Remembering Keith Giffen.
Who aside from giving us one of the best departing lines of all time, had told his daughter "You should put my ashes in a pepper shaker or mix it into food," and that gave me the opportunity to tell that story last month at my NYCC keynote and say "Did anyone try the tacos?"
Art by Kevin Maguire.
"Will you do a sketch in my book?"
"Oh, I'm an editor, I can't sketch."
"That's okay, some people did stick figures."
"Hmmmm. Okay."
Packed for both Algeria AND Sweden. I had to buy a new bag, my carry-on can only deal with one climate at a time.
I can watch myself at 40,000 feet. I'm interviewed in the documentary on the left.
I won't, because like most everyone else, I don't know how to react to video of myself. But I could. Which is both kind of fun but also weird.
I went to see writer Sean Howe talk about his new book tonight, over in Echo Park. I thought it would be a record of the magazine HIGH TIMES but the book is about its enigmatic founder, Thomas King Forcade, who was a radical in the seventies, or possibly a grifter, who can really say? Anyway, it reminded me how in the seventies there would be smoke-ins on the national mall, and how pot was everywhere in those days and was nearly legalized under the Carter years. This isn't a book about pot, though, that's just part of the story.
Of course, the Reagan era was coming and the world was about to change a whole lot. Anyway, the book sounded great so I was fortunate enough to buy the last copy at the bookstore and get Sean to sign it.
But you know what makes this book extra-special? Cover art by Bill Sienkiewicz! (Sean let me have one of the posters.)
It's been five years already since writer Mark Russell and I attended a staged reading of Snagglepuss at the Tennessee Williams Festival in Provincetown. It was incredible, a highlight of my time in comics (others being the theme park opening in Kuwait, and stealing back the office in Cairo).
I was grateful to my then-bosses for indulging me by covering my costs to allow me to attend, as well as for how strongly they supported and advocated for Mark's vision of Snagglepuss, and before that, The Flintstones (with Steve Pugh) and Prez (with Ben Caldwell).
I remember when one of our most legendary artists came into my office and said "I heard this was the most woke comic out there" about The Flintstones and I hadn't heard the phrase "woke" yet. I laughed and laughed. What a ridiculous and belittling term for people doing relevant and smart work. (Spoiler: Usage of the term only got more belittling over time.)
But then I remember the same sneering in college years with the term "PC." Same shit, different terms. I don't have the energy for culture wars. We all do the best we can, and I've worked on a lot of good and bad comics, then sometimes we get to do something like Exit Stage Left.
I've been trying to convince my editorial team to do a fart scratch-and-sniff cover, but no one seems interested.
I have clearly lost control of the troops.
My job isn’t backbreaking hard but it can be challenging in unexpected ways, sometimes wildly unexpected ways. Sometimes exhausting ways.
And then there are days of unbridled fun at putting out books full of creativity by staff and talent.
I had a great time catching up with folks at SDCC this year, but every time I open a new message, I learn about another person coming home with covid.
I'm testing daily and still negative, but every little ache is now "I must have covid."
I figure I'll be in the clear if I'm still negative in the morning, but I already have it in my paranoid brain. I'm sorry if I gave it to you, unless I don't have it, in which case it wasn't me.
I was headed south from LA on the newly reopened Pacific Surfliner.
Very newly.
An earlier train had broken down and the train to San Diego took 7 hours. My colleagues were on it, and the a/c didn’t work for a while. They had to finally turn it on because summer, but that slowed down the brake repair even longer.
All the other trains were stuck behind the broken one. Several were cancelled. Two of our comics colleagues from France were scheduled to be on a train today. We’d enthusiastically told them about the view. To be fair, we did mention it breaks a lot.
I was assured my train will be fine. I guess we’ll see.
I was digging around for a photo from last year and came across this...I was pretty pleased with myself for making these saint candles for a few of my colleagues for the holidays.
(Note it's always a pencil, not a cigar which is weirdly what people see if they don't look closely.)
I am delighted to report that BETTER LIVING THROUGH BIRDING by America's Sweetheart Christian Cooper is a marvelous, heartfelt, thoughtful, and highly entertaining read.
I accidentally bought two versions, meaning I dutifully went to the bookstore and bought the hardcover on release day, but then I didn't want to carry it on the plane so I bought the Kindle version too. But I'm happy to have done so...it's so good.
I was like...can I really read this giant book about...birds? But birds are Chris' passion, and he makes them fascinating through his framework of family, work, travel, nerd life, romance, and his own personal journey. (Of course, I'm a sucker for the travel parts.) And also...humor! I fondly recall when in his web comic Queer Nation, Chris named a portal character Calgon, and many many episodes later, another character said "Calgon, take me away!" And I laughed and laughed.
That's dedication to the long joke game. Maybe you had to be there, but the point is Chris is funny and charming in his book, just like in real life.
Wholeheartedly recommended, no notes.
John Romita Sr. was so kind and unassuming back there in his office at the corner of the Marvel Bullpen at 387 Park Avenue South—it took me a while of working nearby before I figured out he was the legend whose Spider-Man art I’d grown up on.
He died yesterday at 93, after living a long and rewarding life as an artist whose influential work defined and refined an era.
But he was also a leader, an art director, and he mentored dozens if not hundreds of aspiring artists who worked doing art corrections and touch-ups as Romita’s Raiders over the years. His leadership included setting an example of kindness and authenticity as well as professionalism. Some of my closest friends came into the business as Romita’s Raiders.
I remember we’d sometimes get annoyed when our art director was so often tasked with drawing cards celebrating some exec’s friend’s anniversary or whatever, chafing that the recipient likely had no idea what a treasure they received. But I for one was maybe a little jealous. I only wish I’d gotten around to asking for one myself. All our best to John's family and friends—he impacted the lives of so many of us.
Yesterday was legendary editor Mike Carlin's last day at DC. Here he is with several of us current DC editors.
I couldn't find this photo on my phone, which was driving me crazy because I knew we'd taken it, and then Art Director Steve Cook sent it to me! He took it on his phone, not mine. Which is better as Steve is an actual photographer.
All our best to Mike and Janice as Mike adjusts to life without a daily job focusing on Superman, Batman, and assorted others. (He lives about two miles away so this is not an actual goodbye, exactly, just congratulating him on a job well-done, and all the influence he had on comics, Superman, and us editors.)
Also, I know many tall people.
"It is with sadness that we learned over the weekend of the sudden death of Guy Deroin, visual artist/writer/designer/ni-Vanuatu painter 🖌
Better known as 'Guigui', he is the author of the only comic strip in the country 'Mino', available in French. His dream was to create an amusement park for adults and children, with the theme of the cultures of Vanuatu 🇻🇺
Exactly 11 years ago, he allowed Vanuatu to win a world record recorded by Guinness, in the category "How many people can write a story in 24 hours" 🏆
Guy Deroin drew 35 images illustrating the adventures of two children and a giant turtle as they travel the 85 tropical islands of the Vanuatu archipelago 🏝
838 children participated in writing the story based on his drawings, each contributing a sentence 🖊
In 10 hours, school children and a handful of adults broke the previous record (set by 797 Austrians) 👏"
I'm thinking of turning off the water in my condo's half-bath and making it a comic book storage closet. These are desperate times.
I went to Venice today to meet Steve Buccellato for breakfast. I can't really go near Abbot Kinney without getting nostalgic for when I stayed around there with Steve in 1995. You could park anywhere, driving from Santa Monica to LAX to ship files to New York took 20 minutes, and you could pull up in your car outside Arrivals and run the pack of Syquest or Zip disks in to the freight desk.
Back then, we could afford Electric Crayon office space in Santa Monica. I had an Ugly Duckling rental car, which was stolen right outside our apartment. And you couldn't stay on the boardwalk at night without worrying about gangs.
Today, it's hip and gentrified and a good place to buy candles. Lots and lots of candles. So many candles.
