As Comic Con International San Diego once was for me, so is New York Comic Con today!
It’s the chance to see old friends, make new friends, attend panels, and (of course) buy comics. And, thanks to my Disney comic book work with Gemstone and Boom!, I get to attend as a Pro – with all that entails.
Ah, the joys of hanging out with, or just speaking to: (in approximate order of appearance) David Gerstein, Ryan Wynns, Gemstone Editor-in-Chief John Clark, a cameo or two by Jonathan Gray, Aaron Sparrow, dealer friends that I’ve known from other shows, Bugs Bunny Director Greg Ford, former Lobo artist Val Semeiks, and two very charming young ladies named Kathy and Ashley – for whom David and I autographed copies of our Boom! Disney comics. …And everyone else who came together to make the experience great.
My comics purchases become fewer and fewer every year. 4 Dells (Including one I've waited many years for!), 1 DC (At last, the origin of Bat-Mite!), and 1 Harvey in old comics, and 4 additional contemporary DCs that I failed to pick up at the comic shop. And absolutely no bootleg DVDs this time! 
But the most fun is always the conversation, interaction, joking, and general mutual appreciation of the comic book. For example: John Clark saying his favorite issue of WONDER WOMAN was when she had a date with an amoeba (!!!). And, I thought Johnny Bravo (and Seth MacFarlane’s) “Date with an Antelope” (Warning: You Tube Link with SOUND!!!) was wonderfully bizarre. And, all I had to offer was when WW was on THE VIEW. Though, if I HAD the “Amoeba Date” comic, I’d probably have named that one too.
David Gerstein showed several uncharacteristically violent FELIX THE CAT covers, where a mouse named “Skidoo” does some particularly sadistic things to Felix – in the vein of “Itchy and Scratchy”. 
It got to the point that, for each one he showed me, I sang the “Itchy and Scratchy” theme song and added “Today’s Episode: …(fill in)”For a cover where Felix was skin diving and Skidoo poured salt water down his air hose… “Today’s Episode: Voyage to the Bottom of Deceased”.
Another had Skidoo placing lit dynamite sticks atop Felix’s birthday cake… “Today’s Episode: Six-Scream Candles”.
You get the picture. …And Felix got “the business”! 23… um, Skidoo!
Fun, fun, fun… and I hope we all get to do it next year.
12 comments:
And next year, I'm hoping to join you, suh! I haven't been to a comic con in years and wouldn't mind changing that.
Pete
It’s been ten years (!) since we did it last, Pete! We SHOULD try again!
And what a blast it was 10 years ago!! My, how time blazes on...
Saw Julius Schwartz, bought at an obscenely reasonable price Flintstones #1 (thanks to your expert haggling), FINALLY read "King Scrooge the First" in its original printing...
Och, the days gone by...
Witness the ongoing mayhem that is Felix and Skiddoo's (note spelling) ongoing battle of attrition. They fight, and fight, and fight and fight and fight (sorry—no biting going on that I can tell).
Want to title a few? You know you do!
Click David’s link above, and look at the covers.
Issue # 137: “Today’s Episode: Dead Ringer!”
Issue # 136: “Today’s Episode: Piano Conc-HURT-o!”
Issue # 134: “Today’s Episode: Skiddoo Nose Best!”
Issue # 132: “Today’s Episode: Major League Face-Ball!”
Issue # 128: “Today’s Episode: Of Nails and Tails! – or Skiddoo Nails It!”
Issue # 127: “Today’s Episode: Anchor Management!”
And you can see "Voyage to the Bottom of Deceased" as Issue # 139.
Though, since no one knows Skiddoo today, Felix probably WON that “War of Attrition”!
Righ-tee-oh!
Joe,
One of these years I'll be able to get away mid-semester... this simply wasn't the year. I assume that the logistical nightmares of year #1 have long since been conquered.
Chris
They have ABSOLUTELY been conquered, Chris! This year, and last year – two large and successful shows – were very easy to negotiate. I believe they’ve expanded to the entire Javits Center, and that makes a HUGE difference! Come back and try it again!
I should also point out that the LINK that David provided to the FELIX covers, seems to have changed its content to show DIFFERENT Felix covers than those to which I write the “faux-title captions” to this morning.
I mention this to avoid puzzlement among my readers. Maybe a more stable link can be provided.
Joe, in my previous comment, the word "ongoing" links to Felix's own title—while the word "mayhem" links to POPULAR COMICS (the covers of which you commented upon). So there really are two links there.
As for nobody knowing Skiddoo today, a quick trip to the Felix studio website shows him as a major cast member—though he seems to have developed clothes at some point in the past half-century. The longer-nosed facial design shown is closer to what he had in some 1930s daily strips.
Oh, I see! The words “ongoing” and “mayhem” are TWO SEPARATE LINKS. And, the way it was displayed (on MY screen at least) had them on two separate LINES of the display – so I naturally assumed them to be ONE LINK! Thanks for clearing that up!
In any event, click on the word “mayhem” to see the covers I refer to in my earlier comment.
And click on the word “ongoing” to see Issue # 2, which I dubbed “Six-Scream Candles” in the main post!
Finally, and I’d never knock a character so evocative of Itchy (…much less, Jerry, Herman, etc.) but, if in all MY decades of exposure to and study of comics and animation, *I* never heard of Skiddoo until this year, he IS a forgotten character!
Anyone out there – who has NOT spent hours upon hours of enjoyable conversation with David on the subjects of comics and animation (as I have) – ever hear of Skiddoo?
I’d say even Rock Bottom clearly beats him out in raw popularity.
So Rock Bottom isn't rock bottom?
"Gee, Boss—duh, maybe I better call meself '*Second* ta Rock Bottom'! Or maybe 'Thoid Rock From da Top'..."
"ENOUGH, nincompoop! You're giving me BAGS under my eyes!"
"But not THIS bag, Professor?... Righty-o!"
Hey; the staff on the 1990s Felix TV series remembered Skiddoo well enough to try and create the ultimate meta battle between Felix and the mouse, though they used an unrecognizable 1924 design for him. Sneeze and you'll miss Skiddoo's one reference to himself by name (at 1:31).
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