LIVE FROM BALTIMORE!
For the last month, Diner Talk has been bringing you the most cutting edge in interviewing technologies. We have taken a ‘PERSON’ and brought them to a ‘DINER’ where I have then ‘RECORDED’ their words on a ‘RECORDER’ and then ‘TRANSCRIBED’ them. What with all the Internet E-Mail interviews, I think this new crazy idea of mine is going to take off like hotcakes!
Talking about taking off, heh. Sorry about the lateness. These last two weeks I have been setting up for Baltimore Comic-con and making sure that the documentary that I worked on and the booth is ready. So, it is with a sad heart to tell you that I don’t have an industry guy for my interview this week. This week, and probably other weeks like this (which I promise are going to be few and far between), I will interview somebody who doesn’t get any credit in the industry. The lowest man on the totempole. The comic reviewer. Specifically, me.. James Hatton.
Now, me just talking to myself would generally be silly (or a standard Weds. night while Danielle reads comic books), so I decided to do a photographic retrospective with myself on Baltimore.
Again, I can’t do a normal update though.. it would be easy to go and get photos with everybody you KNOW.. I got photos with people ‘I’ know. So you aren’t going to see John Romita in here. You ARE going to see my booth! And pictures of my thumb! Oh, and as we get further down, for those who remember Tim & Ben’s wonderful job of talking up the CBLDF… well, wait til you get there. Most of these folks are either people whom I’ve come to know through the convention circuit, or I just met this weekend, but seem to be more than friends… if you know what I mean.
So, enjoy the photos, but make sure you stick til the end for a special shout-out to Tim Stevens and Ben Morse…
First off, this was our booth. We’re selling a documentary about 24 Hour Comic Day and the process. E-Mail me if you are interested, I’ll send you back the whole shpiel instead of doing it here. That would be shameless.
This is Miss Danielle Corsetto’s booth. Hey! Where’ld she go?
These are the Danielles. One of them is my girlfriend. The other is a webcomics girl on the rise. Two enter the ring. Only one wins. Who wins? We all win. You can check out Danielle Corsetto (the one with the short hair) at Girls With Slingshots. You can check out the OTHER Danielle, but I might get in your face.. Oh snap!
Sitting across from us, listening to our sales pitch for hours on end, and seeing the documentary that we made at LEAST 20 times, is Pop Mahn and Norman Lee(Mary Jane, Spyboy). For the record, Norman is ripped beneath that shirt, and thinks all of us are nice people. Us as in me.. none of you.. you guys aren’t nice. He said that.
A few booths down from us was Jason Yungbluth who writes Deep Fried. Not only does he top me on archaically obscure references, his comic and flash cartoons are obscenely hysterical. He and I got into a discussion with Danielle concerning who would win a death match demolition derby – The cast of Facts of Life, each riding one of the following cars: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Herbie the Love Bug, the Flubber Car, and Kitt. I have no more to say.
Ah, if you have read my interviews, you are familiar with these schmucks. The balding gentleman is Lelan Estes, while the man on my other side is Jason Baroody. The STARS of the first ever Diner Talk. For the record, if you go to conventions, tell them that James told you to party with them. If you buy the first round, they will. Oh, the guy in the middle? Umm.. we’ll call him.. John Romita.. seriously, I feel bad not remembering his name. Ah well, I’ll update when I find out.
I give to you Officer Mike White. If you have ever been to a convention, he was the guy in front of you getting that Green Lantern sketch. Mike is a police officer in NJ who has what is considered a LEGENDARY collection of Green Lantern sketchbooks. He has pros drawing in his books for free just to top the LAST sketch that was done in his book. Add to that he was featured in the recent EVEN MORE FUND book, which is for a good cause so go buy it. Now that leads us into our next section.
This is Andy Lee. If you don’t know him, then you don’t know where the party is. Usually sitting with David Mack, Andy will do a convention sketch for you that is unbelievable. The man is a man amongst men and deserves all of the praise I can give him and more. Seriously, go check him out next time you are at a con.
Pete Stathis was a smart guy.. instead of showing us his face, he decided for himself to be but a footnote, and for him to subliminally pimp his comic ‘Evenfall’ from Slave Labor Graphics. A true story – I met Pete many many years ago when he was first handing out Evenfall to publishers for review. Now, here we are, he’s making it in this business – and I’m getting cheap photo-ops with him. I hate him. (Nah, just kidding Pete, much love.)
Ever see a dude with a megaphone floating throughout the con floor? It might have been Kenzer Co’s own Tony DiGerolamo. A geek above all things, he makes sure you stop at his booth, and make sure you walk away with one of his many controbutions to the comics universe. Check out his website, it’s geek-tastic.
Have you read Opposable Thumbs? How about Aim To Dazzle? Pfft… what about Justice League Adventures or Batman Adventures? If you have, then you might have seen the work of this man. Dean Haspiel, who is quite honestly one of those guys that is going to make a perminant mark on this industry when he decides he’s ready. A clean styled artist with a great sense of how storytelling works. Not to mention, he pulls off a baby blue shirt.. Damn!
Jim Calafiore created Exile’s Nocturne.. he’s also one of my favorite con guys. (It doesn’t hurt that he’s got sketches from Deadpool sitting at his booth.. one day they will all be mine.) He’s also pencilled more books than you can shake a stick at.
Now before I get to the very Special section of Diner Talk.. I want you guys to meet these two guys.. They run YAC comics who are probably some of the most creative folks running a small print company today. There website is currently being worked on, but every year they run a new 2 page per strip anthology book and next year they are doing a road tour of every convention they can get to. The world needs more people like them.
Talking about the type of people this world needs more of… people who stand up for freedom. People who join together in unity to hold hands and protect your rights. This section pertains to my views on freedom. Freedom to do as you say. Freedom to write and draw as you say. Freedom to show a photo of a cute girl. The freedom to fill out a form in the middle of my column… like this:
Now, “Why Jamie?” Why are you filling out a form… Oh, that’s easy… take a closer look.
Mister Ben ‘Bichead’ Morse and Mister Tim ‘Stretcho’ Stevens chose to become members of the CBLDF during the San Diego con by donating a fine $25 each. This is a good thing. Hell, it’s the right thing, especially us who are on the fringe, but are writers in relation to this industry. I applauded them until they asked me where MY official CBLDF-Member pin was.
“Oh, I don’t have one,” I said. “I buy something from them almost every convention an–“
And these two brutish men stopped me in my tracks, referring to me by derrogatory names and how I just didn’t support freedom. Throughout the rest of the trip, I was referred to by these very harsh names. Names they were constitutionally allowed to call me, by these same freedoms that the CBLDF defends. I was without response, as I had already purchased my snazzy Barry Ween T-Shirt from them, and really was trying to spare some cash. So I allowed to be brow-beaten by them, but this drinking during the San Diego trip that they speak so frequently of.. is honestly because of them.
So boys, meet Elizabeth. She’s (If you’ll notice) accepting my CBLDF application. And in response, handing me a beautiful gold pin. A $50 supporter pin. A pin that says that Tim and Ben may care about their freedom for $25.. but I support it for $50.
So now, I think the line has been drawn. When you go the CBLDF and you decide to give them some of your hard earned cash – you are doing an amazing thing. You are supporting your 1st Amendment rights. Now if you are any normal human being, a $25 donation is a strong commitment.. but for Ben and Tim, we qualify that at the ‘Pussy’ level. These men are men of the industry. They have decisively decided to write within the realm of comics.
They can only give $25?! How much did they spend on comics last week.. pfft! Thousands. So let it be knownst that the ‘$50’ donation is now known as the ‘Supporter’ or the ‘Not A Pussy Like Ben & Tim’ level of support. It lets the world know that you rock $25 harder than those other guys.
I think you catch my drift…
And now after having proven my holiness in the church of comicbooks… I must say adieu. Please join us next time for another more normal episode of Diner Talk. I appreciate all the support. Oh, and if you are talking to Ben or Tim, make sure you mention how much more of a warrior I am. They’ll hate it.
Any questions on contacting these folks, drop me a line, and thanks to everyone who helped me out with this fun little con journey. (including Danielle who was nice enough to take the photos.)
