Next week, I may be going to New York. I say "may" because my tickets are on American Airlines and with them, who knows? Regular readers of this blog have shared big troubles with Southwest Airlines and bigger ones with United. Let us all hope you aren't subjected to a series of steam-releasing posts about American.
April 18-20, I will be a "featured guest" at the New York Comic Con, which is being held at the Javits Center. When I'm not doing panels there, I'll often be found hanging around Booth #1825, which is the exhibit space for Harry N. Abrams Books, publishers of Kirby: King of Comics. I think the premise here is that you buy copies and I write my name in them. (Hint: On Saturday from 1 PM until 2 PM, the legendary Joe Simon will be there to sign along with me. If I were you, I'd go then…and I'd elbow me aside to get Joe's signature.)
When I'm not doing that, I'll be — here's a novelty — doing panels…
On Friday from 2 PM to 3 PM, I'll be one of the panelists discussing the life and times of the great Mr. Will Eisner in room 1E10-1E11. This panel follows a special screening of an excellent documentary on the man, Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist, which starts at Noon.
Then from 5 PM 'til 6 PM, also on Friday, I'll be hosting a panel called "The State of Animation," along with a fine animation producer named J.J. Sedelmeier, whose work I've always enjoyed. I'm not sure yet who else will be up there but whoever it is, they'll be discussing where the cartoon business is today, especially in light of new methods of animation and new avenues of distribution. This all takes place in room 1E16.
Saturday from 11 AM until Noon, I'll be back in that same room, 1E16, officiating at the Steve Gerber Memorial Panel. It'll be a bunch of Steve's friends (and I think some family members) sitting around, swapping Gerber stories. Joining me so far will be Mary Skrenes, Buzz Dixon, Len Wein, Frank Brunner and many others. An hour ain't nearly enough time so get there early.
Finally…on Sunday from Noon until 1 PM, I'll return to room 1E10-1E11 to preside over a Jack Kirby Tribute Panel with many of Jack's beloved colleagues. I don't want to mention the names because we haven't confirmed them yet but if you're at all interested in Kirby, you'll want to be there.
And those are my convention plans.
If you can't make it out to the con and you're desperate to get a copy of my Kirby book signed, I'll be doing that on Friday evening, April 18, at Jim Hanley's Universe, a fine comic shop located at 4 West 33rd Street in the shadow of the Empire State Building. I'll be scrawling my John Hancock in any books placed in front of me between 7 PM and 9 PM there.
Other than that, I'll be roaming the streets of Manhattan, annoying publishers and eating at fave restaurants, and I think I'm also going to go watch Nathan Lane play the President of the United States. Click that link to see some funny promos.
This is all assuming I get there. I may spend those days back here, staring at an empty cat trap.