Comicon in Motion

Caitlin sent this link to one of the videos on YouTube showing Hugh Jackman coming off the stage to shake Len's hand. I saw another one which had better sound, but Len is almost impossible to see because of the number of flashes going off and burning the video out. Thanks, Cait.

And here's another view of Hugh and Len, taken by someone from Empire Online who was sitting on Len's left side. I show up in none of these!

Although it is not the best video camera, I used my pocket Nikon S1 to record Len's acceptance speech at the Eisner Awards (this explains why I don't have any still shots.) These are actually the only full-body shots that give a sense of what his coat looked like. It's a little dark, but it preserves the moment.

I bought an actual video camera with low-light and digital still capabilities about four or five years ago. Unfortunately, it insists that there is moisture somewhere in the system and refuses to work. I haven't been able to get it to a repair shop and I've heard this is a common problem with the JVC minicams. I really wished I had it working and with me this time at Comicon.

That is the famous Mad cartoonist Sergio Aragones handing the Eisner Award to Len. They've been friends for about 40 years and Sergio is just a wonderful, funny man. Len likes to tell a story about tackling Sergio to prevent him from drawing on pastoral-scene wallpaper which had just gone up in Len's house in Queens. Sergio thought it needed people peering out from behind the trees. He was probably right.

I stayed up really late last night working on the still photographs, which I will probably be able to upload tonight. Hugh Jackman is a whirling dervish, and with low-light situations, it's hard to stop motion when using slow, long lenses. Nevertheless, there are a few shots I wouldn't dream of throwing out. Len's got a similar problem--he moves just as the camera goes off--and my friend Melinda Snodgrass likes to pick that exact moment to blink.