<html>
<head>
<style>
.hmmessage P
{
margin:0px;
padding:0px
}
body.hmmessage
{
font-size: 10pt;
font-family:Verdana
}
</style>
</head>
<body class='hmmessage'>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">Hi Folks!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">This will be a pretty lame Con report, especially after the always marvelous con report by The Kunster.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Some stuff I’m putting in is info for folks who might come sometime who have never been there before.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">I’m going to start with a little pre-Con report.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Long Suffering Mrs. G. and I decided to make a full vacation out of our trek to the Con this year.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We rented car and drove from Olympia, WA to Klamath Falls, OR on Saturday and then relaxed on Sunday.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It’s a beautiful area and if we had been staying more than a day and half we would have gone to Crater Lake (which we have seen before and is amazing.)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Then on Monday we drove to Solvang, CA, which is this touristy town that has kind of set itself up as a little piece of Holland.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(It was founded by a group of Dutch folks 100 years ago.)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It’s also the location of one of the California Missions.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The drive was a little longer than we planned because we were detoured around a forest fire in Northern California.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But we rested another day (and ate a lot of Dutch food!) and then drove to San Diego on Wednesday in time for Preview Night.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>All in all, a very fun way to get to the Con.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(We didn’t drive back. We dropped off the rental car and flew home.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In a plane.)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">This year we stayed at a place in Mission Valley, which is quite a ways north of the convention center, but near a trolley stop.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Trying to find parking downtown is a prescription for a popped blood vessel or three, so we either walked or drove to the trolley to get into town.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They had an Event Special trolley running, but it still took half an hour or so to get in.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It was pretty convenient, lots of Con goers were out there, but it made it hard for us to get to the convention center in time to help Sergio set up his table, so next year we will stay some place downtown.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">A week after getting back from the Con everything is running together, so I’ll just tell you about stuff as I remember it, not in any particular order.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It was great seeing other Groopies!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Kunster, Eric, Forrest, Roberto, Kaytee, Dougie, Adriel (aka Groosagi), George of course, and Magnus all the way from Sweden!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Magnus’s wife, who does not have a particular interest in comics, was with him, so I christened her The Long Suffering Mrs. L.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>She is very sweet and also very understanding, just like someone else I know.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">As usual I spent most of my time behind Sergio’s table.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I never get tired of watching him draw and interact with folks and I really enjoy talking to all the different people while they stand in line and wait their turn to meet Sergio, and telling those who don’t know all about his work.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(Some folks only know him from MAD and some don’t even know that(!)) I also keep an eye on Sergio’s stuff, especially the two portfolios of original art he has on the table.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(Can’t you see the headline? “Crazed Groo Fan Tackles Would Be Thief!” Subtitle: “Thief in jail, fan held for observation” ).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But I digress.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">It’s also always great to see Scott Shaw!, whose table is always next to Sergio’s, and Stan Sakai, whose table is always about 3 miles from Sergio’s.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Tom Luth, who is always very nice to talk to, stopped by Sergio’s table for a bit as did Mark on occasion.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But this year seemed to be Gary Meets Many Cool Artists year.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I talked to Jerry Robinson about the origin of the Joker, Floyd Norman, an official Disney Legend, about the making of The Jungle Book and working for Disney, “Jeffy” Keane from family Circus, who is my age and has taken over the strip from his dad, Bil Keane.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I also spoke with Tom Richmond, who in my opinion is his generation’s Mort Drucker and a really cool guy. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And there were others whose names escape me at the moment but who had worked on things like designing some of the Muppets with Jin Henson.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I was really blown away.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">Meeting folks like this is one of the bennies of being an FOS (Friend of Sergio) and also a FOG (Friend of George) because George was and has been running around getting all sorts of artists to participate in his company’s promotion (which I will let him explain.) for which Scott Shaw! does most of the cartooning.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Actually, the initials FOG are very appropriate because from the middle of Thursday on I felt like I was in a fog to one degree or another.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">The Groo Panel was great.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Lots of good info and not a lot of stories I had already heard.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We will theoretically have a Groo every month for 20 months starting October.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>4<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Hogs of Hoarder, 4 Groo v. Conan, and 12 Friends and Foes.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Sergio also said that the reason the Groo Treasury is stalled, as well as the startup of the Groo Alphabet trades and Mighty Magnor is because he hasn’t had a chance to dig out the negatives from their various storage locations.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(George and I are fighting over which one of us tries to volunteer to help him.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Sergio is probably hoping we both lose!)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Also, Bart Simpson #50 will be ALL SERGIO.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And after that there will be a monthly Sergio contribution called “Maggie’s Crib.”<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">The fate of the Groo Movie is in the hands of Sergio’s now most despised profession:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Lawyers!!!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Apparently after finally finding a studio that would give them complete creative control and a verbal agreement, that same studio’s lawyers wrote up a classic Hollywood definition of “profits” which translates in zero kopins for Sergio and Mark.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(E.g. The Star Trek franchise has never turned a profit.)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But at least it’s not completely hopeless.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Hopefully. Maybe.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I guess. (wimper wimper sniff sniff)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">Quick Draw was also great and Mark called upon our own Dougie McCoy to be a participating cartoonist!!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>You can see a part of it on Mark’s website.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>However, there were two parts of Quick Draw that I really like that were not done this year.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>There was not a how-many-different-things-can-Sergio-incorporate-into-one-drawing segment and there was not a Sergio-draws-3-4-different-gags-from-one-word segment (e.g. Mark says “Fire” 4 times and you get a fireman gag, a caveman discovering fire gag, and two firing squad gags.)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Hopefully, there will be time to do one or both of those next year.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">There is not much more I can think to say. (“Thank goodness!”)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I’m sure I’m forgetting something or someone.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I’m a little bummed that I look so serious in my little background cameo in Sergio’s interview.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“Serious” is definitely not the word to describe me when I am at the Con.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But I didn’t even realize a camera was on.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I moved out of camera range on a number of other interviews.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The only time I can recall being on camera on purpose is years ago when Eric wanted me to explain why Larry & I missed the Groo Panel that year.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(It was my fault, of course, and had to do with a search for obscure Groo appearances.)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">OK, that’s it.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I told you it would be lame.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But at least it wasn’t three or four parts long like in the past.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Everyone needs to come next year!!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The revival of Groo will be in full swing!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So start saving your kopins now for GROO FEST 2010!!!!!!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>Take care all,</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">Gary G.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">PS<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Lithos will go out by Saturday.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The UPS store didn’t have enough tubes and everyone else charged too much.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P><br /><hr />Get your vacation photos on your phone! <a href='http://windowsliveformobile.com/en-us/photos/default.aspx?&OCID=0809TL-HM' target='_new'>Click here.</a></body>
</html>