Paul Chadwick's Weblog

Weirdest Convention Givaway

Movie posters and other swag were there for the taking in a table by the entrance to the convention.  This was the most curious.

A lollipop promoting the horror film Saw V.

Is there symbolism that escapes me?

Click to enlarge.

Seattle Comicard Convention

Sunday's small, relaxed convention took me back decades.  Boxes of old comics, artists sketching, and that was about it -- but quite enough for a pleasant time.

A highlight was getting to know Rick Hoberg, who preceded me into the field by a few short years so that we have many people and experiences (he's done a lot more storyboarding than  I ever did, though) in common.

He told an anecdote from his earliest days about the collision of two great Comics Artist Egos: Alex Toth and Russ Manning. 

Rick,  Dave Stevens and Bill Stout  were working for Manning as assistants at the time, getting out Tarzan comics in Manning's style for a European publisher. 

Alex brought in a backup story he'd done.  Masterful comic art, of course: Tarzan in the desert.  I can imagine the simple, graphic curves of dunes Alex would've played with like nobody else. 

Manning thought it was great, but...

"Beautiful job, Alex.  Of course we'll have to redraw the faces to match the way I do Tarzan."

Instantly the hair on the assistants' neck hairs prickled.  "That's not gonna happen," said a steely Toth.

So they went at it, verbally, while the assistants tried to keep their eyes on their boards. The shoutfest ended when Toth tore the art pages to pieces.

"He took them with him," says Rick.  "He probably knew I would've picked 'em all up and taped them together the minute he left!"

I wonder: were those pages among Toth's effects when he died?  Or did he throw them out?

Tragic.

Rick Hoberg's Website.

Meet Paul Chadwick Sunday

 Or deliver subpoenas, delinquent bills, paternity test results.

I'll be at the Seattle Comicard Convention at Seattle Center, in the shadow of the Space Needle, at a table peddling my books and artwork.  Drop by and say hello.  I should be there 12-5pm.

I'll be sharing the table with friend Ken Steacy, legendary Canadian comics artist for Marvel and DC and Now and Image And Fractal Comics and Dark Horse and now a publisher in his own right.

Pic to the left is by headliner Clayton Crain.  Click to enlarge.  Other guests, with links to the convention site bios:

  :: Ben Hansen
  :: Clayton Crain
  :: Greg Scott Bailey
  :: Jason Martin
  :: Jason Metcalf
  :: Jeff Cheatham
  :: John Aegard
  :: Levi Skeen
  :: Mark Brill
  :: Nate Powell
  :: Randy Emberlin
  :: Randy Kintz
  :: Rick Hoberg
  :: Shannon Devine
  :: Steve Lieber
  :: Tony Dela Cruz
  :: William E. G. Johnson