FANTACON

This past weekend, I took some time off to attend several events being held in the New York Capitol District.

Fantacon -This is the 36^th year of this event which celebrates comic books, anime, horror, fantasy and most anything else that fits somewhere into those categories. Here are some of the people I spoke with.

Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame- My friend Jon Soto, his fiancée and his family manned a table at the event. They sold tee shirts and other souvenirs dealing with the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Jimmy Hart- A great wrestling manager most noted in the 1980’s. He managed some of the greats in the sport including-Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart (no relation) and Jim Neidhart (The Hart Foundation), Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Jerry "The King" Lawler, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, King Kong Bundy, Earthquake, Dino Bravo, the Nasty Boys, The Giant, and  probably the most famous;The Honky Tonk Man.

Besides wrestling, Jimmy Hart was a member of the rock band “The Gentrys” whose best known for the 1965 version “Keep on Dancing”.

 

James Tolkan-A notable actor you would remember form numerous movies, but most known as the principle in Back to the Future.  I was able to speak to him for several minutes. He had made a comment about signing autographs recently in London, England where the line went for miles.  I had to remind him he was in Albany, NY. He was a very nice man, and I have to say I hope I look as good as him at his age.

Sam Costello- Split Lip Comics. He is a comic book writer. I am in the process of reading his “The Harvestman, and other Unnatural Creatures”.  It was nice to meet another author at this event.

Very Scary Productions- An independent film maker whose interests’ center on horror and gore. I bought a copy of their movie “Project D: Classified” I will probably check that out this weekend. They seemed like a nice group, so I recommend you check them out.

Kevin Van Hentenryck- An actor which starred in the classic horror comedy movie; Basket Case. This is a classic cult movie that wrote the book on the b-movie horror genre. It was great to meet him. He is a great self-taught sculptor.

 

 

Geek Culture Podcast- The person at this table simple called himself Tom. This is a podcast over the internet which dedicates itself to talk about TV, Movies, Toys, Comics, & pop-culture and all things nerdy.

 Veronica Carlson- Is an actress featured in numerous classic Hammer movies. She starred with legendary actors such as Christopher Lee, David Niven and Peter Cushing. She is a successful painter and artist in South Carolina where she lives with her family.

I often mention when I attend some of these festivals, or events that there is always one performance, or one person that has the the most impact on me. At Fantacon, it was Veronica Carlson; she took the time to speak to the fans that came to see her. I will say that she is a very intelligent, elegant and stylish woman and a real gem.

NOW SOME BIG NEWS FOR ME.  This Saturday September 5, I will be on a panel discussion at the Upstate Comic Con.  I will be talking about my novel, “Legend of the Mystic Knights”, and also what perils a new author will face. If you are in the vicinity, drop by and say hello.

Next week: Will talk about the Upstate Comic Con, and the Washington County Fair.