Photo by Bruce Guthrie
The odd posting pattern here and middle-of-the-night time stamps should give you some idea that my life is not back to normal yet. I'm sleeping odd hours and my body is still telling me, "Please don't do Comic-Con again for a while." But I still had a great time down there at Comic-Con #50 and I'm still remembering moments I want to tell you about.
One involves my long-time buddy Scott Shaw!, whose name is properly spelled with the exclamation point. I met Scott in 1970 at, of all places, Jack Kirby's house. We worked together on any number of comics over the years and when Scott's first marriage broke up, he moved in with me for a brief time. I describe that brief time as "The Odd Couple with two Oscars and no Felix."
The last few years, Scott has been coping with a series of medical problems involving his right foot. He actually missed one Comic-Con because of them…and if you know Scott and his love for Comic-Con, you know how severe those problems must have been. I suspect his doctor had to physically restrain him from crawling to San Diego. Anyway, that's the only reason Scott wasn't among that select group of us this year who were pointed-out as having never missed any of the fifty gatherings. (I believe, however, that Scott has been to more days of Comic-Con than anyone else. I, for example, went to at least one day of each one but not every day of every one.)
Last December, Scott and his doctors bowed to the inevitable and his right foot was removed. He was wheelchaired about until things healed well enough that he could be fitted with a prosthetic foot. After frustrating delays, that finally happened three weeks before the con. And while learning to walk with one of those can take some folks months to master, Scott got vertical quickly and on several panels we did together — most notably, this year's Quick Draw! — he was able to walk up the stairs and onto the stage. That was more amazing and impressive than even how fast Sergio draws…and he got a big, joyous ovation for it.
It was great seeing old friends like Tony Isabella (who I've known longer than I've known Scott Shaw!) and Steve Sherman (who I've known longer than I've known Tony Isabella) and Bruce Simon (who I've known longer than I've known Steve Sherman). It was great meeting longtime readers of this blog, especially ones who've e-mailed me about items I could post here for your dining and dancing pleasure.
I also had a couple of very nice conversations about The World Outside Comic-Con, including a mature/reasonable one with a fervent Trump supporter where we did more than agree to disagree. You can do that but also find some areas of common ground…like places where we concur on goals, just not how to reach them. On the other hand, I had this quick exchange with an anti-vaxx protester outside who was yelling at people…
HIM: Mandatory vaccinations infringe on my right to control my own body.
ME: Are you the least bit concerned with the right to send a kid to school without them getting the measles?
HIM: Reported cases of measles have been on the decline for years!
ME: Yeah…because of vaccinations. And now they're on the increase because of people like you.
There was no response. Some of these people should have a mandatory injection of reality. More convention reporting later today…if I'm awake, that is.