Terrificon Recap 3: Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Mark Waid, And More

I've done 2 recap posts about Terrificon and what a time I had at the convention. From the site to the focus on comics, the show is incredible. The first two posts  showcased the commissions I bought (June Brigman and Greg Larocque) and some of the signatures I was able to obtain. 

But the real draw for me this year were two writers in attendance: Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Mark Waid. Both are favorites of mine lately. 

Johnson did a superb run on Action Comics, including the Warworld Saga. He treated Supergirl with such respect. I couldn't wait to meet him and thank him. I've been a fan of Waid for decades. But he has been writing World's Finest, the best book on the racks. And he has been doing other great work for DC. I hadn't seen him at a con for about a decade so I was pumped to see him again too. 

I waited until the last day to approach Johnson. He was the nicest guy. He asked me to sit at his table and we were able to talk at length about his run on Superman. 

I thanked him for writing Kara as confident and strong and often the smartest person in the world. He said he wrote her that way. He called her the matriarch of Kryptonian culture as she had experienced it. I talked to him about how I loved when she would call Superman out on things she thought he was doing wrong. 

We talked about the inclusion of the super-twins in the family. He said in the earliest drafts one of the twins were killed on the battlefield of Warworld by Mongul. Ultimately he felt it was too bloody for a Superman book so opted to keep both alive. He knew all along that the spirit of Orglun would enter one of the twins, the survivor. 

He pulled out his laptop and opened up his scripts to show me how detailed they are to help people like Riccardo Federici draw his vision of the rusty environment of Warworld. I specifically asked to see his description of the field of crucified Phaelosians Superman sees when he first gets on the world with the Authority. It was very cool of him to share.

But then he asked about me and my love of Supergirl. So I got to tell him why I love Kara so much.

I basically sat behind his table for a while and every so often he stopped to talk to fans coming to his table and sign some books. He really is a super-nice guy, talking with folks at length about comics. 

He hinted, strongly, that he may be writing a super-book soon. So keep your eyes peeled. And it was hard to pick which books to get signed but I picked Kara-specific covers and the end of the Warworld saga.

Killing one of the twins! Crazy!

I did not get to talk to Mark Waid quite as long as I did Johnson. He was busy the whole con.

I thanked him for also writing Kara wonderfully. I told him how much I loved her line about throwing Boy Thunder in an orphanage. 

Waid answered my question about the continuity of World's Finest, was it a hard sell to DC to do this Bronze-Age-y feel. He said that DC told him to do it. He said at the time the main characters were out of their element (Batman broke, out of the mansion, etc.). They were looking for a book to write the heroes in a classic way. He wanted World's Finest.

He hinted about wanting to write a Legion book at some point. 

I got the Supergirl-specific World's Finest books and covers signed. But couldn't help but go back a bit to some older Waid work.

Waid was also very gracious with his time with fans, answering all things asked. I handed him one of my business cards for the site. I hope he peeked here.

It was great to run into Aaron Kuder again. I met Kuder at a small con in New Hampshire 11 years ago! He had only done a bit of Legion Lost and New Guardians, just starting his work on Superman. But I could already tell he was a talent and got a commission from him then. 

I enjoyed him on his run of Action Comics with Greg Pak. I really loved his Lana! So I was glad to bring him a few issues to sign. He was so happy to see the Bizarro issue, his favorite issue of the run. He said the scripts for Action were usually just over 20 pages but this one was only 8. Pak told him to basically draw whatever he wanted. 

He was another great guest to run into!

And so ends my coverage of the 2024 Terrificon, one of the best ones I have attended. 

Next year's is already being scheduled so folks should clear their calendars now!