Armageddon Q&A - Steve Blum
1) Is this your first time at Armageddon
Auckland?
Nope, I was there in 2006! VERY excited to return!! I know I
love New Zealand and have no expectation but to have a great time
with the people there!
2) What are you looking forward to seeing
again?
I particularly love the geothermal features of the north
island. We've driven a lot of it. (South Island
too!) This will be our third trip to Auckland and it never
gets old! Kind of feels like a spiritual homecoming. Respect
for the land seems to be a terrible, stupid fight in the United
States. There are factions there who would be very happy to
destroy ecosystems if there is a buck to be made. It seemed
that everywhere we travelled in NZ, the message of preserving
natural resources was loud and unwavering. I also love the
fact that you guys have no poisonous animals there! Makes
hiking much less stressful! And we're fascinated by the Maori
culture.
3) How does the convention circuit differ here from
abroad?
The odd thing is, in terms of the fans and the subject matter, it's
very similar to the larger cons in the US, but with a more laid
back attitude, plus the bonus of that magical Kiwi accent!
4) What are you working on / what projects are you
involved in at the moment?
Right now, the only projects I can talk about are Transformers
Prime, Naruto Shippuden, Stitch (the anime!), and a bunch of stuff
for Marvel. I'm also working on about eight other big
original animated cartoons projects, almost two dozen games and
about six animes that I'm not allowed to talk about yet!
5) What's the strangest (and publishable) request you've
ever had from a fan?
To sign their baby's head. Recently I was asked to sign a
Taser gun, a very large black bra and a breathalyzer. Two
guys also asked me to father their baby earlier this year.
6) Conversely, what's the nicest moment you've ever
had happen to you at a convention?
One of the best moments I can remember was in fact in Auckland in
2006. A brawny, heavily tattooed Maori man approached my
signing table and told me that his Autistic child barely spoke
until he saw one of the Animes I voiced (I think it was
Digimon?). In fact he seemed unable to communicate or really have
any quality of life. One day, something clicked and the
child suddenly began to take an interest in the show. The family
began to watch the show with him and somehow it opened up a
connection that they didn't think was possible. The child
began to speak, and is now high functioning, has friends and feels
like he has a place in the world. We actually stood there and cried
together. The dad came back the next day with his wife and
kids and we all hugged. One of the most touching moments of
my life.
7) Armageddon's also about the costumes - what's the
best and worst costumes you've seen while attending a
convention?
Ha ha ha! The worst (and also in a sick way, the best) might
have to be Man-Faye or Sailor Bubba -very large, hairy guys dressed
as Faye (from Cowboy Bebop) and Sailor Moon, respectively.
Disturbing, yet memorable.
8) What's the biggest myth about an event like Armageddon and
how would you dispel it?
That it means the end of the world? And yet, here it comes
again.
