This is a brief reminiscence of my one-day visit to the 2003 Planet Comicon, held at the Overland Park International Trade Center in the Kansas City metro area. The convention featured lots of comic book retailers and an interesting mix of celebrity guests, including astronauts Richard Gordon and Edgar Mitchell; media guests Virginia Hey (Farscape), Linda Harrison (Planet of the Apes), Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk), and Anne Ramsay (Mad About You); and a couple of Playboy Playmates. Although I bought a couple of old comics and enjoyed spending a few minutes chatting with Ms. Ramsay about one of my favorites sitcoms, I mainly went to meet and speak with several of the great comic book creators who were guests at the con.

Tops on the list of those I went to meet was the great Dick Ayers, who kindly posed with me for the picture above along with his lovely wife Lindy. Dick's career in comic art is legendary, dating back to features from the 1940s (the original Human Torch and Ghost Rider) through the 1960s (inking Silver Age Marvel classics and drawing Sgt. Fury, Giant-Man and so many more), and continuing to the present day. He was the inker on my treasured Jack Kirby "Spragg" page, and did a custom Batman commission for me about four years ago. It was a thrill to spend some all-too-brief "face time" with him, hear some of his reminiscences and news of his upcoming autobiography, show him my portfolio, and commission a terrific Ghost Rider convention sketch from one of the all-time greats!

(Note: Mr. Ayers is available for commissions, and his address can be found on my Links page.)

There were lots of other notable guests to meet and greet (and pester for their autographs!). Pictured at left is Tony Isabella, longtime comic writer and creator of Black Lightning. On the right in the picture is another well-known author, Len Wein, creator of Swamp Thing.

Steve Englehart (at right) is noted for penning notable runs of The Avengers, Dr. Strange, Captain Marvel and Batman, and creating The Strangers for the late, lamented Ultraverse line from Malibu. He's pictured with fan Greg Huneryager.

A panel discussion on the subject of Marvel Comics 1970s heyday, featuring prominent creators and editors from the period. From left: Steve Englehart, Tony Isabella, Marv Wolfman, and Len Wein. All remembered it as a time of unfettered creativity. They discussed the adaptation of their creations into film and television properties, and had words of praise for  many of their collaborators.

Superstar artist George Perez, shown here sketching Wonder Woman, attracted some of the convention's longest lines. Perez collaborated with Englehart on The Avengers, and is renowned for his work with Wolfman on Teen Titans and Crisis On Infinite Earths. He later revitalized Wonder Woman at DC. He's recently worked for Crossgen and drawn the long-awaited JLA/Avengers crossover..

Popular comic scribe and novelist Greg Rucka signs for a fan while versatile artist Rick Burchett sketches in the well-attended Artist's Alley section of the convention. Rucka's signature joined artist Steve Lieber's in my copy of their terrific Whiteout graphic novel, and I purchased a great animated-style Deadman page from Burchett.

Mark Schultz, known these days as much for his work as a writer as for his extraordinary draftsmanship, signs and sketches.  Since I already own a wonderful pencil sketch of Hannah Dundee from his series Xenozoic Tales (also known as Cadillacs and Dinosaurs), I only importuned him long enough to get a personal inscription on my copy of the first issue.

It was a special treat to meet fantasy artist Bill Stout (in the vest at left). He did the incredible cover art for two albums by my longtime favorite comedy troup, the Firesign Theatre (In The Next World You're On Your Own and Lawyer's Hospital), and was kind enough to sign both for me -- including signing the double-sided Next World twice!).

Artist Doug Mahnke at a table sponsored by ACTOR, A Commitment To Our Roots, the fine non-profit organization set up to help comic book creators in need. Mahnke donated his time and talents for this worthy cause, and I took the noted Superman artist back to his earlier career by commissioning a sketch of The Mask, the zany character he worked on several years ago. (Note: The website for ACTOR is available from the Links page.)

The other worthwhile organization with a presence at the con was the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which fights the good fight to keep comics free from censorship. At the conclusion of the organization's auction, Rowan Rozanski (daughter of auctioneer Chuck Rozanski, owner of Mile High Comics) and foundation director Charles Brownstein get the successful bidders together with their purchases. (Note: The CBLDF is also available from the Links page.)

The convention's other highlight for me was a panel discussion featuring creators from the Kansas City area. Among the participants were Big Bang artist Mike Worley, from whom I bought a nice Boltinoff-style page, and a new find for me: Kerry Callen, writer/artist of the charming Halo and Sprocket. I later bought a great page from this talented creator, which you can see here.

The Kansas City panel was held in support of the networking activities of the Kansas City Comic Creator Network. It was great to see the comics community banding together for mutual support and promotion!

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