ALWAYS BET ON THE DARK HORSE

Welcome back to The Hype Box. Guest columnist J.S. here, giving Sir Stan a much-needed day off to catch his breath after another megalithic media-circus feeding-frenzy, otherwise known as Comic Con San Diego. And guess what? There was one announcement that most of the industry hacks and flacks missed. In their headlong rush to congratulate DC Comics for absorbing yet another competitor’s superhero pantheon (the Archie and Milestone heroes in this case), they missed out on Dark Horse Comics’ announcement that they were bringing back some characters very near and dear to my heart: Doctor Solar and Magnus Robot Fighter. 

These Gold Key Comics heroes (who also once called a little ‘90s imprint named Valiant Comics home) will be appearing again later this year in all-new adventures published by Dark Horse. And just wait until you see what I have in store for these characters! I’ve already gotten the first year’s worth of plots and story arc worked out for both Solar and Magnus, and I’m ready to hand the first couple of scripts off to artists. The scale of these books is going to be so epic and mind-boggling that they’re going to make Secret Wars look like Secret Wars II. Which would be quite a feat, I'll grant you.

The only hold-up so far is that my agent is still waiting on the call from Dark Horse President Mike Richardson actually asking me to write these books — surely a mere formality at this point. And Barry Windsor-Smith hasn’t returned any of my calls as yet. But I assure you, gentle readers, that I’m poised and ready to create some truly great stories for Solar and Magnus... and if sales don’t start going up on Legion of Super-Heroes I may be ready sooner rather than later!

Take Care,

Shooter

SAN DIEGO COMIC CON - THE WRAP-UP

ITEM! San Diego Comic Con — Is there anything more magnificent than 125,000+ True Believers all united in a single purpose, i.e. finding the nearest little-fanboys-room? The crowds were unbelievable, the fun indescribable, and the excitement unimaginable. Besides all the many and marvelous projects your Uncle Stanley was hawking like a manic madman at the Con, I was even honored Friday night to be in the audience when the Distinguished Competition’s Major Mojo, Paul “Leave it To” Levitz, got his shiny Bob Clampett Humanitarian Eisner Award. You pilgrims probably don’t understand what it means for a publisher to get anything with the word “humanitarian” in it. Publishing is a tough biz, and usually when you’re in the position of making the hard calls and taking the rough falls, folks rarely think of you as human, much less humanitarian. Well, except for Yours Truly, of course, but that’s magnanimous and munificent me. Congratz, Mr. Levitz!... and hang onto that thing for dear life. It’ll come in handy later for beating freelancers back into submission when they’re missing more deadlines than Doc Doom’s hairdresser!

Excelsior!

Smiley

SAN DIEGO COMIC CON REPORT - FREYADAY

ITEM! Just got out of the “Adapting Comics to Screen” panel (a.k.a. how do we guarantee that we never spend good studio money on another Batman and Robin ever, ever again), and I’m running like mad to get down to the Disney booth. And when I say running like mad, I really mean amblin’ along as best I can while teams of bodyguards cut a swath through the crowd ahead of me. See the pic below that Earnest Irv took of me using my incredible charm, smarm, and forearm to disarm the long-suffering swarm as I get cutsies in line. It’s good to be me! Man alive... it’s only Friday and I’m already sagging worse than Aunt May’s support hose. When is this magilla over with, anyways? Two more days? Yeesh!

Excelsior!

Smiley

COMIC CON SCHEDULE AND CON ETIQUETTE

ITEM! It’s almost that time, Culture Lovers! It’s almost time for San Diego Comic Con 2008. Since many of you will be making the tireless trek out to the wild and wooly West Coast specifically to catch a glimpse of Yours Truly, I thought I’d make it as easy on yah as possible by letting you know my schedule and a few simple rules of earnest etiquette to use when approaching the Smilin’ One!

First, my complete Comic Con schedule can be found at this linky thing here. Just type "Stan Lee" into the search field and voila! It’s updated daily, so you know you’ll always have the latest and greatest info on where to track your Uncle Stanley down day-by-day!

Next, a few simple rules just to help things go as smoothly as possible as you traverse the thrill-seeking throngs waiting in line to get an autographed copy of Election Daze or whatever else has the good taste to come graced with my momentous moniker on it. Sure as Spidey wears a speckled shirt, someone will ignore this simple code of Comic Con conduct, but as Doc Ock would say, "forewarned is four-armed." The Smilin' One doesn't want to see anyone accosted by my POW!erful handlers or body guards. Here are the rules:

1.) On approach, check to make sure that I’m wearing my specially-tinted stare-proof prescription sunglasses. If for any reason I am not wearing them, DO NOT attempt to make eye contact. It’s not safe for mere mortals to gaze too long into the eyes of a living literary legend. Frantic Ones who have ignored this rule have been known to spontaneously combust or to break down into uncontrollable fits of worshipful sobbing.

2.) Only shake my hand if I offer it to you first. I need time to bring the power cosmic down to levels that won’t mutate genes or cause unwanted tanning.

3.) I’ll pose for any pictures so long as you sign my attorney’s short affidavit promising to publish the pictures as far and wide as possible so as too spread the word to the faithful masses. It also doesn't hurt if you're really cute.

4.) I’ll only sign items containing intellectual property that I can take actual credit for creating or co-creating... in other words anything you want to shove my way, pilgrims!

That’s it! You’ve suffered enough with the rules. See yah at the Con! So until the Silver Surfer buys a fright wig, let me leave you with this sly and sobering thought —

Excelsior!

Smiley