Category: Blogposts

I read comic books, as if you didn’t know, when I was a kid about once a year we’d visit my grandparents, They had a ginormous house and my older brother and I would sleep in my uncle’s old room. I remember it had a mounted fish on the wall. The other thing I remember was a small pile of comic books and a couple of them were Archie. I never really got into the shorter story/gag related comics, but they did stick in my mind after all these years. And this week (since almost all the other comic companies have done it) Archie Comics decided to reboot their universe. They’d had zombies and alternate reality stories(Archie marries Betty, Archie marries Veronica), even killed off Archie, so I guess it was time. My only thought was “How?” How do you reboot a comic that really in my mind was just a bunch of short stories or long gags? DC & Marvel reboot because their continuity gets too much for an average reader to take. Archie, has no continuity as far as I remember, nothing really tied issues together. I’m not an expert but when I think of most comics that I have read, if something happens in one issue, it becomes a part of the canon. In Archie, one story he’s dating Betty, the next he’s dating Veronica it just happened with the turn of a page in the same issue. Archie was a “player,” I guess.
So they rebooted Archie and brought in some great writers and artists to do it which made me interested. So I happen to be passing a comic shop and picked up a copy of Archie Issue number one… and I think I’ll be back for issue number two. I had read some of the story online and decided I wanted to try out this new Archie, and I think they’ve got me hooked for now. I like character driven stories and try to avoid the silly event comics unless I can’t avoid them (Convergence and Secret Wars -ugh!). This wasn’t the Archie I remembered, it was a little more mature, and frankly… good. So MINIon #0022 is my salute to the relaunch of Archie, if the storytelling and artwork stay at this level, you might have a convert.

As for Saturday of San Diego Comic Con… When I’ve had a 4 day badge, I try to avoid it like the plague.  The crowds are… nightmarish.  If you like being around the hoards of humanity, then I’ve got the place for you.  I saw this morning a photo of the line for Hall H… for tomorrow. People camping out already to get a seat in Hall H- TOMORROW.  A quick explanation for those who don’t follow the San Diego “Comic” Con, except for the quick reports that make you think (as a geek) “I must go there.”  Hall H and Ballroom 20 are where the panels for movies and TV shows happen, so this is where all the “fans” line up- for days.  It is not pretty.  See, they don’t clear out the hall at the end of each session, so once you get a coveted seat you don’t give it up.  You become Gollum with his “precious.”  You sit through panels and previews of stuff you could care less about so you can get that one glimpse of the actor/director/celebrity you care about.  I’m lucky.  When I go, I scope out the comic book related panels and those are usually empty.  I remember the last time I went I was waiting outside a room for Robert Kirkman’s presentation, happy that I was first in line.  The security person asked what I was doing, and then looked at me befuddled and told me to just go sit down, there’s no waiting. The same thing happened for Jeff Smith, and David Peterson, and I’m assuming any comic book creator (OK, maybe not Stan Lee).  I do regret in all the times I attended San Diego Comic Con (three if my memory hasn’t failed me) I never attended the Eisner Awards or the Masquerade.  There’s alway’s 2017 (if I can keep my professional badge).