Comic pros that have provided great con experiences

[ComicbookJeff]

As a seasoned vetran of the comic book convention 'scene' I have had the luxury of meeting dozens of industry creators.

It cost a lot of money to travel to a con.
Hotel, gas, admission, tolls, parking in most situations. It adds up.

I, for one, base some of my comic book purchasing on experiences at cons.

There is a list of industry creators who have provided such a cool meeting, that I loyally purchase every comic with their name on it.
Conversely, there are some pros that have left me with bad experiences to the tune of me never buying one of their books again. Ever.

I 'get' that an artist or writer who is exhausted from travel, and has been answering the same questions for hours on end, may not be at their best.
With 'sketch flippers' practically sprinting to eBay after saying 'thanks sucker!' to an artist, I can surely understand sketch policies being tough nowadays.

I think it is important that the 'big guys' at the publishers are aware that some of their revenue is generated (or not so much) by creators who are gracious to their fans.

One industry artist, who I won't name here, is a talent that I refuse to patronize.
If his name is on the comic, I will not buy it. Period.
The first time I encountered him was at Wizardworld Philly.
He shares the same last name as an inker so when I was leafing through a stack of comic books, he berated me in front of several other fans.
"Why the f*ck should I sign that?" he said.
"Oh! I know this wasn't you, but <another creator> is here too. Can you sign these ones?" I said and handed him some of his work.
He continued to aggressively nod and belittle me to the other fans.
I think of it every time I see those comics. Not a great memory.

I encountered him again in Toronto when he was an even bigger deal.
He had penciled a big event for one of the big two.
His line was apparently not long enough because he was loudly complaining about how nobody appreciates him. My friend commented that the cover artist was in the next room over and that people were trying to get both signatures on the cover.
He practically called my friend stupid and rolled his eyes at us and everyone else. I watched dozens of people walk away disappointed that this 'pro' was giving his very fans and supporters grief.

The third time was back in Philly.
It was the end of the first day.
He was seated at his table in artist alley.
I had a copy of 'Avengers Finale' that was signed by nearly the entire creative team.
(If you remember it was one of the comics where a dozen or so superstars each took a page or two.)
I approached him while the show was shutting down.
"Hey bro. Can I get a signing on this book? It's got almost everyone on it!"
"Nope. I'll be at DC's booth tomorrow at 3."
"I know man, but I can't be here the rest of the weekend. This is actually it for me."
"I'll do a sketch for $150. That's it."
"One signature. Please."
"Nope."
And that was it for me.
Three encounters, each one ending with this guy treating me like garbage.

I've considered letting DC know about this, but I have decided to let my dollar do the talking.
When it comes to this specific creator, my $2.99 is as mute as a sleeping ninja with any book he is involved with.
I never recommend his issues to my customers.
I never order them heavily.
I have no intention of hosting him at Syracuse Heroes Expo either.

As it stands right now, I buy every single comic book that has the following creators named on it because of excellent meetings at cons and events:
Francis Manapul
Gail Simone
Ethan Van Sciver
Tony Isabella
Nico Henrichon
Frank Cho
Marv Wolfman
Pop Mhan
Kaare Andrews
Michael Turner
Koi Pham
Brian Michael Bendis
Chris Giarusso

Anyone else have a list like that?

With convention season getting underway, I just wanted to chime in.
I look forward to seeing some of you in line and maybe meeting new faces.

[Charles RB]

Lew Stringer's always been a good bloke at the Bristol Expo's I've been too, and when I was fifteen Simon Furman was friendly even though I'm sure I was being annoying. Chynna Clugston-Major (sic?), Georges Jeanty, Alan Grant and Marv Wolfman were good experiences too (had a nice brief chat with the latter about his Mainframe cartoon work).

Oh, and Kev Sutherland was nice, though I utterly folded when he asked me what ideas I had for comics (I hadn't gone to the bar intending to network - if I had been on-the-ball, I might've gotten my foot in the door but oh well...).

[Erik Burnham]

I was once told by a retailer he ordered my (first) book simply because I seemed like a decent guy - that was the deciding factor on him taking that chance.

We had a little conversation about the Golden Rule and I thanked him for the support.

I wish more people followed the rule. I really do.

And I tellya, I wouldn't buy from this guy either.

But if we ever meet at a con, remind me to berate you if that makes me a "superstar creator." :D

[TCJohnson]

Jimmy Palmiotti. Met him three times at conventions, has always been an increadibly nice guy at all of them. And patient. At one convention this guy brought a short box of comics for him to sign, and he signed all of them without complaining. Said if his name is on it, he will sign it. He would sign like 10 of this guys, then sign comics for the next guy in line, then sign another 10 for the first one.

Sergio Aragones. I was disappointed he wasn't doing sketches, but still a very nice guy when you talked to him.

George Perez. There was a fire alarm during one of the conventions I went to. While we were being evacuated, he stood acoss the street and signed books for people.

Cully Hamner.
Bill Willingham.
I think Mike Wieringo was in a bad mood when I met him, but he still did my favorite sketch I have.

[Erik Burnham]

Foolish me, I should've said the good list.

Everybody I've met has been incredibly nice.

Maybe I was just lucky, but I haven't met one rude or unpleasant creator yet, though I know they're out there, lurking.

And that just makes me happy for comics.

The "worst" experience I had was last fall at the Minnesota FallCon -- and I don't hold ANYTHING against the creators who were irritable at that show... it was a freak heat wave, 90+ degrees, humid, packed, with no AC!

Grumpiness was to be expected, and there was still very little comparatively.

My favorite quote about a pro is in regards to Tom Nguyen -- "He's the kinda guy that'll give you the shirt off his back... so he can show off his muscles."

[JKCarrier]

I can't think of any really bad experiences with pros at convetions. Guess I've been lucky. Here's a couple of good ones that spring to mind:

Jeff Smith - At one of the first SPACE cons, he went around the room, talked to all the exhibitors, and made a point of buying something from everyone. I would've been happy as a clam to sell him a $1 minicomic, but he insisted on buying the trade paperback. I thought that was pretty cool.

Colleen Doran - Always friendly, with a wicked sense of humor. I remember at one con, I found a copy of the notorious GN "A Night In A Moorish Harem", which Colleen drew a chapter of. I brought it over to her table along with some other books to get signed. As she was signing, someone else she knew came over to say hi. Colleen held up the Harem book and said rather loudly, "Hey, look! Kevin found my porno comic!" I'm sure I turned beet red. :o Later, I noticed she'd signed her name right across the heroine's cleavage, and added the notation "Wish You Were Here!" :eek:

[WhiteRose]

Since I met Nicola and Gail last year (Nicola for the second time) and though I've bought practically every comic with their names on it already, I'm happy to continue buying their work, especially Nicola's (She didn't know if I was buying pages or not, but she pulled out the one I once mentioned here before I even started looking).

Geoff Johns was another one for me. He was absolutely darling when he was here. I was the only girl in the line that was there to meet and greet him and one of the DC artists that was with him, and he was tickled that I loved his Teen Titans. He proceeded to whip out his laptop and show me art for the next 5 issues, covers and interiors. Though I don't buy too many of his titles, it's one of those kind of experiances that I'll still glance over the wall at the comic store and maybe pick up an issue of something of his if I have a few spare bucks, or get a trade of his if I want something different.

[Alex L]

Gail's awesome, even if she won't let us pay for breakfast.

Met Bendis at Comic-Con... uh, maybe 3-4 years ago and he was a great guy.
Tied with him in arm wrestling.

Oeming whooped me rather badly.

[shrike]

I have to actually go to a convention before I can answer this. :D

[Darediva]

David Mack, Andy Lee, Jim Mahfood, Larry Dixon, Mercedes Lackey, Lea Hernandez, George Perez...lots of people I've met at cons have been outstanding in their interaction with the fans.

The first Wizard World Texas I went to, I was working as a volunteer to keep the entry lines orderly, showing people where the "end of the line" was, as it was wrapped around the building and wound around some parking lot space. Who should come out the back door? George Perez, who was the special guest for that con, and he immediately started shaking hands and signing things for the people at the end of the line. That's a class act.

[Matt Doc Martin]

Mike Wiernigo was the friendliest, Gail was awesome, Ethan Van Sciver was great. Mark Millar was funny, but has an extraordinarily weak handshake. David Finch might be cool, but was far too smashed to tell for sure. Others I just met so quickly it is hard to remember a whole lot.

And yes, Larry and Misty are the shit.

[Erik Burnham]

Mike Wiernigo was the friendliest, Gail was awesome, Ethan Van Sciver was great. Mark Millar was funny, but has an extraordinarily weak handshake. David Finch might be cool, but was far too smashed to tell for sure. Others I just met so quickly it is hard to remember a whole lot.

And yes, Larry and Misty are the shit.

It is to my eternal regret that I'll never get to meet Ringo face-to-face.

[bert]

as I mentioned in the Lying in the Gutters board. . I spent an evening barhopping and hitting backrooms w/ Andy Mangels during SDCC a few years ago.

and Slick (old CBR guy) and myself getting drunk off our asses w/ several Bablyon 5 cast members all night -- at the hotel bar, after "Uncommoncon" in Dallas ended up not having very many patrons -- was quite fun.

and I have SHIT-loads of Dragon*con tales (for example, Larry Elmore telling me (loudly) I should tell Walter Koenig to "FUCK OFF" after the latter criticized my T-shirt in the Hyatt bar).

:)

[JohnPopa]

So many pros are wonderful in person, I worry about singling people out for fear of insulting people by exlusion. Still ...

George Perez makes you feel like his best friend every time you see him, Barry Kitson makes a six or seven hour line waiting for a sketch the highlight of a weekend, not only for his friendliness but for the comraderie and fun his fans bring to the proceedings. I met Todd DeZago at a con seven years ago and no matter how long it's been since last we talked, he knows me by name and always remembers what we talked about years ago.

I'm an avid sketch commissioner so the amount of name artists I've dealt with is pretty significant and I can't think of a bad story, honestly. Guys like Jeff Moy and Darryl Banks feel like as much a part of my con family as the guys I travel with, it's amazing when a guy as talented as Cliff Chiang is surprised when I come back to him a second year to get another sketch.

Oh and I met Lee Weeks at a little show here in Ohio like 15 years ago and we've been friends ever since.

Given how assaulted he was all weekend, Warren Ellis couldn't have been more charming to talk to, giving real answers to my possibly uninteresting questions.

These are the guys who I probably buy their work based on how cool they are in person.

But, honestly, my bad experiences at cons are so few, I do feel like I'm leaving people out. I mean, Steve Epting remembers my name because of a post I made on a message board about how much I enjoyed his 'Avengers' work forever ago.

We're lucky, you know -- how many other creative industries have this much interaction between fans and creators? It's pretty cool and something I really try and appreciate.

[PatrickG]

There was an editor who invited me to hang out at the bar and introduce me around. He never showed and disappeared for several days. Later, online, I read rumors about an editor for the same company who disappeared on a 3 day binge of heavy drugs and hookers. I always wondered if it was the same guy.

I've also spotted a few married comic types cavorting at cons and it makes me feel awkward because they look nervous when anybody they recognize from the con sees them. I want to go up and say, "Hey, it's cool. I'm not here to bust you. Carry on. None of my business." But that would add to the awkwardness.

Also: the creator I suspect the original poster is talking about gave me a DEATH STARE when I was 18.

Now, in terms of better experiences:

Mark Waid is always a treat to talk to although he generally seems a bit disgruntled and exhausted.

Morrison is probably the most unadulterated fun for me. You can spend fifteen minutes chatting about Donald Duck and Batman's costumes with that man or have deeper conversations. His wife Kristen is also a real darling, smart and beautiful, and they seem to really make a splash at the cons I've run into them at with Grant dressing like a 30s gangster and Kristen in full con form wearing dominatrix gear. They're a hoot. Every ten seconds, some fanboy comes up and gets their picture taken with Kristen throwing them into a headlock, taking a pause from her own musings, while Grant lectures like Aristotle to a small crowd, pausing for broad smiles when cameras flash.

I stood in line with Neal Adams at Starbucks once and had a nice little chat with him.

Didio is a RIOT when he gets drinking. He has a weird aura about him, like he's a preacher or something. He gets these small groups together, keeps the atmosphere light -- and will honestly answer any question you have as long as he can trust you won't blab, all the while full of interesting topic starters -- both about comics and media. You can't spend five minutes with him without feeling like he's picking your brain and genuinely considering everything you say when you respond to questions like, "What was your first comic book?" or "How do you generally get into a TV show?" Granted, he's forceful on some points where he's made up his mind and I've seen in turn some people off but I think he's generally right-headed and forward thinking even if he has some hangups. And he likes to play mind games; I'm fairly certain that he's INTENTIONALLY pursued the image that he's "the bad guy" and that he hates JLI and that despite what many online fans think, he's gleefully playing a role most of the time.

Loeb on the other hand is my absolute hero when it comes to cons. The man is not only the reason I started going to San Diego but he was willing to pull strings for me left and right. He'll always be aces in my book and someday I'll get around to telling all the wonderful con stories involving him. He's waived me past con security a time or two and I've always felt important in my interactions with him. Swell guy, sharp, connected -- and hellaciously busy. Probably three or four times as busy at these events than Waid or Morrison... But he also keeps to himself a lot, as I've rarely seen him at the big industry socials or the Eisners. I think he puts in a token appearance if he has to but he's a pretty quiet guy. Probably the sharpest negotiator and most efficient time user I've met in the industry.

[NickThompson]

I'm happy to say that in four years of doing cons (Bout 12 of them I think), I've yet to meet a fulltime creator who was a dick.

[Red Jack]

Mike Carey- A gentle man and a scholar. You can't do better than a conversation with Mr. C.

John Rogers- literally the funniest man I've met in years.

The entire Man of Action crew - anybody who can make a high paying job out of hanging out with your friends is aces in my book.

Boom studios - See above. Awesome people.

Dwayne McDuffie - Just the best. A real mensch.

[DocAbsurd]

Walt Simonson. Genius and genial.

Joe Staton. He was my biggest inspiration as a budding cartoonist. Met him the first time when he was just making a name for himself at DC, drawing LSH and JSA. He had just introduced Huntress that year and I asked him to do me a sketch of her. He ran outta time but left a note for me to contact him directly at the hotel. Do you know he sent me the damn sketch a week later? Now that's class. Decades later, I shared a table with him at a show for 6 hours straight and never said a word to him. I was simply too star struck. Took me until just before the show shut down to tell him he'd been my idol. That's when he said, 'Why didn't you say something earlier? I would've loved to chat.'

Gail, of course. One of the few highlights of a deplorable MMC.

Marty Nodell. I met him for the first time when I lived in Florida. And every time we guested at the same show, he greeted me as if we were long lost friends. He always had words of encouragement, always wanted to see how I'd progressed in my cartooning.

Dick Giordano. Honest and supportive.

Jeff Smith. I sat across from him in Chicago, back before they became part of the Wizard cons and when Bone was just hitting the reprints through Image. He talked to me as if I were just as much a pro as he was.

Ron Boyd. I've got dozens upon dozens of LSH signed by him. I miss seeing him in my area.

Phil Foglio. Jovial and always glad to have a fan nearby.

I'll add more later.

[Erik Burnham]

Here's a memory that isn't mine -- a friend told me this story secondhand, about a guy he knows.

So there was a charity lunch with two tables set up; this was many years back, in the 80s, just before John Byrne took on the FF. Byrne was the guest of one of the tables; Terry Austin the other.

Fans could pick their table. Apparently, the folks at the Byrne table were jealous of the Austin table, where there were jokes, laughter, and sketchbooks flying around. (John wasn't being horrible, I'm told, he just wasn't being as animated as Terry. I thought that was funny.)

Speaking of con meals, I was chatting away with a buddy of mine at FallCon in 2005 when this voice says "may I sit here?" Well shucks, we weren't saving the seats. lol. I didn't recognize the pro at the time -- didn't see his name badge. We had a nice little conversation about digital comics and Batman and how good the steak was. Short conversation, but he struck me as very polite. Marshall Rogers! Heh.

Y'know, I like where this thread has gone. And I'm pleased it's more about the good memories than the bad. Good topic, Jeff!

[Dazzler]

The only con I've been to was in San Jose and I was smoking a cigarette outside.
The guy a foot away from me was loudly talking on his cell phone.

We avoided eye contact, but we were very annoyed with each other.

It was Jim Lee.

--Dazz

[ninjapeps]

Given how assaulted he was all weekend, Warren Ellis couldn't have been more charming to talk to, giving real answers to my possibly uninteresting questions.

The idea of Warren Ellis being a friendly and charming guy in real life scares me more than the idea of him randomly beating people with his cane for no reason.

[TCJohnson]

Nevermind. Let's concentrate on the positive. Didio just irks me a great deal.

[Gail Simone]

As a seasoned vetran of the comic book convention 'scene' I have had the luxury of meeting dozens of industry creators.

It cost a lot of money to travel to a con.
Hotel, gas, admission, tolls, parking in most situations. It adds up.

I, for one, base some of my comic book purchasing on experiences at cons.

There is a list of industry creators who have provided such a cool meeting, that I loyally purchase every comic with their name on it.
Conversely, there are some pros that have left me with bad experiences to the tune of me never buying one of their books again. Ever.

I 'get' that an artist or writer who is exhausted from travel, and has been answering the same questions for hours on end, may not be at their best.
With 'sketch flippers' practically sprinting to eBay after saying 'thanks sucker!' to an artist, I can surely understand sketch policies being tough nowadays.

I think it is important that the 'big guys' at the publishers are aware that some of their revenue is generated (or not so much) by creators who are gracious to their fans.

One industry artist, who I won't name here, is a talent that I refuse to patronize.
If his name is on the comic, I will not buy it. Period.
The first time I encountered him was at Wizardworld Philly.
He shares the same last name as an inker so when I was leafing through a stack of comic books, he berated me in front of several other fans.
"Why the f*ck should I sign that?" he said.
"Oh! I know this wasn't you, but <another creator> is here too. Can you sign these ones?" I said and handed him some of his work.
He continued to aggressively nod and belittle me to the other fans.
I think of it every time I see those comics. Not a great memory.

I encountered him again in Toronto when he was an even bigger deal.
He had penciled a big event for one of the big two.
His line was apparently not long enough because he was loudly complaining about how nobody appreciates him. My friend commented that the cover artist was in the next room over and that people were trying to get both signatures on the cover.
He practically called my friend stupid and rolled his eyes at us and everyone else. I watched dozens of people walk away disappointed that this 'pro' was giving his very fans and supporters grief.

The third time was back in Philly.
It was the end of the first day.
He was seated at his table in artist alley.
I had a copy of 'Avengers Finale' that was signed by nearly the entire creative team.
(If you remember it was one of the comics where a dozen or so superstars each took a page or two.)
I approached him while the show was shutting down.
"Hey bro. Can I get a signing on this book? It's got almost everyone on it!"
"Nope. I'll be at DC's booth tomorrow at 3."
"I know man, but I can't be here the rest of the weekend. This is actually it for me."
"I'll do a sketch for $150. That's it."
"One signature. Please."
"Nope."
And that was it for me.
Three encounters, each one ending with this guy treating me like garbage.

I've considered letting DC know about this, but I have decided to let my dollar do the talking.
When it comes to this specific creator, my $2.99 is as mute as a sleeping ninja with any book he is involved with.
I never recommend his issues to my customers.
I never order them heavily.
I have no intention of hosting him at Syracuse Heroes Expo either.

As it stands right now, I buy every single comic book that has the following creators named on it because of excellent meetings at cons and events:
Francis Manapul
Gail Simone
Ethan Van Sciver
Tony Isabella
Nico Henrichon
Frank Cho
Marv Wolfman
Pop Mhan
Kaare Andrews
Michael Turner
Koi Pham
Brian Michael Bendis
Chris Giarusso

Anyone else have a list like that?

With convention season getting underway, I just wanted to chime in.
I look forward to seeing some of you in line and maybe meeting new faces.


This guy sounds like a massive tool.


My very first convention as a pro was the San Diego convention, where I was invited by Marvel. I was having problems with the new editor of the only book I was writing (in fact, he had come to fire me), I was nervous, I didn't know anything about cons, I was tired, and stressed, and the massive crowds really made me nervous. So, let's just say I didn't think I was going to be at Marvel much longer, and I felt I was pretty likely to be kicked right out of the business.

I was sitting at the little table (Marvel didn't buy a booth that year), with a couple other (much better known) pros. There was a long line, and thank goodness, a lot of it was for me, people who were liking my Deadpool stuff.

We're all signing away, and behind us, there are three Marvel assistant editors, talking to each other.

They're laughing really loudly, and I wasn't paying attention at first.

But it turns out, they're taking turns making fun of the readers in line. Making fun of their appearances, making fun of their clothes, and the things they said to the pros when they finally got to the head of the line.

The first couple times, I just let it go, but was irked. I fricking HATE bullies. The pros beside me didn't say anything, maybe they didn't hear the editors.

But the more they did it, the madder I got. How DARE these guys make fun of the people who pay their wages? How dare they sit and make fun of these people, who come to a convention thinking that it's going to be other people just like them, and to have fun? And let's not forget, that for most of these Asst. editors, the only thing that separated them from the guys on the other side of the table was MAYBE two years of working at a major.

They made fun of one guy who had brought his KID along with him, and that was it. I turned around and loudly said, "Would you guys SHUT THE HELL UP?"

I have to say, I was pretty sure I was going to be fired, but I STILL would have said it and still think it was the right thing to do. Screw those guys.
I'm sure they have nothing nice to say about me, but that still infuriates me.


I honestly think it was a matter of leadership. This was full swing in the Bill Jemas era. A LOT of the things said about Bill Jemas are unfair. I personally got along with him very well. But he believed, and I see where he was coming from, that kowtowing to the readership was destroying Marvel. He believed being adverserial and condescending was a good idea. And I believe that gave lisence to these kinds of behaviors. If the BOSS speaks badly of the readership, then the footsoldiers feel it's perfectly okay to do so as well.

Screw those guys. I hope they're all gone for good from the industry. Or at least wised up.

I do want to say, that was THEN. Joey Quesada is a completely different kind of boss, and when I was in the 'Marvel' section of the Emerald City convention last year, the Marvel guys could NOT have been any nicer to the readers. In fact, I was really proud of how they represented themselves and their company to the people keeping us all in Fritos and corn dogs. So absolutely I think they've changed 100% for the better. Bendis, Oeming, Mack, Brubaker, Brian Reed, and a ton of others were absolutely great even with long, long lines. I really admire that no matter which company it's coming from.

But that story is burned into my brain as an example how NOT to be. Everyone once in a great while, I'll read some story where I was tired or ill or simply couldn't hear the reader in line, or I'll have to beg off an invitation to go hang out with readers after a show for some reason, and they'll post about it on their blog and I just feel like crap every time. Somebody spends the time and money to come to come show their love for comics, and they bring books they paid for with hard-earned cash, and wait in long lines and face big crowds...urgh, the very LEAST we can do is be pleasant and grateful, I think.

That's my two cents.

Gail

[Gail Simone]

Jimmy Palmiotti. Met him three times at conventions, has always been an increadibly nice guy at all of them. And patient. At one convention this guy brought a short box of comics for him to sign, and he signed all of them without complaining. Said if his name is on it, he will sign it. He would sigh like 10 of this guys, then sign comics for the next guy in line, then sign another 10 for the first one.

Sergio Aragones. I was disappointed he wasn't doing sketches, but still a very nice when you talked to him.

George Perez. There was a fire alarm during one of the conventions I went to. While we were being evacuated, he stood acoss the street and signed books for people.

Cully Hamner.
Bill Willingham.
I think Mike Wieringo was in a bad mood when I met him, but he still did my favorite sketch I have.



Jimmy, Sergio and George are just all beyond awesome when dealing with readers. I haven't been around the other guys at a con, really, but those three are among my personal idols.

Gail

[Erik Burnham]

They made fun of one guy who had brought his KID along with him, and that was it. I turned around and loudly said, "Would you guys SHUT THE HELL UP?"


Well that just rocks, right there. :cool:

[TCJohnson]

Cully Hamner. Met him at last year's Baltimore Comicon. He was working at the Mike Wieringo memorial Humane Society table. You gave $10 or.
more to the Human Society, he would do a sketch for you. I spent a lot of time at that table, and since this was in Wieringo's honor, I was asking for sketches of characters that Wieringo was known for. So I asked Hamner for The Thing. Hamner said he had never drew the thing before in his life. I offered to pick another character and he said, "No, no! I will give it a shot." There was a picture of The Thing that Wieringo did behind him and used that as a reference. He did a really good job!

Also, he and I had gotten into some online arguements at Newsarama over me not being happy with the new Blue Beetle. I told him what my user name was, and he remembered some of the arguments, and we both laughed about it.

Very positive experience.

Should be noted that I also met HelloKittyKat when standing online for that sketch. :D

[AllisterH]

Surprising one I guess,

Liefield.

You would figure that with the amount of vitriol directed at him, he would be one of the grumpiest guys around but what's weird?

He's the nicest creator I've ever met.

[TCJohnson]

Surprising one I guess,

Liefield.

You would figure that with the amount of vitriol directed at him, he would be one of the grumpiest guys around but what's weird?

He's the nicest creator I've ever met.

I will agree with this. I am not a fan of his work at all, but I have seen him at conventions and he always has an up-beat attitude towards the fans.

You also gotta admire the guy for how much stuff he donates to charity.

[Michael P]

I've had mostly good experiences with pros at cons. Gail was very nice and polite and NYCC last year. Peter David is always a class act in my experience. Todd Nauck was a treat when I saw him in San Diego. I once saw Dan Slott pull out some preview art pages I don't think anyone was supposed to see to show to a little kid who wanted to know how comics were made.

[WOLVERINE25TH]

I suck at talking to new people, so I haven't really gone around to many creators (I've also only gone to the smallest NY show 3 times now, April will be my first major one). I did have some good words with Jim Califore of Gotham Underground, but I'm pretty sure I came off like a blithering idiot trying to talk to the guy. I also had a brief and equally awkward exchange with the guy who created Deathlok, Rich Buckler. I also talked to a buncha minor creators here and there, and told Alex Maleeve I enjoyed his Daredevil run.

I'm not good at just talking with new people. I usually need some kind of foundation or a key word to get me going. As a man of action, the words just don't come. S'why I'm a good writer, 'cause it takes an action to put out the words. :P

[TCJohnson]

Paul Storrie was also very cool to talk to at Baltimore.

[JohnPopa]

The idea of Warren Ellis being a friendly and charming guy in real life scares me more than the idea of him randomly beating people with his cane for no reason.

There was a funny bit where Heidi Macdonald was interviewing Warren at one of his panels (this was all in Charlotte in 2005) and she started talking about all the work Warren's done helping nurture new creators and Warren laughed and said 'Don't tell them these things, Heidi. I want them to fear me!'

Hoenstly, Warren's really funny in person and much more self-deprecating than he comes off online.

[Charles RB]

Hoenstly, Warren's really funny in person

I remember finding recordings of a panel he did at Toronto in 2005. They were brilliant.

"This character they wanted me to do is called Deadman. And his special power is... he's dead! And he has a big D on the front, so you know it's him who's the dead one. I wrote back - you made this up just to fuck with me, didn't you."

[4thHorseman]

This guy sounds like a massive tool.


My very first convention as a pro was the San Diego convention, where I was invited by Marvel. I was having problems with the new editor of the only book I was writing (in fact, he had come to fire me), I was nervous, I didn't know anything about cons, I was tired, and stressed, and the massive crowds really made me nervous. So, let's just say I didn't think I was going to be at Marvel much longer, and I felt I was pretty likely to be kicked right out of the business.

I was sitting at the little table (Marvel didn't buy a booth that year), with a couple other (much better known) pros. There was a long line, and thank goodness, a lot of it was for me, people who were liking my Deadpool stuff.

We're all signing away, and behind us, there are three Marvel assistant editors, talking to each other.

They're laughing really loudly, and I wasn't paying attention at first.

But it turns out, they're taking turns making fun of the readers in line. Making fun of their appearances, making fun of their clothes, and the things they said to the pros when they finally got to the head of the line.

The first couple times, I just let it go, but was irked. I fricking HATE bullies. The pros beside me didn't say anything, maybe they didn't hear the editors.

But the more they did it, the madder I got. How DARE these guys make fun of the people who pay their wages? How dare they sit and make fun of these people, who come to a convention thinking that it's going to be other people just like them, and to have fun? And let's not forget, that for most of these Asst. editors, the only thing that separated them from the guys on the other side of the table was MAYBE two years of working at a major.

They made fun of one guy who had brought his KID along with him, and that was it. I turned around and loudly said, "Would you guys SHUT THE HELL UP?"

I have to say, I was pretty sure I was going to be fired, but I STILL would have said it and still think it was the right thing to do. Screw those guys.
I'm sure they have nothing nice to say about me, but that still infuriates me.


I honestly think it was a matter of leadership. This was full swing in the Bill Jemas era. A LOT of the things said about Bill Jemas are unfair. I personally got along with him very well. But he believed, and I see where he was coming from, that kowtowing to the readership was destroying Marvel. He believed being adverserial and condescending was a good idea. And I believe that gave lisence to these kinds of behaviors. If the BOSS speaks badly of the readership, then the footsoldiers feel it's perfectly okay to do so as well.

Screw those guys. I hope they're all gone for good from the industry. Or at least wised up.

I do want to say, that was THEN. Joey Quesada is a completely different kind of boss, and when I was in the 'Marvel' section of the Emerald City convention last year, the Marvel guys could NOT have been any nicer to the readers. In fact, I was really proud of how they represented themselves and their company to the people keeping us all in Fritos and corn dogs. So absolutely I think they've changed 100% for the better. Bendis, Oeming, Mack, Brubaker, Brian Reed, and a ton of others were absolutely great even with long, long lines. I really admire that no matter which company it's coming from.

But that story is burned into my brain as an example how NOT to be. Everyone once in a great while, I'll read some story where I was tired or ill or simply couldn't hear the reader in line, or I'll have to beg off an invitation to go hang out with readers after a show for some reason, and they'll post about it on their blog and I just feel like crap every time. Somebody spends the time and money to come to come show their love for comics, and they bring books they paid for with hard-earned cash, and wait in long lines and face big crowds...urgh, the very LEAST we can do is be pleasant and grateful, I think.

That's my two cents.

Gail

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/5295/claprm5.gif

Unfortunately I've never been to a con. I plan on going to the one here in KC in April (or is it May?), and am looking forward to meeting some people there, especially Kurt Busiek. Can someone kind of lay out what exactly happens at a con? I hear about people bringing books, I hear about artists sketching things for people, etc, but I'm never quite sure of what I should bring, or what to expect.

[PatrickG]

The idea of Warren Ellis being a friendly and charming guy in real life scares me more than the idea of him randomly beating people with his cane for no reason.

I still think he's the missing third part of Penn and Teller.

[Ethan Van Sciver]

Brian Bolland is incredibly kind in person. I was seated next to him for last years NYCC convention, and he basically modeled proper professional behavior for me towards fans, and even other professionals. A true gentleman who deserves all of the respect he gets, and I'm glad I chose him to look up to.

Gail is nice too. :)

[Phoney Bone]

The only con I have ever attended was Dragon*Con/Atlanta Comics Expo in 1997. Almost every creator experience was a good one.

Billy Tucci was taking an accupuncture break when I arrived at his booth. I told him I'd come back later, but he insisted that I stick around (no pun intended) and talk about comics.

I was in a LONG line to meet Mike Weiringo. He seemed really tired, but very gracious with every Spidey and Impusle head he skethced. I asked if he'd sketch The Looter (sans mask) and the biggest grin I'd ever seen on a person emerged on his face. He seemd so excited to be talking about a character other than Spidey.

I smoked a cigarette on the sidewalk with Bob Burden and talked about Luche Libre masked wrestlers (El Santo!!). Mark Waid walked by and lectured us about smoking, "You know, those things'll kill you."

Speaking of Mark Waid, he was a treat. He acted just the same at a big convention as he does when he drops in once-in-a-blue-moon at the local comic shop in Tupelo, MS as a customer. Nice guy.

Evan Dorkin was suprised on the first day when he learned only 15 minutes ahead of time that he had his own track! He winged it and did a LOT of Q&A. Dorkin and Sarah Dyer were both very gracious with the fans in Q&A and signings.

Art Adams and Joyce Chin were both very nice. Art Adams does not do sketches: he blue-lines and inks every drawing in detail! He looked up sheepishly at me and asked, "Would you like a sketch?" I told him I'd rather just watch him do a complete drawing. That relieved 'Ringo grin I mentioned earlier? Double for Adams'! He let me hang out for about an hour just watching him sign and draw for other fans.

Jeff Smith added a little sketch of a Bone character to each of the hardcovers (Vols. I-IV) he signed. I take the dustjacket off of every hardcover book I buy (novel, comic, non-fiction) and he asked me about it. I explained that I like my bookshelves to have a "library" look. He said he thought that was neat and we talked about school libraries.

I know he isn't a comic creator, but Kenny Baker was a treat (and it was damn surreal watching a crowd part for Baker and Peter Mayhew walking side-by-side to their signing booth). He seemed appreciative when I told him I like Time Bandits better than Star Wars and asked him to sign a VHS copy. He wasn't supposed to sign anything other than the merchandise for sale at the booth, but he told me to catch up with him after the signing and he autographed it.

Peter David, Charles Vess, Linda Medley, Jim Steranko, Adam Hughes, Mike Allred, Jim Balent, Jimmy Palmiotti, Stephanie Gladden... all nice people.

Joe Quesada acted like a dick on the last day, but I think he may have had a hangover.... so I'll cut him some slack.

Even John Byrne seemed like a good guy. :eek:

[TCJohnson]

Billy Tucci was taking an accupuncture break when I arrived at his booth. I told him I'd come back later, but he insisted that I stick around (no pun intended) and talk about comics.

Billy Tucci comes off as a great guy. The only problem is that at conventions he has the attention span of a rabid ferrett, and getting his attention can be difficult. But a really nice guy who gets absolutely enthusiastic when people say they like his work.

[scout1279]

I don't have many stories. I've been to a lot of conventions, but I pretty much just tag along with my brother, who likes to get sketches from all the artists.

One of the few artists I actually talked to and got a sketch from for myself was John Romita, Jr. I grew up on his Spider-Man comics, and has always been my favorite. He's a great guy, and was really happy to be able to be able to call his wife over because she was wondering why there weren't any girls there. It was really nice that his wife and kid were there too. Really nice guy, and I got a really nice Spider-Man sketch.

My brother, of course, likes to point out that he has Spider-Man sketches from both Romitas.

A couple of years ago, we went to a con and Alex Saviuk talked to us about how much he loved the movie The Iron Giant while he did a couple of Spider-Man sketches. That was fun.

I recall Adam Hughes and Billy Tucci being really nice, chatty too. Hughes was one of those guys who seemed to be sincerely upset about the fact that he couldn't do sketches for everyone that asked.

[Sarah Beach]

Last year at Wizard LA, I got to spend a deal of time chatting with Marv Wolfman. He was gracious and cool.

My Mark Waid story, though... isn't a con story. He had a shop appearance at Golden Apple Comics just prior to Ruse's launch from CrossGen. On September 12, 2001.

Needless to say, there weren't many people in the shop that evening. So I and now-fellow YABSter Red Jack got to look at the color pages of Ruse that Mark had with him (gorgeous!) and just chat with him for a while. Very amiable. One of those chance special evenings you get sometimes.

Back to cons.... if he's there, I always make time to talk with Steve Lieber. Another one of those truly pleasant people that you're pleased to know.

[Cam63]

The Melbourne Con was the highlight of the year for me ( along with Isobelle telling me she loved Wonder Woman and wants to watch Justice League dvds or ask me to read a comic to her ), mainly due to how much graciousness I witnessed from the guests.

Patience, charm, wit, humour and gratitude was on display all day.

...and WhiteRose never mentioned Queensland beating New South Wales in the State of Origin.

Thanks, guys.

[Cam63]

This guy sounds like a massive tool.

Definately. I hope he's learned some manners and respect since then.

If not, I wish him early retirement from the biz.

My very first convention as a pro was the San Diego convention, where I was invited by Marvel. I was having problems with the new editor of the only book I was writing (in fact, he had come to fire me), I was nervous, I didn't know anything about cons, I was tired, and stressed, and the massive crowds really made me nervous. So, let's just say I didn't think I was going to be at Marvel much longer, and I felt I was pretty likely to be kicked right out of the business.

I was sitting at the little table (Marvel didn't buy a booth that year), with a couple other (much better known) pros. There was a long line, and thank goodness, a lot of it was for me, people who were liking my Deadpool stuff.

We're all signing away, and behind us, there are three Marvel assistant editors, talking to each other.

They're laughing really loudly, and I wasn't paying attention at first.

But it turns out, they're taking turns making fun of the readers in line. Making fun of their appearances, making fun of their clothes, and the things they said to the pros when they finally got to the head of the line.

The first couple times, I just let it go, but was irked. I fricking HATE bullies. The pros beside me didn't say anything, maybe they didn't hear the editors.

But the more they did it, the madder I got. How DARE these guys make fun of the people who pay their wages? How dare they sit and make fun of these people, who come to a convention thinking that it's going to be other people just like them, and to have fun? And let's not forget, that for most of these Asst. editors, the only thing that separated them from the guys on the other side of the table was MAYBE two years of working at a major.

They made fun of one guy who had brought his KID along with him, and that was it. I turned around and loudly said, "Would you guys SHUT THE HELL UP?"

I have to say, I was pretty sure I was going to be fired, but I STILL would have said it and still think it was the right thing to do. Screw those guys.
I'm sure they have nothing nice to say about me, but that still infuriates me.

Thanks for giving the wankers a blast.

[TCJohnson]

Wanted to add two names to the list: Darwyn Cooke and J.G. Jones. Both of them were very cool when I talked to them at Baltimore Comicon this year.

[Red Jack]

Mark Waid.
John Rogers.
Mike Carey.
everybody at Man of Action.
THE AWESOME Richard Starkings.
The equally awesome Dwayne McDuffie.
Reggie Hudlin.
Jimmie Robinson.
Jim Valentino.
Gerry Duggan.
Steve Rude.
Neal Adams.
JR SR.
Jason Pearson.
BEN fucking RAAB!
Javier Grillo-Marxuach (MIDDLEMAN RULES!)
BRANDON PETERSON!
Robert Roach and everybody at THE ANTIDOTE TRUST

[ComicbookJeff]

Wanted to add two names to the list: Darwyn Cooke and J.G. Jones. Both of them were very cool when I talked to them at Baltimore Comicon this year.

Backed.
I've met them both and they rule.

I did get to meet Brian Bolland at Fan Expo in Toronto this year and I can echo Ethan Van Sciver's sentiment. That guy is ALL CLASS.

I hated to miss Baltimore this year. Hope you guys are having a blast down there.

[Night Swordsman]

As a seasoned vetran of the comic book convention 'scene' I have had the luxury of meeting dozens of industry creators.

It cost a lot of money to travel to a con.
Hotel, gas, admission, tolls, parking in most situations. It adds up.

I, for one, base some of my comic book purchasing on experiences at cons.

There is a list of industry creators who have provided such a cool meeting, that I loyally purchase every comic with their name on it.
Conversely, there are some pros that have left me with bad experiences to the tune of me never buying one of their books again. Ever.

I 'get' that an artist or writer who is exhausted from travel, and has been answering the same questions for hours on end, may not be at their best.
With 'sketch flippers' practically sprinting to eBay after saying 'thanks sucker!' to an artist, I can surely understand sketch policies being tough nowadays.

I think it is important that the 'big guys' at the publishers are aware that some of their revenue is generated (or not so much) by creators who are gracious to their fans.

One industry artist, who I won't name here, is a talent that I refuse to patronize.
If his name is on the comic, I will not buy it. Period.
The first time I encountered him was at Wizardworld Philly.
He shares the same last name as an inker so when I was leafing through a stack of comic books, he berated me in front of several other fans.
"Why the f*ck should I sign that?" he said.
"Oh! I know this wasn't you, but <another creator> is here too. Can you sign these ones?" I said and handed him some of his work.
He continued to aggressively nod and belittle me to the other fans.
I think of it every time I see those comics. Not a great memory.

I encountered him again in Toronto when he was an even bigger deal.
He had penciled a big event for one of the big two.
His line was apparently not long enough because he was loudly complaining about how nobody appreciates him. My friend commented that the cover artist was in the next room over and that people were trying to get both signatures on the cover.
He practically called my friend stupid and rolled his eyes at us and everyone else. I watched dozens of people walk away disappointed that this 'pro' was giving his very fans and supporters grief.

The third time was back in Philly.
It was the end of the first day.
He was seated at his table in artist alley.
I had a copy of 'Avengers Finale' that was signed by nearly the entire creative team.
(If you remember it was one of the comics where a dozen or so superstars each took a page or two.)
I approached him while the show was shutting down.
"Hey bro. Can I get a signing on this book? It's got almost everyone on it!"
"Nope. I'll be at DC's booth tomorrow at 3."
"I know man, but I can't be here the rest of the weekend. This is actually it for me."
"I'll do a sketch for $150. That's it."
"One signature. Please."
"Nope."
And that was it for me.
Three encounters, each one ending with this guy treating me like garbage.

I've considered letting DC know about this, but I have decided to let my dollar do the talking.
When it comes to this specific creator, my $2.99 is as mute as a sleeping ninja with any book he is involved with.
I never recommend his issues to my customers.
I never order them heavily.
I have no intention of hosting him at Syracuse Heroes Expo either.

As it stands right now, I buy every single comic book that has the following creators named on it because of excellent meetings at cons and events:
Francis Manapul
Gail Simone
Ethan Van Sciver
Tony Isabella
Nico Henrichon
Frank Cho
Marv Wolfman
Pop Mhan
Kaare Andrews
Michael Turner
Koi Pham
Brian Michael Bendis
Chris Giarusso

Anyone else have a list like that?

With convention season getting underway, I just wanted to chime in.
I look forward to seeing some of you in line and maybe meeting new faces.

Sigh. This is a good reason i do NOT want to go to cons anymore...to find that people i like for their art turn out to be such jerks. The only creator i would like to met,and thank,is George Perez,for giving me some of my favorite comics of all time. I am curious as to who this is,but i am afraid i might stop buying his work based on this.

And maybe Gail,one more time,just to let her know who i am and thank her for YABS.

Peter David and Dwayne McDuffie. Dwayne actually wanted to TALK to me,even asked me to come over and talk comics. That was amazing. And he liked my T-shirt.

[EMeadow]

My first SDCC always has the best recollections for me:

The electric wheelchair I had at the time was constantly being drained of all its power long before the con would finish for the day. My father and best friend who went to the con with me were constantly having to push me back to the hotel at the end of the night. And during the convention I was either doing my best to push the wheelchair with my own feet or good samiratans were pushing me from panel to panel.

Well one panel I was wanting to go to was the Lois and Clark TV Show Preview panel. (LOL that alone will tell you this was back in 1992) and of course I was having wheelchair problems to get to where I needed to go. Luckily, I ran across a gentleman walking with a friend who said he was going to the same panel and would push the chair there.

So we're heading toward the room and I'm listening to him talk to his friend and I'm hearing his voice going "This guy sounds familiar." He sounded like Dan Jurgens who while I coudln't remember his face, I remembered what his voice sounded like from his appearance on QVC like two days before the convention.

So I turn around and go "Excuse me, I just wanted to say that you sound like Dan Jurgens." He laughed and said "Well that's cause I am."

I kid you not, I like let go of the forward button my wheelchair and stopped him short going "Oh my God, Oh my God, you're pushing my wheelchair!" SCRAMBLING to find my copy of Superman #75 for him to sign. He asked to wait till we got to the panel room, which I did, he then signed the book for me and we both went to sit down to enjoy the panel.

But that's always my all time favorite creator moment. 2nd best is a tie of meeting Bob Kane at that same con (my dad had to bring him over to meet me because I swear my feet had grown roots through to the floor I couldn't move) and then the last con I was at a few years ago having the chance to meet and talk to Will Eisner before he passed away.

Well wait, the Eisner story needs to be told as well, its a good one:

It starts out with this simplestatement: The daughter of my father's girlfriend is the wife of Will Eisner's nephew. Suffice it to say, I always made jokes among family members that I got to be related to Eisner.

Then a few years ago, my dad was able to ask the husband if he could get Eisner to draw something for me. Imagine my surprise when an original Eisner Spirit headshot with him saying hi to me showed up in my mail. Trust me, I was thunderstruck. (Still need to frame that art. Its still just sitting in the original envelope.)

Well this last SDCC I went to, I brought the art with me so I could intro myself to Mr. Eisner, say thank you, and of course, have him sign my Vol 1 Spirit Archives.
Well when I finally met him and introduced myself and told him the story, he immediately called me family and as soon as he could brought his wife over to introduce her to their new relative (which I just sat there with very "aww shucks" look on my face cause I couldn't believe he'd say the same thing I only meant as a joke).

I do with I had more time to talk to him but they had of course other places to be so it was a very short encounter, but one I'll always remember. Heck I always remember every single one of them.

[Gail Simone]

Some great stories, here. I love these.

I can confirm that these are great, generous people.

Once I've seen a pro be mean to the readers, I simply lose all respect for them and can't be friends with them anymore. It's like a light switch going off.

[KJ_81]

Well I'm in Brisbane, where cons are once a year, basically.

I have two stories: one horrible one I went to, absolutely dismal. You've seen jokes about the Mighty Minicon, picture that. Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett) was there, and I wanted to meet him, being a Star Wars fan. The actress who played Aura Sing was also there, along with a Mara Jade model, unfortunately I can't remember their names.

Anyway, I had extensive Speech And Drama training when I was younger. Mr Bulloch fell in love with my voice. We spoke for around 40 minutes, him asking me what I'd done 'in the industry' and that sort of thing. Of course, I'd done nothing. We got along like a house on fire. Throughout the day, and even during his panel, he mentioned me. I had all these strangers asking me how I knew him, apparently it seemed like we were old friends! Lovely fellow, so I hope he had a decent time here, numbers notwithstanding.

Other one was Mark Bagley. This was at a bigger con, but he didn't have much of a line, strangely enough. I asked him about a sketch, because come on, it's Mark Bagley, not very often I get to meet artists....actually he was my first.(cough) He smiled and told me he'd do a headsketch for free for me if I wanted. I was shocked at this nice offer! He told me he was supposed to be doing Spidey sketches, and that's who he was quickest at anyway, but if I wanted someone else, he'd do them instead. Of course, I'm not a huge Spidey fan, but I had a complete mental blank, so he went with Spidey. It was nice, and I still have it framed here. I then ran into him a few times throughout the day, he was walking around looking lost, and a little lonely. So I did my best to show him where he wanted to go, a bit of general Brissie info, that sort of thing. Lovely guy, and he really made the con experience for me.

EDIT: One more that sprang to mind. A co-worker knew I was into comics and pop-culture kinda stuff. He told me one of his friends 'does comics.' Now, there's nothing big in Australia comics-wise, so I assumed he meant a webcomic or something. He wasn't sure, but said he'd find out what exactly he'd done, but he was pretty sure there'd been a movie made. he came back to me a few days later and told me the list, including X-Men and From Hell. His friend was Eddy Campbell! Shocked the heck out of me.

[Gail Simone]

My first SDCC always has the best recollections for me:

The electric wheelchair I had at the time was constantly being drained of all its power long before the con would finish for the day. My father and best friend who went to the con with me were constantly having to push me back to the hotel at the end of the night. And during the convention I was either doing my best to push the wheelchair with my own feet or good samiratans were pushing me from panel to panel.

Well one panel I was wanting to go to was the Lois and Clark TV Show Preview panel. (LOL that alone will tell you this was back in 1992) and of course I was having wheelchair problems to get to where I needed to go. Luckily, I ran across a gentleman walking with a friend who said he was going to the same panel and would push the chair there.

So we're heading toward the room and I'm listening to him talk to his friend and I'm hearing his voice going "This guy sounds familiar." He sounded like Dan Jurgens who while I coudln't remember his face, I remembered what his voice sounded like from his appearance on QVC like two days before the convention.

So I turn around and go "Excuse me, I just wanted to say that you sound like Dan Jurgens." He laughed and said "Well that's cause I am."

I kid you not, I like let go of the forward button my wheelchair and stopped him short going "Oh my God, Oh my God, you're pushing my wheelchair!" SCRAMBLING to find my copy of Superman #75 for him to sign. He asked to wait till we got to the panel room, which I did, he then signed the book for me and we both went to sit down to enjoy the panel.

But that's always my all time favorite creator moment. 2nd best is a tie of meeting Bob Kane at that same con (my dad had to bring him over to meet me because I swear my feet had grown roots through to the floor I couldn't move) and then the last con I was at a few years ago having the chance to meet and talk to Will Eisner before he passed away.

Well wait, the Eisner story needs to be told as well, its a good one:

It starts out with this simplestatement: The daughter of my father's girlfriend is the wife of Will Eisner's nephew. Suffice it to say, I always made jokes among family members that I got to be related to Eisner.

Then a few years ago, my dad was able to ask the husband if he could get Eisner to draw something for me. Imagine my surprise when an original Eisner Spirit headshot with him saying hi to me showed up in my mail. Trust me, I was thunderstruck. (Still need to frame that art. Its still just sitting in the original envelope.)

Well this last SDCC I went to, I brought the art with me so I could intro myself to Mr. Eisner, say thank you, and of course, have him sign my Vol 1 Spirit Archives.
Well when I finally met him and introduced myself and told him the story, he immediately called me family and as soon as he could brought his wife over to introduce her to their new relative (which I just sat there with very "aww shucks" look on my face cause I couldn't believe he'd say the same thing I only meant as a joke).

I do with I had more time to talk to him but they had of course other places to be so it was a very short encounter, but one I'll always remember. Heck I always remember every single one of them.


Wow. GREAT stories.

Dan Jurgens is completely that kind of great guy that you would hope he would be. He's sweet, generous, and just an all-around terrific guy.

And that Eisner story...WOW. A lot of people would kill for that sketch, but even more for that Eisner moment! :)

[Gail Simone]

What sucks is that sometimes, you just have no choice but to move on even when you'd LIKE to stop and say hello to an appreciative reader. This stuff always kills me, and I have no idea how to do it any better than to just try to keep your agreements.

At New York, a great convention, they had me booked so tight that I often had to run from one signing or panel to another signing or panel with no time in between. And readers or press or podcasters would stop me and they are SO SWEET and if I have even ONE TINY MINUTE to talk to them I would, but sometimes you're late for the next thing before you've even finished the thing you're on.

At each convention there are invariably things that I hoped to make happen (an interview or a meeting at a booth) that for one reason or another, I just can't make materialize. Then I end up feeling like a jerkette forever.

Or once in a while, you'll be sitting doing a signing and there's a line, so you put off everything (bathroom, meals, shopping, whatever) to make sure you can sign for everyone, then you simply HAVE to go, and that's always a terrible feeling, when people have waited.

I once had a lady at the Seattle con, a very nice lady whom I met for a total of no minutes (she was a con volunteer and was getting people's sandwich orders for lunch). I had sat without leaving the whole morning to try to sign and chat with everyone who came by, and then finally, I REALLY had to go to the restroom, so when she came by I had to get up and leave--I thought I was nice about it, but she wrote in her blog that I was 'harsh' and that really bugged me, not that she would say it but that I had left that impression with someone unintentionally.

People who take this 'comic book celebrity' thing too seriously should be thrown off a bridge. I see it sometimes, pros who think they're rock stars...if you're not Grant Morrison or the like, it just looks ridiculous.

[TCJohnson]

I hated to miss Baltimore this year. Hope you guys are having a blast down there.

Look at this thread and you tell me if we had a blast: http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=239852

[TCJohnson]

My first SDCC always has the best recollections for me:

The electric wheelchair I had at the time was constantly being drained of all its power long before the con would finish for the day. My father and best friend who went to the con with me were constantly having to push me back to the hotel at the end of the night. And during the convention I was either doing my best to push the wheelchair with my own feet or good samiratans were pushing me from panel to panel.

Well one panel I was wanting to go to was the Lois and Clark TV Show Preview panel. (LOL that alone will tell you this was back in 1992) and of course I was having wheelchair problems to get to where I needed to go. Luckily, I ran across a gentleman walking with a friend who said he was going to the same panel and would push the chair there.

So we're heading toward the room and I'm listening to him talk to his friend and I'm hearing his voice going "This guy sounds familiar." He sounded like Dan Jurgens who while I coudln't remember his face, I remembered what his voice sounded like from his appearance on QVC like two days before the convention.

So I turn around and go "Excuse me, I just wanted to say that you sound like Dan Jurgens." He laughed and said "Well that's cause I am."

I kid you not, I like let go of the forward button my wheelchair and stopped him short going "Oh my God, Oh my God, you're pushing my wheelchair!" SCRAMBLING to find my copy of Superman #75 for him to sign. He asked to wait till we got to the panel room, which I did, he then signed the book for me and we both went to sit down to enjoy the panel.

You know, I read Dan Jurgens writing and I look at his art and I get this mental picture of him...but then I constantly hear about how gracious he is to the fans and how down to earth he is...very cool

[Erik Burnham]

You know, I read Dan Jurgens writing and I look at his art and I get this mental picture of him...but then I constantly hear about how gracious he is to the fans and how down to earth he is...very cool

He is the epitome of the Minnesota Nice cliche.

[Coppervale Studio]

as I mentioned in the Lying in the Gutters board. . I spent an evening barhopping and hitting backrooms w/ Andy Mangels during SDCC a few years ago.

and Slick (old CBR guy) and myself getting drunk off our asses w/ several Bablyon 5 cast members all night -- at the hotel bar, after "Uncommoncon" in Dallas ended up not having very many patrons -- was quite fun.

and I have SHIT-loads of Dragon*con tales (for example, Larry Elmore telling me (loudly) I should tell Walter Koenig to "FUCK OFF" after the latter criticized my T-shirt in the Hyatt bar).

:)

I remember that show.... not great attendance, but awesome for hanging out with people. I spent most of the show with Rick Veitch, Bryan Talbot, and Eddie Campbell.

I also did this little number for the cover of the program book:

http://pics.livejournal.com/coppervale/pic/000h18d7

[Aggie]

Yesterday was beyond awesome. I stopped by Kyle Baker's table and we talked for like 10 minutes. He was really cool and he's got some cool stuff on the horizon that I'm jazzed about seeing. And then I stood in line to see Darwyn Cooke and not only did he sign my books and draw little sketches in them too, he didn't seem to mind my blithering nerdy yammering. He also had like the coolest chick w/ him too. BEST. CON EXPERIENCE. EVER!!

[J. Morgan (Bat) Neal]

Shucks, I need to either be MUCH nicer or MUCH nastier so I can make more of an impression on people. :biggrin:


Everybody I've met has been incredibly nice.

That is UNpossible, you've met me several times.

...lots of people I've met at cons have been outstanding...


You haven't met me yet, Darediva. (And we really need to rectify that.)

Others I just met so quickly it is hard to remember a whole lot.

How could you forget me?! I stole your wallet!

And yes, Larry and Misty are the shit.

Yes they most certainly are!

But that story is burned into my brain as an example how NOT to be. Everyone once in a great while, I'll read some story where I was tired or ill or simply couldn't hear the reader in line, or I'll have to beg off an invitation to go hang out with readers after a show for some reason, and they'll post about it on their blog and I just feel like crap every time. Somebody spends the time and money to come to come show their love for comics, and they bring books they paid for with hard-earned cash, and wait in long lines and face big crowds...urgh, the very LEAST we can do is be pleasant and grateful, I think.

That's my two cents.

Gail

The first time I met you at CAPE, you knocked me to the ground and stomped my guts. I don't hold it against you really as I was just in your way and you didn't notice me and kept walking...back and forth for a moment but I think you were lost.

The second time at CAPE you simply slapped the taste out of my mouth. But I'm sure thats because you saw a Texas mosquito on me.


In all seriousness I have had nothing but great experiences at Cons meeting fans and creators alike. Some of those who left an impression are Denny O'Neil, George Perez, Drew Geraci, Scott Beatty, Paul Storre, Phil Hester, Andy Parks, Larry and Misty, Mark Waid, Tom Stillwell, my fellow Shooting Star alumni of course, some redhead whose name I can't quite recall; Tamryn or something, and several others.

The best though is Chuck Dixon as he was the first creator that I was a fan of that I became pals with, and that is beyond the best possible result that can come of these experiences.

[Tyr]

I've only been to one con so far (Emerald City)

But my experience with most of the creators I met was a pretty positive one.

Especially with Gail, who was nice no matter how many times I pestered her and her husband.

The only problems I had were with Tim Sale, and JMS. Though to be fair to Tim he was actually pretty approachable at the con, he just rubbed me the wrong way.

One person I ran into at the Con apparently had a bad experience with Brubaker, but he was pretty cool to me both during the signing and the Marvel Panel. (Even after I mixed up Steven Rogers with Steven Trevor).

I heard a really cool story from one of the other regulars at my local retailer, Atomic Comics. Apparently the guy is pretty big on sigs, so he brought a ton of stuff at the con for creators to sign. Well he was gabbing with a particular creator, and someone said something snide in line behind the guy which he didn’t hear. At that point the creator got up and said, “Hey that was uncalled for, look at all these comics this guy brought, this guy is paying a good chuck of my paycheck every month. And what did you bring?” After a muffled reply he said, “Yeah that’s what I thought, a trade, you probably got that for half price somewhere didn’t you? And you want a sketch as well I bet.”

Going on what Gail said, it never ceases to amaze me how some creators can be so condescending to fans. These are people who would shell out as much as $15 or more in admission, some of whom travel a great distance to come to the con and have to shell out travel expenses for that, just to get a chance to talk to some of the folks that work on their favorite books, which they also paid for. These aren’t just fans, they’re also customers. Can you think of any other business out there where you can mistreat your customers and get away with it?

[Tyr]

What sucks is that sometimes, you just have no choice but to move on even when you'd LIKE to stop and say hello to an appreciative reader. This stuff always kills me, and I have no idea how to do it any better than to just try to keep your agreements.

At New York, a great convention, they had me booked so tight that I often had to run from one signing or panel to another signing or panel with no time in between. And readers or press or podcasters would stop me and they are SO SWEET and if I have even ONE TINY MINUTE to talk to them I would, but sometimes you're late for the next thing before you've even finished the thing you're on.

Whats funny is that Kwip thought he had failed you in someway, and was mortified that he might have offended you. Until your sent that nice email to him, now everything is right with the world again.


People who take this 'comic book celebrity' thing too seriously should be thrown off a bridge. I see it sometimes, pros who think they're rock stars...if you're not Grant Morrison or the like, it just looks ridiculous.

Even then they look ridiculous, theres only 6 people I can think of that have the kind of media darling success your talking about. Neil Gaiman, Kevin Smith, Frank Miller, Tod Mcfarlane, Alan Moore, and Stan Lee.

From what I heard Neil Gaiman is to humble to ever consider himself a rock star.

Alan Moore spends a good deal of time trashing the media and the movies made about his stuff, though perhaps he does that cause its cool to be a anti-Hollywood rebel and gets him more media attention, or just cause he’s gone of the deep end who knows.

Kevin Smith I think spends more time talking about how cool Stan Lee is, then himself. I think he sees himself more as a really lucky nerd then a rock star. His last batch of creations weren’t that great sense his media darling status, but I think he means well.

I won’t even get into Tod Mcfarlane, though to be fair I think he realizes he’s no longer the “Rock Star” he once was during the 90’s and he may have straightened up a bit.

Frank Miller is an bit of an odd duck, and has always been. Problem with crazy old Franky is that he really hasn’t written anything great in the last 10 years, and continues to write like it’s still the 90’s. But Hollywood has turned him into such an idol, and G4, Wizard etc keeps kissing his ass, he not only thinks he’s still a writing god, but that he can also direct as well.

As for Stan Lee, he’s got his faults, but despite that, everyone loves him, it’s really hard not to love the guy. He’s like the energizer bunny on caffeine. He maybe full of himself, but he’s also full of that boyish youthful energy even after all these years. He’s also one of the last of his era. Just about all the Golden Age and Silver Age creators are gone. So I think he’s earned his media status probably more then anyone else on this list, and even if it has gone to his head we’ll still love him, cause its hard not to love that which is Stan Lee.

[Night Swordsman]

Yesterday was beyond awesome. I stopped by Kyle Baker's table and we talked for like 10 minutes. He was really cool and he's got some cool stuff on the horizon that I'm jazzed about seeing. And then I stood in line to see Darwyn Cooke and not only did he sign my books and draw little sketches in them too, he didn't seem to mind my blithering nerdy yammering. He also had like the coolest chick w/ him too. BEST. CON EXPERIENCE. EVER!!

Hmm. YOU Aggie? I find this hard to believe.

<Keeps straight face> :biggrin:

And grats on the sketches!!

[JKCarrier]

Alan Moore spends a good deal of time trashing the media and the movies made about his stuff, though perhaps he does that cause its cool to be a anti-Hollywood rebel and gets him more media attention, or just cause he’s gone of the deep end who knows.

Or maybe it's because they deserve to be trashed. :tongue:

[Tyr]

Or maybe it's because they deserve to be trashed. :tongue:

Oh come on, V for Vendetta wasn't that bad, and the Watchmen isn't even out yet.

[scout1279]

Oh come on, V for Vendetta wasn't that bad, and the Watchmen isn't even out yet.

But if Moore's curse work, it's going to suck, so why even bother?

[Tyr]

But if Moore's curse work, it's going to suck, so why even bother?

Cause the preview rocked and the revised Smashing Pumpkin song they used actually works, even if they used it in the last Joel Shoemaker Batman movie, which might actually be part of the curse.

[Erik Burnham]

Zack Snyder is a cheesehead, so I'm not interested. (;

Actually, I'm not interested because I was underwhelmed with 300 and I was never clamoring for a Watchmen movie. A TV show? I could've gone with a TV show. Not interested in the movie, though.

[Tyr]

Wow, you people really are ready to dump all over this film and it won't even be out for several months.

I also saw the 300 and yes I too was not impressed, but you got to remember they were going of a Frank Miller script so look what they had to work with.

And yes I'm well aware that the League of Extraordinary Gentleman did not live up to Alan Moore's version but it was at least a decent pop corn flick if nothing else, I liked it at least. I mean it had Shawn Connery, and what hasn’t been made a little better because of Shawn Connery?

[Erik Burnham]

Wow, you people really are ready to dump all over this film and it won't even be out for several months.

I also saw the 300 and yes I too was not impressed, but you got to remember they were going of a Frank Miller script so look what they had to work with.

And yes I'm well aware that the League of Extraordinary Gentleman did not live up to Alan Moore's version but it was at least a decent pop corn flick if nothing else, I liked it at least. I mean it had Shawn Connery, and what hasn’t been made a little better because of Shawn Connery?

Zardoz.

But that's beside the point. I'm not dumping on it: but I am saying due to the participation of Snyder, the fact that I'm not the biggest fan of Watchmen, that the story is pushing the boundaries of acceptable running time (acceptable come to by way of as short as possible for more screenings, as long as possible for more story.)

Add this all together... and I just don't care. I'll pick it off the wall of the video store, I'm sure, with little prejudice. But if I don't, it won't bug me much.