Read "Black Terror: Wednesday at the Diner" by McClelland and Roberts for free!

It's kind of weird putting my own name in the title of one of these posts.  But I do it for the Google.

Recently, Rafer Roberts (he of FUBAR, Magic Bullet and Plastic Farm fame) and I put together a short comic featuring several public domain stalwarts from the Golden Age of comics.  World War II was almost 75 years ago, and the fighting members of that great generation, those who are still alive, are in their 90s at least.  Superhero comics as we know them today owe much of their existences to the WWII era, so I thought it'd be fun to write a story about a few survivors from the first age of superhero comics.

Superman obviously wasn't available, but many comics, now nearly forgotten, feature characters who have since passed into the public domain and are free for anyone to use.  Thanks in part to the Dynamite series "Project Superpowers", some of those characters have made their way back into the public spotlight, at least a little, notably the Black Terror and a few others.  Along with BT, I picked up the Silver Streak, Mr. Q, The Fighting Yank and the Martian Mentalist for this story about some old folks meeting for breakfast at a diner.

Rafer, of course, knocked the story out of the park with his attention to detail and his expressive characters.  The plan is to print this story in the back of an upcoming issue of Teddy and the Yeti, but for now we've posted it, in its seven-page entirety, online and free for anyone to read.

Check it out here: http://plasticfarm.tumblr.com/post/95728114187/black-terror-wednesday-at-the-diner-written-by

Spread the word, please.

Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash comic store in Red Bank, NJ

I took a trip this weekend to visit some family near Allentown, PA (famous for the Billy Joel song and NOTHING ELSE), and while I was there we managed a little day trip to New York and surrounding areas.  My brother-in-law, great guy that he is, mentioned that the Kevin Smith owned comic shop, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, was nearby, so an impromptu side trip was quickly undertaken!  Below are some pictures of the shop, which was a pretty neat place.

While I'm not Kevin Smith's biggest fan in the world, I have seen most of his movies and I've enjoyed more than a few (the night before, thought, I watched Red State and MAN was it dark!).  I also think that, despite the fact that he does tend to reuse plot points and character traits, and despite his lack of ability to stick to a deadline, I think he's good for the comic industry and I have enjoyed most of his work.  His Green Arrow run from, what, 10 years ago (?) remains a favorite for me.

You've got to admit, however you feel about the man, it's pretty cool that he owns his own comic book shop.  The above two pictures are, of course, from outside the shop in Red Bank, New Jersey.  Red Bank was a pretty hip place all around, it seemed, and we spent some time in town afterwards.

One of the first things you see when entering the shop is this sign from Clerks.  There were props and memorabilia from a number of Smith's movies all over the place, which was pretty neat.  It beats storing them in some garage for years on end.

Here's the front of the store, complete with New Jersey Devils banners and framed Batman comics.  Smith supposedly works in the store from time to time (i.e. whenever he feels like it), though he wasn't there this day.  I wonder how often he does come in with the amount of time he spends directing and filming.

The store seemed pretty big for a comic shop, which allowed for the showcase areas with movie and comic props.  There was a hefty supply of comics written by Smith at the front of the store, some of which he had signed.  These were on sale for no extra charge, which I thought was pretty thoughtful of the guy.

The back of the store was a little more unorganized, with comics and props in random places as if this part was still under construction.  Even so, there were some neat, bigger items in the back such as outfits from Clerks II.

And look!  Here's Mooby the Golden Calf from Dogma and a number of movies.

I'd like to think that Jesus is my buddy, too.  I wonder who designed this thing.

In Mallrats (featuring an appearance with Stan Lee, in which he's asked about the Thing's junk), Jason Lee's character hangs out at the local comic shop and eventually owns one (if I'm remembering correctly...it's been a long time since I've seen it).  Surrounding this display were lots of comic book parodies from the movie, such as the one directly below...

...yep.  I'm not sure what else needs to be said about it.  But since it's a Fantastic Four parody, I had to take a picture.

On one side of the store, above the back issue bins of comics, there are what I assume to be original Alex Ross paintings.  Smith currently writes a Green Hornet comic for Dynamite Entertainment and Ross does the covers, which explains the connection.  It was pretty cool to see these, which were placed so inconspicuously that I almost didn't see them.

I ended up buying a couple things, including these two autographed Batman comics.  I said it before, but it bears repeating: it's cool that the guy comes in, signs some of his stuff, and then sells it without marking it up in price at all.  This was a cool, unique shop, and I had a good time looking at all of the original comic art, movie props and general merchandise.  And the place was jumpin' when I was there, too!  If you're ever near Red Bank, NJ, stop in and see it for yourself.

Oh, and I found lots of Mug Cream Soda in nearby Staten Island.  I bought a lot of it.  Dear Pepsi, sell Mug Cream Soda in the Pittsburgh area so I don't have to travel to New York to buy it!  Love, Jeff.

Alex Ross at the Warhol - appreciation for the man, frustration with the exhibit

Today was the big day for Alex Ross's "Heroes & Villains" exhibit at the Andy Warhol Museum on Pittsburgh's North Shore.  I decided on which books I should take and got in the car a little before 12:30, drove through the Fort Pitt tunnels and parked along Sandusky Street, right across the way from the museum.

As I walked through the front doors, I was greeted with a sign that said "'Heroes & Villains' Exhibit open to the public beginning at 8pm" or something to that effect, which was disconcerting.  I entered the main hall and saw a few dozen others lounging around, many holding comics and similar items which made it clear that they were there for the same reason I was.  I made my way to the front desk and asked about the exhibit, at which point I was told that the only people who could see the exhibit before 8:00 in the evening were those who purchased $250 tickets to the private tour.

I found this to go against everything I had seen on the Warhol Museum website and elsewhere in the days leading up to the event, and when I told the woman at the desk this, she wearily turned to a man in the background and said "what are doing about that again?", which led me to believe that others entered with the same understanding I had.  I spoke with another employee and voiced my displeasure at, well, not being allowed in to see the event for which I showed up, but the best answer I got was that I must have mistaken the information on the website or got it from a different, more unreliable source.  Below are screenshots from the site specific to the exhibit:

...and from the page with hours of operation:

So...I'm not sure what I was missing.  But just as the squeaky wheel gets the grease, I apparently pointed out my misgivings long/obstinately enough and scored some free passes for a return trip.  I got the impression that others at the show were similarly placated.

It's nice to know that I'll be seeing the exhibit at a later date for free, but I can't help but wonder why, even if there wasn't a miscommunication, Ross's exhibit wasn't open from the start of the business day.  Ross, as (correctly) advertised, held a book signing in the main lobby at 3:00.  My eyeball estimate of the crowd that showed up for the signing was a couple hundred people, fewer than 20 of whom took the private tour at 1:30.  While a number of the people there (myself included) bought items from the gift shop, I can't help but think that a solid percentage would have also bought a ticket to see the exhibit if given the chance - but as it was, many stood in line, got some signatures and left without paying a dime to the museum.

As it worked out, I waited in line to see Ross from about 1:30 until 3:00, at which time he walked in accompanied by a few guards and some of the museum staff.  The line moved fairly briskly, with some friendly conversation being exchanged between Ross and attendees.  I made it to the front of the line in about 15 minutes, and I had all the drama captured on flim:

JUST LOOK HOW EXCITED THE GIRL NEXT TO ALEX ROSS IS!!  Fantastic.

There was a two-item limit on signatures, though I cheated a bit and had my wife carry an extra book to get signed.  I eventually decided upon the Mythos hardcover, Earth X #1 and Kingdom Come #1.  Ross was very cordial and seemed (in the 30 seconds I was in front of him) like a nice guy.

Naturally, I brought copies of Teddy and the Yeti #s 1-3 with me and gave them to Ross.  He remarked on the title and then noticed that Phil Hester drew the first cover.  Five minutes afterwards I made the connection, but at the time I only said something stupid like "yep!"  Ross (obviously) worked with Hester on several Dynamite titles like Black Terror, which I thought was the Project Superpowers line's strongest book.  I could have mentioned that Phil was our one degree of comic book separation or asked if that line would eventually continue now that Kirby: Genesis seems to have taken its publication space, but at the time I was just happy that he took the books and seemed to appreciate them.

Here are two of the signatures I got: first on the inner cover/first page of Mythos, then on Earth X:

As I mentioned, I did pick up some swag while there.  The museum store must have stocked up for the exhibit, because they had a number of collections with Ross's work (the cafe had recent issues of books like Invaders: Now to read!) and a lot of comic-themed items in general.  I left with the following:

- A "Heroes & Villains" comic book: this Silver Age sized book isn't really a comic in its usual sense; rather it's a brief history of Ross and some of his influences.  It has the feel of a newsletter but is still pretty cool.
- An Andy Warhol bookmark featuring Ross's painting.  I was handed a few when I got to the table for the signing.
- A Fantastic Four magnet with the cover to issue #49
- Two Fantastic Four stickers, including one of the Thing and his catchphrase.

Overall, I had a nice time.  Obviously, it would have been nice to get to enter the exhibit today, and I'm still a little put off by the lack of clarification on the museum staff's part.  But I still managed to meet one of the most talented and recognizable creators in comics today, and I was able to leave him with some work of my own.  I'll take that for what it's worth and look forward to coming back at some point in the next few weeks.