Post Comic Con 2013 Blog #2 - Thank You Roy Thomas

Many of my professional comic book and animation friends on facebook and twitter have commented how this was one of the best San Diego Comic Cons they have had. Each say this for their own reasons, and it's up to them to tell you why, but let me talk about why this is one for me.

As I've written about before, when I first got into reading comics I discovered the Justice Society of America before I really knew the Justice League was more than SUPER FRIENDS. Soon after that I found a comic called ALL-STAR SQUADRON. This book was written by Roy Thomas, and in one way or another included every single 'Golden Age' hero that DC Comics owned.

For many years, Thomas had his hands controlling the greatest of characters from both Marvel and DC.

Because as a kid he grew up reading all the original Golden Age characters he maintained a passion for all of them when he became a professional writer himself. I'd like to think I'm following in his footprints.

At the first ComicCon I attended, I was excited to attend a panel on Roy Thomas and his books. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, he couldn't make it to the panel but con personnel said he was there. So another attendee and I mustered up enough courage to go to the info booth and ask to have him paged. (Realize I was a very shy kid in my early teens. Of course I'm still rather shy in my mid—never mind.) But Mr. Thomas never showed up. I was disappointed, but didn't have any negativity against the man who controlled all these great characters.

Years later after getting my first job in the comic book industry, I met him extremely briefly while attending Pro-Con in Oakland. (Anyone remember that?) But he and Marv Wolfman were in deep discussion that I didn't want to disturb him.

(I lost a lot of opportunities over the years because I didn't want to disturb people. Finally getting over that. That's a blog post all into itself.)

Finally we reach this year. Shannon and I attended a couple of spotlight panels. One on the artist George Perez, and the second was on Roy Thomas. The panel was moderated by Jon B. Cooke (editor of TwoMorrow's COMC BOOK CREATOR magazine), and they talked about Thomas growing up and reading comics as a little boy, on to writing and editing for Marvel, and then doing what he says is his favorite book for DC Comics ALL-STAR SQUARDRON.

Yay, me too.

(Here's the cover of the very first Issue I bought: 

Getting to hear him talk about all that was really good, but the day wasn't over. After a dinner at the hotel before heading to the Writer's Guild of America gathering, we were coming down an escalator and knew we had a limited amount of time. Standing in the corner by the Starbucks in hotel's lounge stood Roy Thomas.

What feels like the first time in my life, I didn't hesitate or think about what I was doing, and just went up to Mr. Thomas and introduced myself.

He was extremely friendly as I told him how ALL-STAR SQUADRON not only got me into comics, but also into enjoying history of World War II. That pleased him, because he was always incorporating history into the stories.

I told him how I later worked for Brian Murray who had been one of the artists on the follow up series YOUNG ALL-STARS.

Shannon spoke up saying how as an editor at Marvel, Roy had given a writing assignment to Christy Marx who later became a mentor to her which lead to her own career in animation.

I thanked him and his wife once more and headed off to meet more of our fellow writers. I was walking on cloud 9 almost crying with joy. Nothing could have made this Con better, and yet there were other things that we will be talking about for a long time to come.

Though most of those 'golden age' characters have dropped back into the shadows as new generations of writers and characters take over, Roy Thomas and the ALL-STAR SQUADRON will forever be the heart of what makes comics special to me and why I write and draw them.

Thank you Mr. Thomas.

Seven Subjects Over A BLOG

Last week I made a fool of myself with my blog. No doubt, I will make a fool of myself again this week. This certainly is not something I intend to do every week (unless you like it), but I did promise to write up seven ideas for a blog over the week and briefly write about them here. So let’s get to it… Oh, you really want me to do this?

1

One of the first ideas that came to me was while I was standing in line at a local restaurant. This is one of those ‘greasy spoon’ like places. It has a lot of business from the different car dealerships and repair shops around it. So you know it has to be good. Actually the restaurant has been there for at least fifty years. Far better then most in town.

Anyway, one of the usual things I like to order in this restaurant is a corn dog. But when I looked at the menu board I did a double take and had to check what I saw was right.

A Hot Dog is $1.95

A Corn Dog is $1.45

Exactly what’s in a hot dog that requires another 50 cents?

I know the meat in both of them isn’t really any different, and probably not very health, but what makes a bun more expensive than the corn meal dipped in hot oil? With a corn dog I get a free stick.

No answer to that, but have to say that corn dog tasted far better then the ones at a chain a few blocks away.

2

What I heard in the office? or A really bad pick up line.

“Are you a 501c?”

It’s a good thing I work for who I did.

3

Wednesday night I attended the Writer’s Guild of America west, Animation Writers Caucus Schmooze. We gather at a local restaurant and have a guest speaker. Some months it's a small group of us, and sometimes like this month the room can be packed. (It doesn’t help that there was another large party and they had stolen several of our chairs and tables.)

Last nights guest was extremely intelligent and interesting, and there was a lot of information he provided us. I could tell that even some of the more veteran writers around the table were impressed and learned something.

Maybe I’ll write about all that someday.

Around this table were writers I have known for years, some worked on shows that I grew up watching, others are writing some of the best animation on television today, others like me are struggling to find the next writing assignment. There were also those, who call themselves “aspiring”, who are just starting out or in school, but have the dream.

And all I could think about, seeing all these people is this: These are animation writers, I’m one of them, and I belong at this table.

4

The next few subjects I jotted down over the week are all comic book related. I’m really nervous to write about some of it because I worry about not being able to get work at a publisher because I’ve offended them with a comment about how they handle this or that, or why they did that, or why so and so is no longer on a book.

Well you know what, like all fears, we have to put them aside and be truthful. Don’t do or say something offensive on purpose, but you must still express your own true thoughts. Because only then can people really know what you are like. Even if they may not like what you have to say, they might still be willing to listen and converse. You might come out ahead because of it. But if you say nothing and hide behind your fear, then nothing will happen.

Pause, hiding behind my fear for another moment.

5

The very first thing I jotted down in my notebook after promising to write this list was this:

“Those Epic Events in Comic Book Universes”

I don’t really know what I want to say about these. I loved CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS when it first came out, and I followed several of the other events over the years after that. But recently (and this goes for both Marvel and DC) the Events seem to constantly overlap one another so that its one never-ending event. Lots of it confuses me, especially when I haven’t been reading certain books for a while.

I won’t deny that the events help sales of certain books, and that’s a good thing. But I’d like to have a pause between them from time to time. Would be nice. That’s why I like reading some of the smaller books that aren’t the flag ship titles or characters.

Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to be part of a massive company wide event sometime. I even have one such cross over story worked out in my head. I know who should write and draw the main series that would spin off into the other books. But with the way I write, this wouldn’t be some major Cosmic Apocalypse, which kill off a dozen characters to have them come back later. This would be a more focused story which would allow each character and book to show off what they really are all about and if a reader picked up an issue of SuchandSuch Men they wouldn’t have to worry about the rest of the crossovers. They would have a good story in their hands with out the rest.

That’s just me. There are far more experienced people out there who know how to make all this work. Just hope they will hire me someday.

6

I won’t jump on either side of a ‘controversy’ that isn’t one, at least not now. I’ll only say this. Superman isn’t real, people.

7

Final comic book note. The Justice Society of America. I love the Justice Society of America and all their related characters. I have from the very first comic book I ever picked up. So I feel guilty for not buying issues of their book over the last several months. I don’t blame the writer of the stories, I just couldn’t get into it. I probably should have, because I don’t understand Alan Scott’s new look. Not liking it, but that’s me. I know some artist worked hard on designing it.

I think I will be writing a review in the next little while of Justice Society of America #50 that just came out.

For now, just let me say again, I love the Justice Society of America.

*

There, done. Seven subjects for my blog. Each one could be expanded upon to fill an entire blog. Maybe two or three of them will become their own blogs. We’ll just have to see.

Lastly, a note to you and myself as I did last week: Whatever you do, don’t try to act silly and foolish to cover up the fact that you have nothing to write about in this week’s blog. It doesn’t look good. I should know. Look what I’ve been writing.

Next week, a blog I hope will be worthy of having the label:

FOUR NAMES OF CREATIVE PROFESSIONALISM.

These last two certainly weren’t.