News from me - July 9, 2001

July 9, 2001

25,000 HITS since we put this sucker on-line just before Christmas last year! Would that the things I do for profit could attract an audience like that...

I RECENTLY STUMBLED ACROSS a terrific website devoted to products and advertising items of the fifties and sixties, particularly those featuring cartoon characters. Wanna see a sample of the Crusader Rabbit newspaper strip? How about a bag of Bell Brand Potato Chips with Bob Clampett's Beany and Cecil on it? There's oodles of stuff like that, like the box of Gro-Pup T-Bone dog biscuits with Hanna-Barbera's beloved Augie Doggie on it, even though Augie wasn't the kind of cartoon dog who ate dog food. The site is called Tick Tock Toys and here's the link that'll take you there — but don't click on it until you have some time, 'cause there's a lot of neat stuff there to take in, especially if you hunt around. (There are menus and sub-menus and sub-menus of the sub-menus and so on...)

I'M ONE OF THOSE folks who is utterly conflicted on the subject of The Death Penalty, being neither wholly for it nor adamantly against it. In a world where few seem to take anything but the extreme positions on any issue, it's nice to see I'm not alone on this one. For some time now, Bob Herbert of The New York Times has been running pieces about people who were proven innocent and freed from Death Row after many years, often only days before they would have been executed. This has happened so often that I think it's blind denial to think that our government has not occasionally put the wrong person to death. And this realization, in turn, seems to be causing a lot of prominent supporters of the Death Penalty to at least rethink the whole matter. Mr. Herbert has a good column on this today, and you can read it by clicking here. (That's if you hurry. Like all N.Y. Times links, it's only free for a limited time. Thereafter, they charge you and don't share the fee with the author.)

I AM TOLD that the trade paperback of Fanboy is now on sale, as is the new paperback collection of Jack Kirby's Fourth World, but I've yet to see a copy of either. I have, however, received my contributor's copies of The DC Guide to Writing Comics by Dennis O'Neil. It has a different cover than the one I posted here when I was recommending it, but the recommendation still holds.

THIS LAST SECTION is for those of you who'll be attending the Comic-Con International in San Diego week after next. Here are some tips that may make your convention a merrier experience...

Dress sensibly and wear comfy shoes, as there's a lot of walking to be done. The AccuWeather people are predicting a high of 80-83 and a low of 69 for the four days of the convention. As the day draws nearer, they'll update the forecast at this link.
Consult the program schedule in advance and note the events you wish to attend. You can read the whole listing by clicking here and the list of panels I'm moderating (i.e., the good ones) by clicking here. Planning ahead is a very good idea. You'd be amazed at the number of people who arrive, get swept up in the excitement of the main hall and don't consult the schedule until they've missed a program they really wanted to see.
Parking is always rough. If you get there early enough, you can find a place under the convention center for $4.00 a day. In a message she posted on www.comicon.com, Jackie Estrada (without whom the con would be about as exciting as watching your Chia Pet sprout) suggests that you approach the convention center on Harbor Drive from the direction of Seaport Village and The Hyatt. That should make it easier to get into the parking entrance. If it's full, there are lots around the city where one can park and then grab a shuttle bus. She also mentions a new parking structure at 6th and Market, about five blocks from the festivities.
Bring money. More than you think you'll need.
The snack bar in the convention center is traditionally a dreadful place to eat, so here's a dining tip that doesn't occur to some people. You know those shuttle buses outside that bring people to and from their hotels? Well, they're free and they also go all over downtown San Diego, past a lot of good restaurants.
A lot of fans wonder about obtaining sketches from artists who'll be there. There are two kinds: Free and fee. The free ones are becoming rarer and rarer as more and more artists find them turning up on eBay. If you find an artist who does them, be polite, supply the paper and don't ask for something elaborate. Sketches for money are more obtainable and most are, I think, priced so reasonably that you'll look back years from now and kick your keester for not getting more of them. If your fave artist is sketching for loot, get your "order" in early and if you're asking for something he or she might not be able to generate from memory, supply some reference. (Most artists, doing drawings for money, prefer to supply their own drawing paper, but will draw in your sketchbook, if that's where you want it.) If you feel awkward negotiating with your favorite artist, see if there isn't a friend or spouse helping man the table and talk to them...or inquire of other customers as to what they got and what they paid for it.