Stephen Euin
Cobb
…was
a Guest Author at
Dragon*Con
2003
A huge convention in
science fiction, fantasy, gaming, anime,
comics, etc.
Attractive women just naturally
gravitate to Stephen.
(or is it the
other way around?)
Here he poses with Wonder Woman.
Dragon*Con is famous for the work fans
put into their costumes.
Hand tooled leather and genuine
theatrical makeup are everywhere.
Here Wolverine poses atop one of his
fellow X-men.
Now the secret is out!
Stormtroopers all wear lace thongs
under their armor.
Did you notice her tattoo?
Neither did Stephen.
The outfit Princes Leia was forced to
wear
while a prisoner of Jabba the Hutt.
(But look where this princes
carries her cigs.)
Three bounty hunters.
Friends and competitors, no doubt, of
Boba Fett.
Three cavaliers.
The past, like the future, is alive and
well at Dragon*Con.
Stephen’s fortune is bound to be bright,
now that he has three fairy godmothers.
A few gypsies and pirates wandering by.
--------
“Dragon*Con is like one continuous party
with a fifteen-ring circus
swirling around its edges”
. Stephen Euin Cobb
“These are not the
droids we are looking for, dude.”
(Notice Stephen’s
assistant and sister
Peggy Sue
Cobb-Gregory)
--------
“May Honor guide your words and deeds!
May Glory follow close behind!
Qapla'!”
(The Klingon on the left is Cmdr. Keela
sutai-Septaric
CO, Dark Star Quadrant, Dark Moon Fleet
Imperial Navy, Klingon Assault Group)
Check out DARK
MATTERS, the Dark Star Quadrant’s quarterly newsletter.
www.geocities.com/katkith/kag_darkstar_quadrant_newsletter.html
--------
Dead?
Let’s freeze your
head!
After the cryonics panel, Lionel Vogt
(a cryonics expert)
described to Stephen how damage to the brain
is minimized during freezing.
Stephen sounded like he was ready to
sign up.
(Lionel Vogt also builds battle robots
some of which have been in televised
competition)
www.spacestationx.com/cryonics/
--------
This young mad scientist
is showing machines which accumulate
and run on huge quantities of static
electricity.
He built them out of pop cans and two
liter bottles.
He also gave Stephen and Peggy a test
to measure their psychic abilities.
These abilities proved to be zero. What a surprise.
--------
Food and friends are always a great
combination.
(Clockwise from left)
Peggy Sue Cobb-Gregory,
Stephen Euin Cobb,
Andy Duncan, (Author of the World Fantasy
Award-winning book,
Beluthahatchie and Other Stories)
Sydney Duncan (Andy’s wife),
Mark Cobb (reporter for the Tuscaloosa News and
a friend of Andy’s)
(no known
relation to Stephen),
Tracy Kremer (a dealer and friend of Stephen).
This little get together preceded one
of Andy Duncan’s panels.
--------
Standing room only!
…for a writer’s panel on conflict and
suspense.
And yes, that’s Andy in the blue shirt.
(Left to right)
Robert Asprin
Andy Duncan
Caitlin R. Kiernan
Ann C. Crispin
Jody Lynn Nye
John Ringo
Another shot of the same panel.
--------
During the randomness of the prevailing
party atmosphere,
Stephen and Peggy shared their table
with two costumed strangers.
Saying goodnight to John Ringo
after spending a couple of hours
with him and the other “Baen Barflies.”*
(*A self-given nickname
derived from “Baen’s Bar”—
the large online
discussion forum on the Baen Book website.)
The Barflies made a respectable
showing.
They required four of the fifty tables
in the main atrium.
--------
Saturday was over.
Stephen slept like a stone.
But Sunday was another all-day
schedule.
Peggy Sue Cobb-Gregory in Stephen’s
hotel room
on the 40th floor of the Westin Inn.
(One block from the convention)
--------
Walking to the convention,
Stephen came across this futuristic
looking patrolman.
When asked, he said
two-wheeled vehicles for patrolling the downtown
area.
--------
Stephen met the legendary Betty
Ballantine.
She and her late husband Ian were
pioneers in book publishing.
They popularized SF and fantasy in the
40s, 50s and 60s
and promoted the idea of publishing SF and
fantasy in paperback form.
Some people say Ian
and Betty Ballantine invented the paperback book,
but this is an
overstatement.
They began by
importing Penguin paperbacks to the
then did their own
paperback books for the
then founded Bantam -- the
first
What they DID invent
was the SF paperback line, at Ballantine,
starting with "The Space
Merchants" in 1953.
--------
Mister Fantastic!
(Stephen thought it was Plastic Man.
The silly goose.)
--------
Stephen’s most important contribution
to civilization (so far).
Yes, that’s right.
Peace with the Cylon Raiders.
--------
The “Dealer Room” and the “Walk of
Fame”
were in the same huge (several acre) room.
Their pictures here are mixed together.
This is just one isle in the “Walk of
Fame”
There were fifteen or more.
That’s Gil Gerard (TV’s Buck Rogers) in
the foreground
and David Carradine (Kung Fu) near the
center.
Robert Hatch with a friend.
Part of the cast of Farscape.
--------
Stephen pretending to be a dealer.
Were you fooled?
He fooled some people well enough to
sell
two books and a wind spinner.
He was giving his friend Tracy Kremer a
needed break.
She was working her booth alone and had
no relief.
Tracy Kremer showing Stephen some of
her good amber.
Not the ordinary stuff she sets out for
the foot traffic to glance at.
This amber has insects imbedded inside;
pieces that can sell for a hundred dollars or
more.
Stephen collects fossils,
so he was fascinated by this.
--------
Stephen talking with
noted artist Charles Keegan.
Charles has done a number of book
covers.
Lithographs of his work are available
at his website.
--------
Les Johnson (NASA scientist) just after
he’d finished a panel
on the future of spaceflight.
He and Stephen first met at LibertyCon
when they were on a panel together,
along with two other scientists
and the writer Timothy Zahn.
--------
Stephen participated on a panel.
“Gadgets, gizmos and
whatzits:
Extrapolating the
future of technology from today.”
(Left to right)
John Robinson (a military intelligence officer),
Larry Bond (author of military thrillers),
M.M. Buckner (author of the SF novel HYPERTHOUGHT),
Stephen Euin Cobb (author of Plague at Redhook)
The audience was composed of writers
and aspiring writers.
The questions posed were focused
intently upon how to write better fiction.
These people were here to learn, and
their eagerness was evident.
The panelists were all well qualified
to the task of teaching.
And each made the most of their time at
the mic.
Afterward the audience carried their
enthusiasm right up to the table.
There were more questions.
And, as always, requests for signatures.
--------
After the questions and signings abated
it was time to relax.
No picture was taken of it but…
Stephen went to a restaurant
along with Peggy
and M.M. Buckner (Mary)
and Jack Lyle (Mary’s husband).
Stephen and Mary’s panel had started at
They ate, talked and--since the
restaurant was in the hotel’s main atrium—
watched the river of people stream past;
many of which were in elaborate costume.
--------
After that there were room parties.
Stephen was invited to one given by a
conglomeration of con organizers,
as well as one given by the Klingon Assault Group (KAG),
another given by the 501st Stormtroopers,
and of course the Baen party.
--------
The porter before Stephen tipped him.
--------
One last barbarian woman warrior.
==============
Stephen’s new show
“The Future And You”
Ideas and opinion about the future based
on verifiable facts of today.
Guests include:
Authors, Scientists, and other Pioneers
of the Future
========
Links to Sites:
John Ringo (bestselling author of military SF)
M. M. Buckner
(Author of the hard SF novel HYPERTHOUGHT)
Andy Duncan (Author of the World Fantasy Award-winning book, Beluthahatchie
and Other Stories)
Larry Niven
(Ok, Ok, he wasn’t at this con. But hey,
he’s Stephen’s hero.)
(Where many more fine authors can be found)
==========