When I realized I’d have a free evening in Manhattan Friday night, as Irene would be busy attending the New Jersey Romance Writers conference, I decided it was long past time to check out Wylie Dufresne’s Lower East Side restaurant wd-50. I’d heard a great deal about it over the years, both from those who absolutely loved it and from those whose reactions were far more … mixed. But whether people responded positively or negatively to the experience, their reactions always seemed passionate. Which meant—time to find out for myself!

And so I used social media to put out a call for a friend who was enough of a foodie to also be willing to pay $155 for the restaurant’s twelve-course tasting menu. Fellow zombie author Kris Dikeman was the first to respond, and so at 7:00 p.m. we met at wd-50 for what turned out to be a mind-blowing meal. Amazingly, there was only a single dish we were not absolutely in love with … and it was the same dish for both of us.

The first thing to come to the table was a wooden box of extremely thin baked sesame crisps. They proved so light that in addition to enjoying them before the courses began arriving, I also used them as a palate cleanser of sorts between each course.

First up was a tiny sandwich of saffron-coconut ice cream, caviar, and poppy seed. A surprising way to begin a meal, but the mix of sweet and salty was a major wake-up call for my taste buds. You wouldn’t think the flavors would work so with each other, but they did. It was like eating ice cream by the ocean! (more…)

My wife attended the New Jersey Romance Writers convention this weekend, and as I’ve done many previous years, I tagged along … but then split immediately, making a beeline for Manhattan on Friday and Saturday for good food and good friends. (About which more later.) The highlight of the trip wasn’t any of that, though—it was what occurred Sunday, when we trekked out to Long Island and spent the afternoon with the person we love most from our time in comics (other than each other)—Marie Severin.

If you know anything about comics, you already know and love the public side of Marie. But Irene and I, from working with her in the Marvel Bullpen, got to know Marie in a more personal way. She’s warm, friendly, and one of the funniest people we’ve ever met. (more…)

I’ll be heading off to Brighton two weeks from today for the World Fantasy Convention, the first time it’s been outside of North America since 1997. My first WFC was—yikes!—a third of a century ago, and took place in Providence, Rhode Island in 1979.

Here’s where you’ll be able to find me … officially anyway. Because I’ll of course spend much of my time schmoozing in the bar and lobby as well.

Thursday, 31 Oct., 3:00–4:00 p.m.
Thanks for the Memories
It’s been a brutal year for losing people from the genre. With input from the audience encouraged, the panel recalls the lives and works of a number of writers and others who made significant contributions to our field, including Iain M. Banks, Basil Copper, Harry Harrison, Ray Harryhausen, James Herbert, Jack Vance, Frederik Pohl and of course, our own Guest of Honour, Richard Matheson.
with Roz Kaveney, Kim Newman, (mod) Rodger Turner, Gary K. Wolfe.

Thursday, 31 Oct., 4:00-4:30 p.m.
Reading
I’ll probably read bits and pieces of my short story appearing in Psycho-Mania, as there’ll be a launch party for the book at the con.

Friday, 1 Nov., 8:00-10:30 p.m.
Mass Signing

Foodie that I am, I’ve also arranged some good eats, so I’m also looking forward to the “Roast Partridge, Spätzle, Braised Leg, Creamed Savoy, Fig and Thyme” at Gingerman and the “Braised pork belly, black pudding and fig roll, fresh fig, watercress, vanilla celeriac puree” at Graze.

Look forward to seeing you all on the other side of the pond!

It shows where my priorities are that I told you all about Saturday night’s dinner at Range before I shared anything about the rest of my weekend at Capclave. But then … you already knew that about me, didn’t you?

When I arrived at the Hilton in Gaithersburg Friday night, I quickly discovered that there was no parking available. I circled the lot multiple times, as did dozens of other cars, to no avail. This had never happened before at a Capclave. Blame Guest of Honor George R.R. Martin, who attracted a horde of new attendees. (I was told later that night that the con sold three times as many walk-in memberships as usual the first day of the con.) Thankfully, a hotel employee at the front desk allowed me to use employee parking, or else I’d be wandering the lot still.

I bumped into Michael Dirda, Howard Waldrop, and Ellen Brody in the lobby, and they invited me to join them for dinner before my 9:00 p.m. panel. I’d already eaten during my drive, but I joined them anyway for a lively conversation during which we discussed Stan Lee’s date with Patricia Highsmith, the unfilmed (and entirely fictional) seventh season of Leave it to Beaver, and more.

Then came my panel titled, “J. K. Rowling Wrote an Adult Mystery,” which wasn’t really about Rowling per se, but instead the issue of pen names, writing in multiple genres, and whether the latter required the former. You can tell where I come down on the issue by the fact I’ve used my own name on all my writing, even the two unauthorized biographies I wrote about professional wrestlers. I’m agin’ ’em.

And then I rushed back home. It may seem odd to drive 90 minutes each way in order to spend two hours at a convention, but that’s all work (I couldn’t spare using another vacation day) and finances (I try not to splurge on hotel rooms when a con is commutable) allowed. Which meant the next morning I headed back to do it all over again. (more…)

When I received the list of panels on which I’d be appearing at Capclave and saw that I’d been scheduled for a two-hour block Saturday night from 10:00 p.m. until midnight, my first thought was—Gee, that’s awfully late. But that initial thought was almost immediately extinguished by a tantalizing follow-up thought of—Wait! That means I can go to Range again!

I’ve already told you how I woke up early Black Friday—something I never do—in order to book a table on the first of Range’s pre-opening preview nights, which resulted in a meal that made us rush back as soon as we could. So with the restaurant only 27 minutes away from the convention hotel (according to Google Maps, anyway), I knew this represented a perfect opportunity.

So what did we think? Our smiles near the end of the meal should give you the answer to that question.

We dined with friends Karen and Charlie Newton (who’d been there with us before) and Sandy and Risa Stewart (who were Range first-timers). A side note—the three couples at the table had been together for 32, 33, and 37 years—which means we had a combined 102 years of marriage! (more…)

Would you like to be a member of the Marvel Super Heroes Club? Now you can be! Since I never inscribed my name on the card below, you can print it out on heavy stock and add your own.

I have no memory of how this piece of Marvel Comics memorabilia came into my possession. And no amount of online searching reveals any history about it. But I’ve got to believe it dates from 1966, which is when the Marvel Super Heroes cartoon show aired, because the list of heroes on the card is limited to the same heroes who appeared on the show, which aired five days a week and showcased a different hero each day.

For some reason, Spider-Man’s hyphen migrated to the Human Torch, but hey, it was (probably) 1966. Give ’em a break!

And besides, that wasn’t the first time Spidey lost his hyphen.

If anyone can provide more background info on this card, I’d appreciate it, since the Internet seems lacking, but until then—join the club!

Last month, I spent a day at the Small Press Expo, the highlight of which was meeting Congressman John Lewis. The civil rights pioneer was there to promote the new graphic novel about his life, March.

On Sunday, September 15, at 1:00 p.m., I attended a panel about the planned trilogy, grabbing a front row seat and feeling pretty happy with myself. Here’s the official panel description:

SPX is proud to host the Honorable John Lewis, the U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 5th congressional district, to mark the publication of March, the first volume of a graphic novel trilogy documenting his life and work. A leader of the Civil Rights movement, Rep. Lewis was Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), an architect and keynote speaker at the historic March on Washington in August 1963, and has been a member of Congress since 1986. Rep. Lewis will appear with co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell. In a discussion led by journalist Alex Dueben, the group will discuss the process and goals of this singular comics project.

Sadly, it turned out that I’d chosen the worst seat in the room, for whenever Lewis wasn’t leaning forward and speaking, his face ended up hidden behind the moderator’s open laptop. By the time I realized this, the room was packed and there was nowhere I could move.

So forgive me as you watch the video of the event, which I’ve finally been able to spare the bandwidth to upload. I think that whatever its flaws, you still be moved.

Because of the ancient foodie pics I posted the other day, several of you asked about the recipes I used back in the old timey days. Specifically, you wanted to know more about the Peking Duck and the cannoli.

Luckily, rather just bookmarking cookbooks, back then I’d type out my favorite recipes on index cards. And surprise, surprise, all these years later, I’ve still got ’em.

And so, here, copied over from I have no idea where, is the recipe that created that Peking Duck.

I’m sure it’s far from the best recipe—I’ve been told I should have used a bicycle pump to inflate the duck at some point if I wanted truly crisp skin—but it’s what I used back then.

As for the cannoli, here’s the recipe which I presume I cut from the box containing the metal cannoli forms. (more…)

There’s been a backlash recently against the practice many of us have of taking photos of our food, with some so annoyed they’re suggesting a total ban, and others going so far as to claim that anyone who does this kind of thing are suffering from mental illness.

To which I say—I’ve been snapping foodie pics since long before snapping foodie pics was cool, and I don’t plan to ever stop!

If you don’t believe me, a raid on my old photo albums ought to convince you. Check out the first Peking Duck I ever roasted, from way back in 1977.

How proud was I of that duck? So proud that I did more than just take its picture—I also had someone snap a photo of me holding that photo! (more…)

It’s that time again. One month has ended, and a new one begins, so here are all of September’s dream tweets gathered in one place to see whether their surreality increases or decreases when rubbing shoulders like this.

Last month, I dreamt of George R. R. Martin, Isaac Asimov, Maisie Williams, Alfred Hitchcock, Tim Gunn, and many more.

SEPTEMBER 2013



I dreamt Paul Levitz and I scurried around a convention debating whether or not he should publish an anniversary issue of The Comic Reader.

 ‬29 Sep

I dreamt I was back in time with a guy who hoped to stop the Charles Manson killings, but based on clues, I thought he’d be the next victim.

 ‬‬28 Sep 



I dreamt I was walking across the U.S., and sat by a sandy stretch of highway, trying to figure where I was, looking through a guidebook.

‬ ‬26 Sep 



I dreamt I led a surreal Dada-ist protest march that wasn’t really protesting anything. We’d march by other marches, confusing them.

 ‬‬26 Sep 



I dreamt I was Dexter, and when someone slashed my sister (not anyone from the show), I hopped in my striped racecar to run him down.

‬ ‬26 Sep 



I dreamt my (deceased) friend Charlie Guida had turned chef, and as I worked for him, he told me, “We audition for our jobs every day.”

 ‬‬26 Sep 



I dreamt I built a working LEGOs helicopter which I planned to use to get aerial shots for a movie. I lent it to a friend … who broke it.

 ‬‬26 Sep 



I dreamt I was reading the Sunday comics when I noticed one strip (Family Circus?) had been dedicated to my grandfather, and showed others.

 ‬‬25 Sep 



I dreamt I lip synced to a series of recorded opera arias, and everybody was fooled. Which is surprising, as the singers were all women!

‬ ‬25 Sep 



I dreamt I was Daniel Radcliffe, and performed some (now forgotten) cross-franchise prank with Maisie Williams to make fans’ heads explode.

 ‬‬24 Sep 

 (more…)