So it’s happening again, MINI Takes The States aka MTTS. For most MINI owners this is something they have spent two years planning for. Many MINI owners might not have a clue as to what this is. For most car owners this just gives them another reason to look at us weird.

Getting a Bit Personal…

First of all most automotive brands have some kind of following, those people who have always dreamed of owning a certain kind of car. Some brands cater to this, some it’s the exclusivity, some it’s just the fact that you now own something that means everyone who needs to move will call you to help them haul their stuff around. It took me a while to figure out which brand was me. I had owned a few different cars in my life, Sue and I had gotten into a habit that every 5 or more years we would start looking around (basically pay off one car and start looking for the next) It was Sue’s turn and she was happy with what she had (a Kermit the Frog Green Honda Del Sol that she still misses) and I saw somewhere that MINI was launching in the US. That Spring Break we vacationed in Savannah, Georgia and on the drive there we visited every MINI dealership… None of them were open, most had not even broken ground. I was just fascinated by this irreverent little British car. It took another 5 or so years before I finally pulled the trigger. I had just left a rather stressful board meeting and decided I would test drive a MINI Cooper S (R53*). After that I ordered one- because that’s what you had to do… you had to order it and then wait until it went into production, then follow it through the factory, the ship to Charleston, and then wait for the call that it was ready to pick up. You learned patience. In 2005 my dark silver with a white top R53 arrived and was given the name “Penfold.” See that’s what MINI owners do… we name our cars. MINI at that time pushed to be the brand for those who were “Not Normal.” It was funny because the first time I pulled into work in my MINI someone commented that the car just seemed to fit me.

I’ve been a part of every MTTS since 2006, I haven’t been fortunate to do the entire event each time, but this is my story. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Professional driver on a closed course. Do not attempt this at home. Not affiliated with MINI, MINIUSA, or the Universal Brotherhood of Elves, Tomten, Bumbles, and Holiday Toy Manufacturers Local #4238.

MINI Takes The States 2006 – 15 days

In 2006 MINI was starting production of the new model so they decided to have one last “cool” version of the R53- the John Cooper Works GP. These would be a very limited edition, each numbered. and would be available for delivery at a very special event in Monterey, CA. The event was the start of something they decided to try called “MINI Takes The States.” It was a celebration to “motoring” and what makes America a great place to motor. I had just had Penfold for less than a year, I was not going to trade him in for a newer model, but event seemed interesting. Of course being a school teacher I could not attend since it happened over what normal people call the end of the Summer but what teachers know of as the start of school. In fact they would be going through Indianapolis on a Wednesday… the day after Back to School Night. I attended Back to School night, jumped into Penfold, drove to St. Louis, checked into the hotel, got about 2 maybe 3 hours sleep, checked out (they didn’t have the heart to charge us the daily rate for parking) and parked under the Gateway Arch with the other MINIs. We then drove back to Indianapolis, and I helped the local club check cars in for a lap around the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After everything I learned that this wasn’t a race, and I should have taken a little more time to enjoy the scenery. Nothing else was planned for the day. MINIUSA had actually asked the local club to not plan anything- they looked at it as a day of rest… the participants wanted something, so we all congregated across the street and I got to meet some people who have been close friends ever since.

Things happen- that day in Indianapolis, there was a bit of an accident and poor Gromit ended up with a crunched door. The community gathered in that gravel parking lot, we laughed, commiserated and we all signed the crunched door. We pulled together… and to me that was when I knew I had found a tribe that I could appreciate.

You see, Sue had a Honda S2000 and we had done a few things with that club. I found it interesting that it seemed to be a bunch of guys who all they wanted to do was mod their cars and talk about how cool they were. They would talk to me, because I was another guy, not Sue who owned the car. The MINI community was different, we were all misfits, some of us loved our MINIs because of the “Go-Kart Handling” others because it was “Cute” others, because of the unique design, and still others because of the “Rally Heritage.” We all had one thing in common… we loved our MINI and appreciated everyone else for their similar love of their own MINI. I will often speak of “finding your tribe” I go to a Comic Book, or Star Trek Convention and I know I am with my people. These are people who understand, who don’t look at you funny, because of what you wear or what you say. MINI is that kind of community. That first MINI Takes The States, all 36 hours of it for me, was enough for me to know.

MINI Takes The States 2008 – 3 days (each location)

Two years later in 2008 MINIUSA decided to try it again… this time they tried to replicate what had been done in Europe with MINI United… It was fun, but… Four locations a weekend party. Miami, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles. by this time Sue now had a MINI so we took hers to Chicago, which was actually held in Wisconsin. We scratched our heads a bit, but being at Road America was really cool. Blues Traveller was the headliner and they had a chance for people to try out the latest MINIs on an Autocross set up. The saddest thing I heard at the end of the day was a teenager thinking he was so cool because he got to learn how to drive stick on a John Cooper Works MINI. We flew out to Los Angeles to attend MTTS at the Rose Bowl, we didn’t have a MINI and created “Counterfeit MINI” only to be relegated to the “non-MINI” parking. I recall trying the autocross again, this time with my dad only to be told that I needed to be gentle since most of the clutches had been shot during the previous events…

MINI Takes The States 2010 – longest route 8 days

It now had become a thing… so in 2010 MINIUSA did it again, this time a combination of 2006 & 2008. Four different routes three converging in Indianapolis, and then everyone heading to Colorado. In 2009 I had started “My Geek Odyssey” after attending MINI United in the UK. I actually had done a comic strip that had gotten the notice of the people planning the event… to keep me quiet, they asked me to do one during the trip. I was planning on jumping on in Indianapolis (you bring the parade down my street, I’m going to join along) so I started working with them. Basically a full color Sunday Comics like strip each day of the event. I figured it would be awesome, not thinking through that I would be driving all day, and then drawing all night. That said, it was an amazing time with some amazing memories. Here was something I haven’t mentioned before, the involvement of the management during this. Jim McDowell especially. As VP of MINIUSA he was “Chief Motorer” and took those responsibilities to heart. He would be the first with a squirt gun on a hot day, or urban legend has it- go buying ice cream for the people behind him when he stopped at an ice cream truck. This was one of those things that made MTTS an amazing event.

MINI Takes The States 2012 – 11 days

2012 wasn’t best start for us. First Penfold after almost 100,000 miles was in the shop and the prognosis was not good. I had planned on getting the new JCW GP in the Fall, but keeping Penfold around. Only a MINI owner would understand how hard it is to say goodbye… Compound that with Sue losing her job, it became a time of decisions… so on a whim we bought a Roadster and within a few days of picking up Alfie aka Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All we were heading to New Jersey to “Go all the Way.” What would the future bring us? We didn’t know, but at least we’d go out in style and on an adventure. When I ask Sue what was her favorite MTTS- 2012 is it. MINIUSA had amazing things planned each day and night. We watched 4th of July fireworks from the Newseum just of the Mall in Washington DC. It all ended with an amazing party at the House of Blues and then a breakfast (for those who went All the Way) on the beach in Santa Monica. Good times with some amazing friends.

MINI Takes The States 2014 – 15 days

We survived everything and 2014 was looking amazing… I wouldn’t be able to go the entire route because of the start of school. But we were excited to spend some time in San Francisco and then see where the route takes us. By this time we had had met a lot of amazing people over the course of the various MTTS and had even met at other events, so we had a group to drive with which is something that tends to develop naturally. Some of them we had met in England at MINI United, others we had met along the road over the years, some we even “ran into” literally. OK, not me, but one of our group members since things can get weird trying to get out of a parking lot filled with MINIs. I was able to go as far as Lubbock, Texas this time. So I could at least check Roswell, NM off my bucket list. By this point MINI was starting to realize that this little event was growing really big… and maybe even too big.

MINI Takes The States 2016 – 15 days

So we’d gone West (young man), and then East, where to next? Where to start? Where should we end? This was a mystery, and in the lead up MINIUSA did their best to keep us guessing. Instead of just posting the route, they posted photos of things you would see along the route. The white barn is still one that makes people tilt their heads and go “huh?” Sow we started in Atlanta with a pre-party the night before. Then we all went to the Atlanta Motor Speedway to start traveling “Track to Track to Track.” MTTS had started to get almost unmanageable. We drove up to the track that morning only to find that cars had been in line since 3AM to get in so they could be “first.” Our little group just wanted to be together, which can be harder than you think. We did our lap and then started of on the most circuitous route to Palm Springs I have ever seen. As for favorites, for me this would be number two with 2012, being my favorite. We saw train tracks, horse racing tracks, more race tracks, and went up through Michigan. Every day was an adventure, every morning a breakfast burrito (except when fresh flapjacks were on the menu). every evening was a party. It all ended up in Thermal, California and a mad dash for umbrellas- not because of rain, or the need for shade, because some people felt they deserved SWAG and they were going to take as much as they could…

MINI Takes The States 2018 – 10 days

2018 MINIUSA went back to a divide and conquer kind of mentality… Two routes, meeting in Keystone, Colorado for three days. Starting from as far south and as far north as they figured logistically possible. This is where I bring up “going rogue.” The route is a suggestion, MTTS is an “Excuse to Adventure” to go places outside of your comfort zone. We decided this time to start in Little Rock, but not after stopping in Bensonville to take in a few museums. From there the Eastern route would have taken us to Dallas, we instead headed to Oklahoma City, and then to Sante Fe to meet up with the Western route. We decided we wanted to just motor and not worry about if everyone was together and discuss where we were going to eat, or if we should stop. The trip was to embrace the introvert in us, we’d be with people enough once we got to Keystone. Were there problems? Yes, our hotel in Keystone overbooked and decided that we really didn’t need our room. They rebooked us down the road (we had chosen the lodge specifically for its proximity to the event). The event itself was great, high altitude did have some effect on my MINI, but that was expected and the folks at MINI Roadside were awesome in taking care of the issue.

MINI Takes The States 2022 – 8 days

2020… I mean 2022… I think the original plan was to scale back in 2020 due to health concerns and then it was easy to just reuse the original 2020 route in 2022. I don’t blame them, like after 9/11, things have changed. While a shorter event, the roads and scenery were amazing. One thing missing- evening events. This happened due to a number of things, I know there had been a group pushing for more time to explore where we landed for the night. It had become a massive group of people with a “It’s Tuesday this must be Belgium” kind of vibe. You drove all day, not stopping, because if you did you might arrive late for the evening event… if there is no evening event, you can take your time and enjoy where you are… not a bad idea. The morning events became the must attend and it looked like after 2016 we didn’t have people parked out at 3AM waiting for the venue to open. This was interesting for Sue and me, because we each took our own MINIs. Sue had a business thing going on until almost the start, and I had family stuff, so we met in Burlington and drove on our own. You’d think the shorter distance between stops would make the days shorter, but the actual routes took just as long to drive. In the end everyone had time at the BMW factory and opportunities to drive or be driven on the track.

So Enough Blabbing About History- What Do I Need To Know about 2024?

Last week MINIUSA announced MINI Takes the States 2024. After some grumbling in 2022 about how the route was specifically on the Eastern side of the US, this time it is pretty much exclusively on the Western side starting in Albuquerque and ending in Seattle. There are still some unanswered questions in the schedule which may or may not get answered. Already some things (like the address of the send off) have been cleared up. So what do you need to know? Have fun. Unlike Hyundai Takes The States, or Subaru Takes The States or even the very impressive Chevy Takes The States- MINI Takes The States is unique in the fact that it actually exists. Other Automobile companies have events (Jeep Jamborees and Invasions come to mind) but from what I understand those are put together and organized by local or national clubs. I could be wrong… I don’t know. I’ve experienced a “Jeep Invasion” recently but have no idea about how it was put together, just there were a lot of Jeeps and a lot of ducks. MINI Owners don’t have a national organization. Yes, there have been a few attempts, but nothing has stuck. So guess what? You are on your own… which isn’t a bad thing if you think about it.

Welcome to America

While we may not all agree politically, one thing is in America we have stores, so if you forget something, stop by a WalMart, or Target, or other big box store and buy it. Yes, shop locally, but in a pinch… There are Starbucks, and McDonalds, and whatever in almost every town, you won’t starve. If your MINI breaks (it can happen- it’s happened to me more than once) there are auto supply stores, and (if you are on the route) MINI Roadside Assistance, if not AAA can help too. So re up that AAA membership as added insurance.

Breaker One-Nine for the Rubber Duck

You may want to have a radio with you. The various boards will have “experts” to help guide you as to what is best, and just as many experts to tell you that that person is wrong. Still, having a radio will help communicate with other MINIs on the road. the default frequency has been 7:21 but each group tends to alter that to avoid unnecessary noise. usually one person in a group has a radio on 7:21. Oh, you don’t have a radio? (see above “Welcome to America”)

Your Excuse For Adventure

Each morning at the Rise and Shine you will be given a route. This is a suggestion, you may have decided to go another way because you really want to see that rock formation that looks like a giant toilet. It’s all up to you. If there is a roadside attraction that attracts you, stop… you may never have a chance to see the world’s largest turnip again. They only take attendance at the Rise and Shine (unless they have an evening event planned) which is the best opportunity to meet new people and hear from Desiree about the day… just don’t end up in the pocket of DOOOOOM! MINIUSA has planned two full days on your own in some of the most picturesque areas in the country… go explore.

Things Change… Be Flexible

While everything looks like it locked in place… local groups may plan things, Giant Kaiju may attack, things happen, be ready to pivot. For example right now there is chatter about nothing posted for Seattle, or Salt Lake City even though those are “destinations.” My question is: If there is nothing planned, then how do I get my button? So just because you plan to avoid a place because nothing is happening, be prepared to change if something gets announced. Also, we aren’t the only people out there, this will be the height of summer, there will be crowds… go with the flow.

Button, Button, Who’s Got The Button?

While it might be different- there will be SWAG, and there will be SWAG hoarders. In 2022 no one could have anticipated the desire for people to want MINI Financial Services Magnets… but there it was, like a Black Friday nightmare. As for buttons, we all assume MINI will be giving out buttons at each destination… somehow this became a bigger things as people started trading their own person buttons. Is this required? NO. If you want to… go for it. In 2022, I went to JoAnn Fabrics and bought a bag of assorted buttons (the kind you sew on) and handed those out just to be silly. Some people will have stickers, some will hand out ducks… if you want to create a signature thing for you or your MINI- have fun being unique. NOT Normal is what MINI used to be all about.

The Cost of Doing Business

Yes, this isn’t cheap. Then again, owning a MINI isn’t cheap either. I come to this with the same point of view I have when going to Disneyworld or any resort… I’m going to end up spending more than I expected. I’m a retired school teacher, I don’t have money to throw around, but every two years, this is important enough for me to suck it up and pay for the once in a lifetime experience MTTS can be. Last year was $150 per driver for the entire thing, then hotels and gas on top of that- I was able to see a part of the world I may never drive through again, which was amazing. This time it’s a lot further from home, but even more opportunity for adventure awaits. Will I be eating ramen for a month when I get home? Probably… but it will be worth it.

Back in 2010 there was some off the RADAR philanthropy going on. In 2012 it got a bit more organized with support for the US Paralympic Team. Since then each year has had a series of philanthropies and sometimes competitions to raise the most money. I believe it was 2014 when “Best Friends” was the philanthropy they asked on the registration form if you were bringing a pet and I replied “Yes- other” I actually got contacted by MINIUSA because they were concerned that I might be bringing some dangerous animal. When I told them a monkey… That said, be prepared for raffles, and other opportunities to give to a good cause throughout the trip. At the end we will be told the total raised and who raised the most. You not only had a great time but you also did some good.

MOST IMPORTANT:

This is supposed to be fun… so have some fun. I recall being trapped in an elevator at a Disneyworld Hotel and having to listen to a parent tell their teenage child “We spent a lot of money on this, so you WILL HAVE FUN.” I’m not saying that, but life is an adventure, sometimes things go wrong, laughing about it can make it better. Think of Gromit in 2006.

Take some time each morning to meet other people who, like you, are crazy enough to invest their time, and money into doing this… Who love their car like a member of the family.

Don’t ask about the monkey… I don’t know anything about the monkey.

If you don’t already know, a automotive glossary:

• Mini/MINI Cooper– Fast little British Car
• MINI Cooper S– Faster little British Car
• MINI Cooper John Cooper Works (JCW)– Even Faster little British Car named after John Cooper who modified and raced the original Mini
• Mini– designed by Sir Alec Issigonis in the late 1950’s to provide an economical car for a family of four 1959-2000 aka “Classic”
• MINI– the Redesign of the “Classic” by BMW 2001- present
• Convertible– the top comes down…
• Countryman– SUV version of the MINI
• Clubman– Station wagon version of the MINI (soon to be extinct)
• Paceman– Two door SUV (extinct)
• Roadster– Two seat Convertible (extinct)
• Coupe– Two seat no the top doesn’t come down (extinct)

*Currently MINI Owners will also use letter designations to describe their MINI- it’s easier to smile and nod than to figure it all out. For the record I currently own a Roadster (R59) and a Classic (Mk VI). The Roadster with 147,000 miles will be going on MTTS like he has every one since 2012 (which he did on temporary plates).

The First Comics of 2024

This was pretty sparse, but that’s OK. I will say some of these stories I’m going to need to go over them again once they are complete to figure out what went on. I’m currently trying to figure out if I should drop some titles just because I’m not liking the stories as much. This happens and unfortunately I have learned that I decide to stop and then some massive things happens… Like Captain America gets shot and killed.

I’ve also noticed that I am not a “serious” collector. While I have cataloged my collection and am working on getting everything bagged and boarded, I’m not going for every variant, or even going for the exclusive variants. I guess having lived through Cabbage Patch Kids, Beanie Babies, and the “Death” of Superman I’m not looking at these as my retirement investment. The community that goes with the app I currently use has people talking about “pressing” their comics to get a better grade on them. Most comics they have are slabbed for protection, so they can’t be read. In 2022 I had the opportunity to see Howard Chaykin (American Flagg and lots, lots more) talk about his career and the basics of laying out a comic page. He was pretty adamant about his feeling when it came to “serious collectors.” He felt comics should be read and shared. You preserve them so they can be read and shared. His table had listed prices for signing comics- Star Wars stuff was one price, his other titles were another price, and if you expressed an interest to have it graded, signature certified and slabbed, it was a third (astronomical) price. In my collection I have maybe 8 comics slabbed, and that’s because when it first came about I thought I would try the process out. Most were comics that I knew had value or potential and I wouldn’t miss because the stories had been reprinted so many times I could read the story. Now the big thing is reprinting key issues so people can read them… collectors are clamoring for the reprints and the variant covers! I guess more commentary on that later.

Oh, to continue with the variant rant… this week’s top comic (Gargoyles #11) had 18 variant covers… really?!?!

Batman #141 – More Zur-En Arrh! If you have no idea who or what I’m talking about… I wish i could help you. It all started with Failsafe. A robotic version of Batman built to take Batman down if he ever broke the one golden rule- “Don’t Kill.” Well, he didn’t really kill anyone, but somehow the robot got activated and then Batman’s alter ego/other personality took over and it’s been a mess. So now as we get to the (hopefully) penultimate issue in this arc Batman is fighting against himself. Will he just throw in the towel and retire, get married have kids… and let a robot batman take over? Oh, did I mention that Zur-En-Arrh has gathered all the other Sur-En Arrh permutations from all the other multiple universes (c’mon multi-universes are what all the cool, hip comics are doing…) to help him. So In Detective Comics Batman is fighting for Gotham against dome ancient family blood feud, and here he’s fighting against himself. In both cases he’s getting himself beaten up. One thing that I come back to when it comes to Batman retiring… I recalll in one issue of “Trinity” I believe Wonder Woman used her lasso of truth to get everyone to divulge who they were as a sign of trust… Superman, said “Clark Kent” Batman said “Batman.” Hmmm…

Quested The Four Henches Adventure – If you’ve read any of the Quested comics it’s basically a D&D adventure that doesn’t take itself too seriously. In this case there is an auction for a cursed book and our main character “Jinx” decides he’ll get it from there “Influencer” who out bid him. Hijinks ensues with a Twist of an ending.

Amazing Spider-Man #41 – Still Gang War – ’nuff Said

Captain America #5 – We relive pre super soldier Steve Rogers going against the American Nazis in pre WWII in New York. While Cap is also fighting similar issues in the present time all brought about by a really powerful demon. Guest Starring the head of a Dr. Strange doll.

The Space Between #3 – So, you’re on a generation ship heading to a new world… You’d think things would be fine… Politics, class issues, and other problems- the ship is heading off course and with no one on the ruling council who understands that a one degree off course compounds into never finding the place you intended to reach some people take matters into their own hands… only time will tell if they made a difference and if it was worth the cost.

Love Everlasting #11 – Yup! I’m into romance comics… OK this isn’t a normal Romance Comic. It follows Joan through various incarnations in which she never finds true love…All the loose ends are starting to tie together as we discover the identity of the msyterious cowboy who’s been stalking her through time.

Star Trek Picard’s Academy #4 – It’s Star Trek, c’mon. We know Jean Luc Picard was driven and now we get to see how driven as we following him through his years at the Academy. In this issue it’s the final big test and things have (predictably) gone wrong. Jean Luc is learning a valuable lesson about trusting people as he fights HOLO-Romulans!

OK- a bit of a rant- sorry, but let’s talk about variant covers for a moment… Wha? huh? Are we back in the 90’s? We are in a time in which, it seems, the comic book companies are back with a new scheme to increase sales. It isn’t a new scheme it’s a retread of an old scheme. Publish the same comic but issue it with multiple covers. This has been going on for a while. It causes retailers to purchase more comics than they really need in order to get those 1:25 or 1:1,250 exclusive variants. Fortunately I’m not a completist…I don’t need 13 copies of the same comic just so I can have all the covers. Every once in a while I may want a specific cover, but for the most part, I really don’t care. Combine this with sketch covers (covers you can bring to a Con and have an artist do an original cover for you) it is now hilarious. First of all, I don’t mind a couple of options, but in some cases, it has gotten to be too much. Should companies have alternate covers? Sure. Should some of them be more exclusive? Sure. Should artists have the opportunity to draw on blank covers? Again, sure. Look at Frank Cho’s sketch covers, they are hysterical. I like the idea of giving more artists the opportunity to share their talents, but more than 10 different variant covers? Like I said, fortunately, I’m not a completist, I don’t need to have every version. I just find it amusing and sometimes frustrating when I’m going through and trying to figure out if I have that specific issue… I used to rely on the cover image to jog my memory… Fortunately I now have my collection catalogued and I can go in and pull it up on my phone.

The last comics of 2023 –

Action Comics Annual 2023 – So we finish out “New Worlds” in which all the plot lines are tied together, except for the ones that aren’t. Spoiler: the world is once again safe for everyone and Superman is once again a beacon of hope. Next time I might be able to bring in more details since we will be starting a new arc and there aren’t as many spoilers.
Detective Comics #1080 – Batman Outlaw Part 5… ummm Gotham is… Gotham… murder betrays, and batman escaping the hangman’s noose. Now what will happen next? When will Batman return how will he defeat this group that were fated to take over Gotham since ancient time… when there wasn’t even a Gotham to take over?
Alan Scott Green Lantern #3 – Green Lantern teams with the Spectre as we continue our gay romp through the Golden Age trying to find out more about the “Red Lantern.” The story that actually has something to do with there latest Justice Society of America issue… Read to find out about things that could never have been published in the 1940’s.
The Flash #4 – I’ve been a fan of the Flash since I was in at least 3rd grade. I remember watching him in Super Friends on Saturday morning. One episode he’d talk really fast, the next episode he’d talk really slow… no reasoning, just cartoons of the 70’s I’ve been a fan forever and even shed a tear when Barry’s wife “died,” and when Barry “died”: in the Crisis on Infinite Earths. His was the one death I figured was like Uncle Ben, proof that comics don’t always bring back dead characters on a “whim.” I was wrong. Now Wally West is back and things have just gotten strange. I don’t mind having a “Flash Family.” Here Wally is trying to figure things out and I miss the simpler times when heroes fought crime and not existential issues dealing with the “Speed Force.” It was nice to have Jessie Quick or Liberty Belle and Irey West or Thunderheart trying to figure things out. The art work is good, I just think I may need to go back and reread this once the story is over to see how it all fits together, currently, I’m just a bit confused.
Batman Santa Klaus Silent Knight #4 – So is possession 9/10 of the law? Damian Wayne, figures things out and saves the day… after the other heroes have to fight a lot. I liked the story, I liked that everyone was so normal when dealing with Santa, but also not. That sudden understanding that stories that Batman may have told to the young Robin about adventuring with Santa may have a shade of truth. While not the caliber of Grant Morrison’s Klaus. This was an excellent way to celebrate the season with the DC Heroes.
Justice Society of America #8 – OK, where to start? In 6th or 7th grade my math teacher took “Secret Origins of Superheroes” comic from me- something about not paying attention in class. She never gave it back (as a teacher, I understand) it was the origin of the Huntress. Earth -2’s daughter of Batman & Catwoman. Fast forward- Due to x, y, and z she ends up now on the current Earth saving the JSA and now trying to recruit her version of the JSA who all happen to be lost causes, villains who will (in her world) become heroes. There have been a few failures and pseudo-successes, we won’t know until the dust settles… I remember Terra in the Wolfman/Perez run of Team Titans. So she is currently looking for… Red Lantern (See Alan Scott Green Lantern above). Of course Green Lantern (See Above) gets into the mix.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #14 – Gang War Continues… ’nuff Said.
No/One #7 – Great mystery… still trying to figure it all out. Serial Killer, Copy Cats, Nosey Journalists… Since we are on issue 7 I suggest doing what I’m going to do and listen to the podcast associated with it.
Beyond Real #1 – Wait… I get to actually start a series?!? This one was given to me as a freebie to try out, so I tried it out and I like the premise. Young couple in love… (it happens sometimes, even in this crazy world of ours!) Contemplate existence… are we real? Are we just part of a program? (Was the program created by a race of hyper pan dimensional beings who created a computer to solve the ultimate question of the “What is Life, the Universe & Everything?” Did this computer then create a planet where living organisms were part of the programming matrix? That’s not this story… After a terrible accident one of our young lovers is in a coma, the other is having trouble and it seems the world is just a bit unreal. Only to discover <Spoiler> that she is part of a program and after that set up she goes to save her sweetie and maybe discover the secrets to Life, the Universe… everything!

Sorry for this being late… I understand there was a holiday and I was on the road.

We (Sue and my multiple personalities) haven’t sent out a holiday letter in probably decades. It’s not that we don’t do things, it’s just that most of those letters are filled with proud parents talking about their kids accomplishments. Not having kids, makes those pretty short- “The cat’s slept a lot and bugged us to give them treats.”
2023 started with Bruce trying to figure out what his life would be like… should he retire? After bouncing around a bit he pulled the trigger and in March decided to start planning.

Things were pretty normal until the end of the school year- OK almost depressingly normal. We did take some time to see the Centennial of Disney Exhibit in Philadelphia (now in Chicago) and a weekend visit to the home of Mothman in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. As the school year ended in May so did over 35 years teaching. Bruce did not want any kind of “celebration” so he quietly emptied his classroom and drove off. It had been a good career with lots of great times, but… as the Walrus said, “the time has come.”

Retirement began with GeoWoodstock in Owensboro, KY. From there it was a bit of rush. While Sue (being still gainfully employed) worked and attended conferences, Bruce started on his personal list… in the Pit of Despair aka the basement. He had an idea of some traveling then decided to ignore traveling over the Summer and waited until the off season was over and things died down a bit. Sorting comics and reorganizing LEGO builds and sets kept him happy. When August came, Bruce started to realize just how much time, energy, and emotional toll teaching took… he’s been shying away from employment and especially educational related activities until at least 2024. After working since he was 13 Bruce decided he deserved a few months off.

The late summer and fall brought about a few things- like taking a weekend to see some races at Road America in Wisconsin, and a week to embrace our viking heritage at “Going Caching” in Georgia. We also spent some time in Asheville celebrating Sue’s parent’s 60th wedding anniversary, and we looked at options in area, but we still have time to decide where, when, if we relocate (and Bruce still has a lot of comic books to organize- current count over 5,000.) We also spent mid-November in Las Vegas. Bruce explored and played while Sue worked.

Our big event took some time and training- being balloon handlers in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. We spent Thanksgiving in New York City wrestling the Macy’s Gold Star (you may not have seen us, we were behind the Wonka float). On a “whim” (we’ve been told we do a lot of things on a “whim” which was not said in a whimsical manner… really… when it comes to “whimming” we’re very serious) we headed to San Francisco on Christmas Day because… ok, maybe this was a whim. There we spent two days just chilling and taking in the sights – especially a great exhibit at the Cartoon Art Museum.

Other highlights in no particular order:

• Bruce went to a lot of conventions including: Gen Con, Power-Con, Cincinnati Comic Expo, Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, and New York Comic Con
• Visiting the Strong Museum of Play– Highly recommend it without or without cats… I mean kids.
• Visiting the Corning Museum of Glass
• Meow Wolf – Omega Mart, Las Vegas
• Tour the Randolph County Asylum with the Fort Wayne MINI Cooper Group
• MINI Together up into Michigan
• The Great Seneca Pizza Trail
• Sue knitting gnomes… lots of gnomes.
• Sue finding a geocache in all the counties in Ohio. and the milestone of 12,000 finds. Cecil trails behind with a measly 3,000.
• Reading books… lots of books- remember comic books are also books.

What will 2024 bring? Who knows? More work for Sue (Someone’s got to pay there bills), more drawing for Bruce. Some exotic & boring travel for both. Bruce will be looking for employment, not because he’s bored, but it’s nice to have some “egg money.” Bruce has been thinking about his word for the year… last year was “draw” and while he did draw more, he still has a long way to go. He considered “rebirth” but thinks now “whim” might be a good one. (Yes, it is going to be a running gag… Bruce thinks it’s hysterical) Oh, how can we live like this? Remember: cats don’t go to college.

Tune in next year… same bat-time, same bat-channel.

Cartoon Art Museum San Francisco, California

First of all, as many of you know, I’ve been reading comics for most of my 58 years. During that time I’ve read a variety of things, a few have stuck with me… one of those was Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer. I think picked up my first issue just on a chance. I was in high school and artwork was the driving force behind my comic book purchases. It was the gorgeous artwork that made me buy it (Yes, I was a teenager, and yes, Betty was a definite draw), but it was the story that made me come back and hunt down the previous issues. In the time before the Interwebs it was not easy for a nerdy introverted kid to find out that the Rocketeer started in Mike Grell’s Starslayer and then to track down those issues. The Rocketeer also bounced around publishers which added to the challenge as many fans of the comic have gone through. “Cliff’s New York Adventure” took me years to figure out that it had even been finished!

Original art has two magical qualities about it. First, it is something artist touched. Now with digital art the chance to see something touched by the artist can be rare. Secondly, because if it’s the artists work you can “look behind through curtain” see mistakes, edits and also see a few steps in the process. I’ve been fortunate to visit places like the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum in Columbus, Ohio and see up close (and shed a few tears) at original art from some of my idols, I even own a few pages, but not anything from Dave Stevens. I do embarrassingly remember my first San Diego Comic Con seeing him at his table and freezing before I could get close… afraid of what I should/would say- thinking maybe next year I’d get up the nerve… it didn’t happen. I have, over the years, picked up various books highlighting Dave’s work, but this was the first opportunity I’ve had to see his original art up close.

So first of all, I cannot say enough about what a great place the Cartoon Art Museum has become. The first time I stumbled upon it was 10 years ago while visiting my sister in-law for Christmas… the family was wandering about and I saw the sign and didn’t really care what everyone else was going to do, I just wanted to see what the museum might have in store for me. My in-laws are very understanding. Since then they’ve moved and I’ve longed to return and on a whim it happened, my wife is very understanding.

First Impressions:
As a fanboy I can say – I wish there was more… but like anything in this world I think that is just human nature. The exhibit focused heavily on that first Rocketeer story (which spawned the 1991 film) but also touched on Dave’s other work in animation and storyboarding. As you walk into the room housing the exhibit “Drawn to Perfection” is playing on a screen to the right. There are also a few of the trades for the first Rocketeer story along with the Artist Edition produced by IDW. If you have not had a chance to see that edition- this is the closest you will get to what is on the walls surrounding you. While I said I would love to have more on display- this covers the origin and Cliff’s New York Adventure and is a great look into the making of The Rocketeer.

The first wall (clockwise) showcases one of Dave’s paintings (a self portrait), introduces us to his love of Bettie Page, and his early animation work. The next wall focuses on the Rocketeer cover artwork. Those images that first introduced us to the world Dave Stevens created. These are teasers of what was to come in the comics of you bought one.
The long back wall has the intricate pages that set up Cliff Secord as the Rocketeer. That moment when Peevy makes the helmet, his first heroic flight to save Malcom it’s all there. As someone who dabbles in comics I am shocked at what I seen on those pages… my pages are usually a mess, these are pretty much pristine. You can’t see any erasing, you see ink on paper. If you look closely, you can catch just a hint of blue pencil. I’m not sure of sequence of the process, but the lettering was glued onto the page. As an example: When I started my strip I would write in the words then draw around that word balloon. Now I write the words out, in blue pencil, draw and then, using the computer add the text and balloon digitally. A comic strip like mine is easy since word balloons tend to take up the top third of the panel. In a dynamic comic… all that needs to planned out or at least thought through as you lay out a page.
The case in front of the back wall shows some of the actual issues.
The next wall has the video monitor showing Drawn to Perfection and samples of the Rocketeer as described in the first paragraph.
The last wall as you work clockwise from the entrance covers another project Dave worked on- Storyboarding Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video. Yes, Dave Steven’s did the storyboards for Thriller… Mind blown.

So should you go to San Francisco and see this exhibit up close? Duh. If you can I would, just because no matter how high quality the reproduction may be, there is something about looking at a page and knowing the artist touched it. That said, if you can’t, I understand that a catalog of this exhibit and the previous one in which artists contributed pieces in honor of the 40th anniversary of The Rocketeer will be available soon. Check the Cartoon Art Museum in 2024 for details.

Besides actually reading The Rocketeer or going to San Francisco, I highly recommend you look up these for more into Dave Stevens and his work:

• Brush with Passion: The Art & Life of Dave Stevens 2008
• Dave Stevens the Complete Sketches & Studies 2011
• Dave Stevens Covers & Stories 2012
• Dave Stevens: Drawn to Perfection 2022 – Currently available on Amazon Prime

The Rocketeer stories are still being published while not Dave’s work they are very good and definitely honor the creativity and world Dave created.

Twas a few days before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring except for the cats running around knocking things off the tree and me, bagging and boarding comics and other stuff.

I decided when the most recent copy of FTF Geocacher Magazine arrived this week that I would go into the basement and pull all the issues I had (most contained the My Geek Odyssey Comic Strip) and at least do something to prevent them from being completely destroyed. I started this strip in 2009 when I received a Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellowship. In 2011 the fledgling FTF Geocacher Magazine approached me asking if I would contribute something. Over the years, as life got in the way FTF Geocacher there were times when FTF was the only time I actually committed myself to drawing. While I may have muttered when I got the reminder- it was wonderful to be forced into stepping away from the ledge and doing something I truly love. As my interest in Geocaching wained I still did the comic with help from friends who would tell tales of their exploits. Retired, I am now going back to caching, and still think it is a great way to explore and discover new places. Yesterday I went through over 60 issues and put in each in a bag with a board. Some were not in the best shape, and it looks like I’m missing two issues that like any good collector I will track down somehow.

To this week’s comics-

Jay Garrick the Flash #3 – I’ve always been a fan of the Flash. I remember trying to convince my mom to sew a lightning bolt on my red sweatsuit when I was in 3rd grade. I don’t recall if it were the comics or “Super Friends” cartoon on Saturday Morning but I thought the idea of going super fast was supercool. Thanks to a great Stargirl mini series all of these lost sidekicks from the 1940’s are back. One of them being the Flash’s (Jay Garrick’s) hitherto unknown daughter, Judy. So Judy is a teenager from the 40’s now in present time. So far it’s been a great story as part of DC’s return to the Golden Age which piques my interest.

The Original X-Men #1 – I fell for it, the original X-Men return… umm… I haven’t read an X-Men comic in years, probably because there just got to be too many of them and it became difficult to follow (as with a lot of comics Marvel or DC). I wasn’t sure what I thought this would be about, but it wasn’t what I expected. A multiverse spanning story dealing with the Phoenix (in X-Men the Phoenix always seems to be a part of it). Good story, but will I continue in the next Wolverine focused storyline… probably not. Like the X-Men, Wolverine has just been overused.

Spider-Boy #2 – You’d think after what I just wrote about the X-Men would also relate to Spider-Man titles and it does, to a point. They’ve created to convoluted Spider-verse that fortunately you don’t have to know too much about to follow what is going on. In this case (remember when Marvel only dealt with other universes in What if? ahh… simpler times…) at the end of one massive spider-verse encompassing arc all the versions of Spider-Man were released and one… was new, Spider-Boy. No one remembers him, (wait a second… like the Golden Age sidekicks in DC?!?) so we are discovering this young hero for the first time. He has slightly different powers, some of them a little creepy. I just hope this doesn’t become a trend – “Sales are sluggish, let’s bring in a new version of…”

Batman Santa Claus Silent Knight #3 – Almost Christmas, will Krampus win? More heroes are brought in to help Santa including that guy from Metropolis… No spoilers, but I am looking forward to seeing how Christmas will be saved from the evil monsters. (no spoilers there- we know the good guys will win… it’s in the Code)

Superman #9 – Everyone hates Lex Luthor… duh. but now after a death defying battle in the last issue, how will Superman save the day? What twist will happen so you buy the next issue? Vworp! Vworp! Vworp! (hint: but not really a spoiler)

Amazing Spider-Man #9 – Gang War continues… ’nuff said.

Star Trek Defiant #10 – General Order 7?!? What will Worf do?!?

Star Trek #10 – Whatever Happened to perpetual Ensign Harry Kim? Space Kaiju with dinosaur people and Romulans…

Undiscovered Country #27 – If you have not been reading this comic I don’t know what to say that won’t spoil it or just make you think I have lost my mind… Overall the story goes something like this- the United States has built a wall around itself and the rest of the world moved on while ‘Mericuh… well, no one knows. The world governments sent a team into America to see what happened, and to look for a cure for a plague that was doing what plagues do best. Over the course of 27 issues so many weird things have happened. All of which ask the question what is America? What makes America, America? I figured we were getting close to the conclusion, but… what do I know? Hint- Literal cliffhanger of a ending.

So I’m around 6 months into retirement… While I didn’t want this blog to devolve into a “retirement blog” for the time being as I get more and more accustomed to retired life this seems to be what is on the forefront of my mind.

As for just getting used to stuff the biggest thing that seems to be hard is health insurance. I remember sitting in a Webcomics Panel and the question was asked about what was the biggest expense these talented and successful creators had- the overwhelming answer was paying for health insurance. The only two who didn’t reply this way, when asked stated “We’re Canadian.” When I was employed this wasn’t a big deal, the school district did it all. I just picked from a menu, as things changed, the menu choices also changed, but they tended to keep something similar to what I had. When I retired I asked about this, and was frankly told, that they were embarrassed to tell me what I would have to pay, to stay with the same coverage… Since I had continued with the legacy plans (because it was simple) I would now have to pay pretty much my teacher pension each month to continue… ugh. I looked around got some good advice and help and moved to a different company. After going to the doctor I realized how spoiled I had become. While basics were fine, I had a prescription that the doctor had made a slight dosage change… the new company wouldn’t cover it. They recommended a different drug (because their analyst has a medical degree not because they are just seeing the cheapest alternative) which my doctor then prescribed only to get turned down again… Fortunately, it wasn’t something life threatening, but still, If I was in an actual developed country this might not have been an issue- I know, first world problem… or is it a first world problem, since it isn’t a problem in most first world countries only the US?

Enough grumbling… so what have I been doing besides, housework and bill paying over the last 6 months? I decided that over the summer I would not travel, I would try to get to understand how my income had changed and didn’t want to overspend. I spent a lot of time in the “Pit of Despair” aka the basement trying to organize things. I traded a bunch of my comics for store credit at my local shop- and still have a lot more to go. I planned for the start of school and not being at school. I also looked at what my passions had been pre-retirement and what I might want to continue. Many people who know me know that I have some varied interests but most of them are “Not Normal” or considered normal by those who consider themselves “Normal.” I decided to look at a few things that I “like”: Drawing/Cartooning, Comic Books, Games, Geocaching, MINI Coopers, & Building/Collecting LEGO. If I was going to focus on one thing, what would it be? I know, I can focus on more than one thing, but What would bring me joy? Note, education, robotics, and STEM are not on the list… I promised myself I would take a break from my past life. I’ve broken that promise a couple times so far, but pretty much said one year. As for going back to work, I had said three to six months, then I started scheduling things… so I’m going to start looking at options in 2024.

Drawing and cartooning have always been a passion of mine, I just hadn’t had the time to invest with everything else going on. Fortunately, this isn’t something that costs a lot- paper, pencils, pens and a wild imagination. Time has been the only thing that has kept me from this. I’ve been on the road, and while the common rule is “Don’t Drink and Drive” I don’t want to see if Drawing and Driving works… I’m guessing the results would be similar. I have tried to resume meeting with local artists through the Indy Webcomics Group and have tried to be a part of a daily drawing prompt, which again, travel and “Promptober” caused me to get a bit overwhelmed, so I hoping to get started back up soon.

When you’ve been collecting comic books for as long as I have (like many I started as a kid and there are pictures of me as a third grader, nose in a comic book) let’s say I started around 1974. I remember while on vacation sitting in friend’s bedroom and seeing his stack of comics… he had over 80 comics! I was amazed. From then on I would ride my bike to the Seven/Eleven and pull stuff off the spinner rack. As I got older I was able to go further afield and at 16 (around 1981) go to comic shops and conventions. I was never a “die hard collector” I’d throw a few comics in bags with boards, but mostly I read them and they would go into a box. I started retirement going through my comics and deciding what I wanted to keep and what I didn’t. I figured that I would keep maybe 4-6 long boxes… so around 1500 comics. I have a lot more culling to do to get anywhere near that number. Unfortunately every week has a Wednesday and every Wednesday new comics come out. I also have been to more Comic Cons this Fall than I have in the past few years- Cincinnati Comic Expo, Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, and New York Comic Con. I see this as being something I will continue. I’ve already promised my brother to make NYCC an annual trip, and I’m looking around at other cons that might be fun to attend.

My first jump into “Look! I’m retired and no longer on the draconian school schedule!” was to finally go to Gen Con for all four days. I’ve discussed this already, so I won’t go into details but I do like to play games, but is it a passion? The issue I have is you usually have to have someone else involved. I have tried Board Game Arena online and while it has been fun, it seemed like every time it was my turn, I was in the middle of something else. Also many of the games I was learning along the way. Still up in the air about gaming, the hardest thing seems to be getting everyone’s schedules open to play, this is especially hard with role playing games that involve a lot of time.

I started geocaching in 2006 and have cached all over the world (OK- North America and Europe). Was really into it for the longest time, then at one point I decided that I needed to take a break. Being an introvert, with low self-esteem and general social anxiety this was an easy move. I’m slowly coming back, mostly because Sue is still an avid cacher and Adventure Labs. I”m still not back to my old numbers, but I’m at least giving it a try, and if I have the time and there is an Adventure Lab along the way I’m in.

When MINI returned to America and I saw this unique little car and fell in love. Since 2005 I have had a MINI Cooper, I have gone on trips around the country, My current 2012 MINI has been all over the country and has shared close to 150,000 miles of adventures. I had served on the local club’s board for a number of years and decided to take a break… I’ve returned every so often, but unfortunately It’s like a time warp… things haven’t changed. The same people are in charge, the same events are happening, and for someone new to the community it’s great, for me… not so much. Over the years I’ve realized that I’m not as much of a group person. The issue seems to be a bit of social anxiety, and not wanting to upset people. So I find that knowing people and saying “Hi!” is great. Being a part of a group and having plans, not so much. Some of my closest friends are from the MINI community, I love seeing them, breaking bread, and being a part of that sense of family, but I don’t always want to follow along with the group. It’s not you, it’s me and it will always be me.

Now the 8,000 brick gorilla in the room… What about LEGO builds? The funny part is I built with LEGO bricks as a kid. Stopped building (they call it the Dark Age) and didn’t come back until it overlapped with work. You see I had become a Magnet Specialist for the STEM schools- they had purchased a bunch of LEGO robotics sets for each building and I figured I needed to jump in and figure it all out. I attended a LEGO show in Fort Wayne and ran into a fellow geocacher who invited me to come to a LEGO User Group meeting at his house. I started with a simple set, but the original purpose was to have experts that I could consult for school. I became a “LEGO Master Educator” and the a “LEGO Education Ambassador” both programs were nice to add to my resume, and made me look like I was some kind of an expert. I worked at the local LEGO store for a year learning about the retail business and how being an hourly worker is different since I had last been one. I do still love building with LEGO bricks, but like everything time seems to be an issue. After working for a year selling LEGO sets, I have decided that besides not having the room, there just aren’t that many themes I’m interested in. You’ve got the whole JK Rowling/Harry Potter social media issues. I’m more and more a Star Trek fan than Star Wars. The same goes with Marvel and DC Comics. While I love Batman, that’s pretty much all that the LEGO group focuses on when it comes to sets from DC. When it comes to Marvel sets… there is a glut of them and I’m not as interested in spending the money for them. I have a small LEGO warehouse in my basement (next to the small comic book shop) I just don’t know what comes next- There are a few sets I’m looking forward to, but not that many. Yes, I will be in line for the new Modular, the Chinese New Year sets, and the D&D set… there are a few others on the list, but I’m not buying everything like I did before.

What have I really been doing? I’ve been trying things out while traveling. It started with Gen Con, then on to Power Con (a toy collector convention). I celebrated my in-laws 60th wedding anniversary in Asheville, NC and explored the Blue Ridge Parkway considering spots to settle down. I went to the Cincinnati Comic Expo with my close friend Brian. He went to see Adam Savage, I went to see Tony Harris. Sue and I drove out for balloon handler training in New Jersey so we knew what we were getting ourselves into for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I went to Cartoon Crossroads Columbus which is an amazing convention for cartoonists and I highly recommend it. It allowed me to get behind the scenes at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum which was a dream come true. After that I headed south to the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. A place that started me becoming one of the “Weird Teachers” back in the 1990’s, so I figured I would start my “Weird Retiree” portion of my life there. Went from Huntsville to Rome, Georgia for the Going Caching mega event. Then to Washington DC to visit the “Hazy” annex of the Air & Space Museum at Dulles for the first time. I’ve now seen the Enterprise, Atlantis, Discovery and Pathfinder space shuttles. After a nice dinner with my brother it was up to Newark for top secret balloon flight testing for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. From Newark I went to New York to expose my “baby brother” to his first Comic Con. The New York Comic Con is a post unto itself especially a seasoned veteran and a complete newbie. Headed home for a bit before returning to New Jersey for Balloonfest, where they unveil the new balloons for the parade. on the way home we stopped at the Corning Museum of Glass. I also have been spoiling my cats every chance I get. Still a few more things coming up as I close in on another revolution around the Sun.

I’ve been trying to be frugal while I start out retirement. I am fortunate that Sue is still working and still enjoys her job. That said, I don’t think I ever realized exactly how much money I spent as a public school teacher. I’d just buy things “for the kids” or “for my classroom” and now I’m not and the has freed up funds for other things. I’ve tried to plan for things – like cash for New York Comic Con even though I did charge things also out of convenience. People say it looks like I’m living my best life. I’m actually taking time to discover who I am after spending so many years trying to be what everyone expected me to be. I’m still figuring it out, and while I make a few mistakes along the way, I’m happy to have the chance to try.

Recap on what I’ve learned about me, so far:

• I still like to draw (it kept me out of the asylum for decades, and hopefully it will continue)
• I still like comic books. I’m trying to move more towards original artwork, but I only have so many walls and that stuff is expensive.
• I enjoy discovering new places and Geocaching/Adventure Labs are a great way to do it, but choose your LPC wisely.
• While I like playing games, I’m not sure I need to invest in them the way I did in the past when I was buying games for my classroom. Time is the biggest issue.
• I still love motoring around in my MINI Cooper, I’m looking forward to MINI Takes The States in July of 2024. That said, local MINI events, unless unique, are not as much of a priority.
• While I enjoy building with LEGO I’m not as fanatic about it as I once was, as I grow as an Adult Fan Of LEGO and I get other projects completed I am much more cautious when it comes to buying things.
• I’m a Trekkie, I also have rekindled a love of Dave Steven’s Rocketeer and James Robinson’s/Tony Harris’ Starman. That’s what happens when you dig through your old comics.
• I’m still a kid at heart who loves the whimsical over the serious.
• I love my cats… and my very understanding wife.