Author Archives: Paul

Austin Comic Con Appearance Schedule

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Come find me this weekend at the Wizard World Austin convention! I’ll be there Saturday and Sunday, sharing a table with esteemed writer and editor Danny Fingeroth. It’ll be the first chance to get autographed copies of Disney Princess #5 and #6 live and in person!

I’ll also be on several panels that should be a blast!

1:00 Saturday
WORDS INTO PICTURES: HOW TO WRITE COMICS with SPIDER-MAN’S TOM DeFALCO, THE RED HOOK’S DEAN HASPIEL, NO MERCY’S ALEX De CAMPI, DAREDEVIL’S CHARLES SOULE, HULK’S PAUL BENJAMIN and SPIDER-MAN’S DANNY FINGEROTH (ROOM 12)
Accomplished comics writers Tom DeFalco (Spider-Man; Thor), Dean Haspiel (The Red Hook; Beef With Tomato), Alex de Campi (Grindhouse; No Mercy), Charles Soule (Daredevil; Uncanny Inhumans), Paul Benjamin (The Hulk; Pantheon High) and Danny Fingeroth (How to Create Comics From Script to Print; Spider-Man) talk about how to put together a compelling comics story. Plus, they’ll answer your questions about both the creative and business sides of the comics writing profession, including how to find an artist to work with (hint: a comics convention is the number one place!) and how to write exciting dialogue!

3:30 Saturday 
WHO’S THE MOST NEUROTIC SUPERHERO? INSIDE THE MINDS OF BATMAN, SPIDER-MAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA, JESSICA JONES AND MORE with BATMAN AND PSYCHOLOGY’S DR. TRAVIS LANGLEY, PSYCHOLOGIST DR, ANTHONY BEAN, THE GEEK HANDBOOK’S ALEX LANGLEY, THE HULK’S PAUL BENJAMIN, UT’S DEREK ROYAL & SPIDER-MAN’S DANNY FINGEROTH (ROOM 12)
Ever since the dawn of Marvel’s “superheroes with real problems,” costumed adventurers have been letting their psychological damage show. Spider-Man’s guilt and insecurity, Batman’s tango with trauma, Captain America’s survivor’s guilt and Jessica Jones’ smorgasbord of symptoms are just a few of the mental challenges that modern superheroes deal with. Today, psychologists Travis Langley (Captain America vs. Iron Man: Freedom, Security, Psychology) and Anthony Bean (videogaming expert), author Alex Langley (The Geek Handbook), writer Paul Benjamin (Spider-Man),educator and blogger Derek Royal (The Comics Alternative) and comics writer and historian Danny Fingeroth (Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us About Ourselves and Our Society) discuss the psychological challenges a variety of heroes (and maybe some villains) deals with.

5:30 Saturday
THE MARVEL LEGACY: THE 77-YEAR HISTORY OF THE HOUSE OF IDEAS, FROM THE BEGINNING TO DEADPOOL TO CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR with SPIDER-MAN’S DANNY FINGEROTH AND THE HULK’S PAUL BENJAMIN (BALLROOM E)
In 1939, Marvel Comics #1 debuted, unleashing The Sub-Mariner and The Human Torch on the world, and launching what would come to be known as the Marvel Universe. Today, Danny Fingeroth (Deadly Foes of Spider-Man; The Stan Lee Universe) and Paul Benjamin (Amazing Spider-Man; Marvel Heroes MMO) present an illustrated tour through the many decades of comics, movies and TV series that make up the phenomenon that is Marvel.

Disney Princess #5

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DISNEY PRINCESS #5 Cover and Art by Amy Mebberson, Written by Paul Benjamin, Amy Mebberson, Georgia Ball, and Patrick Storck. Letters by AndWorldDesign.

Disney’s beloved heroines have returned in this hilarious collection of Disney Princess comic strips! Featuring laugh-out-loud stories from the worlds of Ariel, Belle, Rapunzel, Tiana, Cinderella, Aurora, and more, this charming new ongoing series will make all your royal dreams come true!
32 PGS./Rated All-Ages …$2.99

Armadillocon 2016 Schedule

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As mentioned in the previous post, I’ll be at Austin’s Armadillocon the weekend of Friday July 29 – Sunday July 31 (with a break on Saturday to attend a comic con at Pflugerville Public Library). My schedule could not be more awesome! It’s a great variety of subjects and I’m on panels with some of my favorite friends, colleagues, and co-panelists!

Harry Potter
Fri 9:00 PM-10:00 PM Ballroom D
Benjamin, Frank, Jacobs, Maresca, Swendson*, Wilson
New novel, upcoming 20th anniversary of publication of Sorcerer’s Stone, etc.
Comic Books You Should Be Reading
Fri 10:00 PM-11:00 PM Ballroom F
Benjamin, Humphrey, Porter*, Rogers
What comics should we be reading, and why?
Writing for Movies or TV
Sat 10:00 PM-11:00 PM Ballroom D
Benjamin, Cargill, de Orive, Goldsmith, Williams*
Tips and tricks for writing film and television.
Comic Books on TV
Sun 2:00 PM-3:00 PM Ballroom E
Benjamin, Bennett, Ewing*, Klaw, Oliver, Rountree
Panelists talk about comics we are seeing on TV, which ones they like and why, plus any hot rumors as to what is coming up.

 

Here’s the full schedule for this, the 38th annual Armadillocon and a full list of Armadillocon 2016 guests. It’s going to be a blast!

Summer appearances

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Want to meet a supermodel in person? Here’s a few places you’ll be able to find me this summer.

PFLUGERVILLE COMIC CON AT THE PFLUGERVILLE LIBRARY

Saturday July 30, 2 PM – 5 PM

Celebrate the end of the Summer Reading Program at the Pflugerville Comic Con beginning at 2 p.m. on July 30. There will be drawing workshops, kid-friendly costume contests, crafts, games, and an awesome group of creators!

I’ll be there along with famed X-Men writer Chris Claremont (via Skype), Tanya Davis and her steampunk animal figures, Joe Eisma, artist for comics like Flash and the NY Times bestselling Morning Glories, animator and Austin Chronicle illustrator Leah Lovise, Emmy award winning TV producer Mari Mancusi, cosplay specialist Jim Conditt, Sean McKeever, Eisner award-wining comics and Star Wars: The Old Republic video game writer, FUNimation! voice actor Alex Moore, New York playwright and actor Vanessa Shealy, web comic and print artist Elisa Wikey, and My Cats Are Jerks artist and writer Cait Zellers.

Need more details? Check out the Statesman here.

ARMADILLOCON

Friday July 29 – Sunday July 31

When I’m not at the Pflugerville Comic Con, I’ll be at Armadillocon (full schedule coming soon). This is an amazing convention with some of the greatest Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror writers and artists in the world of books, comics, and video games in attendance. You’ll get to meet talented writers and artists and learn not only their tips and tricks for incredible writing, but also their insights as fans of Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and more. A full list of guests is here. I challenge you to look at that list and not find half a dozen creators you’d love to meet.

See you soon!

My new job (for 6 months now)

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I realize looking at that previous post that it appears as if I’ve been job hunting for a long time. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, I had multiple job offers within 2.5 weeks and became a Senior Project Manager at Chaotic Moon here in Austin.

Fun fact: All of our conference rooms at CM are named after villains. I spend a lot of time in Magneto.

What does that mean? Well, for the last six months, it meant that I was working with an incredibly talented team on an incredibly challenging project delivering a high profile smartwatch to the world, along with an accompanying website and phone app. The project was so all-consuming, I barely had time to write fiction, much less blog posts.

I’m pleased to say that the project has shipped with great success and now I’m ready to move on to the next one. However, I should also have a little more free time for my writing. In fact, I already have an incredibly fun project in the works. It’s a licensed property based on a popular animated film franchise and the outlines for several issues are approved and ready to go. More on that in the future!

Job Seeking

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After layoffs at Four Kitchens, I’m now on the hunt for a new job. 

I’m looking for an opportunity where I can use my 15+ years of experience as a team leader and resource manager to produce great digital content for websites, apps, video games, and/or animation. I especially enjoy the challenge of collaborating with a broad range of personalities and putting my team management, client relations, and organizational skills to the test. I’m also a New York Times bestselling author, and I’ve found that communication and imagination are invaluable when it comes to problem solving.

Think I might be a good fit? Please check out my LinkedIn profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thepaulbenjamin

Already interested in hiring me and just doing your due diligence? Feel free to look through my website and let me know if you have any questions about managing digital projects, writing comics, making video games, or living in Uzbekistan!

Staple! 2015 – Visit the show this weekend!

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I’ll be at Table #1 with the incredible Rick Klaw and the inimitable Mark Finn. Also, today is Will Eisner’s birthday! We’ll be celebrating at Austin Books and Comics with this awesome cake and I’ll be interviewing comics creators about Eisner’s influences on their work.

Another highlight:  I’ll be moderating a panel on diversity in video games! http://staple-austin.org/2015-…/spawning-diversity-in-games/ Let’s get more non-white hetero males making video games for a wider variety of audiences! (It’s a little known fact: bigger audiences = more $$)

 

40 Years of D&D

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Among my many panels at this year’s (always) fantastic ArmadilloCon literary convention was my 40 Years of D&D panel. The room was packed thanks to the high charisma stats of my fellow panelists (listed in standard marching order): Mark Finn, Marshall Maresca, Barbara Ann Wright, and Patrice Sarath.

D&DPanel

Mark Finn, friend, author, and Robert E. Howard scholar (that’s the guy who created Conan, for those not in the know), published his own brilliant blog post on the 40th anniversary of D&D. In it, he mentions the list of recommended reading in Appendix N of the 1st edition Dungeon Master’s Guide. Oh, how I wish I could go back in time and get my teenage self to just flip past all those awesome magic item charts and use that list as a guidebook of required reading.

And for those who don’t want to click over to read Finn’s brilliance, I’ve posted the list below. It’s a veritable who’s who of authors whose work I wished I’d discovered as a teen. Of course, I’ve read plenty of these books, like Lord of the Rings, Elric, Hawkmoon, Conan, Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser, etc., but there are plenty I still haven’t read. Looks like my reading list just got that much bigger!

Anderson, Poul: THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS; THE HIGH CRUSADE; THE BROKEN
SWORD
Bellairs, John: THE FACE IN THE FROST
Brackett, Leigh
Brown, Frederic
Burroughs, Edgar Rice: “Pellucidar” series; Mars series; Venus series
Carter, Lin: “World’s End” series
de Camp, L. Sprague: LEST DARKNESS FALL; THE FALLIBLE FIEND; et al
de Camp & Pratt: “Harold Shea” series; THE CARNELIAN CUBE
Derleth, August
Dunsany, Lord
Farmer, P. J.: “The World of the Tiers” series; et al
Fox, Gardner: “Kothar” series; “Kyrik” series; et al
Howard, R. E.: “Conan” series
Lanier, Sterling: HIERO’S JOURNEY
Leiber, Fritz: “Fafhrd & Gray Mouser” series; et al
Lovecraft, H. P.
Merritt, A.: CREEP, SHADOW, CREEP; MOON POOL; DWELLERS IN THE MIRAGE; et al
Moorcock, Michael: STORMBRINGER; STEALER OF SOULS; “Hawkmoon” series (esp. the
first three books)
Norton, Andre
Offutt, Andrew J.: editor of SWORDS AGAINST DARKNESS III
Pratt, Fletcher: BLUE STAR; et al
Saberhagen, Fred: CHANGELING EARTH; et al
St. Clair, Margaret: THE SHADOW PEOPLE; SIGN OF THE LABRYS
Tolkien, J. R. R.: THE HOBBIT; “Ring trilogy”
Vance, Jack: THE EYES OF THE OVERWORLD; THE DYING EARTH; et al
Weinbaum, Stanley
Wellman, Manley Wade
Williamson, Jack
Zelazny, Roger: JACK OF SHADOWS; “Amber” series; et al

 

The Mythical Pantheon High vol. 3 is finally available!

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Did you enjoy reading Pantheon High 1 and 2? Have you wondered what happened to Griffin, son of Hades or Grace, daughter of Tyr and all their friends? Your wait is over! All three volumes of Pantheon High are now available on Comixology.com!

Pantheon High vol. 3. Cover by Steven and Megumi Cummings

It was way back in 2011 that Tokyopop announced it was shutting down its U.S. publishing operations. As a result of the publisher’s difficulties, Pantheon High volume 3 never made it into bookstores. It was briefly available for free via browser on the TP website and for a few months via print on demand. Then nothing.

Because Tokyopop ended its publishing endeavors but never actually closed down or went bankrupt, they retained the rights to many of their original-English-language properties, including Pantheon High. As a result, the third volume was basically consigned to limbo (or some other mythical realm, many of which the kids visit in this book). Over the last few years, fans have emailed me hoping to get a chance to read the third book in the trilogy. Now, thanks to the rise of digital publishing, all three books are available on your computer, tablet or phone via Comixology.com.
https://www.comixology.com/Pantheon-High/comics-series/1284

Here’s the copy I wrote back when the book was first released:

Gimme a T-R-O-U-B-L-E! What’s that spell? Trouble, with a capital T. And that’s what Pantheon High’s got going for it as we head into midterm season. Fortunately our students have been hitting the books extra hard to earn their marks in heroism, and when you throw in an extra-curricular excursion to fine tune their fighting skills, there’s no doubt that Griffin, Grace, Aziza and Yukio are going to get an A+ in saving the world!

Honestly, it’s been a while since I wrote this and I’m looking forward to reading the book again. Here’s what I do remember: there are more mythological gods in this book than in either of the first two, so you’ll get to see many of your favorites in action and learn about some you may never have known. There’s also a series of jaunts from realm to realm, so you’ll get glimpses of some of the coolest worlds from a variety of world mythologies. Plus there’s some kissing. And mind control. Enjoy!