San Diego Comic-Con: Part III

Thursday, July 21 - Dan and I took Uber downtown that morning and split up.  He had some items to pick up and I was registered for a conference at the San Diego Public Library.  For several years the SDPL has given space to Comic-Con for some off-site programs, as well as holding events that tied into comics culture (such as exhibits of art).  This year for the first time the organizations co-sponsored the 'Comics Conference for Librarians and Educators', a three-day series of panels covering the use of graphic novels in education, creating graphic novel collections in Libraries and how-to programs on a series of topics.  As I was going to be in San Diego, and a Comic-Con registration was required for attendance it wasn't hard to decide to take in the Thursday events which focused on comics/graphic novels in the Library.

The panels ranged from creating a graphic novel collection policy, to working with the Free Comic Book Day organization and putting together a Library comics convention.  The panelists were from the comics industry, Librarians, and SDCC reps, among others.  All were very informative and it was nice to actually run into a couple of other Librarians I know also in attendance.  If everything works out, we might actually attempt a mini-con here at the Orange Public Library.

Following the last panel I headed back to the Convention Center area where ComicCon HQ (a website run in affiliation with the con) was holding a 'meet & greet' for fans of the Schmoes Know podcasts.  These are now connected with the Collider Video and Popcorn Talk podcast networks, that you can find over on YouTube.  I've been watching and listening to the main Schmoes, Kristian Harloff and Mark Ellis (both of whom met while doing stand-up comedy) for several years.  One of the first YouTube videos I ever made, in the short time I was doing those, was in response to one of their early movie review podcasts.  I've run into them a few times at earlier cons, but wanted to use this opportunity to do so again.  The CCHQ gathering was held at the Fox Sports Bar near the con center. There were freebies, contests, free juice and water, as well as some of the other Collider folks taking selfies and meeting their fans. Only had a few minutes to chat with Kristian, Mark, Jeremy Jahns, Mark Rielly and a couple of others, before heading off to meet Dan.

Despite what I had vowed last year and up to that morning, I somehow found myself with Dan standing in line behind the marina waiting for armbands to once again get into Hall H on Friday.  The good thing was that this was after 6:00 pm and we were ONLY needed to wait about three hours before we got our bands were able to head back to homebase.

Sorry it's taken this long to get back to all this, but there should only be one or two more of these posts to cover the Friday & Saturday events.  See you then!

San Diego Comic-Con 2016 - Part II

Wednesday, July 20 - Preview Night (cont'd.): We were finally able to get into the Convention Center and up to the Sails Pavilion around 3:00 pm. This was the first time that we had to scan our badges, which have RFID tags.  From that point on you had to scan each time you entered or left the Convention Center, except Hall H where you had to show your badge and wristband.  I've heard that some folks had issues with this system causing them to go to the special officer over at the Marriot.  Dan and I had no problems at all during the four days we attended.

Once we got out lanyard, bag and program books, we found ourselves in yet another line.  The convention floor doesn't open up until 6:00 pm so there isn't much to do unless you go back outside.  While waiting we found that the swapping of bags has become even more of a 'thing' than it had been before.  It  unusual for attendees to swap the bags they were given for another as the Con generally has about half dozen different ones each year.  This year people were standing in the area directly across from where folks got their bags holding up the ones they wished to exchange.  Dan and I decided to swap out Supergirl bags for something else. I was able to score a bright red Banzinga , promoting The Big Bang Theory, while Dr. Dan swapped his for an iZombie one more fitting to his personality.

It never fails that Dan and I always find ourselves in line with your stereotypical fanboy, who believes that we need to know every item he wishes to purchase and why.  They also feel the need to regale us with the history of each of the characters he collects. Extensive background details that I'm sure even the character's creators have long forgotten. Fortunately, Dan is much better dealing with these folks, plus has a much better knowledge of some of these figures than I ever had, or could pretend.  I find myself tuning out pretty quickly, unless the discussion is actually about comics/movies/TV shows or characters I actually care about.

When we finally made it downstairs we quickly split up, each in search of something either we wanted or were trying to get for Kristina.  Dan struck out at Hasbro, but I was able to score both a Woodstock figure and a couple of Charlie Brown for President pins at the Peanuts booth.  Points for the step-father on that one!  I was also able to locate the WCG Comics booth where Randy Reynaldo was selling comics featuring his creation, Rob Hanes.  I first met Randy at an earlier SDCC in the '90s, where several other folks were singing his praises.  I've been a fan of both Randy and Rob since then. His art style and the adventures his creation remind me of the classic adventure strips of a Milt Caniff or Roy Crane.  I recommend you check them out if you think you might be interested.

Rather than spend a great deal of time at Preview Night, Dan and I had made plans have dinner with Kristina and Sarah.  The ladies picked us up in down and we drove to Ponce's Mexican Restaurant , one of the girl's favorites local places.  The food was good, plentiful and the Sino margaritas delicious.  We had a wonderful time, but as both ladies had to go to work the next day, we cut the evening short and went back to call if quits for the night.

I'll have more to add when I can, as this seems to be going on longer than I had thought.

San Diego Comic-Con 2016 - One Fan's Adventure

This year I promise my blog won't run on for several days.  I'll probably be able to wrap things up in at most two without cramming too much in.  To be honest, my SDCC adventure was much more laid back than it was last year. I didn't hit nearly as many panels, and took few photos.  Not that there wasn't a lot of stuff going on, but after the events following my trip last year, I thought I should be a bit more relaxed this time around.  Hell, I will be celebrating (?) the first anniversary of my heart attack in just a few days.

I was lucky enough to qualify for another professional pass this year and also to get a guest pass for my friend, Dan.  You still have to go through the routine of going online and sitting in the queue but have a slightly better chance than in open reg. I may have to re-register for next year, but we'll see how things go. As usual, by Saturday I'm wondering if I'm getting too old for this type of thing and might want to sit things out.  Then I recall everything I've done and the folks I've met, so by the time I start getting those e-mails about registration I'm psyched and ready again.

Tuesday, July 19: This year, rather than trying to get a seat on Amtrak for early Wednesday morning I decided to take a late-night Surfliner down the coast to San Diego after work.  I've also learned from past experience that it pays to spend an extra few dollars to get a Business class seat.  The seats are a bit more comfortable, plus you get 'free snacks' and a drink.  Each window seat also has an outlet so you can plug in any devices you might have, plus you get free wifi.  I certainly recommend it if you want to give it a try.  The final stop is right there in downtown San Diego, within walking distance of a number of hotels and the convention center itself.

Kristina and Sarah used to rent a condo a block or so away from the depot, which was really convenient, but have since moved out of town.  They were nice enough to pick me up and I was able to stay the next few days on the TV room couch.  Of course, I did have to share it with Wilbur their cat.  At about 15+ lbs. Wilbur can pretty much take up as much room as he likes.

Wednesday, July 20: While this was Preview Night at the convention, it is surprising how little, even off-site, was open to attendees.  Some of the restaurants and bars were already offering specials,but the exhibits and outside venues were still in the process of being put together.  Kristina and I left around 8:30 am to pick up Dan from the airport, as he had decided to fly in from Phoenix, rather than drive he generally did.  The parking downtown has become such a hassle that we ended up taking Uber to and from the convention last year most days anyway.

SDCC now sends out the actual Pro badge in the mail prior to the con now, so it's only necessary to pick up your lanyard, bag and programs when you arrive.  With a few hours before we could get in to Sails Pavilion, Dan left his suitcase with Kristina and she dropped us off near the con center. Both of us had a desire for coffee, so we stopped off at a small cafe in the Gaslamp Quarter.  Simon's Cafe is a nice little place on First Ave.  They have a few tables and the place had a lot of comic inspired art and SDCC stuff up on the walls.

I'll try to finish up on Preview night and maybe Thursday in a day or two.  See you then!

Cleaning up and Future Posts

I've finally gotten around to checking some of the links over on the side and deleted outdated or bad links. The Lone Ranger one hasn't been updated in years, but the information is still valid, so I've let stand.

I know I've promised before, but I really do want to start posting more often here.  It will be primarily reviews of the current comics or commentary on announcements and previews.  Comixology and other sites are allowing me to check out comics I normally don't purchase, so I'm going to try to read and review those. 

Beginning on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning I'll start posting photos from San Diego and Comic-Con 2016.  Most of these will be either on my Twitter or Facebook pages, so if you don't follow me you might think about it. 

Catch you later!

Is the San Diego Comic-Con really only a week away?

My very first Comic-Con, and second visit to any convention, was way back in '75.  That first one was held several months earlier at a high school that was closed for the summer.  Mostly what we would call a 'marketplace' nowadays, but with a few panels for those interested.The con was held at the now defunct El Cortez hotel and the entire place could fit easily into a corner of Hall H and be missed by most folks in attendance.  The idea of a few hundred folks wandering around, looking at old comics and even panels discussing them was amazing to me.  Those folks who complain that SDCC is no longer about comics, should know that even then there were panels on movies, television and animation.  Actors like Jock Mahoney and Kirk Alyn were there among others.  The following year people were there promoting some film called, STAR WARS that was still in production.  Whatever happened with that?

Comic-Con is so huge now that major stars show up promoting their latest projects. Companies vie for space on the convention hall floor, taking up hundreds of square feet to push and sell their products to over a 150,000+ folks.  Media reporters from around the world cover the event like it was the Super Bowl. The fans snickered at four decades ago are now shaping the culture of the entertainment industry.  Yeah, there are still those who laugh at the folks dressed up in costumes, but many of them are shelling out hundreds of dollars a year to see the films and play the video games based on those same characters.

I never know what to expect when I go to the Con every year, despite that list of 'must attend' panels and comic book creators I want to meet.  There are always surprises, from running into a celebrity at a restaurant or hotel lobby to ducking into a panel room, just to rest, and discover some new film, TV show or comic I'd never heard of before.  Heck, I've even come to know some of my favorite creators by their first names and to have shared a lunch or beer with a few.  The coolest part is when one of them unexpectedly remembers me and says hello on a crowded convention floor or walking into a room for a presentation.

Like every year I'll try to post some of my daily adventures when I get back.  I will also be posting some photos on Facebook and Twitter when something cool catches my eye.  Hope I can share a little of what goes on.

DC Rebirth #1 - A review with some SPOILERS

So we're starting all over again.  Well, maybe not so much re-starting from scratch, but cleaning out some of the crap from the stalls that has accumulated over the past decade.  Sadly, some of the dumber stuff, IMHO, is continuing but it looks like they are making an attempt.

Beware, as I'm giving away a lot of stuff: SPOILERS AHEAD 

Writer/demi-god Geoff Johns takes the lead with this issue, beginning with the event that lead up to this (New 52 Superman is gone and presumed dead) and setting up the events that that will lead to a newer DCU. The older pre-52 Superman, along with his wife, Lois and son are now in place here on Earth-1 or Prime or whatever it is called. Batman, thanks to events in some earlier story line now knows the Joker's name.  Of course, since things can't be that simple as it appears that there are actually three Jokers running around.  I'm guessing that they must know each other, or at least be aware of the others, but that isn't made clear. It also seems that Wonder Woman actually has a brother who had been secreted away after his birth and Darkseid (dead, but reborn) may have had something to do with it. As if that wasn't enough....

Wally West is trying to escape the Speed Force, which in someways resembles what we have seen on the TV series, THE FLASH, and events in the CW/DCU may begin to reflect things in the print versions and the other way around.  At least, some of the things that Johns has Wally reveal seem to imply that to me.  Then again, I've not been reading much of the DC output for the past few years, quitting well before Flashpoint, which seems to be where this Wally left us.  I admit to being confused.  Wally is trying to find his long-lost love, Linda Park, but like everyone else he encounters she has no memory of him.  We see a number of characters who had interacted with Wally from the time he was Kid Flash, but nobody recalls him and his connection to our world seems to be slipping away, until... I'll let you find that one out, as it nearly brought me to tears and somethings should not be spoiled.

Ted Kord is back and he is trying to help out Jamie Reyes the new Blue Beetle, who would like nothing better than to be rid of the scarab that gives him his powers.  At this point we get a visit from Doctor Fate who tells Ted that both of them are mistaken when it comes to the origin of the scarab.   We get brief glimpses of a number of other DC characters, from a new Green Lantern, Arthur Curry/Aquaman, and Johnny Thunder (the original), plus a couple of folks from the supernatural side of the DCU, other than the good Doctor.

Most of that seems on the good side, although DC editorial still believes that Bruce's sociopath son, Damien still needs to be hanging around. Never a good idea in my opinion and one I've never understood the need for.  If ever there was someone who should be written out of continuity it is that little psycho.

Finally, I've debated whether to reveal something that I really do hate and that spoils much of this whole thing from the beginning.  DC has decided that characters created decades ago as part of a stand-alone series and not a part of the DCU are now not among the characters of this Earth, but may have been the cause of much of the past decade's events that many fans have disliked.  Nah, find out for yourself and judge how you feel.

Captain America: Civil War - A Popcorn for One review (with SPOILERS)

As some of you may recall, and you can scroll down to check, when I saw BATMAN v SUPERMAN I gave the film a solid "B". I can still see why, although it really had more to do with the main actors in the film and how they interpreted the characters rather than the overall film. It's easy now to give it perhaps a "B-" when you compare it to the newest super-hero film.

Personally, and I don't think I'm the only one, I find the Captain America trilogy the strongest of the Marvel franchise films.  The first film was fun, because it was Cap as we've always wanted to see him on the screen. The second was a very, good thriller which changed the dynamics of the Marvel cinematic universe, both in films and in television.  This third film wraps everything up nicely and sets up how, not only Captain America, but the other Avengers will interact in coming films.

When several incidents involving the Avengers go wrong and civilians are killed, the world governments decide that the team must be put in check.  Accords are drawn up and the members of the team must sign and agree to them, if not they may be prosecuted.  Steve Rogers/Captain America feels this will put too many restrictions on any future actions, while Tony Stark/Iron Man believes the U.N. and world governments have a right to be concerned given past destruction caused by the Avengers when dealing with their foes.  This splits the team and individual members must decide where their loyalties lie.

On the day when the representatives of the world meet to vote on the accords a bomb kills dozens, including the king of Wakanda.  His son, T'Challa, is his heir and also the current Black Panther, a hero dedicated to protecting his homeland and its people.  He vows revenge on the person believed to be the Winter Soldier.  Captain America is just as sure his former partner and friends, Bucky Barnes is not responsible for the actions. This brings the underlying tensions in the Avenger team to the boiling point and both sides decide to take action.

The first Avenger's film brought us the Marvel universe as we fans had always envisioned it. The most powerful heroes in the world united, after initial bickering, to fight together for a common goal.  This third Captain America film brings that era to an end as we see the team broken apart, with some members missing and new heroes appearing to take their place. 

Thor and the Hulk are not around, the Thunder God having returned to his home and the big green guy MIA since he stole an aircraft and disappeared from sight. On the other hand, The Falcon calls upon Scott Lang/Ant-Man to join he and Cap, while the Panther (for his own reasons) finds himself fighting along side Stark's group.  It's exciting to see theses characters in action and the fight scenes are spectacular.  The events taking place in the airport will have a long-lasting effect not only because former friends and teammates must confront each other, but because of the appearance of a certain web-slinging teenager making his first appearance in this part of the Marvel universe.

I'm not sure if this film holds together as well as Winter Soldier but has instantly become one of my favorite super-hero films.  This is what we grew up seeing in those Marvel Bullpen days.  Pages and pages of heroes in action, characters interacting that you never expected to see together.  It was all up there. 

Chadwick Boseman is wonderful as T'Challa and the scenes of the Panther in action prove that a solo film will be pretty exciting. The final scenes set up some events we can expect in future films.  Tom Holland is absolutely perfect as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, his awestruck reaction to being included in Stark's team and his scenes with his aunt (Marisa Tomei) give us a hint of what new Spider-Man films will have in store.  If it wasn't for the appearance of Spidey, I think everyone would be talking about the Panther.

Okay, before I wrap this up I need to talk about the major weak point in the film and the one thing that the Marvel films rarely seem to get right.  The villain in this film is pretty much in namesake only one of the biggest and longest running foes of Captain America.  Zemo (played by Daniel Bruhl) is not the former Nazi and contemporary of the Red Skull we have known in the comics for decades.  Here is simply a resident of the nearly destroyed nation of Sokovia, who seeks vengeance.  What the hell?  Why even give him the name of a super-villain when you don't use him in that capacity.  He cold have been just as effective as some guy called Siegfried, or something.  Save the 'real' Zemo for a later film incarnation.

Overall a well-acted and written film that far surpasses the big screen battle of the DC titans only a few months earlier.  If that earlier film was set up, this was wraps up some things and promises even more.  Easy to give this one an "A", even if that one little problem still bugs the hell out of me.

My Free Comic Book Day Haul - 2016

We worked today, but thanks to the fact that Big Red Comics is located only a few blocks from the Library, I was able to go over on my lunch break to take part.  I had to stand in line for a bit, but the back room was set aside with several tables of goodies.  It was difficult to choose, but I did get a decent sampling of stuff.

You were allowed to select six comics from the thirty or so available.  I was able to pick up two others because I have a pull list, plus I was lucky enough to be in a drawing which scored me a few additional titles.

I'll try to review some of these over the next week or so, but I'll only do that if I like a book.  Hate to bash something I've gotten for free, which is something I got into way back when I was doing reviews for Inside Joke and some apas.  If I bought a book it was fair game, but if a creator or publisher was good enough to put me on a comp list I felt it only fair to be kind.  Some books got by with a 'decently drawn' or 'some interesting concepts', if I was really reaching for anything good.

Here's the haul:

AVATAREX: Destroyer of Darkness (Graphic India) - Grant Morrison
BOOM! 2016 Summer Blast
DOCTOR WHO FCBD 2016 (Titan Comics)
MARCH (Top Shelf) - John Lewis auto-biographical
MIX TAPE 2016 (Devil's Due/1First Comics)
THE PHANTOM (Hermes Press - Reprints of Charlton Comics material
OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK MARKETPLACE 2016 (Gemstone)
ROM #0 (IDW)
SCIENCE COMICS (:01 First Second)
SERENITY/HELLBOY/ALIENS (Dark Horse)
SPONGE BOB FREESTYLE FUNNIES 2016 (United Plankton Pictures/Bongo)
FCBD- SUICIDE SQUAD #1 (DC)
THE TICK - FCBD 2016 (NEC)
2000 AD FCBD  Prog 2016 (Rebellion)
WE CAN NEVER GO HOME/YOUNG TERRORISTS FCBD 2016 (Black Mask)

Hard to know where I should start, but I just might do them in the order I listed above.  Don't want to play favorites and there are a few I want to immediately jump into.

Trust me, I think I would have been happy with any of the books I missed.  Maybe there will be some left over when I make my weekly run next Wednesday.

Comic Con 2016 NO TRAILERS?! - Fox Pulls Out of Hall H - REACTION aka RE...

Marvel vs DC, Batman vs Captain America: Are the critics biased?

Lee Falk’s The Phantom - 80th Anniversary Special

One of my all-time favorite characters.

Batman v Superman - A Popcorn for One review (with SPOILERS)

There will be some SPOILERS thrown in here so if you haven't seen the film be warned.  I'll not give everything away, but the trailers already showed us quite a bit.

First off, I was not one of those folks that hated MAN OF STEEL nor did I have a problem with Henry Cavill as Clark/Superman. It was a different take and a bit darker than some folks might want their Kal-El, but I was fine with it. Like some folks I wasn't crazy about the ending of the film and the death of General Zod, but I could except it.  If anything, it showed that DC and Zack Snyder were creating a different film universe. You could look at the Nolan Batman films and get a hint where things might go.  Hell, things certainly aren't rosy in any of the Marvel films, either.

I also was willing to give Ben Affleck as Batman a chance, since I didn't think the things wrong with DAREDEVIL were his fault entirely.  Since then he has proven himself as both actor and director. Yeah, I did have some issues with Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, but looking back it was more the costume which seemed a Xena knock-off and not the outfit we are accustomed to in classic WW.  She did seem a bit small in the first shots we saw of her, but she looked much better in the trailers and the WW teasers.

Beginning the film with Bruce, his 'origin' and witnessing of the Superman/Zod battle, I thought was smart.  The first time you see him in costume with the police finding the sex trade victims was really creepy.  You can see why criminals would fear him.  That's the Batman you want to see.  I think Affleck whether in cowl & cape or in a business suit was fantastic.  This is an older and much more cynical Batman, he is certainly more brutal and apparently lethal. I can't wait to see the solo Batman film.

Gal Gadot won me over as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman.  She is, of course, beautiful, but she also beings an air of mystery that we haven't seen in the character before.  You believe this woman has been around a very, long time and has witnessed incredible things.  Her one comment in the heat of battle about having fought 'alien creatures' before really does have me looking forward to her solo adventure as well.

Okay, I admit to being one of those that threw a lot of hatred at Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor as he appeared in the teasers and trailers.  This certainly wasn't the Luthor we were expecting, even though I have never thought the big screen versions of Lex really captured the menace of the character at all.  Early on in the film however, it is revealed that this is not the Lex Luthor we thought, but his son.  The neurotic son of a domineering and brutal father certainly would have some issues, especially someone as intelligent as Eisenberg portrays him.  While physically he doesn't inspire fear, it becomes apparent that this is a much scarier Luthor than we have ever seen before.  Also, frightening is that he believes he is doing the 'right' thing no matter how brutal his methods may be.  He believes he will be the savior of mankind.

One of me small problems with the films were the portrayal of Lois Lane as the helpless woman in peril over and over again. I realize that plays into the importance of Lois in Clark's life, but the first time showed us that. The other times could have been written differently, especially the final time where there really wasn't a need to put Lois in danger as she was showing how brave she could be up to that point.

The second problem was the end, which seemed to be there simply to allow the use of Doomsday to be justified (no pun).  Yeah, the final shot we see indicates this isn't the last we'll see of one of the three leads, but there really wasn't a need for it.  And yes, I admit to actually feeling for the character at the end, but it was a bit of manipulation since comics fans know what is going to happen.

By the way, I think Jeremy Irons is fine as Alfred, a role that can be thankless, but here works perfectly.  It was cool seeing the three other Justice League members, even briefly. Loved the scene with The Flash and the short glimpse we see of the character who will become Cyborg is chilling to say the least.  Can't wait to see more of Aquaman as well.  I happen to like the look.

In the end, I'll give the film a solid 'B', and throw in a '+" for any scene with Affleck, This has me looking forward to the Wonder Woman movie as well as the up-coming DC films.  This surprises me, but also has me excited.

Have you read Squirrel Girl?

THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL, VOL. 1 - I've heard nothing but good things of this book and the character, so when we received a copy of the TPB here at the Library I decided to take a chance. What a delight!

Ryan North and Erica Henderson do a wonderful job with Doreen Green, a young lady with the 'proportional strength and abilities of a squirrel'. Yep, you heard that right.  Heck, she even has her own theme song, which she made up and sings herself.  It does remind one of the old Spider-Man theme song, but that might just be a coincidence.  Heck, she is able to confront Kraven the Hunter, who seems to be fixated on another hero, until SG sets him straight.  And how many young super-heroes can claim to have fought Galactus on the Moon and actually convinced him to leave Earth alone for a while? Oh, did I mention that Squirrel Girl can also communicate with squirrels and that they are much more than we suspect? Tippy-Toe is her current squirrel sidekick, easily recognizable due to her pink bow.

If you take your heroes seriously, then this is not the book for you.  However if you have a sense of humor and want to see an all ages, female friendly book you can recommend to even non-superhero fans, this might be a good place to start.

Sausage Party - Official Red Band Trailer

Marvel's Captain America: Civil War - Trailer 2

10 Heartbreaking Companion Exits - Doctor Who - BBC

Popcorn for One: DEADPOOL, my review (with spoilers)

There will be some minor SPOILERS in here so if you haven't seen DEADPOOL yet you might want to look away.

Wade Wilson is former military, now working as a small-time mercenary.  He's a wise-cracking guy who enjoys pop culture, drinking and sex.  One day he meets a girl and falls in love, unfortunately Wade soon discovers that he has cancer and may not have long to live.  Hoping to be cured he agrees to take part in some experiments, which will attempt to unlock any mutant abilities Wade might have. Quickly he  discovers that they are being conducted not by the government but by a group attempting to create super-powered assassins for hire.  When Wade survives the testing he finds he has become hideous, but with the power to survive almost any wound.  He also decides to find the man who did this to him.

I have to admit that while the comic book character, DEADPOOL has a huge following I'm not really among them. Like DC's LOBO, I always found him a rather one-joke character, plus I'm not really into the X-Men/mutant thing so that was two strikes against him. One of the things that turned me around on the character was the actor Ryan Reynolds, who loves the character and has been trying to get this movie made for years. I must say that I'm really glad he did.

The movie is just so much fun and never takes itself too seriously, but still finds time to really allow us to find the man beneath the mask. Wade is a much better man, in some ways, than he believes himself to be.  Still not a hero, as we'd normally think of them, he still can do the right thing, even if not in the way that a Superman or Captain America might. Deadpool might help you get your cat out of a tree, but then he'd probably steal your car so he could go out for pizza.

From the very opening credits to the ones at the end, the film seldom lets up.  In fact the opening credit scroll gives you a pretty good idea that this is not your standard super-hero movie.  Also, the movie has an "R" rating for several very good reasons, not just the violence and language.  I'm hoping that the fact that the movie has been doing so well doesn't push other folks into doing "R" rated comics films just because it worked here. Deadpool is a very different kind of movie and not for everyone.  You could almost say it's like THE WATCHMEN played for laughs.  Yeah, these are superheroes, but do you really want these folks running around unchecked.

If you've seen the trailers for this film or some of the remarkable promotional videos and posters online you already know some of what you'll see.  Oh, and a really nice surprise was seeing how the X-Men Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (the coolest name for a super-hero in like forever!) were not only there for a brief cameo, they were an essential part of the story.

Do yourself a favor and check this movie out, on the big screen if you can.  Oh, and please don't leave like some folks after the credits. You really will be sorry.

Is He Still Reading Comics or Is the Four-Color Fiend Still Around?

The answer to both those questions is a yes, which should come as a surprise to no one except a comic shop owner or two.  I'm currently back into collecting, or to be honest reading comics again, as I generally don't buy them to collect or sell.  I just don't toss the comics or pass them along immediately after I'm done with them. There are only a few titles that I ever actually get around to re-reading.

The Big Two (Marvel & DC for those non-fans out there) are usually the ones that drive me from collecting by sucking me into yet another one of their company-wide "events" or cross-overs.  For the past decade or so some 'new thing' will get me interested enough to purchase and a year or so later, realizing I've been suckered again, I get disgusted enough with the industry to drop everything from all publishers.  Probably an over-reaction, but if you know me you'll know that's not uncommon.

For DC it was the "New 52" that got me back after "Blackest Night" ended and I was disappointed with what came next.  Like so many others I ran down to my shop and put in an order for all fifty-two Number Ones prior to publication, to ensure I got them all.  In over half the cases a single issue was enough, but with some I hung on for six months or a year.  I think it was the Court of Owls storyline over in the Batman titles that pushed me out that time around from the last few books I was still collecting.  Everything else had either already been cancelled or I had given up on beforehand.
The only DC books I've picked up since have been a couple of issues of Hellblazer (the John Constantine series if you recall that short-lived TV show) and the limited SECTION EIGHT series, featuring secondary characters that had appeared in the HITMAN title years ago.

Marvel got me back with SECRET INVASION, after I had found myself dropping all the titles I was reading from them over a few years.  A lot of that was the company having the writers of their books drop everything to shoehorn their title characters into some cross-over event or other, half of which you couldn't understand if you were only reading regular titles and not the event-specific books.  Granted DC does/did much the same, but I was buying more Marvel at the time.  I stuck with Marvel through S.I. and whatever it was that followed immediately. Then they started something which I think was called the "Heroic Age" or something and it certainly didn't seem like that to me.

Call me stupid, but the recent SECRET WARS/Battle World titles from Marvel had me back in the shop at least for a while.  A few like THORS were actually pretty good and of course, if you put "Marvel Zombies" in the title I can't resist so that was a couple of books right off the bat.  After all that, and I actually gave up on the main S.W. (not the Lucas/Disney stuff if you have lost track) title I've only been getting a few of the new Marvel books. 

Both companies now seem on the verge of doing everything all over again, especially DC with something called REBIRTH, which they been promoting but I haven't quite figured out what it is all about.  I've heard that it isn't another reboot, but that it is supposed to being the print comics more in line with what we are seeing with the cinematic versions of their characters. It might be interesting but I don't know if that is enough to get me back into buying their books on a regular basis.

Marvel is now promoting something called CIVIL WAR II. Coincidentally enough there seems to be a film coming out this year with a similar title. Do we really need to see this all over again? Will somebody besides (SPOILER WARNING) Cap get offed this time (END SPOILER).

Next time out I'll mention some of the comics I am currently reading, most of which don't come from the Big Two, which shouldn't surprise anyone at this point.

BEST & WORST SWORDS & SANDALS MOVIES

KEVIN SMITH BAWLS OVER EARTH-2 & THE FLASH - FAT MAN ON BATMAN 024

Star Wars: Episode VIII Production Announcement

The Blue Man by Kin Platt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I first read this book in Jr. high and was completely blown away. I guess this was the first book, other than say the Tom Swift, Jr. and Hardy Boys novels, aimed at 'teens' that I read and could identify with. Possibly because the lead character was also named Steve.

Very happy living with his parents in New York City, Steve is not thrilled when his parents decide to send him off to spend the summer with his aunt & uncle. They run a small hotel in a rural area, and he finds himself pretty bored. When a rather odd looking guest registers and Steve accidentally discovers he is blue, things take a very, dangerous turn. Believing that his uncle has been killed, Steve steals his car and takes off in pursuit. However, how can a sixteen year old kid track down someone who may very well be an alien.

This book hooked me like few others. I must have read the book close to a dozen times over the next few years and still find it just as entertaining now that I'm more than forty years older than I was when I first discovered it.


View all my reviews

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Official Final Trailer [HD]

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Spoilers Review (Collider Videos)

Darth Santa

Pass The Popcorn: STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS - A review with few spoilers

It was difficult staying away from all the social media spoilers that were popping up from the day of the Premiere until Thursday night when Kristina, Sarah, Michael and I hit the AMC Theater (La Jolla 12) for a 10:50pm showing of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  Despite an embargo on reviewers requested by Disney for 24 hours, there were still things going around, plus the usual conjecture.  The only review I read, since I can trust him not to give things away, was the one by Leonard Maltin.  After seeing the film myself I could see that he pegged it.

I'll try not to throw in any major spoilers, but if you are still one of those who haven't seen the film yet, you might want to skip this until you have.  Otherwise, don't complain to me!

Happy was I that the film opened with the Lucas logo and then the scroll we have all come to expect.  I had told Kristina that if there wasn't a scroll I was going to walk out.  Probably an overstatement, but it wouldn't be Star Wars if we didn't see those words spreading before us. We hear the music of John Williams and we are transported (Can we say that about a non-Star Trek film?) to that galaxy far, far away.

We get desert planets, lush jungles and bars filled with the worse scum in the galaxy. More stormtroopers then we have ever seen before and an evil guy in a mask. All things we wanted and that were hinted at in the trailers.  We see characters we have grown to love over decades and get introduced to some new heroes and villains we will learn to love and hate over the course of at least two more films.  It is both an introduction and a reminder of worlds we have known in a lot of forms since 1977.

We meet Rey, a young woman making a living by foraging the broken technology from the ruins of ships and machines abandoned over the years. We get to see FN-2187, a member of the First Order taken from his family as a child and trained to be a stormtrooper. Never in actual battle before, he witnesses the brutality of those he serves for the first time and finds that he can not follow the orders he is given.  Poe Dameron, a member of the Rebel Alliance and one of their best pilots, finds himself captured, but is able to enrust an important piece of information to his droid, BB8 before he is taken away.  We also are introduced to Kylo Ren, a mysterious masked figure whose goal is to follow in the footsteps of Darth Vader.

Along the way we get to meet some old friends, some of whom have gone their separate paths.

There is a meme going around that if you've seen STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE you've pretty much seen this film. A bit of an exaggeration but one can see some similarities.  We do have Rey following in the footsteps of Luke Skywalker, as she seeks revenge for what has happened to her life at the hands of the Empire.  Lightsaber battles, ariel dog fights over a planet and the danger of a super-weapon.  Still J.J. Abrams and his team have taken those elements, added some new ones and brought back the Star Wars that many of us thought we would never see again, after those prequels.

I hate to rank my favorite Star Wars films, since each of the three original ones hold such great memories.  It's hard to judge them simply as films at this point. George Lucas created with them an entire universe which has become embedded in our culture.  I can't think of any other film franchise, excepting perhaps Star Trek that has gone from entertainment into almost a religion for some folks.

This is not a great film, but it is a good movie and reminded me of why I have loved these characters and this universe from my introduction in '77. (Okay, to be honest it was actually in '76, when I saw a presentation for what was to come at the San Diego Comic-Con of that year.)  I'm glad to see everyone back and I'm already looking forward to all that Disney/Lucas has in store for us.

Do yourself a favor and see the film, if haven't already.  It will remind you why you fell in love with this world years ago.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens ALL Trailer & Clips (2015)

Are they giving too much away?  I have to admit that with each trailer I'm growing more excited.  Nothing will touch the emotional impact of that first teaser where we first see Han & Chewie, but nothing has caused me to dampen my expectations.

Got my tickets for opening night and already thinking about what to wear.  My Chewbacca with skateboard is probably the right choice.

Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Walking Dead

San Diego Comic-Con 2015 - Saturday my final post

We were pretty wiped after Friday night, ending it with pizza and meeting Donna at the girl's house.  Still, for me a Comic-Con wouldn't be complete unless I got to see two of my favorite panels and pick up one of my favorite comics from its creator.

Sarah was nice enough to drive me to the Convention center and drop me off around 8:30 am.  You never know what the lines are going to be like, as Saturday is often the only day that some folks can take it in so the place is always mobbed.  Room 6B/C/F has three well attended panels in a row, so I learned a few years ago that if I wanted decent seats for the later panels I had to get there during the first event. After last year I decided that I wanted to get there for the entire thing.

Marvel Animation Studios always shows some clips and often entire episodes of their current television output.  This year we got to see some of Marvel's Avengers: Ultron Revolution, which will feature voice work from some of the cast of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D program.  We were also told that we'd be seeing their own version of Civil Wars. Since the Studio can use all the Marvel characters it would probably differ from the up-coming Captain America: Civil War film.  Following that we caught up with Ultimate Spider-Man who will be going up against the Sinister six, plus take part with other Marvel characters in a version of 'Contest of Champions'. That looks pretty cool!  Finally, we were shown the first part of the two-part Guardians of the Galaxy series premiere, which really has me excited and will probably have me setting the DVR.  I always enjoy this presentation and so it's become one of the panels to which I look forward. During the Q&A segment, the panelist were joined at the end by a young girl dressed as Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), who had to be the most adorable kid at the con. Both panelists and audience members were touched by this. Hats off to the guys from Marvel for making this so special for her. The happiness on her face when she was asked to get on the stage was clearly visible. By the way, if you are a Guardians fan, I recommend you start picking up both the Rocket Raccoon and Groot comics. A lot of fun, but also with moments that remind us of the deep friendship these two have for each other.

The next two panels are moderated by Mark Evanier and have been the things that generally wrap up my convention agenda.  Generally the rest of the day is just wandering around the exhibition hall looking to see if there is anything I forgot or overlooked the first dozen or so times I looked the previous three days.

The first is QUICK DRAW, which features three cartoonists drawing quickly the ideas or phrases that Mark gives them, or are suggested by the audience.  The three always includes Sergion Aragones (MAD magazine, GROO, etc.) and generally Scott Shaw! (Captain Carrot, Annoying Orange, and other funny comics).  As Scott was recovering from medical issues, his place was taken by the legendary Disney animator, Floyd Norman (who was the guest artist last year).  Always a lot of fun and as usual the Room was all but completely filled. Keep in mind that while generally 'family friendly' the artists do sometimes push the envelope.

Following that one was Mark's first of two Cartoon Voices panels he does.  Each has 7-8 professional voice actors who talk about the industry, how they got started and do some of the voices for which they are known.  The last part has the actors read from a script they have not seen before, doing several voices and numerous characters each.  This year it was an abridged version of Wizard of Oz which was wonderful (no pun).

Every year I look forward to stopping by the WCG booth and chatting with artist/writer Randy Reynaldo about his comic ROB HANES ADVENTURES.  I can't recall the exact year I first met Randy, but it had around 1995 or so, since Randy was still publishing the early stories as ADVENTURE STRIP DIGEST featuring Rob Hanes.  It may have been Tony Isabella or another pro that recommended the book to me, since several were already reading and reviewing it.  Rob's stories have the feel of the adventure comic strips that featured Terry & The Pirates, Captain Easy and Steve Canyon.  Lone adventurers who traveled to exotic ports, met beautiful women and nasty villains.  Randy has taken that style and brought it to the current day.  The past few years, Randy has only been publishing about one book a year, plus keeping the older stories available in trade paperbacks. This year tracking down Randy was my final 'must do' at the convention, so it was good finding him at his booth where we could chat for a few minutes and catch up. Go to the WCG website, sample some of the digital material there and order some copies.  Tell him that Steve sent you.

Sorry that this thing took as many days to get through as the convention, but there was just so much going on that I couldn't possibly get it all into a couple of blogs.  Hope you enjoyed at least some of it.

San Diego Comic-Con 2015 - Part Four of My Journey (Best day ever!)

We're finally getting to one of the most remarkable days I have ever had at SDCC, or just about any convention I've attended.  Hey, I've been going to various pop culture conventions (SF, Horror/Fantasy, Mystery, Comics) since 1976 and have some great times. This whole convention was extra special since it was the first one I was able to share with Kristina & Sarah.  Dan and I always have had fun at these.  This past Friday just shot to the top of my list by about half way through and went over the top by the end.  I hope I can just give you a hint at how remarkable it was.

We got to the Hall H line around 6:30 am on Friday.  Of course, we started further back than when we were there the previous night, as a number of folks had stayed even after receiving their wristbands. I will admit, being the Doubting Thomas I always am, that I started off wondering if we were still going to gain admittance into the Hall.  The bands themselves say on them that the possession of the band did not guarantee admission.  Fortunately, my three companions talked me down after the line eventually began moving and we could actually see the tents were we would spend the final half hour or so.  For the most part the crowd was well behaved, if a little rowdy towards the end.  Line holders and not staff were the first to report someone for breaking into the line. A few minutes later he was being escorted away by Security to the cheers of many.

I have to admit that once the line was moving and we were snaking around under the tents, everything was well organized and I have to salute the SDCC staff and volunteers for being so professional and organized.  The thousands of line standers were gathered into smaller groups and that hundred or so were then allowed into the convention center and into the hall.  We were then seated as we entered and ended up with decent seats towards the rear and in the center with the screens above us allowing us a great view of the actual stage and anything shown on the screens.

After a brief introduction and welcome the first program was announced. The Hall H program began, as it always does, with the Annual Animation Show of Shows. Ron Diamond, who has moderated this event at SDCC and animation festivals around the country, announced that the Show of Shows would begin being presented in theaters as well.  The shorts included FEAST (everybody loves the dog), DUET, LOVE IN THE TIME OF MARCH MADNESS and a new cartoon by Bill Plympton, THE LONELIEST STOP LIGHT.  They ranged from amusing to heart-breaking, with a wide-range of animation styles.  I highly recommend trying to hunt these down and perhaps checking out the Show of Shows Facebook page.

The next two panels were hosted by Chris Hardwick (Nerdist, The Talking Dead), who was the perfect choice. The Walking Dead panel featured over a half dozen of the regulars who played Rick, Carl, Carol, Michone, Abraham, Glenn, Daryl, Sasha and Morgan.  Everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun and the trailer for the up-coming season looks pretty good.  This was followed by the WD spin-off, Fear The Walking Dead.  The new series takes place in Los Angeles, rather than in Atlanta and the surrounding area.  It also begins, for regular TWD fans, in the weeks during which Rick lies in a coma. Some of the cast including Rueben Blades, Mercedes Mason, Cliff Curtis and others appeared talking about the show and the trailer of the first season.  This series will show how the disease began to spread and how things fell apart in the days and weeks prior to the Walking Dead series opener.  It looks pretty good, even though some complained that it looked more like a family drama than the horror series the original has always been.

After a brief break one of the other major panels began, this being that for Game of Thrones.  It was a surprise, at least to me, to see Seth Myers come out as host for the panel.  He was funny and kept the questions brief, whether from his own list or from the audience members lucky enough to get to the mike. This presentation was eagerly awaited by a good portion of the crowd, but having not seen the entire last season, I had plenty of spoilers blown.  Of course, the big one had been all over social media and was pretty hard to ignore. Thanks, Interwebs!  Some of those attending were Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, John Bradley, Liam Cunningham and Gwendoline Christie (who would show up at a later panel, as you can imagine).  The panel was entertaining, but a lot of folks were disappointed in that there was no trailer for the new season and the panelists had apparently been told not to discuss much of what we were going to see.  One cool thing was a video showing GoT references and jokes that appeared on other TV shows.  This included Kit Harington appearing as Jon Snow in a skit on Myer's late night show.  Unfortunately folks were limited in learning much new, although while the show's writers kept telling us that a certain character was in fact extremely dead, some cast members hinted at other things.  Going to give this a mixed review, but overall it was cool seeing the cast.

Initially we had talked about taking a break during the next panel, called Enterainment Weekly: Brave New Warriors, which was comprised of male actors from various shows talking about how they got started and telling stories about some of the shows and films they worked on.  I admit that only a couple were familiar to me.  They were Zachary Levi (Heroes Reborn), Sam Heughan (Outlander), Jordan Gavaris (Orphan Black), Kevin Durand (The Strain), Rob Kazinsky (The Frankenstein Code) and Michael Cudlitz (Abraham on The Walking Dead). Only Durand and Cudlitz are in shows I watch currently.  Between this panel and the one for WD, I now consider Cudlitz one of my favorite actors on TV.  He was just so cool and very revealing about some of his early career.  In fact, everyone on the stage had some funny stories to share about their careers.  At one point, in response to an audience question, the discussion became very serious while a number of the men revealed how they or friends had been propositioned or used sexually in order to get roles. I'm really glad that we stayed and I have new respect for everyone who appeared.

At 5:30 pm the panel that I would say most of the folks in the Hall (and certainly the four of us) had been waiting for began. Chris Hardwick came on again, initially introducing Kathleen Kennedy, director J. J. Abrams and writer Lawrence Kasdan. They talked about how excited they were and showed a short video on the history of Star Wars had at SDCC.  Pretty cool seeing some of the older photos, including ones from the 1976 convention where SW was introduced and I was in attendance. Also shown was a 'behind the scenes' look at the making of the film. This included some actual scenes, a few snippets of interviews with cast members and some bits showing cast & crew working on various segments of the movie. I don't know your reaction was to seeing the intial teaser trailer ending with the appearance of Han and Chewie, but I don't think I was the only person in the crowd holding back tears as we watched this new footage.  Hardwick began introducing some members of the new film, beginning with the new characters. Daisey Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac came on representing the "Light" they spoke briefly. This was followed by the 'Dark' side which included  Gwendoline Christie (for her second panel of the day), Adam Driver (who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but on this stage) and Domhnall Gleeson.  They all had a few words to say, but didn't give away much about their characters, understandably. Finally, the 'legacy cast' was introduced with Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill coming out to a huge reaction from the crowd.  They were talking about being back as the iconic characters and what it was like working with the new cast.  At about this point, Hardwick asked J.J. how Harrison Ford was doing and if he was recovered. J.J. looked out into the crowd leaned into the mike and said, "Why don't you ask him yourself?"  You can imagine the crowd jumping to their feet as Ford came up on stage, with no cane of seeming limp. Hardwick opened the floor to questions and while we didn't learn many plot points and some questions asked seemed to be met with non-responses, it was still great and I don't think many folks at that point regretted standing in line all that time. It was a pretty good way to end thing.

As some folks were actually getting up to leave, J.J. asked everyone if they loved the music of Star Wars. That got a round of applause.  He then said how great it would be to attend a live concert of SW music.  I think like others I was expecting him to announce an upcoming event. When he then said that he was inviting everyone in the Hall to follow him and the cast for a live concert the place erupted. I looked over at Kristina and like the rest of us she appeared stunned.  We were told to peacefully go out the exits towards the front of the hall and we would be given lanyards for
admission.

It was so amazing with the limos of the cast members driving past escorted by members of the 501st Stormtroopers.  Both Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridly (quicking becoming a favorite) hanging out their windows high-fiving and yelling to the crowd as they passed us. The stadium down by the water quickly filled but we were able to make our way down towards the front near the side of the stage, We had great views of the three large screens (where the orchastra and scenes from the film were shown as the San Diego Symphony Orchastra played the well-known music of John Williams. There was a DJ playing music (non-SW) and revving up the crowd, before many of the the cast members , along with Kathleen Kennedy and J.J. came out with light sabers to greet the crowd a final time.  Many of them 'dueled' with those in the front of the stage (as lightsabers were given out if you wished) both as they came out and later as they left.  The next hour or so was to amazing and moving to put into words.  I felt like weeping a few times and saw I was not the only one in the crowd feeling the same way.  As the last piece was being played and the sky darkened a fireworks display began over the harbor.  Truly magical!

That wrapped up the most incredible day that I have ever experienced at any convention and the fact that I could share it with Kristina, Sarah and Dan made it even more so.  I promise to wrap this up tomorrow with the last few panels I attended on Saturday.

San Diego Comic-Con 2015 - Part Three of My Journey

Sorry that this is going way over what I had planned.  I keep thinking of things as I write, plus I'm known for rambling on about the smallest details.  I sometimes bore myself.

On Wednesday, Dan and I had dropped in at Full Circle Tattoo to set up an appointment.  I had gotten a tattoo at another place the previous year, but the artist who had worked on it was no longer there.  Besides, Kristina had gone to Full Circle once before and she liked the parlor and the artists. Kristina was also going to be the one to escort me there, while Dan and Sarah held our places in line.

The choice of the tattoo had been an on-going discussion since I got the original anchor last year.  I loved it and have had folks say nice things about it.  After the fact, I can see that the only problem was placement on my arm, which had been my spur of the moment decision. It is way too high and is hard to see even in some sleeveless shirts I own.

I had considered the idea of having Hellboy or his glove, as well as a Popeye and even a ship. Finally, I decided, with input from the family on getting a ship's wheel with crashing waves.  I discussed the artwork with artist Johnny Bones and with a few minor changes we picked the size and placement of the new ink.  While my first tat had taken less than an hour, this badboy took closer to two.  I'm not ashamed to admit that there were moments there when I wanted to just put a stop to the process, just leave the outline and skip the color work.  When it was finally over however I was happy that I had gone through with it.  Kristina was great keeping me calm and documenting the process.  I'll skip some of the bloodier stuff and just show you the finished product.

We were back in line before 7:30 pm and told that they would begin handing out wristbands to those in line shortly.  Of course, you had to show that you actually had a badge and folks had to vouch for others that they had been standing in line and not simply jumping in.  It was probably around 9:00 pm that Volunteers actually began handing out the bands.  Once you had them you were told that you had two options.  The first was that you could stay in line over night, thereby ensuring you were going to be at the front of Hall H as that is how they sit you moving folks to the front of the room and filling it in.  The second choice was that you could leave, but had to return before 7:30 am on Friday, to be guaranteed a seat even with a band.

The four of us were pretty exhausted at this point and opted to head back home.  This time around we had decided to forego mass transit and with the car service, Uber. We had used them that morning and I want to thank the fine folks at the Unofficial San Diego Comic-Con Blog for putting out a code that gave you a free ride after you registered with Uber.  We used all our free rides over the three days and even used another service called Lyft a few times.  It seemed that a lot of the Uber drivers also worked for Lyft, and you saw stickers for both on a number of cars pulling into hotels and other pick-up locations. Most of the drivers we had for both companies were very nice, with only one exception who was a complete jerk and got a pretty crummy review when we got home.

It looks like we'll have a couple more of these to get through, so I hope you'll stick around.

San Diego Comic-Con 2015 - Part Two of my journey

I should start this out with an admission.  It was never my initial intent to try for a pass to Hall H.  That was an idea that Dan and Kristina decided upon, then bringing poor Sarah into the project.  Steve had no intention of sitting for hours in the weather hoping for a chance to sit in a room for 8 or 9 hours. No way!  There were so many panels and so much stuff he wanted to check out.  Of course, as Donna will tell you, this guy can be talked into just about anything by his step-daughter. It began as a promise to get me a pass and eventually I found myself signing on for the long-haul.

Things were off to an early start on Thursday morning.  As usual with Comic-con there are always lines to get into for just about everything from panels to restrooms and even the overpriced food court and food carts.  Sadly, this was a year I lacked the forethought to pack any munchies or time to head into the Gaslamp, so the carts and Food Express (or whatever it's called) were pretty much my only option.  I stopped going to Starbucks at the convention center years ago, as they do not accept the Starbucks card, plus the coffee at Mrs. Fields is better and the cookies outstanding.  Also, back at the food court, FIVE BUCKS for basically half a corn dog? Seriously??

To be completely honest, most of the coffee I was drinking over those days was from the Pro Lounge, which as usual was a great place to get away from the crowds for a bit.  Free coffee, hot water for tea, and even lemonade, plus outlets where you can recharge your devices make the place an oasis in the convention center.  Thanks again to Comic-Con for offering this to us.

Anyway, any chance to get into Hall H means at least a half-day in line. So we all took time during the day standing and sitting down by the water hoping to gain entry on Friday.

At least the weather was better than it had been the night before.  Some folks had been camping out for the past couple of days and it was beginning to look and smell like a homeless encampment.  Still folks mostly seemed to be in good spirits and we once again were treated to the endless droning of fan boys & girls speculating and pontificating on all types of useless trivia.  Poor Sarah was probably the most lost since this isn't really her cup of tea.  Dan and I have learned to tune it out and keep the eye-rolling to a minimum. While Sarah was keeping watch on The Wall, the rest of us were out and about in the convention center.

I was able to jump into a few panels. I caught the "Wrath of Con Bloggers" where Tony B. Kim (Crazy 4 Comic Con), Megan Gotch (The Nerdy Girlie), Leonard Sultana (An Englishman in San Diego) and Alyssa Franks (Friends of CCI) talked about what had gotten them started in blogging and gave tips to folks just starting out.  It seemed that over half the attendees had either already begun blogging or were hoping to start.  It's hard to believe that I've been doing this for so long.  In some cases almost twice as long as those on the panel. I started my first blog back in 2003.  Still it was entertaining.

My next panel was by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fun (CBLDF) called, Spinner Rack Revolution: The Secret History of Free Speech in Magazine Comics. Alex Cox, Deputy Director of CBLDF, gave a quick history of the censorship movement that led to the development of the Comics Code Authority (CCA) and its impact on the industry.  Fans know a lot of this already, about how the crew at EC comics (basically, all but pushed out of the industury by the CCA) began putting together MAD first as a four-color comic, and eventually turning it into a B&W magazine to avoid the code.  He then quickly covered the B&W magazines from Warren and others, including Marvel.

It seemed that the '60s were changing comics and in spite of the CCA, artists were working to improve them. The creators of this period allowed to do things without the restrictions imposed on the four-color monthly pamphlets many of them had been working on for years. Eventually some of the artists and writers from those publications going out on their own to develop what came to be known as the 'undergrounds'.  As publishers and creative types saw what they were capable of they began pushing the boundaries of what they could get by the Code.  Eventually, as companies began dropping the CCA stamp from their books it was inevitable that it would lead to the elimination of the code and greater freedom we see in today's mainstream.  Sadly, a technical glitch cut the presentation short and wouldn't allow many of the graphics to be displayed. Even so it was an interesting presentation and the CBLDF deserves our thanks for all the great work they do.

Sorry, about that! Didn't mean to digress, as they say.

I had planned on hitting a few more panels, but I had to get to a CVS as I had run out of Tylenol and also had promised to pick up other stuff for folks. As usual at Comic-con my left ankle (injured first playing soccer in Jr. High and later in the Navy when a charged hose got loose, hitting me in the same ankle) was hurting.  Even without the constant walking and standing it goes out on me on occasion.   Plus I had to be back to meet up by 3:00 pm as Kristina was going to be my moral support when I went to get my second tattoo.

This is going to take longer than I thought, so I'll try to get back tomorrow to finish up at least Thursday and get a start on the big events on Friday.

San Diego Comic-con International 2015 - One Fan's Experience

Just to start off I want to say that this San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) ranks in my mind as possibly the best experience as a whole I have ever had. There have been some great moments during the dozen or more cons I've attended but overall this has to be #1 and I can't imagine any other coming close.  I owe that to my wife Donna for letting me attend once again. I'm a very lucky guy.  Next I need to mention that my step-daughter, Kristina, her wife Sarah and our friend Dan had to be the best con-going buddies I've ever had.  Dan and I have been to several together, but being with Kristina and Sarah made it extra special.  Neither had ever been to a SDCC, or any other comic convention, so seeing it through their eyes was a nice change.

I started out on Wednesday with a nice train ride down to San Diego.  I recommend the Amtrak Business Class seats with their free coffee and danish.  Get to relax, enjoy the room and get the caffeine and sugar rush you'll need for the rest of the day.  Also on the plus side was that I wasn't close to your know-in-all fanboy who decides that everyone in the car should be aware of how much trivial knowledge he has of everything. It might as well be the same guy every year.  Of course, I did end up with him in just about every line I stood in and even a few panels where he felt his commentary was more entertaining than whatever was happening up on the stage.   While that guy, and sometimes gal, is far from your typical fan that seems to be the one that non-fans encounter thereby giving the rest of us a bad name.

Dan was nice enough to pick me up at the train station and we grabbed a nice lunch at the Park House Eatery in University Heights.  I really have to recommend the BLT Bloody Mary's if you drop by and they are just what you imagine.

We met up with Kristina and Sarah at their home later. The four us decided to give San Diego mass transit a try and caught the Green Line down near the Charger's stadium.  Haven't been there since I saw them get their butts kicked by the Jets, which was also a lot of fun. The trains were on time and clean, which was a pleasant change from many of my subway rides on the MTA back in the day.

You can imagine the lines outside the convention center, even for Preview Night.  We had to split up as Dan & Kristina had regular tickets, while Sarah and I headed over to Pro registration. The line was still long, but certainly not as crazy as many I've had to stand in at other cons. After we got out tickets I happened to spot Mark Evanier, who I have known for a number of years. I was actually surprised to not see him with Sergio Aragones, as the two of them often seem attached at every SDCC.  

We four met up finally and began what would be a weekend of standing in one line or another for exclusives or panels.  One of the fun parts was that neither Kristina or Sarah had ever been to a comic convention before, so Comic-con was certainly a great way to introduce them to such events. My first SDCC was in 1975 and was my second con, but even then it was far bigger than the one I had attended months earlier on a Saturday at a local high school.

One of the places we hit was the Super 7 booth.  If you knew about it you could approach one of the folks there and ask "where can I get a coin?"  You'd then be handed a plastic silver coin with the head of Skeletor on it and a postcard with the address of their 'secret store' which opened later in the night.

Then it was time to head over to the Blind Burro for drinks and Mexican food.  I highly recommend the place. Be sure to get the chips and salsa that's made on the site and they keep refilling.

Unfortunately, even though we got to the 'secret store' a bit after they opened the line was clear around the building and up the next block. In close to an hour we just got around the corner and part of the way to the store.  It was after 10:00 pm and all of us were getting tired, had to make sure to get to the trolleys before they stopped running, plus it had started to mist.

So ends Preview Night at SDCC 2015.  I'll have more to say about the next few days we spent beginning tomorrow and possibly the day after.