New York Comic Con had many wonders to behold this week as it graced us with majestic cosplayers, Spanish movie directors, and the kings of the comic book scene. Among all these auditory and visual delights, I was actually most anticipating a person who doesn’t really have anything to do with comics at all. He’s my favorite writer in the whole Whedon-verse and I’ve been a huge fan of him ever since I first laid eyes on Tyler Durden beating the crap out of himself in David Fincher‘s Fight Club. The man of course is, Chuck Palahniuk.
The first Chuck book that I ever read was actually Lullaby. I think it was because I had seen Fight Club so many times and figured that the book and the movie couldn’t have been too far different. In fact, they are pretty darn similar. I think went through the rest of his work and ate up all of his new releases like a Hungry, Hungry, Hippo.
So, when I heard that the man himself would be showing up to Comic Con, I KNEW that it would be my goal to at least hear the man speak. I fought my way through a crowd of onlookers, most who were simply taking up seats just to wait for the next speaker, or to just sit down. You see, that happens a lot at Comic Con. People literally not caring what the panel is for, just sitting to sit. It’s one of the most annoying things ever. So, when it came time for Chuck to take the stage and I was standing, looking, waiting…I just yearned not to be so far in the back.
Then, his newest book, Damned, started getting thrown out to the crowd. I ran towards the front, well, I didn’t really run. I slowly ambled like the undead because that’s the pace the crowd was moving, but I ambled as hard as I could. By the time I reached the front, all the books were gone; but hope was not all lost. Off to the back corner of the stage I saw a few hovering security guards and a few fans talking to someone. Lo and Behold, in the middle of them was Chuck Palahniuk himself! I edged in as close as I could and got inbetween some onlookers who didn’t even know who the man was, and FINALLY met Mr. Palahniuk.
He was very sweet, and very kind. He shook my hand and even took a picture with me. Afterwards he went on to take the stage and read a disgusting passage from his upcoming opus, Boogeyman. I saw disgusting in the most endearing of terms, because if you are a Chuck fan at all, you know that disgusting is his bread and butter. I didn’t get a book, or a severed limb that was thrown into the crowd as well. But I met my literary idol, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world.
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~Chaz
