Another terrific, wonderful show, put on by Renee and Michael George. Kudos to them for their wonderful hospitality, and congratulations for the record donations brought in for the different charities. Congrats to George Perez also, for his Pitt record-breaking $5000+ to Make-A-Wish!!! Enough cannot be said for the wonderful show that the George family puts on!
Some highlites...
Playing blackjack at Casino Night with Peter David and his precious little girl, Ariel. David was nothing like I expected him to be. We had a great time, and then he asked me how the Horse Racing works. I explained it to him, and he said he would give it a try. He looked over the sheet, and said (and I quote) "Heck, I'll bet on Rob Liefeld!" I just started laughing. Well, the horse lost, and Peter tossed the tickets in the air and shouted very loudly, "DAMN YOU ROB LIEFELD!!!". I lost it, laughing so much I was crying. The guy was hilarious. (As a side not, my horse, along with my writers horse, won both of their races!)
Saturday, I met Alex Robinson, Eric Hurd, Brian Bendis (a truly great talent and a funny, down-to-earth guy who let me sit behind his table because of my back..."Thank you!"), and Dennis (RICK's friend from ORCA) for the first time. Wonderful people all around that I got the chance to meet here first, and finally in person.
I got to touch Jeff Smith's inflatable Bone.
(I thought this sounded hilarious when I told my wife it, and Jeff said it was funny, and I could use it)
Posed with Lord Oderous from the rock group GWAR, and even wore one of their costumes (BIG mistake...I didn't realize they were so f'n heavy...OUCH!!!) Too bad their Mardis Gras performance was TERRIBLE!
Hung out with Bill Lange, Marc Deering, and the rest of the Y2BMEG Tour as we rocked the con. Ladies ran screaming...men also...mostly from fear...but of what, I could only guess. It was a wonderous site, indeed. But missed meeting Kim Thompson. I still have no idea what he looks like. Also, get your orders in now, for the Y2BMEG Tour 2001: A Spaced-Out Odyssey! They're gonna go fast, so order today, in big quantities!!!
Ted "Joxer" Raimi, Linda "Nova" Harrison, and Alex Tydings were great. Thanks for the pics!
MIKE KALUTTA....MIKE KALUTTA...MIKE KALUTTA!!!! It was GREAT to meet this man. I want everyone who enjoyed meeting him, to let the George's know this, so they invite him back next year!!! He told me some great stories, and was a pleasure to talk to.
Mick Foley...sure, he only signed 1 item per person, but he was still funny as hell, and as much a comic-geek as some of us.
Now onto the charity auction...I'll start by saying it raised a record amount, far exceeding last years!!! But the highlight was a lone, small, stuffed Jar-Jar Binks toy. Nobody wanted it. They started the bids at $2. After some coaxing, it finally was bid on. Next thing ya know, someone shouts "I'll give ya $25 for the head!" The place busted up laughing. Well, to make a long story short, it sold for around $40, and the guy then cut the head off. BUT...he donated the body back. Well, Mike Turner, Matt Hawkins, the head guy, and a few others, started bidding on the body. Turner got it for about $60, and then tore the arms off, and donated the rest back. That part brought another $50 or so, and Matt Hawkins won and ripped the legs off, donating the torso back. That, then brought about $30!!! Funny stuff. And the guy with the head, had it on his fingers, making it talk, for the bidding. The guy had the head pinned to the top of his hat for the rest of the con.
It was a long, painful weekend, but WELL worth it!
Thanks to the George Family for a terrific show, and all the creators, artists and writers (especially from this site), that I had the chance to meet, and talk to. It's great to place faces with names. Also, I'd like to thank Rich "Timespell" Henn, for his compassion. Every chance he got, he told me I should be sitting down, and taking it a bit more easy. I didn't listen (as with my wife's pleading), but it was appreciated. Same for Bill and Marc. I pushed it to the limit (if not over it), but it was well worth it.
Thanks again, guys.
