We started our chat on anime as he use to be a huge part of the anime industry back when Ban Dai Entertainment had a USA branch. It is missed.
After that we started to talk more about the con. Robert was asked to come through friends at the con including the chair who was at the original Anime Expo years back. With it being more sci-fi-oriented how could he miss out when growing up in the bay area and it's sci-fi cons. He missed the shows he grew up with as a teen.
He told a little about what was going to happen at his panel including comics he's been writing for five to six years. That includes John Carter of Mars. He joked, "We started the comic before the movie." We both joked about the film after that and he thought the marketing for it was really bad. It doesn't look like they'll make another with so much on their plate now with Marvel and Star Wars. He was saddened that it might be forgotten because of how much it inspired so many. I brought up it was too ransacked by so many other sci-fi films to not bore audiences.
When I asked who was his favorite character to write about. He immediately went to the Battlestar Galactica story of young Adama he did. It starts off from his service, starting as a young pilot. It's a prequel series. He broke out in a bit of joy when he mentioned meeting the actor who plays Adama, Edward James Olmos. He had a trade paperback of the Adama arc and Olmos went through it, said it was great and gave him a signed picture himself as a trade.Sadly, he couldn't make it out to Free Comic Book Day this year, it adds to the sadness with what DC and Marvel released this year.
I asked about his panel and other than giving free comics of his work at it, wait ... sort of a late Free Comic Book Day I guess. Anyway, he was just going to be general in the comics his written. Looking forward to meeting fans.
You know LA is always brought up so I asked about what it means to work in LA. He gave me two answers. As a comic writer it doesn't matter anymore due to the internet. "Most of the artists I've worked with I've never met. I meet them a cons and Comic-Con." Going on about how there isn't a bull pen anymore just a virtual office. Secondly, for entertainment you should be in LA with everything going on. Further in I asked did LA inspire you in some way and a part did. Universal's lot with all it's movies and it's movie monsters and early sci-fi.
If you have a chance pick up one of his comics.
