asked to serve as an Eisner judge, the most common response has been a bewildered, "Why'd they ask you?" Although I want to respond with a hearty, "Because I'm awesome," I actually understand the confusion. The Eisners are considered the Oscars of the comics industry, and libraries aren't the first place that comes to mind for old school comic book fans looking to find their favorite series. But here's the thing: libraries are the first place NEW comic book fans think of.