With Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention, beginning in Chicago just a few days from now, here’s a flashback to the 54th World Science Fiction Convention, L.A.con III, which took place in Anaheim, California. Life sure was a lot different back in 1996.

I’d been editing Science Fiction Age for four years by then, and was about to take over as editor of Sci-Fi Entertainment as well.

Sovereign Media was flying high, with a booth promoting those two magazines plus Realms of Fantasy, and as you can tell from my smile, I was having a blast. Because in addition to the pure joy I was having editing SFA, that was also the year I’d gotten my first Hugo Award nomination for Best Editor.

There’d be three more nominations to come, but the first was somehow the sweetest.

Here’s hoping you get to make some sweet memories of your own next weekend!

I’m so sorry to hear that Josepha Sherman, writer, editor, and owner of a vivacious laugh which echoed above the din of many a convention party, died yesterday. Unfortunately, her final years were not easy ones.

I’ll let others tell you of the charms of her writing (which included Star Trek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels) and of her editing skills, but as for me, my fondest memory was off the page and in the flesh—the time we sang “Great Green Gobs of Greasy, Grimy Gopher Guts” (because she’d co-edited a book on such songs) at one of the many parties in one of the many strange hotels in which our tribe gathers, part of the ongoing convention I’ve been attending with you all for decades. It was a moment of laughter and joy, and I wish she’d had more of them during her last years.

Here’s a photo I snapped of her at the 2007 Nebula Awards during happier times.

I’d prefer to remember her that way.

There will be a memorial on Wednesday, August 29 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the SoHo Gallery for Digital Art at 138 Sullivan St., New York, New York. Please RSVP to 212-228-2810 if you plan to attend. I’ll be in Chicago for Worldcon that day, but I’ll be sure to think of her. I’m sure you’ll be thinking of her, too.

I’m getting ready to head off to Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention, and thanks to my boss, Craig Engler, I’m thinking back to Discon II, the 32nd World Science Fiction Convention—and my first. (As to the reason Craig caused my thoughts to wander that way, see below.)

I was 19 when I attended my first Worldcon, and I drove there from Brooklyn with a group that included the gang of idiots below. Recognize us all as we sit in front of the White House? Give the photo a look for a couple of moments before you read on to see who’s who.

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I was doing a lot of smiling last night. That’s because I finally carved out some time to read Dewey Cassell’s book Marie Severin: The Mirthful Mistress of Comics. As I’ve told you many times, I don’t just like Marie—I love Marie.

And last night, I relived many of the reasons why. (I was about to write that I “remembered” many of the reasons why, but that would imply I’d forgotten those reasons … and no one could ever forget Marie.) (more…)

I’ve been thinking a lot about the past lately, one reason being that I had to try to re-create it so that Sean Howe’s book, Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, would be as accurate as memory would allow, the other being I’m trying to lead as uncluttered a life as I can, so whatever doesn’t seem absolutely necessary to own … goes.

Which means that not only did I have to recently explain when I was hired by Marvel Comics to be Editor of the British reprint books, how long I worked in that position, and when I moved over to work in the U.S. Bullpen, but I then ran across a document which proved that what I had told Sean … was wrong! Well, not 100% wrong … just wrong enough.

What I’d thought, from this vantage point of three decades after the fact, was that I’d worked on the British books for six months or so, yet a couple of pages I just ran across shows …

… I was only there for three! (more…)

I know that more photos from my strange Readercon journey were taken than I’ve seen and shared with you here and here, because there are a few people who told me they posed with me last month and had others take their (as yet unseen by me) pictures. But since those are not turning up in my inbox, it appears the flood is over, so I’ll share this one last pic I received.

David Lubkin and Filthy Pierre

If you’re in possession of any additional images, and you’ve yet to send me a copy, you know what to do.

Meanwhile, I’m sure you’ve heard the less frivolous Readercon news. I’m sad the events that led to such a statement being necessary occurred, but glad for the statement itself at the same time, because I do want to return to future Readercons for photos which will be of a more three-dimensional me.

I don’t know what comes to mind when you read the headline, Parkinson’s disease sufferer, 54, held by police at Olympic cycling road race ‘because he would not smile’, but what popped into my head was … well, let’s read a bit of the newspaper report first, shall we?

A father with Parkinson’s disease was arrested as he watched the Olympic cycling road race because he ‘failed to smile or look like he was enjoying himself’.

Mark Worsfold, a martial arts trainer and former soldier, claims that he was thrown to the floor and handcuffed just as cyclists passed by.

If you’re a certain generation of comic book fan, you’ll certainly think of the classic EC Comics story “The Patriots,” written by Al Feldstein and drawn by Jack Davis, which first appeared in Shock SuspenStories #2 (April-May 1952). “The Patriots” tells of another former soldier who was punished for his insufficient exuberance … though in a far more tragic manner.

Wally Wood’s powerful cover to that issue drew its scenario from that tale. (more…)

Last week, I shared with you my preliminary schedule for Chicon 7, but there have been a few changes made, and this is where you actually will end up seeing me. (Well, if you’re also going to Worldcon, that is.)

Friday, Aug. 31, 9:00 a.m.
Strolling with the Stars

Friday Aug. 31, 12:00 p.m.
Autographing

Saturday, Sept. 1, 12:00 p.m.
The 50 Year Old Teenager
In 2012, Spider-Man turned 50 with the appearance of a new film, various comic titles, television titles, and a musical playing on Broadway. This panel looks at Peter Parker’s perennial appeal, reminisces about his adventures and relationships, and just fangeeks all over the webslinger.

Sunday, Sept. 2, 1:30 p.m.
Kaffeeklatsche

Monday, Sept. 3, 1:30 p.m.
Reading

Note that my reading—originally scheduled for Friday at 10:00 a.m., when you’d likely be asleep—has been moved to Monday at 1:30 p.m., after many of you will have left.

I hope to see you there anyway!

Just in case there are some of you who still have doubts that Twitter and/or Facebook can make the life of the flesh even sweeter (well, I don’t mean you, of course, but that other person over there), let me tell you about the visit Irene and I made last Monday to Wheeling, West Virginia’s Kruger Street Toy & Train Museum.

It was going to be the last official stop on our vacation, after seeing those two Frank Lloyd Wright homes and those three operettas, and I commented online that we were shortly to be heading that way. Within minutes, our friend Mindy Klasky popped up to say that if we did happen to go, she’d appreciate a photo, because that’s where her father had donated his collection of hundreds of Monopoly board variations.

Well … now we had to get over there!

I was stunned by how magnificent the restored Victorian-era building was. I hadn’t known what to expect. I thought we’d see something similar to the small wood-frame building that housed the collection of the Yokohama Tin Toy Museum. But it was nothing of the kind. (more…)

Irene and I were in Wooster, Ohio last weekend attending three operettas put on as part of the Ohio Light Opera‘s 2012 season. Irene’s been wanting to go for years, and this year we finally made it happen. The company’s appeal to us isn’t its productions of such shows as The Mikado—I mean, I’m sure they did an excellent job, but if you have a hankering to see The Mikado, it’s not that difficult a thing to do wherever you happen to be—but in lesser performed shows, such as Emerich Kálmán’s Miss Springtime, which I believe hasn’t been performed anywhere in the world since the mid-’90s.

One thing I’ve got to say about attending performances of old-timey operettas—doing so sure made me feel young! I was one of the few guys in the audience who was neither bald nor wearing a toupee. Plus, I didn’t need a cane or walker to make it to my seat. I was a kid again!

Mentioning all the geezers who were there probably isn’t the best way to convince you to also head to the Ohio Light Opera, but still, you should. There’s a reason these were such smashes in their day, which means not only will you be able to enjoy some stellar performances, you can also try to figure out why they were such major hits.

I wish I could share recordings of the Ohio Light Opera productions, but since those don’t exist, here are some other singers performing numbers from the three shows we saw. (more…)