Posted by Donald Ensign on February 25, 2008 at 6:47pm
( This is a entry from Don Ensign’s Journal)January 26, 2008Got up around 6:15 AM and left the house around 7:15 AMand got to James Babcock’s place around 8 AM. We went upIna Avenue and stopped at a fast food place and got a shortbreakfast (James did). Then we got on the Freeway(10 to Phoenix.) Got into Phoenix around 10:30 AM. Wentto the Mesa Convention Center and got our Con badges. Thenwe walked around the Con Dealers Room and saw Lou Ferrigno,Noel Neill, Steve Rude and others. We then visited the Small Pressarea and found the Indie Only Comics table where Paul Finiwas hanging out. Had a nice chat with him (the publisher ofSequentially Tucson) and will be putting out a third issue in,hopefully, the near future with the Golden Protector/Scout storyprinted last issue. Then we visited around the Small Press areaand met Tom Hall and Daniel Bradford. Had a good chat with themand found out that Tom is Joey Endres brother-in-law.Then we found the Artist Alley table with some of the guys fromthe Tucson group. James and I went to the Star Trek: Of Gods & Menpresentation with Walter Koenig and Tim Russ. They showed someof the film--the First Episode (apparently a rough cut-it was unclearwhether this was a potential TV series or feature film material).It is an interesting project (not a mega budget ) that includes actorsfrom all of the various Star Trek TV series. It was somewhat similar inconcept to the Wrath of Khan ST movie. Paramount and CBS are nowdividing the ST franchise. At that point James and I checked into anearby Travelodge and went out to dinner at a very nice restaurantthat was a former Mormon church building.We then returned to the Convention Center and watched somescience fiction shorts part of a Lara Croft Tomb Raider flick(Valerie Perez). It was violent, with experimental techniques butwith so-so acting. Then we went back to the small press sectionand I talked with a Phoenix area graphic novel discussion group.James was able to show some of his work to some potential publishers.We then went to a panel with Michael Golden and Patrick Scherberger.Michael had interesting things to say about modern comics storytelling.He had high praise for the storytelling abilities of John Bryne, Gil Kane,Carmine Infantino, and Joe Kubert. He said there is no one that candraw like Neal Adams but he didn’t think Adams (which he has told toAdams personally) was a great story teller. James and I had a chancefor a hort chat with Golden and complimented him on his work. At thatwe called it a day and headed back to the motel. I had warned Jamesthat I tried to suck everything out of a Con that I could.
Comments
James has a web site until fairly recently but it is no longer online. I believe he is research getting another one up.
Don