The I-Con Experience

Posted by Bob Greenberger on April 7, 2009

I-Con 28 was certainly unlike any of the previous 27 cons.  Normally held at SUNY-Stony Brook, this year, it was moved given the renovations being done to the sports complex, the hub of the con.  As a result, the con found itself split into three – dealer’s room and media guests at Suffolk Community College, Gaming/LARPing/Performances at the Holiday Inn with authors/comics at the Marriott.  Shuttle buses were designed to bring people from place to place.

Now, personally, I liked not needing to leave the Marriott.  I did all my programming there in addition to spending Saturday night so it was convenient. I had plenty of time to be socialable in addition to getting some writing done.  This did mean, though, that I missed seeing Andrew McKee perform in his new duo, Flynn’s Folly, or hear his former partner, Marc Gunn.

From an attendee’s point of view, I can see how frustrating the experience could be. And I heard about it from people grumbling over the shuttles taking 45 minutes to get people places. Even with staggered start times, people seemed to struggle to attend events at more than one location.

We guests certainly noticed the drop off in attendance but we forged ahead anyway.

Glenn Hauman and I did the movie previews both days and had a ball with the crowd. Reactions differed per day which I found fascinating.

On Saturday, I also spoke on “Under the Radar: What Comics Are You Missing?” which proved to be a lively conversation although it skewed a little too heavily on web comics.  Chuck Rozakis has promised the compiled list of recommended comics will appear soon at ComicMix.

Tom Brevoort, Bob Rozakis, Greg Pak and I also did an hour on comic book crossovers and as moderator, I made certain everyone got to speak about what they liked, what the hassles were as writer or editor and how even today, every crossover tries to follow what was established by Secret Wars and Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Saturday night was a wonderful time with friends at the nearby Famous Dave’s for some delicious barbecue.  Then a few followed me back to watch the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still which we mocked and I subsequently reviewed for ComicMix.

Sunday was a relaxed morning and I got some more writing done then participated in “Writing for Diverse Media”. I wound up moderating this one, too, and got to hear some great stories from Peter David, Joe Kelly, Larry Hama, Glenn Hauman, and Andy Weir. This proved the most entertaining panel I participated in

Lessons were learned and I suspect, if they have to come back next year, things will be done differently and fans will be pleased.

Tuesday in Cheshire

Posted by Bob Greenberger on April 4, 2009

For those in Connecticut, a reminder that I will be speaking Tuesday night at the Cheshire Public Library.  This is the second place where I will be presenting my Picturesque History of the Graphic Novel.  The visual presentation should take about 45 minutes followed by questions and answers until everyone is bored.

A big thanks to Susan Olesen for helping make this happen.

A Salute to ‘ER’

Posted by Bob Greenberger on April 3, 2009

Deb and I rarely get to watch television live. Partly that has to do with our schedules and party it has to do with our desire to watch everything on DVR and avoid as many commercials as possible, fitting in more programming in less time.

However, we sort of made an exception last night for the final episode of ER. Deb said it was the kind of event we should see the night it happened so when she returned from choir practice at 10, we settled in and began the recording as the second half aired live. So, by the time it ended, we were a mere 30 minutes behind the rest of the East Coast.

We were hooked, like most of America, from the beginning given the stylish way the show was shot. The hand-held camera motion, the quick introduction of the regulars and the guest characters, the intercutting storylines, it was all a captivating blur. In the weeks that followed, as we got to know the characters it retained out attention, setting up a weekly habit that continued for a petty amazing fifteen years.  During the leaner years, we stuck with it because it was still better than a lot of prime time dramas and as characters came and went, you could always hope for the best.

Last night’s finale was written by producer John Wells and he made certain that not only did we see familiar faces, but we got a sampling of every kind of case that became a hallmark of the series.  There was the birth-gone-wrong, the  teens doing stupid things, the elderly facing death with dignity, the confused and those in need.  And of course, the last scene, as an explosion meant the ER would be full and all hands had to be on deck.  He weaved all the threads quite nicely and made certain we had some sense of where all the characters were headed while showing that County General would always be there.

Wisely, he didn’t try and wrap everyone’s story in the two hours so the faithful saw Neela’s new path two weeks ago along with Cate Banfield finally getting a second chance at parenthood last week along with knowing that Archie Morris would wind up with his detective.  This week, we got the inevitable, but nicely done, reconciliation between Sam and Gates, countered with the chasm that remained between Carter and Kem.

What was interesting was that an entire character arc was given to guest star Alexis Bledel which should have been given to one of the four interns introduced earlier this final season – it’s almost as if Wells lost faith in them as seen with their diminished appearances in the final half of the shortened season.  She did a great job, I have to say, and it’s a shame we won’t see more of her character.

While Wells brought back Laura Innes, Alex Kingston, Eriq La Salle, and Sheri Stringfeld to join Noah Wylie form the earlier years, the best touch last night was the arrival of Mark Green’s now-adult daughter Rachel (Yvonne Zima) as a potential student doctor. She’s come a long way from the troubled teen she played on the show and her appearance was most welcome. (Additionally, they came up with a clever flashback to work in characters now dead on the show, including Mark Green and Rocket Romano.)

Many have said the show should have pulled the plug years ago, but honestly, I didn’t mind it lingering and will miss it since the show delved into topical medical and political issues, advocacy drama mixed with entertainment.  While far from perfect, as the screen faded to black, it was certainly satisfying.

My I-Con Schedule

Posted by Bob Greenberger on April 2, 2009

I’ve been coming to I-Con since the very first one and here we go again…

The con will be away from Stony Brook this year and I’ve been assured that all my programming will be in one hotel, allowing me to run away now and then to keep working on Superman entries.

My schedule is below for those interested. If you attend, please come say howdy.

SATURDAY

11–12:30 (Josephine room) Summer Movie Previews — Bob Greenberger

1:30–2:30 (Napoleon room) Under the Radar: What Comics Are You Missing? — Carl Fink, Bob Greenberger, Glenn Hauman, Chuck Rozakis, Andy Weir, Bernie Hou

2:30–3:30 (Napoleon room) Comics: Crossover Events — Bob Greenberger, Tom Brevoort, Bob Rozakis, Greg Pak

SUNDAY

12:30–1:30 (Matisse room) Writing for Diverse Media — Bob Greenberger, Peter David, Joe Kelly, Larry Hama, Glenn Hauman, Andy Weir

2–3 (Bonaparte room) Summer Movie Previews — Bob Greenberger