Comic Creators - Artists, Authors, Etc...

[Yoc]

HEhehe, that is a fun one.  Thanks DM.
I've been enjoying this topic a lot.  Thanks for all the stories gang!

[Geo (RIP)]

Me too Yoc, very interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing gentlemen. 

Geo

[KingFaraday]

Living in Louisville I had little opportunity to encounter many Pros on a regular basis (other than Don Rosa) so encounters were limited to running them at the few Cons I attended over the years.

The first was MetroCon held August 14 and 15 1971 at the Statler Hilton Hotel in Washington DC. I drove over with two of my collector friends, Ray and Jay. I was just getting ready to enter Sophomore year in College and this was my first big road trip. I had a limited pocketful of money for room, food and comics. Frazetta was Guest of Honor at the Luncheon but you had to buy a ticket and they were pricey and long gone, so I didn't make it. He was whisked in and out so if you didn't pay - you didn't see him. Denny O'Neill was the Keynote Speaker but we were more interested in hitting the hucksters room. Bought underground comics from Bud Plant, Golden Age from Phil Seuling, an original Murphy Anderson page from Showcase 56. Page 8 with Dr Fate in every panel for $25. If I could have swung another 10 I was offered a half page Hawkman from MiS but I passed on it. Still regret that. I also purchased a caricature of myself from Alan Hanley as Good Guy.

Starting at ten pm the first night movies were to be shown in a Ball Room. I really have no memory of what was shown. The memorable part began at midnight when a hotel manager came in and shut the room down claiming some curfew or other. Several of those in attendance weren't ready to call it a night so we offered our room up as a gathering place. Among those there that night were Bernie Wrightson and Mike Kaluta. That much is definite because they signed my Con book. Others that were there I'm not so clear on. My recollection is that Len Wein and Marv Wolfman were there along with Mark Hanerfeld. But I could be wrong. We sat up talking comics and movies until the wee hours. I remember Wrightson sitting by the window and doodling.

In 1975 I went up to Indianapolis for Napcon with one of my Jay. It was a daytrip and we concentrated on hitting the Dealer's room. Don't remember seeing any pros that day.

Also that summer I attended Rivercon which was also DeepSouthCon XIII. This was held in Louisville and was a combination Science Fiction and Comic Con. My buddies and I had purchased a couple of tables in the Dealer's Room and so spent much of our time there. Being Comic Book People (second class citizens according to the S-F and Pulp people) we were off in a downstairs room while the rest of the Con was upstairs. Mike Kaluta was a guest and I did get to see him briefly. With my earnings from sales at the table I purchased some old comics and two tickets to the upcoming Rolling Stones concert.

Next was OmniCon put on by Don Rosa in July 1976. I was in charge of the Art Exhibit and so spent most of my time guarding said art. Kaluta was once again in attendance but I missed him. I did spend time with Frank Brunner who was not particularly friendly.

Final Con was the biggest as far as meeting Big Names. This was ChicagoCon in the summer of 77. I drove up with Ray and Don Rosa. Don was still just a BNF but was accorded the Royal Treatment and as Ray and I were with him we were included. Ron Massengill was our escort who swept us to the front of any line and catered to our every whim.

Chester Gould was the Guest of Honor and when I saw him he was holding court in a sitting area outside the dealer's room. I approached with my copy of The Celebrated Cases of Dick Tracy and got a personalized autograph from him. Across the room was a very elegant looking older lady who was not getting much attention. So I wander over and met Dale Messick. I came away with another personalized autograph after spending some time visiting with her. I was familiar with Brenda Starr but only vaguely as the local paper didn't carry the strip. I did come away a big fan of Ms Messick.

Massengill approached Ray and me and said he needed to go a couple blocks up the street to pick up another Con guest and bring him back for his panel appearance. Did we want to go along. Sure we replied. So Ray and I went along. At the hotel we were led into Stan Lee's room where we spent almost an hour chatting him up. Stan was friendly and quite jovial and while he really didn't want to talk comics much he did go on at length about a new TV show in production for Spider-Man as well as the possibility of The Incredible Hulk and Doctor Strange and possibly others getting shows as well as some animation possibilities.

After getting Stan to the panel I met his co-panelist Jenette Kahn but missed Harvey Kurtzman. Besides Stan and Jenette's autographs I came away with Joe Orlando, Howard Chayken and Tim Conrad's. Denis Kitchen and Pete Poplaski had a table in the dealers room and I bought a big pile of Sgt Bilko, Bob Hope and Dobie Gillis comics from Kitchen. Came away with their signatures as well. Finally I got another caricature from Hanley, this time as Plastic Man.

I turned down going back to Chicago in 78, my two buddies form DC went back with Don. I missed out on the opportunity to ride along as Jay drove Bill Gaines from downtown out to O'Hare.

[narfstar]

Great story

[darkmark (RIP)]

Hmm, funny stories...well, the first time I met Steve Englehart, he was at a table selling THE POINT MAN, which I bought a copy of.  We got to talking and I told him about a script proposal I was trying at Marvel for the WHAT IF? book, being "What if the Son of Satan stayed loyal to his father?"  I told him I wanted to do it so I could use titles like "One Man's Family" (Steve cracked up)..."Make Room For Daddy"...(Steve cracked up HARDER)...

[crashryan]

Reading all these stories of encounters with pros reminded me of one of the strangest such experiences I've had. The star of the anecdote has been gone some fifteen years so I trust I can retell it without seeming snarky.

In late 1982 I'd just finished a gruelling two years drawing a couple of newspaper strips. The pay had been low and the work was hell, but the upside was that I hadn't had time to spend the money I'd earned. I had a nice little sum in the bank which I used to fulfill a longtime dream: to attend the international comics convention in Lucca, Italy. The experience was wonderful. One of its high points was an evening spent with some notable British cartoonists. I don't remember just how I connected with them. Probably we heard each other speaking English. The group consisted of Ron Embleton, Martin Asbury, Jim Baikie, and legendary collector-historian-artist Denis Gifford. I was welcomed into the group as an equal, being a professional and all, but I assure you I felt a perfect amateur in that company. We talked for a long time, mostly about our careers. I don't remember Embleton and Asbury well. Asbury was still drawing the "Garth" daily at the time. He didn't say much and looked exhausted. Maybe from meeting deadlines! Embleton I recall as pleasant though reserved. He was nicely dressed and gave off a sophisticated vibe. Back then I knew him only for "Wicked Wanda," which he'd wrapped up two years earlier. If I'd known then what a giant figure he was in British comics I'd have tried to talk his ear off! The guy I most enjoyed was Jim Baikie. At the time he was working on various media tie-ins for UK publishers. Of course soon afterward he embarked upon a stellar career on both sides of the Atlantic. I've always regretted never having got to know Baikie. We hit it off and had plenty to talk about, and I came away with the impression he was a really nice fellow.

Denis Gifford was voluble and rather pushy, but his incredible knowledge of British comics and his enthusiasm for the subject made him great fun to talk to. Force of personality had made him the de facto leader of the group. At a certain point he decided we should go to dinner. It must have been then that he removed his Dr Jekyll suit.

At Lucca, visiting professionals received coupon books good for free meals at local restaurants. I had an inkling of trouble ahead when Denis, though still civil to us, treated the Italian restaurant staff with undisguised contempt. Then he discovered that the restaurant offered coupon bearers only a narrow menu of what I presume were cheap dishes. (Maybe the REAL pros got better coupon books, I don't know.) On our special menu almost all the dishes featured lepre (rabbit), and Denis did not like rabbit. One of the waiters, with very limited English, attempted to suggest other dishes, but they all turned out to have rabbit in them. Denis became increasingly heated and increasingly loud. The language barrier made him even more irate. He dealt with it by speaking English louder and louder, using ever more complex grammar until finally he was roaring, "I have told you, I do not care for RABBIT, I do not wish to be served RABBIT, and I will not order any dish of which RABBIT is a part!"

I don't know about the others, but being by nature a person who avoids confrontation, I was mightily embarrassed. In fact I later apologized (in Italian) to the waiter who had borne the brunt of Denis' assault. He shrugged and said the Italian equivalent of "Whatever." The issue was finally resolved by Denis paying for a rabbit-free dish from the standard menu. Soon he was once again chatting merrily. For my part, as I chewed my rabbit I felt as if the whole establishment were glaring at us.

After dinner we went our separate ways and I didn't see the British contingent again. It was fun while it lasted.

[paw broon]

Great insight, crash, and sort of reflects my feelings about Mr. Gifford's personality.  Some of us were occasionally in his company at London marts.  Voluble was another word I associated with him.  But his knowledge of British comics and their history was encyclopaedic and I have a couple of his books on my shelves.  In fact, a couple of the British comics on CB+ came from his collection. Not directly but via a dealer.  His collection spanned 2 houses, I seem to remember.  And, of course, he also drew some comics in his early days.  
By the way, I love rabbit, which is coniglio in italian, particularly in a stew served with wild porcinis and polenta. I think lepre is hare.  But, then again, that's tasty too.

Modifying this to add that, I just remembered an interview aka the fanzine conducted with Jim Baikie many years ago. (Re. the ref. made by crashryan to Jim Baikie)  Please have a look here:-
comicbookplus.com/?dlid=21998
Seems so long ago now but, as I was involved in aka, I'd be curious to read any comments anyone would care to make.  We were fortunate to have been able to bring many pros to Scotland and it was a privilege to meet and chat with them.

[crashryan]

Thanks, Paw, for the clarification. I confess I don't know the difference between a rabbit and a hare. ("Rabbit" was the word Denis used). Eating rabbitoid critters seems to be a regional thing in the US. Lucca was the only time I ever ate it. Here on the West Coast where I've spent most of my time I haven't seen either rabbit or hare in supermarkets or on menus.

[Poztron]

The two GA artists who stand out for me are Will Eisner and Harvey Kurtzman.  Kurtzman first: I was at a NY Comic Con at the beginning of the '70s (I think) and ran into John Benson who said "I'm going to interview Harvey Kurtzman up in his room, want to come along?" I was a young UG cartoonist at the time and of course my answer was "you bet!"  On meeting Kurtzman I gushed something along the lines of "It's an honor to meet you, you've been one of the biggest influences on my life," to which he answered "I'm sorry to hear that."  In the course of the interview, I asked a question or two, which made their way into the editorial matter for one of Russ Cochran EC reprint volumes.

I met Eisner at the opening for an exhibit of UG comix art at a museum in Manhattan (c. 1970-1) (I want to say the Whitney, but I don't think that's right. It may have been a museum which is no longer around.) I had a full tabloid-size page in the exhibit and talked Eisner into going over to take a look. By happenstance, it was a page I'd done when I'd finally figured out brushwork (Winsor-Newton Series 7, No. 2, if I recall correctly) and it was heavily influenced by Eisner's work. He graciously complemented me, which of course made my day.

Apologies if these anecdotes come off as self-serving. I was just a kid at the time and meeting my heroes was definitely a big thrill.

[Yoc]

Hi Poz,
Don't worry about that Poz.  They didn't feel that way to me at all.  I quite enjoy reading these so please feel free to continue if you like.

[crashryan]

Paw, thanks for the link to aka with the Baike and Ranson interviews. The entire magazine was a very interesting read. I'd no idea Baike had been in the industry so long when I met him. Since 1967! That was the year I graduated high school.

[paw broon]

Glad you enjoyed it.  Because all of us connected to aka, the shop and fanzine, were based in Scotland, we did find it easier to meet industry people from U.K. at a time when so many of them were playing an increasingly bigger role in American comics. A time when the likes of Morrison and Millar were just wee guys turning up at pubs where fans met, and Morrison was taking his first tentative steps in local comics, drawing as well as writing.  Seems so long ago.

[darkmark (RIP)]

Let's see:  WILL EISNER:  I first "met" Will when I penned a note to him (per Cat Yronwode) about his initial graphic novel thing, Life In Outer Space.  He was glad to get some honest reaction and gave me a Spirit sketch.  We became pal-acquaintances and I loved the guy.  Interviewed him at Dallas.  Sad he died.

ALAN MOORE:  Met him in San Diego.  Took a picture of him (he was gracious, like most Brits) and one of his then-wife to be fair about it.  Later, when he was signing a buncha comics, I talked politics and philosophy with him and he said his belief was that there were two real political viewpoints, one being fascism, where people essentially did the same and thought the same, and anarchy, where everybody went and did their own thing.  I brought up the bit that Mao did pretty much the same to gays, as I understand, that the Fascist Britain government did to V's inspiration, and he seemed to agree that in a Communist society there could be a right-wing V For Vendetta.  He was a nice guy.

NEIL GAIMAN:  A prince.  Interviewed him twice at Dallas and had fun both times.  Traded comics with him.  Took him down in a letter once about a too-violent scene in Sandman, and he said he was sorry it upset me.  Even nicer than Alan.

STEVE BISSETTE:  Big guy with a trademarked black hat he should still be wearing.  We should get up a petition to that effect.  We disagree about everything political, but that's ALL we disagree about.  We are both friends on a deeper level than pro to fan.  Love the guy.

MARK WAID:  Actually, he called me up back in the early 80's because he found we were both in Texas, and he came to Wichita Falls to live for a bit.  Stayed at our house for a night or two.  We did the Crisis Indexes together just before he went to edit Amazing Heroes, after which he became a star.  I once pitched him a Flash cover idea:  Wally West being chased at hyper-speed by John Wesley Shipp.  He laughed.

ROY THOMAS:  I don't even remember when the first time I met him was.  We both share a love for the Golden Age and I borrowed one of his characters (with his permission) for a comic story.  Did a three or four-part interview with him for Comics Interview.  Last time I saw him was a few years ago at the Robert E. Howard Fest at Cross Plains, Texas.

HOWARD CHAYKIN:  In Chicago, he blew up at a fan who made a rather inconsiderate criticism of his art.  To diffuse the tension, I asked Howard if he could give an autograph to a fan-friend of mine who was collecting them.  He said "Sure", glad to clear the air, and gave his autograph to her.  Moral of the story:  Don't bait artists.  And especially don't bait Chaykin.

BILL WILLINGHAM:  Good old boy.  Not pretentious.  Met him in Dallas and got him to do a great sketch of Pat Savage and some of her gang which I dreamed up.  Told him I'd seen a lot of comics with names like Supreme, Prime, HARD Corps and WildCATS..."How about a book called...ADEQUATE?" He nodded.  "Yeah.  'Good Enough For You'", he suggested.

MARV WOLFMAN:  We were on a writer's panel together.  I showed some books I got at bargain prices to Roy Thomas and said, "I Christianed them down on it."  Marv said, "I get lower."  I put my hand on his shoulder and said, "That's 'cause you came first."

LEN WEIN:  Got his picture at San Diego, as I did for a lotta folks, and told him I'd tack it over my bed.  He said, "Then you'll never sleep again!"

Lots of other stories.  I'll think of some more.

[Yoc]

That's some fun reading there DM.
I only got to meet J. M. DeMatteis at a shop woh signed a 'Moonshadow' TPB for me (loved that series!), Harlan Ellison (as acerbic as expected and a hit at that con), George Perez during the first 'Teen Titans' year (he had an insanely long autograph line.  He patiently signed 1000s of books), Bill Willingham promoting his 'Elementals' who laughed when I produced a 'Villains and Vigilantes' game module with his art, and Al Williamson who was super nice while signing a 'Shock Illustrated' #2 and did a sketch for me.

-Yoc