A Fistfull of Swag

Like all epic westerns, we rolled into the Big Apple Con this weekend as men on a mission, full of grit and determination.

Unlike most epic westerns, however, we didn't ride horses or wear cowboy hats and heck, we weren't even remotely near the West...

What made the Big Apple Con experience feel like a Clint Eastwood spagetti tour de force, was the strange way that even the smallest things didn't turn out as expected.

KING! sold a few books, mostly when I told people the famous catchphrase, "He kills monsters." It's amazing how that get's people to pick the book up. I still don't know why it works, but I'll live in ignorance as long as it continues to sell a few more books. The Lithos, however, didn't sell at all. Just like when we went to the Cactus Con in January, the image caught the eye of almost everyone. Unlike at the Cactus, nobody thought it was worth grabbing. Their loss.

I also had time to strike up conversations with most of the people in our direct area, which lead to some interesting situations. One table was from a radio show called The Comic Book Novice, which runs 9 pm on New York's 1240 Am WGBB. That conversation lead to them doing a video interview which will run at some point on their website (I'll let you know when it's up) as well as an offer to come on the show some night down the road.

On the other hand, I discovered during what I intended to be an innocent (and brief) introduction with another neighbor, that her claim to fame was doing somewhat graphic, dominatrix orientated sexual photography with anatomically correct puppets. I don't think I need to say more than that- the mental image that will conjures is all the punchline you'll ever need...

On top of all of that, I walked away with a armfull of swag that would make Billy the Kid jellous. Among the treasures I managed to gather over the weekend were the latest Gamera movie (subtitled), the 2 issue Marvel adaptation min-series of Buckaroo Banzi, a few choice Famous Monsters of Filmland issues I've been missing and (my personal favorite) the Japanese program to the 1980 "blockbuster" Flash Gordon!

And yes, I know that none of that sounds like the makings of the western epic I alluded to at the beginning of my entry today... but I was approached by a mysterious stranger who wanted to recruit me for a wild and potentially lucrative secret mission... But that's the story for another day.