Miss Dawn’ Musings – Appreciating the Greats

Blog-MDMA few months back (ok, it was way back in February), I wrote about delving into the history of favorite characters by reading their early stories. It’s a great way to indulge your fandom. Well I got a chance to indulge in that history in another way over the weekend at a convention.

Yes, I’ve also previously discussed my love of local cons and this one was a true comic con – all comic book vendors, artists and writers, and plenty of people in costume. It was a first year con and somehow they were able to get a few greats of the comics industry as guests. George Perez was there (best known for his classic Teen Titans and Wonder Woman artwork), as was Howard Chaykin (who, among many other things, drew Marvel’s comic adaptation of the first Star Wars film). Perhaps the biggest name there was Jim Steranko, who worked alongside Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, and drew the iconic run of Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. comics through the 1960s.

Being in the presence of comic book legends was awesome and it was cool to hear some stories from them about their time with certain publishers or other artists. And you could tell how much they love the characters they’ve drawn throughout their careers. A couple of the lines to meet these guys were pretty long, but I thought it was a great sign of just how much they are appreciated and how some of us realize their importance. Without them, the comics and characters wouldn’t have the look and feel that made us fall in love with comics.

If you want to meet a favorite artist, writer or creator, keep an eye out for cons in your area. A lot of these people list appearances of their websites and Facebook pages too. It’s well worth it to hear their stories, maybe get a book or two signed, and let them know how much you appreciate their contributions to your fandom.

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