The Lunar Archivist’s Sketchbook – Part 19

Fresh from Montreal Comiccon 2014, I present you with an encore from Larry Hama: a sketch he made for me of Scarlett…

…and, oh horror of horrors, a picture of me with the big man himself:

Cool Convention Swag: “Watchmen” Condoms

You read that right. These were being handed out at a booth at Fan Expo Canada several years ago as a promotional gimmick for the upcoming release of Watchmen on DVD and Blu-Ray. And in case you’re wondering, yes, they’re as blue as Dr. Manhattan is.

Kind of gives the term “blue balls” a whole new meaning, doesn’t it? 🙂

Tales From the Convention Floor – Part 3: Larry Hagman

As we say goodbye to 2012, we also bid a sad farewell to actor Larry Hagman, best known to television audiences for his roles as Major Anthony “Tony” Nelson in I Dream of Jeannie and ruthless oil baron John Ross “J.R.” Ewing in Dallas, the latter of he recently revisited for the 2012 revival of the series.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Hagman during Fan Expo Canada 2011, where he, decked out in a cowboy hat and “Team Hagman” shirt, was doing his best to keep the promotional machine rolling by signing so-called Hagman Dollars, novelty $10000 bills featuring a picture of J.R. Ewing on the front and Southfork Ranch on the back promoting organ donation and part of whose proceeds were being donated to charity.

What made this encounter particularly memorable to me was what happened after I’d received my autograph and reached out to shake his hand. He politely refused to do so, not out of ego but consideration: he was feeling a bit under the weather that day and didn’t want to risk giving me anything. But he said that he would totally be up for a fistbump. Yes, that’s right, people: I fistbumped J.R. Ewing. How awesome is that? 😀

Coolest. 79-year-old. EVER.

Godspeed, Mr. Hagman. You will be missed.

The Lunar Archivist’s Sketchbook – Part 7

I don’t make a habit of promoting erotic art on this blog – and today won’t be the day that changes 😉 – but here’s an interesting piece I recently acquired that’s definitely worth mentioning:

Artwork by Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri

This sketch – which came free with the purchase of any (admittedly pricey) artbook or hardcover graphic novel by a few dozen lucky people – is by the Italian artist Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri, best known to Western audiences as the writer and illustrator of the Druuna series, which was (re)published over the course of many years in Heavy Metal magazine.

The Lunar Archivist’s Sketchbook – Part 6

Today’s page from my sketchbook comes with a story.

While attending Montreal Comiccon 2012 two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to not only meet the legendary George Pérez, but also to have him sketch something for me. (Not for free, of course, but for a pretty reasonable amount given a comic book artist of his stature.) But who to choose, with both the DC and Marvel Universes at my fingertips? Well, given my rather vocal objection on this blog to Scott Lobdell‘s interpretation of a certain alien princess combined with the fact that the character was co-created by Marv Wolfman and Mr. Pérez himself, my decision turned out to be a no-brainer.

Me: “I’d like a sketch of Starfire, because I don’t like what they’ve done with her in the New 52.”

To which he responded:

George Pérez: “I don’t, either.”

I think my little raging fanboy heart skipped a beat when he said that.

This led to a brief exchange between the two of us which pretty much confirmed what all of Starfire’s fans already knew. Mr. Pérez didn’t, for a single moment, deny that she was eye candy. But her sexiness was never sleazy. What made her so endearing was that she was naïve and oblivious to the effect she had on men; she was “a wide-eyed innocent”, to use his exact words, and it’s in that form that he chose to immortalize her for me in my sketchbook:

So, here’s the tl;dr version:

1. Fan vindication by a character’s creator on creative mismanagement can be sweet enough to induce a diabetic coma.

2. Suck on that, Lobdell.

UPDATE (2013.05.27.): Despite the relative obscurity of this website in the blogosphere as a whole, I pride myself on having some sense of journalistic integrity. So when a deviantART Internet troll questioned the reliability of my claim that Mr. Pérez had ever referred to Starfire as a “wide-eyed innocent” in this comment thread, I decided to go straight to the source and ask the big man himself via his Facebook fan page, which he himself runs. Even though I thought it was a long shot, George Pérez surprised me by answering less than three hours later and confirmed my original statement. And here’s my proof:

Suck on THIS, Matthew Lane. 😛

That is all. 🙂

Tales From the Convention Floor – Part 2: Christopher Lloyd

During the Fan Expo Canada 2012 convention in Toronto, Ontario last week, I was presented with an opportunity that I never imagined would come my way: the chance to meet the incomparable Christopher Lloyd, who had major roles in two of my all-time favorite movies, Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

While he’s built his career on playing energetic, intense, and eccentric characters, Mr. Lloyd proved to be pretty low-key and calm in person, was very friendly and sociable, and gave off a distinctly soothing, grandfatherly vibe. When I mentioned that I’d heard he rarely makes public appearances – something his entry on Wikipedia makes a point of mentioning – he responded with a simple “I do make a few of them.”, all while maintaining the subtle-but-perpetual warm smile he seemed to have reserved for everyone in attendance.

Two additional things worth mentioning about Christopher Lloyd: first, he has one of the most legible celebrity signatures that I’ve encountered in the 14 or so years I’ve been actively collecting them. (And the guy’s almost 74 years old!)

I’m hoping to get Michael J. Fox to sign the other half someday.

Second, he has the uncanny ability to make pictures that even I appear in look incredibly awesome. (The DeLorean time machine is just icing on the cake.)

There definitely isn’t enough room to get up to 88 in the convention hallway.

Cosplay Cavalcade – Part 1: Hit-Girl

In honor of Chloë Grace Moretz‘s 15th birthday, I present you with the following cute-as-a-button, underage killing machine that I found wandering the floor of Montreal Comiccon 2010:

"Okay, you cunts, let's see what you can do now."

Tales From the Convention Floor – Part 1: Sgt. Slaughter

This past weekend, at the 2011 Montreal Comiccon, I had the pleasure of meeting Robert Remus, better known to children of the 80s as Sgt. Slaughter, a member of the World Wrestling Federation (since rechristened World Wrestling Entertainment) who served as the inspiration for the character of the same name from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.

Dr. Mindbender and Destro’s second attempt to clone a Cobra Emperor was an unmitigated disaster.

In spite of his fearsome reputation and towering stature, the good sergeant was friendly and polite. He also didn’t bark at people in that intimidating, raucous voice that he’s invariably seen using on television and in the cartoons. (Whether this counts as a relief or a disappointment is strictly a matter of opinion.) His strength, however, is no exaggeration; shaking hands with him was akin to sticking my extremity into a vice.

As anyone who’s read his Wikipedia entry knows, information on Sgt. Slaughter’s private life is distinctly lacking. Now, while I’m not a nosy person by nature, there’s one nagging question that’s bothered me for years and which I felt compelled to ask: did he ever serve any time in the actual military? His response:

“(I served) six years. In the U.S. Marines.” – Sgt. Slaughter

So now you know. And knowing’s half the battle. 😉

“The Battle” T-Shirt by Nerduo

Get your own version of “The Battle” t-shirt by Nerduo here.

Cool Convention Swag: “Neigh and Proud” Print

In the words of the artist herself: “I just wanted to make something cute which applies to the show in a joking way, and supports a cause I respect greatly.” Mission accomplished, I’d say. 🙂

“Neigh and Proud” by Elizabeth Lee

Check out more of Liz Lee‘s great artwork at her deviantART account, Liz Lee Illustration, or Nimbus the Dragon.

Cool Convention Swag: “Le Gâteau est un Mensonge” Poster

Even if you don’t speak French, I’m pretty sure that you can guess what the title of this Art Nouveau style poster of Chell and her Companion Cube that I picked up at Fan Expo 2011 translates as.

“Le Gâteau est un Mensonge” by Lauren Rowlands

Check out more of Lauren Rowlands’ artwork at her blog Oh, Hello!