My best friend, George Tuska
In my earliest years as a published comics artist, I spent a lot of time looking online at what conventions were happening each year and choosing ones to participate in. All our choices with deciding on what conventions to show at were strategically decided on, based on who the special guests would be. I was really excited about Orlando’s Mega Con in 2006, because there were a lot of guests I was excited to meet, who I didn’t ever see coming out to my local West Coast shows.
I couldn’t wait to meet George Tuska and Al Feldstein at this one. I knew George must be getting on in his years, because I heard he’d been doing comics since the 1940’s. It turns out, he was ninety at this show! So I really wanted to see him. I suspected he didn’t get out to many conventions, although I noticed he was at MegaCon the year before.
We set up our table, and Elizabeth, as usual, gave me time to walk around and try to talk with everyone. I couldn’t find George Tuska. I spoke to the staff toward the end of the show and learned he had to cancel his appearance at the con, because he had cut his foot, and then he got a staff infection. I was really disappointed knowing I wouldn’t have this opportunity to meet him, since he was one of the great excitements for me, coming to this con.
Upon returning home, I emailed MegaCon to see if they could help me get in touch with him. They were so helpful, and said they forwarded my info on to him. They then got his permission to pass his phone number to me. They let me know he had recovered from his foot injury
I tried calling multiple times over a week or so, before finally getting his wife on the phone. She said that George was deaf, so I should speak with her. I told her about my comics project, and she said George would make a pin-up for me. The pin-up came in the mail very quickly, and I was so pleased that for the next few years I’d fantasized about getting another from him, but he passed away in 2009. I was sad I never had an opportunity to meet him face-to-face, but grateful for this pin-up, which I finally published six years after receiving it, in Monstrosis (Doris Danger vol. 2, SLG Publishing) in 2012.
