Terrificon Wrap-Up

Terrificon happened a couple of weekends ago and was flat out awesome. Every year this show seems to grow in excellence. This year was no different. The comic guest list was just jam packed, I think numbering over 50 professionals. There was a solid celebrity presence as well. But clearly, this is a comic book focused show and that makes me very happy. Artists alley was like a hall of fame.

I had done my prep and pulled my books, including some for friends. I was ready to see all the folks I was hoping to. Imagine my surprise when I ran into someone I wasn't ready to see. More on that below the break. 

I consider myself lucky to go to this show every year. So luckily, there were many creators who I have met before and didn't have much to get signed from. But it was still cool to see the long lines for folks like Jim Starlin, Tom King & Mitch Gerads, Ron Frenz, Greg Land, Chris Claremont, Alan Davis, and others. 

There was plenty of exhibitors as well and they thankfully ran the gamut from super-expensive, slabbed, key issues to boxes of cheap bins. I had the luxury this year to really thumb through these books and pick up a few. 

And it was great to see the place was packed with fans of all ages and all levels of fandom. The folks with big boxes being wheeled around to folks like me with heavy backpacks to others with nothing but love for the medium.

I'll start my personal review with the one commission I got: a Denys Cowan Supergirl! This was the one commission I was really hoping to grab so I was thrilled!

I have been a fan of Cowan, specifically because his work on The Question. I was able to get his signature on The Question #1, also signed by Denny O'Neil and Bill Sienkiewicz.

I gushed a little to Cowan about how this book came out at just the right time for me and he talked about enjoying his time on the book. 

When I asked for the Supergirl sketch, I said I realized it might be an odd request for him. But he then said that my sketch would be only the second time that he ever drew Supergirl. The first time ... he said to keep my eyes open in the next couple of months. YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST!

Any guesses?

I love the sketch! It is a great addition to my collection.

In the middle of the first day, my buddy and I decided to head to the car to lighten the load of the stuff we had already got signed or had bought. We walked by Michael Golden's table and saw him speaking to someone. 

Paul Levitz!

Levitz wasn't listed as a guest but I would recognize him anywhere. I then proceeded, most likely, to act like a nervous fan. 

I asked him if he was there incognito and he said no, he was there as a sort of guest.

I then profusely thanked him for his time on the Legion and how important those books are to me. I talked about how I loved seeing that team grow up. And then, I think because I was nervous and wanting to prove my nerd-cred, I talked about how much I love Stalker. 

I know ... Stalker??? 

Anyways, meeting Levitz simply to thank him for his Legion work has been a goal of mine. I had no books for him to sign. It was blind luck I ran into him. I got to say my piece. I was thrilled. 

Amazingly, when I gave him a business card of this site, he said he had come here a couple of times. My guess is he was being polite but I swear I nearly collapsed when he said it.

And then another main objective of the con, to (again) meet Walt Simonson and have him sign Harley Quinn #0. You can see his 'dinosaur sig' right over the Joker's hair on the cover. That brings this cover's total to 13 sigs.

Walt was sitting at the same table as his wife Louise and their line dominated the floor. On Friday, they were so busy that line was supposedly capped early on. That meant that the Simonson line was going to be first destination on Saturday.

They both are the most friendly and wonderful people. Before signing any books, Walt took the time to walk the entirety of the line and explain how he would do things. When a dealer who had got a quick sketch on Friday tried to get one on Saturday, he told the dealer to move along. And he answered everyone's questions thoughtfully while keeping the line moving. 

Just amazing.

And Louise was just as wonderful. 

She was also on the 'main objective' list as I tried to get her sig on Action Comics #1000. If you look closely at the slant of the A in Action, you can see her sig. She brings the total on this cover to 12.

I got to talk to her about her time on Man of Steel and her working with Jon Bogdanove and she was so gracious with her time.

And given the great lineup, I was able to get her signature with Dan Jurgens and Jerry Ordway on The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special. 

As always, Jurgens and Ordway were both super nice with their time and talked about both this special and the upcoming 3oth Anniversary special around the return of Superman as well. 

Lastly, I was just so happy to run into old friend Jamal Igle again.

We talked all about the current Supergirl as well as talk about his run again. I got to hear about his work life and his family. It was just fantastic. 

I have so many of his issues with Sterling Gates signed that I decided to go old school and get him to sign Supergirl #71 from the Peter David run, maybe his first time drawing a Supergirl?

I will always applaud this show. The venue is perfect for this show with free parking and easy dining.

I'll also give special kudos to show runner Mitch Hallock who not only puts the show together but is on the floor all the time. He went down the line of people waiting to enter and thanked them for coming. It is clear he is a comic fan. Thanks for putting this show together!

Next year the show is pushed into August to give it some breathing room from SDCC so I'll see you all there!