Post by String on Mar 18, 2018 19:30:59 GMT -5
Typically, I do not attend cons anymore. In NC, the largest con is HeroesCon in June held in Charlotte, which is about 3 hours away from my home. I've attended quite a few of those back in the early to mid 00's and usually they have a fairly diverse list of major creators/artists in attendance. However, lately, I've felt that in order to justify the time, expenses, (not to mention the gas) to attend, there has to be a creator or two attending whose work I absolutely LOVE.
More recently though, an alternative has appeared, the NC Comic Con which typically has two showings a year, one in the spring and the other in early fall. Their guest list is usually smaller than Heroes but I feel they give more time and focus to smaller and indie artists as well as having some classic creators in attendance. This weekend was the first showing in Raleigh which is only about an hour away from my home. The main featured comic creator was Kevin Eastman, certainly a legend in his own right and while I have a general love for the Turtles, I didn't feel the need to see him.
No, perusing over the rest of the guest list, I came across two names who immediately snared my attention: Walt and Louise Simonson.
Some years back, they had attended HeroesCon but a scheduling conflict at work prevented me from attending then. Now, here was my second chance.
So, with my brother in tow, we hit the road yesterday towards the much closer Raleigh (and I admit, I totally forgot that yesterday was St Patrick's Day. Turns out, there was a St Paddy Day's parade in downtown Raleigh right close to the convention center. Joy.)
Anyway, according to the events list, Walt Simonson was supposed to have a Q & A panel at 12 pm. We found parking, made it to the convention center, found our way to the convention floor, bought our tickets, went back upstairs and found the fight room just in time for his panel's beginning. Moderated by fellow artist Tommy Lee Edwards (himself being nice and funny), what followed for the next hour or so was a very insightful look into his creative process, from writing to crafting the layout & design of pages and so forth. He gave his personal opinions on why he prefers the Marvel method of writing over full script, offering very good analysis on the pros and cons of each method and how it affects an artist's ability to be a cognizant and effective storyteller. He also gave his opinions on the merits and limitations of the digital process on production, especially where it concerns inking and lettering. All in all, a fascinating panel.
Afterwards, to give him time to make his way back to his booth, my brother and I walked over the convention floor, gazing and looking on the wares and comics for sale. Quite a few bargains and cheap prices were to be found and I must say, thanks to the copious review threads and comments that I've read so far in my time here on CCF, I came across various issues and series that I recognized and wanted to read. At day's end, I left with a decent haul (which I may post about in the Classic Comics Purchased thread).
After a bit, I decided it was time to find their booth. As it turns out, I was rather lucky when I did find it for almost soon after I got in line, a cap was put in place on the line by the con's volunteers at the behest of Louise Simonson because I believe they had wanted to a take a break soon. So literally at that time, I was the last person to get in line for an autograph. (*Whew!*)
Naturally, more people were there to see Walt than Louise (and it was interesting that most of the people in line with me were also present at his panel). But I wanted to see both of them, having read quite a bit of Louise's writing over the years from X-Factor to New Mutants to Superman. I could have easily brought a longbox of issues for signing but this is what I had decided to bring:
For Walt: my favorite issue of Thor that he created, #380. To this day, it remains the best issue of Thor that I've ever read (and when I told him this, he gave the very warm reply of "Thank you"). Last, Battlestar Galactica #23. He was writer/artist on the last couple of issues of this Marvel series and this issue was one of my earliest exposures to his art.
For Louise: I was debating certain issues of X-Factor before settling upon Superman the Man of Steel #1. Also, in a bit of thinking outside of the box, I brought my paperback copy of The Death and Life of Superman novel by Roger Stern. In one of the front pages of the novel, a listing is made of the titles and issues (and their creative teams) upon whose work this novel was based. She was prominently listed as such and I thought this would make for an interesting souvenir. She certainly seemed genuinely surprised when I handed the book to her to sign which she did after I gave my reasoning for it. (She was even kind enough not to sign it on the title page, in case I ever met Roger as she put it.)
While waiting in line though, I quickly learned that Walt was doing sketches for free! Nothing like full on pieces or commission work but just quick yet detailed sketches of whomever you asked for. (In fact, the con's volunteers had re-positioned our waiting line so as you were approaching him along the length of the table, you could see him sketching.) I never gave much thought to this sort of thing, usually thinking that while artists were typically fair in charging what they believed for such work, I never really had the spare cash for such an expense. But here was an artist whose work I'd admired for decades doing such work for free! There was no way that I could leave there without one.
But I wasn't that prepared. As the line moved ever forward, I was thinking of what did I have that he could do a sketch upon. I soon came upon the idea of doing a sketch on the inside of the back cover of the Superman novel, it was blank after all. But a sketch of whom? I couldn't very well ask him to draw Thor on the inside of a Superman book, could I? As it came closer to my turn, it dawned upon me. Superman....Darkseid! I would ask for a sketch of Darkseid on the inside back cover.
So after graciously signing my two comics, that's what I asked for and that's what I got! He flipped the book over, saw that it was Superman and nodded like 'Okay'. (Ha Ha! Made the right choice!) It was simply amazing, standing there watching him from across the width of a table as he quickly and deftly produced this amazing sketch. He even signed and dated it. I'm still in awe.
But along the way, I was able to converse somewhat with both of them, asking Louise about her time in the X-office with Claremont and some questions to Walt (that I hoped sounded intelligent. Man, that is always my worst fear in meeting people whose work I love, hoping not to sound like a blabbering idiot). But the pair could not have been any nicer, friendly, or excited. It was truly a pleasure in meeting both of them and it helped make this trip into a truly fabulous day!
More recently though, an alternative has appeared, the NC Comic Con which typically has two showings a year, one in the spring and the other in early fall. Their guest list is usually smaller than Heroes but I feel they give more time and focus to smaller and indie artists as well as having some classic creators in attendance. This weekend was the first showing in Raleigh which is only about an hour away from my home. The main featured comic creator was Kevin Eastman, certainly a legend in his own right and while I have a general love for the Turtles, I didn't feel the need to see him.
No, perusing over the rest of the guest list, I came across two names who immediately snared my attention: Walt and Louise Simonson.
Some years back, they had attended HeroesCon but a scheduling conflict at work prevented me from attending then. Now, here was my second chance.
So, with my brother in tow, we hit the road yesterday towards the much closer Raleigh (and I admit, I totally forgot that yesterday was St Patrick's Day. Turns out, there was a St Paddy Day's parade in downtown Raleigh right close to the convention center. Joy.)
Anyway, according to the events list, Walt Simonson was supposed to have a Q & A panel at 12 pm. We found parking, made it to the convention center, found our way to the convention floor, bought our tickets, went back upstairs and found the fight room just in time for his panel's beginning. Moderated by fellow artist Tommy Lee Edwards (himself being nice and funny), what followed for the next hour or so was a very insightful look into his creative process, from writing to crafting the layout & design of pages and so forth. He gave his personal opinions on why he prefers the Marvel method of writing over full script, offering very good analysis on the pros and cons of each method and how it affects an artist's ability to be a cognizant and effective storyteller. He also gave his opinions on the merits and limitations of the digital process on production, especially where it concerns inking and lettering. All in all, a fascinating panel.
Afterwards, to give him time to make his way back to his booth, my brother and I walked over the convention floor, gazing and looking on the wares and comics for sale. Quite a few bargains and cheap prices were to be found and I must say, thanks to the copious review threads and comments that I've read so far in my time here on CCF, I came across various issues and series that I recognized and wanted to read. At day's end, I left with a decent haul (which I may post about in the Classic Comics Purchased thread).
After a bit, I decided it was time to find their booth. As it turns out, I was rather lucky when I did find it for almost soon after I got in line, a cap was put in place on the line by the con's volunteers at the behest of Louise Simonson because I believe they had wanted to a take a break soon. So literally at that time, I was the last person to get in line for an autograph. (*Whew!*)
Naturally, more people were there to see Walt than Louise (and it was interesting that most of the people in line with me were also present at his panel). But I wanted to see both of them, having read quite a bit of Louise's writing over the years from X-Factor to New Mutants to Superman. I could have easily brought a longbox of issues for signing but this is what I had decided to bring:
For Walt: my favorite issue of Thor that he created, #380. To this day, it remains the best issue of Thor that I've ever read (and when I told him this, he gave the very warm reply of "Thank you"). Last, Battlestar Galactica #23. He was writer/artist on the last couple of issues of this Marvel series and this issue was one of my earliest exposures to his art.
For Louise: I was debating certain issues of X-Factor before settling upon Superman the Man of Steel #1. Also, in a bit of thinking outside of the box, I brought my paperback copy of The Death and Life of Superman novel by Roger Stern. In one of the front pages of the novel, a listing is made of the titles and issues (and their creative teams) upon whose work this novel was based. She was prominently listed as such and I thought this would make for an interesting souvenir. She certainly seemed genuinely surprised when I handed the book to her to sign which she did after I gave my reasoning for it. (She was even kind enough not to sign it on the title page, in case I ever met Roger as she put it.)
While waiting in line though, I quickly learned that Walt was doing sketches for free! Nothing like full on pieces or commission work but just quick yet detailed sketches of whomever you asked for. (In fact, the con's volunteers had re-positioned our waiting line so as you were approaching him along the length of the table, you could see him sketching.) I never gave much thought to this sort of thing, usually thinking that while artists were typically fair in charging what they believed for such work, I never really had the spare cash for such an expense. But here was an artist whose work I'd admired for decades doing such work for free! There was no way that I could leave there without one.
But I wasn't that prepared. As the line moved ever forward, I was thinking of what did I have that he could do a sketch upon. I soon came upon the idea of doing a sketch on the inside of the back cover of the Superman novel, it was blank after all. But a sketch of whom? I couldn't very well ask him to draw Thor on the inside of a Superman book, could I? As it came closer to my turn, it dawned upon me. Superman....Darkseid! I would ask for a sketch of Darkseid on the inside back cover.
So after graciously signing my two comics, that's what I asked for and that's what I got! He flipped the book over, saw that it was Superman and nodded like 'Okay'. (Ha Ha! Made the right choice!) It was simply amazing, standing there watching him from across the width of a table as he quickly and deftly produced this amazing sketch. He even signed and dated it. I'm still in awe.
But along the way, I was able to converse somewhat with both of them, asking Louise about her time in the X-office with Claremont and some questions to Walt (that I hoped sounded intelligent. Man, that is always my worst fear in meeting people whose work I love, hoping not to sound like a blabbering idiot). But the pair could not have been any nicer, friendly, or excited. It was truly a pleasure in meeting both of them and it helped make this trip into a truly fabulous day!
