NY Comic Con 2009 part 1

I had the look of legitimacy, especially with one of those little microphone cubes with the name of the site on it, but really I was just a humor writer hopped up on Red Bulls acting like a fool on camera. I interviewed Neal Adams without knowing who he was - I’m terrible with names - but I knew I had heard his name before and that he was a big deal. When I got him to “talk smack” about Stan Lee (Stan has trouble remembering names, just like me - A CRAVE ONLINE EXCLUSIVE!!!) I could smell the Pulitzer.

This year, my editor at Crave lined up two interviews. One was with Reggie Hudlin and Denys Cowan, who I wasn’t too familiar with, and one interview was tentatively scheduled with John Romita Jr. (JRJR); that’s a serious comic book artist right there. Clearly, there could be no tomfoolery; I was to be a journalist, capital J, hard-hitting and all that.

The problem is that I’m not a journalist. Not by training, not by desire, and certainly not by talent.  (Now’s a good time to mention that any conversations I relate should not be interpreted as direct quotations. I do believe I am accurately paraphrasing, but I may have misinterpreted or misheard, which my wife can say is a frequent occurence.) See, if I was a journalist, I’d do journalistic things, like research. When I saw the invitation to BET’s Black Panther panel, a quick Google search would have told me that BET is launching a Black Panther animated series soon. Even if I had only read the entire invitation, I would have known that my interview subjects, Reggie Hudlin and Denys Cowan, were the President of BET Entertainment and the SVP of BET Animation, respectively. 

Instead, I spent two days honestly believing that I was going to a panel of Black Panthers. Like, Huey P. Newton Black Panthers. I spent a lot of that time wondering if my Judaism still qualified me for probationary cool status, or if that offer had expired and I was indeed considered “The Man.” Whatever - the possibilities for either hilarity or me getting a lot of uncomfortable stares were tremendous, and either way it’d make for a good story.   I even debated wearing a black beret and interrupting the panel by jumping up and shouting, “Black Rage!!!” but I decided that obscure Chasing Amy references weren’t worth a pummeling.

With a day or two to go, I read the email more carefully and discovered my actual assignment. (Dang.) Still, instead of reading up on the people I was to interview, I figured I’d wing it. Things had turned out alright with Neal Adams, right? Plus, I’ve read Black Panther for the past year or so - what else could I need to know?

On the way to the convention, it occurred to me that my editor went to some lengths to schedule these interviews for me; I probably owed it to him to ask at least one worthwhile question. I pulled out my iPhone and started Googling the crap out of them. 

Okay: Cowan seems to have penciled a bunch of comics that came out when I was around ten years old. Hudlin currently writes Black Panther, which explains why his name sounds familiar, but I don’t see where his run began. He also directed The Great White Hype, which I think is a very funny and underrated movie. I figured I’d get in good with him by mentioning this.

Another thing that actual journalists do is arrive at places on time. I got to the Black Panther panel five minutes late. Hudlin was at the dais, with Cowan to his right, John Romita Jr. - the animator of the show - next to him, followed by Alex Alonso, executive editor of Black Panther, and two people who would not speak for the entire panel.

Hudlin had the challenge of discussing both the animated series as well as the comic book, though they take place at two different points in the Black Panther’s life. I couldn’t believe people were more interested in the show than the book - after all, this is a comic book convention, and if the show is modeled after old storylines, we know what happens. But in the book the Black Panther is comatose after a fight with Doctor Doom, and a woman will be replacing him. Who is she? Is it the Black Panther’s wife, Storm? If not, will there be Panther-on-Panther action, because from what I can see in the skin-tight suit… the Pantherette has got a BODY. As a guy I know says, she’s got both the boom and the pow. 

The room, however, wanted to know about the show, and not surprisingly, that’s what the makers of the show wanted to talk about. First Hudlin informed us that Djimon Honsou would be playing the Panther. People’s eyes widened. When we were told that Alfre Woodard would play two regular roles, the audience was rapt, and when Hudlin announced that Kerry Washington would play the Black Panther’s sister, there was scattered applause and “whoo-hoo’s” around the room. I had no idea who she is.

I admit: I was pretty impressed by the casting. (I was also glad to hear how Djimon is pronounced: JAI-mahn.) Still, as a comic book fan, I was far more interested to hear that Stan Lee would be playing the voice of an angry, bigoted general. This was hilarious to me, because Stan Lee seems like a tremendously nice - to the point of being goofy - guy. Remember, the worst thing Neal Adams could say about the guy is that he has trouble remembering people’s names. I can’t imagine bigotry has the same edge when the actor keeps adding, “by golly” and “gee willikers.”  

Next they presented a clip of the show: a young Black Panther, in the fictional African country of Wakanda, taking on a group of white poacher/treasure hunters. Wakanda is known to be technologically-advanced, but the poachers appear to have come from a Civil War re-enactment, while the Panther has a robot. The Panther comes off as truly bad-ass, while the poachers are either bigoted antagonists or dopey, comedic foils. That portrayal doesn’t bother me at all, particularly the dopey guy, a part I would soon act out perfectly. 

At least I wouldn’t be the first awkward white guy - that distinction went to a dude who stood up in the Q&A session and made sure to first point out that he “never saw color lines, but...” This is like saying “No offense, but…” as an attempt to insult someone to their face and get away with it. In other words, if this guy’s question seemed bigoted, it was our fault for misinterpreting him. Queue question with uncomfortable racial undertones…

He wondered if Hudlin was concerned that when people heard Honsou’s voice it would bring undue focus on the character’s race.  Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but was he suggesting that casting an African actor for an African role may not have been wise? Would Cuba Gooding Jr. been better? Fuck it – how about Kevin Spacey? The dude may not see color lines, but it sure does seem like he hears them.

I didn’t even write down what Hudlin said in response because I was so dumbstruck by the question. How many racists does he think watch BET? 106 and Park isn’t THAT good.

The rest of the panel went according to the formula: people asked a bunch of questions about what would happen on the book or show, the artists didn’t answer any of them, and then they told us to expect big things. That’s all you can really expect – it’s not like the writers are going to say, “Okay, since you asked so nicely: three issues from now, Black Panther is going to kill Dr. Doom, then get caught getting a blowjob from Mrs. Fantastic in the Fantasticar. But keep that between us - cool?”
 
Then the panel ended, and it was time for my poorly-laid plans to go to shit.   

The first problem was that John Romita Jr. is a leprechaun. I had one opportunity to interview him if I still wanted to have time for the Black Panther guys, and that was immediately following the panel. Unfortunately I lost sight of him for two seconds and he pulled a Kaiser Soze on me; like that (poof)… he was gone.  I waited for him outside of the door… nothing. I never saw him again all weekend. Wherever he is, I hope he’s alright. 

Fine – I still had my Black Panther guys, and that interview had been the most formal in the preparations. But then I got bumped so Hudlin and Cowan could be interviewed by MTV. Their publicist, Michelle, was really sweet about it, but they will still rue the day they disrespected Crave Online so brazenly! Twenty five minutes later, I was given five minutes, and we tried to find to find a quiet corner to talk in.

By now, any confidence I had was shot. I had poorly-prepared questions, I wasn’t familiar with my subjects, and I had no time. I was so discombobulated that I forgot my camera in my bag. Then I forgot the digital recorder in my pocket. Armed with nothing by own incompetence, I tried my best.

First I asked if the series would contain subtle references for hard core fans. Hudlin subtly reminded me that most people call these Easter Eggs. (And we’re off!)  He said their priority is making the show accessible, but there will still be some treats for hard core fans. He had clearly heard and answered this question several times before.

I asked how far out they’ve planned the show to see how optimistic they are about the show’s chances.  They said they already have their plan for season two. At the very least, they believe they’re making something people will watch. 

Those first two questions were kinda bogus – I didn’t really care, but I had to ask something, and it seemed like the typical questions asked in those situations. Then I asked the question I really was interested in. I wanted to know how a comic book writer goes about writing scenes where one character beats up another with far more power than the first. I was thinking of an issue of Black Panther about 8-10 months ago, where the Black Panther put the Silver Surfer in a full-nelson, but this kind of stuff happens all the time. 

I start my question on a bad note: “When you have a character without any real superpowers-,” and both Cowan and Hudlin interrupt to correct me, because the Panther does have superhuman abilities. I knew this, and let’s be honest – “enhanced senses and strength” is not too far from “taking a multi-vitamin and working out.” Cowan and Hudlin seem a bit put off, and every anxiety I had about my shortcomings as a reporter triples in size. I develop a stutter: Y’know, uh, uh, when you-you uh take a character like Black Panther, who-who-who can’t… can’t shoot lightning bolts, or heat-heat vision…

It takes me two minutes to ask how someone ever writes that someone like the Black Panther beats the Silver Surfer. Then Hudlin reminds me that he didn’t write that issue - it was Dwayne McDuffie, but he’s gracious enough to side with me – it was pretty spectacular to read. 

Now Hudlin and Cowan come back at me a bit. After all, did I have any problem with Batman beating up Superman every time they fight? In retrospect, I should have corrected them. I didn’t have a problem with Black Panther beating the Silver Surfer. It was a bit silly, sure, but I’m reading about a silver man flying through space on a surfboard - silly is right up my alley. I meant it as an example, relevant to our topic of the Black Panther, of how comic book writers get their characters out of impossible situations. (If I’d had my wits about me, I also could have countered that Batman uses Kryptonite, while the Black Panther just needed a submission hold. When Batman noogies Superman into unconsciousness, then the comparison will be accurate.) 

I was asking about the writer’s process in that circumstance, which Hudlin should have been able to speak to. But in the moment, my insecurities had spied an opening, and were trying a new tactic: was that a racist thing for me to say?  Jackpot.

Now I doubt myself – maybe my problem wasn’t the fact that a MAN had beaten a super-powered alien, it was that a BLACK man had beaten one. To be clear, neither Hudlin or Cowan said anything of the sort. They were just explaining that this kind of stuff happened in comics all the time, which I knew and would have agreed with, but I had pretty much stopped listening to them so I could focus on my own internal angst. I was also forming a paranoid fantasy that Cowan had inched closer and was trying to read my notes, and that I had surely written - or would write - something to prove my boundless bigotry once and for all. From that point on I stopped writing in complete sentences, and what I did write is practically illegible. This was my defensive strategy.

I asked if they had any plans to loop in some kind of reference to the Obama presidency. The question is so obvious (and pointless, too!) that I felt stupid for asking it. On the way to the convention I had even sworn to myself that I wouldn’t ask it, but I was flailing. Hudlin was really nice and said that they’re going to do something, and even took the time to plug another book, the Thunderbolts, which he said will do an incredible Obama tie-in.  Cowan looked like he was thinking of other things he’d rather be doing. I can’t say I blame him: it was clear that I didn’t care about the TV show - I just wanted to talk comics, and while he has done a lot of comics work, that wasn’t he had come to talk about.

I asked if they have any plans to work with DC, another question I didn’t really care about but I thought might allow me to get out with a shred of dignity. Turns out that neither of them are under contract with Marvel, and then Hudlin mentioned that they never knew what might happen when everybody got together at a bar later.

My curiosity was suddenly piqued - what DO these guys do after the conventions? Do they get drunk and swap stories about the freaks they met? Cowan said they talk more about the hot chicks they saw. Holy crap – we were having a conversation! Hudlin admits that he still gets giddy to meet his heroes, and specifically mentioned Jim Steranko and Frank Cho – of course I had no idea who those guys are, but who cared! I wasn’t a racist after all! Quick! Who did Cowan look forward to meeting?

He told me that he has been working in this business ever since he was fourteen, and he’s pretty much met everyone. (Queue sad trombone sound effect: wah – wahhhhhhhh) I guess we weren’t BFFs after all. Then he said he needs to go to the men’s room. In a last, desperate attempt to keep the momentum, I asked if they think we’ll ever see a Jewish superhero. They reminded me that Superman is Jewish – what more did I want? They were teasing, but in my mind I was a racist again.

The rest of the day was a blur. I realized a couple things, having had some time to reflect: I’m not a reporter. I was doomed the moment I tried to get any sort of news-worthy information. I’m a comic book fanboy - I want to know how cool it is to work on comic books for a living. I read about the same guys week after week - I want to feel like I know them better. Does Geoff Johns, who has worked on almost every title in the DC Universe, even know who Spider-Man is? How many editors at DC, if pressed, would lean in close and whisper, “Honestly, I don’t know what the fuck happened in Final Crisis. It was like I had a fever, had some crazy Nyquil dreams, and when I woke up Batman was dead.” I want to know if, like every other male-heavy industry, the few ladies in comic books are automatically bonuses an extra layer or four of hotness. 

But I didn’t ask any of those questions; the ones I did ask were boring routine. I still imagine Hudlin and Cowan at the bar later:

Cowan: What was with that guy earlier – the one with the glasses?

Hudlin: You mean the “interview” right after MTV? Did he seem nervous to you?

Cowan: Tremendously. It made me nervous to look at him. 

Cowan: AWK-warrrrrrrrrrd!

Hudlin: Hah.

Hudlin: He had to find a designated surfer. 

 

[Chuckles, followed by a few moments of silence.]

Cowan: We are in agreement though – that guy was completely racist?

Hudlin: Oh yeah. Totally racist.