Comic Books – Page 6 – My Geek Odyssey

Guilty Geeky Pleasures

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Bruce

While I’ve posted this before (I’m sure it’s around here somewhere) I thought it might be nice to update the list of some of the geeky things you might want to explore and my plans for some of my geeky passions for 2013.

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Podcasts-

Yes, these have been around for what seems like forever, but I’m always amazed at the number of people who still have no idea about what they are. A podcast is a simple interweb audio show it comes out on a regular basis and they cover a large number of topics. When I first heard about podcasting in 2005 I starting looking around and amazingly enough while I add a few here and there a few I’ve stuck with since the beginning- my top (not in any order) are:

Decoder Ring Theatre – Pure escapism from Toronto. The shows alternate (for the most part) between the Red Panda (Canada’s Greatest Super Hero) and Black Jack Justice (with Trixie Dixon, Girl Detective). Both are set in the 1930’s and 40’s and are in the style of the old-time radio serials. The Red Panda will actually get a comic book treatment in Comixology at the end of the month- an announced Feb 27 release date from Monkey Brain Comics. Many times this podcast is what makes me happy during the week.

Podcacher – Family friendly podcast all about Geocaching. When I attended a computer education conference in sunny San Diego I decided to stop in on a session that really changed my life. It was all about this thing called geocaching (gee-oh-cash-ing). Sonny and Sandy are now friends and if you are interested in learning about caching I highly recommend it. It is well produced, and filled with lots of great information.

White Roof Radio – The MINI Cooper podcast. I bought my first MINI in 2005 and started listening to the podcast around that time. The format is a roundtable discussion hosted by DB & Todd with regular appearances by Chad, Gabe, and Nathaniel. The topic is MINI Coopers. While sometimes it gets technical especially when dealing with wheels and tires its a great way to get to know what is happening in the MINI Community. I will admit there have been times when I have skipped a bit especially when they are discussing in depth events I can’t attend. I almost wish they would exercise the Zaxxon rule* but over the years, Todd & DB have become close friends (again one of those great things about podcasts is they are put together by real people) and I enjoy listening to the discussion each week.

Pop Culture Happy Hour – I’m trying to figure out how I stubbled upon this podcast, but it quickly became a favorite. PCHH is put together at NPR and is a weekly roundtable discussion about pop culture. Linda, Trey, Stephen, and Glen have opened my eyes to many parts of pop culture and have added some pieces to my vocabulary including “What’s making me happy this week” and the Zaxxon Rule*

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Kickstarter–

It’s a crowdfunding site in which you donate money to “kickstart” someone’s project. There are hundreds of options and the rule is the creator of the project set’s a goal. If the goal is met by a certain date- you get charged, if it isn’t you are out nothing. The cool thing for most projects the backers get a reward in return for their support. in some cases it’s something as simple as “gee, thanks!” in other cases it might be some really cool items. Every project is different. I recommend just checking out some of the Kickstarter geekiness there seems to something for almost every kind of geek.

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Comics-

I have always loved comics. For as long as I remember I have read comics. The problem right now as a long time reader of comics is that the major comics publishers seem to be trying to attract a new audience or bring back lapsed readers. So for me, I get confused as to what to read since the creative teams or story lines are getting all mixed up. I liked Captain America, but now he’s battling evil in another dimension. Don’t even get me started with what DC has done to the Teen Titans…

So while I still try to keep up with my old titles (though I keep bouncing between reading Batman & Superman) there are a few titles that I have stuck with- please note not all of these are “all ages.”

Fables- Bill Willingham’s story of what if the characters form fairy tales were real and had been exiled to our world? Not for kids, but frankly much better than some of the TV shows presently on with the premise (although I am a fan of Grimm)

Mouse Guard- David Petersen’s wonder tales of “mice with swords” but it is so much more than that. the artwork is wonderful and the tales compelling. I’m now being very patient waiting for the next issue about the “Black Axe”

The Walking Dead- Yes, it was a comic before it was a TV show. Robert Kirkman’s story of survival after the zombie apocalypse. while in black & white still not for kids.

Invincible- I’ve been reading this since issue #1 and issue #100 just arrived this week. to overly simplify it- it’s the story of Superman’s son, except… I don’t want to give anything away. Like Harry Potter where the first books were for younger kids, the same rule applies, not really for kids, especially as the story has become more violent and dark.

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man- Again another one of those I’ve been reading since the beginning. This started off as a retelling of the Spider-Man story for a new audience. The villains may have the same name, but slightly different powers and origins, making it really cool. Until they decided to kill Spider-Man. THings then became interesting as we discover another spider in the lab escapes and bites another kid and what happens after that. The first part of the story parallels the final issues of Peter Parker as Spider-Man which makes it even better.

While I have issues (and have mentioned them before) about crossover events and how they tend to make me stop reading a title. Once or twice, I can understand, but most of these things cover multiple issues and frankly they don’t need to- the red sky issues in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Hence my hesitance to read Batman or Superman.

What’s on my pull list? (a pull list is what a comic shop has for regular customers, I’ve had a pull list at Comic Carnival for close to 20 years now- to the point where Dan knows when I’ve missed something and will add it back) So here’s what usually is on mine: Earth 2, Fairest, Justice League, Justice League of America, Fables, Flash, Teen Titans, Unwritten, Ultimate Comics: X-Men, Spider-Man and, Ultimates, Captain America… then there are various titles that I bounce around with.

As for comic conventions I’m planning right now on attending C2E2 in Chicago, but will be skipping SDCC this year.

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Games-

I’m still enjoying Fantasy Flight’s Star Wars X-Wing Miniature game. Cecil still thinks I should play an Imperial squadron… I like the game play, and while I have a few games on my shelf (right now Settlers of Catan, Munchkin, Quarriors, and Monty Python Fluxx) finding the time and the opponents seem to be the biggest issue. I am planning on attending GenCon this year (it’s local) and hopefully will branch out and actually play some games instead of just spending money in the Hall.

As for video games- I completed and throughly enjoyed “the Room” on the iPad. and when I think about it the Walking Dead and Bad Piggies are quick diversions.

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Lego-

Yes, this is new and while coming back to Lego after 30+ years it’s like finding an old friend. While I still don’t understand the cost or the various sets or story lines. I am enjoying myself. The thing I like the most is it tends to be relaxing. I can build a kit and really can relax while doing it. Although as with many of my interests I do go a little overboard. I have promised to put together a display for Brickworld Indy and it has required me to actually attempt to create MOCs (My Own Creation) that I’m not quite sure of how well I’m doing. This is also causing me to buy more bricks than I ever thought. It all started with a visit to Brickworld Fort Wayne and thinking about using Lego Brick more at school and now, I’ve working on two different displays of Lego projects at both schools and one of my own.

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Geocaching-

I still am caching and once the weather settles down have planned to put out a couple new series of caches. While I’m slowing down (weather related and other things) IndianaGeocaching.com is going well and keeping me busy.

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MINI-

My initial plan at the end of 2011 was to keep my 2005 Cooper S until the rumored new John Cooper Works GP out, trade it in and have a new GP. In June that all changed and we went with plan “B” which has been wonderful (although all the hype about the GP is tiring). I cannot say how much fun it was taking Alfie (the Roadster) cross country. I really do love this new car, almost as much as my first MINI. Once Spring starts I have a few things on my list. First is new tire for Alfie, then I’m planning on spending the summer working on a much neglected Tink. With everything that has been going on Tink is in need of a lot of TLC and that is the next thing. Besides new tires, she needs a new battery and just another once over in the shop. I really feel bad how much I’ve neglected the classic and I hope that this summer I’ll have the time to get out there and get her back into running order to keep some miles off of Alfie.

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Finally, I’ve made the decision in order to keep my sanity- My Geek Odyssey the comic will be posted once a week, this is at least a schedule I can keep up with.

SO I’ve thrown down my list of geeky suggestions and plans any thoughts? Did I forget something? Do have something you think I should try out? Tim at Comic Carnival did suggest this week that I read the Batman & Robin Annual #1 which was a wonderful story, so thanks for the suggestion.

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*The Zaxxon Rule: from Pop Culture Happy Hour. Limiting discussion (or in some cases eliminating discussion) on something that not everyone has the opportunity to experience. This came about in the “What’s making me happy” segment specifically when Stephen Thompson for weeks would talk about a classic Zaxxon arcade game he was purchasing from Craig’s List. I feel that many podcasts could benefit from adding this rule- one of the nice things about podcasts is you can add “Very Special” episodes focused on “Zaxxon” topics for those who care.

The New 52… Where “My Geek Odyssey” fits into DC’s New Universe

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Bruce

Actually as I stated when DC Comics first announced gutting their entire universe and starting over with every issue being #1 I was kind of lost. How do you really do that logically? So far my initial thoughts have not changed. Superman in Justice League is different than Superman in Superman and completely different than Superman in Action Comics. I’ve figure out how they could have a Teen Titans comic when there is no history of these characters as sidekicks, or Nightwing, or the Red Hood… It’s like jumping into the TARDIS when you move from issue to issue. Each one is in it’s own time frame. It used to be (as a naive) comic book reader you could kind of think that everything in one universe was happening around the same time (give or take a month or two) but for DC its like they have decided that every time occupies a different part of space/time. Which can be confusing. I think I’ve figured some of it out using the character of Superman as an example-
In Action Comics we are covering the back story of Superman (think of is as Year One). In Justice League we are getting the founding of the League (so again Year One for the Justice League) which didn’t happen during Superman’s first year as a hero, so the costume is different. In Superman we are dealing with a later version of the Man of Steel as we also are in Supergirl. This does save me from one of the things I despise about having one character in multiple books which is the poorly executed crossover. Still it does make reading these titles a little on the timey-wimey side.

One thing this has done is caused some artists to do their take on the “NEW 52” and one in particular I like is Aaron Diaz of Dresden Codek. Who has a fantastic blog on design: Indistinguishable From Magic recently he’s taken on the DC Universe by not just redesigning the look of the characters, but also their origins and back stories… which has been neat since it looks like DC has done some things just to shock people into the understanding that “You’re not in Smallville, Kansas anymore” Catwoman, & Starfire seem to be the ones getting press right now, but as long as DC is getting press, I have to believe that they will continue “pushing the limits.”

Heres a list of links on what Aaron has done to the DCU- one of these days I’d love to try this out (who knows maybe that will my creativity project for 2012.

Aaron’s discussions on character design are great for anyone looking at the science behind good design, you don’t have to agree with everything he has to say, but you will end up learning something.

As for the where “My Geek Odyssey” fits into this- I have been inspired to look at some more tweaks to my character design that should show up in this next arc or in some sketches.

Comic-Con Without a Badge

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Sue

As you may have heard, a certain person (who runs this website) received their ‘professional’ credentials for Comic-Con this year. Unfortunately, as a new ‘professional’ there was no way for him to get extra badges so I ended up in San Diego without a badge. Knowing this going in, I had made alternate plans to keep myself occupied. Trust me, I needn’t have worried – there was plenty to keep a ‘Comic-Con Muggle’ busy without venturing anywhere near the exhibit hall!

When we got in to town on Wednesday, we headed directly to check-in at the convention center. Since Bruce had his paperwork in order I just tagged along through the process. After Bruce received his badge we continued through the line and we were both handed the awesomely huge Warner Brothers Comic-Con bags that (almost) everyone carried through the week. Even without a badge, I sure looked official!

There was plenty of time before ‘Preview Night’ so we wandered through the Gaslamp District to people watch and grab some food. We stopped at the Chuck Jones Gallery, got some swag, and ultimately ended up at Nicky Rotten’s for food before Bruce headed back into the mayhem. Because it had been a long day, I sat and read while he did his thing – it was a lovely, cool evening so all was good.

Thursday was to be Bruce’s big day at the Con so I dropped him off and went geocaching – that way he didn’t need to worry about me. But, a friend had told us about a Cirque du Soleil event to be held at Comic-Con that evening so we decided to meet up and attend.

When I got back into town, I took some time to explore an area for upcoming movies located in a parking lot adjacent to where I parked. The movie Cowboys & Aliens (to premiere in San Diego Saturday night) partnered with 7-11 and they were giving away Slurpees and promotional items. Then there was the giant inflatable Smurf, the shark movie area, and the dog on the remote control motorcycle (don’t ask). Eventually Bruce and I hooked up and he was stopped to receive some quite interesting swag – deodorant (trust me, he wasn’t the only one)!

We went for pizza at a place Cartoon Network rented out and redid to look like the cartoon Adventure Time (there were also restaurants taken over by SyFy- the Cafe Diem, NBC- The Playboy Club, not to mention various video games).

Cirque Du Soleil was probably the low point of the Con. Billed as ‘Battle at Comic-Con’ it was to be a 3-D Battle from the show Ka. We’d heard so much about Cirque from friends that we thought it would be amazing. The lawn near Petco Park was packed and people were really excited about the show. First it started a half-hour after it was billed then there were technical difficulties. But, probably the most disappointing was shortly after it started I thought, “I wonder what they’re going to do for the battle” and then it was the end! Complete showtime less than 5-minutes. After this show, I just don’t see the allure of Cirque.

Friday I did take a break and Bruce and I explored Balboa Park in the late afternoon.

Saturday we spent some time wandering downtown. We ran into the Zombie Walk (remember, Zombies=bad), the Top Gear America theater (no, we didn’t go in since it wasn’t the BBC version), and saw NerdHQ. This was all before the geocaching Comic-Con Meet-n-Greet. This was held in a park near the SouthPark theme area that we never even had time to visit.

After the meet-n-greet we headed up to the 4th & B theater for the Nerdist Podcast Live with Dr. Who – excellent! It was a terrific event with Matt Smith and Karen Gillam as well as special guest star Wil Wheaton (and free burritos at the end)! I also don’t think I mentioned that the theater was right across the street from the San Diego Civic Center where they were concurrently premiering Cowboys & Aliens!

In all, there were plenty of free things I didn’t see and some ticketed things we didn’t get tickets for. So, even if I can’t get a badge in 2012, I have a plan to make the most of my Comic-Con time!

Total swag without really trying: Looney Tunes and Pan Am bags, obnoxiously green Psych sunglasses, blowup sword, Slurpee, Butterfinger bar, bag of PopChips, many, many fliers, coupons, etc.

San Diego Comic-Con: Day 3

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Bruce

So, I’m at the San Diego Comic-Con, it’s Saturday… What should I do? I decided to avoid the con almost completely. The started out with breakfast with some geocaching friends and then we headed to Mexico to color in the map. Sue seems to be rather competitive when it comes to caching, so a chance to get another country could not be turned down. So after getting warnings from my overly concerned family we walked across the boarder. About an hour later we were in line to come back, mission accomplished. Actually the three caches we went for are multi-caches since maintaining a cache in Mexico can be a headache. What you do is go to certain coordinates in Tijuana, record some information, then plug it into an equation to get the final coordinates. The final coordinates are in the U.S. But since part of the cache is in Mexico it counts as a find in Mexico. It was a great day of walking, but both of us are sunburned.

So after that adventure we headed back to San Diego for a geocaching meet & greet for attendees. On the way we happened across the Zombie walk which was a hoot. At the Meet & Greet I had a great time chatting with Sonny (of Podcacher) and while there were just a few of us, I could see it growing each year.

Sue & I were rushing a bit to get to the final event of the evening… Just down the street from the world premiere of “Cowboys & Aliens.” The Nerdist podcast was doing a live show with Matt Smith & Karen Gillan of Dr. Who. It was great. I’ll check for when it gets posted although it was definitely NOT all ages. A special surprise guest showed up Wil Wheaton from Star Trek: TNG, Big Bang Theory, Eureka… etc. Again, I can’t say how great it was and the burritos were yummy.

Since GeoWoodstock I had decided to drop my digital SLR and only use either my iPhone or iPad for basic photographs. If I was going someplace to take pictures I would bring along the SLR, but normally I felt I should be able to make it with just my iDevices. I have learned a few limitations… The biggest (and worst) was low light like the Nerdist show. Normally, with the iPad you can set where the lit meter takes a reading… This did not work from a distance in the dark looking at a well lighted stage… I have been happy with my other pictures throughout the trip except for low light situations. Live and learn, & yes, I just posted a negative comment about an Apple product, time to mark your calendar.

Can you say “epic failure?” the stage shot of the Nerdist podcast the white glowing blob with ginger hair is Karen Gillan, to her right is Matt Smith, to his right is Wil Wheaton.

San Diego Comic-Con: Day 2

Posted on July 23, 2011 by Bruce

Have you ever been on a Disney vacation? You know how after a while you just need a break from the “Happiest Place on Earth”? Today was not that day, but close, I did leave early- don’t fret or feel sorry for me I got everything done that I wanted to today & wore my fez and comic Hawaiian shirt for good measure. Today, I had just a few things on my list most of them required the presence of Jeff Smith. If you do not know or have ever heard of Jeff Smith… I am sorry. I am not talking about the Frugal Gourmet- I speak of the Eisner award winning creator of Bone.

This actually demonstrates the difference between Comic-Con and other comic book conventions. Two years ago I went to C2E2 and after a wonderful breakfast with Sue stopped in to get some things signed by Jeff Smith for my classroom. I was confronted with a sign being held by the person in front of me that read “Last in line for Jeff” I decided to wait… What was one more person? I held onto that sign until today. See at Comic-Con there are lines… Lines to get an autograph of some actor who played in some show that was cancelled after three episodes but has a cult following, that or t-shirts. At Comic-Con comics aren’t that important, so unlike C2E2 I walked up to a rather short line and then had a nice conversation with Jeff Smith who took a picture with Cecil and drew a wonderful piece of artwork below “Last in line for Jeff” and now I am happy. The only other things on my list was a photo with the TARDIS and a copy of Dave Kellett’s wonderful Eisner nominated book. Done & done. The only session I wanted to attend was Jeff Smith’s which I did and that got me thinking. Finally before calling Sue to see about a late lunch I headed up to the Art show and saw some cool things, and some amateurish things, but sadly while taking pictures of some Klingons, Cecil lost his Jayne hat… He no longer has the same control over Firefly fans. Tomorrow will actually be a day away from the Con- but fear not, we will be attending an event (the Nerdist podcast) with the Doctor & Pond in the evening so geekiness will not be avoided.

San Diego Comic-Con: Day 1ish

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Bruce

After advertising that this would be the “Year of No” here I am still stunned that I was given professional status at the San Diego Comic-Con. As I write this Preview Night is but a memory and I am going over my notes from today’s sessions while trying to figure out where all my money went. A brief recap for those interested- I applied for pro status, got it but it was too late to get any guest badges. While I immersed myself in geekdom, Sue was going to go geocaching.
Preview night worked out OK… I gave myself some time to get the lay of the land, while Sue read a bit. After an hour the crowds were getting to be a bit much and I called it a day. What SWAG did I get? Nothing that I can recall- except three SWAG bags from Warner Bros. One Justice League, one Big Bang Theory, and one Looney Tunes. I did go and scan the BBC America QR codes that were part of the Dr. Who scavenger hunt. I am only missing one but can’t find Titan entertainment anywhere. The BBC lists them in the same booth spot as “Unshelved” a great web comic and the Comic-Con app put them in aisle 5500 of the exhibit hall (5400 is the last aisle). So that was about it for preview night. Two years ago Marv Wolfman I believe said that preview night was the new Saturday… With the number of comp passes I saw I can believe it. I can also understand why people with 4 day passes without preview night were not happy.

So, I got up Thursday morning with a plan… All geeked out with my QR code t-shirt and geek vest I set out to do a few things first go to Comic Book Law 101 & next go to David Petersen’s CBDLF master session. Both were fantastic and have gotten me to rethink a few things. One on copyright and the other on the process & tools I ink with. After that it was a day in the exhibit hall which is a very scary place. I think I was able to cover the entire floor, but I could be mistaken. I purchased a few things: Katie Cook’s cat & Gronk books along with a Doozer drawing for Sue. A David Petersen sketchbook. Almost the entire “DC Super Pets” series (the last 4 books will be available tomorrow). Two convention special books from Archaia (Rust & Fraggle Rock) which let me get three books for free (& then lug all of them around for hours & hours). Finally, a complete sketchbooks of Dave Stevens compendium (Dave created “the Rocketeer” one of my favorite comics & movies ever). Now you might look at that list and wonder why I bought sketchbooks and kids books… First I am a teacher so finding new comic material for my classroom is important. The sketchbooks are great because I learn so much seeing how other artists draw, even roughy sketches teach me something. By 4:30 I was exhausted. Sue arrived and we dumped my stuff in the car and wandered having a pizza dinner at a Cartoon Network NY style pizza place. Afterwards we walked around people watching and ended up on the grass waiting for a rather sad Cirque du Soleil performance on the the side of Petco Park.

Since I had mentioned the Rocketeer here is the infamous monkey with him… Or at least a very good imitation. For those wondering about other pictures I would ask that you visit my Flickr site and as for Cecil, I had a wonderful chat with some steampunk outfitters about getting him a pair of goggles. I (and he) will be overjoyed if we hear back from them after the con.

Comic Subs or decisions, decisions

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Bruce

Oh my… Yesterday I turned in my sub sheet for comics that will be shipping in September. For a comic geek this is nothing new. Local comic book shops offer a service to regular customers in which they can order comics when they are announced and that way the shop knows how many they need and the customer is guaranteed the books they want. I’ve always loved this benefit and when you’ve been going to the same store for 20 years it really is nice. If I forget something on my sheet I’ll be asked about it. If I forget to turn in my sheet on time those comics still appear. This also makes it so I don’t have to rush (although I try) to the comic shop on Wednesdays (new comic book day). So all in all a nice arrangement. Until DC Comics decided to mess it all up.

Comic Carnival North in Indianapolis (where I buy my books) does their sub sheets with all the Marvel titles on one side and all the DC titles on the other. For the uninitiated this means Spider-man, Captain America, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four are on one side, Batman, Superman, Green Lantern are on the other. So what’s the problem? Each year the comic publishers come up with some massive summer story that you only need to buy 120 comics to understand. It didn’t used to be each year, but now one of the signs of summer is some massive crisis in the DC universe or some war in Marvel. This summer in Marvel it is “Fear Itself” which I have not read but seems to be a take off on what DC did last year using Thor’s hammer instead of Green Lantern’s ring. DC decided to do “Flashpoint” in which Professor Zoom goes back and tweaks the space time continuum in order to mess with the newly resurrected Flash’s life. A few things that have happened in this world (spoilers) Batman is Thomas Wayne since his wife and son were killed in a mugging, Wonder Woman & Aquaman are at war trying to take over the world & Superman has been raised as a lab experiment when his rocket crashed into Metropolis. Caught in the middle is Barry Allen, police scientist, who wants everything brought back to “normal.” This is not going to end well.

History Lesson: in the 80’s DC published “Crisis on Infinite Earths” which at the end caused a number of their titles to start over. The result were things like Frank Miller’s “Batman: Year One” & John Byrne’s. “Man of Steel” in which the origins of Batman & Superman were retold and tweaked. Not all the comics that DC published changed… Some just kept plodding along. This time it’s different.

I think I’ve mentioned before in September DC comics will be relaunching their entire line up… 52 titles will all be back at issue #1. Each title will have a new creative team and who knows what else. Now here is my dilemma even with “holding the line at $2.99” that’s over $150 if I want to check out all the titles. Not including any additions in the following months and wanting to give each team time to build (let’s say 3 months) I would be spending $500 just on DC comics! I don’t think so. Because as a good comic book reader I also know that given history, within 12 to 18 months it will all be back and this will have been a wonderful experiment that increased Time Warners profits.

So yesterday I turned in my sub sheet… Befuddled over how to fill it out. I have been reading Flash, Teen Titans, Justice Society, Justice League, Batman, and a few others. So instead I went by title for a few & creative team for others. I might be upset over a few choices, it will be interesting to see how it all ends up. Updates after Comic-Con if I learn anything there or at least in September when this ship.

The Rocketeer… nuff said.

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Bruce

Has it really been 20 years? One of my favorite comics (which bounced around publishers) was turned into a movie in 1991. Yes, I’m talking about “The Rocketeer.” Comic book wise Dave Stevens story and art were flawless and the film version was amazingly faithful. I went to the opening night and ended up with a poster (that still hangs in my office) It was the film that opened the newly renovated El Capitan theater in Hollywood- where I took my brothers that summer of 1991. I have all the original comics, along with the multiple times it has been reprinted… and yes, though I rarely can say this, I own it on DVD, I used to own it on VHS. I’m missing a few things, but I still can’t make the leap into buying a helmet though Cecil really, really wants one. What could make it better? This-

The Rocketeer 20th anniversary from John Banana on Vimeo.

Yes, a stylized short fan film- a trailer, if PIXAR was doing the film (which would be cool). The only missing piece to it, (as someone else pointed out) the fantastic James Horner score. If you have a chance to escape to the 1930’s world of Cliff Secord (the comic starts off in April 1938, the cover date of Action Comics #1) even if it’s just a few moments I would do it. In fact after I post this I think I might. “Rocketeer to the rescue!”

Recap of C2E2 2011

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Bruce

c2e21 — Cecil prepares for a weekend @ C2E2

So what happens at a “Comic & Entertainment Expo”? I guess it matters who you are. For me I learned a bit more than I intended, spent a lot more than I intended, and embraced my inner geek a bit more than I should have.

It all started Friday (Yes, I took a much needed personal business day) and headed up to Chicago with Sue. I was dropped off as Sue ran for the hills – Actually to do some geocaching. I on the other hand heading to registration & the first session of the day. I have mentioned before that when I was young and first started going to these things I tended to go to the dealer room, spend money, and go home. I was kind of a geek mall with a cover charge. Now I actually spend time doing other things (and spend time in the dealer room).

The first (& sadly only) session I went to on Friday was “Reading with Pictures” which dealt with using comics in the classroom. While it was interesting & I did get some ideas, It seemed like it was the same old information. It seems like the idea is if you say “Comics promote reading” enough times people might believe it. Sadly at a comic book convention you are preaching to the choir. The thing that (as of this posting) makes it sad is the organization Reading with Pictures has produced a wonderful anthology, but that’s about it. Their website (which has the potential to be a great resource) has nothing new since before the anthology was published- months ago. SO while I support their work- I’m not impressed with the follow through. Session Ideas- Not so new but still: create a comic club at school devoted to the reading & creation of comics. Really look at the standards as set forth by the State and see which comics (or portions) could be used to enhance the study & understanding for students. I’ve done this, but not in a systematic way, something to focus on over the summer in between cruises on my yacht.

whoc2e2 — One of the many colorful characters at C2E2... I'm still trying to figure out "Who" he's dressed up as.

Saturday was a lazy day, but I actually spent more time in sessions than in the hall. Attending two DC Comics sessions & one specifically devoted to Webcomics. Again, I tend to shy away from the sessions dealing with upcoming movies, or TV shows. I like hearing from the folks in the comic field and seeing if I can gain a bit of knowledge from what they say. The DC Panels were nice, helping to see what the next big crisis (that isn’t a crisis- since DC has overused that word) is going to be. “Flashpoint” will involve one of my favorite characters “The Flash” who, since he has been brought back from the dead after 20+ years, is dealing with some trouble of time/space continuum shattering proportions (but NOT a crisis). It does look interesting even though I have sworn off any all “events.”

The second DC Panel dealt with their “Vertigo” imprint which tends to cover things in a more mature way. One of my favorite titles is “Fables” by Bill Willingham which just finished up issue 100. The basics are all our “Fairy Tale” characters are real and are refugees on our mundane world. I won’t go into details, but recommend to those who can read “mature” stuff that you pick up one of the trades and check it out.

My last panel of the day was the “Webcomics Roundtable” I attended this last year and enjoyed the frank honesty of the panel. This year was no different, the panel was just a bit smaller. It was an open mic where you could ask whatever questions you might have. The questions ranged from “How do I start a webcomic?” Answer: start drawing. All the way to How do I increase and maintain readership?” The funny thing is there seem to be two camps (maybe more) when it comes to Webcomics. This group was much more grounded… which I liked, but also made me feel a bit embarrassed.

That brings us to today- I ran into the hall, bought two lovely handmade notebooks (one for Sue, and one for me) and took two pictures and ran out to head home.

So compared to last year’s C2E2 (the inaugural one), I would have to say still a great convention. I really preferred this location to last year. While still downtown at the McCormick Place it seemed like it was closer to things like food, and the hotel. It seemed a lot more crowded this year than last year, but some areas had shrunk- (the WebComics area for instance). I’d be interested to see some final numbers as for attendance. For me no Neil Gaiman, Jeff Smith or Dr. Who premiere made it not as exciting. I did miss out on Quidditch which was new this year. It seemed that the focus for big name guests was more in Movies & TV. One thing that I am wondering how it worked was the impression of being nickeled & dimed for some things. The special packages so you can get this autograph, etc. I may be wrong, but it seemed like there was a lot more of that this year. Then again it may be that I wasn’t interested in the some of the guests requiring this added fee so every email seemed to be one too many.

As for general programming- in my opinion last year had a lot more sessions on Friday geared to educators & librarians. While there were a number of session they seemed to be clumped. As an elementary teacher I have gotten burned too many times going to sessions in any conference only to find that the speaker brings nothing to the table that I can use. I looked at the session descriptions and most were for middle, high, or college levels- and avoided them spending my time in the Hall.

stuffc2e2 — Cecil collapses on all the stuff from the first day... yes, just the first day of C2E2

After spending time in the Hall I did end up with some nice things… Some original artwork for my classroom, and lots & lots of books for my students. I’ll post pictures throughout the week since this is going to be the story arc for the week. Which will include more details and geek craziness!

Tales from the Long Box… “Truth, Justin, and the American Way”

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Bruce

I decided when I started cleaning out a bit that I should go back and reread some of those comics that I decided to keep. So as I go back a reconnect with some of the “good stuff” or at least weird, strange, stuff that I decided I needed regardless of it’s value. I know I still have a few boxes that I’m cataloging in hopes that they will find a good home. Ben (when will I get another comic to him to color?) took a full long box of stuff. For those not in the know a long box is the large cardboard box specifically designed to hold comics (around 200). My hope is that every once in a while I will go back and review some titles or story arcs. This week it’ll be…

tftlb1 — Issue #1 of Truth, Justing and the American Way

Title: Truth Justin & the American Way

Published: 2006 by Image Comics

Writer: Aaron Williams & Scott Kurtz

Art: Guiseppe Ferrario

Why I picked it up originally: I was reading PVP and was hearing about this comic project… decided to give it a try.

Why I kept reading it: It tugged at my nostalgic side… for the dopey TV of my childhood.

The story (spoilers included, though I’ve tried to keep them to a minimum): Basically it starts off as a take off of “The Greatest American Hero” one of my favorite TV shows growing up. If you look at the basic storyline guy finds alien suit that gives him great powers if he can figure out how it works… general hilarity ensues. What the comic does is not only twist that basic story, but also infuse it with enough TV references that it not only brings you back to that time, but also makes you try to hunt through the dialogue and art for easter eggs. I won’t give any away here, but some are as simple as the cover being a homage to a movie from that period.

Character wise they seem to be stereotypes (just like when I was a kid)- Justin is your typical nice guy, loser, klutz just trying to get through life and be happy. The plot moves from mishap to mishap with everything being tied up in a nice little box at the end. A simple story about simpler times, when good guys were good guys and bad guys were either the government or communists. If I wanted to be all scholarly I could go through how this follows the basic steps of Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey” Justin leaves his life of goofiness and by the end of the story has matured and as we go issue by issue does end up becoming a “hero.” The format of 80’s sitcom doesn’t always lend itself for this kind of analysis so I’ll leave it there- he grows up (a bit).

This was a five issue series looking at the basics plot points in each issue-

Issue 1- Character introductions, getting the suit and not understanding what is going on.

Issue 2- Bachelor Party, antagonist shows up, gratuitous destruction, flashback & Justin’s confrontation with his fiancée

Issue 3- Destruction, introduction of minor adversary, & cliffhanger ending- calling the wedding off?!?!

Issue 4- Fiancée captured by the government, we learn a few more things about the suit, and the “Justinmobile” is born, ending with rescuing the princess…

Issue 5- The wedding, aliens, destruction, comedic ending with appropriate just desserts served. Leading to the typical 80’s to be continued…

So why’d I keep it? I really can’t say… there are times (when it’s snowing or raining) and you just want to read a fun story that you can lose yourself in- this is pretty close to that. Best story ever? No, but in a classic Mad magazine kind of way it did make me feel like a kid again, and made me want to hunt down some episodes of “The Greatest American Hero.”

I really need to decide on a clever rating system to put here… oh well, maybe another day.

Category: Comic Books