SNES Omnibus Writer Spotlight #38 - Steve Juon

I met Mega Man fanatic and all around nice guy Steve Juon at the late, lamented Oklahoma Video Game Exhibition in Tulsa well over a decade ago. He and his wife beloved Michelle were very friendly, and we immediately became friends, discussing retro gaming, collecting, and the like. Over the years, we’ve had a blast vending at the show, going to Jeff Cooper’s house to hang out in his garage and game room (alas, that is no longer possible), and scarfing down pizza. Steve even interviewed me at one point, which you can check out HERE. Steve’s insight into the Mega Man franchise was invaluable for The SNES Omnibus: The Super Nintendo and Its Games, Vol. 1 (A–M). Thanks, Steve, I appreciate your friendship and your enthusiasm for the project!

Here’s Steve’s bio as it appears in The SNES Omnibus Vol. 1:

Steve Juon is a lifelong video game enthusiast and collector who has attended many conventions through the Midwest as both a fan and a presenter, including an exhibition of rare and unusual Mega Man games at the Oklahoma Video Game Expo. He’s happily married to his wife Michelle for over 15 years, they have an adorable orange tabby named Tango (yes, after Mega Man V for GameBoy), and when not pursuing gaming passions he works as a freelance writer and journalist.

You can pre-order The SNES Omnibus: The Super Nintendo and Its Games, Vol. 2 (N–Z), which completes the two-volume set, HERE. 

Revenge of the Arcade Article - Den of Geek Magazine

I was quoted in the New York Comic Con issue of Den of Geek, a cool magazine covering comics, movies, books, video games, and the like. The interview was for an article about the return of the arcades.

Click on the images below to read the article. Better yet, you can read it online HERE.

SNES Omnibus Writer Spotlight #37 - Van Burnham

Image: Genevieve Adams

Van Burnham was a great "get" for the SNES Omnibus project. She is the esteemed author of Supercade, a prestigious full-color coffee table book covering the Golden Age of video games. When Supercade was published in 2001, there were very few books of its type on the market. She was a true trailblazer, and her stories in the SNES Omnibus books are colorful and distinctive, showing a long history with gaming. I hope to see Van at a retro gaming convention sometime soon as she seems like an interesting and fun person. I'll just make sure not to criticize her Philadelphia Eagles--she'll rip me a new one. Thanks, Van!    

Here's Van Burnham's bio from The SNES Omnibus Vol. 1: 

Van Burnham is the author of Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age (MIT Press) and steward of the Supercade Collection, one of the largest private collections of vintage video arcade games in the world. She’s also written for Retro Gamer and Wired. Based in Los Angeles, Van is currently curating an international exhibition of contemporary art inspired by games. Follow her on Instagram @supercade71 for updates and images from the Supercade.

You can pre-order The SNES Omnibus Vol. 2 HERE.

SNES Omnibus Writer Spotlight #36 -- Charis Weiss and Ryan Weiss

Ninety-nine percent of the SNES Omnibus contributing writers are industry folks, including authors, reviewers, programmers, developers, store owners, YouTubers, convention organizers, etc. However, there are two exceptions: Charis Weiss, my wife, and Ryan Weiss, my son. As members of my family, they are insiders by default, but they are more than that. They each had really cool, really interesting stories to tell for Volumes 1 and 2. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have made the cut. In short, their inclusion in the books was much more than mere nepotism.

To get away from the books for a moment, and at the risk of turning this into a cheese fest, Charis is the most loyal, most devoted wife I can imagine. Not only that, she’s a great adventurer—rivaled only by Lara Croft—but instead of raiding tombs, she plans the perfect vacations and business trips for us to go on. We always have a great time together. Ryan is a terrific son: kind, compassionate, and respectful. Plus, he’s a fun movie-watching buddy. I couldn't imagine life without them (or my daughter Katie).

Both Charis and Ryan are excellent school teachers, and they can “write like the wind.” In fact, you could argue that I’m only the second or third best writer in the family. You can read Charis’s Donkey Kong Country story from The SNES Omnibus: The Super Nintendo and ItsGames, Vol. 1 (A–M) HERE.

SNES Omnibus Writer Spotlight #35 - Alex McCumbers

Alex McCumbers, who, like me, anxiously anticipates Vol. 2, was a supporter of the SNES Omnibus project from the get-go. His enthusiasm for the books and his excitement at the prospect of being involved as a contributing writer are infectious. When Vol. 1 shipped, he blew it up on social media, which of course helps get the word out. Since I’m not a famous YouTuber with a built-in audience, this support really is important. Thanks, Alex, for your terrific write-ups, and for your energy and passion for writing about video games. This type of vibe keeps me going when I get bogged down and feel like I can’t type another word. You rock!

Here's Alex's bio as it appears in The SNES Omnibus Vol. 1:

Alex McCumbers hails from the mountains of West Virginia. Always in the pursuit of video game academia, and fighting against all odds to be a writer, he sharpens his mind and skills with daily practice. Find him on Forever Classic (YouTube, Twitch, podcast), Marooners’ Rock and Giga Geek Magazine.

The SNES Omnibus Writer Spotlight #34 - Christopher Pico

When I sent out the call for contributors to the SNES Omnibus project, Christopher Pico enthusiastically hopped on board. He loved the idea of writing about his favorite console, the Super Nintendo. His stories in both volumes show that he knows his stuff. Not only is Christopher involved with the project on a creative end, he’s helped promote it by hosting a book giveaway and creating a review for his Old Ass Retro Gamer YouTube channel. He reviewed my Sega Genesis book as well. Chris is also an expert on movies, and it’s fun to read his Facebook posts about film. I hope to hang out with Chris at a video game convention soon. He’s a cool cat. Thanks, Chris!

Here's Chris's bio as it appears in The SNES Omnibus: The Super Nintendo and Its Games, Vol. 1 (A–M):

Christopher “The Old Ass Retro Gamer” Pico is a filmmaker and has been a die-hard gamer since his parents purchased an Atari2600 when he was a child. When he lost his job of 11 years in 2011, he was forced to sell his video game collection, which he had been amassing since the late ’90s, to pay the bills. When he returned to the hobby in 2013, he created The Old Ass Retro Gamer YouTube vlog to document his quest to reclaim his collection. He counts the Super Nintendo as his favorite console of all time, followed by the Sega Dreamcast and the PlayStation 2.

Family Guy - Tecmo Bowl, Double Dribble, and ColecoVision

The writers of Family Guy have an obvious love for retro gaming. Check out Peter and the boys playing Tecmo Bowl and Double Dribble:

And in this clip, Peter finds his long-lost ColecoVision: