The Jack FAQ

jackfaq

I get a lot of questions in my e-mail about comics and movies and cartoons and other aberrant topics that folks think I know something about.  But I get more questions about Kirby than any five other topics combined.  Here's some of what gets asked and how it's answered.  If you have a query not covered below, send it in and we'll try to get to it, if not here then in the pages of The Jack Kirby Collector, a fine periodical to which you're already subscribed if you have any interest in the man.

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Who did what on the Lee-Kirby collaborations?

Ooh…tough one to start with.  Well, it's safe to say Jack did all the penciling.  Beyond that, we run into all sorts of semantic arguments having to do with definitions of the word "writing" and with the fact that Mssrs. Lee and Kirby both have / had notoriously poor memories.  You also have the fact that when two creative talents get together and come up with an idea, each of them might honestly believe that he suggested at least the core of the concept if not the entire thing.  This happens in any collaboration anywhere and, ultimately, you usually have to just say that they both had the idea.  Ergo, I say that the Lee-Kirby creations are Lee-Kirby creations.

Some of the ideas sound more like Stan to me, some sound more like Jack and there's some documentation and other evidence that suggests that certain ideas flowed more from one gent than the other.  Even then, even where one person contributed 80% of the notion, they are still Lee-Kirby co-creations.  The plots came from both, though Stan has acknowledged that once Marvel started to grow and he became busier, Jack was largely on his own to figure out the details of each story, if not the basic plotline.  Stan's dialogue sometimes closely paraphrased marginal notes that Jack wrote while drawing, and sometimes deviated altogether.  I do think Stan has been unfairly maligned by those who've said that all he did was retype and polish Jack's notations.  I also think Jack was wronged by credits that gave him no credit for anything other than drawing because he certainly did more than that.

None of this is meant to suggest I view it as a 50/50 collaboration. Even looking just at the concepts and storylines, I think Jack contributed a lot more to them than Stan did.

Didn't Kirby contribute the cosmic concepts and Lee contribute the human elements?

You might think that.  Once upon a time, I did, as well.  But after talking extensively with both Stan and Jack, as well as some of their co-workers…and after examining a lot of Stan Lee plot outlines and Jack Kirby marginal notes, my conclusion is that that wasn't always the case.  Stan definitely contributed some of the more "cosmic" (for want of a better adjective) ideas and Jack certainly contributed some of the elements we might call "soap opera."  There are specific contributions that I believe can be attributed to one or the other, at least in that one of them was the primary source.  But, as stated above, there's a point beyond which one cannot tell who did what.

What was Jack Kirby like?

Jack was a very sweet man with a heart as large as his imagination — and if you read anything he ever did, you at least know how large his imagination could be.  He had a tendency to assume the best about everyone he met and to be angry later-on when, as occasionally happened, someone turned out to be undeserving of his trust and friendship.  There were a few folks who — in my opinion — exploited his generosity far beyond decency…in some cases, quite without malice or even awareness of their impact on his life.  In any case, he was an enormous supporter of New Talent.  If you showed Jack your work, he would not give you an art critique — he didn't do that kind of thing — but he would give you words of encouragement, along with pointers of a "spiritual" sense, discussing the mindset with which you should approach your work.  And he would never, no matter how poor your work was, tell you to give up.

Was Jack really as fast as they say?

Yes, but I think his pace gets exaggerated a bit for two reasons.  One was that Jack worked very hard.  During the late sixties and seventies, he did around fifteen pages per week of finished pencils (and, usually, script) and before that, he was even more prolific, occasionally managing 5-6 pages a day.  Now, that is very fast — someone like Curt Swan might do two a day — but Kirby's output was a function not just of drawing speed but of endurance and a willingness to sit at the drawing board 10-16 hours a day.  Some artists simply couldn't put in hours like that.  And the other thing that perhaps made Jack appear faster than he was was that he did almost no planning.  This is why you see very few Kirby rough sketches around.  If they called Jack and said, "We need a cover," he would just sit down and start drawing a cover.  Some of his best work was done with that kind of instant improvisation.  But, yes, he was fast.

What was Jack's favorite kind of comic to work on?

He really didn't have one, at least in terms of subject matter.  He — of course — wanted to do comics that he felt would sell well and, at varying intervals, he felt that the time was right for a a specific genre or kind of story.  He also — of course — wanted to do work where he felt he was in control of the story and allowed to do his work with a minimum of interference and (relatively) fair compensation, and he generally didn't like doing strips that he felt were someone else's; where he was obliterating another creator's vision by imposing his.  But beyond all those caveats, he was just as happy drawing a monster comic as a super-hero adventure; just as contented to do a romance comic as a science-fiction or western title.  In fact, I think he took a special pride in being able to build something out of any kind of materials.

The one genre he probably enjoyed a little less than any other was the kind of "ghost" comics that dwell on death.  On the other hand, if he enjoyed any area a bit more than others, it would be the occasions when he had the chance to draw tales set in World War II and to tap into his limitless storehouse of anecdotes from his combat days.  His days writing and drawing "The Losers" for Our Fighting Forces were fun for him, marred only by the fact that the characters were not his, nor were they characters that particularly interested him.  I also believe that late in his career, Jack wished he'd had more opportunity to draw funny material in a broader style.

I've heard Jack modeled a lot of his characters on real people.  If so, who was Big Barda based on?

Jack based some of his characters (not all) on people in his life or in the news…though often, the connection would be lost as the character evolved.  That is to say, once the story was done, only Jack would be able to see any trace of the model…and sometimes, even he would lose track of how a character came about.  Nevertheless, Big Barda's roots are not in doubt.  The visual came about shortly after songstress Lainie Kazan posed for Playboy…and the characterization between Scott "Mr. Miracle" Free and Barda was based largely — though with tongue in cheek — on the interplay betwixt Jack and his wife Roz.  Of course, the whole "escape artist" theme was inspired by an earlier career of writer-artist Jim Steranko.

Apart from Sandman #1 in 1974, was The Fly (1959) the last Simon-Kirby collaboration?

The Fly was the last published work by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, excepting that Sandman comic and some leftover material done before The Fly but published later.  However, The Fly was not a product of the Simon-Kirby shop in the same way comics like Black Magic and Boys' Ranch had been.  The Fly was a product of Joe Simon who, in turn, hired Jack to do some of the artwork.  (Jack claimed he did all his work for the first two issues over one weekend.  That's probably not true but he didn't spend a lot more time than that.  Some of what appears to be Kirby in those issues and #3 and #4 is, in fact, a case of Jack's work being imitated by someone else.)

What other comic book artists did Jack admire?

Practically all his contemporaries…but if you asked him, the first names out of his mouth were usually Bill Everett, Wally Wood, Steve Ditko, Joe Simon, Don Heck, Gil Kane, Gene Colan, Lou Fine, Jack Cole, Dick Briefer, Joe Kubert, Alex Toth, John Romita, Jim Steranko, C.C. Beck, George Tuska, Joe Shuster, Mort Meskin, Marie Severin, John Severin, Al Williamson, Dick Ayers, Joe Maneely, Jack Davis, Sergio Aragonés and many others I'm leaving out.  He also loved most of the great newspaper strip artists, including Milton Caniff, Alex Raymond, Hal Foster, Al Capp, Walt Kelly, Elzie Segar, Frank Robbins, Will Gould and Roy Crane.  Frankly, I can't think of too many artists of whom Jack ever spoke in negative terms.

What kind of pencil and paper did Jack use?

Pencils were your basic #2 drawing pencil, although he sometimes experimented with softer leads.  As for paper, Marvel and DC both supplied paper most of the time.  Jack found the Marvel paper easy to draw on and most of the DC paper impossible to draw on.  He got into a friendly argument once with Joe Kubert, who loved the DC paper.  Kubert told Jack it worked great if you pencilled in blue.  Jack said he hated working in blue pencil.  Kubert said it took a brush well.  Jack said, "I don't ink."  And so on.  Steve Sherman and I finally bought Jack a kind of two-ply kid-finish Bristol Board that he liked and that was fine until Mike Royer started inking the books, and Mike had enormous problems inking on the paper.  So a lot of time was spent trying different kinds before we found one that Jack could pencil on and Mike could ink on…and I don't recall the name of the brand.  But this explains why comic book companies usually furnish the paper for their artists to draw on.  It cuts down on arguments between pencillers and inkers.

What were Jack's politics like?

He was a rather liberal democrat — not uncommon among Jewish folks of his generation — but he had a general suspicion of most leaders of all stripes.  He admired Adlai Stevenson and John F. Kennedy, but not many prominent politicians of any party beyond those two.  He was especially distrustful of public figures about whom there was a "cult of personality," and he used those feelings when he wrote about Glorious Godfrey in the Fourth World series.  Godfrey was inspired by the then-current pronouncements of the Reverend Billy Graham (and a wee bit by TV pitchman Arthur Godfrey).  Mr. Graham's speeches now seem more subdued but, at the time, he was coming under criticism from all sides for what some felt were excessive, apocalyptic speeches predicting the end of the world.  Jack saw a few of Graham's fire-and-brimstone lectures on TV and felt that the reverend was abusing his position by taking the "fear" in "fear of God" to unhealthy extremes.

And he really, really didn't like Richard Nixon.

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Wednesday Evening

Two weeks until Preview Night at Comic-Con. They should start posting the Programming Schedules any day now on their website. I highly recommend that if you're attending, you spend the time to read over the schedule, make notes on what you want to attend…and make notes on what you'll attend as your second choice if you can't get in to your first choice. I will be posting my schedule here after the con posts their entire schedule over there. Other parts of their website may be of great value to you also, especially their COVID Policy.

Photo by Bruce Guthrie

It's kinda fun watching Chris Christie running for some job like Tucker Carlson's old one on Fox News. Pundits keep saying that he has no chance of getting the Republican nomination but really no one does if Trump stays in the race. If fact, if Trump has to drop out, it strikes me that Christie may have a better chance than the rest of that mob. All he might have to do is demonstrate that he can do as fine a job bashing Democrats as he's currently doing bashing Trump. If the Trump Fans have to look for another guy, they're not going to go with someone polite. They'll want an Attack Dog.

I had a call today from a lady who claimed to be with Medicare and almost immediately, she asked me to verify that I was a member by giving her my Social Security number. I told her, "If you were really with Medicare, you'd just be asking me for the last four digits because you'd already have the whole thing." She sighed, said "You're right…I'm not with Medicare" and hung up.


When I wrote here the other day about the SAG-AFTRA negotiations for a new contract, I forgot to make an important point I was going to make…

Ordinarily when you have one of these negotiations or a threatened strike, there's a rift in the union that may be subtle or it may be somewhat overt. Imagine two kinds of members of the actors' union. One is the Tom Hanks/Scarlett Johansson type. The other is the guy or gal who's living from bit part to bit part, hoping to get a few lines in this movie or a decent role on that sitcom…and maybe having to supplement their acting income with other kinds of employment.

In the cause of unity, the union has to serve both kinds but their needs are very different. Tom and Scarlett aren't working for minimums and with their clout, they can probably get all or most of what they want when their agents negotiate their deals.

The difference has caused schisms in SAG and AFTRA negotiations in the past…but this time, a major part of the battle is over Artificial Intelligence. And that's an issue that both categories of actors care deeply about. Both kinds want some control over how their voices and likenesses will be used and how they'll be compensated for that usage.

So this may be the strongest the actors' union has been in many, many years. The topic has certainly united a lot of the richest writers with the poorer ones in my union.

Strike News

The big strike news as far as I'm concerned is that there's no strike news. Talks with SAG-AFTRA continue and, as is appropriate in such situations, there's kind of a news blackout. That's not bad or good. It just means that they're talking to each other and not to the press. A person who's very active in the actors' union said to me the other day, "The issue of Artificial Intelligence and how it's going to be used and not used in this business has united the actors in a way I've never seen before." And this person has been involved in actor-management labor dealings for a long time.

One possible scenario is that — and remember I say this with no inside info — is that SAG-AFTRA makes some sort of deal with the producers regarding A.I. and then that becomes the precedent/framework for a WGA deal regarding A.I. I don't think SAG-AFTRA can get its membership to vote for ratification of a new contract without a sensible, fair A.I. deal.

Whether that will then work for writers is an open question. The first time any of the above-the-line Hollywood unions made a deal involving cable channels, the Directors Guild made a deal that was great for them, not so good when the same formula was applied to writers. The strike that year was because the producers were saying "You must take the same deal we gave directors" and we said no.

I have several e-mails asking me if such-and-such a writer or show is violating the Writers Guild strike by being in production or doing promotion. The answer is "it depends" and whether the project is covered by the Writers Guild contract. Some animation is and some isn't. You can read the WGA Strike Rules here and if you have a question, it may be covered over on this page.

Comic-Con is Coming!

It's 86 days until Comic-Con International convenes in San Diego. I'm starting to plan what I'm going to be doing there and if you're going, you shouldn't wait too long. Planning Ahead is key to an enjoyable convention experience. Plan when you're going, how you're going to get there, where you're going to stay and/or park, where you're going to eat, etc. The COVID policy could be changed between now and then but it might be a good idea to read this regarding the current policy. In fact, it's good to keep an eye on the entire convention website which is updated from time to time.

My friends at The San Diego Comic-Con Unofficial Blog also have loads of great information. They're currently reporting that the dates for next year's Comic-Con appear to be Wednesday, July 17 through Sunday, July 21. That hasn't been confirmed but it sounds likely to me.

WonderFul WonderCon

WonderCon 2023 starts tomorrow. I'm not sure when I'm getting there or when I'm leaving but I'll certainly be around for the panels below and at other times. Where I'll be when I'm there and not paneling is a good question. Several folks have written to ask that because they have comics they want signed.

I continue to stand on my unalienable rights, among which are Life, Liberty, the Pursuit of Happiness, not watching Tucker Carlson and not having a table at a convention where I'm expected to sit all day. So I'll be roaming the hall, visiting with friends and perhaps sitting at their tables now and then…and avoiding cosplayers brandishing weaponry. Just think of it as a big, live Where's Waldo? game except that I won't be wearing a striped shirt.

This will be my umpteenth WonderCon because I always have a good time at them and, from what I can see, so do all the other attendees. I believe badges are still available. It's kinda like Comic-Con except that you can get in. If you're there, check out some or all of these events…

Friday, March 24 — 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM in Room 213AB
HOW TO WRITE FOR ANIMATION

Did you ever dream of writing cartoon shows? Well, here's your chance to find out how to do it from three guys who have written hundreds and hundreds of them. The secrets of animation writing will be divulged by WonderCon special guests Tom Ruegger (Pinky and the Brain, Disney's The 7D), Paul Rugg (Animaniacs, Freakazoid!), and moderator Mark Evanier (The Garfield Show, Dungeons & Dragons).

Saturday, March 25 — Noon to 1:00 PM in Room 207
THE ANNUAL JACK KIRBY TRIBUTE PANEL

Like we do at almost every convention, we remember the man some called The King of the Comics — the man who created or co-created many of the most popular characters ever in the medium. Discussing Jack Kirby are Marv Wolfman (writer/editor), John Morrow (publisher of The Jack Kirby Collector), Paul S. Levine (lawyers for the Kirby Trust), and moderator Mark Evanier (former assistant to Jack Kirby).

Saturday, March 25 — 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM in Room 207
CARTOON VOICES

It's another one of Evanier's popular panels where he gathers a bunch of top animation voice actors to demonstrate their craft, tell how they got into the business, and destroy the script for a beloved fairy tale. Appearing this time are Joe Ochman (current voice of Jiminy Cricket), Kaitlyn Robrock (current voice of Minnie Mouse), Neil Ross (Transformers, G.I. Joe), Cynthia McWilliams (What If?), and Brian Hull (Hotel Transylvania). Mark Evanier (of course) is your host.


As always, times, rooms, panelists and just about everything is subject to change so check your Program Guide and this site to make sure. And as always, I refuse to sit behind a table at a convention for very long so I'll be wandering the hall. If you see me, say howdy. The entire programming schedule can be found online here and remember to consult the COVID policy here.

WonderFul WonderCon

WonderCon 2023 starts one week from today…

Friday, March 24 — 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM in Room 213AB
HOW TO WRITE FOR ANIMATION

Did you ever dream of writing cartoon shows? Well, here's your chance to find out how to do it from three guys who have written hundreds and hundreds of them. The secrets of animation writing will be divulged by WonderCon special guests Tom Ruegger (Pinky and the Brain, Disney's The 7D), Paul Rugg (Animaniacs, Freakazoid!), and moderator Mark Evanier (The Garfield Show, Dungeons & Dragons).

Saturday, March 25 — Noon to 1:00 PM in Room 207
THE ANNUAL JACK KIRBY TRIBUTE PANEL

Like we do at almost every convention, we remember the man some called The King of the Comics — the man who created or co-created many of the most popular characters ever in the medium. Discussing Jack Kirby are Marv Wolfman (writer/editor), John Morrow (publisher of The Jack Kirby Collector), Paul S. Levine (lawyers for the Kirby Trust), and moderator Mark Evanier (former assistant to Jack Kirby).

Saturday, March 25 — 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM in Room 207
CARTOON VOICES

It's another one of Evanier's popular panels where he gathers a bunch of top animation voice actors to demonstrate their craft, tell how they got into the business, and destroy the script for a beloved fairy tale. Appearing this time are Joe Ochman (current voice of Jiminy Cricket), Kaitlyn Robrock (current voice of Minnie Mouse), Neil Ross (Transformers, G.I. Joe), Cynthia McWilliams (What If?), and Brian Hull (Hotel Transylvania). Mark Evanier (of course) is your host.


As always, times, rooms, panelists and just about everything is subject to change so check your Program Guide and this site to make sure. And as always, I refuse to sit behind a table at a convention for very long so I'll be wandering the hall. If you see me, say howdy. The entire programming schedule can be found online here and remember to consult the COVID policy here.

WonderFul WonderCon

WonderCon 2023 starts two weeks from today so it's time for this…

Friday, March 24 — 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM in Room 213AB
HOW TO WRITE FOR ANIMATION

Did you ever dream of writing cartoon shows? Well, here's your chance to find out how to do it from three guys who have written hundreds and hundreds of them. The secrets of animation writing will be divulged by WonderCon special guests Tom Ruegger (Pinky and the Brain, Disney's The 7D), Paul Rugg (Animaniacs, Freakazoid!), and moderator Mark Evanier (The Garfield Show, Dungeons & Dragons).

Saturday, March 25 — Noon to 1:00 PM in Room 207
THE ANNUAL JACK KIRBY TRIBUTE PANEL

Like we do at almost every convention, we remember the man some called The King of the Comics — the man who created or co-created many of the most popular characters ever in the medium. Discussing Jack Kirby are Marv Wolfman (writer/editor), John Morrow (publisher of The Jack Kirby Collector), Paul S. Levine (lawyers for the Kirby Trust), and moderator Mark Evanier (former assistant to Jack Kirby).

Saturday, March 25 — 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM in Room 207
CARTOON VOICES

It's another one of Evanier's popular panels where he gathers a bunch of top animation voice actors to demonstrate their craft, tell how they got into the business, and destroy the script for a beloved fairy tale. Appearing this time are Joe Ochman (current voice of Jiminy Cricket), Kaitlyn Robrock (current voice of Minnie Mouse), Neil Ross (Transformers, G.I. Joe), Cynthia McWilliams (What If?), and Brian Hull (Hotel Transylvania). Mark Evanier (of course) is your host.


As always, times, rooms, panelists and just about everything is subject to change so check your Program Guide and this site to make sure. And as always, I refuse to sit behind a table at a convention for very long so I'll be wandering the hall. If you see me, say howdy. The entire programming schedule can be found online here and remember to consult the COVID policy here.

Comic-Con Notes

It's happening, it's happening. Preview Night is this Wednesday…and no, I don't know why people say Comic-Con International starts on Thursday just because Wednesday is called "Preview Night." It's pretty much open and at full force then. I also don't understand why most people still abbreviate its name as S.D.C.C. instead of C.C.I. It hasn't been the San Diego Comic-Con since it changed its name in 1995…but Wikipedia still calls it by its old name.

If you're going, make sure you download the Comic-Con App, which you can do at the App Store for iOS or on Google Play. And if you downloaded it in the past, update it for 2022.

It's a very handy thing to have…the whole schedule and where any speaker or guest will be, right on your phone. You can find where I am by going to the Programs list and searching for my last name.

I look forward to seeing the partial faces of many of you down there later this week. Please read and abide by the masking/vaxx requirements.

Mushroom Soup Weekend

A couple of things have to get written this weekend so you won't find a lot of new writing by me here…a rerun or two and some video links maybe.

If you're going to Comic-Con (which starts in TEN DAYS!!!), you might want to go over to the con's website and study the programming schedules that are posted so far. They have the one for Wednesday, which is Preview Night. They have the one for Thursday, the one for Friday and the one for Saturday. The final day's schedule will be posted tomorrow, probably by mid-morning.

I'm doing panels on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and I'll post that list here in a few days. You can find those events now by using the programming guide's search engine and looking for "Evanier" — but I'll caution you there will be a few changes from what's presently on the con website.

And while you're over there, read about how to get the CLEAR app on your phone. It sounds like something you'll need to do if you're attending and you'll save yourself a lot of time to do it before you get to the convention. I'll be back when I'm back.

Coming Soon…

Preview Night of Comic-Con International is two weeks from tomorrow evening and the rest of the convention follows on July 21-24. If you're attending, keep your eye on the Comic-Con website as they will be posting the programming schedule. The way it usually works is that the schedule for Thursday of the con will be posted there two weeks before on Thursday, the Friday programming schedule will be posted two weeks before on Friday…so this week. I urge you to study the schedule and make notes on what you want to see…and what you'll take as your alternate picks if you can't get into your first choices.

I'm involved with ten panels and I'll post that list once the con has all the days up online. People keep writing to ask me if I'm doing Cartoon Voices panels, a Jack Kirby panel and Quick Draw and if so, when. The answer is yes and they're in the same time slots in the same rooms they've been in for the last 10+ years.

There do seem to still be some hotel rooms available in town, though most are not close to the convention center. There are no membership badges available through the convention except for a pricey few being auctioned on eBay with the proceeds going to benefit the Comic-Con Museum.

AND VERY IMPORTANT: Read the guidelines and rules involving masking, proof of vaccination and such. It can only slow up or prevent your entry into the convention if you don't.

I'll post some more tips over the next two weeks but for now, remember these: Comfortable footwear, plan ahead, don't expect to see and do everything, and — because this cannot be stated too many times — read those COVID guidelines.

Today's Video Link

The latest from Jordan Klepper…

Two things to keep in mind about videos like this: One is that if you were a devout Trump supporter and you began to see evidence that he was a liar and a fraud and that he should be in prison, you might come to think that was true. But that would be a gradual process. You wouldn't come to that massive change of mind at one revelatory moment and you might not want to come to it when a TV camera was trained on you.

Secondly, you might then think, "Okay…so he's a liar and a fraud who belongs in prison. That's unfortunate but now I guess I have to support a liar and a fraud who belongs in prison to get the America I want." And you might continue to do so until such time as a champion emerges who seems likely to get you the America you want without being so obviously a liar and a fraud who belongs in prison.

I still believe there are an awful lot of people in this country who are of voting age and who don't want that America. There are more than enough to install leaders who want what they want and to overturn these radical-right victories. It's just a matter of getting those people to the polls…and then dealing with losers who'll never admit they lost fairly. Not easy but far from impossible.

26 Days!!!

The fine folks who bring you Comic-Con International announced today their eighth and final list of Special Guests at this year's convocation and — surprise, surprise! — I'm on it. I'll be moderating a bunch of panels, including most of the ones I usually do, and I'll be having a very good time there.

The con starts in 26 days (!) and the full schedule of events should be posted two weeks before each day. That is to say the schedule for Thursday, July 21 will be posted on July 7, the schedule for Friday, July 22 will be posted on July 8 and so on. If you're attending, I urge you to study these schedules when they're posted. Make a list of what you want to attend and also list some second choices if you can't get into your first choices. You will have a much better time there if you do a little advance planning of this kind.

Also — and you can do this right now by clicking here — check out the convention policy regarding vaccinations and face masks.

I guess that's all I have to say right now. I'm sure I'll think of other things.

Con Games

It's 74 days until this year's Comic-Con International in San Diego…and I am here being optimistic that (a) it will happen and (b) that I will be there. I'm currently prepping panels based on both assumptions and things are looking pretty good that way.

Based on the same assumptions, my friends who run The San Diego Comic-Con Unofficial Blog are revving up with a new season of podcasts and news coverage of what's going to happen at the con. They are in no way affiliated with the actual event or the folks who run it but the Unofficial Blog site is still a valuable tool for attendees.

This coming Tuesday evening at 6:30 PM Pacific Time, they'll be launching their new season of podcasts with their very special guest, me. You can watch it live on their site or I'll have a replay later on this site. That's two chances you have to see me make the usual fool of myself.

In the meantime, I got an e-mail this morning from a fellow who I'll quote in part here. He goes on and on about how it's stupid to wear masks these days. He's angry that Comic-Con International will be requiring them and he writes, "…no one wears masks anymore at indoor businesses. No one wears masks anymore, period!!!" Which indicates to me that he and I do not patronize the same businesses. I see lots of people wearing masks at indoor businesses I frequent and I am sometimes one of them.

He quotes a Florida judge as saying masks are simply not necessary at this point and calls it all "a political power play." I suspect that judge was ruling on whether she thought certain laws requiring masks were in accord with existing laws, not whether they should be worn. There's a big difference there. Here's my simple position on this: I don't respect any opinion on the wearing of masks that doesn't come from a licensed, experienced DOCTOR (caps for emphasis), preferably one who specializes in infectious diseases.

Frankly, I think wearing a mask or not wearing a mask because of what a politician or judge or TV pundit says is stupid. You might just as well ask your plumber if he thinks you ought to have open heart surgery. (And I'm not suggesting doctors are infallible or that 100% of them agree. I just have this odd theory that they generally know more about medicine than politicians, pundits or plumbers.)

Anyway, then the fellow who wrote me wrote, "I'm sure that, as one of the main speakers and leaders at Comic-Con, you could get the fine folks running the event to reconsider the masks policy." Yes, if you want to formulate a responsible, intelligent health policy, listen to the guy who writes dialogue for Groo the Wanderer. Who could be more qualified than that?

I also don't think it's their policy. I think it has a lot to do with the state, the city and the convention center. The San Diego Convention Center, by the way, is a non-profit public benefit corporation created by the City of San Diego. And I'm fairly sure that all those agencies, in formulating the current policy, consulted with DOCTORS. Gee, I wonder why they didn't ask my opinion.

Is the policy over-cautious? Maybe. I don't know. I have several friends who currently have COVID and while their symptoms seem to be mild, there are still people out there suffering mightily and perhaps dying. Here are current stats for California. We seem to be near the end of this thing but we've thought that before and been horribly wrong so I don't think over-cautious is a terrible thing. I also don't think wearing a mask is any more oppressive than not sneezing on someone else or not coughing in their face.

Dispatches From the Fortress – Day 526

I long ago figured out that my life works best when I…

  1. Plan ahead…
  2. …but not so firmly that I'm thrown when things don't go as planned and I have to make a new plan or maybe even a series of new plans.

I know people who err both ways. They're constantly being caught by surprise by unexpected needs and events that they should have expected. Or, at the other extreme, they expect the universe to adhere to their schedule and don't understand that universes have a nasty tendency to not do that. And when things don't go the way they expected, they're clueless as to how to plot a new course. Sometimes, your G.P.S. takes you to a sign that says "Road Closed" and you have to figure out a new way to get when you're going.

One of the lesser but significant downsides to The Pandemic is it makes planning impossible. When things looked rosier than they do now, I bought semi-expensive tickets to see two of my favorite comedians perform locally — one in mid-October, one in mid-November. Those two dates and a few doctor appointments are just about all I have on my calendar.

Will I be going to those two shows? Wish I knew for sure. I don't even know if they'll have them. The October date is the third rescheduling of a show that was originally going to take place in June of 2020, then was postponed until February of 2021 and then to its new date. The question of whether I'll be in attendance on the new date starts with the unknowable — at the moment — question of whether Ricky Gervais will reschedule yet again.

And if it isn't, will I feel safe to go then? Again, that's unknowable — at the moment).

I've learned I just have to live that way. There are oodles of predictions out there about when our lives may normalize and I've decided it's easier to trust none of them. Some of them are educated guesses. Some are of the seriously-uneducated variety. So far, none of them have been right so I think this is one of those times when "I don't know" is the only reliable answer.

In the last few days, a half-dozen e-mails have asked me if I've heard anything about the announced Comic-Con Special Edition to take place November 26-28 in San Diego. It's darn near the only other thing on that calendar of mine.

Folks are asking me if I'm sure it's going to happen, when tickets might become available, when rooms might be rentable, if they'll require proof of vaccination, etc. Here's an absolutely true answer: I don't know. No one has told me anything lately.

The convention website says it's happening. The website of the San Diego Convention Center says it's happening. That's what I know. They've both said what they say for a while.

And I know one other thing: I know the people who run this convention are very skilled and very benevolent and they don't like keeping folks in suspense like this. If they had something firm they could tell us, they would. And when they do, they will. It's just one of those things that comes from living in such uncertain times.

The following is just me wondering aloud about something. I have spoken to no one in San Diego about this.

We currently have a recall election happening in this state. While I think Governor Gavin Newsom should stay in office — and have already voted accordingly — the polls have it as neck-and-neck.

If it doesn't go his way, the most likely person to replace him seems to be Conservative radio talk show host Larry Elder. Mr. Elder has zero experience in government which I gather is one of the reasons some of his backers back him. He has said, "When I get elected, assuming there are still facemask mandates and vaccine mandates, they will be repealed right away and then I'll break for breakfast."

This brings me back to I Don't Know territory. I don't know, of course, if Newsom will be turned out,  I don't know if Elder will replace him.

If Elder is elected, I don't know how far he would carry that pledge. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed off on a law banning cruise companies from requiring proof of COVID vaccines to board ships in his state. He seems to be losing that battle but that kind of fight rages on there and in other states. In what sorts of public places might Elder or any other Newsom replacement try to block requirements of masks and/or proof of vaccination? I don't know.

I don't know if the State Legislature has the power to overrule a governor on this kind of thing or if they would. I don't know if it will affect the Comic-Con. I don't know if it will affect the facility in which the event will be held if it indeed is held.

The Convention Center is not a private business. It's a nonprofit public benefit corporation formed by the City of San Diego. Its website has a lot about this current policies on this page. Here's one key excerpt…

In California, unvaccinated people are required to wear face masks in all indoor public settings, including our convention center. Policies for vaccinated guests vary by event. Our State and County are also following CDC guidance in recommending everyone wear a face mask in indoor public settings, whether you've been vaccinated or not. Individual event organizers may be more restrictive than this guidance.

Will the recall election change this in any way? You can probably guess my answer but in case you can't, I'll give you a hint: It's a three-word phrase that starts with "I."  The "I" is followed by a contraction and the phrase ends with the word "know."  If you can't figure it out and you find yourself saying "I don't know," you've got it!

Today's Video Link

Two men sing "Seventy-Six Trombones" from The Music Man with zero trombones — or any other musical instruments…