Drew Mollo [00:00:01]: Hey everybody, welcome back to Terrificon.

Steve Van Samson [00:00:03]: I’m Drew.

Drew Mollo [00:00:04]: I have the great, the absolutely wonderful Steve Van Samson joining me.

Steve Van Samson [00:00:09]: How’s it going everybody from Retro Red Octopus? Happy to be here. Hey, yo, yo!

Drew Mollo [00:00:17]: And we are absolutely just thrilled to have a, a, a total legend here. We have the great, the plaid, the bespectacled and still extremely polite, Mr. Owen King here. Sir, how you doing today?

Owen King [00:00:30]: I’m thrilled to be here, and I am not— I’m striped, not plaid.

Drew Mollo [00:00:34]: I— you know what, I— what you

Owen King [00:00:35]: guys don’t know is that we had technical difficulties. We lost a little bit. It was an act of nature.

Steve Van Samson [00:00:43]: Yep, it was like 4 hours of footage, you guys. It was, it was something like you’ll never get to see.

Owen King [00:00:49]: We’re going to try to recreate it, but it won’t be easy because none of us are natural performers.

Drew Mollo [00:00:53]: No, no, no.

Owen King [00:00:54]: Uh, Drew.

Drew Mollo [00:00:55]: Yes, sir.

Owen King [00:00:55]: I noticed that yesterday you had the red tie, today you got the white tie. What’s your tie tomorrow?

Drew Mollo [00:00:59]: Oh, no tie tomorrow. I’m, I’m— no, no, you know what, and I’m sorry, maybe I need to get my glasses out of the car because I thought it was plaid, but it is striped. But I’m— you know what, I was thinking my wardrobe tomorrow. I’m, I’m plaidin’ it up because I— yeah, no, because I, I get accused by my, my long-term girlfriend, um, every time she was like, why do you always wear the same 7 shirts? I was like, consistency, honey. And she was like, like, yes, it’s called laundry. I’m like, that’s fair, that’s fair.

Owen King [00:01:26]: I mean, 7 shirts is not a small amount.

Drew Mollo [00:01:28]: No, I know.

Steve Van Samson [00:01:29]: I mean, she calls you the platypus, right? I mean, that’s, that’s what— yeah, that’s like your pet name, right? I believe I remember that something.

Drew Mollo [00:01:37]: No, I, I— no, I would say what my, my nickname is here, but I don’t want to get canceled again, so we’re just going to say it’s a family show. Yeah, it’s family. Yeah, it’s fam— yeah, family-ish. So Um, my first question, Owen, is I was doing a little research and I, and I understand that you went to Columbia University. It was like the ’90s, like 1999. And you were with a class of, of, of stellar people. Um, it was Jennifer Epstein who wrote like a couple of books either before or after, right? And, but the one that blew me away is that you were in class with Scott Snyder, which is, I’m just like, what?

Owen King [00:02:09]: Yeah. And, and Scott’s one of my dear friends. He was in my wedding. Uh, we’ve been friends. Uh, well, since 1999, and, uh, he’s an awesome guy. Still remember making friends with him in the very first day of school, and he actually got his start in comic books doing a short story for a collection that I edited called Who Can Save Us Now? Scott wrote a, a story for that, uh, called The 13th Egg, and it was a superhero story, uh, set Uh, I think during like, uh, the atomic bomb tests, and it’s a great story, and it got him noticed by some editors at DC. And then he went and did— or maybe it was Marvel first. Anyways, he did Iron Man Noir, I remember. And, uh, and then, and then got rolling in that. And, uh, I was gonna say the other thing I wanted to tell you about Columbia though was, uh, comic book related, is they were filming the first Spider-Man when we were in grad school. Oh my God. And I still remember seeing Willem Dafoe in his Rolls-Royce, and they were pulled up in front of the Columbia, uh, library. Right. And in the movie, he’s like letting Peter out into the street, or maybe he’s letting James Franco out in the street.

Drew Mollo [00:03:19]: I can’t remember that.

Owen King [00:03:22]: Uh, but it’s just the little, like, very narrow causeway that cuts down the middle of the main campus at Columbia. I still could never figure out why that was supposed to be this— why they chose that as the street. But in the film, you would never know it wasn’t a street. There’s no way to tell.

Drew Mollo [00:03:38]: Well, he is something of a scientist, so, so I— but that, but that was my first. So Steve, would you have— did you have anything, you know, what do you want to ask next? Or— because I feel like, I don’t know, do I— we go back and forth?

Steve Van Samson [00:03:49]: I’m not sure, buddy. I, I mean, I, I’m enjoying the inside baseball. I love, I love these stories that,

Owen King [00:03:53]: uh, like we could have never— Columbia, I, I, I guess I will say, you know, It’s a great program. It’s the big, uh, in terms of population, it’s sort of the biggest MFA program. There’s like the most people there. Iowa’s more famous, probably, uh, Stanford, um, but it’s one of the really good ones. And we had a great class. We had, uh, Hillary Jordan who wrote Mudbound that got turned into an Oscar-nominated film. Uh, Karen Russell was just behind me and she, uh, was nominated for the National Book Award. Karen’s awesome. Jennifer Epstein was there, Jessica Shattuck, James Canón. It was a, you know, great couple classes.

Steve Van Samson [00:04:33]: It’s really cool.

Drew Mollo [00:04:34]: Yeah, I gotta do more in school, man.

Steve Van Samson [00:04:37]: You’re past— the time has passed.

Drew Mollo [00:04:38]: I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, but I’m just saying, goddamn.

Steve Van Samson [00:04:40]: So, um, you’re here to promote your new comic. You, uh, you clearly have, you know, dipped your toes into comics for a while, an occasional thing, but you actually do basically every kind of cool thing that there is to do. You’ve written novels, comics, you work with TV, you work in movies, you’ve done like producing, you’ve done all this stuff that I think people don’t realize. Um, how— like, how does that happen? How does this career just become so multifaceted?

Owen King [00:05:10]: Well, I mean, I, I like to do, uh, uh, the novels are sort

Drew Mollo [00:05:15]: of a,

Owen King [00:05:18]: uh, a lonely thing that takes like 2, 3, 4 years.

Steve Van Samson [00:05:22]: Yeah.

Owen King [00:05:22]: Um, and so in between, I have this awful feeling I’m gonna sneeze, guys.

Steve Van Samson [00:05:27]: I gotta warn you.

Owen King [00:05:29]: Yeah, that’s, that’s fine. I’m gonna try to hold it off.

Steve Van Samson [00:05:30]: Right into the mic.

Drew Mollo [00:05:31]: Yeah.

Owen King [00:05:31]: Maybe by saying that, I just backed it off. Okay. So I, uh, I like to do the books and then after I finish the books, I try to do some things that are different because it’s so intense to write a novel. There— it’s so dense, there’s so much that you have to think about, and it’s all on you, and it’s also like quiet time for many years. So, um, I usually do some collaborative stuff in between novels, and in this case, um, I had an idea that my friend Jesse Kellerman and I— or we had an idea together, um, about a, uh, the protagonist of Self Help is a, uh, like an Uber driver, but his name of his, uh, rideshare company that he works for is called Driver with like a umlaut over, over

Drew Mollo [00:06:24]: the R.

Owen King [00:06:26]: Uh, and, uh, he— when we meet him in the first issue of Self Help, we know things aren’t going well. He’s separated from his wife and, and wife and daughter. He’s got— he’s really strapped for cash. And he spends all his days picking people up who point out to him that he looks just like the famous self-help guru Darren Hart. And Darren Hart is, uh, his, his self-help theory is this sort of very violent, dominant self-help idea, right? Crush your enemies. And it drives Jerry crazy because The Darren Hart persona is— guy’s such a prick, and he’s rich, and he’s got it all going for him, and Jerry’s got nothing going for him. And so one fateful night, Darren Hart’s car breaks down and he needs a lift to a house in the Hollywood Hills, and it so happens that Jerry’s the one that picks him up, and they recognize each other, uh, in the rearview mirror that they look just like each other, and they both start laughing, you know, what are the chances?

Steve Van Samson [00:07:30]: Right?

Owen King [00:07:30]: And so they talk and, uh, Darren asks Jerry about his life and Jerry’s like, you know, I got all these problems and Darren makes some suggestions and Jerry’s got an answer for all of them. He says, no, that won’t work. That won’t work. This won’t work. And finally Darren says, well, I guess you’re fucked. And it’s a good reminder because my work is so important because There’s all these, uh, shit sack flavored Jell-Os like yourself, you know, getting in the way of people and people need help, you know, to climb over you. Uh, I said something along those lines and Jerry throws them out of the car and they’re in the dark in the Hollywood Hills and then he looks in the rearview mirror and Darren has disappeared. He’s fallen over the side of a cliff.

Drew Mollo [00:08:19]: Oh boy.

Owen King [00:08:19]: And so there is Jerry’s opportunity to take Darren’s life, which he does. Um, but obviously this is an impulsive decision, not a wise one, because not only does he have to somehow imitate Darren Hart, uh, what he doesn’t know is that Darren Hart is up to his neck in all kinds of criminal activities. And so all the things that he’s involved in, Jerry now has to contend with, and he ends up getting trapped in this role. So that’s the, uh, that’s the story, and it’s sort of a, uh You know, it’s part of that LA noir tradition. We, we wanted to, to try to fit ourselves in there and kind of do a, uh, Donald Westlake, right, uh, Raymond Chandler kind of mashup. And, uh, we’re really proud of it. I think it’s a, a funny, a funny comic and surprising and a little different, but also not so different that you feel like you’re out in outer space or something.

Drew Mollo [00:09:16]: Right, right. Speaking of something else in terms of, of work is I know that you, um, that there was a new version of The Stand that came out and you, uh, wrote a different ending. No, uh, you had written like a— right, something like a different— well, I

Owen King [00:09:32]: worked on the show. Yeah, I was in the writer’s room.

Steve Van Samson [00:09:35]: Yeah.

Owen King [00:09:35]: Um, but I didn’t write a different ending. That was, uh, the, the, uh, final episode was written by, uh, Ben Cavell and I’m— can’t believe I’m forgetting my— one of my other bosses’ names, but, uh, uh, they— then my dad wrote a new ending that was like the

Drew Mollo [00:09:55]: back half of the— okay, that’s— I’m sorry. Yeah, yeah, but you worked on the show and then like your dad wrote it a different ending to his book?

Owen King [00:10:03]: Yes, for the episode 8, like the second half of the episode was his.

Drew Mollo [00:10:06]: And you— and you also worked with your father on Sleeping Beauties? Which we did together. So, you know, it’s one thing, you know, you’re the son of this, this very well-known writer and then you’re working with him. So like, how, like, uh, how does that work? Yeah, I— how does that work? Because you guys are both very different writers, but then there are the similarities.

Owen King [00:10:27]: Well, those two things were really different, right? Because the, the writers room for The Stand, I was with a whole bunch of other people, right? Uh, not him. And then we did did it, and then they asked him to do that, you know, so he came in later, right? You know, I, I was, you know, saw the pages and everything, but I wasn’t really involved in that. Um, uh, well, I’m super proud of the show, I should say. I’m very, very proud of the show. And, uh, you know, it sits there at the top like the Paramount+ page, and I love that people find it and say, yeah, that was really cool. Um, but with Sleeping Beauties, you know, uh, that had not been something we ever planned to do. I just had this, you know, one sentence pitch to him I gave one night. What if all the women in the world didn’t wake up?

Drew Mollo [00:11:16]: Right.

Owen King [00:11:16]: And, uh, you know, that it wasn’t something I really wanted to do. It was more like, hey, I had this idea and I never pitch you on things, but I had this idea and it got— it just sounded like something you would do, right? Um, but we kept talking about it and we ended up doing it, and that was a different thing. Um, you know, I don’t live in the same place. Uh, he lives in Maine and Florida. I live in New York. And it was just different to, um, get to spend time with my father as a grown-up, right? You know, because, you know, you talk to your parents and you might talk to them frequently, but you don’t work with them or talk to them every day.

Drew Mollo [00:11:54]: Yeah.

Owen King [00:11:56]: Um, And so that was just a great experience that I, uh, I’ll always treasure for that. I’m super proud of the book that we wrote.

Drew Mollo [00:12:01]: Oh yeah, no, absolutely.

Owen King [00:12:04]: But, um, you know, and then in terms of how it worked, we had an outline, we, uh, broke that down together, we took turns with the chapters, uh, we would leave spaces for each other in each other’s chapters. And so, you know, there was always something of each of us in every chapter and You know, we’d also rewrite each other, and so the result, uh, is that it feels like a third person who knows us wrote it, you know? Yeah, I think it’s cool.

Drew Mollo [00:12:32]: Oh no, it’s totally— see, no, I

Steve Van Samson [00:12:35]: mean, that’s, that’s really cool. So I mean, first of course it was a novel. Yep. And it— but it was adapted into a comic, right?

Owen King [00:12:41]: Yeah, it was adapted by Rio Youers and Alison Sampson.

Steve Van Samson [00:12:44]: Absolutely.

Owen King [00:12:45]: Rio’s a great guy for IDW, and they did an awesome job. You know, I think that it— in some ways, um, you know, some of the, uh, some of the ways that Rio streamlined some of the ideas, I think, is extremely satisfying to see. Um, and to have a writer who I really respect and enjoy take on something that we wrote and, you know, put his stamp on it. It’s really cool. And I love Alison’s work. Um, it just has like a very, uh, like punchy, um, almost like shocking quality to some of her artwork that’s really cool. And, uh, came out great.

Steve Van Samson [00:13:37]: Yeah, I think it came out great too. Came out great. I think that, um, I think the book— the the comic, just like, you know, it’s always scary when something goes to a comic, especially if it’s an adaptation, not like a sequel or something like that. So I always actually prefer when a comic— when it— if it’s a movie and then they’re going to do a comic adaptation, it ends up being a sequel or something like that because it’s like, all right, we don’t need to worry about that.

Owen King [00:13:58]: Yeah.

Steve Van Samson [00:13:59]: But if it’s an adaptation, it’s like, you know, the two mediums are so different that a comic book writer doesn’t necessarily think about the same things or whatever as a novelist. But like the way that, uh, Rio works is he does both, but he’s primarily a novelist. So you’re able to really trust this really, really established great writer who was known for writing thrillers. And, you know, he’s such a— he’s such a great writer anyway to be in charge of that comic. I’m sure that must have put your mind at ease. Yeah.

Owen King [00:14:28]: And, and also when we agreed to do it with IDW is like the book is extremely long.

Drew Mollo [00:14:36]: Yeah.

Owen King [00:14:37]: So it wasn’t as if we expected them to adapt the whole thing. And to have somebody who can be creative and capture some of the feel of the book while not doing the whole narrative, because that’s impossible, was key. And he did a great job.

Steve Van Samson [00:14:54]: I think the, uh, the thing I always say that I look for is the spirit. If the spirit of the thing is there, because oftentimes when there’s a director of a movie of, you know, gonna adapt a book into a movie, go a different way. And whenever I hear the dreaded phrase, we’re gonna put our own spin in it to give somebody, to give the audience something new, something fresh. That is, that is the death of it for me. No, don’t do that. Keep the spirit of it. We know that you can’t do every little line of dialogue and every smell and every taste and every thought that runs through the character’s head, of course. It’s a different medium, but yeah, you have to be careful that you’re, you’re keeping the spirit there. Uh, totally unrelated. That’s what I think they were able to do with the Fantastic Four movie. I don’t know if you have a—

Owen King [00:15:38]: I have seen it, but I did, uh, before we finish up here, I did want to get— I didn’t want to waste any more time. What did you guys think of Superman?

Steve Van Samson [00:15:48]: I, I loved Superman and the Fantastic Four. And I am so happy we have a summer full of hopeful, happy, colorful, yeah, positive superhero movies. And I’m not interested in saying which one’s better. I, I’m so grateful for both of them, honestly.

Drew Mollo [00:16:05]: Drew? Oh, absolutely. I mean, I, I will say I, I agree with you on that. I emotionally, I was more invested in Superman, but Fantastic Four was just weird, wacky fun. And I feel that we are at a good point. I want my weird, I want my fun. I’m, I’m tired of dark realism. I just want my characters to embrace that they are fantasy and they are to take us out of whatever reality is. Um, Superman, I had, I, I, I might say this, I had just lost my job the day before I said Superman. So I am low and that movie just brought me up and I just felt so, I was like, it’s good to see Superman hopeful. And optimistic. And I was like— and I said, it was like, we need this right now. We need a reminder that being kind, being human, is totally punk rock.

Owen King [00:16:57]: Yeah, I, I loved it. And I love James Gunn’s movies. And, and one of the things I like about, uh, the way that he does the superhero movies is that I can tell he made them.

Steve Van Samson [00:17:10]: Yeah.

Owen King [00:17:10]: And when I, when I see the other superhero, superhero movies Oftentimes I can’t tell who directed them even if I know who directed them. And so they, they lack that sort of personal stamp. And there’s something a little bit— it’s, it’s in like the way that Nathan Fillion’s hair is done in the movie and in the way that he talks, or like the way in the, um, that last, uh, Guardians of the Galaxy movie, like there were the weird like bouncy balls that were hitting people, or like the way that, uh, you little, uh, little tree guy brought the finger. Like, there’s like an element of him in it. Yeah, that doesn’t— it’s, it’s a little bit anarchistic.

Drew Mollo [00:17:51]: Yeah.

Owen King [00:17:51]: And, um, I hope that superhero movies continue to lean in that and also continue to not be in a hurry.

Drew Mollo [00:17:59]: No, absolutely. I mean, I remember when he was doing Guardians, he had written a pitch and everything. I think he showed it to a comic book friend of his And he was like, “This is fine.” He was like— and he was like— James said, “Oh, I had written this other thing.” He was like, “I want to see that other pitch you had written.” And he showed him, and he was like, “I want you to make this one.” Right. You showed me a Marvel movie. What this is is a James Gunn Marvel movie.

Steve Van Samson [00:18:22]: Yeah.

Drew Mollo [00:18:22]: And I would see that movie. And we had Guardians, and, you know, it is what it is. And, you know, I’ve been a fan of James since Slither, you know? And, and speaking of— See? Yeah, right. And speaking of Nathan Fillion, I mean, he is just the textbook example of you hire your friends, not just because like, oh, that— I want to make a great— I want to make a great movie with people I enjoy who I will push them and they’re going to push me. And when we win, we all win.

Owen King [00:18:52]: Yeah.

Drew Mollo [00:18:52]: And I think that’s what I love so much about movies, about books, is it’s not just you winning, it’s your editors. The people who inspired you, your family, they see you thrive and it’s like, good for you. And I’m like, no, good for all of us because I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t help me along the way. So I think that’s what Superman Fantastic Four is. You need that support, you need that family, and you need an awesome soundtrack.

Steve Van Samson [00:19:20]: Yeah, yeah, the awesome soundtrack is definitely key. And that’s definitely, I think, you know, one of the main reasons that James Gunn has changed the landscape of, of movies. I mean, needle drops became such a thing, especially in trailers. After— I mean, he didn’t invent it, but he sort of reminded us of it and used it in a different way and, and stuff. I would, uh, I would add to the conversation of director— like, superhero movies with a director’s stamp, because you’re right, especially the Marvel movies. You’re right, it’s corporate at this point, and I love most of them, but right Captain America: The First Avenger is a Joe Johnston movie.

Owen King [00:19:57]: Yeah, I don’t know if I’ve seen that one.

Steve Van Samson [00:19:59]: Oh man, I love it.

Owen King [00:20:00]: I’ve seen that one. I, um, it’s, it’s, it’s like, yep,

Steve Van Samson [00:20:03]: Rocketeer guy made this.

Owen King [00:20:04]: I really like the first couple Iron Mans, first couple Superman, uh, Spider-Mans. I mean, there’s some other ones. The first, uh, Ant-Man movie, the Peyton— I think I love that one.

Drew Mollo [00:20:12]: I love that.

Owen King [00:20:13]: I could feel him a little bit of that. Um, yeah, but, uh, the James Gunn ones, you know, the really— probably the most feel like very individual and it’s very, very real.

Drew Mollo [00:20:23]: And actually, um, I, I had a question because I remember reading something, uh, it’s a funny story that I, um, happened to your dad. He was in a supermarket and this woman was calling him out and she was like, you know, you write these scary stories and everything, like, why don’t you write something nice like the, like the, that Shawshank Redemption? And the lady, and he was like, but, but ma’am, I, I did, I did write Shawshank Redemption. And she was like, no, And she just walks away. She’s like, “Why are you lying?” Walks away. And I was just like—

Owen King [00:20:52]: like, I

Drew Mollo [00:20:52]: feel like people see horror stories or things that are scary, and they think that people are, you know, like, horror writers or that we’re just disturbed. I’m like, “No, we’re normal dudes like you, like, dudes and ladies.” And, like, do you— like, how do I say this? You— we know your father as this writer and everything. You knew him—— as your dad. Yeah. So, like, you— like, how do I say this? What was it like seeing that— you see the public perception, and if a movie doesn’t work, it was like, oh, it’s based on this story by Stephen King. Like, was it— how did you kind of handle that? You know, and, and, uh, yeah, I

Owen King [00:21:32]: know what you’re saying, but I mean, I grew up in the, uh, ’80s and really the ’80s, early ’90s. This is the It was a really different world, right? You know, it wasn’t like something that I would have encountered. Okay. And, and, um, yeah, day-to-day life. I grew up in Bangor, Maine and went to public schools. Uh, you know, my dad was not, uh, you know, Stephen King the famous guy. He was like Stephen King who like helped with the league or like, yeah, you know, he’s just like a regular guy.

Drew Mollo [00:22:00]: Yeah. And that was what I was wondering. I was like, I was thinking, I was like, and I’m in my head, I was just laughing an image. I was like, we see Stephen King and he’s writing these things by like candelabra. And I’m like, he was a guy who was reading his kids at one point. Like, and I was like, I wonder what books like he read to you guys to go to sleep. And I was like, cause I remember it was like, for instance, my dad would always tell me, he’s like, the book, The Fish by the Sea was the book that he read to Shreds. And he was like, I don’t know how many times I read that book. You loved it.

Owen King [00:22:29]: So, I mean, I always say, I get that question a lot. And I also feel like people are like, expect, want me to say that he read like the Necronomicon to me.

Drew Mollo [00:22:36]: Oh no, I, I actually, no, I wasn’t even thinking that.

Owen King [00:22:38]: I, it’s the same things that everybody else has Parents read it.

Drew Mollo [00:22:40]: Okay. Yeah. No, I, I, I actually, I wouldn’t even think that you’d read the Necronomicon. I was just wondering, I was like, is it The Cat in the Hat? I was just like, Green Eggs and Ham written by, read by Stephen King. Right.

Steve Van Samson [00:22:52]: Yeah. Cause I, I remember hearing this story, um, purportedly told by you or your brother, um, about how like you guys always had family reading time instead of TV time at the end of the day. And you guys just kind of gathered around and sort of read to each other. Yeah, like, how cool is that?

Owen King [00:23:10]: I think it’s something people should do. Well, I agree, definitely.

Steve Van Samson [00:23:12]: I always read to my kid, like, always. For years, my mom always read to me to go to bed every single night. I read to my kid every single night for years until she literally didn’t want it anymore, you know, gets to that point. But I would do the voices and, and do all these things. And yeah, I mean, that brings us

Owen King [00:23:29]: back to Comic-Con and all the people doing cosplay, you know, like, that’s right, part of, you know, getting into it.

Drew Mollo [00:23:35]: Absolutely. Just like, you know, get into it. Absolutely. I mean, it’s funny you say that because I remember when I was a substitute teacher, I would get really into it. And I’ll never forget this class that I read like the most elaborate version of, um, of a Dr. Seuss book. I came back to teach and they applauded. I walked in and there’s like kindergartners and the teacher was like, I’ve never seen that before. And I’m like, well, I’m— I don’t know what kind of job you’re doing. Like, you got to read. Um, I, I don’t remember. I think it was Green Eggs and Ham, but I was like, going around the room and big extreme gestures. ‘Cause I’m, I’m, again, I’m 6’2″ and these are kids are, they’re like, oh, this, this bearded loud giant is our teacher. And I’m like, cool. Yeah, exactly. So I think you have to do the voices and you gotta, you gotta love it. I always hate when I feel like you hear a kid, they’re like, all right, I’m gonna read. And you’re there in 10 minutes. I’m like, did, did you like speed read through, what, One Fish, Two Fish? I was like, you know, like, I remember I was reading to my, my nephew, and I was reading the Batman book, and I’m, and I’m doing like my Kevin Conroy impression, and his godfather is in the other room, and he was like, yo, I thought he had a TV in there. What is going on? Like, like, I’m just doing, you know, you know, I am justice, I am the knight. And he’s just like, my man, what? Like, you sounded just like him. Yeah, it’s like Kevin. I’m like, no, it’s true, thank you. But no, I, uh, That is fantastic. And I agree with you. We— normalize family reading time, everyone. Let’s bring that back. All right. So Steve, did you have anything?

Steve Van Samson [00:25:04]: Yeah. Well, I just had to say, uh, our, our favorite Seuss was What, What Was I Afraid Of? Um, and that one’s not as known, but it is the horror book. And it’s the one with the, the pale of pale green pants with nobody inside them.

Drew Mollo [00:25:17]: Amazing book.

Steve Van Samson [00:25:18]: I don’t know if I remember that one. Absolutely my favorite one by far.— I didn’t know of it as a, as a kid, um, but it’s like the horror one. It’s the spooky one. And there’s just this ghostly pair of lime green pants. And, uh, the guy, the main— the narrator is just afraid of them. But in the end, he realizes that they’re just nice and it’s okay. What was I— pants are okay.

Owen King [00:25:39]: Yeah.

Steve Van Samson [00:25:39]: What was I afraid of? It’s a, it’s a great one.

Owen King [00:25:42]: It’s a great one for you guys, uh, uh, watching home. You ever get the chance, his house is on I-90. His Dr. Seuss Museum. Oh, yeah. I don’t think it’s his house, but they’ve got all this stuff.

Steve Van Samson [00:25:51]: Right.

Drew Mollo [00:25:52]: Go check it out.

Steve Van Samson [00:25:53]: Super cool. Totally.

Owen King [00:25:53]: All right.

Drew Mollo [00:25:54]: Well, Springfield. Oh, nice. Well, Owen, thank you so much, man, for, for this. It was really great. So, uh, for anyone watching, what is the best way that anybody can interact with you? And are you going to any other

Owen King [00:26:05]: conventions or, or anything? I don’t have anything planned right now, but I’m on Instagram. I got a newsletter on Substack. I’m gonna keep up.

Drew Mollo [00:26:12]: Uh, you know, we Well, we’ll— I assure you we’re all going to look to get some help. So, all right, thank you very much, man.

Steve Van Samson [00:26:18]: We appreciate it.

Drew Mollo [00:26:19]: Thanks for having me. Thank you everybody, uh, for joining us. See more for Terrific Con. Owen King, everybody. You know, buy his books and avoid Green Goblins at Columbia.

Steve Van Samson [00:26:29]: Yeah. Hey, salve, y’all! [MUSIC]