This week was Halloween, a time that most school’s don’t look forward to at all. On November first kids show up in a variety of states: exhausted, on a candy buzz or a combination of the two. Kids bring candy to school thinking they are so smart at hiding it, what they don’t understand is most teachers don’t care. Many have packed their own lunch – which consists of a bag of candy. It’s all part of growing up. Thinking you are “Sticking it to the man” or whatever.
Sue and I are hot and cold when it comes to All Hallow’s Eve. Having taught in the same neighborhood as many of my students I’ve given out worksheets to some kids. Other years we’ve just closed up the house. Unlike my brothers, I’m not into decorating. Again it runs hot no and cold, but never something that elaborate. On Halloween this year it rained a bit. The number of kids have steadily declined throughout the neighborhood and most seem to be imported from other neighborhoods. I don’t know why, because our neighborhood isn’t a large candy bar Mecca or anything.
I guess what I found interesting was the lack of imagination when it came to costumes, and how some kids felt entitled. Most of the time the kids will go through the moves “Trick or Treat!” Listen to an adult say something nice about their costume, then “Thank You!” As they run off to the next house. This year, I actually had a kid throw the candy back in the bowl! She said “I don’t like jelly beans” and then her brother, who I think was almost as shocked as I was sheepishly returned his to the bowl. I dug around and found the last M&M small size bags in the bowl and stood there dumbfounded. When they left I decided to do one of two things- first was just lock the door and turn off the lights. The other option was to go downstairs and pull out the LEGO poly bag tub and start handing that out. I chose the latter and confused some kids, but made some very happy. Next year? Who knows? After Tuesday who knows what the world will even look like?
Enough. After last week’s double batch I’m back to just what was on my subsheet or titles they know I want.
This Week’s Comics:
Night Club 2 #3 – In the first series a few non-popular kids end up becoming vampires and then superheroes. In series two adolescence kicks in and frankly as many geeks/nerds will say- they are easily manipulated. so in our last issue one of the group decided to turn his “girl friend into a vampire… ah young love. this issue we get to deal with the ramifications of this decision. Those being she really wasn’t his girl friend and just a popular kid who wanted whatever he had… once turned- she turns all of her friends (aka the popular kids/bullies) in the school the results aren’t pretty.
Captain America #14 – Cap is back! fighting Nazi’s and fascists just before the election! Oh wait, no he isn’t. He’s now helping Thor out with a mystical issue from a while ago when Asgard relocated to Earth and then weird things happened. Spider-Man has been brought in since Steve and Peter were about to have dinner and chat about their lives as superheroes- See Spectacular Spider-Men for a similar encounter but with Miles instead of Steve. Coming up next: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Therapist.
Amazing Spider-Man #60 – It’s the 60th issue of Amazing Spider-Man! wow! its like 1965 or something… Actually according to Legacy Numbering it is actually Issue #954. This is a series of short stories some intertwine and give us some foreshadowing as to what might be coming up in the future.
Trick or Read Fantastic Four #1 – Free Comic Book Day happens in May, over Halloween comic companies have a second free comic opportunity. This one I picked up because after NYCC and seeing Doctor Doom riding an armor plated T-Rex. So, Doom and the FF meet with Dino Doom and the Dino FF and try to save each of their respective universes.
Quested Season Two #5 – The story of Lothar (Jinx’s Father)
Ultimate X-Men #8 – This is really starting to make me think I need to read it as a compiled series and not individual issues. We’ve got more and more characters being introduced and people trying to find out about the multiple suicides,a nd the “Children of the Atom” cult. I appreciate the art style and really need to sit back and carefully read each issue.
Action Comics #1073 – Still in the Phantom Zone. We now meet Aether the big bad of the moment. Will Superman and Mon-El be able to stop him? Will Superman escape the fate he has been tossed into?
The Magic Order # 2 – So Cordelia Moonstone isn’t Codelia Moonstone , head of the Magic Order, and protector of the Earth from evil magical thingies? Can she escape this weird universe she’s been put into? Who did it? Why? answers are forthcoming as is retribution for putting her through this.
Minor Arcana #2 – When we last left Theresa she was trying to help her mom out and had just started doing a Tarot card reading for one of her mom’s clients… Theresa thinks this is all just bunk, but find out… maybe it isn’t. Can she figure things out enough to be able to return to her world? How will this experience change her?
Oh, I haven’t had time to catch up on the stuff I planned to do because it seems my idea of part time work is not exactly what the real definition is. I kind of miss being fully retired, not working and having time to fiddle with various projects… I guess I got spoiled. At least today I got a text asking me if I really wanted to work- I said “Thanks! No” so I could spend some time at home and even get this post out.
Please make sure to vote on or before Tuesday. It’s important. Maybe we can return to some semblance of sanity… I doubt it, but I can dare to dream.
I’ve already done the pre-Convention post, and the post CXC post so I really don’t have much to say. I am working on Promptober, and only time will tell if I can keep it up. Added to this is my goal of a daily comic journal along with other stuff.
Tuesday was a massive release day for LEGO stores. I had the chance to finish one of the Fortnite sets- Peely Bones. Basically a cut away of a banana character. I’m old and don’t play Fortnite so I have no clue what the big deal is. The minute I saw him the only thing that came to mind was the 1930’s song “I like bananas because they have no bones” since this guy has a skeleton and intestines. Working at the LEGO Store you do get a chance to build sets , most times you don’t get to build the entire thing, but that’s OK. The hardest part I’ve found is when there are extra pieces left over from another builder and you try to figure out if anything was assembled incorrectly.
This Weeks Comics:
Nemesis Rogues Gallery #3- In this issue Nemesis and The Rookie show us a little bit about what goes into planning a heist. Currently they are doing a pretty good Bruce Wayne & Dick Grayson imitation while building up a nest egg for a future master plan. What happens when the next step hits an unexpected snag? Things get interesting when the hunter becomes the hunted.
Justice Society of America #12- A wonderful recap of Stargirl’s adventures solo & with the JSA as we celebrate her 25th anniversary in comics, and to think it only took her 25 years to graduate from Blue Valley High School. Less adventuring and more homework might have helped her pass classes, yet she still ended up valedictorian which says something for the state of the Blue Valley Public Schools. 🙄
Batman #153- Things are calm in Gotham as we start this new arc. Fine, the mayor is in cahoots with the Court of Owls, the Riddler is now running a very successful tech company, Vandal Savage is Commissioner of Police, and Bruce Wayne is back in charge of Wayne Enterprises which seems to have redoubled its efforts to help Gotham, even though some people don’t want the help. What about this new “Hero” who wraps himself in the flag and shoots bad guys?
Creature Commandos #1- I got a ticket to see the Creature Commandos panel at New York Comic Con so I decided to pick this one up and do some research. Frankenstein’s monster, a vampire, a werewolf, a medusa and a mad scientist all walk into a secret government facility being run by a not so nice Army general… I figure the punchline will happen soon.
DC All In Special #1- I’m guessing this is the end of Absolute Power and the starting off place for DC’s new Absolute titles. It seems the Justice League has decided to let every super hero join up- maybe in hopes of retaining their trademark on the word “Super Hero.” Darkseid is involved. The comic actually has two stories one from the POV of the heroes the other from the POV of Darkseid both ending in the middle of the comic with Booster Gold in this new alternate universe facing a Darkseid themed team of superheroes.
I Hate Fairyland #16- Has Skottie Young finally gotten to the point of wanting to stop I Hate Fairyland? The arc is called “Happy End Game” so who knows? We begin with a wonderfully confused Gert trying to figure out why people’s faces look so weird as she enters the city… “That’s called smiling, Gert.” Of course things happen once it dawns on her that she is being treated like a hero and it isn’t that bad of a feeling – she actually like it. I did find it interesting the way she defeated the villain… it seemed appropriate in this day and age.
DC’s I Know What You Did Last Crisis #1- This anthology book deals with untold stories of heroes during the various ultimate crisis to end all multiverse crises crossover event to help increase sales over the summer – Heroes will die! The world as you know it will never be the same! Kind of events. DC’s It really worked in the 80’s to clean up all the stuff from the Silver Age, so let’s just hit the reset button every few years now with another event. If you don’t know about all the various events being covered it might be confusing. It was for me, and I know most of them. That said these short stories were for the most part good. For me the first one with Batgirl was probably the best. Your mileage may differ.
It’s election time again and time to take a serious moment away from arguing over who will bring about the fall of America as we know it, because they announced today the nominees not for some silly political thingie like President- The Strong Museum of Play announced who is up for inclusion in the Toy Hall of Fame. The 12 finalists were announced and after a vote by the general public three will make it. Here’s the official announcement: https://www.museumofplay.org/exhibits/toy-hall-of-fame/2024-finalists/
For those who don’t like clicking on links, the 2024 finalists:
Apples to Apples
Balloons
Choose Your Own Adventure Gamebooks
Hess Toy Trucks
My Little Pony
Phase 10
Pokémon
R/C Cars
Sequence
Hobbyhorse
Trampoline
Transformers
Cecil and I visiting the National Toy Hall of Fame last year… I’m looking forward to returning again this year.
While some Toys seem like they should already be included, and others make you scratch your head (Is that really a toy?). This is serious business. So who will join last year’s inductees: Baseball Cards, Cabbage Patch Kids, the Fisher-Price Corn Popper and Nerf Toys? Some other notable inductees include: sand (2021), the ball (2009), the cardboard box (2005), Silly Putty (2001), LEGO Bricks (1998), and the stick (2008)? Yes, there are 84 toys currently in the Hall of Fame since it started in 1998. There is a long process that leads to the actual vote which goes on until September 25th. So Vote Now! You can vote once per day unlike the presidential election (no matter what one party continues to claim). Fortunately there will be no debates, rallies, or tweets filled with propaganda trying to sway your vote. The conservative and liberal media seem not to care. The current candidates have not weighed in, and probably won’t. Hopefully things will be better than in 2013 when there were all those scandalous posts about the rubber duck and its relationship with a certain muppet. 🙄 Like I said, some people take this seriously.
Please note that these reviews tend to be after a quick cursory reading of the comic and while some people think “Comics aren’t real reading” it does take more than just reading the words to get all the subtlities infused in the words and pictures (It’s called “multimodal literacy” in the Ed Biz). So I apologize ahead of time for things I might glance over. I do go back and reread most of the comics I get each week, multiple times, unless I get busy petting cats. As you can tell, while I might enjoy a character, there are times in which I can tell (after decades of practice) that for me, the story isn’t worth more than a quick once over – usually these are tie-in issues in which I really don’t care about the massive universe ending tale they are connected to.
Superman #18 ( Absolute Power Tie-In) 🙄 – Blah, blah blah, Amanda Waller is bad, heroes need to stop her… Universes will change, heroes will make sacrifices, read it or you’ll be left out.
Whatever.
In this case Superman and Zatana are in a very warm place Dante wrote about and in order to get the map to find their way through they need to make a deal with the DC version of the devil – Who usually shows up in these “multiverse changing” events. Superman makes the ultimate sacrifice (you’ll need to read it to find out). Now it’s time to pick up the next issue of a comic you usually never read or the next key issue of Absolute Power to find out what happens next. Let me know once you find out.
Spider-Boy Annual #1 (The Infinity Watch Tie-In?) 🙄- I really have no idea where this annual fits in the grand scheme of things. Spider-Boy is on the boardwalk enjoying some time off when he decides to stop a thief who happens to have a dog’s face. Could he be another escapee from Madame Monstrosity? Hijinks ensue. Maybe not hijinks, but a fight and a team up with guys who currently have control over individual Infinity Stones- you know those things Thanos wanted in the Avengers movies. “snap!” By the end Bailey is back to enjoying his time and there is some sort of cliffhanger dealing with the Infinity Stone people if I was following the saga of The Infinity Watch, I might know more. Hmm… The Infinity Watch… I wonder what apps it comes with? Is it compatible with my iPhone? Does it keep track of the exercise and sleep patterns?
Ultimate X-Men # 7 – I’m not really seeing any kind of arc as I read this. Not saying it’s bad, just in western comics it’s gotten to the point where after 6 issues you are used to some conclusion. Here we are still building things up. Making me want to find all the previous issues and go back and reread them so that maybe I can understand what is going on. I’ve got a month before the next issue comes out.
Huge Detective #2 – Giants and “dolls” aka humans inhabit the Earth, this crime drama we’re still trying to figure out the rules of the world and how everything works. What I know so far, there is a giant who serves as a detective along with his human partner. They are working on a case dealing with missing people and murder. In this issue a giant skeleton pops out of the moon and heads to Earth. Why? I guess we’ll find out next issue. With many comics I’m starting to think I’m getting too old to figure these things out… Now get off my lawn!
Flash Gordon #2 – I tend to say I started reading comics with Flash Gordon… When I would ride my bike during the age of “Be home before dark” I would stop at the drug store, which was more than a drug store, it also had books. One of them was Flash Gordon Volume 1. I was in second grade and I coveted that book. At some point I got it, my older brother got Volume 2. I read it over and over again. When other volumes of Alex Raymond’s original Sunday strips came out I bought those, unfortunately over a few moves I don’t have them anymore… I have replaced them, but different publisher, so all the nostalgia has leaked out of them. I’m currently reading Dan Schkade’s take on Flash Gordon by King Features which I have thoroughly enjoyed and look forward to every morning. (I really recommend it and wish I could find him at a Con. While it is not Alex Raymond’s style, it is awesome.
Now Mad Cave Comics has relaunched their take on Flash. I picked up the Free Comic Book Day teaser, but unfortunately missed issue 1 which I will ask about the next time I’m at Comic Carnival. It looks like after whatever happened in Issue 1, Flash is now on a prison planet with Ming the Merciless (who is also a prisoner). He is trying to get away and Ming offers to “help.” (Ming is never to be trusted… he earned the title “The Merciless” for a reason and it had nothing to do with his puppy dog soufflé.
There was some initial commentary about how Ming and the inhabitants of Mongo had been drawn in the Mad Cave FCBD teaser. It is definitely a more alien style, but that is up to the artist and by deviating from Raymond’s style defines these stories, (like Schkade’s) not as attempts to reproduce Raymond’s amazing artwork, but to honor the characters and the story of Flash Gordon. Basically, get over it.
Flash Gordon Quarterly #1 – These seem to be a conglomeration of stories either from the Flash Gordon Universe or a “Elseworlds” “What if” take on the characters by various writers and artists. The main story is about Vultan (King of the Hawkmen) and his son, a coming of age kind of story in which Vultan’s son tries to prove he’s not a little boy anymore in the face saving his father from the enemy.
The second story is a western… with Flash Gordon as the sheriff of a small derelict town going against the gang of bad guys led by Ming. Flash is, of course, saving the town and Dale from the evil clutches of the villain.
The final story is the 1930’s gumshoe detective tale. Flash is the Sam Spade like detective, the damsel in distress is Aura, Zarkov is Flash’s partner who makes gadgets for him. Dale is Flash’s informant in the Police Department. So who is after Aura, and in the process trying to kill Flash? I’ve read too much Dashiell Hammett not to be intrigued. I looks like these will be coming out quarterly so I’ve got some time to reread and figure out what clues might be hidden in the panels.
The times they are a-changin’ After a little of over a year of Whimventuring and embracing retirement, I’ve decided to go back to work😱. Now, understand, this has nothing to do with being bored (I’m not), it has nothing to do with wanting to return to education (I’m not that crazy… no, really I’m not). It has nothing to do with much of anything except that with the way the future looks… November will tell a lot about if it will be Star Trek or the Hunger Games. I decided that if I still wanted to go galavanting around, and not dip into my retirement savings, I might want to supplement my pension. This is not starting a second career… I know some people think that’s what they need to do (and maybe they do) but I’m happy just work part time without too much stress. We are not starving, we are not about to lose the house, we are not about to become financially destitute. I just want to be able to still go to conventions and buy stuff that strikes my fancy and not be worried about buyer’s remorse. You know, after you buy something frivolous and realize just how frivolous it was and go “Oh no, I probably shouldn’t have done that.” We have a basement that has some frivolous stuff in it, hence why it is in the basement.
I’ve held back on getting some things, because I don’t want to experience the “Doh!” feeling that comes with buyer’s remorse, and now I decided I want some “Egg Money.” For those who don’t understand the term. Back in the old days, when women weren’t allowed to have bank accounts, or own property – a time that some people actually want to return to… 🙄 Some women would keep chickens in their backyards and sell the eggs. This money was theirs and they could buy whatever they wanted without asking their husband’s permission. It could be something for the kids, it could be a nice pair of shoes, basically whatever.
I’m fortunate that Sue is still working, and we use that and my pension to deal with household expenses and most Whimventures®. Sue and I, over the years, have turned a blind eye to each other’s hobby spending. We both don’t go too overboard- if anyone does, it’s me. So I just want to be able to be silly and buy stuff – go overboard if I want. It’s me, not her, I don’t think Sue really cares as long as the electricity works and the cats don’t eat her.
So this week I started my “onboarding” at a retail store associated with a maker of a highly sophisticated interlocking brick system. Yes, I have worked there before, but I took my onboarding seriously, things had changed and my last time time “training” was minimal at best. Unlike being a public school teacher where I was legally required to go through hours of annual online training on my own time, here I clocked in, and watched the videos, answered questions, and played the related games to prove I learned stuff. The insane part- I was paid to do it. Yes, the administration at school says they give you time, but really they give you time, and then a hundred other “really important” tasks to do during the same time while dealing with kids, and parents, so the only time you have is at home. If they wanted you to do this during your school hours, the videos would only be available at school and you would have time set aside instead of having to go to meetings that could be done as emails, or analyzing data that really isn’t telling you anything you couldn’t observe. So this small company from Denmark has it set up where I really don’t have access to anything, except at work. The other thing I asked about was (now that I have a company email if I could access it from my phone- nope internal only and not outside of work hours. So when I’m not “at work” I don’t worry about it. OK, I did go home and watch some related videos- but Dreamzzz on YouTube, was my choice and it was rather entertaining… of course now I want to buy some LEGO sets.
Oh, and this doesn’t put an end to Whimventuring® Sue and I are still going off to strange and interesting places. A few different things on the horizon including a junket or two. More on that later…
This Week’s Comics
Due to Labor Day there was an issue with shipping so DC comics was late, and then it was taken to another location, so DC will arrive next week. This week had a some nice books and other ones.
Star Trek 500 – A nice anthology comic covering multiple series and time periods from the franchise. If you like Star Trek- there is something here for everyone including following the emotion journey of love and loss taken by a tribble.
Helen of Wyndthorn #4 – After another amazing adventure with her grandfather Helen wants to learn how to use weapons to “defend herself.” So her grandfather gives her one year to train. Afterwards, Helen goes off on more adventures only to end up… The current day story just follows the progression of the original tapes of the interviews and how they keep changing hands, now being sold off at a small comic con.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #24 – Miles is a vampire – because they needed to have something important happen during the “Massive Multi-verse Changing” even known as… what was it called again? Blood Hunt? Actually this is one of those issues that deals with character building and has to do with Miles girl friend “Starling” and her relationship with her grandfather. It doesn’t go well since Miles is a vampire and is getting really hungry and gets into a fight with her grandfather (who was actually going out to take care of the problem of Miles). Oh, and vultures are not birds of prey, they are actually classified as scavengers and carrion-eating raptors. I guess if Miles is a vampire and therefore classified as “undead” then he should be concerned about carrion-eating raptors.
Spectacular Spider-Men #7 – Guess what? AI is evil and will lead to bad things… The computer system set up by the bad guys: Mentallo & Arcade (paid for by Hammerhead) to give people their fantasies is now sentient. and after reading peoples minds Which opened up some weird sub-conscious wish fulfillment before deciding that villainy is the way to go and it will wipe out anything that gets in its way- even if that includes a silent “K” just so it can have a cool acronym based name.
Spider-Boy #11 – FINALLY!!! The world remembers Bailey (Spider-Boy, not my cat who still lives in obscurity). This includes his mom. Who has decided that she has neglected her parental role for too long and does this mean “Spider-Boy No More”?!? I’m actually concerned about Boy-Spider, but I’m sure that will come up sometime soon.
Ultimates #4 – In this universe lots of weird things have happened keeping the Marvel Universe from becoming the Marvel Universe that we know and love. All thanks to the “Maker” the twisted version of Reed Richards from the original Ultimate universe. So what happened to this world’s Reed Richards? What about Doctor Doom? Find out in this issue which has been uniquely put together with four different timelines overlapping in some places. A trip to read initially, but then again the Fantastic Four has always down things differently.
Shake of the Day:
You wonder why I am tired of “Epic Multiverse Changing Events” that after a short time just bring things back to the status quo? Here’s one from a decade ago by DC. Does anyone remember the jaw dropping ramifications of this event? Does anyone even care? DC/Warner Bros. was just happy to have gotten a little more of my money so I could keep up with everything that changed comics as we know it FOREVER!
After many days on the road, I’m finally getting back into the swing of being home… I’m planning on a Whimventure® for October, and another one in 2025, but really anything else is going to really be on a “Whim.” I’m playing around with a few projects around the house, including going back an getting my LEGO area in the basement reorganized, something I have been putting off as I have been focusing on comic books more than LEGO. While I don’t see that changing too much (my comics are still a bit of a mess), I do see more a bit more of a LEGO focus in my future. Nowhere near as much as when I was teaching or a member of the Indy LEGO User’s Group. I’m trying to focus, but there are some really cool set coming out in the next few months.
So last week, I was drawing a bit more, mostly just trying to get an idea or two out. I’ve been a member of the Draw or Die Club since I retired and while I may not follow the prompts that are sent out, I appreciate having that kick every morning to get me to draw something during the day. One thing I need to work more on is digital art, but I still like the feel of the pencil on paper. Then again I am lousy at inking and digital might at least help me there. That would mean i need to dust off my iPad and Apple Pencil.
So as we end August let’s see where I am in my areas of interest-
Drawing- I try to do something everyday, usually it’s a monkey or cartoony thing- I need to work on some sketching from real life, but then again I also need to get some cartooning projects done. I’m sure I have a comic due to FTF Geocacher soon.
Gaming- After Gen Con I’m really geared up for gaming, but it’s hard to find a gaming time, some changes in my schedule soon might make it easier, or harder. 🙄
LEGO Building- I’m working first on just getting things organized again… fewer elements just all over the place and more of them at least where i can find them.
Comics- At least Wednesday Mornings keep me on a schedule! After Heroes Con, I’m slowing down on buying art, but I still am fascinated by the original artwork and the various styles of the artists I love.
Curling Season should be starting back soon, I’ve just registered for the season with the Circle City Curling Club so expect me to “Put the rock in the house” or break something this season 🙄
MINIs- Well with the end of MINI Takes The States The big event is over. The other ones happen throughout the year, but unfortunately many of them overlap other things. I do need to get the classic back up and running… it’s like an albatross around my neck.
Geocaching- As I travel I do cache, so as long as I’m at home I might just do an event every once in a while. I do have a comic due to FTF Geocacher soon.
This Week in Comics:
Amazing Spider-Man #56 (LGY #950) – So Tombstone has it out for Spider-Man, and vice versa. After the whole “Gang War” crossover which ended up with an uneasy truce to bring down the “Big Bad” Tombstone has bee running the underworld, but the petty criminals think Spider-Man is working with him. Peter is having a great time supporting that illusion to keep complete power of the city out in flux. The comic bounces around in time, which isn’t too bad but ends up with courtroom drama, that’s just going to get more dramatic. There is also a side story dealing with Paul, MJ’s “Significant Other” as we learn more about his background to add more drama… because what is Spider-man without drama.
Captain America #12 – With the return of the Red Skull, Hydra and AIM are back firing on all cylinders, Will Cap survive the assault by Baron Zero and Batroc the Leaper?!? Wait, that’s not this story. Cap has gathered the change agents he needs to help Lyra save the world from Death…but like many good actors the question is “What’s his motivation?” This issue we get more of Death’s backstory and why we might actually sympathize with him. Curious about how this will end since Death has empowered people to stop our ragtag bunch… by promising them certain death if they don’t and only certain death if they do… OK he might not have told them that second part.
Ultimate X-Men #6 – I’m still wrapping my head around Peach Momoko’s story. Not saying I don’t like it, The artwork is beautiful, but since most comics take place with heavy western influences, having one focused so much on Japanese culture is and education, and even with the notes on the last page, I’m still going through this thinking I need to read this again once the first arc is done. One of those reasons why some comics are better as trade paperbacks or graphic novels.
The Flash #12 – See my comments about Ultimate X-Men when it comes to trade paperbacks. This arc has been weird and combining it with some of the stuff from Absolute Power makes it even more convoluted. It looks like we are coming to close and I’m still trying to figure out who the bad guys are! What seems to be happening is all the speedsters have gathered to give Wally West a big pep talk so he can do whatever needs to be done. Can you tell I just want to go back to super intelligent gorillas…
Detective Comics #1088 – Maybe the penultimate issue in this arc? Maybe? There seems to be a lot of fighting Batman’s rogues’ gallery going after the bad guys who have been controlling Gotham. It is interesting to see how each villain handles their opponent. Then we get into the whole mystical realm stuff again. Batman, like Captain America should really be more grounded in my opinion. Again with the side story that will end up being important to the big picture. I’m just wondering how, this Batman will fit in with the Batman who is currently in Batman Comics. Detective Comics Batman vs. Batman Batman, vs. Batman & Robin Batman… We knew he had a multiple personality disorder, but this might be taking it a bit too far.
Star Trek Defiant #18 – So We have Romulans being Romulans and Spock and Seal trying to figure out why… While Worf and the crew of the Defiant are trying o prepare for a Romulan invasion of Antara. An Agrarian society that seem to be lucky enough to fight off previous invaders and while the double barrel shotgun might not be much against any tech the Romulans have, a couple century old scout ships, and perhaps the most important person in Starfleet history (who happens to allergic to cats) might help them out.
Rogue Sun #21 – Some fighting, some more fighting, some character and plot development. Rogue Sun continues with his plan to take out Mourningstar which for a teenager seems like the logical and easy thing to do. To get there Dylan has a few things to learn (a lot of things to learn). He and Divinity are taking out one bad guy, while we learn that actions have consequences, and that even spirits know that sometimes teenage girls need to hear what they want, and not the whole truth. Now we lead into a murder mystery… I think the butler did it, except that there is not butler to be found.
Once & Future – Pen & Ink #1 – One of my favorite comics “Once and Future” has British mythology and Arthurian legends intertwined with the modern world… frankly, it is awesome and if you have a chance to pick up the trades I would. Your local comic shop (like Comic Carnival in Indianapolis) should be able to get them for you. What I have though is kind of a “Director’s cut with commentary Kieron Gilles and Dan Mora add comments on the first issue. These pages bring out a noir feeling to the story and I know I’ll be rereading this a couple times, not just the text, but insight into how it was all put together.
The Rocketeer Breaks Free #2 – Cliff, Bettie and Peevy enjoy a lovely vacation in San Francisco. I sure hope Cliff and Bettie visit the Cartoon Art Museum while they are there. Unfortunately, Cliff brought the rocket pack and now is in hot water for being the hero… Not really, but Bettie was hoping more “us time” less “hero time.” Sadly, the Germans aren’t listening to her and the Golden Gate Bridge seems to be the target!
Nemesis Rogues’ Gallery #2 – Nemesis is back and this time we get the story of how he recruited Robin to help him fight crime… no, how he recruited “Rookie” to help him commit crime. The Ultimate anti-hero is back and now he’s brought a sidekick.
This Week’s Shake
One thing the app I’ve been using has is a shake feature. Basically shake your phone and one comic from your collection will pop up at random. It also allows me to scan barcodes to put issues into my collection. While I’ve been culling my collection, I still need to go through and cull what I have on my phone. It currently says I have 5,719 issues. C’mon you knew I had a lot of issues, but probably not that many 🙄. Today I did a shake and this popped up. Crimson by Humberto Ramos. Published from 1998-2001. The story of a teenager who becomes a vampire, but is also “The Chosen One” destined to bring an end to vampirekind. I started reading it after enjoying Ramos’ work on Impulse. I even own a page he drew for Strange Academy. I still follow what he does and try (if I remember) to pick up his newer work – Like Spectacular Spider-Men.
Not much going on this week… Mostly getting the house and the boys ready for our trip out west for MINI Takes The States. Yes, I’ve blogged about various MINI things it shouldn’t be a surprise to you. I’ll be taking a hiatus for the blog while on MTTS since I will be without a computer and my phone isn’t as reliable as I would like for blogging. If you want to keep up follow Cecil’s Adventures on Facebook and Instagram. I’ll post recap once I’m back.
With my older brother’s birthday I’m feeling a little bit older too. Fortunately he’s still older than me and for a few months TWO years older! I’m realizing that I need to focus bit more on all the stuff I have in the house that serves no purpose. So upon my return from MTTS I hope to redouble my efforts in going through things I haven’t touched in over a year. Is this stuff bringing me joy, or making me a bit overwhelmed? With Gen Con and New York Comic Con coming up, I need to do some serious thinking. My current plan is to just enjoy both Cons, but not really buy that much at either. We”ll see how that works.
This Week’s Comics:
Action Comics #1066 – The Battle of Hastings? (Sorry inside joke) The Fight with Brainiac is coming to a head with Brainiacs Queen online can Superman and his allies possibly defeat Brainiac? Who will make a sacrifice to help change the tide of the battle? The second story goes through Lex and Lena Luthor’s father/daughter issues.
Star Trek Defiant #16 – Can the crew of the Defiant survive against the evil hive mind that has taken over Starbase 99 and hopes to take over the universe? Again with the ultimate sacrifices… and then a bit of a twist once you think everything is over “and they all lived happily ever after.”
No/One #9 – In the penultimate issue- Pittsburgh holds a referendum and decides that you have the right to defend yourself if you think you might be in danger. That’s right- deadly force if you THINK someone might do something, sometime to hurt you. So after multiple bloodbaths because with great power there must also be great responsibility and people aren’t known for being very responsible… what will happen next? Sadly this is getting pretty close to reality, but comics are just silly and don’t have anything to do with social commentary. 🙄
Primer #4 of 4 – The conclusion of what seems to be the first arc of Primer’s story. Can Ashley save her foster parents from the crazed villain who wants all the superpower paints for himself? Will Ashley be able to get through the “Heroes Journey and become a real hero? Only reading this issue and a really cool costume can reveal the future fate of Primer.
The Department of Truth #23 – It looks like I missed issue #22, so I’ll need to go back and get it to see how that arc ended. This is a great starting point for those unaware of The Department of Truth. It’s a history lesson on how the department was set up and who started it all. It’s a Wonderful Story… (Hint, not a spoiler). For those who don’t know about the Department of Truth, in this world, if enough people believe something is becomes real. UFO’s were’t real until enough people considered the possibility, Bigfoot? same thing. Basically a world in which if a conspiracy theory can get enough people to believe it will tip the balance of reality. So who would have been put in charge of this when it first came to light?
U & I #5 of 6 – Penultimate issue and knowing this world I’m concerned about how it will all end, because not all comics in the Resistance Universe have happy endings. U tries to get Isabelle to see the world the way he does, and Isabelle’s Uncle conspires with the bad guys to find and eliminate U. Will it work? Next issue with tie everything up one way or another.
The Flash #10 – This arc is leading to the summer mega event Absolute Power which may be why I’m just kind “meh” about it. Are the speedsters actually the problem? What does math have to do with it? Will Wally finally join in? Will I be doing reviews that say “Absolute Power. ’nuff said”?
Detective Comics #1086 – In Batman the Zur En Arrh arc seems to be neatly finished, leaving Bruce Wayne with a clear new beginning and I’m happy about that. Detective Comics, Bruce is still fighting the Orgham’s and their control over Gotham. Let’s add in his Rogue’s Gallery to make things interesting. Which side will they take?
The Spectacular Spider-Men #4 – SO last time we dealt with Miles and Peter things were… weird. Miles was in a relationship with Kamala Khan, and Peter was married with kids to Gwen Stacey?!? Yes, I know, Gwen is dead on this Earth, then again so are a lot of the people Peter was dealing with. We get to peak behind the curtain and find out who has been responsible for Arcadium- Arcade and Mentallo. along with their mysterious (until the last page) funder. Fortunately, thanks to Shift and Peter’s psychological issues (aka the Parker luck) the veil is removed and you have two very angry Spider-Men out to take care of whoever made them happy.
Well, you’ve already sat through my gushing over HeroesCon, so what else can I say? If you haven’t go back the read it.
This Week’s Comics:
Helen of Wyndhorn #3 – I’m really liking this story and am interested in where it will go from here. We’ve been dealing with a series of flashbacks as Helen learns that her father’s fantasy stories weren’t fantasy stories. Her grandfather is pretty much a fantasy hero and she’s now learning the family business. The thing that get’s me is the present day piece and figuring out how it will tie in… more to come.
Batman # 149 – Wait a second! After everything that’s been going on… and on… and on… This arc comes to a conclusion? Loose ends are tied up and amazingly enough it only took the death of Bruce Wayne. 😉 I’m curious as to what will happen next now that a new “normal” is being created and Bruce Wayne, is more in touch with his feelings and what is really important to him.
Titans #12 – The Titans against Vanadia- a super fan given powers and made to believe the Titans are in danger… from the Titans? But just as victory has been achieved she is destroyed. The Titans confront T.O. Morrow and Nightwing gets a little surprise too.
Ultimate Spider-Man #6 – Peter finally tells his family about what has happened- something about confronting Wilson Fisk and not being prepared for it… “Gee Dad? Did you get hit by a bus?” That and May just can’t keep a secret… although she was doing a pretty good job for 4 months. Yes, we finish the issue with Peter finally being called “Spider-Man”! 6 issues in and he gets his name!
Man’s Best #4 – Who’s a good boy? Our friends are off in search of Doc and the Captain, once they find them… we learn more than we had bargained for.
The Displaced #5 – How do you not disappear? stay together with the others from Oshawa… but that doesn’t always work, it seems Emmett is “The Special.” Which obviously means something, but we don’t know right now, what we do know is this isn’t an isolated experience- it will happen again.
Star Trek #21 – The Sisko takes the pan dimensional Gods head on as he tries to correct everything that happened during his fight with Kahless. Will he be able to save the Oregonians? More importantly, will Beverly be able to see Wesley?
The Amazing Spider-Man #52 – Peter Parker is the Green Goblin-Man?!? Can Peter be saved? Who will help peter and what do the Sinister Six and J. Jonah Jameson have to do with it?
Captain America #10 – Cap is still searching for change agents to save them from Death. I’m still kinda missing him fighting fascists. Here he comes up against one the change agents who is fine not being saved, and her reasons are enlightening.
You’ve heard me complain (and complain and complain and complain) about supposed “Comic Cons” that focus almost exclusively on stars of stage, screen, and TV not a whole lot about comic books. I heard a lot about HeroesCon being a comic focused Con. It was started and is still run by a local comic shop owner in 1982 and has stuck to a vision of what the term Comic Con means. All I know is next time in Charlotte, I want to stop by his shop which I have also heard is amazing.
Day 1 (Friday) Welcome to Valhalla, Mecca, Heaven, Brigadoon, Shangri-La, Neverland… you get the idea:
After driving in and picking up my badge on Thursday, I woke up ready to take on the Con. I had a few specific goals, mostly dealing with getting something’s signed by artists who I don’t get to see that often. I brought some books out of my library and collection to get signed. I also had some commissions I was hoping to get.
Lugging around books can be exhausting and with my hotel a half mile away I was already adding to the aches & pains that come with being old. I decided to only bring half, focusing on those artists listed as only being at the con Friday & Saturday.
I waited in line to get in (I had not paid for the VIP badge that would let me in early) and overheard conversations. Conversations about COMIC BOOKS! If people bc were talking about who they saw it was a comic book creator, not some guy who played that one guy it that show. Jim Steranko seems to get around because most sighting were of him, at breakfast, at Whole Foods…
Once they started letting us into the hall I tried to orient myself. I had written down the table numbers of my short list and just wanted to lay eyes on each location. I stopped by David Petersen’s table to get on his commission list. I was hoping for a Rocketeer Mouse, but David sadly informed me that he no longer was doing mice as someone else’s character. I completely understand. Especially after having drawn over 365 different monkeys. While I own a page from Mouseguard Winter 1152 I had my heart set on a commission. I asked him instead to do a science fiction mouse- and as with all my requests, that was it besides a “have fun.” I had no idea what I’d end up with, but knowing Dave’s skill and artistry it will be awesome. I then went over to see Tony Harris who I had asked about a commission once he announced opening his list online. I checked in and as best I could do chatted with Tony & Becky (after missing out on talking to Dave Stevens so many years ago, I embraced my inner “Bob” and tried to get over being an socially awkward introvert) it was awesome because Tony also had back issues of Ex Machina and I was missing issue 7 (How could I be missing one issue from the entire run?🙄). Then I wandered still looking for certain people while checking out each booth. The numbering scheme was a bit weird and table numbers tended to be covered by art, or just the normal table set up. What I noticed was the large number of comic sellers who had… comic books! Not just any comics, but really cool ones. Then I started to see so many… weird comics? Not weird, but ones the regular “Muggle” wouldn’t understand. For example almost every booth had a row of comics with Dave Stevens covers!
When I think about going to a con I’ve always imagined walking up to a booth, flipping through a long box and finding one of my grail issues. I’ve always been disappointed. Booths usually have the big titles, those popular with the general public. Here I started looking and was face to face with comics I had never seen. Now I had to actually think about which issues I’m missing and what I want to actually buy. So many holes that could be filled. I was good, and probably overwhelmed so I didn’t buy that much.
Then you have the artists… so many amazing artists (over 400). I know I wouldn’t have time to see everything and everyone the first day and was , of course, carrying around books I wanted signed by artists I either couldn’t find or weren’t going to arrive until two.
Skottie YoungDavid PetersenCharles VessTony Harris“MouseGuard 2419”The Rocketeer by Tony Harris
I headed up to my first session, a presentation on Dynamic Figure Drawing by an anatomy professor from SCAD. It was great! While I won’t completely change my style I learned a lot that will inform my approach to drawing. I hung around for the next session which was a focus on character building. We went through an exercise dealing with creating an antagonist and protagonist for a story we haven’t really worked through. I focused on a science fiction story I’d been thinking about and was very pleased with what I came up with. Will this become something I do more of? Maybe… I like the concept, but it still needs a lot of work.
Upon returning to the hall I wandered some more, a lot of the usual suspects at cons this size were noticeably missing. There weren’t that many places selling props, or t-shirts. Yes, there was a booth selling foam swords, and another with martial arts weapons, no one exclusively selling light sabers. The art was tame compared to some of the gore filled, soft pornography that will be the focus of many booths at comic cons. Again I was blown away by the shear number of people selling comic books.
an entire row of Dave Stevens’ coversStarbucks got into the act.
At the end I checked in with Tony and saw my almost finished Rocketeer ❤️❤️❤️. Then headed out to see about dinner and maybe an Adventure Lab. Dinner won out and I headed next to the Drink & Draw.
Drinking and Drawing: a perfect combination especially for a good cause.
Drink & Draw is a an event in which attendees get coasters and then draw on them. Coasters are $1 each and 6 for $5. Supplies are available and you drink (cash bar) and draw. The coasters are then sold. All proceeds go to Parkinson’s research. Coasters (and other art) are divided onto tables $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, and if you have to ask you probably can’t afford it. You were supposed to turn your coasters into a table where their value would be determined. I didn’t know and just dropped mine on the $5 table. While drawing, I had a great conversation with an AP Science teacher and felt sorry for the guy she was with. Get two teachers together and all we they talk about is school. It was great to think -” “not my problem”, but sadly also how bad things are around the country and how education is just the “Peter Principle” in action. At the time I didn’t buy any coasters, the ones I looked at were a bit out of my price range.
Day 2 (Saturday) but wait, there’s more:
After a nice breakfast at the hotel I walked the half mile to the convention center and got there a little over an hour before the show started. Waiting in line listening to people talk about this being the only true “Comic” convention. The idea seemed to be that Heroes Con is 100% Comic Books, Baltimore Comic Con is about 90%, Mega Con in Florida is the next in line according to these folks, and everything else has evolved into a star studded photo-op con calling itself a “Comic Con.” I was amazed at the number of people who did podcasts, and had YouTube channels greeting each other and talking shop while I listened in.
I decided once I got in, to see about the line for Skottie Young. I had been a fan since he had done the art in Marvel’s The Wizard of Oz adaptations. I even have a flying monkey drawn when I first saw him at C2E2 and picked up a page from an Oz book at another Con. The day before, I saw the line and tried to jump in, but was told by a volunteer that they were marking the end. On Saturday, there was a nice family in front of me that made me realize more than ever that this isn’t a hobby for everyone. I had three comics I wanted Skottie to sign. Basically the latest issues of Spider-Boy, Miles Morales: Spider-Man, and Amazing Spider-Man. Marvel had put out Skottie Young variant covers of pretty much every comic this month and I figured I had these open my pull list- why not? The guy in front of me was an online reseller, he had brought 50 comics (the limit announced online) for Skottie to sign. These were multiple copies of various issues. From what I understood talking to them they had driven from Michigan for the day. These were strictly for resale, and I kept hearing about how much they would be worth. Now when you get something signed it used to be free. Now it costs something. If you buy something at the table, whatever you buy usually comes with a signature, if you bring something in… it is about $5 or more per book and some artists will limit the number of books you can bring. To me I kinda feels like this is turning comic books into Beanie Babies. I’ve been collecting comics since I was in 3rd grade. I don’t care if it’s popular, for me it’s the character, the art, the story. Just because Wolverine and Deadpool are the latest big thing, doesn’t mean I running out to buy them. So I had to chuckle at this guy and his poor family waiting in line. Will he make a killing? Probably, I hope so. Trends will shift and popular artists will stop being popular as new artists move up the ranks. After an hour or so in line, Skottie did sign my three issues, since I didn’t have the signatures witnessed, and the comics graded and bricked, thy probably aren’t worth anymore than they would be normally, but…
I spent a lot of time trying to hunt down certain creators and once I figured out how end caps were considered in the grand scheme of things it made it easier. One of those was Howard Chaykin. Funny thing was I had run into Howard a couple of times, but couldn’t find his table. I had my copy of American Flagg #1 and The Scorpion #1 I wanted him to sign. Fortunately he was doing a presentation in the afternoon so I started there. Howard Chaykin is one of my crazy heroes. He’s blunt, honest, and has done some amazing comics that definitely aren’t for kids. I was introduced to him in the 1980’s with American Flagg which has sadly gone on to foretell some of the crud we deal with now. The artwork was unique for time and it was (for a kid in high school and college) just a wonderfully dystopian view of society. Howard’s session was wonderful but filled with enough adult content and words, I won’t quote anything here. It was amusing when someone with a family tried to sneak in towards the end (probably to get a seat for the next session) and Howard and the moderator both told them they needed to leave, this was not a kid friendly session.
The second session I attended was on lettering. I recall my first New York Comic Con when Webcomics were just hitting their peak and I attended Webcomics Boot Camp. They critiqued my comics and the biggest issue (besides me not monetizing the strip) was my lettering. The exact comment was “Lettering is an art” with the insinuation that I did not have those skills. So they recommended I just use a hand writing font, which I have done ever since. This session was very educational in that I learned so much about what I didn’t know when it came to the history and importance of role of Letterers in comics. I’m still soaking it all in and will try to improve what I do. Will it actually work? Probably not, but I have the time to try.
I kind of rushed around after that trying to check out tables, and booths I had missed. Found some really cool stuff and even bought a page from JL8, a webcomic I had followed for years. When I buy an actual page, it is for two reasons- first I like the art, but secondly I want to see the process the artist goes through. In this case, it’s the end of an arc, but what I got to see was how the page was put together, and (after a session on lettering) how Yale did his lettering. The blue line, the layout, everything is on the page for me to see.
The Auction
The day ended with the Auction. The proceeds go to charity and to help offset the cost of the Con. A three day badge for HeroesCon costs the same as one day at New York Comic Con. Some artists also asked that the proceeds from the sale of their piece got to Heroes Initiative or to Parkinson’s research, so It isn’t just for the Con. A number of these pieces of art were actually created onsite, there was a stage in which artists would come up and create artwork in front of everyone. There were so many amazing pieces of artwork and the hardest part was just time, I’m getting old and tired out to too fast. I also looked at all the pieces and I kept thinking I just purchased three original pieces of art. Did I really need another one? Was there anything out there that was just calling out to me, the Chris Giarusso Spider-Man was amazing. I had Chris on my list, but he was busy drawing when I walked by. Scottie Young’s Deadpool and Wolverine was cool, but they aren’t characters I really have an interest in. They may be popular, but… There were a lot of pieces there that made me think “Wow I’d love to have them,” but I had to think where would I put these? I decided that maybe I didn’t need to bid, so I wanted to just see what the prices are going for, I left early, around 10 o’clock. They were trying to get through as many lots as possible with that happening, things went a lot cheaper than I thought they would. While I was there some pieces went for a couple thousand dollars, but the majority of pieces came in between $250-$500 each which really, for original art, isn’t that much. I now wish i had hung around a little bit longer and would love to have known when they actually closed everything down, but I’m old and my inner introvert needed time to be alone and recharge.
Day 3 (Sunday) on the road again:
While I have a chance to head back today is also a travel day. While I love cons, I also love being home and taking all this creative energy and doing something with it. Usually, if it is a travel day I just want to get from point A to point B. While I enjoy traveling, I miss my cats. I’d also say I miss Sue, but I know she’s out caching and even though I was about 9 hours away, I thought I might just beat her home (for the record she beat me home by 30 minutes- if only I hadn’t stopped at Buc-ee’s!). My whole thing, which annoys Sue, is when it comes down to a travel day that’s what I want to do – get home or to the next destination. So while I considered going back to the con on Sunday I decided instead I would just go home and at about 8:30ish Sunday morning I popped in the MINI and started heading home via a different route, which was through Asheville, North Carolina instead of going back through West Virginia. The thing I found is, this is Sunday and this is the South so it gave me a reason to not stop. Since when I hit Asheville most of the places that I would want to stop wouldn’t be open until long after I pass them so that it makes me just go straight and deadhead home. Note: the Sevierville Buc-ee’s is a zoo with horrible traffic and bigger crowds or at least more people squished together than I saw at HeroesCon. The Richmond Kentucky Buc-ee’s was better, but still had numerous people thinking the gas pumps were parking places. 🙄
Overall Impressions
It was amazing, I’ve been to many Cons over the years and this was by far the best when it comes to Comic Books. Early on C2E2 and San Diego were great, but they have morphed into pop culture cons. HeroesCon was exactly what I, as a comic book fanboy, need. The fans are just that, fans. They love the medium of comics and it shows. I haven’t mentioned the cosplayers, not because they weren’t there or they weren’t great, but they weren’t “Professional.” They were fans who loved a character enough to dress up as them. You could see the love put into their costumes, not the perfection (although some were amazing), but the hours of love. These are people who if you asked about their character would be able to tell you their favorite story, not that it came from a video game they like.
(Right) Squirrel Girl cosplay for my friend Janet
My “haul” from HeroesCon 2024 – from tea to art supplies to original art from some of MY heroes.
I loved the fact that unlike a lot of Cons there were no media stars, no wrestlers, no towers of t-shirts, no one calling me to their table to give me a hard sell about their comic or whatever they were selling. There was an understanding, a mutual respect between the participants that you know what you wanted and would stop and look if something caught your eye. If you had questions you’d ask. It was a small town comic con- the kind that is usually housed at the VFW, on steroids. Those cons might have the local comic book creator at a table, here you had over 400 creators.
Will I be back? Most definitely. Although this tends to fall the same weekend as A2CAF, and Brickworld, along with numerous other events I like, I see myself making HeroesCon a priority. While I like A2CAF and Brickworld, both are more tied to my past life as an educator. So as I look at the calendar, HeroesCon 2025 June 20-22 has been penciled in.
Sue and I talk about retiring to someplace when the time comes… We’ve considered North Carolina for decades now. We started to create a rubric of what places needed and HeroesCon ticks the “Geek” box for me. Unfortunately every place we look at then gets mentioned in some magazine or website as a great place to retire and the prices shoot up. Next time I go, I’ll still come in the night before, but I think I will get a hotel room for Sunday also. Maybe in Asheville on the way home, just so I don’t have my typical travel day anxiety and a reason to stop by some of my favorite places the area.
I’m going to make this one quick with no pre-banter (except this) because I have an entire entry on HeroesCon (spoilers- it was AMAZING!)
This Week’s Comics:
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight The Kryptonian Age #1 – A long time ago DC decided to open up the multiverse with Elseworlds. This was their way to tell unique stories about classic characters. Basically DC’s Version of “What if?” with the exception that What If? usually would go back and retell a marvel story changing one thing – What If Wolverine Killed the Hulk? kinda stuff. Elseworlds would do something like create a world in which Little baby Kal-El lands just outside of Gotham City and is raised by the Waynes, not the Kents. Lot’s and lots of Batman (very popular character) stories… One was Gotham By Gaslight. Take the Batman story and move it back in time to the Victorian Era. Dc has returned to Elseworlds, this time continuing the Gotham by Gaslight story and by the title it seems that Superman might play into it. As of right now, we are being reintroduced to the world of Victorian Gotham City and the issues plaguing the residents.
Spider-Boy #8 – Can Bailey save his friends and make everything right again? With a little help from his friends… anything is possible. But will his mother remember him? The issue is full of fun and games and puzzles as Bailey tries to keep a lasting memento from happier times from being destroyed by a fourth Wall breaking villain.
Lawful #1 – Imagine a world… First issues tend to try to lay the groundwork for the world in which the story takes place. Unless it’s already in an established universe (DC/Marvel) this can be interesting. In the case of Lawful the world has magic, and if you break the rules bad things can happen. first it might be something simple, but as you break more and more rules, you end up changing into something not quite human. We have Sung who as a young boy follows the rules, and his friend who doesn’t (isn’t that always the way? I enjoy seeing how a new series starts and this one has got me waiting for issue #2.
Miles Morales Spider-Man #21 – Sadly, If Marvel keeps going with these crossover stories, I’m going to end up dropping a number of titles. We just finished Gang War, so now we’re in Blood Hunt. ’nuff said.
Strange Academy Blood Hunt #2 – Hey! Vampires! and The class tries to track down Darkhold and try to save the world. Who’s the good guy who’s the bad guy? Who is going to end up saving them- yes, plot twist and surprise guest!
Spectacular Spider-Men #3 – OK- Color me confused… Miles going out on a date with Kamala, Peter married to Gwen (with kids)?!?! Something is going on that makes me want and need to reread the last issue.
Batman and Robin #10 – The conclusion to this arc with Batman and Robin trying to stop Man-Bat from destroying Gotham. While the loose ends form the arc are nicely tied up, new questions are brought up and a new adventure awaits on Dinosaur Island! (play dramatic music)
Ultimate X-Men # 4 – This is one of those comics that i think is going to be amazing, once I have a chance to binge the entire run. Right now (for me) its a bit confusing, and I’m trying to figure out it it is the sale of the storytelling, or just that Haven’t really read X-Men since the Claremont/Byrne days (not including Ultimate X-Men).
You’ve heard me whine about “Comic Book Conventions” that aren’t really about comic books. The conventions that focuses more on the celebrities than comics. I think it all started with San Diego Comic Con when they started bringing in Stars from TV and Movies for panels and got boatloads of national press for the announcements made in Hall H or Ballroom 20. Every other Con decided that Celebrities were a draw beyond the comic geek and they saw dollar signs. Can’t afford to go out the SDCC, or can’t even get a ticket? Come to your local Con and see people who are sorta kinda famous. My most recent example would be Indiana Comic Con, in which almost everyone there solely attended to see someone who only tangentially was related to comics. I’m all for Cons bringing in stars, especially since for a lot of celebrities this is their way to bring in money charging for autographs and photo ops. As I have said before, call it what it is- which is not a “Comic Con.”
I have heard about a few select Cons that have stuck to being a “Comic Con” a celebration of the art of comics. A2CAF (Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival) in Michigan is an all ages con that celebrates comics for kids and if you have the chance I highly recommend it. CXC (Cartoon Crossroads Columbus) in Ohio is also a fantastic con all about celebrating the Cartoon Arts, not specifically all ages, but still an amazing convention… both of these are free.
Next weekend I’m heading to another con that will be a new experience to me, HeroesCon in Charlotte, North Carolina. I haven’t attended this one in the past, because I usually would be at A2CAF or Brickworld in Chicago. For the record, HeroesCon is not free, but it is cheaper than many of those cons that have a bunch of photo ops and celebrities. Behold the power of MATH – 3 days at HeroesCon = 1 day at New York Comic Con this is before calculating hotels, and food.
I’m curious about what I will say in my post con blog, because right now there are some things I find rather exciting. First- I haven’t seen a single post, about a “celebrity” attending. All the announcements have to do with artists, writers, and creators of comics. There are a lot of them (around 400), most you wouldn’t know… but I do I currently have over 15 artists on my short list that I want to see. These are people I am in awe of what they have created. Some aren’t as famous as others, but to me… WOW. I usually get lost in Artist Alley at cons that have relatively small artist alleys- I’m afraid I may never get out- which is why I have a short list. Some are people I am picking things up from, others are people I really would like to get something signed by.
Secondly, the list of panels and presentations mostly deal with the process of making comics. Drawing, lettering, writing, an opportunity to listening to some of the best of the best in their field talk about the art of making comics. No sessions dealing with the last TV show or movie, nothing about reflecting on the last season of some show or or Anime. They have professors from SCAD teaching sessions on comics! Sign me up!
Finally, while it can be a big draw for many people, cosplay doesn’t seem to be a prime focus. I like seeing people dressed up as their favorite characters, but most of the time these come from media other than comics. At HeroesCon it seems they spotlight 50 cosplayers each day to walk across the stage and show what they have created, along with sessions on making things to enhance your cosplay. What I noticed (and was pleased by) was the weapon policy which includes vendors. Most “Comic Cons” have people selling various swords and martial arts weapons. You pass by multiple booths full of swords, throwing stars, and the like. My brother at New York Comic Con bought one (or two). I’m looking forward to walking through the exhibit hall and not having to deal with weaponry lining the shelves. Will there be light sabers of various kinds? I don’t know, probably, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. Again, the draw seems to be COMIC BOOKS and art, because it is a COMIC CON. 😳
This Week’s Comics
I Hate Fairyland #15 – Or should we just call it Gertzilla minus One? So After completely annihilating Fairyland with Gertlins, Gert decides to become part of the solution, not the problem? Will she succeed is wiping out the scourge of gertlins and save the world? Will science, magic, and technobabble combine to help?
Love Everlasting #15 – The story so far… Joan falls in love, and questions if love is really everything that it’s cracked up to be. Before she can discover the answer, she is killed by an unknown cowboy. This happens throughout time and really throws a damper on her relationships. We have learned so far that the cowboy is actually in love with her, but it’s a dirty job and someone has to kill her (over and over and over again). He kidnaps her one more time to save her from her fate only to… but there’s a twist… she’s French, which of course makes it all OK, because… c’est la vie!
Sons of Star Trek #15 (ok, it’s really #3, but I didn’t want to ruin the pattern we had started 🙄) – SO our heroes are caught in the middle of a war with the Breen, and QJ has somehow lost his powers. We discover more about the crew and how they are different from those that we remember. We also learn a bit more about this alternate universe what is different in the very fabric of the universe. Nog, Alexander, and Jake start to figure things out, but is it too little too late? Who will live? Who will die? maybe the next issue will shed some light on things.
Batman #148 – Winter is coming… OK, maybe not winter, but a storm of sorts. Batman and the Bat Family reunite to fight Zur-En-Arrh and hopefully save the psychotic villains from being reprogrammed into upstanding citizens. No psychotic villains then Bruce Wayne will need to find a new hobby! The army comes in to help with things. Thank you Amanda Waller- Hmmm… maybe I know which Batman title is part of the current DC continuity- then again on time and following the summer blockbuster
My Adventures with Superman # 1 – I’m old and don’t pay for every streaming service. Which that said, I haven’t been watching the Cartoon that has gotten some good reviews, so I when the comic came out, I decided to check it out. I’m sure I’m missing some connections to the cartoon, but the basic story of Superman/Clark Kent trying to save everyone and deal with a new villain that seems to be part parasite and part Amazo has got me thinking I need to read the next issue- I just hope I remembered to put it on my pull list.
Amazing Spider-Man # 51 (Tony Harris Cover)– Peter Parker is now Spider-Goblin? He’s going after the Sinister Six while Norman (Mr. O), tries to play sane and normal… What about the now walking brain and his cadre of scientists? Who are they bringing in to help Peter from going completely off the deep end?
The Ultimates #1 – In the ultimate universe you had their version of the Avengers called “the Ultimates.” In this new version after the Maker was able to stop most heroes from being created (Accident + Radioactivity = Super Powers if you take out either the accident or the radioactivity you get nothing) Can heroes (thought of as terrorists- remember history is written by the winners) gather together who they need to stop the evil running the world? Great first issue recapping what happened to get us to this point and setting us up for even more.
Amazing Spider Man #51 (Skottie Young Cover) – Peter Parker is now Spider-Goblin? He’s going after the Sinister Six while Norman (Mr. O), tries to play sane and normal… What about the now walking brain and his cadre of scientists? Who are they bringing in to help Peter from going completely off the deep end? Yes, I did cave and buy two copies of this issue (curse variant covers!) One is an amazing cover done by one of my favorites- Tony Harris, and the other is done by another one of my favorites- Skottie Young. Completely different take, both are really amazing. Both on my HeroesCon short list. Sometimes, you do need two of the same comic, I’m not enough of a completist that I’ll ever need 33 copies of the same comic, but two isn’t that bad. The question is do I bring them to HeroesCon to get signed?
