I enjoyed this year's virtual Wondercon, and want to thank the organizers for putting on the event. Still, there's nothing like attending a convention. So while I wait for the good folks at Valiant Entertainment to send me the review package for Savage #3, I thought I'd share a few highlights from previous Wondercons.
Bat in the Sun released their short film. "Ninjak Vs. The Valiant Universe" in 2018. Writer and Director Aaron Schoenke showed clips from his upcoming movie, and told a little about the difficulties of mounting such a production.
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| Aaron Schoenke |
In addition to his father, the composer of film score, he also brought along three of the principle actors.
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| Kevin Porter |
Kevin Porter kept us entertained with stories from the set and his effervescent humor. Such was his zeal to play Armstrong that he put on a significant amount of weight so he could truly embody that happy hero.
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| Derek Theler |
Derek Theler played Aric of Dacia, also known as mighty X-O Manowar. It sounded as though some of the fight scenes he was in got a little rough. It's a good thing he's a big and strong: he could take anything the other actors (not professional stunt-people) unexpectedly dished out.
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| Michael Rowe |
Naturally, the star of the event was Michael Rowe, who played Ninjak. Given all the fight scenes he filmed, he shared that he took his cues from music. He regarded each move as a beat of music. As filming progressed, this allowed him to perform more beats, or moves, in a single take.
Have you watched "Ninjak Vs. The Valiant Universe" yet? If not, why not? It's freely available all over the internet, particularly on Youtube, and well worth a viewing. Okay, several viewings.
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| Greg Pak |
At the 2019 Wondercon event, I was able to meet Planet Hulk writer Greg Pak. Valiant readers will remember him from the Eternal Warrior series he wrote. He told me he'd happily return to Valiant again to write another series, if the opportunity arose.
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| Vita Ayala |
It helps to break the ice with someone if you're attending with popular friends. I enjoyed chatting with Vita Ayala, author of the recent Livewire series. While meeting Archer and Faith, she gladly discussed the mythology behind her first story arc with me.
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| Joshua Dysart |
Writer Joshua Dysart also enjoyed catching up with Faith and Archer. He ought to, after doing such a bang-up job on Harbinger and Imperium. In a panel, he mentioned he had traveled to Europe while crafting his six-issue story The Life And Death Of Toyo Harada. Such was his dedication to his storytelling that he worked side-by-side there with the artist.
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| with Lysa Hawkins & Mel Caylo |
One of my fondest memories is catching up with then-Marketing Director Mel Caylo, and meeting incoming editor Lysa Hawkins. Lysa has gone on to become a Senior Editor at Valiant, and has overseen the recent Bloodshot and Rai series. I can't wait to see her Ninjak series, when it finally arrives.
Soon, please, soon!
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| Kevin VanHook |
Last but certainly not least, it was great to meet Kevin VanHook, one of the creators of Bloodshot. He shared lots of insights into the creation of his famous character, as well as his experiences at Valiant in the 1990s. He's since gone on to work in the film industry, not only as a director but also in Special Effects.
There are many more memories I could have shared with you, but this gives you a taste of how special the 2018 and 2019 Wondercons were. I hope you had a chance to view the Shadowman panel from this year's virtual event. If not, it should still be up at Wondercon's Youtube channel. Check it out: it was a lot of fun!
Dragon Dave
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