Dark Adventure Archives 3

     We did a joint venture promo with Claypool Comics back in the late '90s for the Elvira, Mistress of the Dark comics.  You may not recognize her out of costume, but this is Cassandra Peterson, aka Elvira herself.  A bitingly funny gal and a blast to hang with.







     One very full handful is actress and model, Julie Strain, seen here during a fantastic promotional stint with Heavy Metal magazine.  She has an infectious laugh and makes the utmost of any occasion and truly has no fear.  She's currently married to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator, Kevin Eastman.




     A much too early in the morning visit with Traci Lords, actress and now, a new mom!  9am in Cali is 6am in my town and she glows while I glower.  Cast in many dramatic roles, I think her forte is comedy as she has spot-on timing.  Hi, Gunnar!

Dark Adventure Comics Archive 2

One of the most remarkable aspects of my career has been having the opportunity to meet and befriend many personalities for which I have great respect.  The photo above shows (from left to right) Ray's grand-daughter, Ray Bradbury, the late Julius Schwartz and myself.  Ray is a world famous author of too many classic novels to mention and is an established icon.  Julie was the editor for DC Comics for decades and was primarily responsible for bringing in the second great wave of Super-Hero comics and creating the Silver Age.

     This is one of the few people I have been absolutely honored to know. The late Will Eisner (pictured in the middle) was one of the pioneers of comics.  His production companies and work in the 1930s and '40s are the stuff of legend.  Creator of The Spirit and also of the very graphic novel format, his book, "Graphic Storytelling" is the Bible of the field.  I knew Will for almost two decades and he was still active in the business up until his death.  Pictured on the left in the background is Kitchen Sink publisher, Dennis Kitchen, another formidable force in comics.

I first met Chris Reeve in 1992 and was surprised he sought me out for advice on what to do about his panel and interview sessions as he was unprepared and very nervous.  I did a bit of a Lifespring LP coach grounding with him and he was a gigantic hit and very grateful.  The photo shown was taken later that day by my good friend US Representative of GA, Brooks Coleman.

     The AC in the conference had died and it was literally 100 degrees and we kept finding ourselves in the service corridors sharing cold Cokes and talking.  That began a irregular correspondence we maintained up until his paralysis from a horseback riding injury.  After my own accident where I sustained an inoperable shattered spine and nerve damage, the thoughts of his indomitable spirit helped me recuperate and continue to inspire me to this day.  Chris was quite simply one of the best souls I have ever known.

Dark Adventure Comics Archive

Dark Adventure Comics' humble beginings at the Norcross Flea Market.  We were only there a year before moving to our store location, but a lot of book action happened here and we originally met some of our long-time customers at Booth 201, first stop off the elevator.  That's my dad surveying the land and the Mr & Mrs Santas on the counter were made by my mom for charity for the Cherokee Rose Grandmother's Club.

One of my favorite people!  Through the early '90s I did literally hundreds of conventions and trade shows.  One of the many great personalities I got to know well from our constant and close proximities was actress and certified Scream Queen, Brinke Stevens.  I was always promoting the operation and several times asked her to help me out.  She was always so gracious and the epitome of a good sport.  Here she jumped on a chair and did the Vanna White in front of my display wall at Dragon Con.  Brinke is the definition of class.

One of the very first guests I booked for the early Dark Adventure Cons was TV's Batgirl, Yvonne Craig.  I was nicely rewarded by befriending one of the most professional, talented and fan-friendly actresses around and about.  She jumped into the media press for the show and offered to do the radio spots and interviews and was a huge success.  To this day she is an endeared presence.