Dark Knight Returns filming at Heinz Field - pictures galore!

When comic book movies come to theaters, I sometimes write reviews of them.  It's at this point that I realize that I'm a sucker just like everyone else - the movie industry produces 100-minute films, more bad than good and often aimed at the lowest common denominator, and proceeds to charge outrageous fees to experience them, banking on the fact that I've been indoctrinated like everyone else into accepting movies as an ingrained part of the American experience or whatever.  Big, leather chairs, the center row, a $10 tub of popcorn?  It's all part of the "experience", but like someone who has realized that the Matrix is real (there's irony in this statement), I like to think that I'm aware of the grip that the entertainment industry has on us and can thus avoid such terrible movie experiences by just not going to see most of them.  But then crapfests like the Green Lantern movie or Amazing Spider-Man comes out and hey!  I go and see them because they're both comic book movies.  I even watched Bulletproof Monk.

Suffice it to say, I don't feel the need to write a review for the Dark Knight Rises.  Because it was AWESOME.  Christopher Nolan should write/direct/produce/ingest every single movie from now until forever, because here's the thing separating his movies from most others, and certainly most comic book movies: Nolan's movies are actually good.  Dark Knight Rises is no exception.  It's fantastic.  If you haven't gone to see it, do it and join in with apparently the only thing we here in America can agree on: watching stuff on a screen.

A while ago, I wrote a big ol' post about my experience on the set of the movie, some of which filmed in Pittsburgh.  I got called to be an extra in a few different scenes, but for different reasons (mostly because everyone wanted to be in this) I only made it to one day, the huge Heinz Field scene with Hines Ward running away from exploding things.  I didn't post pictures of the field (except for the "Batman Parking" sign at the very top, which was hilarious, trust me) at the time because of the potential, ah hem, legal repercussions we were all constantly made aware of.  I believe that with the movie out for over a month now, the litigious period has passed, so I wanted to post what pictures taken this day.

Seeing these pictures reminds me of what a crappy phone I used to have and how reliable my Camry was.  Both of those have left this world.  On to pictures!

Directly above is a blurry image of the bus that shuttled us from the parking lot to Heinz Field, home of the six time Super Bowl champion (this season, we rev up for #7) Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ur...

Well, suffice it to say that I saw plenty of cameras, logos, Steelers gear and Batman paraphernalia all day.  Not much you can do with 14,000 extras on set.

This was my view of the field, otherwise known as "the place that had absolutely no shot of getting on camera.  The raised area of the field caused much speculation.  The consensus was that the movie would include a "No Man's Land"-style earthquake, which didn't happen, of course.  Note the Gotham Rogues logo on the 50 yard line.

Here's a cloudy picture, but for the most day it was sunny and very, very hot.  We all had to wear jackets and long pants because this was supposed to take place during the winter.  Lots of sweaty people were milling about.  You could see the huge UPMC logo on the scoreboard during the movie.  I thought they'd maybe change it to UGMC or something, but no big deal.

Most of the Steelers left after the first few shots, but players from both sides hung around all day.  Bill Cowher even shouted at the crowd for half an hour or so.  Oh, Cowher.

As a treat, the movie Tumblers rolled around the field at one point.  It's neat to know that they're functional as far as driving is concerned.  They looked really cool.

All of the little hills on the field are the explosives for the upcoming scene.

Hines Ward even got to ride on top of one for a while.  Why?  Because he's Hines Ward, Super Bowl XL MVP and future Hall of Famer.  That's why.

The debris on the field is the remnants of the explosives.  All of them went off but one, which caused some consternation with the effects crew.  The guy on the right is swinging one of the faux Terrible Towels that were handed out to everyone as he or she entered the stadium.

At the end of the day, one person in the crowd won a car.  Tom Hardy, in full Bane costume, called out the number and took a picture with the winner.  It was weird.

There was a brief rain shower toward the end of the day.  You can see Bane on the Jumbotron, scaring the rain back into the clouds.

At the end of the day, as they were clearing out most of the stadium, I walked over to the end zone, otherwise known as "the section that DID get on camera, and why the heck didn't I just leave my section to come here in the first place because it would be impossible to know who's supposed to be where, and I could have got a Gotham Rogues shirt that haven't been mass produced yet".  Maybe it's now known as that.

This was last year, so these pictures brought back a lot of memories of the day.  It was fun, but it could have been much better (read this if you want to know more about the actual experience).  Even so, I'm glad that I got to play a little part (no, I didn't get on camera except as a microscopic blurry dot) in one of the best comic-based movies I've ever seen.

Digital Marketing for the Print Medium

Comics have always been a visual medium, but much to the dismay of many within the industry, they are also a print medium and that presents challenges that many similar forms of entertainment are facing: how to stay relevant and profitable in an age of increasing digital competition.

Even though comic book companies have seen and acknowledged an oncoming digital presence for their characters for more than a decade now, most are still struggling to define just how they want to represent themselves in an electronic field, and some attempts to branch out are better than others.

Both Marvel and DC, for example, are experimenting with selling digital copies of their comics in the very comics themselves - that is, if you buy a copy of the book, you can download an electronic version as well.  Marvel is, so far, including a download code for free, while DC is charging an extra dollar for the privilege.

This practice irks me at least a little, because behind this good deal (at least on Marvel's part) is a bit of sneaky marketing.  Both companies polybag their combo books, sealing them in until after they're purchased.  On the surface, this is so someone can't walk into a comic shop, scan the code, walk out without buying anything, have the comic on his or her e-reader, and render the one-time code invalid for someone who might actually purchase the book.

It's also, though, a way for companies to boost sales by having some of the more rabid consumers purchase two copies of the same book.  Due to their (perceived) collectibility, some buyers won't want to tear open the bag these comics come in, leaving them with a choice - either seemingly deface their collectible item, or spend twice as much to keep one copy in tact.

Companies obviously are aware of this, and while I won't say it's malicious on their part that they do this, it does seem to me like taking advantage of the psychosis that is collecting (that's consumerism for ya).  In a matter of weeks, Marvel's entire Ultimate Comics line will ship exclusively in polybags with download codes, which will put this practice to the test.

Other practices, however, are more in line with what I think comic book companies should be doing, taking advantage of the new capabilities that technology offers while still remaining true to the spirit of comics.

Marvel's recent relaunch of Daredevil, written by Mark Waid, has been a highlight of superhero comics in 2011.  Not that I'll ever discount Waid's writing, as he's been involved with some of my favorite comics of all time, but DD is really a treat to read every month.

Daredevil has always, for obvious reasons, had a strong following with visually-impaired comic readers, and Marvel finally took advantage of that by releasing an audio version of the first issue, read by Waid and a few others, free for download.  This is both a nice treat for fans in general as well as the aforementioned visually impaired, and is exactly the type of thing that big companies like this should be doing.

The direct link to the file is here: http://marvel.com/files/podcasts/DAREDEVIL_1_edited.mp3.  A little more info is on Marvel's site, here: http://marvel.com/news/story/16485/daredevil_1_audio_edition.

USA Today, while not being my favorite site for actual news, has had a pretty good relationship with comic companies over the past several years.  I still wonder why the paper doesn't print daily comic strips, but every once in a while they'll print comics and put them in front of a substantially larger audience size than they'd otherwise get.  When DC put out Wednesday Comics a few years back, the paper actually printed some to promote the series, and it had a strong web presence as well.

Dark Horse Comics went a bit further and released an exclusive digital Conan the Barbarian comic by Ron Marz and Bart Sears, who coincidentally (a hem) went on to produce a two-issue miniseries, Conan: The Island, another example of a company taking advantage or digital means to promote the physical product.

The full Conan story, "Kiss of the Undead", can be read here: http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/2010-11-22-kissoftheundead22_ST_N.htm



Lastly, Marvel and Toyota have teamed up for an ad campaign that features short Robot Chicken-inspired videos with action figures and the Toyota Yaris.  It's a pretty bizarre combination, and it's beyond tame, but it's just another example of what a comic company can do when management embraces digital marketing.

This video is, of course, just an advertisement when it comes down to it, but it's still fairly interesting.  You can watch more of the Marvel/Toyota videos here: http://www.earnhardttoyota.com/tag/its-a-car/.

Maryland's Green Lantern Road

If you ever travel from Western Pennsylvania to the state of Maryland, chances are at some point you'll drive east on Route 68, briefly passing though West Virginia along the way.  As you roll through the town of Lonaconing, Maryland, you'll drive under a particular overpass with its street name emblazoned on the side on a green sign with white lettering.  The name of that sign reads: "Green Lantern Road".

I myself have seen this road sign probably a dozen times, but I was finally able to snap a picture of it on the way to the Baltimore Comic-Con this past weekend, and above, in all its grainy brilliance, is the proof (also proof that the windows in the Camry could stand to be washed).

I do realize that, unlike me, the world does not always think of things in terms of comic book references, but really - what else could this road name refer to?  An actual lantern that was green?  That's doubtful, and it also means that someone purposefully named a street after a comic book character.  I've seen my fair share of Lois Lanes and other clever names, but this particular road just fascinates me.

I wonder - and I'll probably never know - who named this street any why they decided to do it.  Was the person simply a fan of the comic?  Did the people of Lonaconing want to honor a notable resident for contributions to popular culture?  Could this really be just a huge coincidence?

About 15 years ago, I mentioned this road to Green Lantern co-creator Mart Nodell while attending the Pittsburgh Comicon.  If I'm remembering correctly, he told me that he hadn't heard of the street before, and the look he gave me while answering seemed to imply that he didn't necessarily believe that such a road existed.  But it does!  It does.  I wonder if the mystery of this road will remain just that, at least to me.

Pictures from the Baltimore Comic-Con, part 1

The Baltimore Comic-Con for this year is over and done with, and I'm happy to say that it was a lot of fun - a success on most accounts.  I'll go into some details later, but for now, here are a few pictures from the two-day weekend:

This view of the convention center is partially obscured by fencing, as the streets of Baltimore will soon be used for some grand prix-like racing.  It was fun to drive the '97 Camry down these roads built for racecars.

In this picture I'm pretending to be hard at work on...something.  Check out the new banner behind the table!

The FUBAR booth was definitely one of the highlights of the entire show - they really outdid themselves this time.  Crowds gathered just to stare at the setup, which featured a machine gun pointing out at the audience.

Cyclops's visor even glowed...it was cool.

I saw a surprising amount of Tick shirts and merchandise over the weekend, but this homemade Arthur costume was really great to see.  People were actually calling it a bunny suit, which was funny because that's the joke in the book, too!!

A fairly random crowd shot.

Girl Loki!  From the back.

We'll end with a picture of the universe-destroying Dark Phoenix.  There was lots of neat stuff to see at this show and I took a bunch of pictures.  I'll show more soon!

My students draw the Incredible Hulk...poorly

It may come as a surprise, but my life as a superstar comic book author (uh...) sometimes does take a back seat to my day job as a college instructor.  While tossing copious amounts of homework right into the trash this past week (THAT'S WHAT I THINK OF IT, STUDENTS!), I came across last semester's finals for an English class.

The old, standard Bluebooks have been replaced with, I guess, more eco-friendly Greenbooks, and as a joke I wrote on the essay prompt that any Greenbook with a drawing of the Incredible Hulk would receive bonus points.  This was what I thought would be an obvious joke, but I still found more than a handful of drawings when I haphazardly glanced at meticulously poured over these finals last December.  Someone, apparently desperate for extra points, even drew a second image of Iron Man (for whatever reason), but unfortunately that one has been lost to the sands of time.  Oh well.  Here are some that I managed to hang on to:

I like the sinewy quality of this drawing.  Of the original art I received, this might be my favorite.  Plus the way the Hulk is looming over the globe is a nice use of what was already available.

I have several problems with this piece: first, the Hulk portion of this is obviously traced.  Second, everyone knows that Superman wouldn't be afraid of the Hulk.  Superman can beat up the Hulk.  The Thing can naturally beat up the Hulk.  My point is, lots of people could.  Mostly the Thing, easily.

What disturbs me about this one is that the Hulk is obviously naked.  There are no pants, purple or otherwise, to be found.  Thank goodness for the bottom of the page.

I actually love this one.  A great attempt.

I hate this one.  PUT SOME EFFORT INTO IT!

For EXTRA-extra credit, this student, a Baltimore Ravens fan for some unknown reason, offered to draw the Hulk stomping on Ray Lewis.  That was okay, I said, because the Steelers stomp on Ray Lewis two and sometimes three times a season every year.

This Hulk looks like a clown, and it frightens me.

Another traced Hulk, and it's not even on the right color paper!!  If I wanted a blue character, I'd have chosen, I don't know, Dr. Manhattan or someone.  Those drawings might have been more awkward.

Also, in something completely unrelated, my Toyota Camry recently reached the lofty milestone of 300,000 miles.  Here's proof:

For more proof, here's the YouTube video!  I am extremely proud.  For our friends outside the US, 300,000 miles is 482,803 kilometers...but that doesn't sound nearly as cool.  Now, 500,000 kilometers...that's only about 10,000 miles away.  I've just figured out my next goal.

Rex Ryan looks just like Sgt. Hatred from "The Venture Bros."

It's a shame that the Venture Bros. cartoon isn't more widely known.  For one thing, it's a fantastic program - one of my favorite shows off all time - that's smart, funny, edgy and action-packed like few others can ever aspire to be.  For another, more people would be making the connection that Rex Ryan, former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator and current New York Jets head coach, looks EXACTLY like the character Sergeant Hatred.

The similarities between the two don't stop there, though - there's more to it than just looks.  On the cartoon, Sgt. Hatred is a 50-something, overweight loudmouth who loves, well, feet.  Please tell me that statement doesn't describe Ryan as well.

Your friend and mine, Larry, first made the connection and sent me the picture at the very top (he's also the one that pointed out how similar Sarah Palin is to a certain GI Joe villain), and I think it's spot on.  If there is ever a live-action Venture Bros. movie (a cartoon one would suit me just fine), Rex Ryan NEEDS to play Hatred.  It's a match made in heaven.  Or wherever Rex Ryan comes from.

I mean, really.  Just look at it!

Speaking of football, next up on the playoff schedule has the Jets traveling to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers.  It's greedy of me, but I'm really hoping the Steelers can win two more games this season to capture the Lombardi trophy for a record seventh time.  That way I can be happy and every other fan of every other team can be very, very jealous.  Make it happen, boys.

I had a chance to make it to the last game versus the Ravens, a thrilling beat down that Baltimore has had coming for quite a while.  Seriously, they like to talk.  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editor Dan Gigler was there with a camera and I just happened to be in the right place in the right time to get my photo snapped with the aforementioned Larry as we celebrated the victory.  Gigler put it up on the PG website with other pictures from the game.  Check out the entire post or, for my fantastic image, look no further than directly below:

Larry and I took a few videos of the game which we promptly uploaded to our YouTube page, each of which now have more views than almost all our Franks and Beans videos.  The Steelers videos took literally minutes to shoot, edit and upload.  Franks and Beans takes hours of our time and thoughtful creativity that involves more thought than just hitting the 'record' button.  And yet the people have spoken, I suppose.  Check out the most popular so far, the playing of the "Renegade" song that the fans and defensive players get so excited to hear:



We also filmed some Franks and Beans while we were there, since we are so crafty and opportunistic.  That footage will be part of episode 52 (or thereabouts), but in the meantime, check out our newly released episode 50, in which we did something strikingly similar by filming a clip at the Pittsburgh Penguins' new stomping grounds, the Consol Energy Arena.  I hate that it's named after a coal company (I'm sure Consol is spending more money on marketing and advertising than, say, researching clean energy solutions or improving employee health benefits), but man, is it a top-shelf arena.



This post had almost nothing to do with comic books, the theme of this blog.  I apologize for that.  Oh, the Fantastic Four "death" issue comes out next week.  I'm sure it'll make me want to vomit.  There we go.

If that's movin' up then I'm...something something.

The past week of my life has been spent preparing to move from Wilmington, NC back to the Pittsburgh area for the summer.  Moving is a stressful event for anyone, but I find myself in a situation that makes it even more interesting: I really don't know where I'll be when the fall rolls around (hey, maybe I'll be dead or something), so I'm stuck in that place in-between moves.  Most of my ever-growing stuff is packed away (floor to ceiling) in storage for a few months, but I had to decide what I'd need to take with me and use for three months as I stay with family for that time.

I knew this was coming, so I planned ahead and brought stuff back home the last few times I visited; all of my Thing statues came with me on one trip (and almost all fell on my dog as I made a sharp turn), my Rusty painting came up on another, etc., but the final trip is always the most contentious - it's when decisions on what stays and what goes have to be made.  Needless to say, I've accumulated quite a stack of comics since arriving in Wilmington, and even though I was diligent in transporting them back home after I had read them, I still had a couple of tall stacks in my room when it came time for the final packing.

It was never a question of leaving my comics in storage; I have the unfounded image in my head of wild animals breaking the door to my storage locker down and tearing my comics to pieces and leaving the more mundane items - coats, furniture, flower pots - just as they found them.  But as I packed the car to make the 600-mile journey to Pennsylvania, I realized that there was no way I was going to fit in everything I had wanted to take.  I suppose it wouldn't have been 100 percent impossible, but I'd imagine the bottom of the car would have been shooting sparks and my reliable Toyota Camry would have averaged about six miles to the gallon along the away.  Oh, and I'd have had to steer from the roof.

As I made a mental inventory of all that was in the car and realized that some hard decisions had to be made, I realized that my boxes (and boxes...) of comics weren't as important as things like clothes.  Or my dog.  So I sucked it up, taped the boxes shut, and took them to the post office.

Media mail is a great thing - it allows you to mail things like books, DVDs and CDs for cheap; I ended up mailing three boxes, the heaviest of which was 27 pounds, and the cost for it came to about 13 bucks.  I am, however, terrified that they will get lost or shredded in some...I don't know, shredding machine or something.  Even though I could look at a picture of any comic ever and tell you if I own it, I have absolutely no idea what books were in the boxes I shipped.  So if one gets lost, I'm going to have a heck of a time replacing those books.

I bought insurance and tracking for each box, but I'm still fretting the disaster that will hopefully never come.  The boxes and their tracking information are each listed on the United States Postal Service's website, and you can follow along with me (hours of fun!) and see their progress by going here and entering in the following numbers:

0309 2880 0000 7564 5892
0309 2880 0000 7564 5915
0309 2880 0000 7564 5908

Fingers crossed.