I’ve been attending the Maryland-based indie comics convention SPX — that is, the Small Press Expo — for 15 or so of its 36 years, and this time around took the opportunity to dine with artist Paul Kirchner, who breathed the same comic industry air I did during the ’70s.

Paul broke into comics in the early ‘70s through a fortuitous series of events which had him meeting the legendary comics artist Neal Adams, who introduced him to DC Comics editor Joe Orlando, and within the week getting a gig as assistant to Tex Blaisdell helping him out on the Little Orphan Annie comic strip and stories for DC’s mystery books. He also worked for awhile as assistant to the great EC Comics artist and Daredevil innovator Wally Wood. He moved on from mainstream comics to draw two wonderfully surrealistic strips — “Dope Rider” for High Times and “the bus” for Heavy Metal. His wide-ranging creative resume also includes a graphic novel collaboration with the great writer of detective novels Janwillem van de Wetering, designs for such toy lines as Dino-Riders and Spy-Tech, and much more.

Paul and I had dinner once the con wound down at the nearby and recently opened Commonwealth Indian restaurant, which had been favorably reviewed by the Washington Post.

We discussed how a chance encounter in art school led to him assisting cartoonist Tex Blaisdell on Little Orphan Annie, the life lessons he learned during his apprenticeship with EC Comics legend and Daredevil innovator Wally Wood, the ruse he used to convince the editor of Harpoon into commissioning more installments of his famed Dope Rider strip, how the office of Screw magazine was nothing like you thought it would be and the office of High Times was everything you thought it would be, where he learned “the only thing that’ll kill you bigger than a flop is a hit,” the techniques he uses to dream up new episodes of his surrealistic strip “the bus,” his druggiest fan encounter, our joint memories of “Fabulous” Flo Steinberg, Marvel’s “Gal Friday,” his graphic novel collaboration with famed writer of detective fiction Janwillem van de Wetering, the first person he ever met in comics, and much more.

Here’s how you can eavesdrop on our conversation at Commonwealth Indian restaurant — (more…)

It’s time to say farewell to Dublin, because as far as this podcast is concerned, the 77th World Science Fiction Convention is finally about to end. I previously invited you along to sit in on a Javanese dinner with the Nebula Award-winning Lisa Tuttle, share crab and eel with the Hugo Award-winning Cheryl Morgan, and brunch on the delightfully named dish Breakfast of Champions with Arcade Award-winning Maura McHugh. As for this fourth and final episode recorded during Worldcon, I can’t think of a better guest to bring live for you on Halloween than the great horror writer Ramsey Campbell.

Ramsey published his H. P. Lovecraft-inspired first book of stories The Inhabitant of the Lake and Less Welcome Tenants in 1964 when he was only 18, and hasn’t stopped since. He’s a two-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award, a four-time winner of the World Fantasy Award, and a TWELVE-time winner of the British Fantasy Award. He’s also received lifetime achievement World Fantasy and Bram Stoker Awards, and was named a World Horror Grandmaster. Previous guest of the podcast T. E. D. Klein called his collection Demons by Daylight “perhaps the most important book of horror fiction since Lovecraft’s The Outsider and Others.” High praise indeed!

We got together on the final day of Worldcon, long after the 4:30 p.m. closing ceremonies had ended. So instead of traipsing around to the usual dead dog parties, we had dinner at Rosa Madre, which I found via Eater’s list of the 38 Essential Dublin restaurants — where at one point as I looked across the table, it seemed as if he was nibbling on Cthulhu! (And sure, I know it was only baby octopus, and not the the Great Old One … but we horror writers like to dream.)

We discussed his early relationship with Arkham House editor and publisher August Derleth, who he might have been had he never discovered H. P. Lovecraft, how this master of unease is able to keep the sense of dread going for the length of a novel (hint: he’s not entirely sure himself), why he loves The Blair Witch Project, what it was like writing novels in the Universal monsters universe, how he felt when The Times listed The Doll That Ate its Mother as one of the silliest titles of 1987, how Twilight Zone editor T. E. D. Klein changed his life, our shared memories of the 1979 World Fantasy Convention, why he feels his attempts to write science fiction have been “clumsy,” the way he was made speechless on his first meeting with J. G. Ballard, why he admires Vladimir Nabokov, and much more.

Here’s how you can eavesdrop on our conversation at Rosa Madre — (more…)

The Baltimore Book Festival, one of my favorite literary events of the year, begins a week from today. And this time, it’s going a be a bit different than usual.

Because the date has been shifted from the end of September to the beginning of November, when it might be too chilly to wander Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the SFWA-sponsored panels will no longer be outside in a tent but instead inside the Columbus Center at 701 East Pratt Street.

This will certainly change some of the feel of the event, where random passersby might be attracted to our open-air conversation, but I hope it doesn’t change its basic character.

Here’s where you’ll be able to track me down and hear me pontificate —

Friday, November 1

Plays Well With Others: Collaborative Worlds, IP, and Other Shared Worlds
2:00 p.m.
Writing has traditionally been a solo occupation, but there are plenty of opportunities these days to work in shared worlds, other people’s worlds, or even tag team fiction. What are some of the challenges of working with others, and who is doing it well? (I volunteered to play moderator for this one, because I am fascinated by collaboration, perhaps because it’s a thing for which I am totally unsuited and find baffling.)
with Bob Bates, Malka Older, Erin Roberts, Richard C. White, and Alison Wilgus

Recognize Me? Writing Real People and Other People’s Characters Into Your Fiction
5:00 p.m.
Many authors love writing non-fictional characters into their fiction. Others get a kick out of using characters from books. What’s the appeal? What’s fair use? When can you stray from the canon for that character?
with Lara Elena Donnelly, Ruthanna Emrys, Jeffrey Ford, Natasha D. Lane

Saturday, November 2

With the Lights on It’s Less Dangerous
7:00 p.m.
Talking dark fantasy and horror with some of the stars of those fields.
with Nino Cipri, Craig Gidney, Micah Dean Hicks, AC Wise

Sunday, November 3

Sandman to Saga: Great Comics & Graphic Novels for Adults
12:00 p.m.
Our panel weighs in on the comics you should be reading.
with Bill Campbell, Michael R. Underwood, Alison Wilgus

When not on panels, I’ll likely be in the audience to hear what the other participants have to say, except for when I’m off recording two episodes of Eating the Fantastic.

I hope to see you there!