Fire alarms aside, everyone is having a wonderful time here at Roger Price's annual Mid-Ohio Con in snow-flocked Columbus, Ohio. Matter of fact, the snow began falling just as a fire alarm forced the brief evacuation of the hall. It was, so far, the only complaint about the con and some thought it was fun, seeing all those dealers in their shirt-sleeves, waiting outside for the All Clear.
I'm having a great time seeing friends, moderating panels, and autographing comics that I'd rather forget. This is, as usual, one of the best-run conventions in the nation…and I've been to enough at the other end of the spectrum to know the difference.
Today, I interviewed Alan Burnett (producer-writer of many Warner Brothers cartoon shows, including Batman: The Animated Series) and, following Alan, Al Feldstein. The latter Al was the editor and writer — and occasionally, an artist — on the great EC horror, crime and science-fiction comics. Later, he edited MAD Magazine for 29 years but we were so busy talking about EC, we never got around to that. He is now retired and doing amazing paintings, many of which we viewed in a slide show he presented. You can get a nice sampling over at his website, www.alfeldstein.com.
The convention today was mobbed. Tomorrow, they're expecting a bit less of a turn-out so maybe I'll make it all the way through the dealer's room.