All my stories about attending Auckland’s Armageddon convention seem to begin with ‘So THERE I WAS…’
So THERE I WAS, utterly delighted that Gail Simone was signing my Misfit T-shirt. So THERE I WAS, purchasing the original art of this page from Nicola Scott*.
So THERE I WAS, discussing shoe acquisition with Amanda Conner.
So THERE I WAS, eating Japanese food with the comics guests.
foods
Proof! Jimmy Palmiotti, myself, and Bruce Timm, who is doing something odd with edamame.
I suspect that dinner and conversation with the guests (and their significant others and wonderful handler) is not something that usually happens at a con; at least not without prior arrangement and the outlay of considerable expense. Somehow, I got lucky. However, to your possible dismay, I have decided that those conversations were off the record. Besides, I had drink taken some of it down the front of my dress and couldn’t swear to the accuracy of any report.
On the record, however, I can report the following from the panels:
- Jimmy Palmiotti is perfectly au fait with your downloading Painkiller Jane and is horrified by the price of pamphlets in the Antipodes. So are we, Jimmy. So are we.
- Much of the background in the big fight of the Green Arrow/Black Canary Wedding Special was Amanda Conner’s idea, including my favourite part of the whole issue Lois Lane and her brass knuckles.
- The Terra miniseries will be out in the spring for northern hemisphere folks and autumn for southern hemisphere dwellers. We can look forward to some interaction with other DCU teen heroes.
- Nicola Scott is aware that people were upset about Barda’s missing chest-piece. She pointed out that the rest of the Birds on that mission were covered up, and that Barda’s Apokaliptian heritage means that she doesn’t really have to sweat bullets. She did listen to fan criticism, however, and restored the chest piece for the Siberian mission. After all, it gets cold out there.
- Gail Simone doesn’t want to remove the sexy from comics (and nor does she sweat skin-exposing costumes). Sexuality, she says, is part of humanity. What she does want is a wider variety of female characters, diverse and realistic, and different expressions of what ‘sexy’ is on the page.
- Onyx won’t be appearing in Wonder Woman in the near future. However, Nicola revealed that she has drawn her in one hitherto-unseen Birds of Prey panel ‘One panel. That’s all I’m saying right now.’
I had intended to take notes during, but my laptop was occupied copying Painkiller Jane from the CD kindly lent me. I did scribble some notes after the panels, but my apologies to anyone I may have misrepresented.
I returned from Armageddon and dived headfirst into writing a dissertation chapter, which has the effect of turning my mind into finest grade mush when attempting to consider anything else. But never fear! I’m back, well-rested and with plenty to rage about.
So! Here I am! - – –
Comment on this column here. - – –
- Made by the thoroughly crafty Rachel Edidin, who is probably capable of anything she puts her hand to.
** It is perfectly all right if you hate me for this. I would hate me too.
