For years, Mike had been a special guest of the Pittsburgh Comicon, and I never really talked to him much, mostly because he was a big-name artist who always had lines of people waiting for an autograph or sketch. After all the years of seeing him sitting at a booth signing for all these people, and wondering what kind of guy he could be, I decided to use him as the basis for a character in my "Industry Standard" webstrip. I based the story on the fact I had heard he was a nice guy, but also on stories of him being a bit stuck up. I also included a scene of a fan following him to the bathroom, which I actually saw happen to Jeff Smith (Bone) once, and reworked the story so all of these factored in to the perceived image of the character (Michael Spinner).
**See the webstrip in the post below**
So at the 2003 Pitt-Con, I decided to make a print of the strip, and show it to Mike, to see what he would think. When he read it, he laughed out loud! He said he got the "what an ego" a lot, and didn't know why. We talked of fans and how these things get started, and he signed the print for me! He was pretty cool, and said when I was leaving, "If you use that character again, make sure you make me look good!"
Later that evening, I headed to the bar as usual, and Mike was hanging out with some people at the bar entrance. He said as I passed by, "Glenn, right?" I said yes and he asked if I'm following him, and that he's going to the bathroom if I want to come with (joking about the IS strip plot). We laugh, and talk briefly, when he totally stuns me by saying "I want you to come and play some pool with me." We play a few games, with other notable creators coming by and hanging out, and Mike is treating me like an old friend. We were partners against two guys already running the table, but we beat them, so Mike and his pal A.J. challeneged my friend Jay and I.
And that was the start of our friendship.
Whenever he was at Pitt-Con, he would always stop by and challenge Jay & I to a pool match. I would always say if we won, he would do a cover for me for free. We never won. Mike was really good! And even at a busy con like San Diego, he would always make it a point to ask if I wanted to join him somewhere. One time while playing, he had received a call from his girlfriend, and handed me the phone to talk to her while he took his shots. At that time, I had never even met her, and he just hands it off to me to make conversation!
The last two years I hadn't seen him much, since he was battling the cancer. I missed those games of pool, and joking around with him. And now I'll only have the memories.
You battled valiantly over the years, and never lost your sense of humor or your easy-going personality, in spite of all you were going through. You were courageous to the end. The pain is over. Rest in peace, and know you will sorely be missed.
Michael Turner was a top artist and creator, and one of the nicest people I've had the priveledge to get to know. I will post a more detailed rememberance later this afternoon, but in the meantime, I am posting my Industry Standard webstrip that parodies him. It had made him laugh, and actually was the thing that let me get to know him.
Rest in peace Mike. You will be missed by friends and fans alike.
I get to the Monroeville Expo Mart about 5:15 and await the arrival of Space Monkey & Luchador Al. The bar opens at 6, so I settle on the couch and listen to my iPod. About 5:30 or so Mike wanders in, and when the bar opens, we go in and get some food. The barmaid Joan is surprised to see us, and asks if we're in for the horror convention going on that weekend, We tell her no and also warn her that Al is on his way. About 7:30 wanders in and orders some food, and we talk to some retailer people Al knows who are in for the con, and we catch up on everything since Pitt-Con. We decide to take off, but first Al has to hit the bathroom. He leaves, and and some guy walks into the bar right past us, and sits with the retailer folks. I didn't really look at him, but Mike starts hitting me telling me to look. It's Brian O'Halloran, who played Dante Hicks in the Clerks movies! That was a pretty cool way to start the weekend!
We get on the road to head to North Carolina, and start in on discussing everything from music to comics to movies and all other geek stuff! Along the way we make fun of practically everything...and whenever we stop for food or gas, we met some very interestng people...especially in West Virginia! This one lady says to Mike and I, "You guys look like yer having a goood time!" It was a fun trip, with lots of deer and a white animal (either a wolf or bobcat) along the side of the road. We all stay awake to keep Al on the road, and with only a few minor problems, we roll into the Charlotte Hilton at about 5 in the morning.
Friday....
We check in, and around 6 AM, we hit the beds. Mike is out in a snap, and I putz around until about 6:30 then decide to lay down. The alarm goes off at 7...and we get ready to go get our badges and set up the booth.
Man are we all tired!
But first Al has to stop by the front desk to find out about parking, leading to the first of many threats against our lives by him. The lady at the desk wasn't sure what to make of Al's saying he's going to kill me, but Mike starts in with the banter to make her laugh! I've already decided if we return there next year, they will remember us!
We get down to the show floor at about 7:30, and they tell us they have already run out of badges, but we can go in...just stick together, since Al has the only badge. We then have to go back to get Al's truck, so we can pull in and unload. The parking garage is a maze that we will have trouble with all weekend! But we unload, get set-up, and go back to the hotel to shower and try to get more awake.
Back at the booth, we get ready to start pimping. Mike is running around like a fanboy, while I make my rounds to scope out the area, and touch base with friends. I run into good friend Buzz, and we chat a bit, and then I head over to talk to Tommy Castillo and his fiancee Aly, as well as Chris Moreno, Rob Reilly, and Brian Pulido. After a bit the phone rings, and it's Rich heading into the con area. I meet up with him, and he meets Al and Mike for the first time. We then commence to having fun at the booth, picking on each other, and trying to sell comics.
Later I go over to talk to Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner. Jimmy says they had to cancel from Pitt because of a water leak in their house that collapsed their floor through the garage underneath, damaging their car as well. We chat for bit, I get my hug from Amanda (always a good thing!) and head back to the booth. Darryl arrives later and the it becomes a full-fledged gathering!
Mike decides to paint a picture for the charity auction. It's a silent auction, and they have easels and paints set up at a couple of spots and anyone can just go up and do something. Mikey painted The Question, which came out very nice...considering he said he didn't like working with acrylics, and he only had 1/2 hour of sleep!
Friday was very slow. I'll say now that Heroes Con is a great con for the fanboy. The guest list is very impressive, and it's not so big that overwhelms you. Everyone is very nice and it makes for a good show. I did notice that it is a very superhero oriented show. Indie Island is a very good idea, but it seems that most of the people attending are there for the big-name Marvel/DC/Image creators. They're not looking for the next up-and-comer or that great talking head small press book.
Oh yeah...we did have one great discovery on Friday. You can get beer at the concession stand...and have it at your booth! The weekend just got better!!!!!!!!!!
So...we finish out the day, and start to get ready for our favorite part...the nite life!
Rich takes us to this pizza place down the block called Fuel. The place was packed, and we had real good time. After some beers and pizza, we head back to the hotel to clean up a bit and see if the hotel bar is hopping. Al and Darryl go to their room, and Mike and I to ours...where Mike lays down on the bed, and is out! He's done for the night, and I can't even wake him up! So I meet up with Al & Darryl and we head to the bar.
There's no one there.
We talk to the bartenders, and find out that there is no smoking in the bar. We each have one drink, and decide to walk two blocks to the Westin Hotel, which was originally the con hotel until a last minute change. After talking to a bunch of people, it seems most are staying there, so we figure that bar may have more action.
It doesn't.
They also don't allow you to smoke.
So we each get a drink, and head to the outside patio where you can smoke. We're the only people there. We stay a bit, then decide to head back and get some sleep. Hopefully Saturday will be a better night.
Saturday...
Mike and I get up and decide to try and get breakfast at the hotel. We saw they had a buffet, and figure it should be a good start. As we exit the elevators, we see Al and Darryl sitting there, and they tell us the buffet is $20! That's outrageous! So we decide to head to the convention floor and try and scrounge up something there. The doors open for set-up at 9, and there's a big crowd of people already waiting. About 9:05, they tell us that they can't open the doors, and we all have to go back upstairs and wait. We go back up, and almost immediately, are told to head back down. After Al issues more threats to kill us, we head in and get ready to start pimping again.
The con was pretty busy, with long lines for Darwyn Cooke and Guy Davis, as well as Frank Cho and a few others. Mike is again playing fanboy, while I make some food and drink runs here and there, and also meet up with Mark Waid, and talk to Erik Larsen.
Al talked to Chris Staros of Top Shelf a bit, and dropped off some stuff, while I hit up Oni Press and got submission info from Waid for Boom! Studios. Brian Pulido stopped by the booth and we chatted, as well as Jimmy, who we busted his chops with every time he walked by! Oh yeah...It was hot...moreso Saturday. Us northern folk were more noticeable of it!
It was a fun day, and a better day sales-wise than Friday. Al decided that we would pack everything up at the end of the show, and head out Sunday moring. That way he could get home instead of shelling out for a room at the Radisson in Pitt. Mike and I had no problems with that, so at 6 we packed up the truck, and waited for Rich to pick us up for dinner.
As we're trying to find a parking spot in the garage, it starts to downpour, thunder & lightning, and for the first time all weekend, it actually feels nice and cool for a change! After watching the hoochie fly girls in the parking garage, we make our way to the hotel main entrance, and pile into Rich's vehicle for the thing Al wanted most...to go to dinner at The Penguin!
We arrive and get a spot, and there is a line outside in th erain, waiting to get in. We stand under the eave and after getting soaked, figure out we can go inside and stand at the bar and wait for our table. Here comes the first problem of the night...the barmaid asks for ID. When I show her mine, she tells me I can't get served, because my drivers license is expired (I wasn't carrying my walet, so I only took my old license, in the off-chance I loose it, it won't be a big deal!). I'm p.o.'ed! What does the expiration date have to do with my drinking? It's a real card, with my pic and DOB. And the fact it's expired should indicate I won't be drinking and driving! Al is trying to get me to settle, and the barmaid says something about the cops. I say we have a cop right here now, who said the expiration shouldn't be a problem. She finally relents and gives me a beer. I then start talking to a couple at the bar while Al and the guys bond with a few other patrons. After abit, we get a table, order some fried pickles and some HUUUUUGE burgers, and commence to get rowdy! We start doing Ric Flair "WOOOO's!" and get the whole place doing them like a wave. The barmaid comes over and tells Mike and Al they have to settle down. We're shocked, because we've never been told that! But we eat and have a good time anyway! After a bit, I'm talking to the waitress who tells me the guys behind are going to "top" us, and be told to settle too. I say we don't like being topped, and she says she doesn't have a problem with us out-doing them, as long as wee hold back and do it as we're leaving. So when we leave, Mike and Darryl walk out the door, but then stop and turn around, stick their heads in the door, and yell "WOOOOO!!!!" really loud! All you hear outside is the rest of the bar returning the yell!!! It was funny as hell!!! Then as we walk to the car, these 3 girls are standing there, and Mike starts to talk and joke with them. He says the one girl told him he "was cute as f**k!" He also said that inside the bar, he was walking by some of the guys at the back, and one yelled to him, "Hey Elvis, sing us song!" He replied, "Sure! I have one just for you called 'Go F**k Yourself!'" He said they apologized to him, and we all were laughing hard! It was a great time out, and the food was great, and actually really cheap! And they had tallboy PBR's!!!!! Thanks Rich for putting up with us! Since Rich was driving, he couldn't drink, and he had to put up with a few cop/donut jokes! But it was greatly appreciated that he took us out!!!
Rich had to head home, we went back to the hotel, and tried to figure out what to do next.
We decided to go down to the hotel bar again, just to see if Satruday night would be better. It wasn't. There were more people there, but it was from a wedding reception. We hung out waiting for Mike, who again passed out the minute he touched the bed. We didn't want to walk to the Westin again, and the waitress told us of a few places Al & Darryl could smoke, but again, we just didn't want to hike all over town. So we again called it an early night. On the way to the rooms, Al kicked the door to wake Mike up. I walked in and Al asked if he was awake. He said he was now, and I told him he missed a wild night. I said it three in the moring, and he really should have been with us. Mike says "Is it really 3?" and I said "No...it's 10:30! And it was a dead night" and Al was laughing down the hall!
We hit the sack, and woke up at 7:00 AM to get ready to check out.
Sunday...
Not much for Sunday other than saying our goodbyes, joking with the hotel staff at check out, and getting on the road! Al dropped me off at Krystal's apartment, and took Mike home, then headed north to New York!
All in all it was great weekend, just for the chance to see Rich again, meet Darryl, and getting to hang with Al & Mike. The con was okay, but the nightlife was terrible. Having to trek around looking bars and parties isn't fun. That's one thing Pittsburgh has over Heroes...everything is happening in the hotel. But still, with a gathering of people like we had, we can always have a great time!!!
Thanks again to Rich for putting up with us, and carting our drunk asses around! And thanks to Darryl for always offering to beat someone up Al didn't like! It was great meeting you, and I can't wait to meet up again!!! And thanks to Al for everything!!!! You're one of the most generous people I know!!!! And thanks to Mikey for rooming with me, and being a great friend!!! It was great hanging out with everyone, and I can't wait unti next year!!!
Check out a few pics in my Photo Albums section, under "Heroes Con 2008"
Heading South For The Weekend!
Current mood: tired
I'll be heading to Charlotte, North Carolina this weekend, to attend the Heroes Convention. It will be a working weekend, as I'll be pimping the wares for Luchador Ent. & Space Monkey Comics (as always) and also for good buddy Rich Stahnke and his Tin Star Studios (Furious Fist of the Drunken Monkey!).
If you're at the con, stop by Indie Island and booth 534 and pick up some great comics!!!
This week it's Jason Yungbluth's "DEEP FRIED" 3...The 'Extra Tastless' Issue! from Death Ray Graphics (2001).
And it doesn't get more tasteless than this cover!
Most people know I have a skewed sense of humor, and this book fits right in with it! The cartoons are sometimes offensive, but always funny...at least to me! One of the stories in this issue features a regular character in the book, Clarissa, and it's the type of story that makes you laugh, but after you're wondering why you did, because it's so sad and jarring. But for the most part, the main characters Beepo (a chain-smoking angry clown) and his cat Roadkill (who has a drug problem) keep the laughs coming, with pokes at everything from pop-culture, to politics, to everything else you might hold dear.
Jason also peppers the book with great fake ads, like his "Phillip McDisney" matching of Disney & tobacco company cartoon characters, and a 'Girls Gone Wild' parody featuring school yard hijinks.
Check out more of Jason's work at What Is Deep Fried.com and to order copies of all his comics!
We're back from the 15th Annual Pittsburgh Comicon, with alot of really cool story to tell!
A complete wrap-up report will be coming soon, so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out some of the pictures in the "Pittsburgh Comicon 2008" & "Spanking the Monkey" Photo sections of my profile page! Those are just off of the digital camera! We have three rolls of film that are getting developed, as well!!!
So, we're getting ready to take off for the 15th Annual Pittsburgh Comicon! I'll have the run-down of everything that happened, as well as lots of pictures, when we get back!
And don't forget, we're hosting the 2nd Annual Pitt-Con After Set-Up Party, details below...
Hosted By: Luchador Enterprises When: Thursday Apr 24, 2008 at 9:00 PM Where: Pittsburgh Comicon-Radisson Penthouse Monroeville, Pennsylvania 15146 United States Description: Invitation Only Party- Free food & drinks
I'm starting something new this week. I'm going to put up a pic of a favorite comic cover from my collection each week.
This week, in commemeration of the Pittsburgh Comicon and seeing my old buddy Beau Smith, here's my pic for this week...
Guy Gardner: Warrior 29 Regular Cover DC Comics 1995 **Signed by writer Beau Smith & inker Dan Davis**
I love this cover, as well as the story, dealing with the grand opening of superhero Guy Gardner's new nightclub, Warriors. The story features an appearance by almost every major & minor DC character, including Guy Gardner's nemesis, Lobo.
The comic also had an alternate gate-fold cover resembling the front doors to the club, that opened to reveal Superman acting like the bouncer in front of alot of DC characters.
But I always liked this cover best, especially since I am fond of the artwork the cover pays homage to, Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks."
Best line in the story...Guy Gardner says to Lobo, "Prepare to be Bobbitted!" There is also a cameo by "Planet Hollywood" owners Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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