HeroesCon Update III

The highlight of the convention for me was the Silver Age panel.

Given the distinguished nature of the panel, I didn't take any pictures. These are some of the leading lights of the comics industry, one simply does not squeeze off flashbulbs in their presence like they were gauche celebrities.

Here's a description of the distinguished panel members:

Roy Thomas - the legendary writer and editor, the man to whom Stan Lee handed the Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief mantle, emceed the panel, and quite effectively so. He kept all the members engaged and always seemed to find a way to get them to actually answer the question posed at some point.

Marv Wolfman - the writer behind "Crisis on Infinite Earths" and "Tomb of Dracula" managed to offer the panel's keenest insights into the comic industry while sounding a bit like Woody Allen during a proctological exam.

Nick Cardy - another living legend as the artist on Aquaman, Teen Titans, and Bat Lash, well-known in the industry for his ability to draw beautiful women. Nick has a marked tendency to start to tell risque stories; Roy had to scramble to keep the event PG-13.

Howard Chaykin - the genius writer/artist/graphic designer behind "American Flagg!" held down the Frank Miller Paranoid New Yorker chair, and seemed at several points to be attempting to disarm the audience as a way to defuse a potentially explosive situation. Relax, Howard, you're in the Bible Belt. Of course, dropping the f-bombs may have bee a bit too relaxed....

Gene Colan - My favorite comic artist, all-time, whose work on "Daredevil", "Howard the Duck", and "Tomb of Dracula" made him a legend. A true gentleman, Colan invariably waited patiently for his turn to speak, then delivered a profound insight into the topic matter before withdrawing behind his Terminator shades and letting Howard and Marv bicker some more.

Jim Amash - Fanzine writer for Alter Ego; possessed of astonishing range of knowledge of comics. Could take "The Simpsons"' Comic Book Guy two out of three falls regarding "B'Wana Beast" cameo appearances.

Herb Rogoff - editor of "Atom Age", worked with 50s publishers Ziff-Davis and Hillman on books like "Airboy". Lent a much-needed pre-Silver Age context to the discussion panel.

The panel was very interesting, although many of the folks in the room looked a bit young to have even heard of The Silver Age. The group quickly reached consensus that everyone had a different Golden Age for their own comics interest, probably tied to when they were between 10 and 12 years old, except if those years occurred during the 90s, when comics were universally agreed to have sucked.

It was great to hear some of the "Inside Baseball" stories of run-ins with editors, publishers, and other talent, as well as to gain a window into what it's like to devote your life to the comic business.

As I got to shake Gene Colan's hand, I considered it to be a rousing success. In talking to convention organizer Sheldon Drum afterward, he indicated that Chaykin had told him that was the best panel he'd ever been on.

Now if only Sheldon had asked him if he'd ever been on one before....