Conventions
Here’s My 2024 San Diego Comic Con Schedule!
Are you going to the San Diego Comic Con next week? If so, you can see me on two different panels, one of which I’m moderating, and one of which I’m not. Here’s the pertinent info for both:
On Friday, July 26th at 7:00pm, in Room 29AB, I’ll be moderating the “Epic Myths and Legends” panel. You see, I wrote an upcoming nonfiction book called The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends, and like the book, this panel will be all about the influence that ancient mythology had on modern-day pop culture. Here’s the official description of the event from the SDCC site:
The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends is a forthcoming nonfiction book by Arie Kaplan that details the influence of classic stories on contemporary pop culture. Without these myths, many of the most beloved fictional universes— everything from the Marvel and DC superheroes to Star Wars and Lord of the Rings—wouldn’t exist. Moderator Arie Kaplan (Frankie and the Dragon, LEGO Star Wars: The Official Stormtrooper Training Manual) and panelists Jonita Davis (The Black Cape, We Gon’ Be Black Today: Exploration of Black Nerd Culture), Mark Hoffmeier (Legend Quest: Masters of Myth, Avengers Assemble), and Jesse J. Holland (Black Panther: Who Is the Black Panther?, Star Wars: The Force Awakens—Finn’s Story) will discuss the influence these ancient myths have had on Hollywood blockbusters and comic book worldbuilding.
More info on the “Epic Myths” panel HERE.
And the second panel – the one I’m not moderating – is called “Neurotic Superheroes Across the Multiverses,” and it’s happening on Sunday July 28th at 2:30pm in Room 29CD. It’s moderated by Travis Langley and Danny Fingeroth. Here’s the official description of the event:
Dr. Travis Langley (Batman and Psychology; Spider-Man Psychology) and Danny Fingeroth (author, Superman on the Couch; editor, Spider-Man) lead this lively discussion of superhuman angst, guilt, suffering, and pain: Is Spidey the most neurotic superhero? Did Wolverine, Deadpool, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, or another take the title? Or has Batman topped the list all along? For a comparison of how superhero neuroses have manifested over the years, across multiverses, and between different media depictions, join Gerry Conway (Amazing Spider-Man; Detective Comics), Deric A. Hughes (Arrow; The Flash), Natasha Lee (Insomniac Games), Arie Kaplan (From Krakow to Krypton), Justine Mastin (Blue Box Counseling; Starship Therapise), and maybe a surprise multiverse wrecker. Could the most neurotic superhero be the most human of them all?
More info on the “Neurotic Superheroes” panel HERE.
Who will end up being the most neurotic superhero? Will it be…ME? I mean, I can hope, right? Speaking of which: I hope to see you at both of these pulse-pounding panels! (See what I did there?)
I’m Going To Be on a Panel at JewCE Tomorrow!
I am NOT a morning person!
Nevertheless, at 10:00am tomorrow, Sunday November 12th, 2023, I’m going to be a panelist on a panel discussion called “Jewish Roots of the Comic Industry” at the Center for Jewish History at 15 West 16th Street in Manhattan.
The panel is part of JewCE, a Jewish-themed comics and pop culture event. My fellow panelists will be Roy Schwartz and Simcha Weinstein, and the moderator will be Danny Fingeroth. Hey, I know all of those people!
And aside from the “Jewish Roots of the Comic Industry” panel, there are a bunch of other wonderful panels happening on November 12th. You can find out more about them at the JewCE website.
Here’s the official description of the “Jewish Roots” panel, from the JewCE site:
Superman and Batman were created by the children of eastern European Jewish immigrants! So were the Avengers and the X-Men! And the genre of non-superhero graphic novels like Maus was also largely jumpstarted by creators of similar backgrounds. Today, Hebraic historians discuss the Jewish roots of comics, maybe, along the way, dispelling some of the creation myths that have been passed down through time. Join Arie Kaplan (From Krakow to Krypton), Roy Schwartz (Is Superman Circumcised?), Simcha Weinstein (Up, Up and Oy Vey!) and moderator Danny Fingeroth (Disguised as Clark Kent) as they dig deep into comics’ Genesis.
Hope to see you there!
And here’s some info on JewCE in general:
JewCE stands for the JEWISH COMICS EXPERIENCE. It’s the ultimate comics and pop culture event brought to you by the Center for Jewish History in New York City. JewCE is designed to be an inclusive convention, celebrating an industry largely created by Members of the Tribe, and promoting diverse Jewish narratives in comics & graphic novels. JewCE welcomes creators and pop culture fans from all walks of life.
Geek Girl Authority interview and John Wilkes Booth humor piece
Here are some things you might not know about me:
- When I was a very young child, I thought The Count (from Sesame Street) was Jewish because he talked like my maternal grandmother.
- When my daughter Aviya was a baby, I used to hold her horizontally and pretend she was a tommy gun and that I was using her to obliterate mobsters in the 1920s. See, her legs were the butt of the gun, and her arms were the trigger, and um…Please don’t call Child Protective Services.
- One time, I formed a boy band with some of my fellow MAD Magazine writers. (Well, more of a “man band,” because we were all adults…technically.) We assigned roles to everyone, because the people in boy bands always have roles, e.g. the leader, the romantic one, the cute one, etc. My role? The sexy weirdo.
- According to my wife Nadine, the other day I talked in my sleep. I got up (still asleep), stood by the foot of the bed, and yelled, “There should be more comedy concerts!” And I’d just like to say: Sorry, sleepwalking-and-sleeptalking Arie, there’s still a pandemic going on. So there are limits on live indoor entertainment for now!
- Speaking of the pandemic, one of the things I’ve missed about the pandemic is attending comic book conventions in person. One thing I don’t miss? Being asked by random strangers whether I was cosplaying as Rick Moranis in Ghostbusters, which honestly has happened too many times for me to count. For the record: No, not cosplaying as anyone. This is just what I look like.
Now, I didn’t talk about any of those things when Rebecca Kaplan (no relation) interviewed me for Geek Girl Authority. But here are some of the things I DID talk about in that interview:
- The “Beatles” story I wrote for the One Anthology to Rule Them All omnibus, published by The Daily Drunk
- The Red Titan graphic novels I wrote for Simon & Schuster
- “Charlie and Little Bo Peep,” the episode of Charlie’s Colorforms City I wrote for Netflix
- Swamped by Croc, the Batman children’s book I wrote for Penguin Random House
Yup, I discuss all four of those writing projects in that interview, which you can read HERE.
Also, just in time for Presidents’ Day, I wrote a humor piece called “Other Catchphrases John Wilkes Booth Considered Before ‘Sic Semper Tyrannis!’” It was published on Weekly Humorist. Check it out!