Sea-Con in beautiful Sea Bright must be a glutton for punishment, asking me back for a third time. I was indeed on hand at the venerable Sea Bright Recreation Center (next to Donovan’s Reef) on May 9, a cloudy, occasionally drizzly day.
Fellow guests included actor-singer Travis Artz, the voice of Hot Rod on “Transformers: Cyberverse”; Vaughn Coleman, creator-writer of the comic book Phenomenova (Rebel Oasis Studios); and Gianni Boy Vee, writer-artist of the children’s comic book Tales from Places Beyond Belief (Highland Pop Media).
There was also a surprise guest … and a surprise attendees. Manasquan Batman wasn’t previously announced, but there he was with a cool, new (to me) backdrop. Have you ever noticed that neither the Riddler, Penguin, Joker nor Catwoman have ever threatened the citizens of Manasquan? Clearly, Manasquan Batman is doing something. Above is MB on the misty Sea Bright boardwalk (left) and with myself at Sea-Con 2026, photo courtesy of … Manasquan Batman. (I know his secret identity, and I ain’t talkin’.)
A gentleman walked up and said, “Hi, Mark. I’m Murphy Anderson.” Not thinking connecting him with the great DC Comics artist also named Murphy Anderson (1926-2015), I conversed with him until he used the phrase “my father.” That’s when I said, “Are you the son of the comic book artist?” He explained that he’s Murphy III, and that his father — who pencilled and/or inked Batman, Justice League, Hawkman and Spectre covers and stories that I read as a kid — was Junior. We spoke for more than an hour. At one point, I told him I can recognize his dad’s inking just from his “feathering” (an artist’s term for shading) of facial features and hair. Murph III informed me that Murph Jr. had special quills for that particular specialty of his.
I’ll brought along a preview of my upcoming book “Son of Monster Mash” which, gawd willing, will drop on Oct. 21.
Find out more about Jersey Shore Comic Book Shows here: jerseyshorecomicbookshow.com.
