If you’ve ever listened to my old show, Chronic Insomnia, you’ll know that I rarely lack for opinions. Here’s where you can find them, if that sort of thing interests you. And it just might, if you give me a chance. In a world dedicated to grinning falsely through clenched teeth and spitting out comforting lies, I will bring you something truly revolutionary…content without bullshit.
So without further ado, some random thoughts about my recent trip to Halifax for…
Halcon 2012 The first thing you need to understand about Halcon is that it is not a comic book convention. Wasn’t designed as one, doesn’t pretend to be one, and you shouldn’t assess it that way. I mention this because as a comics fan, I find myself desperately wanting it to be a comic book convention, and that’s neither wise nor fair. Halcon is a Sci-fi/fantasy convention with some comics material included. It’s not one of the “Big Shows”, at least not yet. The baby is barely three years old, let’s forgive her if she hasn’t taken over the world yet, shall we? Measured next to San Diego or New York, or C2E2, Halifax feels small. Halcon has no movie studios breaking new trailers, no Marvel NOW! panels with Axel Alonso and Jonathan Hickman, no endless sea of long boxes and back issues to plow through.
There are other items missing from the Halcon experience, though – like 90 minute lines to your favorite creator, only to be the first person cut off because said creator shipped out. (This happened to me at the Scott Snyder queue in Chicago) Also absent? That ringing in your ears from the noise of the crowd, and that scratchiness in your throat from having to shout over the din.
And oh yes, there are still treasures to be found. If you wanted a copy of Amazing Fantasy # 15, that was available for sale. I picked up a small pile of exceptionally rare Batman hardcovers in exceptionally nice condition for less than cover price.
You want creators? There were writers and pencillers from Marvel, DC, and independent publishers, big books and small. But that’s not the point, really.
Here’s the point. Ramon Perez just won a small pile of Eisner awards. There might be somebody on planet earth more talented than him, but nobody is coming to mind. He’s just sitting there, quietly drawing next to a stack of Tale of Sand. There is nobody around him… well, unless you count Adventure Time’s Mike Holmes to his right, or Darwyn Cooke to his left.
You start to realize how crazy this whole scenario is – why aren’t these people being mobbed? Why am I able to simply walk straight up to these legends and have a civil conversation without shouting? Because it’s Halcon, that’s why. It’s not one of the Big Shows. It’s better than that.
But then things get even crazier. Not only do you now have a Layla Miller sketch by Ramon Perez in your sketch book because you’re one of the 4 people on earth who really super love Layla Miller, but you find yourself after the con having dinner with Ramon Perez and Nick Bradshaw. You think to yourself: “Screw San Diego”.
This would never happen in San Diego, unless you’re Stan Lee. Forget San Diego! You order the steak. They have no A1 sauce, but the server offers you A1’s cousin, some strange concoction that calls itself HP. Oh, Canada, you are a strange mistress, but I do believe I’m in love with you.
Halcon is 85% of everything you want from a huge convention with 5% of the hassle. I recommend Halcon to any comic book fan, but if you live in the maritime, it’s kinda mandatory. Other snibbets
I almost had a heart attack on the show floor. I was the “sound guy” while Red Shirt interviewed one of his heroes, R.A. Salvatore. I obsessively watched the levels during the talk to be absolutely certain I was getting everything, and crystal clear. When we got back downstairs, all we could hear was Remy’s testing the mic, and thought the interview was lost forever. Turns out it was just in a different folder on the device. Whew!
Red Shirt was quite the problem solver throughout the weekend – he straightened out a number of technical issues, and was always good to run out for Tim Horton’s or get props for interviews. Not everything ran smoothly, but one thing about Team Monster…they know how to circle the wagons and get things done.
Remember waaaaaay back in WMD # 204 when we reviewed Minutemen # 1? Well, we got the chance to talk to Darwyn Cooke about that opening sequence and see if any of my interpretations were accurate, and he pretty much confirmed them all as bang-on. Now that was good stuff!
Why did Larry Hama want to become a writer? Math. Hama started as a penciller, and was handed a three sentence “Marvel Method” script that was obviously dashed off 30 minutes before it was handed to him. Since it took Hama 22 days to draw the script, and since he knew that the writer was making twice his page rate, Larry decided that writing was a better job by 44:1 and began pitching as a writer immediately.
It took a while for an editor to bite, though; he was typecast as a penciller. According to Hama, he mostly got the job writing GI Joe because licensed books paid the worst page rates and nobody else wanted the gig. Needless to say, that worked out for everybody!
Remy smoked about 3 gallons worth of assorted fruit juices through something that looked like Dr. Who’s sonic screwdriver. Also, Remy has the magical ability to exhale through both ends as he sleeps. I wish I didn’t know that, as does our hotel room.
I spoke with Gail Simone about her recently funded Kickstarter project, Leaving Megalopolis. (with pencils by Secret Six co-star Jim Calafiore) The math doesn’t jive with me. Secret Six on average sold about 25,000 copies through diamond, at $3/per generating around $75,000 retail per issue. Obviously those diamond estimates are incomplete, but it’s in the zip code of reality.
So how is it possible that Leaving Megalopolis was funded to the tune of $117,000+ without the benefit of the DC marketing juggernaut and Bat-family characters driving sales? It’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, of course. Megalopolis is an 80 page book, not a 20 page pamphlet. But it still seems odd to me that an independent project like that could out-earn a DC project from the same creative team in any format.
Gail called it a “miracle” of word-of-mouth fan support, and believes that Kickstarter helped draw in curious folks who don’t ordinarily visit their local comic shop on Wednesday. It’s as good an explanation as any, I suppose. Kickstarter certainly carries its own buzz for the moment, and buzz is king. That being the case, I suggested the Warner Bros. move the entire DC line to Kickstarter. Gail did not appear to be on board with that idea.
Monster Mike created over a dozen sketch cards during the convention, drawing between pitching the show to new listeners. They started out looking good, and got better as he went. Some of his sketches found homes with the stars depicted! His Hawkgirl sketch is absolutely ready for prime time, and I got to take home the piece de resistance – a “Lying Cat” from Saga!
Please feel free to leave a comment or contact Ryan Lee directly at ryanleeisamonster@gmail.com
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