Category Archives: Behind the Scenes

Tom Mason & Chris Ulm talk Malibu Comics 1993 for the SciFi Channel.

I know others feel differently, but I think Facebook is a wonderful thing. I get to keep up with relatives and friends that are scattered around the world. I find that service alone is blessing enough, but it also allows me to find articles and other stuff tucked away in the corners of the internet that I might not find on my own.

Case in point, this amazing footage when someone from SciFi Channel (before they changed the spelling of their name) sent a camera crew to the Malibu Comics offices. I don’t remember how we made this happen. I also don’t know why they came or what show contained this footage. But enjoy it anyway.

If anyone can fill in the blanks about the origins of this piece of video journalism, please post them in the comments.

There are a couple of things to note. First everyone will notice that I am completely silent through the whole thing. Trust me, I had things to say, but apparently the producers didn’t believe it was interesting enough. Plus an extra humiliation … they misspell my name.

“TOM MASON IS GOD” came to us from a piece of fan-mail to Tom’s DINOSAURS FOR HIRE comic he created.

Plus, there is a lot of talk about Malibu’s acquisition of the license for STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE.

Starring Chris Ulm and Tom Mason. Two better friends a guy couldn’t ask for. You gotta admit, Tom’s hair is epic!

Guest starring Albert Calleros, Tim Edred, Anne Chien Watkins, and Stacy Herring Saez

Thanks to Bruce McCorkindale for posting this on Facebook … so that I could re-post it here.

That’s my version of the story. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

-Dave

 

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Professional wrestling was the basis of my secret relationship with Archie Goodwin

I have a not-so-secret appreciation and understanding of professional wrestling. It is probably rooted in my childhood when my Dad and I would watch Verne Gagne’s AWA promotion from our farmhouse in southern Minnesota. Like comics, it has a very active fanbase. Just like my relationship with comics, it is also an interest that I carried well into adulthood.

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A Great Pro Wrestler: BOBBY EATON

You may be asking yourself what this has to do with comics legend and all-around good guy Archie Goodwin. For that you’ll have to read more.

When Tom Mason, Scott Rosenberg, Chris Ulm and I were starting Malibu Comics, I was living in a double-wide trailer that was a little off-the-beaten path. That is a nice way to say it had electricity, but wasn’t wired for cable television. In those days, satellite television wasn’t really available. Eventually I saved up enough money to pay a HUGE premium for the local cable company to “drag a line” to my trailer. Getting non-antenna reception on my television was very exciting. I remember the TV program I looked forward to the most was the TBS broadcast of NWA Wrestling (eventually it would become WCW).

I hadn’t been a “mark” since my early teen years. I had long understood that pro wrestling matches involved all the athletes in the ring working together to put on a show … and tell a story. The goal of the story was to inspire fans to buy tickets to the live shows as the wrestling promotion traveled around the country. With this understanding, it changes how you watch the matches. My favorites were always the guys that were both exciting and good at telling the story.

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A Great Pro Wrestler: ARN ANDERSON

I liked Ric Flair and the Four Horseman. Great heels that could REALLY sell tickets and tell a great story. I liked Ricky Steamboat and Randy Savage. I like Michael P.S. Hayes of the Freebirds. Three of my favorites are shown here. I attended at least three different Wrestlemania shows. There were years in my 20s and 30s when I couldn’t get enough.

One of the things that tends to “put off” casual audiences from enjoying pro wrestling is how carefully (in years past) wrestling organizations protected what went on behind-the-scenes. They worked very hard to make it seem real. This never bothered me. I am aware that Seinfeld is a show. It no more bothers me that wrestling isn’t “real” than it bothers me that Nathan Fillian isn’t a famous crime-writer named Castle or a spaceship captain named Mal Reynolds.

However, there were “secret” newsletters (before the advent of the internet) that you could get in the mail that would write stories about all the behind-the-scenes drama of the real wrestlers and the organizations they worked for. I was a subscriber for years to two very good newsletters, Wrestling Observer and Pro Wrestling Torch.

A Great Pro Wrestler: Michael P.S. Hayes

A Great Pro Wrestler: MICHAEL P.S. HAYES

So when I met Archie Goodwin (probably during the days when Marvel was buying Malibu), I some how let it slip that I was a wrestling fan. I was shocked to learn that Archie Goodwin was also a fan. We talked at length about what we loved about wrestling while everyone around us was talking about comics. During one of these early talks with Archie, I reached into my briefcase and gave him one of my wrestling newsletters. He loved it.

From that day forward, I would save up a recent newsletter or two as soon as I found out Archie and I would be at the same convention. I remember a particular Chicago Convention when Archie was very busy with some fans at a convention table. He saw me walking by and flagged me down. I stopped, reached into my briefcase, retrieved a couple newsletter and slyly handed them to him (so that fans couldn’t see). His eyes lit up like Christmas morning. He thanked me, gave me a wink and went backed to helping the fans. Later in the show, we found each other again and he gave me the keepsake you see below. It is a special treasure and now I’m sharing it here for the first time.

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Make special note that “Pro Wrestler Archie Goodwin” wears tights featuring Batman logos. I miss you Archie!

I am not much of a wrestling fan anymore. Not enough time. But the good memories remain.

That’s my version of the story.

— Dave Olbrich (July 17, 2015)

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Fanatic Friday at Comic-Con 2013 (part 1)

A quick shout out to my favorite blogger, Paul O’Connor. He plugged my convention “coverage” on Twitter … so thanks. Check out his blog at: http://www.longboxgraveyard.com.

The glamorous hours spent at SDCC doing portfolio review. Truth is ... I love it!

The glamorous hours spent at SDCC doing portfolio review. Truth is … I love it!

Another early morning as my daughter Maggie needed to be in line for Hall H and she wanted it to happen before 6:30am. It is what you have to do for “Walking Dead/Game of Thrones day. I was a little afraid that wouldn’t be enough … as people were camped out last night before we called it a night. (Special note: we turned in early last night … or at least early for Comic-Con.)

Tom Mason and I both had breakfast meetings this morning, so we were on the trolley by 8am. For those keeping score Tom, Maggie and I all came to the convention together, as we have done for the last several years. We have worked out a system that works for us. Oh yeah, your scorecard should include the fact that Tom & I work together now at Space Goat Productions, plus we worked together in the past at both Malibu Comics and Fantagraphics Books.

Tom had breakfast with current Portland, Oregon resident Mickie Villa who got her first job after college working as a production assistant at Malibu Comics. More about her later.

I had a breakfast meeting with Carl Reed from comic publisher Lion Forge Comics. Carl and I met briefly at Wonder Con, but this was our first chance to talk at our leisure about how we can work together. Can’t wait to get started helping him after I return from the show.

Because of the enormous crowd here, finding a place to meet and eat can be a frustrating challenge. So far I’ve had three meals at the restaurant across the street inside the Hilton Hotel, because at least so far the convention crowd has yet to discover it. Old regular haunts like Dick’s Last Resort have an hour wait and the line at The Tin Fish is crazy long with no place to sit. Such is life in the age of “sold-out” Comic-Cons.

The energy from over 130,000 people in a relatively small place is incredible, but it also creates headaches … and allows for less spontaneous behavior. You almost have to plan EVERYTHING, which to my way of thinking is definitely less fun.

(I apologize if you are reading this as I work to update it … somehow I’ve managed to lose almost an hour worth of brilliant prose that I will now have to re-create. Just know that I will finish it. But I have to go lick my wounds for a little while … maybe get a cookie.)

Come back soon.

-dwo

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Fanatic Thursday at Comic-Con 2013

This just in … a surprise presenter for this year’s Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards will be … wait for it … Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, James Marsters. Anyone with a convention badge can attend the Eisner Awards, so change your plans for Friday night Buffy fans.

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The sea of people upstairs under the “sails” at SDCC 2013 Thursday

Day started dropping off Maggie, my daughter, at Old Town station before 7am so she could catch the trolley to the convention center to get in line for Ballroom 20. She needed to get in line for the panel for the BBC TV series SHERLOCK at 2:00pm. Such is the life of a con-goer who wants to see the big auditorium TV and movie presentations. Wish I could join her (because I REALLY love the show), but such is the life of a working comics professional.

Tom didn’t have any con obligations until after noon, so he peeled off on the train ride to the convention center to visit a local Euro-Cafe with great WIFI. I went straight to the con, towing around the banner signage for Space Goat Productions that I’m going to use during portfolio review. I think I am going to HATE being responsible for this SGP sign, it is bulky and there isn’t a really good safe place to put it between review sessions. And then getting it back home again …

First thing this morning was the panel talking about the 25th anniversary of the Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards, which i started with Will Eisner when the Kirby Awards died. If you want to read my account of that, I’ve already written about that in another blog post … just use the “search” function. Jackie Estrada was the MC and panelists included Bongo’s Bill Morrison, Denis Kitchen, Todd Klein and Maggie Thompson. I sat in the audience and contributed when asked. A fine way to spend an hour chatting about this thing I started that Jackie has built into something amazing.

After, I met Maggie Thompson in the hallway as she was being interviewed for a blog aimed at comics fans who happen to be girls. And Maggie introduced me to the guy responsible for NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour. Maggie says its is great so I plan to check it out.

One great thing about Comic-Con, if you have been in the industry a while are the happy surprises that occur along the way, like catching Maggie Thompson in the hall … and meeting her new friends … or like what happened to me next.

My cell phone let me know I had a text … from some of my favorite people … Debra & Dean Rohlfing. i thought they were at home in Texas. Instead, through a series of unique circumstances they were downstairs in the exhibit hall. Before the crash of the comics biz in the mid-90s, Dean and I had become friends, first when he worked for Diamond Comic Distributors and later we both worked for Marvel for a short time. Dean & Deb brought the whole family, which included their two very cool daughters and the future son-in-law. I hope to catch some more time with them before the show is over.

Next on the agenda was a quick meeting with Bob Schreck, a guy with a legendary comics career who now produces comics for Legendary Pictures (responsible for both Pacific Rimand Man of Steel summer blockbusters). Space Goat even contributed to the Pacific Rim comic that was just released. Bob and I have been competitors and acquaintances for a very long time … and as old guys who know all the same comic people and survived all the slings-and-arrows of staying in this crazy business, we come to be friends. We talked shop, we talked business and we talked about life. Just a couple old warriors comparing stories and battle scars.

At 2pm, I started two hours of artist portfolio review for Space Goat. I saw an unusually large number of good artists ready for their first job. Very encouraging. I never take anything from the artists I see. I give them my card and ask them to contact me. It is the first test to see if they are ready to take a pro-active approach to their comics career.

And those are the highlights of my day … after hours Tom and I attended the Scholastic Books party (where we saw Stan Sakai and Scott McCloud) … then it was off to the Hilton for a drink. We couldn’t find the Comixology party that Chip Mosher invited me to, but we did run into editor/entrepreneur Andy Schmidt (who has started a new business), comics vet Steven Grant (who wrote the comic that spawned the movie 2 Guns), as well as publishers Ross Richie (Boom) and Will Christianson (Avatar) both of whom are much smoother operators than most people give them credit for.

Dave Olbrich

 

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Fanatic Wednesday of Comic-Con 2013

Wednesday Preview Night of Comic-Con 2013 is in the rearview mirror.

Miscellaneous notes.
1. We arrived later than usual on the trolley that drops us off in front of the convention center. The good news that San Diego had changed its trolley route was pointed out to us by an employee of the trolley system working at the trolley stop (thanks for that San Diego). In past years, unless you were riding the “convention special,” you had to change trains if you were going from Old Town to Comic-Con. Not any more, all trains go direct. Hooray!

2. The definition of “professional” at Comic-Con sometimes seems to include nearly everyone. Yes, I know that is a gross exaggeration, but when we arrived the line from professional pro badges went from Hall E to Hall A outside on the sidewalk … about 2/3 the length of the entire convention center. But the organizers get a round of applause because despite the VERY long line, the wait was short and the pro-reg volunteers handled an enormous number of pros quite efficiently.

3. While standing in line (with my daughter Maggie and long time buddy Tom Mason) we met Space Goat Productions’ head honcho Shon Bury and we also saw actress Molly C. Quinn (she plays the daughter on Castle) who had stopped on the sidewalk to take pictures with a fan.

4. Kudos to the Warner Bros. Marketing department, the bag given to pros (and I assume everyone else) at registration is a well-designed … the adjustable straps allow you to carry it like a bag or throw it over your shoulders like a back-pack …very nice indeed.

People I saw and talked to:
1. First stop was the booth of artists Aaron Lopresti & Terry Dodson, who we plan to have dinner with Saturday night.
2. Next we coordinated (via text) a meet with writer Gerry Jones, who I first published in 1987. Maggie wanted to get her copy of Jones’s book Killing Monsters signed. Mission accomplished. Always good to see Gerry and his traveling comapnion Joe Felice.
3. DC’s Comic-Con booth is a favorite pro meeting spot. Marvel’s booth seems openly hostile to the kind of socializing that goes on at DC. Met Shon Bury again, plus …
* Space Goat artist Attila Futaki
* DC’s Jack Mahon
* DC Editors Bobbie Chase and Jim Chadwick (friend and former Malibu-ite)
* Space Goat artist Fernando Argosino
* Silo (animation) head honcho Sean Hart
* and I’m sure I’m forgetting something.
4. Former Malibu marketing dude and current Exec at IDW Alan Payne spent some time catching on with Maggie and me at the IDW booth. While we were standing there, we saw a girl (Lauren) that we had seen on the TV show Catfish the night before. And as we were leaving the booth, we saw someone in a purple wig who looked EXACTLY like Maggie Gyllenhaal.
5. Fellow So. Cal. comics business pro Chip Mosher gave me an invite to Thursday Comixology Party. It helps that he works there.
6. After walking through my second favorite section of the convention hall … where they sell old comcis and graphic novels, Maggie and I re-united with Tom Mason and headed over to FUNKY GARCIA’S for drinks and food with a bunch of the Space Goat crowd before calling it a night.

dwo
from a secret location just outside San Diego

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