Kevin Shirley

Peter Mayhew: A Member of the Family

Peter Mayhew: A Member of the Family

Sunday afternoon in Marriott A601-602, friends, loved ones, and fans of Peter Mayhew gathered to share their memories and love for the man who created one of American film’s iconic characters: Chewbacca the Wookiee from Star Wars. Bryan Young, Albin Johnson, Cheralyn Lambeth, and Ryan Ziegler guided the hour. This was not a Q&A. Rather, the session was an opportunity… Read more →

Had to Get it Right: The Wookiee and the Droid

Had to Get it Right: The Wookiee and the Droid

Brian Herring, the puppet master being the droid BB-8, and actor Joonas Suotamo, who plays Chewbacca in the current run of Star Wars films, joined moderator Riley Blanton in Hyatt Regency VI–VII Saturday afternoon to discuss their participation in and contributions to the saga. They came to the work from different places, but both appreciated the good fortune and responsibility… Read more →

The Return of the Space Western

The Return of the Space Western

Riley Blanton welcomed Peggy Eisenhower, Christy Morris, Michael Morris, and Bryan Young to the Marriott (A601-602) for a discussion of the soon to launch live-action series The Mandalorian, which will be part of the Disney+ streaming service. The series, created by Jon Favreau, will be set after the fall of the galactic empire and before the rise of the First… Read more →

The Second Age Arrives

The Second Age Arrives

A standing room only crowd poured into the High Fantasy track room in the Marriott (L401-403) to hear the latest on the highly anticipated and much talked about Lord of the Rings television series coming to Amazon Prime. Kirsten Z. Cairns (Greendragon) of The One Ring.net (TORN), Rebecca Perry, Constance Wagner, and Jim Wert took the crowd through a brief… Read more →

Power and Authority in Milton and Tolkein

The High Fantasy track welcomed a full house of members Friday evening to Marriot L401-403, to spend an hour exploring the relationship between the works of John Milton and J.R. R. Tolkien. Jim Wert and Constance G.J. Wagner worked through the similarities between Milton’s Paradise Lost and Tolkien’s Silmarillion with a particular emphasis on the comparison between Satan and Melkor…. Read more →

Dr. Strange: Mastering Magical Characters is Hard

Dr. Strange: Mastering Magical Characters is Hard

Magic is both a blessing and a curse, particularly for a writer. How does an author keep a character with virtual God-like powers in check? Comics and Pop Art track moderator Michael Bailey welcomed Richard Case, Barry Kitson, Brian Reber, and Roy Thomas to AmericasMart 2 on Friday morning to look back at their experience writing, promoting, animating, and managing… Read more →

It’s All About The Story with Prequels

In light of the Netflix premiere of the Dark Crystal prequel series, and the development of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings prequel series, the High Fantasy track launched Dragon Con 2019 with a Friday morning in Marriott L401 by exploring the format of prequels, and their lure. Alan Isom, Steve Saffel and Constance G.J. Wagner took a look at the… Read more →

The Hearts and Minds of Discovery

The Trek Track welcomed Mary Chieffo, Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Shazad Latif to a “Star Trek: Discovery Q&A” in the Marriott Atrium Ballroom Friday afternoon. A warm and welcoming crowd lined up to ask questions during the hour-long session. To no one’s surprise, the first question was about the potential of a Pike spinoff. The “Captain,” Anson Mount, spoke… Read more →