Here are some more pics I took this weekend at the con:
Bobba Fett, king of all bounty hunters makes a requisite appearance.
Spidermen, spidermen, friendly neighborhood Spider-Men....
Heroes superstar Jeph Leob signing on Friday
My friend George poses with Spidey's ex-girlfriend
Well, just got back from San Diego Comic con, I am exhausted so i will post a bit now and continue at a later time, but suffice it to say that I had a blast. I do have one minor complaint but won't get into that now. Since Kathy was eager to hear some reports about what went on. Here's a brief recap:
-Speaking to Brian Posehn at the Image booth, (yes he's that weird guy from Just Shoot me) he told me that there will be a sequel to his "Last Christmas" comic book and that there is a deal in development to make a feature based on the series. His Image comic booth cronies were sort of condescending, asking if I was interviewing him for a small press, but mr. Posehn graciously answered all my questions
-The Smallville panel on saturday featured first look at the new Supergirl joining the cast next season played by engaging blond actress Laura Vandervoort, the producers informed us that she will be giving Clark flying lessons. Phill Morris, who plays the Martian Manhunter was an eloquent and frequent contributor while much was made of the fact the JLA members, old and new will be returning. Green Arrow will be back in the middle of the season and Louis and Clark ’s Dean Caine will play a bad guy in episode four.
The biggest news to come out of the panel was the affirmation that Bruce Wayne will never put in an appearance due to legal issues having to do with the re-launching of the Batman franchise. “It’s never going to happen,” said the show’s producers though they added they would keep on trying to work Wonder Woman into the mix. Personally, I find Smallville to be mostly boring, with one or two good mind blowing comics related episodes a season before reverting to Dawson ’s Creek territory. However, Bizarro Clark is cool.
The biggest news to come out of the Joss Whedon panel for Buffy the Vampire Slayer enthusiasts was the writer sharing that a deal is finally in the works to develop a BBC 90 minute movie entitled “Ripper” based on the Rupert Giles character. This brought an enthusiastic response from the packed room.
Other news: Joss and former Buffy writer Drew Goddard have scripted a horror film together called A Cabin in the Woods.
Oz is supposed to return to the Buffy comic season 8 series from Dark Horse, but it isn’t determined when. A season 9 of the comic book is also in the works.
Though Joss is still working on comics, finishing his runs on Astonishing X-Men and Runaways, he admits most of his time is taken up by Goners studio re-writesand he promises to do something with Fray.
Sorry Angel fans, there appears to be no movie project in the works because as Joss put it, “Sarah and David both have jobs and they are moving on with their careers.”
However, The Angel "After the Fall" comic will be a 12 issue maxi-series that will reveal what happened after Season 5's climactic battle with Wolfram and Hart. And, Serenity's collector's edition with extras and other cool stuff on DVD will debut on August 21st. There's a whoooole lot more, but that's all I have time for now.
Comic-con preperations continue to be made for this weekend. I reserved my 3 day stay in San Diego. I had to send out some cash to reserve the room. I almost fell to the floor when I heard how much Western Union fees were. Had I known I would have sent out a money order through the U.S. Postal Service. Live and Learn I guess! The good news is that I am going to be rooming with people who will also be attending the con and they have a car so I may save some money on trasportation to the convention center.
Meanwhile, ICv2.com posted sales estimates based on Diamond Indexes and publisher titles for the month of June. I read 7 out of the top 10 comics last month. I even reviewed a lot of them. Here are some recaps:
10. Buffy the Vampire Slayer #4 (Dark Horse)
Here's my review in case you missed it! I'm thrilled that Buffy cracks the top 10, especially good for a book that has only been around for 4 issues and is put out by a smaller publisher. If the reprints are any indication, this book is flying off shelves no small part due to Buffy's contiuing popularity and Joss' writing.
9. Incredible Hulk #107 (Marvel)
Well, I didn't officially review this title but my impression is that Marvel is doing a terrific job with the World War Hulk storyline. This issue's cover with the Hulk in armor fighting Hercules is a great one. This summer's plotline follows Planet Hulk and ties into Frontline and the main series. The writing by Pak is terrific and Gary Frank draws a mean Hulk, I haven't picked up an issue of old greenskin in years and this is just the story to start doing so because it's a lot of fun.
8. Amazing Spiderman #541 (Marvel)
Didn't review this one officially either but I have been following the book ever since the unmasking in CW #2 and it's been a fun read. "Back in Black" is a great story arc and it's fun to see all the various artists rendering Spidey's black costume once again. Unfortunately, out of all of Stracynzki's post CW stories, this is the weakest because the suspense is muted. Spidey is going after the Kingpin for shooting aunt May, but we all know that Spidey won't kill Kingpin so it's setting up an anticlimatic ending. That coupled with the fact we really can't feel for Aunt May's condition since she's been in mortal danger, and even died once before, makes for a weak climax. However, at least the artwork is decent and I picked it up if only to keep my "Back in black" collection intact.
7. Justice 12 (of 12) (DC)
Not reading this title. Hear it's awesome, but it's not in my pull list.
6. Justice League of America #10 (DC)
No longer picking it up. It started interesting but I grew tired with Meltzer's stye, his narrative is quite slow and there's surprisingly very little action for a team book. The artwork is not enough for me to keep buying it. Countdown is a better read from DC
5. Dark Tower Gunslinger Born #5 (of 7) (Marvel)
I'm impressed this comic is in the top 10. All the non regular comic readers must be buying it. I remember reading the first issue but I am not a big enough fan of the western genre or of Stephen King to buy it regularly.
4. Fallen Son Death of Captain America/Spiderman (Marvel)
Heard this series is impressive and we finally got to see Cap's funeral and Falcon's speech. If I had to start reading a mini series other than Countdown, this along with WW Hulk would top my list.
3. X-Men #200 (Marvel)
I got a preview copy of this one and wrote an advanced review. Here it is if you care to look it over.
2. New Avengers #31 (Marvel)
My love/hate relationship with Bendis' opus almost defies words. However, I tried to put it in words with my review of the following issue.
1. World War Hulk #1 (of 5) (Marvel)
Hulk trashing Black Bolt, going after the Illuminati for shooting him into space and for killing his family and spectacular art work by one of my favorite artists in comics, John Romita Jr. What's not to love?
There you have it, interestingly enough, only one book not published by the two top industry leaders, surprising or sad? I'd like to see Image and a few others get in there.
Booking a room for comic-con this weekend turned out to be harder than solving differential equations (OK maybe not that hard) In addition to this con, which according to the internet is the biggest attraction in the city during the year, there's also an American Idol west audition going on at Qualcomm stadium where the Chargers play and some Del Mar racing event. This means that all the hotels and even the cheap hole in the wall motels plus a number of bed and breakfasts were already booked. I should have made my reservations earlier, but I had no idea how massive this undertaking would be.
Well, it seems this lady in downtown SD is renting a room for about $60 a night so I may have no choice but to go that route. I've been in email communication with her and she says it's in a beautiful residential area only about 20 minutes out from the downtown area.
Now I just have to plan transportation, I'm taking the train or the greyhound into SD because my van won't make it that far and my friend from school couldn't make it. I'm going to have to take a cab from the train/bus station to the house, but that shouldn't be too bad.
Hopefully everything works out
OK so Comic Con in San Diego is taking place next weekend and if all goes right, I should be making my way there without much trouble. I put in for press passes weeks ago and I am starting to get really excited, I mean this is Comic con, it's like the Oscars for our industry and I am planning to cover the event for SBC.
It's not like I planned a vacation this summer so this is the closest that I am going to come as I am still taking my photo class, but this event promises to live up to the hype with the inclusion of the Watchmen movie, the entire cast of Heroes and appearances by Neil Gaiman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and a myriad of other creators and top industry figures.
My friend George from Portland will be meeting me and he should take care of our accomodations and transportation while in San Diego and I think my buddy and Mountaineer co-worker Adam Valenzuela is also making the drive down, so it should be pretty cool. We can even do a live vidcast and reports for the convention floor.
I wish there was time for me to watch the Chargers practice at Balboa park, but seeing the 4 day schedule for the con, I doubt I will have any time to take in any other sights as I have to return to work on Monday, but it should be a great mid-summer road trip.
Commentary: Ah yes. M.O.D.O.K. If you’re a regular reader of Marvel comics, the super villain known by the acronym Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing is a familiar sight. However, if you are new to the world of comics, you may scratch your head with disbelief. A giant head with tiny limbs? What the..?
Whatever the case, M.O.D.O.K. was another fictional concoction conceived by the brilliance of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s prolific partnership during the 60s. First appearing in Tales of Suspense #94, M.O.D.O.K. has been seen opposing the Avengers and other Marvel heroes countless times since. A testament to his longevity is that he is still around four decades later. It seems the best characters always have this kind of staying power.
M.O.D.O.K. is back in this fun new book by Marvel, and the highest compliment I can pay it is that it’s a fun, silly romp. In my estimation, this is what comics should strive to be and Van Lente, Portela and company deliver the goods by crafting a great read in this first outing. Besides bringing to the forefront silly but long lasting outfits of dastardly villainy such as A.I.M., the comic’s credits bring back the convention of giving each creator a ludicrous nickname, just like Stan Lee used to do. If a comic book goes to the trouble of doing this, then you know it can’t be half bad. Put M.O.D.O.K. in a box in the upper left corner, and I will be in fanboy heaven.
From the retelling of George Tarleton’s origin (the average minded A.I.M. scientist who is picked to merge with A.I.M. technology to become the ultimate hybrid of man and machine) to a Mexican wrestling match between Armadillo and a wrestler named Chupacabra, Van Lente doesn’t miss an opportunity to take the reader from the bizarre to the absurd and to set up a fun and light atmosphere from the very onset of the book.
The pacing never lets up from there as we witness the circumstances which lead up to each member of M.O.D.O.K’s 11 team of super villains being recruited for a mysterious assignment which involves traveling to a secret location. The title of the book is undoubtedly a humorous take on the film Ocean’s 11, and the plot involves the reader in a nice little mystery. Are the villains being set up? Is it a trap? Or is there more going on than we and the characters are privy to? Well, getting there is half the fun my friends. Unfortunately, the composition of the team is disappointing. I realize that obscure characters need to be used here, but I was never really excited by the likes of the Rocket Racer, The Purple Man, or Marvin Flunn (A.K.A. Mentallo), but I suppose some of these lesser known characters’ past histories with A.I.M. in the 616 Marvel universe’s continuity necessitate their inclusion in the roster.
As far as the artwork is concerned, Portela’s pencils are nothing spectacular but it suits this comic well whether it is depicting action sequences or more detailed panels focusing on close ups. His style is reminiscent of Steve McNiven, and that’s not a bad thing at all.
This comic book proves that the presence of a big name superhero like Spider-Man or Wolverine isn’t always needed to tell a successful and enjoyable story, though the business side of the comics industry often dictates otherwise, and we may yet see one creep in before the series is done.
Final Word: The bottom line is this is a fun, carefree, and therefore rare comic book, and Van Lente’s script is full of enough levity and winning characterization to insure a pleasant comic reading experience, we should all enjoy the ride while it lasts.
Want to read others? Click here
When I was in High School I pretty much collected two comics almost exclusively: Amazing Spider-Man and The Uncanny X-Men. Over the years, I have read each title on and off, but I have no idea what’s currently going on with UXM while I am pretty much caught up with ASM these days. Two movie franchises have been made from both but while the quality on the comics have dipped a bit, there’s no denying UXM in the 80s and 90s was the strongest title in Marvel’s stable of books.
For my money, nobody wrote better X-Men stories than Chris Claremont and with the recent return of the Marauders in X-Men #200, I thought it would be fun to look back at the issue which introduced them to the world: Uncanny #210. Last month’s issue of X-Factor paid homage to that classic cover. I mean, just look at that gorgeous cover! Minus the cheesy Clint Eastwood reference, that visual alone should get you to pick up the book, but then the story within the cover absolutely blows you away.
Not only was this the prelude to a fantastic storyline in which the Morlocks (mutants living in underground tunnels below New York City) were massacred, but it also features a pretty nifty story about racial intolerance which harkens back to Nightcrawler’s introduction to the team when he was recruited by professor X back in Giant Sized X-Men #1.
Also around this time, the X-Men were dealing with the “threat” of X-Factor. X-Factor wasn’t the same as the team we know of today even though the series was still written by Peter David, their lineup at the time consisted of Beast, Angel, Cyclops, Iceman and Jean Gray, the original X-Men who were “capturing” mutants only to actually train them to use their powers. Claremont masterfully crafts an intriguing character study of Rogue who is handled much better here than on current issues of X-Men and almost as an afterthought, he re-introduces the reader to the threat of the Marauders with some pretty chilling executions of hapless mutants, only a hint of the carnage which was yet to come.
Throw in some pretty impressive artwork by John Romita Jr. and Dan Green and you’ve got yourself one bitching comic book!
I think I'm pretty much done using Myspace. I can no longer stand the hassle. Yesterday, I tried logging into my account only to find out that Tom had locked it. Apparently this has happened to other users in the past, accounts get locked and usually the reason given is due to security when Myspace identifies your myspace has been phished.
I immediately googled the problem and reading other tech blogs discovered that last year a guy using a malicious worm to phish account passwords in an attempt for people to visit his website or to embed a javascript code which ran a porn script was discovered by Myspace and he infected thousands of user accounts.
Well, allegedly, Myspace will also block your account if you use certain words such as "profile" and a few others in a comment or if you use HTML code to send an image in a message to a friend. This is absolutely ridiculous, I don't know if that's the reason my account was locked (because I sent my friend an image of a birthday cake on her birthday WTF?) but that seems like a real lame security protocol. They should be able to tell the difference between harmless HTML code and something harmful like a virus or bad script. What's worse is, instead of running an internal forum on their servers to inform users, Tom will post stupid messages like this on your page:
Then, if you try to unlock your account it's a whole other hassle because you have to change your password (which I would not mind, though I've read of users who have had to change their password up to 10 times! are you kidding me??) and type in a verification code which doesn't even appear on my browser. At first I thought it was Firefox, but I switched to Microsoft and still the code would not show up. ARGGG!!!
Damned Myspace. My account is currently still locked. I enjoy the flexibility of having all my friends in one place instead of having to dig out individual emails but not at the cost of all the current spam which is going on these days at Myspace.com and not if I have to jump through hoops to use the network. If this is so much trouble to use, who needs it? Here's a link to one of many articles which details similar problems.
