{"id":131,"date":"2008-01-02T09:51:08","date_gmt":"2008-01-02T15:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/?p=131"},"modified":"2013-07-04T21:40:35","modified_gmt":"2013-07-05T03:40:35","slug":"121-befriending-a-security-guard-and-the-benefits-it-brought","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/archives\/131","title":{"rendered":"121. BEFRIENDING A SECURITY GUARD, AND THE BENEFITS IT BROUGHT"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><\/h1>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chriswisniaarts.com\/images\/blogimage.jpg?resize=144%2C216\" onmouseout=\"undefined\" onmouseover=\"undefined\" width=\"144\" height=\"216\" align=\"left\" title=\"undefined\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"> San Diego, 2006<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The year before, a fun security guard kept popping over to our booth and cracking jokes and telling stories and hanging out, and we became very fond of him.<span>  <\/span>I saw him again this year, chased him down and said hello.<span>  <\/span>I hoped he might have some advice or pointers, since it was very possible Elizabeth could go into labor while we were at the con.<span>  <\/span>He said he\u2019d get info for us, and when he came back, he introduced me to the emergency medical team, which happened to be parked very nearby.<span>  <\/span>They said to bring Elizabeth straight back, and they would either get an ambulance to her, or maybe even just deliver the baby right there, in their curtained-off little area.<span>  <\/span>They made me feel like any problems wouldn\u2019t be a problem to them.<span>  <\/span>One of them even said she\u2019d delivered plenty of babies.<span>  <\/span>That all made me feel much better.<\/p>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!-- google_ad_client = \"ca-pub-5034466104138562\"; \/* 336x280 Large Rectangle *\/ google_ad_slot = \"3084999835\"; google_ad_width = 336; google_ad_height = 280; \/\/--> <\/script><br \/>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> <\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">So this year, our security guard friend popped by regularly, and continued hanging out with us and telling fun stories and cracking jokes.<span>  <\/span>And somehow or other, as we got talking, I brought up to him that there are a few key people who I\u2019d love to meet and try and get pin-ups from, or just meet, but they just seem so unapproachable (in that they\u2019re so popular, they\u2019re always swamped with hours and hours of lines), and since I needed to be at the table selling and pitching, or meeting with editors or artists, I just didn\u2019t think I\u2019d ever get the opportunity to wait for them and then hopefully maybe get to them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">He said, \u201cLike who do you have in mind?\u201d<span>  <\/span>I told him, for example, Stan Lee, Frank Miller, and Quentin Tarantino, and also I heard Moebius was at the con.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">He said, \u201cWell tell you what, if I\u2019m put on duty with any of them, I\u2019ll pop over here to your booth, and bring you to meet them!\u201d<span>  <\/span>WOW!<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I said, \u201cWell for example, it says Moebius is doing a signing at the Activision booth, but it doesn\u2019t say when.\u201d<span>  <\/span>So he sends one of his fellow guards over to the Activision booth to find out some information for us.<span>  <\/span>UNBELIEVABLE!<span>  <\/span>While we\u2019re visiting, he suddenly says, \u201cHold on just a second,\u201d are starts listening and talking into his headset for a moment.<span>  <\/span>\u201cYeah?<span>  <\/span>Yeah.<span>  <\/span>Okay.<span>  <\/span>All right.<span>  <\/span>Thanks.\u201d<span>  <\/span>Then he says to me, \u201cMoebius is signing at the Activision booth right now.<span>  <\/span>Let\u2019s go.\u201d<span>  <\/span>INCREDIBLE!<span>  <\/span>So we march all the way to the opposite end of the convention together, and when we get there, STAN LEE IS SIGNING AT THE SAME TIME!<span>  <\/span>FRIGGIN\u2019 AMAZING!<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The place is a madhouse.<span>  <\/span>There are mobs and mobs of people swarming the area, and there\u2019s just a feeling of tension.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I follow my security guy, and he goes around and says a quick hello to the security guard manning a station, and then walks through a roped-off area.<span>  <\/span>I try to follow him, but this new security guard stops me.<span>  <\/span>My pal turns back and says, \u201cNo, it\u2019s okay.<span>  <\/span>He\u2019s with me.\u201d<span>  <\/span>And next thing I know, I\u2019m coming through, into the inner circle, just outside where Stan Lee is signing.<span>  <\/span>My buddy is talking with various people, who are pointing back and forth, and finally he comes back to me and says, \u201cStan is really busy, and as soon as he\u2019s done signing, he\u2019s got to get somewhere.<span>  <\/span>Did you want him to sign a book?<span>  <\/span>Because we can leave it with his rep, and get it signed, if you want.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!-- google_ad_client = \"ca-pub-5034466104138562\"; \/* 336x280 Large Rectangle *\/ google_ad_slot = \"3084999835\"; google_ad_width = 336; google_ad_height = 280; \/\/--> <\/script><br \/>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> <\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I told him, I didn\u2019t have a book to sign (I did, but I had left it at my booth).<span>  <\/span>I said what I wanted was to give the esteemed Stan Lee a copy of my giant monster book.<span>  <\/span>My friend stepped me over a few steps (because we were in an extremely tight, cramped area) and said, you need to talk to this man.<span>  <\/span>He\u2019s Stan Lee\u2019s representative.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I introduced myself and told him I\u2019d been doing Kirby-style giant monster stories inked by Dick.<span>  <\/span>The representative said, \u201cOh, I haven\u2019t seen Dick in a long time.<span>  <\/span>How\u2019s he doing?\u201d<span>  <\/span>I gave him a very quick update, and told him I\u2019d also had a chance to spend time with Larry Lieber when he came out to see me at a convention in New York a couple years ago.<span>  <\/span>I told him I\u2019m too young to have met Jack Kirby, but I would love for Stan to see what I\u2019ve been working on. <span> <\/span>I was assured Stan would receive this book.<span>  <\/span>As I left, I asked if there might be any chance, if he enjoyed it, that he could write a quick blurb that I could publish with my next book.<span>  <\/span>The rep said that would be a possibility, and he gave me his card, and told me to ask for Stan, and that would put me through to him (the rep).<span>  <\/span>Wow, wouldn\u2019t that be something to get a blurb from Stan Lee?!<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">So I told my security guard friend that I was all set with Stan Lee, and he asked if I\u2019d like to meet Moebius now. <span> <\/span>Would I!!??!<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I waited behind the ropes a little longer, while my security friend was asking around, trying to find a way to get me to Moebius.<span>  <\/span>While I was waiting, still roped off and cramped in the Stan Lee area, Moebius got up from his signing which was only maybe ten feet away, and headed my way, stepping over Stan Lee\u2019s ropes.<span>  <\/span>One of the security guards there stopped him and said, \u201cI\u2019m sorry, you can\u2019t come through here.\u201d<span>  <\/span>Moebius was saying, \u201cI just want to say hi to my friend, Stan,\u201d but the security guard didn\u2019t realize who he was stopping.<span>  <\/span>When he saw an old man trying to muscle through and not obeying him, he got more assertive and gruff, and said, \u201cYou can\u2019t come through here, sir.<span>  <\/span>Please step back over the ropes!\u201d And this guard was raising his voice and hand, and puffing out his chest like he would take Moebius down if he had to.<span>  <\/span>I\u2019m thinking, Holy shit this is ugly, and looks to get worse!<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">So Moebius is pissed, I mean PISSED, and he steps back over the ropes, and I\u2019m sure he\u2019s thinking, Dipshit!<span>  <\/span>He\u2019s thinking, Fuck you cock-sucking pricks.<span>  <\/span>He\u2019s waving his hand in disgust and stomping back over to his own table.<span>  <\/span>As this is all going down, I\u2019m telling Stan Lee\u2019s representatives, \u201cOh my God!<span>  <\/span>Moebius just tried to come over here to say hi to Stan, and that security guard wouldn\u2019t let him through!\u201d<span>  <\/span>When I said this, Stan\u2019s rep practically jumped and jerked his head around, and bolted away to try and get Moebius through.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">But the damage had already been done, and Moebius was pissed.<span>  <\/span>I could see Stan\u2019s rep trying to smoothe things over, but Moebius sat back down at his own table, and he\u2019s scowling and making a \u201cwaving away,\u201d \u201cdon\u2019t bother,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m through with him,\u201d \u201cour friendship is over\u201d-type of gesture with his hands.<span>  <\/span>I could just imagine Stan\u2019s rep explaining how sorry he is, and if only he\u2019d seen Moebius come over he\u2019d have let him through, and Stan would truly like to see you, and don\u2019t worry, I\u2019ll have the job (and maybe neck) of that moronic idiot who was doing security and didn\u2019t realize who you are and let you through.<span>  <\/span>Finally Moebius did come over with the rep and visit with Stan for a little while.<span>  <\/span>Jesus that was intense to watch.<span>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!-- google_ad_client = \"ca-pub-5034466104138562\"; \/* 336x280 Large Rectangle *\/ google_ad_slot = \"3084999835\"; google_ad_width = 336; google_ad_height = 280; \/\/--> <\/script><br \/>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> <\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Finally my security guard (and did I mention he\u2019s my new best friend?) popped back over and told me he didn\u2019t know any of the guards who were on Moebius\u2019 detail, and was trying to find an in.<span>  <\/span>I pointed out that Moebius\u2019s line had been capped off, and was now down to about a dozen people.<span>  <\/span>He said, \u201cTell you what,\u201d and he walked me over to the end of the line.<span>  <\/span>He tapped the shoulder of the last person in line, who was holding a sign that said the line was capped and no one else was allowed to get in line.<span>  <\/span>He took this sign, grabbed me and placed me at the end of the line, and handed me the sign.<span>  <\/span>\u201cThere you go,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">So within a few minutes, I was meeting Moebius, and he drew me a sketch of a giant monster, which I have posted at my website, under \u201cfans of giant monsters.\u201d<span>  <\/span>I showed him my book, and he raised his eyebrows, as if to say it looked good.<span>  <\/span>And I showed him some of the pin-ups, and named a bunch of names involved, and asked if he ever does commissions for pin-ups, and he shook his head, and then he stopped looking at me, and when I tried to speak with him some more, he spoke in French.<span>  <\/span>So I guess that answers that question.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">But what fun!<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">We didn\u2019t see our security guard (who I felt so indebted to and grateful for) the next day.<span>  <\/span>When he came around the day after that, he lamented, \u201cI was assigned to Quentin Tarantino yesterday.<span>  <\/span>I was with him THE WHOLE DAY, but I was so busy, I couldn\u2019t get away from him to come get you!\u201d<span>  <\/span>Damn!<span>  <\/span>Can you believe it!<span>  <\/span>I can\u2019t believe my luck.<span>  <\/span>But what I mean by that is, HOW LUCKY I AM!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>San Diego, 2006 The year before, a fun security guard kept popping over to our booth and cracking jokes and telling stories and hanging out, and we became very fond of him. I saw him again this year, chased him down and said hello. I hoped he might have some advice or pointers, since it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diary-of-a-struggling-comics-artist"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"woocommerce_thumbnail":false,"woocommerce_single":false,"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"cwisnia","author_link":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/archives\/author\/cwisnia"},"uagb_comment_info":40952,"uagb_excerpt":"San Diego, 2006 The year before, a fun security guard kept popping over to our booth and cracking jokes and telling stories and hanging out, and we became very fond of him. I saw him again this year, chased him down and said hello. I hoped he might have some advice or pointers, since it&hellip;","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}