Jamie writes...

Have got any plans to do any UK conventions this year? If so please come to MCM Manchester Comic Con. I've waited so long to meet you! :)

boltore writes...

Are there still gargoyles fan gatherings? And how do I get involved in it. I know it been along time, and it come out when I was born ., so I never got to be apart of any of it

Drew Alexander writes...

Hello Greg Weisman. We at Georgia State University are having a Geek Culture Convention on March 4th 2017. There will be games, panels, vendors for art, comics, and food, an arts show, and much more. We would be honored if you came out and spoke for one of our panels? If you are interested, please contact us at dalexander24@student.gsu.edu. Thank you so much for your time.
Respectfully,
Drew Alexander

Todd Jensen writes...

Sorry for forgetting to include this in my review of "World of Warcraft Traveler", but I noticed that the front cover was done by a "Samwise Didier" - a name that stood out to me since this is the first I've come across a real-life Samwise. I don't know if this one was named after the Tolkien character (unless he's close to Aramar's age, it probably wasn't due to the Peter Jackson movie adaptations) or if it came from some other source, but it still caught my eye. (Not long after "The Lord of the Rings" was published, Tolkien got a letter from an actual "Sam Gamgee" who hadn't read the book but heard there was a character with his name in it; an astonished Tolkien wrote back to him and even sent him a copy - perhaps thinking it fortunate that Samwise Gamgee was a heroic figure in it. According to his biographer, Humphrey Carpenter, he feared for a while receiving a similar letter from an "S. Gollum".)

Phil Anderson writes...

Grand Rapids Comic-Con Journal
October 21-23, 2016

This past weekend I spent three days at the Grand Rapids Comic Con where I finally got my chance to meet Greg Weisman. I've been following him at Station 8 for almost twenty years, but I never made it to any of the Gatherings so I had never met him in person before.

After weeks of anticipation Friday came. I took the afternoon off work and set out for the convention center, ten minutes from my house. Comic Con is a different world; there were a lot of people wearing costumes, some quite impressive and others not so much. Harley Quinn (Suicide Squad version) is the most popular this year.

I grabbed a program, checked the map, and made a beeline for Greg's table. I arrived to find him talking to a Penguin. (Not the flightless Antarctic bird, but a man in a tuxedo wearing a pointy rubber nose and carrying an umbrella.) I circled around a few times, watching for my opportunity while trying to remain inconspicuous. The Penguin and his friend finally walked away and I stepped up to the table.

"Hi, I'm Phil," I said.

"Hi Phil," he replied. He pointed out the scripts, books, and posters he had for sale. "Let me know if you have any questions." (Do I have questions?!)

He was responding to an important text on his phone, so I hesitated for a moment. "I'm a big fan. I've been following you on Ask Greg at Station 8 for almost twenty years."

He looked up at me. "Oh, you're *that* Phil." He shook my hand.

I don't remember what I said next. Something fanboy-ish, I'm sure. He smiled. I didn't know what to say next. He didn't seem to know what to say. It was awkward. Very awkward.

I told him I would see him again soon, since I had a lot of stuff for him to sign, and walked away. Then I remembered that I wanted a picture to send my daughters (who were driving home from college to meet Greg on Saturday) so I went back. He came out from behind his table and we took a selfie. He looks a little uncertain in the picture.

After walking around a little more, I left to pick up my teenage son, Henry, from school and bring him back to the Con with me. We explored together, commenting on the interesting and the weird. He seemed a little overwhelmed.

We passed by Greg's table again and met Mara, who was there with Greg. She was easier to talk to than Greg. I introduced Henry, and mentioned that he was a fan of Young Justice. Greg told us about the Young Justice presentation he was doing that evening. Henry looked over the scripts and art prints Greg was selling and determined how much money he would need to bring the next day. Then we continued on our way. It was less awkward this time.

Henry and I went to the Young Justice presentation. To be honest, Young Justice never grabbed me, despite Greg's involvement. (I'm more of a Marvel fan.) But it was enjoyable nonetheless. Greg is much more personable and engaging in front of a group. He talked about the strategy for getting Season 3: binge watch Netflix and buy the comics online (so WB sees the money).

After that, the Con was winding down for the night, so we drove home. Henry asked to watch Young Justice again on Netflix that night, but there was homework and housework to do. He also asked how he could get the Young Justice comics in time for Greg to autograph them.

Late that night my two oldest daughters arrived home from college with five friends. Saturday morning eleven of us were ready for Comic Con (my wife and I, our four kids [three daughters and a son], and five college friends). My girls all wanted to dress up, but there was a bit of conflict over who would be what character. The older and younger ended up both going as Elisa Maza, while the middle one painted a blue fox tattoo around her eye. Henry was planning to wear a Star Wars T-shirt and carry a lightsaber, but his sisters pressured him into painting three red stripes on his face and going as Young Gillecomgain. My oldest daughter's boyfriend wore a Gargoyles T-shirt that we later realized was not official merchandise. We were ready to go.

Upon entering Comic Con on Saturday we headed straight for Greg's table. I introduced my family and Greg seemed a little overwhelmed. My daughters were all speechless and my oldest gave a fangirl squeal. My wife (who only came along so she wouldn't have to spend the day at home alone) asked Greg about his convention schedule and how many he goes to each year. They had a normal conversation, no awkwardness at all.

During the course of the day we stopped back at Greg's table several times. We bought books and scripts and art prints. We had him sign stuff we brought from home: DVDs, comics, a Gargoyles picture book, and printouts of "Three Brothers" and "Hyppolyta" (which Greg said he had never signed before). I tried to get some clarification on the Percival/Duval/Peredur relationship, but all Greg would say is "All things are true."

We went to a panel that afternoon led by Comfort Love and Adam Withers. Greg was participating and when we trooped in a few minutes before it started he pointed us out to his fellow panelists. Later in the day when we walked by Comfort and Adam's table she recognized us as "Greg's posse" which my daughter thought was the best moment of the day.

We couldn't make it Sunday morning, so I missed Greg's presentation on "TV Production from Beginning to End" but I was there in the afternoon in time for another panel with Comfort and Adam. After the panel Greg had to leave soon to catch his flight, so I hurried to his table to buy a couple more things and shake his hand one more time.

Overall it was a fun weekend. Greg Weisman is a celebrity at my house and it was great to meet him. Each time I stopped at his table it was a little less awkward, and I enjoyed talking to him. I still have a lot of questions, but none that I actually wanted him to answer in person. I don't just want to know what happens next, I want to see/read/experience it. So here's hoping for more Greg and more Gargoyles in some form, someday.

Richard Jackson writes...

Convergence 2016

I've seen other con journals in the past, so I thought I could take the time to write my own. This summarizes my experience at Convergence 2016 and meeting Greg Weisman, Christopher Jones and Khary Payton.

June 30th

I caught a 6am flight from Oklahoma, changed planes in St. Louis and arrived in Minneapolis around 1pm. I unfortunately missed the "Why Gargoyles is Still Relevant" panel, but my plane ticket and hotel had been reserved months beforehand, so that's life…

My friend picked me up from the airport and we had lunch and checked into the hotel. I made my way to the con and got my bearings. I attended one panel and then attended the opening ceremony. It was so funny. The emcee was Paul Cornell, a novelist/comic book writer/screenwriter. The mascots of the ceremony were Connie the Convergence Robot and Connie Mark II, her evil younger sister. You had to be there, but there was something enduring and hilarious about the way Connie Mark II kept calling Paul by his last name, "Corrnnneelllll." The guests of honor were also introduced, Greg Weisman and Christopher Jones being among them. Khary Payton hadn't arrived yet, but they played a pre-recorded message of him.

After the ceremony, there was the Fancy Bastard Pie Competition. It was my chance to finally meet Greg. Greg arrived and stood behind a table and sampled the pies. He was very thorough and made his decision. The prize was that he would give someone an exclusive spoiler. Wish I had contributed a pie…. I waited around and I finally got to meet Greg, which was awesome. I also got some pie as well.

July 1st

For Greg to come to Convergence, there was a crowdfunder on Genorosity and those who contributed were rewarded with prizes. In my case, I contributed enough to have breakfast with Greg and Christopher Jones. The breakfast was nice. I got to chat with two men I admire and they were gracious enough to sign my stuff and take a picture with me. Towards the end of breakfast Greg had to take a call and Paul Cornell walked up and asked if he could join us for breakfast. Chris told him regretfully that we had just asked for the checks. Oh drat, if Paul had come just a little earlier, I could have had a bonus breakfast mate.

I went to the Mall of America with my Minnesota friend (I'm such a tourist!) and returned in the early afternoon to attend several panels. A panel on teenage superheroes with Greg, Chris and Khary was the highlight. After the panel, I was able to get Khary to confirm that he was on General Hospital as Dr. Terrell Jackson. He seemed to be flattered I knew that. Several other panels later, I returned to the hotel.

July 2nd

Saturday was a long day. I arrived at the Double Tree Hotel area around 8:30am and didn't go home till about 1am that night. The day pretty much consisted of attending panels and being a Greg-head.

I attended "Building Worlds for Fiction" panel with Greg as one of the panelists. Then I attended "Why We Need Representation in Superheroes" with Greg, Chris and Khary as panelists. Then the Radio Play, "The Cosmos" with Greg, Chris and Khary as actors along with 20 other fans who had auditioned. The play was the thing. It totally pandered to Greg's fans and was so funny. A rich, rewarding experience.

Later I attended a panel "Superficially Strong Female Characters" with Greg as one of the panelists. Then I attended a one on one with Christopher Jones and Greg Weisman, with Greg interviewing Chris about his career. Something I noticed that Greg and Chris have in common is that they were good at anticipating things when they wanted to break into the comics business. After seeing a Marvel talent search, Greg prepared a packet for DC, knowing that they would have a similar talent search and was one of the first ones to apply. In Chris' case, he knew that when The Batman and Young Justice premiered, there would undoubtedly be a tie-in comic and threw his hat into the ring early on.

Late, at 11:30, I attended the "Animation Blue" panel, with Greg, Chris and Khary as panelists. It was based on the Gargoyles Blue Mug which I have read about where the panelists and audience get into the sex lives of cartoon characters. It was interesting.

July 3rd

I got up and attended a "Young Justice" panel with Greg, Chris and Khary as the panelists. Then I went to a signing that Greg, Chris and Khary were having. I left the con with many signed art prints of Chris Jones. I bought a Young Justice script and Spirits of Ash and Foam from Greg. I also got a signed picture of Aqualad from Khary. Then I decided it was time to get back to my hotel and get to the airport. It was sad that I had to miss Greg's Rain of the Ghosts panel, a one on one panel in which Greg would have been interviewed about his career, and the closing ceremonies.

This was my first real vacation in over two years and it was a blast. Convergence was such a nice event, emphasizing the stereotype of "Minnesota nice." Most of the people at the con seemed to be local fans. Many were surprised that I had come all the way from Oklahoma. It was as if I had journeyed halfway around the world for them. Although I mainly attended because of Greg, Chris, and Khary, I got the chance to encounter many other talented and intelligent individuals, such as Paul Cornell, Ytasha Womack, Max Gladstone, Mark Oshiro, "Duck" Washington and many more. I definitely want to come back to Convergence and make it a yearly vacation if possible.

Charisma82 writes...

Hello. How soon do you usually post about a convention you will be attending? I keep up with your "Ramblings" section on Station 8 and usually don't see a post about your conventions until a few days to a week beforehand. It's hard for me to get to a convention when I only find out about it a week before it happens. Do you post information earlier than this on twitter or somewhere else (I do know you have a twitter, but I haven't seen earlier convention posts there unless I've been missing them)? I ask because I've always wanted to attend a Gargoyles panel, and have not yet had the opportunity. If I knew a month or more in advance you were going to for sure be at a convention I would do my best to be there for a panel. I know you usually go to the ConVergence convention now, but are there any other conventions you go to regularly? I know you are VERY busy man, and that this may be asking a lot, but if it is possible, could you, in the future, put up a list of which conventions you plan on attending on Station 8 near the beginning of the year, even if that list may change as time goes by? I hope my request isn't bothersome, and if I've been completely clueless to where you've been posting more updated convention info, please call me out on it and tell me where this information is.

Thank you for your time and help, and here's hoping you have a wonderful day too.

-Charisma82