The Gaffer hits Dublin!

[Link Prime]

A must-attend appointment for me: Pat Mills will be signing the newly collected 'Book of Scars' (and everything else I throw in front of him) on Wednesday 4th December at 6.00pm.

Location: Big Bang Comics, Dundrum Town Centre.

Free 2000AD print for the first 100 peeps, though I'd say attendance will be high, and I won't get there from work til after 7pm, so likely not for me!

[Gavin_Leahy_Block]

It will be slightly awkward for me to get there, especially with it being on midweek, but I can't miss the opportunity to meet Mr. Mills.

I just have to decide what to bring with me for him to sign.

[Link Prime]

Just back from this- a very, very enjoyable evening.
Kudos to Mike Carroll for his professional Q&A hosting- I would have sat in that cinema til the wee hours of the morning if they let us.

Pat & his lovely wife joined a small group of the attendees for a drink afterwards- the man is disarmingly nice, a true gent.
I was driving a bit of a distance (and in early tomorrow), so just had the one pint before making tracks.
I did buy Pat one before I left, and gushed a farewell about how Nemesis was the first thing I ever read and I've been a fan for 31 years or something along those lines.
Gawd.

Anyway, some stuff gleaned from the Q&A; we'll likely never see Nemesis again, as Kev O'Neill wanted the character retired. Fair enough I guess.
Also, Pat would love to see a Slaine movie happen, but appreciates it probably never will due to lack of mainstream appeal. Goddamn that recent Conan movie!

By the way- sorry I missed ye Gavin, glad you made it up.

[Mike Carroll]

I'd somehow got the idea that the signing was due to start at 4pm, so I dutifully arrived two hours early. Panic set in when I realised my dumb mistake: I was expecting to be home by about 7pm! I was even thinking that maybe I'd give it a miss and hope to catch Mr. Mills at the next event, but then the good folk at The Big Bang asked me to host the Q&A... A chance to be seen sitting alongside one of my heroes - I couldn't turn that down!

It was a great event, though the bitterly cold weather meant the numbers were lower than expected.

I'd never met Pat before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Turns out he is a thoroughly pleasant and friendly bloke, very unassuming and erudite. The Q&A session was supposed to run for an hour, but we went way over that time, and could have gone on for a lot longer - he's a pleasure to listen to!

It was great to catch up with Gavin and LinkPrime and the other boarders, too! Wish I could have stayed for the pub session, but, y'know, deadlines...

-- Mike

[Link Prime]

I'd somehow got the idea that the signing was due to start at 4pm, so I dutifully arrived two hours early. Panic set in when I realized my dumb mistake: I was expecting to be home by about 7pm!

Jeez Mike! Glad you decided to stay regardless- I could tell you got a genuine buzz out of it too.

I wasn't going to post this pic cause;
A) The person who took it was obviously handling a camera-phone for the first time in his life.
B) There's some homeless dude wandering around aimlessly in the background.

But feck it- that's Pat Mills Yo

*First person to post a 'Slaine & Ukko' one-liner wins a no-prize.

[Gavin_Leahy_Block]

Had a great time yesterday at the signing, I unfortunately missed the q&a, as I had to head back into the city to get a train home.
I did manage to have a brief chat with Pat, as he was signing the mountain of books I put in front of him. He still talks with such passion and enthusiasm that he was a joy to listen too. 

Sorry i missed you, Link, but hopefully you enjoyed the q&a and the drink afterwards. It was also an absolute pleasure to meet and chat to, Mike again.