Blogposts – Page 49 – My Geek Odyssey

All Ages Comics: Great Content- stupid, stupid, publishers

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Bruce

Some of you may have seen my Facebook post about this earlier in the week. On Wednesday I picked up an All Ages comic from my local shop I was purchasing it for my future classroom (more on that later). The cover was cute, reflecting the content of the comic. I have purchased other all ages comics from the same creators, and my students have really loved them. So I have nothing against the comic itself and what was is “All Ages.” Then I looked at the back cover, and cringed. You see the publisher of this specific comic seemed to think that the “All Ages” audience (little kids) would also enjoy reading about a scantily clad, woman who bathes in blood.

TNActionCat01CovBaltazar — Looks kid-friendly enough doesn’t it?

Here’s the description of the all ages comics (from Previews) “THIS is it kids! The Cross-Over EPIC Event of a lifetime! Finally, CAPTAIN ACTION CAT meets ACTION CAT and the characters from AW YEAH COMICS! There is something EVIL out there and EVIL CAT is determined to find it! Even if it means searching throughout the SILVER AGE to do it! Could this blip on the screen be the one known as DOCTOR EVIL CAT?! We bet it is! What will happen when the SILVER AGE and the AW YEAH AGE collide! What does this mean to the Time-stream? The Fate of the comic world may change forever! PLUS, a mysterious frozen souvenir from the GOLDEN AGE makes a visit! Brought to you by the EISNER and HARVEY Award winning, New York Times best-selling Famous Cartoonists-Art Baltazar & Franco! CAPTAIN ACTION CAT is based on the classic Action-Figure Adventure-toy CAPTAIN ACTION! True story.”

Here’s the description of the comic advertised on the back- “Set against the fairytale backdrop of knights and magic, Blood Queen begins with the heartbreaking plight of a royal child, teetering between life and death. Summoned to save the princess, a young woman of untold power begins a journey that will uncover secrets, reveal forbidden desires, and stoke the fires of war. Inspired by the notorious true story of the Countess Elizabeth Bathory, Blood Queen imagines the Renaissance era as a colorful nightmare of mayhem, lust, and sorcery.” I will not show the ad, but you can see it (and what one cool cartoonist dad did to it) in the link below.

To quote Sesame Street “One of these things is not like the other…” As a teacher who LOVES comic books and wants to expose my kids to great stories and reading I sadly can’t put Captain Action Cat in my classroom library because for some strange reason I like to be employed and the rather “mature” ad on the back of this all ages comic makes it impossible. I handed the comic to another teacher to use in her class as an example but warned don’t show the back cover, don’t let the kids read it, just show a page or two using your document camera. I’m rebuilding my school comic library and unfortunately, some titles just might not make the cut… that makes me sad.

So here’s my question, because this is not the first publisher to do something like this, “What are you thinking?” I know, you have sell comics, and I know it is hard to change something that has been standardized for your entire line, but c’mon. How am I supposed to promote comics in the classroom to teacher who are already skeptical when all you give me are more reasons for them to say “No”? See, I can’t fill my room with the stuff DC and Marvel produce, because for the most part they’re titles talk down to kids and are only based on cartoon shows that are tied to selling toys. Worst case they are just a weird version of fumetti with screen shots from the cartoon instead of photos. There are some great titles by regular publishers like Scholastic and Random House, but I want to make sure my kids get a variety of all ages comics. Great comics for kids that challenge them come from the independent creators and they don’t tend to produce regularly, and then when they do the publisher puts a massive advertisement on the back and a few in the actual comic to make it impossible for me to have it in my classroom.

I’m not the only one, but we shouldn’t ever have to go to such extremes:

CARTOONIST JOHN KOVALIC FOUND CHEESECAKE ON THE BACK OF HIS DAUGHTER’S COMIC BOOK… BUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT WILL SOMETHING SOMETHING!

Thanks to the co-creator of Dexter’s Digs and The Brother’s Grant for sharing that link with me, it made me feel vindicated.

Feel free to comment with your favorite All Ages title- I know I don’t know them all, and would love to get more into my new classroom.

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That leads to the announcement that I will be returning to the classroom next school year! After two years dealing with fun and frustration of working with teachers and administrators I am really looking forward to getting back to a classroom and test, and test, and test my students day in and day out. Who knows I might end up discovering that they need to know about Countess Elizabeth Bathory and I’ve missed the chance to have third graders learn something new and important. What does this mean for My Geek Odyssey? I really don’t know, but I do know that when I was in the classroom before I was able to get a comic out more regularly, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. This summer I will be working on creating a sizable buffer (I know, I know, I’ve said that before) with lots of scantily clad monkeys in every strip.

Remember I’ll be at Indy Pop Con Booth 238 stop by and say “Hi” or yell at me about being a prude who likes to be gainfully employed. I’ll have stuff for sale.

What’s up & Where’s Bruce?

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Bruce

I’ve taken the past few weeks as this school year starts to wind down… you know it’s winding down when you can count on one hand the mandated assessments teachers have to give. So I’ve been working on various things including taking some of the comics and getting them published in comic book form. Part of this is to actually go through the process, and part of it is to have something tangible for when I go to conventions.

Hopefully my first book of strips will be available at the end of May for Indy Pop Con. It will contain story lines from the past two years, in glorious black and white. Why black & white? because first I’m being cheap, and second I realized that I have a few stories that I never got around to coloring, and that coloring takes time which I don’t have right now. It was easier to remove the color layer from the original and as needed on a handful of strips add some lines than to color 20 odd strips- maybe next time.

Thanks to the MOOC I have been kinda working on I have more plans to hopefully get back into the regular schedule with the comic strip and have longer story arcs. I have two ready to draw and another one bubbling in my brain that I want to use. While my summer is getting filled I still see a chance to get more comics done than last year.

So where can you find me in the next few weeks?

This weekend I’ll be in Chicago at C2E2 I don’t have a table but I’ll be hanging out with the monkey, so look for Cecil and you’ll find me. There’s also a flashmob Sunday afternoon that I should be dropping by.

Next weekend will find me in Fontana Village for MINIs on the Dragon. Again look for Cecil who will be with his MINIons. While we will be staying at our favorite place in the world about 30 minutes away from the festivities, I know I’ll be hanging out with friends Saturday.

Indiana Geocaching Spring Picnic– Cecil will be there and I’ll be tagging along.

Triton Central Middle School Comic Con May 22 A friend is putting on a comic Con with her students and many of us from the Indy Webcomic Group will be attending sharing our knowledge.

GeoWoodstock over Memorial Day – Cecil and I will be wandering around (No, we don’t have any new pathtags).

Indy Pop Con – I’ve got a table and am planning on doing a session with my friend Jim McClain on Comics in the Classroom and may be helping out with a few sessions with the Indy Webcomics Group. I’ve got my square, I’ve got paper for sketches, I’ve got business cards, I’m almost ready!

Once I get the cover done and the pages submitted I’ll start back on the comic (the only place to see it in full color) and get back into the swing of things!

Thank you all for your patience…

It’s a shopping frenzy!

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Sue

Yesterday I did one of those uniquely Hoosier things that should be experienced at least once in ones lifetime – I braved the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale.

Over the years I would occasionally hear about this shopping frenzy in Fort Wayne where thousands of women would descend and literally shop ‘till they dropped. When I saw a small news item that this was the week of the sale I thought I’d take a drive to see if the event lived up to the hype.

To back up, in case you are unaware of this phenomenon, “Vera Bradley is the name of a luggage design company founded by Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia Miller in 1982. It is an American design company best known for its patterned bags. The Fort Wayne, Indiana company produces a variety of products, including quilted cotton luggage, handbags and accessories.” (Thank you Wikipedia).

The first thing I needed for this little jaunt was a ticket so I fired up the computer and found that not only did I need a $5 ticket to go on a weekday, I also needed to select the specific time slot I would attend and ‘register’ as a customer if I planned on buying anything. This is some serious shopping! So, after a number of clicks I had one ticket for the 2:30 – 5pm time slot – the morning was sold out – and a sheet with my ‘customer information.’

Friday morning arrived and it was time to hit the road! On I-69 I noticed several vehicles crowded with laughing women and was pretty sure we were all heading to the same place. Then I spotted a billboard advertising the sale – as I said, this is the big time!

After an intermission to find a couple geocaches, I headed over to the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum for the big event. I arrived about 2:45 thinking I could miss the line to get in but, oh no, the line was still all the way down the side of the building, around the corner and even doubling back on itself!

Line1 — The line goes down there, around back, then doubles back on itself!

Roughly 97% of the crowd was female and there were lots of groups. It was a very good-natured crowd and eventually we were at the door and, upon surrendering my ticket, I was given a large pink garbage bag and let in to the hall. Wow, talk about sensory overload!

I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was rows upon rows of tables stacked with all types of merchandise from water bottles to suitcases to comforters. After some initial disorientation I could tell there was a method to the madness, home goods were over there and wallet-type things over there and suitcase things in this area. As I didn’t actually have a shopping list, I decided the wander up and down each aisle approach made the most sense to see everything while I was in among several thousand other people doing the same thing.

Quickly it was apparent that the pink bag was for ‘loot’ as people were tossing in items willy-nilly. There were also signs on almost very wall (and many PA announcements) about ‘sorting’ and how the fire marshall doesn’t want people sitting on the floor. It seems that the preferred method of shopping is to grab everything that strikes your fancy then find an area to review and discard the unwanted items. By the time I left there were at least a half-dozen laundry rolling bins overflowing with these cast offs!

A PA announcement also let me in on the fact that the star-shaped balloons indicated tables where there were special markdowns and I saw one woman with 7 or 8 of one type of shoulder bag going for $20! While this was the exception, I’d say most of the prices were 50-60% off of retail.

It also struck me that Vera Bradley makes many more items than I had thought – aprons, coaster sets and flip flops were just a few of the unexpected things I stumbled upon.

As I wandered, I did drop a few things into my big pink bag and also dropped some things into the cast off bin though people watching alone was totally worth the price of admission. My big splurge was a large tote that I kept admiring as people carried them around the shopping floor. I decided to take the plunge but, when I got to that table they were gone! As I was standing there reconciling myself to leaving without it, a young women and her friend were standing nearby debating the merits of that very tote versus one of another pattern. Fortunately for everyone, she went with the other pattern and I got the tote I wanted!

When I heard the announcement that there was only 45 minutes left in my session I headed toward check out to beat the crowd. A big sign over the door reminded shoppers that the per-person limit for the sale is $3,500 (I later learned that this is the point of registering as a shopper) – it certainly was not a problem for me!

Seen in the check-out line. The bag in the center was the $20 deal. Wish the photo weren’t so fuzzy.

Check out is in a completely separate exhibit hall allowing them to clear the sales floor in preparation for the next group of shoppers! The system is flawless, they have lots of registers and people directing people so the wait was actually pretty short. Items come out of the pink bag, get rung up, and put in to a white bag. Once the shopper crosses the line between pink and white there’s no going back!

In all, from getting in line to getting back to my car it was a little over two hours – long enough but not too long.

Surprisingly, it actually was rather fun – I think going with no expectations and no shopping list was good because there was absolutely no pressure to buy anything – I could just experience the event.

For those interested, the dates for 2015 are April 8-12.

The Con Experience… The INDYpendent Show

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Bruce

So if you’ve never been to Comic Convention but you want to talk to creators up close I can recommend the next INDYpendent Show (in December). On Sunday I was fortunate enough to table at the first INDYpendent Show, a comic show with the mission to help those people who love comics and want to create their own, but either don’t know what steps to take or need a kick in the butt to get started. I ended up the show being not only a wise sage giving advice, but also getting kicked a couple times.

The cartoonist at his table ready to impart wisdom and sell you stuff. — The cartoonist & Cecil at their table ready to impart wisdom and sell you stuff.

I arrived as prepared as I could be (which means I forgot stuff). I came in and fumbled around setting up my banner, laying out a progression of original strips, and a print of Cecil riding Bernice (a story I need to tell). I made a quick sign that said “Prints $5” and sat back, calm and confident… OK maybe nervous and scared is a better description. I was fortunate enough to be next to Jim McClain creator of Solution Squad, a friend and fellow teacher who has done this a few times. I started to make a list of what I forgot or needed. #1 was business cards. While I had made business cards when I first started the comic, and around year two made another batch, I had either forgotten them or ran out. Everyone who made it to my table had nothing with the website on it! doh! Next thing on the list was some way to take credit cards… While I thought having cash to make change was good enough, and for this show it wasn’t a problem, but the next one, who knows?

After setting up I helped Chris Ludden of Chris & Gin, The Brothers Grant, and Indy Webcomics Group with an educational session on “Bringing Your Character to Life” which, for the first session, was well attended. We talked about some of the basics of drawing and expressions. Chris and I agreed that we did more talking than we had intended, but when we asked the group to draw, they seemed to look like they were deer caught in the headlights.

After that I was at my table for the 5 hours. I happily sold my first print to a boy named Elliot and spoke to friends who stopped by and kids who were interested in how I created this comic. I talked about Micron pens, and non-photo blue pencils the different between regular and Verithin Prismacolors (Verithin are harder and easier to work with IMHO). Scanning as Line Art and the simplicity of Photoshop Elements for the beginner. I chatted about hand lettering and the transition to digital lettering. I just went on, and on, and on. I talked about how and why character designs changed over time. I played teacher, something I’ve been doing since at least 1983. So I was in comfort zone. Then I got my butt kicked.

As a member of the Indy Webcomics Group I get to meet up with other local creators and we encourage each other with projects offer advice and criticism when needed. Like I said I was next to Jim McClain someone who over the past year has become a close friend. Jim knew me mostly as a teacher who admires his work, not as much as a comic creator. He played the role of big brother sharing with me tips and tricks for conventions that he has picked up. “Can I have one of your business cards?” was one of his first questions. As we talked throughout the day during breaks in the crowd he asked me having a book… I made my typical excuses about not being ready, needing more time to polish little things like story and art. A little bit later I noticed he was looking at the comic from day one. He turned to me and just stated- “Next time you’re at a convention you need to have a book. You’re more than ready.” I jokingly replied, “You aren’t the first person to tell me that.” He bluntly said, “I hope I’m the last.” He wasn’t, a kid who admired my monkey drawings asked if I had a book he could buy… doh!

I had a wonderful time, learning about how to table at a small convention and I’m really looking forward to the next INDYpendent Show, but before then I have the monster that is the Indy Pop Con and putting together a book, even a small one of Cecil’s greatest hits… wish me luck and I’ll keep you all updated as to the progress.

The Tipping Point

Posted on March 23, 2014 by Bruce

Years ago Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book about how when a certain number of events occur then someone goes out a tips a cow… or something like that.
I think right now I’ve reached that proverbial tipping point when it comes to My Geek Odyssey. As we start our fifth year I’m going back and looking at some things I’ve done (mostly what I haven’t done) and after a series of events am thinking about the direction we are headed.

Basically the recent events that I elude start with Watching Dear Mr. Watterson on the flight to visit family over the holidays, & then on the same trip visiting the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco. From there it seems that a lot of little and not so little things have been pushing me. From the submissions for the Circle City Aerodrome art show. Having my first table at a Con (next week’s INDYpendent Show) which led to having a banner made. Watching Stripped a wonderful documentary about the history & future of comic strips. Hanging out with some wonderfully creative people in the Indy Webcomics Group and teachers passionate about the power of comics in education. All added weight and then today- the proverbial straw the broke the camel’s back- A retrospective of Bill Watterson’s work at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at Ohio State.

Cecil is ready to take a look at the exhibit.

I came in thinking I needed to change some things up and had started taking some steps in that direction (signing up for a few MOOCs on Comics, rereading some of the classics like Scott McCloud’s Making Comics). I left shattered… the whole “I am not worthy” vibe but also thinking “What can I do to become worthy?”

Last night I got to a point in Making Comics where a small card fell out of the book… it was the original card I had made up when I started this whole crazy endeavor. It was pretty simple. one side was a section of my original drawing of Tink and me, on the other was the dictionary definitions of “Geek” and “Odyssey”. As I looked at this card, I started thinking that maybe I’d strayed from my original intent… I still don’t know, but thank you Bill Watterson & the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum for giving me an idea as to what I need to do, and where I need to go.

Like I said, I left the exhibit shattered… an emotional wreck. Not something you would think could happen to someone looking at comic strips, but it happened to me. I looked at the concise storytelling, the art, the layout of the comics… all were genius.

The exhibit is divided into various sections including the original strips and pitch , something on each character along with the various reoccurring themes, the tools he used and his inspirations. I started with the original concept and moved around the room taking it all in. I know I need to return some weekend and just sit at every section and really take it all in. It’s like watching a movie and knowing that you missed a bunch of things so you have to see it again, and again.

Because of what I saw I am going to reexamine my past strips and see what I can learn and improve upon. This is going to be a long process and with the real world intruding it will take more time than I can imagine, but I will update you as to the process and how it is going. I’m not going to stop drawing, but as you have noticed my productivity has not be great recently… hopefully with this renewed vision it will improve, but that will take time.

If you are in the area for the INDYpendent Show, I’ll be there and we can chat. If you have the opportunity to visit the exhibit in Columbus, I recommend it… but if you ask me to come along, bring tissues.

I still get torn up by this comic... even in just pen & ink. — I still get torn up by this one… especially in just pen & ink.

Reflections on my part in Brickworld Indy

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Bruce

Last weekend I had the opportunity to have a table at Brickworld Indy. Brickworld is a series of Lego Conventions throughout the midwest and having a table basically means I had a display. I did the same thing last year sharing the space with a friend. This year I figured I’d build bigger and better and need the entire table… I was wrong.

To start off let me explain how Brickworld works- Think of it as a juried art exhibition. Displayers are asked to contribute their work for the public to see, vendors pay for booth space, and activities are put together for the attendees. Activities include large piles of “playbrick” to build with, cooperative mosaic builds, stuff like that. Some displayers may have remote control cars for kids to operate, or robots, mostly this show is about seeing the potential in a little plastic brick. Displayers do not pay for their space (as far as I’m aware), they instead get a small percentage of the profits from the show after plugging things into a long complex formula dealing with how engaging their display is.

One of the great things is that most displays are team efforts. So IndyLUG or MichLUG get together and build a massive layout. The night before Brickworld opens they gather and put it all together. Yes, it’s mostly built, but there will always be some last minute tweaking. IndyLUG for example has a massive M-Tron layout (M-tron is a Space set from the 1990s- basically lots of red & black) along with other cooperative builds (Castle, the Lego Movie, the Great Ball Contraption, etc.).

Cecil poses next to "Just like Beggar's Canyon" on the first day of Brickworld Indy. — Cecil poses next to “Just like Beggar’s Canyon” on the first day of Brickworld Indy.

I started with the idea of the improving the Death Star trench display I had last year having it go the length of a 96″ table. For about a week, I worked out how it would look and started with a great idea of incorporating the “Palace Cinema” into the design. Then I was asked if the Cinema could be part of “The Lego Movie” display. So it was time to redesign. Which really wasn’t that bad, I didn’t like how it was turning out.

As Friday rolls around, I’m bouncing between schools and decide on a new idea on how I want it to look. So when I get home I start tearing apart what I had, and rebuilding. Remember the show is Saturday. I bring what I have done to the Fairgrounds that evening and lay it out. Then I start to add detail- towers, guns, and ships. After a while I head home leaving things to sort out in the morning.

Saturday morning as the local news crew is going around I’m back building more and getting ready. The biggest problem- the trench. You see, it’s going the wrong way. Last year I had it cut the width of the table so everyone could see the details in the trench. By making it longer- kids were unable to see it. since it was only viewable on two sides it basically looked like a bunch of grey base plates on a table. At the last minute I took all the Minifigs I had from school put them on two base plates so the space was filled and walked away figuring I would tweak it throughout both days.

Over 19,000 people came to Brickworld Indy this year (thank you Lego Movie), and I watched as kids ran over to see what I had built… and then stare at the MiniFigs. “Look! There’s Emmet! and Lord Business!” Some people were impressed by the actual build, some AFOL (Adult Fans Of Lego) liked it but but commented on the lack of greebling (that’s the term for using small pieces to add random and excessive detail to spaceships). Star Wars fans commented on the fact the trench was too narrow.

So what did I learn from this? If I do it again I’ll work smaller, and add more detail. I have an idea on improving the build. I really do like the way the Lego Movie has a design element to it that makes thing fanciful and yet detailed. I joke that I need more bricks, but even with the tubs I currently have, I used the grey 2×4 bricks I had purchased for school to complete my build. Then again, if I just buy about a thousand more MiniFigs I could just cover a table and be done with it.

If you’d like to see some of the photos check out my Flickr photostream.

Time Travel is Messy… Circle City Aerodrome’s Art Show.

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Bruce

I was asked a while ago to contribute something to this show and you may have seen some of my initial attempts during the 30 Days of Drawing challenge. The artwork is due today and is finished. While I could (and probably will at some time) color it I felt the initial ink over non-photo blue pencil had a nice feel to it. Plus since I color digitally the finished work would end up looking mass produced and not original. The pieces are not for sale, since I have no idea what I should charge, and kind of feel that if I just charged for the frames, it would be silly and overpriced. The art show is being held at New Day Meadery in Fountain Square with the following events (descriptions taken from the New Day Meadery website):

IDADA First Friday: Circle City Aerodrome Friday, February 7, 6-9 PM

Circle City Aerodrome has done it again! This juried show is a collection of pieces that fit this year’s theme “Time Travel is Messy: Vonnegut in the Aerodrome”.

Stop by to see this amazing collection of works from artists and inventors from Indianapolis, and around the country. Curiosities and thrills shall be had by all!

Circle City Aerodrome Artist Reception: Friday, February 14, 6-9 PM

This is a fantastic opportunity to meet the creative minds behind the amazing juried art show presented by the Circle City Aerodrome, as part of their national convention!

This year’s gallery theme is “Time Travel is Messy: Vonnegut in the Aerodrome”, and is part of the weekend-long A Dark Victorian Romance. Not to be missed!!

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As for the drawing I guess you could also call the “30 days of drawing… day 32- yes I skipped day 31” The wrench is an antique that I felt added the certain something to the work…

As for the events.. I’m not sure if I can make either due real life work commitments, but who knows?

12x12 pen & ink over non-photo blue pencil on Bristol. A depiction of Sir Cecil’s Simian Aero Corps that were invaluable at stopping the assault of the mechanical armies from the East during the great time-war of 1883… not to be confused with the great chrono-war of 1875, or the somewhat great wibbly-wobbly skirmish of 1892. Hence the idiom "throwing a monkey wrench into the works" became part of the vernacular. — 12×12 pen & ink over non-photo blue pencil on Bristol. A depiction of Sir Cecil’s Simian Aero Corps that were invaluable at stopping the assault of the mechanical armies from the East during the great time-war of 1883… not to be confused with the great chrono-war of 1875, or the somewhat great wibbly-wobbly skirmish of 1892. Hence the idiom “throwing a monkey wrench into the works” became part of the vernacular.

12×12 pen & ink over non-photo blue pencil on Bristol. A portrait of Sir Cecil. E. M. Ookington-Smythe KBE DFC on his faithful steed “Bernice” after returning from “abroad” (Sir Cecil never did explain whether it was forward or backward through his chronovortex.) The original artist is unknown and presumed eaten.

“Everything is Awesome” – A review of The Lego Movie

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Bruce

12017898693_63b7cbcf67 — The initial display from IndyLUG at the Greenfield Brick Expo- After seeing the film today, we know there’s a lot that needs to be added…

I’m and old school animation guy… classic Warner Brothers animation, Disney, & Pixar are all my favorites. While I haven’t had a chance to see a lot of the more recent stuff I haven’t really been a fan of other studios attempts at creating an animated film. Some have been good, but I compare animated films to super hero films and you’ve got Marvel that has figured it out, and DC that hasn’t (this coming from a DC comics fan). I think I’ve had the misfortune of seeing a few failed attempts at telling an animated story from Dreamworks, or whoever and just left shaking my head. The studios idea seemed to be if we use famous people and throw in a song by a popular artist (along with a few fart jokes) it will make us enough money to cover the costs. I feel bad for parents who have young children and have to sit through Ice Age 16, Madagascar 25 or whatever. Again I’m generalizing so don’t come back with a “What about…” There have been some good movies, but nothing consistent, like what Pixar had done.

Being an AFOL (Adult Fan of Lego) when the hype started about “The Lego Movie” I was cautiously optimistic. The trailers seemed amusing which could be that they cut the trailer to include only the funny parts. The cast, while stars, weren’t necessarily Hollywood A-listers (although I stay away from tabloids so they could be and I don’t know). The thing that kept coming to me as I watched the trailers was it looked like it was going to be fun. It looked like they were taking themselves seriously, but not too seriously. When the Lego kits for the movie came out, they continued with this theme. Almost a child-like whimsy built into to each set. I started to really look forward to seeing this film- and that scared me even more. I was scared that I was setting the bar too high and that nothing could be as good as what I was expecting.

I was wrong. This film not only met those expectations, but surpassed them. I was lucky enough to get a couple of passes to a screening this morning since I had contributed to a display at the Greenfield Brick Expo and was amazed at how it appealed to everyone in the audience, and this could have been a tough audience since a large portion were AFOLs. Frankly, I don’t want to give anything away and I suggest you avoid spoilers because there are some twists that really make the film more than just 100 minutes of animated Lego Minifigs. I also suggest you see it as soon as you can, before you can’t avoid reviews that ruin the film for you.

Here’s the basic plot, most of this can be pulled from the trailers- It takes place in a Lego world where our hero – Emmet is just a construction guy doing his job. There is a group called the “Master Builders” who are looking for “The Special” someone who, because of prophecy, will save the world from Lord Business and his evil plans (destroy the world on Taco Tuesday). Emmet, our “hero”, gets mistaken for “The Special” and must try to save the world, with the help of others (the trailer shows an old wizard guy, a girl dressed in black, and Batman- yes, Batman). Sounds a little like “The Matrix”? I would agree as to the general premise, the nice thing is they tie everything up in 100 minutes, not three movies, and since it is geared to kids, adults can pretty much understand what’s going on. By the end you care about the world, you care about the characters, and it has a couple good morals (one for kids, and one for adults although the one for kids works for adults too)- If I told you it would ruin it for you so I won’t.

The thing that stood out for me is that I am seriously considering seeing this film again, in a theater. Most films I can wait until they are on Netflix, or I spend a couple bucks to rent them from iTunes (I did this with The Avengers & Man of Steel). This one I’m thinking about going back to the theater when it opens, paying a lot of money, and seeing it again, just to catch what I missed- and then I’m thinking about buying a copy to own when it’s available…that says something about this movie, since I haven’t done either thing for any film released in the last decade.

SO what are your thoughts? For me it was “AWESOME!” Your mileage may vary.

30 Days of Drawing… day 30

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Bruce

and so it ends not with a bang but a whimper…

30days-30

This first 30 day challenge is over… 30 drawings in 30 days. What has it taught me. A lot. Not as much about drawing, but more about time management. I can do a drawing a day, some aren’t as great as others. Some I actually like and think they could lead to stories or build characters. I know I have a long way to go and as I learned when I first started out on my geek odyssey, the more I draw the better I get, subtly with little nuances. This drawing actually is a rough idea for something I need to have done by Sunday. I still don’t know if this will be the final design, but it did get me thinking. The other thing is I was bouncing around in meetings until around 8:30. So to get this drawing done, I stopped off at an art store and picked up a pad and some pencils (I strangely enough had a pencil sharpener with me). I did the initial drawing (along with some rough sketches) during one of my meetings. While I enjoyed adding this to my day, I think if I am to continue, I might not go all the way to coloring or even inking. Drawing was enjoyable, finishing sometimes became more time consuming.

The truth of this 30 day challenge was this it wasn’t my only 30 day challenge. I wanted to try a couple different things and being impatient and a little ADD (Squirrel!) I decided to try a few- something I won’t be repeating. Two were adding something to my day, and one was taking something away. Drawing and drinking a large glass of juice were added. Thank you to my brother Mike and his wife Erika for talking about Trader Joe’s cranberry juice (definitely an acquired taste). Seems silly to have to challenge yourself to drink a large glass of juice each day, but I wanted to make sure that I had something healthy at least every day, so a large glass of juice each day. Today I’m drinking that juice as I write this, most days I would drink it before rushing off to school. So what have taken away for the last 30 days… I decided to not drink alcohol for 30 days (maybe that how I could draw for 30 days). As an adult, I wanted to see how that would change how I do things. Not much change that I could see. Although going out was strange, since I tended to only order water. Health wise I figure it helped a bit and I did lose some weight which has been nice. I actually have one more day to go on this since I messed up at the beginning. And that’s why I really like the 30 day challenges instead of a resolution if you mess up, you can start over.

So 30 days, 30 drawings- which one was your favorite? I’ll start another challenge once I finally finish all the ones from this month & figure out which ONE from my list I think I should try.

30 Days of Drawing… day 29

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Bruce

30days-29

One more day? One day more? Really? Wow… almost there. Can’t get cocky since I still could trip at the finish line.

Today’s drawing is a little practice for that art show I mentioned a few drawings ago… this one deals with Sir Cecil’s Aero Simian Corps that battled in the Great War against the Mechanical Men from the East… I like some parts of this drawing but need to tweak others… I need to have a final drawing ready by Sunday. At least I think I’ve got the monkey wrench pretty close.

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