Emerald City ComiCon

I woke up around 8:00AM on Saturday morning after a late night out and it was only because of the beginning of Emerald City ComiCon that I was motivated enough to get out of bed. I knew I should arrive a bit early and thankfully the Washington State Convention Center is about a 5 minute walk downhill from my apartment. I figured there'd be a line, but I had no idea I'd be standing in it for nearly half an hour. This quickly proved itself to be a benefit in disguise.

Standing in the neat, zig-zagging line, I was able to assess a great many of my counterparts. I would certainly consider myself a fan, but I am not one to layer X-Men track jacket upon Spiderman button-up upon Watchmen-smiley-face-T-shirt or dress up in Jedi robes-(that said, I do own a double-bladed lightsaber). Emerald City ComiCon was, by the way, my first explicitly "fan" convention. As I looked around at the people around me, I realized the great diversity of fandom, in age, appearance, build, behavior and manner of dress-everyone from the sprite young Batmans and Robins, to the sultry Poison Ivys, Scarlet Witches and Princess Leias in her slave outfit(some of which should not have been wearing the latter costume), to one sweet older woman in a wheelchair dressed as a Jedi Knight. Families were present too and one family dressed their daughter up as the gold-plated robot from Doctor Who, and the result was adorable.

I had arrived at about 9:45 and as the clock ticked closer to 10:00 when they would officially open the doors-though I would end up waiting another 20 minutes or so to get in-the elevators directly to my left opened. Do you ever look around in a room where you don't expect to see anyone you know and then suddenly your eyes lock on a familiar face and a rush of relief comes over you? Well, that happened to me, except that I really didn't know who I saw, but the faces were unmistakable. Aaron Douglas, Tahmoh Penikett and Michael Hogan standing a few feet away. They walked right by into the convention hall and that was when I got really excited.

When I walked into the grandiose space, I had no idea where to start. Booths stretched ahead, to the left and right for hundreds of yards. I meandered for a bit and I stopped suddenly at the booth of artist John Tyler Christopher. I eventually purchased this print that had caught my eye, one of The White Queen aka Emma Frost from X-Men. It was also the catalyst for a weekend-long creative dialogue as I ended up bringing every friend I encountered at the convention to look at Christopher's artwork. I told him how much I liked the print and how Frost lends herself so well the use of negative space and that led into a conversation about how I still wasn't convinced I felt "like I should be there" as it was so different from any conference I had been to previously. He said that, like the attendees of the ComiCon, artists too are split between those that create and show popular art because it is simply "cool" and those that are more passionate and have a vested interested in the subject matter and artistic influences of their work. Christopher, for example, is heavily influenced by Alphonse Mucha and various mythological sources. Much of his work has an Art Nouveau flair, but he also has images that are viscerally striking like his prints he did as a personal project on the seven deadly sins-grotesque, yes, but with an underlying understanding of spirituality and the human condition. When I mentioned my most recent presentation at the Southwest Texas American and Popular Culture Association, he asked if he could read the paper so I was delighted to send a copy a few days later. I look forward to hearing what he has to say.

Right next to Christopher's table was that of Georges Jeanty, artist on the Buffy Season 8 comics. He pencils and creates an alternate cover for almost every issue. Since it was still early in the day, there were not too many people around his table, so I was able to engage him on a number of points about the production of a comic book. I didn't realize, for one, that for mainstream comics, artists produce their layouts on an 11x17 scale. Georges had a sizable stack of original penciled and inked pages from the comics that were available for purchase at $100 each-a little steep for me, but they were stunning, despite not being colored. I did however, get Georges to sign a copy of an issue of Buffy and include an original head sketch on one of his sketchbooks for me. I asked for Willow. He was very nice and touched on the work that goes on between the writer and artist and it sounds like a very organic process. I brought up the fact that I mentioned in my Columbia interview how much I would love to work with Jane Espenson one day and he then talked to me extensively about his work with her, specifically regarding her upcoming 5-issue story arc surrounding the character of Oz. He exchanges emails with PDFs and JPEGs of his work and phone calls with her on a daily basis. The script he receives for the comic book is very similar to a television script and the creation of an issue is extremely collaborative with ideas being constantly exchanged. He'll draw little thumbnails in the margins of the script, map out some layouts and scan them so Jane can make comments. According to Georges, Jane is incredibly warm and unassuming. He explained how Joss is much like that too and because he surrounds himself with such talented and caring individuals, every team he creates is solid creatively and socially.

From Georges' table it was just a few steps away to Jewel "Kaylee" Staite's signing table, so I coughed up the fee and had her sign a copy of my Firefly Visual Companion: Volume 1, which I spent a great deal of time with when working on my Firefly paper. "For Ian: Stay Shiny! Jewel Staite." I admit I was a little giddy, so I kind of awkwardly scampered off after she signed my book-and I didn't want to hold up the people behind me. She was absolutely gorgeous and most friendly.

Later that day, I attended the following panels:

11:00am SKEWED AND REVIEWED MOVIE PREVIEW
A look at the movies of 2009-2012 with a special segment on the latest news on the status of many Super Hero movies. Plus a Q&A with host Gareth Von Kallenbach, syndicated film reviewer & radio personality

At this panel, I may have scored a free Watchmen t-shirt, thus clenching my rightful status as a fan at the Con.

1:00pm DARK HORSE COMICS PANEL
Director of publicity Jeremy Atkins, along with Senior Managing Editor Scott Allie, present an exclusive preview of all that Dark Horse has to offer in the coming year. With breaking news on all of your favorite Dark Horse titles, and exciting new projects to be announced, be the first to know about everything from heroes to horror.

During the Q&A, I asked Scott Allie what the future of the Buffy comics held as far as the number of issues for Season 8 as well as the potential for Season 9. He said Season 8 has been locked in at a full 40 issues-we are currently on #24 as I write this-and Season 9 is definitely a go after a hiatus when 8 wraps up. Later I got Scott Allie's autograph on the first trade paperback of Season 8, "The Long Way Home."

Upon walking into the conference hall the next day, the first people I see are Tahmoh Penikett and Michael Hogan. In the flesh, talking to 2 or 3 people beside the front door. My peripheral vision blurred for about 10 seconds as I beelined my way to shake their hands. They said hello and were on their way to their autograph tables.

Sunday afternoon's panels were fantastic:

12:00pm SPOTLIGHT ON BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
The show is over, but questions still remain. Join three of the most popular BSG cast members, Tahmoh Penikett ("Helo"), Aaron Douglas ("Chief Tyrol") and Michael Hogan ("Colonel Tigh") for this great Q&A session!

There was a massive line even a half hour before the scheduled start time, so Mecque, Randy, Blake and I were not sure we'd make it in to get a seat. We did by about 20+ people. Aaron Douglas, Tahmoh Penikett and Michael Hogan were all present. Michael said little overall, though he did give us a classic "Fraaaaakk!" on cue. Tahmoh is just as collected, admirable and strong as his two characters, Helo on BSG and Paul Ballard on Dollhouse. He carried himself very well. And who knew Aaron was such a joker? Aaron was making cracks at every turn-reminding me that this was a "fan" convention, deviating from the more serious, analytical and creative tone I wish the panel had taken. Still, it was great to see these actors and hear them discuss the merits of each other-especially Michael's acting chops in addition to praising other actors in the show, notably Edward "Eddie" James Olmos and Mary McDonnell, who sounds like one of the most beautiful, talented women on the planet.

1:00pm SPOTLIGHT ON MIKE MIGNOLA
Join Mike Mignola as we discusses his career, his famous creation Hellboy and much more. Moderated by Hellboy editor Scott Allie.

This was actually one of the most informative panels of the weekend. One of the most interesting aspects of the discussion concerned Mike Mignola's diverse influences and research sources. I paraphrase Mike here, "I would say that about 80% of my books remained unopened, that is to say, opened past the Table of Contents. I look at that page and say, 'Oh, wow, that's like 32 Hellboy stories!'" As a dramaturg and research enthusiast, I'm fascinated by that sort of approach to intertextual storytelling. He and Scott also gave a few pointers to those individuals pursuing university programs in the creative arts. The rundown: a) you can't depend on your teachers to provide you with all the tools and guidance you need b) be specific about what you want to do creatively c) get to know people d) be dedicated and driven.

2:00pm GET YOUR GEEK ON WITH WIL WHEATON
Wil Wheaton (Author, Actor, Gamer, Geek, Blogger, Raconteur) invites you to get your geek on during this hour-long Q&A. There may or may not be punch and pie (most likely not).

Perhaps the most enjoyable hour and a half of the Con. Wil Wheaton is so much more than a figurehead for geek culture though that is a role at which he excells with humor and humility. "I don't use 'nerds' pejoratively. I use it awesomeatively." -Wil Wheaton. My friend Mecque had the opportunity to ask Wheaton the very last question of the panel-one that stemmed from a tweet wilw had sent a couple days before wherein he wished he had answered a question differently in an interview. Mecque asked that very same question again and this time Wheaton was ready. "What do you do with a twenty-sided die?" Wheaton beamed, pausing while the audience erupted in applause. "Everything."

I would say other than the two great conversations I had with John Christopher and Georges Jeanty and the encounters with celebrities, one of the best things about the whole show was the amazing artistry that was represented by all the exhibitors. The entire show room was full of talented individuals who illustrate in a wide stylistic range using an array of creative tools from digital Wacom tablets, colored pencil, collage techniques to 3 or or 4 different types of ink pens. By the end of the show on Sunday, I had acquired three striking 11x17 colored prints, each featuring-entirely by chance-a woman in some stylized representation, the first being the Emma Frost print, the second a dark sunset above a silhouette of a woman whose hair twists up into the black clouds by an artist from Vancouver, and the third, seen here, by writer and artist, Stuart Sayger, who told me that he couldn't decide between penning a horror comic or a romance. From this Shiver in the Dark was born, an evocative, sensual gothic horror with a beautiful woman at its center.

This weekend was my first and probably my last Emerald City ComiCon as I move to the other side of the country later this summer, but it will certainly not be my last ComiCon. Yesterday, I started putting a few future events of the same genre in my calendar. Boston ComiCon October 24th-25th, 2009 and New York ComiCon October 8-19, 2010 are a couple of them I hope to attend as an art enthuiast, dramaturg, writer, creative thinker, collaborator, academic and of course, a fan.

The Star Wars Figure to Complete My Collection

I have been doing a lot of packing the past few weekends to prepare for my two upcoming moves, one next month just up the street to a friend's house in order to save some money on rent until I make the second move to New York in early to mid August. I am always surprised at how many boxes of Star Wars merchandise I have when I move-and that's only the items I have here in the states. There is a Millenium Falcon or two, a TIE-Fighter, X-Wing and even more figures with all their little accessories and figure stands-unless they're still in their original packing-at my parents house in France. Hey-I saw that look! Thank goodness for their ample attic space. I have all the major characters, except this one:
...the most important figure of all-a "force" if you will, without which Star Wars wouldn't even be possible! I'm impressed; they really nailed the likeness on this one. Via /Film.

Welcome to my Blogroll

After reading his review of Watchmen, noting the presence of a C.S. Lewis quote in the sidebar and coming across a post entitled "Ewoks: A Hunter's Guide", I immediately included a link to Electronic Cerebrectomy: Notes on Pop Culture at the End of Western Civilization in my list of favorite blogs. Check it out if for nothing else other than some witty-sometimes odd-pop culture commentary and the aforementioned list chronicling the blogger's greatest Ewok slayings which include our friendly but "rather rash" Wicket below. A fair warning, some images on his blog as a whole are unfortunately not safe for work-but the links included here are clean.


Wicket Wystri Warrick (aka Buckskin Jack, aca Chupacabra)
He may look cute, but don't let the looks deceive you. Too many have. He played an integral role in the death of Cindel Towani, a little girl who lost her family in the woods and was taken in by Wicket and his family of human-eating sickos. Inspired by the Ed Gein murders, the Warrick family liked to make clothing from the skin of their victims. Wicket was the first of many ewoks I've been forced to slay in the name of safety and in conjunction with the US Parks Department.

This is ATilla...

...someone's new family pet. See more here.

Century Top 10

Box Office Mojo, one of, if not the most reputable source of box office statistics, has a chart of the All Time Box Office Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation-although "All Time" sounds like a rather grandiose title considering the modern film has been around less than a hundred years.

It sounds like they've been tracking movie attendance since the "Dawn of Time" or something.

Here are the top ten entries with adjusted gross sums:

1. Gone with the Wind (1939) MGM $1,430,476,000
2. Star Wars (1977) Fox $1,261,086,700
3. The Sound of Music (1965) Fox $1,008,300,900
4. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Universal $1,004,328,700
5. The Ten Commandments (1956) Paramount $927,480,000
6. Titanic Paramount $908,688,900 $600,788,188 1997
7. Jaws Universal (1975) $906,798,000
8. Doctor Zhivago MGM (1965) $878,879,000
9. The Exorcist (1973) WB $782,826,200
10. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) Disney $771,720,000

I feel slightly odd that I have not even seen Doctor Zhivago or The Exorcist, although I have not had an overwhelming desire to see either film. Jaws, I have not seen in ages-have I even seen it all the way through? I am pleased that the original Star Wars still beats Titanic by a fairly wide margin, despite Titanic having a hire unadjusted gross. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs coming to movie theatres must have been quite the cultural event back in the day as it was the first full length animated feature. Prior to 1937, audiences saw news reels and several shorts if they ever did go to the cinema.

It is also interesting to note that in the past decade we haven't seen anything really come close to the Top 10. Titanic was the only film in over twenty years to break into the fold. And before that, the latest entry was for a film that came out in 1982.

I read recently that it may not even be possible for a film to break into this upper echelon anymore, due to the stratification of audiences through different media as well as a completely different movie culture altogether. When Titanic came out, for example, it was the movie for several months, even the year, whereas this summer, for example, saw the release of many major films, Iron Man, The Dark Knight, Incredible Hulk, Indiana Jones for starters.

The kind of attention that one movie can garner in the 21st century is hindered by a saturated visual culture landscape.

Mandalorian Dance

Even despite all the negative reviews of the upcoming, Star Wars: The Clone Wars-the two "wars" is kind of redundant, no?-it is refreshing to see new, original and creative content come out of that universe.

Take a look at "Boba Fett does Flashdance"-a glorious melding of two iconic 80s creations.



For the moment, my ache for good Star Wars is suddenly sated.

The Clone Wars

It's not that I had high hopes for this movie. It's just that I wanted to be surprised...pleasantly, but I guess even that was taking my expectations too far.

And the reviews start trickling in:

UPDATE: As I was writing this post, two absolutely scathing reviews of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, one that appeared yesterday and one that was posted earlier this morning have mysteriously disappeared from Ain't It Cool News. The links are no longer there. Looks like Mr. Lucas doesn't want anyone to know about the quality of this half-assed project before it opens. Curiously, there are also no advance reviews of The Clone Wars on Rotten Tomatoes.

I am torn-but not to the point where it is too painful, simply to the point where I am immensely frustrated. I know I won't be at the theatre on Friday, August 15th when this movie-and by movie in this case, I mean three episodes of the upcoming show strung together-comes out, but I still don't know whether I will be there...ever. I want to think that this can be good...somehow, but the animation and childish humor combined with the fact that no one cares what happens to these characters in this film or series because the repercussions of their actions already echo throughout the four live action movies that follow this time period. We know this new Jedi side-chick, Ashoka, can't survive past the lifetime of this CGI animated series on Cartoon Network. We know her life was never that important because we never hear about her again. We know who wins every duel. We know who wins the war.

And this movie-my judgement pending, although these reviews support this claim-is further evidence that we know the creative genius of George Lucas is fading or he has contented himself with sub-mediocrity and has decided that the money will still roll in if he takes a lackadaisical approach to Star Wars.

Of Grills & Microwaves

At work this morning, my coworkers and I were discussing the events of our respective Fourth of July celebrations. Kelli was telling me about how she hadn't been feeling well earlier in the day so she decided to just stay home and have a quiet evening at home. However, it being the Fourth of July and all she had a craving for a cheeseburger. She told me that she had never made a cheeseburger before, but "how hard could it be, right?" She opened up the grill, which was your standard gas grill and found the spark switch not to be working. She briefly thought about lighting a paper towel with a match and throwing it onto the grill to get it going. That didn't sound like the best idea so she decided to light a match and do it all manually. The gas had been on this whole time, so when she finally lit the match and leaned in to the grill pan, a huge fireball erupted from the surface and probably would have ignited her hair were her hair not still damp from her shower!

This conversation about fireballs then led us to discuss the dangers of microwaves. I told Kelli about a movie I saw on an airplane when I was about 4 that haunts me to this day. I think it starred Roseanne who was playing some psychotic female. I vividly remember her placing an aerosol can in the microwave, keying in the time...cut to wide exterior shot of the entire house BLOWING UP. So for the rest of my childhood I was deathly afraid of putting anything in the microwave that didn't have the explicit label of "Microwave Safe." I would ask my mom about everything. I admit that I am slightly apprehensive about what can and can't go in the microwave to this day. Does anyone have any idea what this movie I speak of may be?

I asked Kelli if she had seen any YouTube videos of CDs in microwaves and told her it was pretty much lightning in a box. We watched a couple of those involving people destroying CDs and their microwaves in the process.

Then, in a twisted YouTube suggestion, YouTube decided that the most relevant video that we may be interested next was this one:



A Furby being utterly annihilated in a microwave!

This, in turn, led us to discover an entire filthy underground world of Furby torture fetishism.

Watch if you dare!



Kelli and I were gasping out loud at this one, first at the brutality of the fur being shaved off of such a tender creature and then how the inflictor NAILED down the Furby's feet before DRILLING into its head!

Thus, from Fourth of July adventures in grilling and Kelli almost getting toasted, we managed to make our way into the dark recesses of the mind of a psycopathic Furby killer.

Oh, YouTube, we have so much to thank you for-not to mention being scarred for life...again.

UPDATE: After further investigation of this harrowing childhood memory, I have discovered that the aforementioned psycho-Roseanne movie is called She-Devil.

The plot-summery begins as follows:

Ruth (Barr) is a frumpy, overweight wife and mother as well, who tries to please her husband. Her husband Bob (Ed Begley, Jr.) is an accountant who is trying to boost his business, meets Mary Fisher (Streep), a romance novelist riding high on her fame and fortune, at a dinner party and begins to originate an affair with her. When Ruth displays much clumsiness, while Bob's parents are visiting, Bob uses that as an announcement that he is deserting her. As he is packing his bags and Babbage, he explains to Ruth that his assets are his home, his family, his career, and his freedom, but Ruth is a liability. Ruth vows to get revenge on him, as well as Mary when she says to herself "I hope Mary Fisher's pink palace crumbles and falls right into the sea". Ruth writes a list to herself titled "Bob's Assets" and lists the four assets that Bob has stated, and will cross off each one from the list when it is destroyed. While he is at work and the children are at school, she sets the house on fire (by overloading the electricity of the house by doing every possibly unsafe task with the household appliances) and it is obliterated in a gigantic explosion.

I must find every VHS tape of that movie and destroy every single one-just as George Lucas has vowed to do with the "Star Wars Holiday Special"! I will also be suing Hollywood for raping my innocent mind. Who's with me?

Wanted: Wall-E

I just found this creative little photoshop job over at the blog Film Experience:



Wall-E is getting stupendous reviews and the sound designer is the very same guy-Ben Burtt-who has been responsible for sound design on all things Star Wars. He has been quoted as saying if R2-D2 had his own movie, Wall-E would be the closest thing to it. Plus, I don't know how they got a robot to look so damn cute, but I want to see it and the film is playing at the amazing Cinerama just down the street.

Wanted was directed by the same person who directed the popular, flashy Russian thrillers of the past few years, Nightwatch and its follow-up, Vampire-guns-things-blowing-up film, Daywatch, Timur Bekmambetov. I liked both of those films well enough and Wanted doesn't look like a completely dumbed-down high-octane thriller, so I do want to check it out as well on the big screen.

Care to join?

"Supernovas"

I must open this post by saying that I never read comic books on a regular basis until about a year ago beginning with the new Star Wars comic book, multi-media phenomenon called Star Wars: Legacy. The story is set about 100 years in the future from where the current novels are in the whole Star Wars timeline. That comic follows the exploits of a rogue Jedi named Cade Skywalker who continues to struggle with his destiny-as a Skywalker, he's got a lot behind him to live up to and also to fight against. It is unknown how exactly he is descended from the Skywalker line, but what matters most is that he carries the name and the burden that comes with. In any case, when I was in elementary school most of my friends and myself included were fairly bookish and not at all comic-bookish.

When my (healthy) obsession with Buffy began, I immediately picked up the first story arc of the Season 8 continued in comic book form-The Long Way Home-and I have been voraciously reading the rest of the issues as they come out on newstands, or rather, as they are slipped under my door by the kind mail-man.

Prompting this particular post was my recent reference to the mutant Iceman from the X-Men comics, movies, etc. I was looking for this image to include but I could not remember the exact number of the issue and countless searches on Google still didn't reveal what I was looking for. So, I came home and checked.

I picked up X-Men #190 just after I moved into my new apartment in August 2006 down at Golden Age Collectables in Pike Place Market just a few minutes walk from my house. As with the aforementioned Buffy Tarot Deck I was far more drawn to the artwork than whatever content it may contain. I have since learned that this issue-honestly I didn't even read it before putting it on my wall-includes the storyline "Supernovas," that "Northstar and Aurora kicked ass completely and utterly" and that Bobby Drake might be an Omega level mutant. What exactly that means, I don't know-although I think Jean Grey and Professor X are also Omega level. Maybe I am more of a comic book geek than I perceive myself. Regardless, I absolutely love the layout of this cover and the way Iceman's body is melting into the X-Men title at the bottom of the page. So cool and kinda sexy. Not to mention I've always had a thing for Iceman. I bought the issue and promptly had it framed with a matte board surrounding the comic that picks up on the turquoise in the drawing.

Still, every now and then I'll grab another comic just for the amazing artwork on the cover-I think I'll frame the third issue of Buffy Season 8 next.