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This week I returned from a long weekend trip to Sacramento, California. The purpose of the trip was to attend the celebration of the life of my friend Mike O'Connell who had left us far too soon. He was only forty-seven years old when he passed back on June 29th of this year. From a very young age, he was challenged by muscular dystrophy. Thought it took its toll on his body, his mind and his spirit soared.
My friendship with Mike began back in 1989, in the same way I had met KC Ryan (which I detailed last issue). Through a number of activities, I found myself a member of the Clobberin' Times APA of which Mike was also a founding member. Mike wrote his submissions through a number of 'zine titles over the years. He worked solo on The Wolf's Den, Sanguaro Nights and Heir of the Dog. In between, he teamed up with his lifelong friend, artist Tim Watts, on APA-Tite For Destruction. Later still, he teamed up with his long-time roommate Aaron Storck on Straight Outta Con-Town. In KC's long-running Forte campaign, Mike played characters like Two Step/Pharaoh but was known mostly for his Dr. Jackal role.
Mike got his associates degree in liberal arts; his love of books and film were very evident in his compelling story-telling. Whether it was GMing for the gang or weaving incredible adventures in prose, I always enjoyed wherever Mike would take us on adventures.
I got to meet him for the first-time in-person back in 1999, when he and the others convinced me to make a trek out for the annual San Diego Comic-Con. When I came back two summers later, he was generous enough to offer me a place to crash at his and Aaron's apartment. I came out two more times for the Con after that, and every time he had a place for me to stay and transportation to boot (riding in the back of his van was always a good time). He even encouraged me to GM for one of our group's gatherings - and it was a blast.
During this period, whenever I got my issue of the Times in the mail every two months, I would often save Mike's section for the end. I knew his stories would be amazing and his mailing comments back to others very in-depth and engaging. His work inspired me to share more with the group and to do better with my own stories. He was a key contributor to both of the APA's shared world project: for ConTinuum he wrote the soaring adventures of Windjammer and for the Ominiverse he penned the adventures of Tag and Dream Girl.
Even when you could not make it out to the Con, Mike would have your back. He once surprised me with a package after a Con that contained an autographed book by Battlestar Galactica's Richard Hatch - he just always looked out for his friends.
The paper version of APA ended in January of 2000, after sixty-seven issues. The rise of the Internet and email made doing a snail-mail publiciation a bit obsolete. But Mike was not going to let a good idea rest too long. By December of 2004, he convinced many of us to revise the APA at the Clobberin' Times Online. Via the Forte Universe, he focused on a number of ideas connected to the campaign KC ran for him and others, featuring his favorite character Dr. Jackal. The online APA ran steady for another six years.
When blogging became a thing in 2007, Mike's own blogs inspired me to do one of my own (which I have been doing now for eight years).
A few years later, Mike focused much of his own energy in to the stand-up comedian career he fell in to on a whim (when another friend mentioned going to try an open mic night as part of his own bucket list, Mike went along and naturally fell into this new world). I realized how much he was loved by this community this weekend when in Sacramento. His sister Shelley arranged for a tribute show that included a number of Mike's many comic friends sharing their memories of him. As one of the comics said, Mike had this amazing talent of bringing together people who might on any other terms have not gotten along much rather would want to be in the same room with one another. One of Mike's many talents was bring people together; I experienced that first hand by how many good friends I made from the APA thanks to knowing Mike.
Always in to new things, Mike and Tim also started up a podcast a number of years back. On Post-Apodaclypse, the two talked about all forms of post-apocalyptic story telling. On his own podcast Zero Stand-Up, he chatted with his comedy friends about a variety of topics including Star Wars novels which he loved.
With his passing, there is a void left too. Mike was always there to talk to, to give honest and constructive criticism for my writing and to be there just to listen when I needed an ear.
Rest in peace, Mike. You will be truly missed but never forgotten.
- Martin Maenza (8/31/16)