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San Diego ComiCon 2004: George Pérez and Marv Wolfman |
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I spotted George Pérez at the DC Booth early on in the convention, but he wasn't listed as a guest anywhere. When I arrived at the con Sunday at around 10:45am, I picked up the daily newsletter. I immediately saw George was scheduled to do a signing and sketching session at the ACTOR booth at 10am. As quickly as I could weave through the crowds, I found my way to the booth.... to see someone already had a 'last in line' sign. I wanted to fall to my knees in comic book fashion and wail: "Nooo!" But I have too much dignity for that. Really. Regardless, it was a good opportunity to talk to George about his upcoming projects... and the Titans Graphic Novel, GAMES. George said he has a 6-page Avengers sequence to do, in conjunction with the relaunch of that book. He also mentioned an upcoming project - still under wraps - where he would be inking Jose Garcia Lopez. "That will be an education of a lifetime", George noted. So what's up with GAMES? George believes it should be hitting stands in the last quarter of 2005, just in time for its 15th anniversary. Sixty-some pages are pencilled and inked from those years ago. Some pages are pencilled but not inked. And there are 40-plus pages that need to be pencilled from scratch. Al Vey inked the original 60 pages, but a different inker will be used for the remainder; Al Vey's inking style has changed too much in the last 15 years. I asked if the story itself would be changed at all with whatever continuity glitches that may have arisen. George mentioned that the story itself will be pretty much as-is. Even the World Trade Center sequence will remain, since it had already been completed. I asked about a particular plot point that drastically effects one of the Titans supporting characters [some of you will know what I speak of].... that will also remain in the story. "It was too important to the story to leave out," George said. I also asked George if he had to change his artwork much to match his 'old' style. He said that his style hasn't changed as much as he thought in the last 15 years... so it wasn't much of a problem. George also talked a bit about the new framing sequence, which will be in a 'contemporary' setting. "Will it be the Geoff Johns team?" I asked. George only said it would be 'contemporary'. Hmmm... The brand-new framing sequence will be 6 pages. As he was sketching, one of the lucky people in line looked at my name badge and introduced himself: it was fellow Uber-Pérez fan Eric Sellers! It was great to meet Eric after seeing all the artwork he has amassed over the years. Eric ended up getting a Cyborg sketch. While we were chatting, a fan walked up to the booth and was wondering who the attraction was. Someone answered "George Pérez." He still had a blank look on his face. Someone said "Teen Titans." The fan asked "Oh, he does one of the voices for TEEN TITANS?" Cut to five Pérez fans. If lasers could shoot out of our eyes, they just might have. I could feel a collective "You fool! Begone from our sight, you wretched ignorant curr." I joke. File under 'sign of the times.' My story has a happy ending after all. I found out George was doing an impromptu signing at the DC Booth, which was unannounced. So I got to the booth a few minutes early and scored a Raven sketch from the Maestro. And all was right with the world. Marv Wolfman at San Diego Marv Wolfman was also at ComiCon. He held two panels; One interviewed long-time New Teen Titans inker Romeo Tangal. And the other was a writing panel, which I was unable to attend. The Romeo Tangal panel was enlightening. It was cool to see these old co-workers shoot the breeze about working on the series. Romeo noted that a few inkers thought inking Pérez was daunting and time consuming; They thought that they could make more money by inking artists with less detailed backgrounds. But Romeo always saw it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Romeo is also coming out with a book of original paintings and drawings reflecting life in the Phillipines. The art he showed looked beautiful. I caught up with Marv after the panel and introduced myself. Marv and I have had dialogue online through his site, marvwolfman.com and my site, titanstower.com. He recognized the name once I introduced myself and we chatted about the Titans for a bit. Marv mentioned he will be writing part one of the season three Teen Titans finale - which features Brother Blood and Titans East. During the DC Action Animation Panel, Teen Titans Cartoon Story Editor David Slack gave props to Marv Wolfman for co-creating the New Teen Titans characters, prompting Marv to stand up and be recognized with cheers and applause. Marv also attended one of the Bandai signing sessions with the animated staff of the show. George Pérez and Marv Wolfman Provide DVD Commentary At San Diego ComiCon, George Pérez mentioned that he and Marv Wolfman recorded commentary for the upcoming TEEN TITANS animated DVD set for release in September. Being on opposite coasts, Marv and George each recorded their sessions separate from each other. They will serve as an extra, or episode introduction when the DVD is released. |
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