Peter’s Find-a-Roomie-For-a-Friend service, take two

the perpetually homeless Jon Manzo has come to me yet again saying that I, like Obi-Wan, am his only hope. I pass on the following as a public service:

Dragon*Con Crash Space Needed: Expected roomie had to cancel, so I’m looking for a place to sleep. Arriving Thursday, departing Monday. Non-smoker, will bring own bedroll. May have a room for Thursday night, but still waiting to hear. E-Mail to Voiceodoom@aol.com by Wednesday pm.

All responses should be directed to him.

PAD

Categories: 1

John hauls out yet another old lie

John Byrne has several popular lies he likes to tell about me. One of his favorites jus resurfaced over on his board in a thread about whether the internet has ruined comics, in which he responds to the following set-up line–

“Wasn’t the ending to Alpha Flight #12 spoiled at a comic convention by another comic professional?”

–with the following lie:

“Peter David handed out xeroxes of Guardian’s death at a con about a month before the book shipped.”

Nnnnnno. A popular lie of John’s, but no. Number one, it wasn’t at a convention; it was at a get-together for retailers. Number two, it wasn’t Guardian’s death. It was an unlettered two page dream sequence in which Heather was seeing a dessicated Guardian tearing out the ground. Number three, it was part of a package of about two dozen photocopied highlights from assorted Marvel titles. Number four, the material in question was handed to me by Denny O’Neil, the book’s editor when I–in my capacity as sales manager at the time–was going around collecting material to put into the package. And when I said to him, “Are you sure you want me to include this in the material?” Denny replied, “Sure, what’s the harm?” Number five, retailers at the get together had no idea that the sequence actually indicated that Guardian really died. I know this because when John showed up at the get-together, he looked at the material, screamed at me at the top of his lungs, “How could you be showing this to retailers?!? It gives away the fact that Guardian dies!” and stormed out of the room, slowing only long enough to kick over a standing ashtray on his way out. At which point stunned retailers said, “Guardian DIES?,” started looking at the xeroxes again, and were muttering, “I thought it was just a dream sequence…”

Set your watches. I’m sure John will be hauling out the equally fun “Peter David was so stupid he had a character fall to his death underwater” lie sometime within the next six months. That’s one of his favorites.

PAD