
Thomas Jane, Beauty & the Beast (photo by Samantha Holmes)
Continuing from yesterday…
My friend Thomas Jane took some time off from his Raw Studios booth to swing by and say “Hi!” I wish I could remember his lovely date’s name…
I’m working on an eight page story for my movie star pal written by Bruce Jones for Raw’s revival of Alien Worlds. I (and my pal Mark Schultz who I also spent time with at Comic-Con) previously contributed two covers to his Alien Pig Farm 3000 comics. Thom is one of the most down to earth guys I know. He’s a real guy-guy — but don’t let that fool you — he’s as smart as a whip. In the photo, Thom’s discussing and holding copies of the two new sketchbooks of mine that debuted at Comic-Con: William Stout 50 Convention Sketches Volume 17 and William Stout Monsters Sketchbook Volume 3.

The Great Bob Burden (photo by Samantha Holmes)
One of the guys I treasure most having in my life is Flaming Carrot and Mystery Men creator Bob Burden). Bob is one-of-a-kind. He tells great, funny stories and from superheroes to Gumby, his creative take on comics is unique. Bob has really been pushing for me to have the chance to direct one of his film projects. I’d be delighted, if only to have a chance to work closely with Bob!

Walt Simonson and Another Dino Fan (photo by Samantha Holmes)
Fellow dinosaur lover Walt Simonson stopped in as well. His new Thor book from IDW is amazing. It’s all shot from the original art. Snatch it up before it’s sold out!

Brothers From Another Mother (photo by Samantha Holmes)
The moment I met Iain McCaig when we were on the Conran John Carter of Mars film, it felt like I was meeting a brother I never knew I had. We clicked instantly and it’s been the same ever since. If you’ve never met the designer of Star Wars I, II and III, well, figure out how to rectify that situation ASAP. Iain is such an enthusiastic high energy guy, that I think if the USA plugged into this brilliant Canadian resident, we would no longer have a dependence on foreign oil. He could light up the nation!
Since the John Carter film (Iain worked on the upcoming Pixar version as well), Iain and I got to collaborate on a film being helmed by our friend Marc Zicree. Iain has invited me to Sweden to work on his own feature length directing debut. I’d wish Iain luck, but with his talent, energy, strong work ethic, abundant creativity, enthusiasm and high-spirited good will, I don’t think he’ll be in need of much good luck; he manufactures his own.

Me, Sam & Frank
Besides being one of my biggest collectors, I consider the brilliant writer-director (Shawshank Redemption, Green Mile, Stephen King’s The Mist) Frank Darabont to be a close friend. When I’ve got a perplexing problem — especially a personal or moral dilemma — I contact Frank. His sage and thoughtful advice and good & true moral compass have never missed. If you can’t already tell, I deeply treasure our friendship.
I was disheartened to learn that, counter to all show biz logic, AMC slashed Frank’s budget for Season Two on The Walking Dead by 25%. This is not how you treat someone who just delivered to you the biggest hit in your entire history of your channel’s existence. When a producer does that, you are supposed to reward the show with more money — not less! Idiots! Frank and AMC parted ways a day or so after Comic-Con.
Frank and I are standing with my gal pal extraordinaire Samantha Holmes. Sam shot the photos for my Comic-Con blog and has cast and directed me in two of her films. I can’t say enough about Sam. With her thoughtfulness, good cheer and seemingly boundless enthusiasm, Sam has become a welcome part of our family. Mark my words, Samantha Holmes will make her very fine mark in the film business in the near future. I’d bet the farm on that.
Hey! I gotta stop blogging and get back to multi-tasking here in Pasadena. I hope you enjoyed the Comic-Con photos. Although I don’t get to leave my booth, as you can see, a lot of Comic-Con ends up coming my way anyway.
It’s always great to see old friends (although not pictured, I saw and talked to Mark Schultz, Gary Gianni, Craig Elliott, our publisher John Fleskes (who debuted his great compilation book Flesk Prime at Comic-Con), art book dealer and long time Stout supporter Stuart Ng, Spectrum moguls Cathy and Arnie Fenner, Donato Giancola, Denis Kitchen, Illustration House‘s Roger Reed and many, many more) at Comic-Con; it’s my favorite part of the Comic-Con experience.
Next Con Stop: Dragon*Con!