Saturday, May 1, 2004

Updates

As we noted the other day, the current storyline of the Gasoline Alley newspaper strip involves the death of a long-time character, probably Uncle Walt Wallet but perhaps his wife Phyllis and perhaps both of them. Writer-artist Jim Scancarelli has artfully taken us through the mourning without telling us just who is being mourned. This non-disclosure has reportedly irritated many fans but according to this article, all will be revealed in the May 5 strip. You can read today's at this link. I will admit to a little frustration at how Scancarelli is drawing things out but I have the feeling he will wrap things up in a satisfying way.

Also, we note that to the surprise of no one who knows how these things work, the cast of The Simpsons has signed a new four-year contract to voice Homer, Bart, Marge and all the rest. For a time, a brief panic ran through some channels of the animation industry, the fear being that the actors' demands would torpedo production of the series and put a lot of artists out of work. I understand how people can be fearful of unemployment, especially at a time when things are so shaky in the industry. But realistically, there was never much of a chance that The Simpsons would stop...or if it had, it would not have been because of the actors.

• Posted at 11:18 PM · LINK

WonderCon: Day Two

Boy, I wish I had more to report about this fine comic convention I'm attending this weekend. I'm having a very good time but not in a way that yields gobs of anecdotes I can post here. Saw Russ Heath and Bob Burden today and spent some time talking to Tom Yeates, who is doing a very nice job drawing Dark Horse's new Conan comic book. I picked up a lovely new book that Manuel Auad has assembled of the work of Spanish comic artist Jordi Bernet, and chatted with the widow and son of another great comic artist, the late Alfredo P. Alcala.

Met a lot of people who read this weblog and that's always nice. Especially fun was to meet in person a sharp lady named Rephah Berg whom I have otherwise known only through e-mail. Whenever I post something here that contains a typo, which is way too often, there are about five folks who immediately send me a message about it so I can correct it before most of you see the thing. Rephah is one of my most valuable typo-catchers. If anyone reading this needs a great editor-proofreader, drop me a note and I'll send you on to her.

I didn't get to meet him (too big a crowd) but Sid Haig is at the show. Sid Haig is one of those great character actors who works all the time, almost always playing villains, impressing all who become aware of him. I first noticed him giving a standout performance in an otherwise dreadful Roger Corman film called The Big Doll House, all about women who are sentenced to prison and to the taking of showers. My friends and I all became big fans of his. I remember when we went to see a revival screening of Diamonds are Forever. There's a scene where a bunch of gangland-style hoods move in to surround Sean Connery and we all muttered, "Look! Sid Haig is about to kill James Bond!" If by some chance I find him unmobbed tomorrow at the con, I'm going to barge up to him and get an autographed picture. I don't actually collect autographed pictures but I'd like to shake his hand and tell him how many things I've seen him in.

We did a round of our Quick Draw! game with Sergio Aragonés, Kyle Baker, Scott Shaw! and Steve Leialoha and I think a good time was had by all. This is fast becoming one of my favorite parts of any convention, and I urge you to see the competition we're planning for the Comic-Con International in San Diego.

This evening, I dropped in on a party where the music was so loud that I could only hear about 20% of what friends were trying to say to me and I strained my throat, yelling back to them so they could hear me say that I couldn't hear what they were trying to say to me. I left quickly, then ran into some other friends who said, "Come with us to a party." They took me to another cluster of con attendees where I also couldn't hear, so I decided to come back up to the room and work on an article that's due shortly. I frankly have never understood why people feel compelled to have music at all, let alone at deafening levels, at parties where the main intent is for folks to communicate with one another. A few people were dancing at the second gathering but there still didn't seem to be any excuse for the volume. I am blessed/cursed (hard to tell which, sometimes) with the kind of hearing that picks up noises from all around whatever space I am in, so I assume it's not as bad for some others as it is for me. Still, when I become the Absolute Ruler of All Mankind, I intend to banish music from any party where the main premise is not to listen to music. I will of course also make Karaoke punishable by death but I assume everyone's in favor of that.

Tomorrow: One more panel and I'm off to the airport. I'll see if I can meet Sid Haig before I go.

• Posted at 11:18 PM · LINK

WonderCon: Day One

The Moscone Center in San Francisco is filled with comic book fans, comic book creators and comic books. There are also a few actors and models and one hapless lady who has been assigned by the convention center folks to go up and down the aisles with a pushcart of snacks to sell. So far, she's the only one who doesn't seem to be having a great time. There's no real event to report and I don't expect there will be, but I'm enjoying myself.

Wandered the halls in the morning, did back-to-back panels with Sergio Whatzisname and Paul Dini. Saw a lot of fine comic book folks including Brent Anderson, Tony deZuniga, Dave Stevens, Al Gordon, Steve Leialoha, Trina Robbins, Kyle Baker, Darwyn Cooke, Bruce Timm, David Spurlock, Howard Chaykin, Scott Shaw!, Nick Barrucci, Batton Lash and Jackie Estrada. Whoever I left out, forgive me. It's late.

One thing I've learned, not so much about conventions but about myself is that I enjoy cons more when (a) I have no business to transact, no person that I have to see about some project. And (b) I enjoy cons more when I don't go to too many of them. There's a sense in which they blur together since one convention hall full of dealers and their tables doesn't look all that different from another convention hall full of dealers and their tables. There was a time when I'd arrive at one, walk in and have an overwhelming sensation of déjà vu, as if to say, "I've been to this convention before." For a while, I'd feel so privileged when some con offered to fly me in and put me up that I'd say yes, get there and think, "Why am I here?" One reason I've come to enjoy hosting panels and events at these things is that every one of those is a little different.

Favorite Moment So Far: A kid with a pad of paper comes up to a noted artist (one of those named above) and says, "I'm a big fan of your work. Would you do me a little drawing?" The artist asks which of the many characters he draws the kid would like him to draw...and it is instantly obvious that the kid has no idea who this artist is. He's just out to get free sketches, hoping someday one of them will be worth something. He stammers and says, taking a wild guess, "The X-Men?" (He even said it with the question mark on the end with kind of a hopeful note.) The artist says, "I've never drawn the X-Men" but he uncaps his pen to do the kid a drawing anyway. He puts down what look like the opening strokes of a Batman and the kid says, "Batman! I meant Batman!" After I post this, I'm going to check and see if it's on eBay yet.

• Posted at 1:06 AM · LINK