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Sammy Hagar with guitarist Vic Johnson at the Fantasy Springs Casino, see page 11
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Comic Con 2016
August 31, 2016 Vol. 9 No. 70
Costumed Characters roam the Convention Center. Photo by Pat Krause
Q&A with Stan Lee the biggest name in Comics and a legend in the industry. Story and Photos by Pat Krause The Inaugural Comic Con Palm Springs started with a bang on Friday, August 26th. There was a ribbon cutting to start the event in grand style. The Iconic Comic Book guru Stan Lee, Palm Springs Mayor Robert Moon, founder of Palm Springs Comic Con, Christopher Spellman and the original Hulk portrayer, Lou Farrigno, did the ribbon-cutting
honors. Thousands of people waiting in line to enter this first ever Comic Con in the Valley at the Palm Springs Convention Center. It took that large facility to be able to hold the influx of people wanting to see what a Comic Con event was like. Comic book fans were in awe of all the vendors that sold not only Comic books, but everything related to Comics and their super heroes. The
By Desert Star Staff Actor Gene Wilder has departed for the giant chocolate factory in the sky. His family says he passed away from complications of Alzheimer’s disease, at the age of 83. Wilder died Sunday night in Stamford, Connecticut, his nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman said. The family chose not to disclose Wilder’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis three years ago. “The decision to wait until this time to disclose his condition wasn’t vanity, but more so that the countless young children that would smile or call out to him ‘there’s Willy Wonka’, would not have to
be then exposed to an adult, referencing illness or trouble and causing delight to travel to worry, disappointment or confusion,” the family said in a statement. “He simply couldn’t bear the idea of one less smile in the world.” Born Jerome Silberman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Wilder began acting at the age of 12. Wilder’s stage name came from the main character of Thomas Wolfe’s novel Look Homeward, Angel and from the playwright Thornton Wilder. Later in life, he said his psychoanalyst suggested that his name honored his mother, Jeanne. Although his career
floor was lined with booths that sold posters, toys, T-shirts, memorabilia, costumes and masks, art work, etc. and of course all the comics you could want to fill a collection. Comic Book artists had booths where you could get an autograph or buy an original work of art or just meet and talk to the artists. Some of the artists were busy drawing, and fans could
watch them at work. I was amazed at the amount of people that entered the Convention Center. The line was never ending, and people brought their children to see first-hand what goes on at a Comic Con Convention. People were stopping at vendors to look or talk to them about their collections. There were groups of people talking to the artists. Others took time out to partake
of a little food and beverage and watch all the many costumed fans. Parents even had their children in costume. The costumes ranged from Super Heroes to Villains. Fans of Stan Lee purchased tickets to get an autograph from him or had their photo taken with him. Stan Lee is the godfather of Continues on Page 2
Gene Wilder, star of ‘Blazing Saddles’ & ‘Willy Wonka’, dies at 83
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