THE ROAD TO DETROIT

I’ll be on the road to the Detroit FanFare a few hours after I post
today’s blog.  It’ll be my second trip to this convention and I’m
looking forward to seeing old friends and new.

For most of the two-day show, you will find me at Table 128 between
Michael Peters (126) and Eddy Newell (130).  Bob Ingersoll will be
my booth babe. 

I’ll be selling copies of 1000 Comic Book You Must Read (first
printing) and, hopefully, The Grim Ghost.  I’ll be selling bargain-
priced hardcovers and trade paperbacks from my Vast Accumulation
of Stuff.  At your request, I’ll sign things I’ve written.

I’ll also be appearing on the “Playing with Icons of Comics” panel
on Saturday at 3 pm in the Gene Colan Memorial Room.  That should
be interesting, given my outspoken nature.

I am always interested in speaking with publishers, editors, and,
of course, artists who want to work with me.  I’m most interested
in paying gigs, but I keep an open mind when discussing potential
projects.  Bring your “A” game.  I always do.

For more information on the Detroit FanFare and its amazing roster
of guests, go here.:

Hope to see you there.

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The most viewed installment of this blog to date has been “Return
of the Vile Thing,” my latest warning on the notorious Rick Olney.
The installment was written because Olney had announced yet another
convention, this despite a history of not paying creators and even
venues for his past events. 

Olney’s bad behavior has been so egregious for so long that there
are dozens of comics professionals who have tried to make sure he
doesn’t add any new victims to his list.  Our efforts in this new
case have been successful, as seen in this article posted by Rich
Johnston on his Bleeding Cool website.

In his report, Johnston incorrectly refers to Olney as a “disgraced
comic publisher.” Olney has never published a comic book, but does
owe in excess of $35,000 to creators who completed work for him.
A more correct description would be “disgraced convention organizer
and wannabe comic publisher.” 

In typical fashion, Olney blames everyone else for his new failure.
He blames the comics creators who thought he should pay his debts
before embarking on new ventures.  He blames the announced guests
who canceled their appearances after investigating Olney’s history.
This despite Olney never showing any evidence that he had anywhere
near the financial resources to host this event.

The one outstanding items of business from the Adirondack ComicFest
is Olney’s possession of Indiana Jones maps created by artist Matt
Busch as a fundraiser for a veterans organization.  The maps were
produced with the permission of Lucas Films. 

Olney never paid for the maps, nor did he ever reimburse Busch for
the shipping charges.  No verifiable veterans organization agreed
to allow him to use their name.  He has no permission to sell the
maps himself.  And, in response to a request to return them to the
artist, Olney, instead, threatened to destroy them.  Obviously, we
will be watching this situation closely.

In a flurry of insulting rants, Olney has tried to vilify everyone
who didn’t do what he wanted them to do.  He continues to make the
most absurd legal claims and threats, though there is no evidence
he has ever retained legal counsel in these matters.  Sadly, he’ll
likely continue this behavior until the day he dies and, just as
certainly, myself and others will continue to warn comicdom about
him whenever he makes his next move.

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The second most viewed installment of this blog was “Jim Shooter’s
Pants Are on Fire.” The genesis of that was simple.  Shooter lied
about me and I corrected the record.  He’s lied about other comics
professionals as well, but I figure those still living can handle
their own issues with “Lurch Boy.” Since I wasn’t present for any
of the tales he’s spinning about comics creators no longer with us,
I can’t address those with the standard of certainty I hold myself
to in this blog.

My interest in Shooter’s alternate history of the universe is nil.
Yet readers keep trying to get me to write about him again.  I was
recently e-mailed about an installment of Shooter’s blog in which
Shooter apparently ran scans of internal correspondence from when
he was running Marvel editorial.

The reader wrote:

Shooter is publishing internal Marvel correspondence and memos.
Isn't there a legal consequence? I always thought one had to sign
a confidentiality agreement. Couldn't the former Editor and Chief
would be held accountable for saying negative comments about his
former employer and employees?

My response:

I don’t know what Shooter signed or how long it remains in effect,
so I don’t know that he breached anything beyond basic courtesy
in publishing the private correspondence from people who worked for
Marvel in those days.  It was a dick move, but, really, why would
that surprise anyone?

No one needs to send me anything else about what runs in Shooter’s
blog...unless it’s about me and it involves what he claims as fact.
I can’t imagine he’d be foolish enough to poke me again on matters
of fact and, whatever his opinions of me, they are inconsequential
to me. 

I am what I am, a writer who writes true things in my fiction and
my non-fiction.  The days when I gave a shiitake mushroom about
what the likes of Shooter thinks of me are long past.

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More updates on this and that are on the way.  However, I’m taking
a few days off from posting blogs while I’m at the Detroit FanFare.
Depending on how exhausted I am when I return to Casa Isabella, I
will resume blogging on Wednesday or Thursday.

Comment moderation will be activated while I’m gone, meaning that
your comments won’t be published until I return.  You’re a terrific
group of readers, but it seems prudent of me to cover all the bases
while I’m out of town.

Thanks for reading.  I’ll be back soon with more stuff.

© 2011 Tony Isabella