Pictures from the 2013 Comic-Con International, part 2

Welcome back to the awesome site that posts pictures and also words about those pictures!  It's a great time.  Let's jump back in and see some more pictures from this year's Comic-Con!

In 2012, I noticed how Comic-Con was expanding well beyond the walls of the convention center.  This year was even more noticeable: there were events and headquarters set up all over the place, from parking lots to bars to mobile displays.  At one point, we had to walk over half a mile to get to where we were going, further proof that Comic-Con is expanding with almost no end in sight.  It's a great thing, but it's also well past the point of being able to see everything that's there.  I can't imagine what this show will be like in even five years.

One of the off-site locations was Felicia Day's Geek & Sundry headquarters, set up on the top floor of a local bar.  This is one of those sites that I'm sure will continue to grow and move to bigger and better locations.  We kicked off the day on Thursday by heading over to this location with a few hundred others.  After piling into the bar, Felicia Day came out for a quick Q&A and then a signing.  I'm a fan of Day from her role in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, but she's also well known for her involvement in projects like the Guild and her overall enthusiasm for gaming and geek culture.

It was a real highlight of the trip in general to get to spend some time at the Geek & Sundry location, where they later had lots of gaming events and other special guests.  Day was warm and cheerful as might be expected, but I think that everyone left that day wanting to be best friends with her, such was her infectiously sunny disposition.

I managed to make it to a few panels at the convention, including this Boom! Studios panel about editing held on Thursday.  I got to talk with Matt, the EIC of Boom!, after the panel.

The Teen Titans take a break.

Trenchcoats: the perfect comic book disguise.  This was a great nod to the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

I think someone else dressed up as this particular Green Lantern at last year's show, but I still can't place the character.  From the cartoon, maybe?

Miss America!

The LEGO displays were impressive, as always.

Iron Man is always a crowd pleaser, apparently.  I saw a few full-size Iron Man displays at the show.

Adventure Time was, of course, very popular at the show.  This guy won my award for best Finn, hands down.  And yes, that includes all of the little kids who dressed up as Finn.  This guy was better!

Cartoon Network has this huge Ice King display on the floor.  Inside you could take your picture in the Ice King's jail, and the lines were GIGANTIC all week.  It would have been fun but you gotta pick and choose what you see and do.

This guy had a fantastic Aquaman costume, which he apparently made himself (the chain mail makes it all the more impressive).  He had a similarly chain-mailed Captain America costume last year.  It's a strange feeling, recognizing people from year to year.  You only see them briefly, but then there they are again, one year later.  I guess there aren't many people who you see walking around in an Aquaman costume.

A TEAM UP I WANT TO SEE: Wonder Woman and Arthur.  Seriously, this would make a great story.  Here's another fellow that I recognized from last year - or at least his costume, as he and the Tick made their way to the NEC booth.  It's a very well done live-action costume.

This was the Walking Dead display on the convention floor.  So much space!  But worth it for the effect.  A very nice job.

One of the stranger happenings at Comic-Con is the church group that pickets the convention every year.  They are, of course, well within their rights to exercise their free speech and share what they believe in.  But ultimately, they have to know that they are doing more harm than good, because all they end up doing is yelling at people, calling them perverts and telling them that they are going to hell. How many converts do they expect with tactics like these?  It's a shame.

Anyway, the group has spawned (heh, Spawn) imitators that provide some comic relief.  The have signs like the above in addition to ones that say "Galactus is Nigh" and "Kneel Before Zod".  I don't know if they even have passed to Comic-Con, or if they just come and hang out.  It's a funny situation.

How many more Comic-Con pictures do I have?  You might find yourself anxiously asking this question.  The answer is this: A LOT OF THEM!  So sit tight and come back to see more soon.

Random notes? Hey, why not? CTCS 2013, "Weird Al" Yankovic, new Fantastic Four swag, Franks and Beans and more!

Welcome back to another installment of "Random Notes!" When I talk about whatever to no one in particular!  What a great draw this must be for the blog: something that is about nothing in particular!  Well, I think we've all come to expect the Thing to show up in these posts.  So what do we have in this edition?  The Thing?  Great!  Let's get started!

- I bought some magazine-sized bags and boards a month or so ago from my favorite comic supply company: TCBulk!  I'm able to buy bags and boards in bundles of a thousand, which is pretty convenient.  Anyway, I needed magazine-sized supplies because of books like those pictured above.  Apparently, in the mid 1990s, Marvel thought it was a good idea to package some of their books with other stuff that amounted to oversized advertisements for things I had no interest in.  Case in point: Fantastic Four #376 came with an issue of Dirt magazine (whatever the hell that was) and an ultra hip cassette tape featuring none other than "Right Here, Right Now" artist Jesus Jones!

I first bought the book when it came out, and like a normal person, I opened the bag, read the comic and tossed the miscellaneous garbage.  Like an idiot collector, though, I recently re-purchased the book with a sealed bag, inserted junk intact.  Of course, the cassette tape and the extra large magazine means I can't store it with my regular collection; instead, it has to go with books like Doom 2099 #18 and its Sega game tips poster, the tips on which probably said something like "buy more Sega!"

- Some more Fantastic Four items have magically made their way into my possession recently, including the above original animation artwork of the Thing from the most recent Fantastic Four cartoon!  You may recognize this cartoon as the show where the Thing wears pants and has a number four spray painted on his chest, for some reason.

And here's a color guide for a page from the X-Men/Fantastic Four joint 1998 annual!

- My cat looks pretty spiffy in his new cat-sized Jayne hat.  What good taste he must have!

That reminds me, last month I went to the annual Can't Stop the Serenity Pittsburgh screening of the movie Serenity!  It was, as always, a fun time, and proceeds went to the charitable foundation Equality Now.  There was a silent auction at the event, where I managed to pick up...

...a copy of the Serenity: Better Days trade collection!  But not only did I get a cool comic in the deal...

...it was signed by two of the cast members, Summer Glau (River) and Jewel Staite (Kaylee)!  The organizers of the event went out to Wizard World Philadelphia earlier in the year and landed the signatures there.

They even included pictures of the two actresses signing the book.  I'm very excited to have won this book!

- "Weird Al" Yankovic, he of the iron accordion and fabulous hair, had a signing for his new children's book in Cincinnati a few weeks back.  I made the trip into Bengals territory in my Steelers hat and also other clothes to get a chance to meet him and get a copy of the book signed.

Here I am, apparently instructing him on how to write his name.  So far, no one has ever commented on the shirt I'm wearing in the picture.  One day, someone will figure it out.

- A recent issue of Dark Horse Presents, still an enjoyable anthology despite the fact that it's continuing too many stories in separate miniseries, featured a few interesting cameos in one of the stories by Steve Rude.  Yeah, buddy!

- The blog passed a milestone in the past few months, as it reached a pretty astounding six figures in terms of viewership.  I have no idea why so many people have come to this site since its inception, but my big sweaty thanks go out to each and every one of you.  I should charge admission or something.



- And lastly, here's some (kind of) new Franks and Beans!  Yes, we're still using that name.  It's ours.

Pictures from the 2013 Comic-Con International, part 1

Welcome back to the blog that I apparently still use!  It's been a while since the last update, but that's mostly because Comic-Con 2013 took place a little while ago, and as I've mentioned in the past, it's a heck of a trip to undertake.  But I'm back with most of my sanity, so over the next few weeks I'll be posting pictures from the event (and, gasp, other things) for everyone's enjoyment.  Let's get started with pictures from the very first few hours of the show, otherwise known as Preview Night!

I flew in to San Diego on Wednesday morning, and after picking up the rental car and checking into the hotel, I drove to the convention center to pick up my badge.  As soon as I left the parking garage just outside of Petco Park, the baseball stadium, I saw a large truck barreling down the road, painted bright pink in a Hello Kitty theme.  A Japanese woman in a bright pink wig was using a megaphone to shout in Japanese out of the window as the truck drove.  I knew that I had arrived!  A minute later, I got this opening shot with more Hello Kitty attendants.  There were a lot of displays set up outside of the convention center, and our parking garage was situated very close to a few of them.

The Adult Swim Fun House was open from Thursday through Saturday.  Some great stories came outta this setup.

This Silver Samurai full-size statue was on display to promote the new Wolverine movie!  After hours, the folks in charge would just throw a sheet over it, as if that completely disguised it.

Kia and DC Comics teamed up to make these...uh, cars.  I guess Jim Lee worked on this design at some point.

Here's the Aqua-Car!  Nowhere did it note if the car could go in the water or not.  If not, pick a different damn superhero theme.

This giant Smurf was in the process of being inflated as we walked by.  I like to think that the guy was just leaning down to pick up an attendee...to eat him.

After waiting in a monstrous line (the first of many, of course), I picked up my Comic-Con tote bag, a con essential, and the programs for the weekend.  I'm happy to report that Duane Redhead had his Tick pinup printed in the Tick 25th anniversary section!  That's big news.

Here's a wonderful shot of myself right upon entering the convention floor.  Oh, and a new Pirate hat!  Great.  There were, of course, hoards of people everywhere.  I managed to pick up some merchandise on this night, including an exclusive Futurama action figure set with Destructor and Gender Bender.

This guy has at least some of the power.

Hey!  Here's the Futurama set I mentioned just a second ago.  The set didn't come with the ring, unfortunately, but it's still pretty cool.  I guess that the makers of the toys are setting up a Kickstarter  campaign for a new Morbo figure, which strikes me as odd.  The property is owned by 20th Century Fox - just release the damn toy without forcing me to pay extra for it.  But...sigh...I'll probably donate when the time comes, because I am a sucker.

Even on Preview Night, there are costumes to be seen.  Here's what I imagine is a flying monkey from the Wizard of Oz...

...and here's an even creepier costume of the rabbit thing from Donnie Darko!

After the show ended, we went out to a few of the parties that were happening within walking distance of the convention center.  This picture was taken from outside the "Under the SDCC" party, for the "Outside Comic-Con" blog.

This picture is from the "Nerdioke" party just a few blocks away.  We stayed here for most of the night, and it really started rocking after 11:00 or so.  Comic-Con is all about pacing yourself, and it was hard not to stay out all night on the first day of the show.  But there was lots more to do, and I'll post some of those pictures in just a few days.  Keep an eye on the blog as I'll actually start to update the thing again soon!

Comic-Con starts today!

I've got just a little over an hour to get in the car and drive to the airport.  You'd think that I would finish packing...and I will, but after this blog post.  You gotta have priorities!

Comic-Con preview night starts in just a few short hours, and I'm happy that I'll be attending once again.  If you're able to make it out, look for me doing two things - aimlessly wandering through the jungle of displays, and doing a little bit of signing at the New England Comics booth.  What's the booth number?  It's...something in the 2000s.  Near the DC booth.  Whatever, look it up!

I'm sure it'll be a fun time.  Look for lots (and lots and lots) of pictures here over the next few weeks.

Fantastic Four: Artist Edition from IDW and Marvel

Any time Marvel releases any kind of special "theme" comic, I always wonder how long it'll be before they include the Fantastic Four in on the trend.  This is true for the 2099 line, the "The End" specials, the "Noir" specials, etc.  And while I always feel cheated if they don't come up with some version featuring the FF, a little voice speaks up in the back of my head and says, "hey, at least you didn't have to pay for anything new."

It's with this sense of duality that I always viewed IDW's "Artist Edition" oversized books: they look really cool, but they also come with a hefty price tag.  Artist Editions take a specific writer/artist's run on a particular book and reproduce the artwork in an oversized format, scanning in the black and white production artwork from the original pages, complete with any production notes and stray marks that wouldn't make it into the final product.  It creates a fairly unique experience and has been a success for IDW, so much so that they've released several editions of the series, each reprinting a classic Marvel collection (why Marvel licenses these out and doesn't just create them themselves is anyone's guess), such as Walter Simonson's Thor and Frank Miller's Daredevil.

A little while ago, I found out that selections from John Byrne's lengthy Fantastic Four run were getting the Artist Edition treatment, and I was faced with the conundrum of wanting to see the Fantastic Four get their due but not wanting to shell out too much cash all the time (I can't imagine what it's like for the big-time Batman fans who feel the need to buy up a lot of new releases).  Artist Editions often sell out fairly quickly, and from what I understand, IDW only does one print run.  So I made the decision to pre-order the book, and it arrived in the mail just a few days ago.  The box even has a picture of the book printed on it!

In case you were wondering about the scale of the book, here's some reference.  No, I haven't shrunk down to minuscule proportions (at least I don't think so)...the book is really very hefty.  It's nice and solid and is pretty classy.

The back cover features this iconic image with a reproduction of Byrne's signature.

Printed on the interior front and back covers are Byrne's Fantastic Four character sheets.  These are the first things that the reader sees once he or she opens up the cover, and it gives you some idea of the scope you're in store for.

My wife remarked on how cool the image was, and wondered how much it'd take to own the original artwork.  I got a better feel for the answer a little while ago when I watched this eBay commission of the Thing and Dr. Doom by Byrne go for a whopping $800.  If something like that would go for so much, a really desirable piece like the one reproduced above would go for, what, $5000?  It's hard to imagine.

Here's the title page!

The book reproduces pages from a handful of Fantastic Four issues plus one issue of What If...? (starring the FF, written and drawn by Byrne).  As expected, IDW did a wonderful job with this collection, capturing the production aspects of pages that were created around 30 years ago.

All of the pages in this edition, with the exception of four, were scanned in from the existing originals for this collection.  That's quite a feat, considering how much time has passed since the artwork was actually drawn, and even more so due to the fact that, if I'm correct in my assumption, Byrne had sold most of the original pages from the issues in question.  I say this because Byrne's signature is on a good deal of the original pages, and that usually indicates that the artist parted with the pages, for whatever reason, and signed them before sending them on their way.  I wonder if most of these pages are owned by a single person, or if IDW had to track down a few dozen collectors to see if they could borrow their investments for a while.

The back of the book held a few goodies, including a cover gallery with this great image featuring the Thing!  There was no hint of She-Hulk anywhere, though, which was surprising considering how prominent a character she was in Byrne's FF run.  And I wouldn't have minded a page or two from the Thing series that Byrne spearheaded for a little while.

Overall, though, this collection was well worth the cost.  I understand that it's not for everyone, but for me, it's something that I'm going to enjoy for a good long time.  If you're a big Fantastic Four fan, and you've got a little money to spend, I highly recommend this Artist Edition.