From Fred Sez, April 8th, 2003

Back when I was still living in the same town as that renowned funnybook practitioner, Joe Staton, I heard from a young fellow by the name of Lawrence Klein. A big comics fan, he'd already visited Joe, and now he'd hoped to stop by for a short visit with yours truly. Well, since Joe had only good things to say about him, a date was arranged for the teen-ager and his dad to stop by for a couple of hours. To the best of my recollection, a pleasant time was had by all, and out of that little get-together came a perennial invitation to the annual one-day Ramapo, N. Y. Comic Convention.

Held in the gymnasium of the Ramapo High School and presided over by the local comics club, of which Lawrence was a key member, the event was one that quite a few pros--myself included--looked forward to each and every May for many years. It was low-key, it was friendly, and the reception from the fans was generally enthusiastic. When, after at least a decade, they closed up shop for good three years back (various affiliated faculty members were retiring, and the original membership had dispersed to various points across the globe--or at least, the state--hastening the con's demise), many folks were sad to see it come to an end, myself again included. But recently, though having moved out of the old neighborhood some time back, thus no longer living within walking distance of Senor Staton (not that I ever did--cars are SO much faster, I found!), I received yet another call from Joe regarding (not quite as) young Larry!! Seems as if, some fifteen years down the road from that day spent hanging out in my kitchen, the now grown up lad had become a lawyer AND found an impressive way to express his obviously enduring appreciation of the comics medium--he started the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art!! Quite a mouthful, eh? Why don't we just call it MoCCA, okay? After all, that's what everyone else does, y'know? The MoCCA concept is still in its nascent stages, please understand, with local events organized to raise awareness amongst the cartooning community and the public alike. One such gathering was being held in the spacious home of Joe and Hilarie Staton this past Sunday, and wouldn't you know it? I was invited!! Hey, great art, fellow doodlemeisters, and perhaps MOST importantly--free food!?! Try KEEPING me away!!... Walking into stately Staton manor, I was immediately taken by all the gorgeous framed art that adorned every wall, every nook, and every cranny of the available space so generously given over to MoCCA for display purposes on behalf of Joe and Hilarie. THEN I looked for the Dateline:@#$! page featuring the Punisher I myself had donated to the cause--had they perhaps hung it in the shower area in the out of the way upstairs bathroom? But no, fear not--there it was, straight ahead, not at all far from the luscious table of food (mmm--food). However, before my eyes totally focused on the piece I myself had chosen to give, I spied some only vaguely familiar color illos of Superman and Batman, nicely framed and greeting the crowd as they passed through the hallway and in towards the food (yum--food)! They turned out to be ancient twenty year old drawings I'd long ago done for Joe when first we met, and I admit to cringing somewhat, because like most artists confronted with work from their dim past, I could only see the imperfections. Eventually, I made my peace with their defects, and figured if they made the MoCCAmen happy, fine. Now, I decided, time to concentrate on more IMPORTANT matters--namely, lemme at that food!!... (...We'll pause briefly while I reflect on all the fine edibles it was my distinct pleasure to chow down on, courtesy of the fine folks in the MoCCA kitchens--mmmMMM!!...) I told you all about the Joe Sinnott congregation yesterday, but in addition to that happy little group, the following folks were on hand to take part in the celebration: Jim Starlin, Eliot Brown, Herb Trimpe, Linda Fite, James Warhola, Charles Barnett III, Ramona Fradon, Walt Simonson, Elaine Lee, Janice Chiang, Kyle Baker, Elwood Smith, Charles Fazzini, Ron Ferdinand, Laura Levine, and Bill Plympton, proving without a doubt that the world of cartooning is united not only in it's desire to better the public's perception of it's craft, but eager as well to show up where free vittles are being readily dispensed!?! Now, some of these talented peeps I managed to speak at length with, while with others I merely exchanged a friendly greeting. Unfortunately, several of the newcomers I missed talking to entirely (name tags, anyone?). Then, of course, there was that one individual, who, going way back to the days when the local area artists took turns hosting almost monthly pot-luck parties in the early nineties, steadfastly and much to my ultimate bemusement, refuses to acknowledge my very presence!?! While I can't possibly think of any possible reason for this peculiar behavior--even a bad one--I'm here to tell you that yes, the status quo of THAT relationship was maintained. Sigh. But by now, it's to be expected, and didn't put a damper on the afternoon for me. I was busy, happily meeting some new people, like Eliot Brown. Eliot worked in the Marvel editorial offices for nearly a decade, and while that part of his career is over, it still made for a lasting impression. Like many folks toiling away for the mainstream companies, myself included, the time put in is spoken of with equal parts awe, wistfulness, and downright disgust! After all, who DOESN'T complain about their job? But then it comes-- there's always that realization that, whoa!--it's comics, man! COOL!! You gotta smile. As one niche guy to another--Eliot is THE master of the tech illustration, and I'm, well, take a look around, and figure out MY niche--we had ourselves a lively conversation!! I was also delighted to speak, however briefly, with James Warhola, a truly nice fella I hadn't seen in years, one who's obvious talent is gonna keep him famous for more than the requisite 15 minutes!! In fact, ALL the artwork on display, whether donated or on loan, was worthy of a bit more immortality than THAT!? Besides the group listed above, there were illustrations showcased by the likes of Dan Green, Mary Wilshire, Ted Rall, Bob Oksner, and even the ever dynamic duo of Walt Kelly and Winsor McCay!?! Although I'm reasonably certain the latter two gents would've been more than sympathetic to the MoCCA cause, they were unable to attend the festivities due to the unfortunate fact that they're dead at the present time. Happily, no one let that small bugaboo cast a pall over the event, and a swell time was had by all!! Of course, there were many folks other than cartoonists invited, including some good buddies of mine. It was nice seeing Blaise Schweitzer, reporter for the local newspaper, again after too many years. And seeing Alex Bialy and Kevin Ferrara somewhere other than the volleyball court was a refreshing change as well--though I sure wish Kevin hadn't spiked a Swedish meatball onto my plate out of force of habit!?! And then there were two of my best buddies, Peter Clapper and Rocco Nigro. Both had arrived at the party later than most everyone else, Peter due to some work that needed getting done around the house, and Rocco--who was traveling a farther distance than even I was, albeit from the opposite direction--because of a little thing called Daylight's Savings Time, and the inadvertent overlooking of the one hour push forward the night before!?! I knew I shoulda emailed him a wake-up call!! Next time for sure--and the next time I wanna hassle him, I think I'll just bury it deep in one of my little tales from the baseball diamond, as I was informed by good ol' Mr. N, that while he manages to slog through MOST of what I post, he neglects to peruse my rhapsodic prose regarding the nation's alleged past-time (and hey, with Armondo Benitez surrendering a game losing homer in what should've been a tremendous come-from-behind victory for the Mets in the 9th inning of Sunday's game, it looks as if the season has truly begun in earnest, eh sports fans? But now, back to our regularly scheduled recap...) A painfully amusing moment occurred when I was out in the hallway speaking with the pair and Joe Sinnott stuck his head around the corner and asked if I'd please come into the front parlor when I had the chance. Seeing my attention momentarily diverted, my two pals good-naturedly chided me for my imminently dumping of them to talk to someone more important. I protested, saying, fellas, I'm not like that--really! To prove it, I told 'em, c'mon WITH me--I'll introduce you!! You're my friends, my pals, my buddies after all!! Well, we walked around the corner, and it turned out Joe and his son Mark were hoping to get a photo of me with the legendary embellisher, about which I told you yesterday. After readily agreeing to their flattering request, I quickly looked over my shoulder, motioned to my compadres, and said, "Joe, I'd like you to meet two close friends of mine, Rocco Nigro and....", after which there was an involuntary pause when I found myself momentarily unable to conjure up Peter's name, which brought gales of laughter from all who witnessed my tongue tumble bumble. Oh, I got his name out, but not until the delivery sounded as insincere as possible!! It was, I maintain, an honest mistake! Sorry, um, Peter was it?... All in all, a fine afternoon. If Lawrence Klein continues to stage events like this one, the future of MoCCA looks bright indeed!! Hey, how couldn't it with not only Stan Lee, but my all-time favorite editor, Jim Salicrup, serving steadfastly as members of the board of advisors? And let's not forget such tireless supporters as our happy hosts, Joe and Hilarie! (Rumor is they're available for bar mitzvahs and small birthday parties, but you'll have to check in with them for more on that!) For additional info, click on that colorful icon over to the side and you'll immediately be in a position to learn more. And to see some photos of the event taken by ace shutterbug, Scott Kress, visit the Catskill Comics site. You'll get a peek at the Staton ediface, some of the art, Jim Starlin, Joe Staton, Walt Simonson, and, resplendent in his Kryptonian garb, Charles Barnett III! Plus more, more, more--even a shot of the top of yours truly's noggin! View at your own risk! In the meantime, remember--believe! Don't mock MoCCA!! Thanks Fred! MoCCA would also like to thank Joe and Hilarie, without them, this would not have been possible. We would like to thank the following artists who donated and loaned art to MoCCA: Paul Abrams Charles Barnett Kyle Baker Mike Dubisch Charles Fazzino Ramona Fradon Fred Hembeck Dennis Kitchen Laura Levine Wendy Pini Danny Shanahan Walter Simonson Joe Sinnott Elwood Smith Jim Starlin Joe Staton James Warhola Mary Wilshire