Star Wars author Timothy Zahn will not be at GalaxyCon St. Louis next weekend, and the reason became one of the comics industry’s bigger talking points this week. Zahn said he had been dropped from the show after relations broke down between GalaxyCon and his sponsor, ComicSketchArt. Within a day, both companies were calling it a misunderstanding.
What happened
Zahn, who created Grand Admiral Thrawn and now writes Star Trek comics for IDW, told fans he had been “summarily cancelled” from the convention “due to a sudden breakdown of relations between Galaxy Con and my sponsors, Comic Sketch Art,” according to Bleeding Cool. He apologized to fans who had planned to meet him and said he would “probably not be doing any further events with that group.”
ComicSketchArt, a Nashville company that manages convention appearances, signings and exclusive editions for a long list of comics creators, told Bleeding Cool that “accounting discrepancies and payment delays” had led to an impasse over a verbal guarantee for one of its artists. Founder Doug Peters said that when CSA pushed back, GalaxyCon decided to cut ties with its talent.
GalaxyCon’s side
GalaxyCon tells it differently. Representatives told Bleeding Cool that a staff member had acted without authorization and has since been dismissed, and that there was never any intent to sever ties with CSA’s creators. Founder Mike Broder said CSA “has been a good partner for many years and offered a very equitable resolution,” but that the offer was not properly passed on to senior management.
Broder and Peters have since spoken directly and expect the issue to be sorted out for future shows. It comes too late for St. Louis, though. GalaxyCon St. Louis runs October 23 to 25 at America’s Center, and Zahn will not be on the guest list.
Why it matters
Talent agencies like CSA now book a large share of the comics creators fans see at conventions, so a falling-out with a major show can ripple quickly. The fast patch-up should keep this from spreading to other events.
Zahn has been busy on the comics side lately, including the project covered in Timothy Zahn Writes a Star Trek Graphic Novel for IDW. Fans hoping to meet him will need to wait for another show.
