FINDING GEOFFREY DARROW

 

I had heard Geoffrey Darrow had been at San Diego the year before, but a combination of not finding him and being too intimidated by him prevented me from approaching him.

As this year’s San Diego was getting closer, I had looked for a website or email of Geoffrey online, and after poking around a fair amount, found his mailing address.  It seemed like a long shot, as I haven’t had good luck sending artists cold packages.  But I sent him my Doris Danger book, and asked if he might be willing to do a giant monster pin-up.   A month before the convention, I received a phone call from him. 

I said, “Wow, this is an honor to get a phone call from you.”  He was self-deprecating.  “Why?” he said.  He was real friendly, but seemed a little cautious.  He said he might be willing to do something for me, but it would depend on payment and schedule.  I told him there’s no hurry, and I’d like to pay him based on what he thought his time was worth.  I offered an amount, and he asked if that’s what I paid a particular one of my other pin-up contributors, who I assume he thought would charge considerably more than the amount I was offering him.  Lucky for me, this particular artist was one of the few (maybe two?) AMAZINGLY kind artists who hadn’t charged me anything to use their  pin-ups.  I said if possible I’d like to keep the piece, and he laughed, “For that price?”  We finally decided we would speak more at San Diego, and see what his schedule was like then.  Although he said he never draws sketches or pin-ups at conventions, because it’s too hectic.  He said he sits with Mike Mignola every year.  It made me wonder how I’ve missed him.

At the con, I enjoyed visiting with him.  He’d drawn a gorgeous giant monster in his latest issue of Shaolin Cowboy, and I told him so.  He had some convention original art with the Shaolin Cowboy facing off against giant monsters, and I asked about just buying and using one of those.  He said I could do it, but then said, maybe he should draw something new, so that it’s formatted to fit the page correctly.

He said he’d like to do a pin-up, because it’s a good book.  That was real nice flattery.  But again he said it will depend on his schedule.  So we’ll see how it pans out.

VISITING WITH NEAL ADAMS

One of my friends at the Skeptic Society told me they had been contacted by Neal Adams regarding his recent geological beliefs.  I knew Neal Adams had an interest in this phenomenon, and had been producing films to share his beliefs.  I heard he debuted a film at last year’s San Diego Con, and you could access them at his website.  But I never looked into what his beliefs were.  The Skeptics Society didn’t tell me either.  They just said they tried to get a dialogue going with him, but were having trouble.

I found where Neal was sitting, but he looked busy most of the day.  I finally found a quiet time as the convention was closing on the first day.  I used as my opening the Skeptics Society.  He said he thought he remembered speaking with them, but they hadn’t really listened to what he was saying, and they’d pissed him off.  He didn’t go into detail with me as to what exactly had happened, even though I asked.  He didn’t go into much detail with what he believed either, or with what his dispute was with the Skeptics.  I asked him about how he came to begin researching this subject matter, and he said he just became curious, because he was listening to “facts” that the scientific community was claiming, but they didn’t make sense to him.  He said he started thinking about it, and one thing led to another.  He said that scientists talk about the creation of the universe, but whether it was created or just appeared, he feels that the universe must have come from somewhere, and scientists don’t address this.  I tried to defend science and scientists without being critical of his views, and I thought we had a decent (polite) discussion.

Neal got up to go, and I asked if I could take a picture with him.  He declined, because he and his family were leaving for dinner.  He said, “Is today your only day here or something?” and told me we could do it the next day.  Coincidentally, we ate where he ate for dinner that night.  I didn’t bother him.  I popped by his booth a couple times later in the week, but never found the time to snap off a shot with him.

 

TIM SALE ALREADY DID A KIRBY-STYLE GIANT MONSTER!

Our booth was located facing the lettering giants, Comicraft.  They had a ton of great artists and writers hanging out with them throughout the days, and at one point I spotted Tim Sale hanging out, doing signings.  I ran over, because I hadn’t seen him for a couple years.  He remembered me, and was impressed with my Doris Danger book, and asked if he could have a copy, and asked me to sign it.  I always think that’s so sweet when established artists do that.  They know how to make me feel like I have some value.  Simon Bisley had done the same the year before.

Tim just landed work doing the comics art for the television show, Lost.  The show has a character who’s a comics artist, so whenever the show shows this comic artist working, Tim provides the work that this actor “did.”  So Tim tells me he’s still been thinking about doing the pin-up for me, and he kept wondering if he could do a giant monster drawing or not.  And for this tv gig, he actually drew a Kirby-style giant monster, he tells me.  He digs around in his portfolio and opens up a page, and WHOOSH! here’s this gorgeous giant monster he actually drew in the Kirby style!  It was SO GORGEOUS!  I was so jealous.  I can’t believe he drew a Kirby-style giant monster for someone else!  I thought we had something!  The slut!  The two-timer!

But he kept assuring me he didn’t feel anything when he did it, so to speak, and it was just helping him to get in the right frame of mind to do a nice one for me.

Later in the week, I saw him in a hotel, going back to his room, it looked like.  I said good night, Tim, and he said, Good night, Chris, and I was proud that he actually knew my name.

I really like Tim.  He’s always really sweet to me.