Category Archives: Uncategorized

James K. Galbraith on the problem of the debt ceiling.

Well, you may have heard of one more of those ventriloquists. Ed Golick points out that the guy in the second photo is Fred Allen. But after Winchell he's the one who looks the least creepy and you probably didn't hear of Mr. Allen as a ventriloquist. So my point still stands.

Here are some vintage photos of ventriloquists. Note that Paul Winchell (a) is the only one who doesn't look kinda creepy in some way and (b) is the only one you ever heard of. Those two facts may be connected.

Or 12 Days Until Preview Night if you want to count that way. This is about the time of year when I start telling friends I know are going, "Hey, I'm kinda busy so I've had them postpone the convention until late September!" And they all laugh and say, "Oh, if only you could." But it doesn't matter when they have it. It'll always crowd your life a little to get ready and clear the time. I try real hard to get ahead enough on my work that I won't have to spend significant portions of the con up in my room on the laptop, finishing a script for this or that. There have been cons when that happened and it was tough to sit up there and work, well aware of what I was missing elsewhere. As I keep mentioning, enjoying the con has a lot to do with planning ahead.

I'm still planning my eight thousand panels. I just added Roy Thomas to the Friday panel on Comics in the 70's. Roy was a very important figure in comics in that era (and before and after, as well) and I'm looking forward to talking with him on quite a few program items at the convention.

I also just added Jonathan Ross to the Sunday morning Jack Kirby Tribute Panel — too late, alas, to get his name in the printed or even online schedules. Jonathan is the host of the popular Penn & Teller: Fool Us program seen on the ITV network in Great Britain…and on constant bootlegs and YouTube uploads in this one. Jonathan is also the host of about ninety-one other TV and radio shows over there but we care more than he's a devout comic book fan and collector, and I'm delighted that he's agreed to join our little Kirby panel.

The entire programming schedule for Comic-Con is now online. You can go check the Thursday Programming. You can go check the Friday Programming. You can go check the Saturday Programming. You can even go check the Sunday Programming. And best of all, you can click the banner below and it will spirit you off to a page that lists the events you really want to attend — the ones being hosted or co-hosted by Guess Who…

Continuing with my tradition of linking to any article that interviews and quotes me, here's a guide to 8 Career Mistakes of Superheroes.

You know how happy some right-wingers were when it came out that Anthony Weiner had been sending naughty pictures out of himself? That's how happy some left-wingers are about the mess that Rupert Murdoch is in at the moment.

Eight secrets about Disneyland. I like the one about the feral cats. I kind of have that going in my backyard here.

With the help of several folks who wrote in, I think I can identify the actors in the Bells Are Ringing clip who are dubbed by Paul Frees. Gil Lamb appears to be the one who opens the proceedings with the pratfall and some dialogue he speaks himself…then is later dubbed with a voice that sounds nothing like his by Inspector Fenwick. The one who sounds like Boris Badenov is probably Tommy Farrell, who was a prolific character actor in movies and TV shows, particularly playing sidekick roles in dozens of westerns and appearing in Kissin' Cousins with Elvis. I recognized him because he played Carl Reiner's agent in A Guide for the Married Man.

If that is indeed Tommy Farrell, there's a kind of "in" joke happening there, probably not intentionally. Throughout the song, Judy Holliday keeps mentioning Rin Tin Tin, because that's the only famous name she can think of at the moment. Well, Tommy Farrell had a recurring role on the Rin Tin Tin TV series. Another one of those silly things that only I would notice.

Hey, as you know, I think baby pandas are the cutest thing on this planet. Phil Conley has sent me this link to a page of photos of the cutest creatures of all kinds born in captivity. I was disappointed not to find any of my baby pictures there but I guess it's only for those birthed in zoos.

The National Film Preservation Foundation finds what are often the only surviving prints of old movies and restores them so they are not lost to posterity. Not long ago, they did a save on On Strike, a 1920 cartoon short starring Bud Fisher's popular comic strip characters, Mutt and Jeff. 1920 is early enough that Mr. Fisher, who appears in the film in live-action clips, may still actually have been drawing his strip. At some point, he famously passed all the work on to hired hands and would spend his time in leisure activities.

He also did little to no work on the hundreds of short cartoons like this one that were produced by his studio, though sometimes (not this time), the title cards made it sound like he wrote and drew them all by himself. Given Fisher's tendency to feast off the labors of others, the storyline of On Strike sounds like an inside joke by those who actually made it.

You'll have to go over to the N.F.P.N. website to watch On Strike but it's worth the trip. While you're there, you might want to read up on the fine work they do and consider a donation to support it.

A fine and important film director named James Bridges passed in 1993. His memory is being kept alive in part by his longtime companion, Jack Larson, who most of you will know best for his role as Jimmy Olsen on the old Adventures of Superman TV show with George Reeves. Mr. Larson is a wise, classy man and I thought some of you might enjoy reading this article, which is about Bridges but also about what Larson has been up to lately.

The getting of food at or around the con seems to be daunting for some people. In all my years of going to that building, I've only ever found one place on the premises to score a decent meal. Out back on the top level the last few years, there's been a little tent where someone barbecues hot dogs and hamburgers and I think they sometimes do chicken breasts, as well. The cuisine has been quite edible…perhaps even good when I get one that's hot off the grill. I don't know for sure that this concession will be there this year and when they are there, they seem to keep odd hours, closing down around 2 or 3. But you might want to take a peek and see if they're up and grilling. San Diego's Gaslamp District is across the street from the convention center and that's otherwise your best bet to get something nourishing during the day. If you have a lust for smoked 'n' sauced meat and a willingness to walk a bit, boogie on down to the Kansas City Barbecue Company. Some folks have also been known to hop on one of the free hotel shuttles and let it carry them into downtown S.D. And for the cash-strapped among you, Scott Marinoff sent me this great list of cheap places to eat near the convention center.

In the evenings, it's easier because you don't have to scurry back so as not to miss things at the convention. There are a lot of great restaurants around. Do yourself a favor and do a bit of searching on the Internet before you go to decide where you might wanna eat and maybe even make some reservations. Nothing wastes my time at a con like trying to figure out where to go at the last minute. By then, it's usually not a matter of "Where shall we go?" as much as "How long do you think the wait there might be?"

And once again, I'll mention the Ralphs Market, which is open 24/7 at the corner of G Street and 1st. In the evenings, much of the convention can be found roaming its aisles and filling carts with supplies and snacks and even entrees. If I ever couldn't get into the convention, I think I could have a pretty good time hanging out at some of the displays and events staged outside the hall at the Northeast (I think it is) corner of the convention center, and then wandering the Ralphs in the evening. Last year, I signed two copies of my Jack Kirby book for other shoppers in the checkout line.

Lastly on this topic, I'll mention that San Diego has a pretty good taxi situation…and I'm amused that since most of the cabs are independently owned, they all seem to have different company names on them. Anyway, those cabs can take you to some very good restaurants…and again, a bit of research-in-advance wouldn't hurt.

I would steer clear of the human-powered pedal-cabs. I used to take them because I felt sorry for the poor teens bicycling people around like that…but the last few years, the rates have gotten a bit steep and the drivers try to guilt you into excessive tipping. Also, the crowds and some street reconfigurations and new laws have made it more difficult for those bike-cabs to take you somewhere in a direct line. Trips in them, even short hops, can get awfully circuitous and therefore more time-consuming than walking…and since you pay by the ride, not the time, they try to hustle you there as rapidly as they can, which can lead to highly-unsafe maneuvering. There have been accidents and I somehow don't think those kids have the greatest insurance or, in some cases, a proper sense of how much space to leave between a passenger and a bus. If you must take one, make sure you agree on the fare before you get in.

Okay: The schedule for Friday Programming is up and available for inspection. And here once again is a link to a page that tells you the real important events (i.e., the ones I'm hosting or co-hosting)…

Time to start planning. Actually, if you're going, you've been planning for months: You have your admission pass. You know how you're going to get there and even how you're going to get home. If you're staying over, you have a place to stay over. (If all of these statements are not true, guess what. You're not going.) But now would be a good time to figure out what you're going to do at the convention…and I'm quite serious about this. Every year after the con, I hear from people who were there and are still moaning, "Jeez, it's so big and it's so crowded and how do you know what's going on and I couldn't find anything and I missed all sorts of things I would have loved to see!" It may well be that in the Age of Entitlement, folks are accustomed to having everything they want available how and when they want it at the tip of a keyboard or touchscreen…and hey, if you wanna just wander in and stumble about, be my guest. But don't complain to me later that you couldn't find anything. Everything you could possibly want to know is or will soon be on the convention website.

For instance, here's a guide and map for the Exhibit Hall. It shows you where every exhibitor will be. (Hint: If they were at the con last year, they're probably in the same place. Each year, I can find my way to some booths blindfolded.) There's a list of them all. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the way the aisles are numbered. Except for the booths around the perimeter, it's pretty simple. Then get yourself a little notebook or open some file on your Smartphone that can serve the same purpose. Jot down the whereabouts of displays you wish to visit…and for the Love of God, Montresor, take note of which ones are near each other!

Last year, a friend of mine started in after the con complaining how much walking he had to do, back and forth, back and forth across that huge arena. It was apparently bad planning on the part of the convention that all the places he wanted to go weren't arranged in a neat, tidy row for his convenience. But the thing of it was: They kinda were. He just didn't do a smidgen of advance planning. He went to see someone who was in Artists Alley, all the way over on the Southeast side of the hall and then he thought, "Hey, I want to make sure I go to the Van Eaton Gallery," which is all the way over on the Northwest side of the hall and he hiked the full-length of Woodstock Nation to get there. And then it suddenly hit him, "Oh, I want to make sure I check out the new Sony PlayStation exhibit" and guess where the hell that was. Bingo! Back on the Southeast side of the hall. If he'd taken a different aisle on his way to Van Eaton, he could have walked right past it. So don't make that mistake.

Another good one not to make is to not look at the Programming Guide in advance. There are plenty of events you want to attend so before you get there, make up a little list of what they are and when they start and what you're going to try to get into at 2 PM if your first choice is full. The convention is now posting the schedule one day at a time. The Thursday Programming Guide is online…but more importantly, my entire schedule of panels is now online. Click the banner below to find out about the thirteen must-attend events that I'll be hosting or co-hosting at the convention…

Again, jot down what you want to attend in a notebook or other handheld device. You probably have some sort of app in your life, even if it's on paper, that tells you what time you have to be at the dentist. Add in the time and place to be for my panel with Sergio Aragonés. That's a lot more important than your rotten teeth could ever be.

I also don't think it's a bad idea to plan your meals and to figure out in advance where you're going to get them. People always ask me, "How can you do so many things at that convention?" It's really very simple if you make up a schedule. Mine currently contains the following over the four days of the con plus Preview Night: Thirteen panels, one awards ceremony, five dinners with friends, four parties, two business-type lunches, three non-dining business meetings, six video interviews for documentaries various folks are making about comic book history and one lunch with my first girl friend, who now lives in San Diego. And with all that, I even have several hours during the day to wander about and see things and just run into people. It's not difficult if you do a bit of prep work. At the moment, the only problem I have is that I'm having dinner at a barbecue restaurant on Wednesday night and I haven't been able to find time on the schedule to belch until late Sunday…

Farhad Manjoo tells us about a great new light bulb that will soon be available. At least, it sounds like a great new lightbulb. I wonder when the guy who invented it had this idea what kind of light bulb appeared over his head.

My pal Mickey Paraskevas sent me this link to a display of frightening flavors of ice cream from around the world, though mostly in Japan. I gave up ice cream and other desserts years ago but when I did indulge, I was always perfectly happy with chocolate, vanilla, some combination of the two or orange sherbet. I guess I always thought of ice cream as a kind of comfort food: The great thing about it was that if I stayed with those flavors, I always enjoyed it. I do gamble with some things in life — like in some way with every job I undertake — but never saw the point of gambling with my ice cream.