CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS | 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture

Jul23

PAUL KUPPERBERG: My Comic Con Scrapbook — PART 3

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Jul 23, 2022

PAUL KUPPERBERG: My Comic Con Scrapbook — PART 3

Cosplaypalooza! It’s Day 3 of San Diego Comic-Con, so we bring you PART 3 of the celebrated Mr. K’s groovy con scrapbook… By PAUL KUPPERBERG In days of old, cosplaying fans at comic cons would usually dress up for the duration of the scheduled costume parade in which they were competing and then spend the rest of the show in mufti. But these days, cosplay is the thing, and a surprisingly large number of attendees spend their days in costume, ranging from the casual-cosplayer in a Captain America t-shirt, facemask, and scaled down shield to the hardcore players in giant electronic robots. I don’t do costumes. I’ve always been too self-conscious about the real me to be able to pretend to be someone else (except once, at a licensing show where I could be Captain Kirk; that was kinda cool). Even as a kid, I would try and get away with the bare minimum of a “costume” for Halloween, but I’ve come to appreciate cosplayers, not so much even for their costume-making skills (not to say there aren’t some incredible craftspeople out there), but for their love of comics and dedication to bringing these characters to life. I did the same thing with the same love and attention to detail when I was a fan, only I didn’t work in fabric and molded plastic, but with words on paper in fanzines. I especially enjoy taking pictures with cosplayers dressed as characters I’ve written or edited (and I apologize in advance for not having gotten the “secret identities” of all these talented people for the shoutouts they deserve). I get an interesting variety of looks when I approach someone dressed as Supergirl or Green Lantern and say, “Hi! I used to write you! Would you mind taking a picture?” The best is when they’re not really paying attention—most do scores of selfies a day with randos like me—but later get in touch when they’ve seen the photos posted on social media to say some (mostly politer) version of, “I thought you were just some old guy!” Here then, MY COMIC-CON SCRAPBOOK — PART 3: COSPLAY EDITION: — New York Comic Con (2011). With Power Girl, a la Wally Wood. — New York Comic Con (2011). Kara (Supergirl) Zor-El, the way Otto Binder and Al Plastino imagined her! — New York Comic...

Jul22

PAUL KUPPERBERG: My Comic Con Scrapbook — PART 2

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Jul 22, 2022

PAUL KUPPERBERG: My Comic Con Scrapbook — PART 2

It’s Day 2 of San Diego Comic-Con, so we bring you PART 2 of the celebrated Mr. K’s groovy con scrapbook… By PAUL KUPPERBERG Hot off my iPhone, here’s another batch of photos taken during my 51 years (!) attending comic cons. As I noted in PART 1 of MY COMIC-CON SCRAPBOOK (click here), I’ve made an effort in recent years to take pictures of and with my icons, friends, and colleagues (not to mention the celebrities whose paths I’ve crossed); pre-smartphones, I almost never bothered taking a camera to conventions and now I regret all those moments not recorded. Here then, MY COMIC-CON SCRAPBOOK — PART 2: — TerrifiCon (2017). A treasured moment that shows why I want these pictures: This Connecticut convention appearance by then-California resident, Emmy Award-winning writer Martin Pasko (August 4, 1954 – May 10, 2020) would be the last opportunity I had to spend in-person time with one of my oldest and dearest friends. Also with us is Keith Giffen, with whom we had both collaborated over the years. — TerrifiCon (2018). Writer David Michelinie and I line up for thumb inspection while we wait for the judging of the Hawaiian Shirt Contest. — TerrifiCon (2019). I didn’t even bother entering the 2019 Hawaiian Shirt Contest when I saw what I was up against from writer/editor Marv Wolfman’s entry! — TerrifiCon (2018). With the one and only master of the pen and brush, the great Joe Sinnott. — TerrifiCon (2018). The subject was Superman, and the panelists were, from left to right, writer Roger Stern, me, writer/artist Jerry Ordway, writer Peter Tomasi, and host John Siuntres. I was being witty. — TerrifiCon (2016). The guy on the right is Roy Thomas. The guy on the left used to devour Roy’s comic books as a kid. The smile on the face of the guy on the left is one of genuine delight at having his arm around the shoulders of a boyhood idol. — TerrifiCon (2019). Another idol is artist Joe Giella, who inked probably half of my favorite comics of the 1960s for editor Julie Schwartz. — TerrifiCon (2018). There’s just so much history in this one photo for me with writer/artist/editor Larry Hama and writer/editor Christopher J. Priest (nee James Owsley). I wrote movie parodies for Marvel’s Crazy magazine while Hama was editor...

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