Best 2000ad Fanboy / Fangirl moments

[JayzusB.Christ]

I'm not much of a comics convention fan (sorry) so I haven't really had the opportunity to meet the big names.  So my fanboy moments are probably a bit crap, but here they are anyway:

1.  Carlos Ezquerra's reaction to receiving our comic dedicated to him (compiled and edited by the Legendary Shark).
2.  Ron Smith's reaction to the other one dedicated to him.
3.  Seeing my boardname scrawled on a Mega City 1 wall, thanks to Patrick Goddard.
4.  Best one of all:  Listening to Flint uncomfortably reading out my boardname to Ron Smith, and Ron Smith saying something along the lines of 'Well, you can't get a higher authority than that.'

'FAN'-tastic stuff, eh, readers?

[Dandontdare]

My very first con - Hi-Ex 2010 - after returning to the bar, I asked if anyone remembered where I'd put my pint, and the answer was "yeah, it's just there, behind Cam Kennedy". That moment really brought home the friendliness and intimacy of UK cons and just how approachable these "giants" really are.

[CrazyFoxMachine]

1.  Carlos Ezquerra's reaction to receiving our comic dedicated to him (compiled and edited by the Legendary Shark).

This remains one of the highlights of my life - !

A lovely fan moment I always bring out is being super nervous to meet my artidol D'Israeli at Thought Bubble 2011 and get him to sign my copy of Timularo. He was friendly as fishpaste as always but seemed very jittery. It was only then I realised he too was nervously clutching "The Meknificent Seven" and scampered excitedly off to get Mick McMahon to sign it

Also I saw Wagner at Lawgiver stride up to Burdis and ask if he "wanted a pint" to which JB replied he hadn't any money in his uniform and Wagner said "it's alright I'll get you one" and I was thrown into a metaphysical quandary. How many people can say they've bought a creation of theirs a pint?! (A judge that is - I'm not suggesting Wagner invented Burdis...)

(Later that day I also saw JW raise a pint to Steven Sterlacchini & Steve Green after the Minty credits rolled which was a bit magical) - yes my fan moments that day were both pint related. Wannafightaboutit?!

Also also - I met the legendary Supersquirrel himself at Lakescon and gave him a drawing of him I did - and also witnessed him meet Simon Fraser for the first time which was rather touching as the grand Ezquerra complimented him mightily!

I've had so many amazing fan moments with droids - they are hands-down an absurdly amiable and friendly bunch and they make this the best fan community to be involved with BAR



NONE

[judgerufian]

Getting Prog 500 signed by over 15 artists and writers, many next to their drawings on the cover and still my friend Chris beating me with his total of 18 signatures on his copy!

Slightly related....
Dave Gibbons apologising he couldnt sign a copy of Watchmen as he had just spent 4 hours signing and was in need of the toilet at UKCAC '90. He is human after all.

Brian Bolland signing Killing Joke even though we were in a queue to promote A1.

The time Mrs JudgeRufian and I went to Kapow and she recognised Pat Mills before I did walking past us in the crush. I knew I had converted her to the cause!

-
On a whole when I've attended conventions, the 2000ad panel is always generous with their comments, time and stories to put any other panel to shame.

[Molch-R]

Getting to work here.

[Steve Green]

I think seeing Carlos posing with the badge that Dan and Steve had sent to him is my top moment.

The first time I saw a bunch of creator droids at an annual signing (must have been about 81/82), where they had original art.

Being sent a print of the opening spread to the Judge Child after writing to Tharg about a mate who had been banned from reading 2000AD.

I'm pretty sure this was before it actually appeared, which seems remarkable.

[Spaceghost]

A judge that is - I'm not suggesting Wagner invented Burdis...

But in a mad way, he sort of did...

Loads of pulse-quickening fan moments for me. List ahoy!

- Again, both Carlos and Ron's reaction to the fan comics that so many of us contributed to. Golden.

- A lovely long art related chat with D'Israeli while he drew me a Stickleback sketch.

- Meeting the devastatingly handsome Leigh Gallagher *swoon* and getting him to draw me a zombie.

- Pete Doherty trying to flog me some art. Didn't buy it.

- A somewhat subdued Henry Flint doing me a Dredd-head while I effused madly about his genius.

- Al Ewing patiently listening to me going on and on.

- Ian Edginton enthusiastically explaining that the clues to Stickleback's true identity are already there on the page in the stories published to date, if you can work them out. I can't.

- Meeting my personal favourite Dredd artist, Mick McMahon, who was lovely.

- Meeting Nick Dyer who is great and seemed shocked that I loved his art so much, the mad fool.

- Attending the pre-release, fan screening of DREDD 3D in London with loads of other forum reprobates, and meeting John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra, Alex Garland and Karl Urban.

- Asking John and Carlos to sign my 'Origins' collection and to make it out 'to Lee' and having John Wagner ask "Are you Lee Bates?". Apparently he recognised my name from the forum?! Starry eyed fanboy walks away on a cloud.

[Steve Green]

Ooh, yeah forgot about the Dredd screening.

[Bolt-01]

Hmm, let's see. The thing that stands out most for me is the moment when Whistler appeared in actual Strontium Dog and Johnny spoke to him.

Other than that I have enormously good memories of the London Dredd screening and meeting so many old and new friends.

The Oxford Dreddcons were massive for me as a fan and when Keith Richardson bought a Zarjaz from me to replace to one worn out in the Command module really put a smile on my face.

[JayzusB.Christ]

Wow; maybe I should go to some conventions.  I'd heard they were all about queuing; sounded a nightmare to me, but from how you guys describe them it sounds like they're a bit of craic too.

[Jon]

The studio I used to work for employed Mick McMahon for a time as a concept artist (before woefully misusing him). I was working on a different project, and I knocked up an illustration based on the game characters and sent it round as a Xmas card. I ended up in the lift with Mick, who told me he liked my card. I think I reacted coolly and professionally, while inside thinking, "I can die now, my job here is done." He was probably just making conversation. It was interesting chatting to him in the pub about the early days, though, especially his story about how his approach to Slaine came about that I'm not 100% sure I believe.

I had quite a long and drunken conversation in a pub in Dewsbury with Kev Walker including how he wasn't all that good when he started. Amazed I got away with that one. He was brilliant.

The whole Ron Smith thing was great, agreed.

Quad biking in Essaouira with Boo Cook. To be honest Boo was a bit secondary to that experience, though watching him conquer his fear of sand dunes was pretty extraordinary.

Any Thought Bubble party (and introducing people to Whitelocks beforehand).

Oh, bombing quite badly at the Thought Bubble "Draw for 2000AD" competition panel, with a massive hangover and a very dry mouth in front of various droids. Strangely, I still have fond memories of that.

[TordelBack]

Getting to work here.

-sniffle- There's something in my eye...

[Frank]

It was interesting chatting to (Mick McMahon) in the pub about the early days, though, especially his story about how his approach to Slaine came about that I'm not 100% sure I believe.

More than just "I'd lost my nerve a bit, and found drawing on tracing paper with overhead projector markers helped get me out of that rut"?  Spill, Jon, spill ...

[Jon]

It was interesting chatting to (Mick McMahon) in the pub about the early days, though, especially his story about how his approach to Slaine came about that I'm not 100% sure I believe.

More than just "I'd lost my nerve a bit, and found drawing on tracing paper with overhead projector markers helped get me out of that rut"?  Spill, Jon, spill ...

Ha, no, it was largely along those lines. Maybe it was just the embellishments, or the idea that you could get to the end of a stack of pages without checking the final outcome with only minutes to spare to the deadline and the denouement of, "I got sick to death of having to draw that way".  I dunno, something about it smacked of a kernel of truth long since spun into a story.

I grew up copying his stuff, so there may have been more than an element of awe there.

[Eamonn Clarke]

At the Lakeland comic art festival I was in the bar before the Dredd screening waiting to be served when John Wagner and King Carlos walked in. I bought them both a pint, toasted their health and then went to sit down with Dunk and some other boarders only for John and Carlos to come and sit down with us and chat away before the film.
Great stuff