WONDER CONVERSATIONS

I had a fantastic time at WonderCon this year—but, for all the fun I had meeting fans, participating in panels and hanging out with fellow professionals, the highlight of the convention was unquestionably the Spotlight Panel I did on Easter Sunday.  Having a chance to spend an hour with my son, Cody (who, come to think of it, was born on Easter Sunday, 1980), discussing the highlights of my career, delighted me beyond words.  Here, for your listening and dancing pleasure, is the full audio of the panel (minus a minute or so at the top).  Thanks again to Cody for making the audio available—and for being both a superb interviewer and a great guy.   

MORE ADVENTURES IN PODLANDIA

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed, for the second time, by one of my favorite podcasters: the insightful Wendi Freeman of Double Page Spread. We talked at length about Phantom Stranger, Larfleeze, The Adventures of Augusta Wind, the magical mysteries of the creative process, my Imagination 101 writing workshop—and capped things off with a heated round of Beatles trivia.  (I didn't think I could be easily stumped.  I was.  Several times!)  If you're so inclined, you can listen to the podcast (or download it) right here.

ENOUGH

Watch...and spread the word.



And, on the same tragic topic, this report about gun control legislation in Australia, by John Oliver of Comedy Central's Daily Show, illuminates what a government can do when it has the will and the courage. We laugh through our tears. 

IMAGINATION 101 RETURNS

A short burst of hype to let you know that my Imagination 101 writing workshop will be at Modern Myths in Northampton, Mass. the weekend of May 17—19.  Hop on over to the workshops section of Creation Point for more details.  End of hype. You're free to go now.

REMEMBERING INFANTINO

Very sorry to hear of Carmine Infantino's passing.  His renditions of Batman, Adam Strange and, especially, the Flash were among the defining images of my childhood.  Those primal visuals we absorb as kids burn into our psyches forever—and, if I just close my eyes, I can easily see Carmine’s Flash...the definitive Flash...speeding across the landscape inside my head.

Infantino was an artist of elegance and power, one of the truly great cover artists, and a consummate storyteller.  And let's not forget that, as publisher, he was the guy who brought Jack Kirby (at the peak of his creative power) to DC in 1970: without Carmine, no New Gods. 

    

I was lucky enough to work with Infantino twice, very early in my career:  once on a Mystery In Space story called “The Lazarus Fire,” and again on an infamous (well, infamous to me) issue of Star Wars.  I didn’t have any personal contact with him on those projects, but what an honor it was to have one of the comic book heroes of my youth illustrate my work.

Carmine Infantino’s contributions to our industry were massive.  My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. It makes me happy to imagine that Carmine’s happily whooshing through the Afterlife at super speed, leaving a magical red and yellow trail behind him.

RETURN FROM WONDERLAND

WonderCon was...well, pretty wonderful.  Got to sign lots and lots of comics and meet lots and lots of fans; spend time with old friends (like comics great Len Wein, animation legend Stan Berkowitz and Teen Titans Go! writer/producer Michael Jelenic) and new (like X-Men: First Class scribe Ashley Miller and Free Enterprise director Robert Meyer Burnett); hang out at the IDW booth with two of the nicest guys in the business, Chris Ryall and Greg Goldstein; take part in one of the most interesting panels I’ve ever been on (along with Mark Waid, Ann Nocenti, Dan Slott and Doug Mahnke) and...well, there was more, much more, on both the professional and personal fronts.

With Mark Waid, Ann Nocenti and Dan Slott
Photo by Rudy Manahan ©copyright 2013 Comic Con International 

But the best part for me was hanging out with my son, Cody—who took some time off from his job as production coordinator at Adult Swim and joined me for a father-son pre-birthday bash.  (Cody was born on April 6th.  Everyone say “Happy birthday, Cody!”)  Having my son interview me for my Easter morning Spotlight Panel wasn’t just a highlight of the convention, it was a highlight of my life.  (We recorded the entire panel and I'll be posting the audio here soon.)

Spotlight Panel with JMD and CRD
 Photo ©copyright 2013 Ken Fries

The weekend was capped by a wonderful dinner with (among others) my manager, Josh Morris, screenwriter David Tully (my collaborator on a wonderful, top-secret project), Blood: a tale movie director Marc Rosenbush and Harish Rao and Melinda Woolf of Agni Intercative.

So thanks to everyone mentioned here and everyone else I encountered in Anaheim, pro and fan alike, with special thanks to the terrific WonderCon crew, who treated me—and Cody—like gold.  We’ll have to do it again one of these years.  (Sooner than later, I hope.)

Photo ©copyright 2013 Cody DeMatteis

PODLANDIA

Getting ready to head out to WonderCon, but, before I go, I want to share an interview I did with Jimmy Dunn and his wife, Theresa, for the Golden Age podcast.  Click here and give it a listen if you're so inclined.

I'll check back in with a WonderCon report next week!