Posts Tagged ‘Comic-Con 2011’

San Diego Comic-Con: Day Five

Monday, July 25th, 2011

A surprisingly crowded Sunday session found me doing an interview about the Harrison Ford BLACK HATS news, but largely just roaming the crowded room looking for bargains (found a few). Sunday always is a little sad — fewer costumes, a sense of urgency tinged with despair, and security staff getting a last burst of pointless officiousness out of their system — but I did get to talk to a few folks, including the legendary Jim Steranko, who chatted with me about our mutual love for Mickey Spillane and Mike Hammer. A similar conversation took place with Nick Cuti, co-creator of Mike Mauser (Joe Station being the other half), and I also talked to a publisher about bringing out a new, single-volume collection of the MIKE HAMMER comic strip, with the Sunday pages in color.

We had a lovely evening out with Ken and Mary Levin, at the ridiculously assaultive Brazilian steak house Rei Do Gabo.

And now, thanks to Nate, here’s an array of pics from the con.

M.A.C.

Comic Con 2011
M.A.C. with Titan honcho Nick Landau (excellent and still top-secret Mike Hammer covers not shown)

Comic Con 2011
M.A.C. with the RiffTrax crew: Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett, and Michael J. Nelson

Comic Con 2011
First Comics panel

Comic Con 2011
Vertigo panel (including the reveal of the cover of RETURN TO PERDITION)

Comic Con 2011
2011 Scribes winners Nathan Long and Nancy Holder, and the Scribe Faust Award winner Peter David

Comic Con 2011
Nathan and M.A.C. at SOUTH PARK’s Year of the Fan

San Diego Comic-Con Day Four

Sunday, July 24th, 2011
Black Hats

I was waiting in the lobby, ducking zombies, space-girls, manga characters and assorted superheroes (and villains), when I checked my e-mail on my phone and saw everybody and his duck congratulating me on the news that Harrison Ford has signed to play Wyatt Earp in a big-screen adaptation of my novel BLACK HATS (published under the Patrick Culhane penname that I have since abandoned). Anyway, if you read either the Hollywood Reporter story or the Variety story, you will know as much as I do right now.

I was only briefly at the con, but had the great fun of meeting both Sybil Danning and John Saxon at the Shout Factory Booth, where they were promoting the DVD/Blu-ray release of BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS. John Saxon, whose body of work is amazing, was a real gentleman, and Sybil Danning looks amazing, exactly as she did on the screen in the ’80s and ’90s (and is very, very nice as well). I would rather meet the great B movie stars, anytime, over the Hollywood big shots…with the exception of Harrison Ford, of course. And Tom Hanks.

Much of the day was a family one for us, eating at the Fish Market restaurant (Barb, Nate, Abby and me) on a deck I referred to as the Hitchcock Lounge, because of the friendly birds; shopping Seaport Village and the Gaslamp District; wolfing down sundaes at Ghirardelli’s; dining on great Mexican food at Casa Guadalajara in Old Town; and finally taking in an evening showing of HARRY POTTER (the 3-D conclusion), which I thought was a good film, if not as exciting as the cab ride home where Barb ordered the cabbie to slow down, and he asked, “Why?” What followed was not pretty….

M.A.C.

Seaport Village Comic Con 2011

San Diego Comic-Con Day Three

Saturday, July 23rd, 2011

This was Barb’s only day at the con, and she did very well, appearing on the crime/mystery panel with me (and seven other mystery writers, including such good pals as Gary Phillips and Jeff Marriote). A really good panel, despite 10 participants (including the moderator, Maryelizabeth Hart. Concise, smart answers, and good questions from the audience, too.

An autographing sessions followed, with a nice turnout. Also fun to meet and greet readers, and an Australian fan told us he was in the middle of our thriller REGENERATION, and loving it (as Maxwell Smart would say).

We also had the Scribe awards, which was a panel largely focusing on Peter David, our recipient of the Grand Master “Faust” award. Peter was lively, opinionated and funny, and that’s just on the first answer. We were joined by Scribe winners Nathan Long and Nancy Holder (whose BUFFY fans were in evidence). Despite not having many of the nominees present, we had what may have been our best panel, thanks largely to Peter, whose popularity got us a filled room.

Nathan and his girl friend Abby and Barb and I visited the South Park exhibit across the street from the convention center, and that was a blast — a great art show mingling material from the show itself and interpretations of the great characters by various gifted, quirky artists. I may not have mentioned it here before, but SOUTH PARK is probably my favorite current series (and has been for as long as it’s been on the air) (rivaled only by CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM — no sign of Larry David at the con).

M.A.C.

2011 Scribe Winners

Grandmaster Award– the Faust: Peter David

BEST NOVEL GENERAL:
SAVING GRACE: TOUGH LOVE by Nancy Holder

BEST NOVEL SPECULATIVE ORIGINAL:
WARHAMMER: BLOODBORN: ULRIKA THE VAMPIRE by Nathan Long

BEST NOVEL ADAPTATION:
THE WOLFMAN by Jonathan Maberry

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL:
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: ALDWYN’S ACADEMY by Nathan Meyer

San Diego Comic-Con 2011 Day Two

Friday, July 22nd, 2011

I promised two announcements today, both of considerable import:

First, I will be completing three more of Mickey Spillane’s unfinished Mike Hammer novel manuscripts, for a new publisher…Titan of the UK (distributed by Random House in the USA). Titan is one of my favorite publishers — they have a real feel for pop culture — and while I am sorry to leave Harcourt, I am very excited about our new home. I met with Titan honcho Nick Landau today at the con, and he showed me first passes on covers that are innovative and striking for three new Hammer novels. I will be sharing them with you soon.

The books are:

LADY GO, DIE!
COMPLEX 90
KING OF THE WEEDS

I am working on LADY, GO DIE! right now — a manuscript dating to 1948, making it the second Mike Hammer story (after I, THE JURY).

The other news — announced on the reboot of FIRST COMICS panel is that we will be doing Ms. Tree for publisher Ken Levin. The entire run will be collected in new volumes, and Terry Beatty and I be doing a new MS. TREE project, likely a comics mini-series that serializes a graphic novel.

There are number of book publishers here and I spoke to several editors about possible book projects, both tie-in and original.

Nate took a lot of pictures today and we’ll share them with you on Sunday morning. Tomorrow (Friday) are the Scribe Awards with a panel focusing on tie-in grand master, Peter David. Also, Barb and I will be appearing in a mystery/crime panel (details above).

M.A.C.