I’m very sad to say that Forrest Ackerman died at his home in LA this past Thursday, December 4th, of heart failure.  Sci-Fi may never be the same.  If you grew up in the sixties or seventies you knew Forry as the founder and editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland, the seminal monster movie magazine that was our lifeline to info on the genre we loved so much.  Believe it or not, there was a time when the internet, chat rooms, and message boards didn’t exist and it was magazines like Forry’s that kept us informed.  And it went beyond just the titular Monsters.  The very first Star Wars mag I got my hands on was a special edition (all in B&W newsprint mind you) published by Famous Monsters.  Of course he did much more than publish a magazine, but that’s largely what i remember him for.  He was an ambassador for science fiction in a world where adults weren’t supposed to endorse such trash.

I had the great pleasure of seeing Forry along with his friends Ray Bradbury and Ray Harryhausen, three of the powerhouses of the sci fi genre (a name coined by Forry BTW), at a panel discussion at Comic Con a couple of years ago.  These men were a joy to behold as they still held onto the basic love of science fiction and fantasy that brought them together in the first place.  I don’t know of any time before (or since for that matter) when I grinned throughout an entire panel discussion, but I did that day.  The shot above is a pic from that day (Forry’s the one in the blue jacket on the right) but it holds little of the magic that was in that room.  I only hope that when I’m 92 I go out with just a little of the sparkle that Forry had in his eyes right up ’til the end.

Now that Comic Con has come and gone, much is being said about how it has lost much of its focus, and, let’s face it, its appeal.  But the best articulation of this sentiment has to be a lengthy article from Publisher’s Weekly’s The Beat blog.  I know I sound like a dyed-in-the-wool geek, but I think an era has passed in the con and comic book world, and I doubt it will ever return. 

Read the eulogy here:

http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/08/01/boil-that-dust-speck/

That’s right. You heard me.  The Pete is finally getting some long-due respect, this time from Publisher’s Weekly’s The Beat.  Let’s hear it for PeatMuppet and the Pete! Now – let’s see if we can keep up the momentum. 

I attended the Fluke convention in Athens, Georgia this past weekend. For those who are unfamiliar with Fluke…it’s a small convention held upstairs in Tasty World in downtown Athens. Consisiting of nothing but independant and self-published comic creators, Fluke was definately a thrill. About 25-35 comic creators set up their tables with their art and comics (comix). Among the guests were Top Shelf’s Andy Runtun (of Owly fame) and J Chris Campbell (of, well, the bizarre). Most were local or from surrounding states. The great thing about this convention was it was small and intimate. There were no comic dealers selling their back-issues of superhero comics. Their were no costumes. No dealers selling action figures. And especially, and thankfully, no manga or anime (except for one creator).

There were only comics by people like you and I. There were even comics for a penny! The intimate setting was a great way to talk to the creators, and even stand there reading their books. There weren’t any distractions.

And there was a good turn-out. The people there seemed genuinely interested in the self-published books. These are readers who want something more than your usual superhero style of storytelling.

Now don’t get me wrong…I love me some Dragoncon and superhero titles. But it was nice to be able to enjoy something different and more personal. Sure, there were obviously some artists there who threw their books together on folded typing paper. But that was almost the beauty of it. The artists could create their own comics the way they wanted to. There was even a little girl sitting with her comic-creator father who drew her own comics and sold them. According to her dad, her comics sold better than his!

So next year, for something a little different, and more real and intimate, take a trip to Athens, Georgia and experience a con like no other (in Georgia at least). You won’t be disappointed.

Okay okay…So Megacon was last weekend and I’m finally getting around to writing about it. Pictures are on the way…I hope.

After much hype about Megacon (in Orlando, FL) from my brother-in-law Brad, my wife and I decided to go to Megacon and see for ouselves.

Boy were we happy! I’m a Dragoncon man myself. We go every year and wouldn’t miss it for the world. But Megacon…well, if you’re a comic fan looking for back issues, or Silver Age comics, or recent releases at reduced prices, then this is for you. Comics were everywhere. (Personally, I bought around 500 myself!) There were 50 cent comics, dollar comics, great Silver Age deals and more. Matter of fact, I found and purchased Avengers # 19 in good shape for 13 bucks! Yep. I about wet my pants.

And there were comic people…Joe Quesada, Darwyn Cooke (I met’im! Nice guy!), Andy Runtun (from Top Shelf’s Owly fame), the great Herb Trimpe, Amanda Connor, Stan sakai, and tons more!

And there were actors/actresses. And Anime/Manga (ugh). And costumes! And action figures. And more comics!

I expected it to be crowded. And it was…BUT, there seemed to be plenty of room to move around (except for the smelly guy looking at dollar comics next to me…).

The only drawback was the lack of food. Oh sure, there was food in the back of the convention center room. Expensive food that didn’t need to be expensive. You’d think there’d be restaurants nearby or something. But nope.

Anyway, I had the time of my life and came back with comics….and more comics…and more comics….

You ever have those dreams where you’re in a comic store or at a convention, and you’re literally snatching comics from the boxes or racks left and right? Well, that’s how I felt. Holy mother of Johnny Thunder! I was in heaven!

So if you’re considering going to Megacon next year…GO! You won’t regret it.