Big Apple Con — Marvel Comics Panel

Mark Evanier comments at this link on a panel he moderated at the Big Apple Con last weekend. Hey, I recognize that photo! My best friend Dennis took it, and Evanier gives him credit for it. Here’s another version. Refer to Mark’s post for the names.

I could have listened to these guys talk all day! Dick Ayers told some great stories from WW2, and it was fascinating hearing these talented pros delve into their past as comic book creators, when they were all sitting at home drawing and writing, working as freelancers, yet bonded together in the minds of fans by Stan Lee’s insistent descriptions of Bullpen camaraderie.

The PA system at the hotel was, to say the least, inadequate. I hate — emphasize HATE — technical problems such as these. Evanier complained, and the A/V boy in me sprang into action, doing the best I could to make the audio sound as good as possible.

Gary Friedrich wrote many issues of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, as well as the 70’s version of Ghost Rider that was turned into a movie earlier this year that I didn’t much care for, as I stated here. During the Q&A portion of the panel I made a point of telling Gary that he helped me think through my opposition to the Vietnam War when I was 14. I cited the Sgt. Fury summer double issue from 1969, but it was actually the 1970 annual special. Click the thumbnail picture to see the particular page I was thinking of.