Mythical Creatures
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?)
My Favorite Kind of Vampires
Happy Halloween, everyone! As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I used to draw one-panel gag cartoons. Like, professionally. Only for a handful of magazines, and really just at the beginning of my writing career. These days I mostly work as a writer, and I don’t draw that much, unless you count the rough thumbnail sketches I draw for nearly every project I work on. Which definitely counts as drawing. But I don’t often show those sketches to the people I’m working with (although sometimes, I do).
Anyway, since it’s Halloween, I thought I’d post one of the gag cartoons I drew back in the day. It’s called “Vampire Nerds,” and it was originally published in the October 2006 issue of Nickelodeon Magazine. (That was the Halloween issue, as if you couldn’t tell by the cover date.) Check it out:
Obviously, vampire nerds are my favorite kind of bloodsuckers, because I myself am a massive geek. (Which you could probably tell by the fact that I write graphic novels about mythical creatures, children’s book adaptations of famous sci-fi movies, TV scripts about fairy tale characters, and scripts for uber-nerdy video games. But I digress…)
I may begin drawing cartoons again (like, professionally), because I really miss it. If that does indeed happen, I’ll definitely mention it on this blog. So keep checking this space!