[Groop]SD Con

[Kevin Hall]

This is long, so if you don't have your cup of coffee, hit <delete> now.

Although I've been a fan of comics for a good 25 years plus, this was my
first convention. Talk about a trial by fire...jumping in at the deep
end...heading into a fray with nothing but cheese dip...you get the
idea.

I finally got to meet a few notable Groopers in person: Larry Steller,
Gary Grossmann, and Eric Chun. These are names I've known well for a
VERY long time.

Eric is very quiet & unassuming, but a gem of a guy. I'm sorry I didn't
get to hang around & talk with you more, Eric. Eric brought laminated
Groop ID tags to hand out to the Groopers. :D Thanks so much, Eric!!
Eric also sent me my first Groo card, signed by Sergio a few years back
shortly after I joined the Groop. One of Eric's infamous contests that
you didn't even know you were in until it was over. Even though I've
since acquired the complete set, I still have that card. Was a special
welcome to the Groop.

Larry's a kick and a half, and I look forward to future Groopiness with
him, off and on the list. I hope I can do the Parade thing some day,
Larry. Would definitely be a memory to cherish!

Gary is...well, Gary! It's hard to add anything that you don't already
know from getting to know him on the list. I was privileged enough to
grab a bite of dinner & chat about our families on one of the days. We
also got to watch a little of Abrazame (sp?) Muy Fuerte, a Spanish soap
opera that Gary & his wife have been following lately. At the Groo
panel, Gary was at his usual best. At one point he had to correct Sergio
as to which books had come out lately. Gary also compiled figures as to
exactly how many pages of Groo have been produced to date.

As far as the Groo crew goes...they don't get any better!

Sergio is the PERFECT uncle/grandfather. EVERY (without ANY exceptions)
fan or creator I've ever heard from talks about this man as a wonderful
& caring person. I found out that Sergio has an "accumulation" (he
specifically uses that word instead of "collection") of Simpsons
paraphernalia. So, when I asked for something a little special for my
sketchbook, he bargains with me for a new Simpsons figure rather than
cash. Understand, however, that he has a VERY complete collection. So,
before you all start bombarding the poor guy with Simpsons stuff,
remember he probably already has what you might be sending. Sergio is
all smiles, handshakes, & hugs. He makes each & every fan feel VERY
special. I also had the rare privilege of meeting his daughter. Some of
you may be aware that she was who Thaiis is based on. In fact, Sergio
pulled out his wallet on at least one occasion to show folks the "real"
Thaiis and Chakaal.

Tom Luth was simply as gracious & kind as they come. I didn't get to
spend too much time with him, but I'm glad I got to meet him. After the
panel, one thing he mentioned that was tough about coloring Sergio's
work was not just the sheer numbers of characters, but the fact that all
the characters were DIFFERENT!! Even in a battle scene, the soldiers
would not all have the same uniform, so he couldn't just color all their
tunics the same color, all their shoes the same color, etc. Some had
decorative medals or braids, some didn't. Some had buttons, some didn't.
:) He was also kind enough to draw a neat self-caricature in my sketch
book. In fact, each of the Groo Crew did it. I'll get a scan up at some
point. We also got to meet Tom's predecessor Gordon ?Kent? (Gary, help
me out here!). He was an incredibly nice guy and is currently involved
in all sorts of projects including things like Disney's Atlantis.

Stan Sakai is a story unto himself. In addition to being one of the
best, if not THE best, letterers in the business, most of you know that
he also has his own book called Usagi Yojimbo which he writes, draws,
letters, etc. A VERY talented & quite humble individual. My main
"mission" this trip was to get him to do a Daredevil/Usagi commission
(some of you know I'm a Daredevil nut) with the two characters back to
back facing each others' Ninja nemeses. Well, Stan wasn't comfortable
doing a character he doesn't own the rights to. I suggested maybe I
could convince Gene to draw just the DD character & Stan could do the
rest...  Stan said he supposed that would be ok, but he didn't know if
Gene Colan would want someone of his caliber scribbling on one of his
pages. Well, after all this, I realized a couple things: in my
enthusiasm (some of you know how hyped I can get), I'd kind of come on a
bit too strong to poor Stan, and
I *had* to have Gene & Adrienne say hello to Stan & his wife (who, like
Adrienne with Gene, helps to keep Stan's life in order). Well, I told
Stan not to worry about the whole commission thing (I'm still hoping it
may happen down the road someday though, but I'll live if it doesn't)
:)  and I asked if I could trade him a present for his kids in exchange
for a special sketch in my book. I also apologized for being such an
overenthused fan & pleaded that being my first Con & being a little
overwhelmed by all the neat people, I'd basically just forgotten my
manners. Well, to wrap up the Sakai section here, his son loved the
Dragonball Z binder & special cards I found (I asked one of his son's
friends who happened to know what they were both collecting), and Stan
added a superb picture in alongside the rest of the Groo crew. So,
Kevin's a VERY happy camper & learned a valuable lesson along the way
that I should have known already & just sort of forgot! And Stan, and
his wife Sharon, and his two kids are as wonderful & friendly as they
come. I also got to bump into some of the Usagi dojo people (including
Shogun Todd) on the last day of the con.

One quick aside - So, I come around the corner at one booth and almost
run into Dave Thomas. Not the Wendy's guy. The actor. From "Grace Under
Fire" and Second City TV (he played the Canadian in the Great White
North skits with Rick Moranis). I saw him, and did sort of a double
take. He saw me doing the double take & smiled. I then looked back &
forth from his badge to his face a couple times & he gave me a nod. Was
a kick seeing a TV person just walking around. I know they're human too,
but it's sort of like when you see your teacher from school in the
grocery store...just throws you for a loop. :)

Last bit, and to me a VERY important part of the Con: Mark Evanier. I
think this year he averaged 3 one and a half hour panels per day. He was
instrumental in making the whole Gene Colan birthday tribute happen (I
run Gene's website & discussion list), and he moderated a Marvel Bullpen
Reunion panel that I'll never forget as well as many others. While he
would occasionally have to put off folks seeking autographs, I also saw
him grab comics from 2 youngsters in the Silver Age panel who couldn't
make it through the crowd & get them to John Romita & John Buscema who
were both mobbed when the panel ended, so that the 2 young boys could
meet these legends & get their signatures. The guy has the heart of a
lion and an encyclopedic knowledge of comics & their history. As you
guys know, he's also INCREDIBLY knowledgable about MANY other facets of
entertainment, and at one time or another seems to have met just about
everyone in the entertainment field. I know many of you have already,
but for those who haven't, I highly recommend you stop by
http://www.evanier.com and check out his articles, features, etc.  I
guarantee you will spend major time at that site once you swing by
there.

All in all, an incredible weekend, and the neatest part was getting to
meet & talk with some amazing & far too humble creators like the Silver
Age folks and the Groo Crew and some wonderful fans! Some memories I'll
have for the rest of my life!

Kevin