The Countdown to SDCC 2025!

From the year 2005, Mr. Peter David.

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Peter is one of those comics professionals who, like Dave Stevens, George Perez, Scott Shaw, Mark Evanier and Will Eisner, I will always associate with the San Diego Comic Con. He was pretty much a fixture here all throughout the 80's, 90's and 00's. He was as funny and witty in person as he was on the printed page and that's what I always liked about him the most.

In the early 1980's, Peter started out in the comics industry in the Sales Department for Marvel Comics and eventually worked his way up to Manager. He never gave up on his dream to be a writer, though, and he submitted some plots to Moon Knight editor Denny O'Neil but those attempts were unsuccessful. But Peter didn't give up. He sold a four part Spider-Man story to editor Jim Owsley ("The Death of Jean DeWolff") and then moved on to an award winning 12 year run on the Incredible Hulk, That was the title that cemented Peter's reputation as one of the top writers in the industry.

Besides comics, Peter was also a successful writer of paperback prose novels. He wrote original stories ("Knight Life", "Howling Mad") and adaptations of Star Trek ("Q-Squared", "Imzadi") and Babylon 5, well as many film adaptations that were mostly based on comic book characters. This included The Return of Swamp Thing, The Rocketeer, Batman Forever, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, Hulk, The Incredible Hulk, Fantastic Four, and Iron Man.

The above is really just a partial list of Peter's works. He was one of the fastest and most prolific writers of his time. Besides numerous comics and novels, he wrote scripts for television, films and video games.

But what I appreciated the most about him was how funny he was in person. I can't remember the exact year, I think it was in the early 90's, I was doing some volunteer work for the comic con ADA department. I was pushing a wheelchair for a very nice young lady that really wanted Peter's autograph. We headed over to the Marvel booth and the staffers there let us go to the head of the line. Peter looked at us and made a "Driving Miss Daisy" joke. I can't remember exactly what he said but everyone burst out laughing. I can tell you he made that young lady's day and maybe her entire year. But that was Peter. He was great with the fans. And I think that's what I'll miss about him the most.

Peter hasn't been to comic con the past few years and that's no doubt due to the health issues he struggled with. He passed away on May 25th of this year at the age of 68. Too young and too soon. But he left us a body of work and great memories that will last for as long as people love comics.

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15 Days Until SDCC 2025!
 
The Exhibitor's List and Floor Map for this year's show has been released:

Exhibitors - Comic-Con

Comic-Con 2025 is right around the corner! We are pleased to release our floor plan, above, and exhibitor lists, below, so you can plan your days. Below, you will find a list of the Artists’ Alley exhibitors who are planning to participate in Comic-Con 2025. Click on the exhibiting company name...
www.comic-con.org www.comic-con.org

I just gave it a cursory go through. On the comics side of things, it looks like all the major comic book publishers will be there. Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, Boom, IDW and Oni Press. The Small Press and Independent Pavilion are represented. My beloved Artists Alley and Golden and Silver Age Pavilion are in their normal spots.

Movie Studios: Disney, Paramount, Sony, Lionsgate, Lucasfilm and Marvel.

Regal Cinemas and AMC Theaters will both have booths. The popcorn bucket wars have begun.

For toys, there's Hasbro, Mattel, Funko and Neca. I will check out the Mattel booth to see if there's anything DC related.

And in what I find a shocking turn of events: Diamond Comics and Diamond Select Toys and Collectibles will apparently be in their usual spots. I don't know, I would not get too excited about that. I just find that very difficult to believe. But hey, anything's possible. We'll know in about 15 days.
 
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If you worked at DST and were summarily fired and exited out of the building and your accounts locked - would you send a courtesy email to SDCC? I wouldn't.

But who knows!
 
From the year 2017, the Justice League takes the Hall H stage, courtesy of Warner Brothers and DC Comics.


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So there was a large enthusiastic crowd in Hall H that day for Justice League, a movie that, as it turned out, was merely okay but certainly not great. Instead this was the beginning of the end for the DCEU (Or whatever it was called).

I will tell you that for the most part I enjoyed those movies but they did not resonate with fans anywhere near as much as the MCU did. It's a pity because I wanted to see Zack Snyder finish what he started. Darkseid and the Fourth World would have been an awesome spectacle. But I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

Tomorrow James Gunn's Superman premieres. Hopefully this will be a new start for DC and the beginning of something epic. We'll soon know.

14 Days Until SDCC 2025!
 
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Okay, you remember last Throwback Thursday when I talked about how I trekked down from LA to San Diego for my very first SDCC 43 years ago? How Ray Bradbury of all people helped my poor lost soul find the old Convention Center on C Street? And I didn't know it was Ray Bradbury until after the con was over and I got home? And he showed me where to get a badge and then he disappeared through the doors and I didn't see him again for the rest of the weekend?

Okay, good. Now we're going to pick up where that story left off. I'm going to tell you a little bit about what happened the rest of that weekend and why, when it was over, that I vowed to never miss a San Diego Comic Con and I still haven't all these years later.

Getting my badge was a snap. It only took about ten minutes. It was getting towards early afternoon and the line had pretty much dissipated. Remember, this was several years ago and SDCC had not yet become the behemoth it is today with 130000 attendees. In 1982 getting a badge and getting inside was pretty easy. Would that it were so today.

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Photo ©Alan Light 1982

So I walked into the lobby of the building and took a look around. The Exhibit Hall ... heh, sorry ... The Dealer's Room was to my right and Golden Hall (the big auditorium) was to my left. It's so funny because I was in there a few years ago and the place looks tiny to me now. But when I first walked through those doors, it seemed so huge. Like someone could get lost in there and never be heard from again. I couldn't believe there was a comic book convention in a venue that damn big. To me, at that point in my life, comics were for kids and a few nostalgic adults. You bought them at your neighborhood newsstand or drug store once a week and that was it. What I was seeing seemed kind of preposterous. But there it was. I just stood there for a minute or two trying to process what I was looking at. Folks walking around carrying old Golden and Silver Age comics. Artists, both working professionals and aspiring, sitting on the floor doing sketches. And I was introduced to the concept of "cosplay". I had never seen people in costume when it wasn't Halloween. Some of the costumes were intricate and gorgeous, like the fans wearing them had just stepped off the set of a movie. Others look like they were thrown together at the last minute. But I had to marvel at the fact that there were people out there that cared about these characters so much that they could take the time to make a costume, and then be proud to wear it.

So after standing there gaping in awe like a slack jawed yokel for a few minutes, I walked into the Exhibit Hall Dealer's Room. And once again, I had to take a minute.

See, for my entire life up to that point, I had to keep a hobby that I loved pretty much to myself. My family, my former girlfriend and a couple of very close friends knew that I collected and enjoyed comic books, but that was it. In that day and age, comics were considered kid stuff, and only an emotionally stunted adult or kids read them. If you were into comics and fantasy, as far as the world was concerned, you were a nerd. A geek. A loser.

And now here I was. In a convention center filled with people who all loved the same things I did. Maybe loved them more. At last, I could just be myself. No more hiding that aspect of my life. No more fear of being judged. I was free to share my love of comics with people who had the same interests.

I was finally, for the first time in my life, home.

Strolling around the dealer's room was a completely surreal experience. I saw Dave Stevens, creator of the Rocketeer (A new favorite comic of mine) doing a sketch. Jim Starlin, creator of Thanos, Drax the Destroyer and Gamora, walked right past me. I saw Jim Shooter chatting with Steve Englehart. Burne Hogarth, artist on the Tarzan newspaper strip, was talking to Will Eisner and Al Williamson. Thank goodness everyone was wearing a badge or I might never have known who they were. And I saw George Perez sitting at the DC table. Remember, I didn't bring anything with me so I had nothing for him to autograph. I went to one of the dealer's tables and bought the latest issue of Teen Titans and walked back to the DC table. I had never spoken to a comics professional before and I was terribly shy. I asked for his autograph and stammered out a few words about how much I loved his work. He could tell I was nervous and he set me at ease. He told me that he appreciated the kind words and to enjoy the show. And that big smile. He was such a gentleman. What a great artist and what a great human being. Talking to George made me feel better and I was a lot less shy so I went to Dave Stevens table and talked to him for a few minutes, too. Like George, Dave was very polite and real easy to talk to.

I walked a little more and then I saw him. The King. No, not King Charles. The REAL King. The King of Comics. Jack Kirby.


Photo ©Alan Light 1982

That first time I saw him, Jack was doing what he was always doing: Holding court. He was always surrounded by fans and always answering questions and signing autographs. The man had the patience of a saint, but he did it for the fans because he was a nice guy and because he loved them. I had another "I'm going to need a minute" moments. Here before me was Jack Kirby. The visionary creator of the Fantastic Four, the Silver Surfer, Thor, the Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, the X-Men, Ant-Man. the Avengers, Dr. Doom, the Black Panther, the Inhumans, the Fourth World .. well, hell. He pretty much created comics. He was like right there. Standing in front of me. For a minute I thought I was going to pass out.

After I got over the shock of being in the presence of that much damn greatness, I spent the rest of the day buying back issues that I was looking for for years. Now remember, I only took 60 bucks with me. And this was in my pre-credit card days. Not only that, but in 1982 there was no such thing as debit cards or ATM machines. Oh, I had money. In my bank in Ventura County. About 200 miles and another tank of gas away. After I came to my senses, I realized I needed what money I had left in my pocket to get back to the base or I was going to be in a world of shit. When you're in the military, you show up for work or you're absent without leave. You better have a damn good reason for being late. And something told me that "I spent all my money at a comic book convention down in San Diego" didn't qualify as a damn good reason

I was so unprepared for that trip. Right before the dealer's room closed I decided to head back to my car (Which I had left parked on Harbor Drive) and I was carrying all this stuff. I bought a bunch of comics but I also grabbed some freebies that the publishers were giving away. Posters, pins, buttons and more comics. Fortunately for me one of the dealers took pity on my pathetic ass and offered me a big bag to carry everything in. No charge. You know, looking back, it's a good thing people were so nice to me or that might have been the longest weekend of my life.

I hoofed it down to my car and put the bag of goodies in the trunk. Then I looked back towards the city. I had not eaten anything since breakfast that morning and that was in a different county. I hadn't had any water and I was getting dehydrated. I had been on my feet for hours and I was exhausted. Maybe a 200 mile drive up the coast right then and there was not the best idea. So I went in search of a good (and hopefully cheap) place to eat.

CONTINUED IN THE NEXT POST
 
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I walked into the lobby of the Hotel San Diego because they offered discounts for comic con attendees. It was pretty packed in there.

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Photo ©Alan Light 1982

I didn't think they were going to be able to find a place for me to sit. I looked around the room. Steve Gerber was there. So was Frank Miller, John Byrne, Marv Wolfman and lots of other industry professionals. I thought to myself "I can stand here in gape jawed shock again and pass out from hunger or I can see about getting something to eat". Getting something to eat sounded like the smart choice. There was a line to get into the restaurant but I figured I could handle it as long as it ended with me in a chair and food on the table.

Off to the side and just a few feet away from me were a group of noisy, boisterous fans that were getting kind of annoying. It didn't help that I was tired and hungry. One of them spoke in kind of a Stan Lee jargon. You know, using words and expressions that Stan the Man used in the Bullpen Bulletin page of the comics. Like "Excelsior!" and "Face Front, True Believers!" and "Nuff Said!" I was listening to this and it was starting to get on my nerves. Finally I snapped at the guy and said "Who the hell do you think you are? Stan Lee?"

The room got really quiet. Then the gentleman said "Well, as a matter of fact ... " and everyone burst out laughing.

Did you ever wish the Earth would just swallow you up whole?

Yes. At my very first comic con, I yelled at Stan Lee.

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I decided discretion was the better part of valor and slinked out the front door. It's a good thing that didn't happen in this day and age or that might have ended up on YouTube. I was so embarrassed I wanted to die.

I slinked off down Broadway in search of some place with good, cheap food. I felt bad about the Stan incident but I felt great about the day as a whole. I just needed to sit down and get some food in me. Finally on Broadway and 11th I came across a bar and grill called Hodad's.

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It looked inviting so I went in. Again though, it's downtown San Diego during Comic Con weekend so you have to prepare yourself for some pretty surreal sights. I walked through the door and the place was busy, but not so packed I couldn't find a seat at the bar. I saw Godzilla shooting pool with a guy dressed as Flaming Carrot. It's amazing how fast you get used to seeing things like that at Comic Con, especially when you're beat. I took a seat at the bar and the owner walked over to me. He was a very, very nice man. Being in San Diego, he had seen exhausted, starving and broke Sailors before. Long story short, I told him my tale of woe and he said that dinner and drinks were on him. I couldn't believe it, but he insisted. I think I may have starved or not made it back to the base if not for his kindness. Needless to say, that was the best cheeseburger and coke I ever had. It solved the problem of not having enough money to get back to the base, too. Bless that man. You know, Hodad's is still there to this day, right on the corner of Broadway and 11th. The man who was so nice to me died about 10 years ago, but his son runs the place now. I will never forget that single act of kindness.

A little ways down the bar and a couple of seats away from me were two older gentlemen. They were having a very spirited discussion about the original run of All-Star Comics from back in the 1940's. Well, obviously they were in town for Comic Con. I figured that out with my keen powers of deduction. Plus the fact that they were both wearing badges. Those were clues. Then they started getting into the real minutia of the book, like which pages of a particular issue were inked by a certain inker, who did the coloring on what issues, ect. It occurred to my peanut sized brain then that these guys might be more than fans. I looked over to read the names on their badges.

It was Roy Thomas and Gardner Fox.

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Roy on the left, Gardner on the right.

The very first comic book I ever read was back in 1964 when I was the tender age of six years old. My beloved french Grandfather bought me a copy of Justice League of America number 34.

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I loved and cherished that comic. One, because it came from him. Two, because that issue made me fall in love with comic books. And to this day, sixty some years later, the Silver Age Justice League remains my favorite run of any title.

Roy Thomas was no slouch. He was Stan Lee's right hand man in the Silver Age and he created Ultron and the Vision. But I had always dreamed of meeting Gardner. So many things I wanted to say, so many questions. I wanted to tell him how much his work meant to me and how it helped me get through a very difficult childhood. And there he was, just a few feet away. I started to say something but then cut myself off. It looked like Roy and Gardner were having a great conversation and were really enjoying themselves. Two old friends getting together and talking about times past. It would not have been right for me to interrupt that, even if it was just a quick, "Hey, I always loved your work." Better, I thought, just to keep my mouth shut.

So I sat in silence. I figured there was a good chance I'd see these two again someday. I knew I'd back for this convention, there was no way I was going to miss it. Sadly, I never saw Gardner again. He passed away in 1986. I did see Roy a few years later. I asked him if he remembered that night. I brought up the pair playing pool that were dressed as Flaming Carrot and Godzilla and he laughed. He remembered.

CONTINUED IN THE NEXT POST
 
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Some of my favorite comics written by Gardner Fox:


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So I left Hodad's and walked back to my car, still tired but at least I had a full belly. As I sat down behind the wheel, I thought about my options. I did not want to leave. I was having too much fun at this convention (Despite the Stan Lee thing). It was Friday night. I didn't have to report for duty until Monday morning. The smart thing to do would have been to drive back to my apartment in LA, grab a few hours of sleep, get to the bank as soon as it opened, withdraw some money and head back down to San Diego. I would have gotten back there by noon or sometime early in the afternoon. Yes, that would have been the smart thing. But hi, I'm SDcomics. I rarely do the smart thing. I decided to just sleep in my car. Right on Harbor Drive. In downtown San Diego. In a day and age when downtown San Diego was a lot more dangerous then it is now.

I have no idea why I wasn't killed. But somehow I made it. There were no parking meters downtown back then so my car was safe where it was. I bought a box of pop tarts and that got me through the rest of the weekend. Hey, it's surprising how filling those things are. The rest of the show was great. I met a lot more industry professionals but this post is already too long as is. Suffice it to say that Sunday evening eventually rolled around and I headed back North. As I was driving down the I-5 freeway, I couldn't help but notice the sun setting over the bay to the left of me and all the beautiful art deco houses in the hills to the right. San Diego is an amazing and gorgeous resort city. I loved Hollywood, but I thought if I ever got the chance to be stationed here I'd take it.

I figured when I got back I could spend the night on base in the barracks. I kept my room there and I had a clean uniform in the closet. Then at lunch time I could go to the bank, get some money and fill up my car. But the question was, did I have enough gas to get back to Ventura County? The further North I got the more I saw that needle drop. I was running on fumes when I got to Camarillo and I still had a little ways to go. Right as I went through the gate and as I got to the parking lot in front of the barracks, my car conked out. No more gas. I was a lot luckier than I deserved, but I made it.

For months after that, all I could think about was the San Diego Comic Con. I knew I had to go back. It was too much of a must see event for people who love comics. My tour of duty in Ventura was up that December. I talked to the detailer and he told me that he could get me a two year tour of duty at a shore command in San Diego. I obviously took it. I reported to my new command in January of 1983. After my two years were up, I got out of the Navy and worked on the base as a civilian. I have been here ever since. And I have never missed a San Diego Comic Con since I went to that first one in 1982.

Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes the harrowing tale of my first San Diego Comic Con. If you actually read all that, I hope you enjoyed it.

Thank you and good day.

Oh, and there’s …

13 Days Until SDCC 2025!
 
SDcomics said:
I will tell you that for the most part I enjoyed those movies but they did not resonate with fans anywhere near as much as the MCU did. It's a pity because I wanted to see Zack Snyder finish what he started. Darkseid and the Fourth World would have been an awesome spectacle. But I guess it just wasn't meant to be.
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I'm a big Zack Snyder fan and have been since 300. I won't defend most of his DC movies, but I will defend Man of Steel until the bitter end. That film is absolutely incredible, and I've never fully understood the mixed critical and fan reaction to it because I find every moment of it enthralling no matter how many times I've seen it with the most recent being yesterday. Critics are citing how much better Gunn's vision is than Snyder's for the character, and I look forward to seeing exactly what they're referring to. I'm guessing it's entirely the tone, but I won't fully understand until I see the new film.

I've been posting in the CGC comic book forums for around 25 years, and there's a long-running thread there where we discuss just how underappreciated that film is. The sci-fi elements aren't as strong as films like Arrival, District 9, Close Encounters, or many others, but the action is the best Superman action to date and that sci-fi back story is a strong bonus to have in a Superman film. Nolan and Snyder nailed the Superman origin story in a way that I don't expect to ever see eclipsed.

I do get why people don't like it though; it's dark. Christopher Reeve and Richard Donner set a path for Superman to be light-hearted and hopeful, and that's not what people saw in Man of Steel. Snyder's whole jam is dark and full of machismo, and that has aged less and less well every year his career has unfolded.
 
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