Mea Culpa
I want to start off by apologizing to our loyal 411 fandom. It’s been a while since Chris and I put out a NMM column. There are many reasons for this. While Chris and I love comics and love talking about them, our “paying gigsâ€, i.e. our actual jobs, sometimes get in the way of putting out the high-quality columns that we pride ourselves in delivering. Even with both of our hectic work schedules, we could still deliver sub-par columns, but we don’t because we respect you the reader, our 411 colleagues, and ourselves.
As many of you know as well, Chris has taken on a greater role here at 411, and has for some time. He’s one of the two editors we have for our weekly reviews. It was a job I loved doing, but, to be honest, my preference was always really to be a writer (of reviews and NMM). Chris has also been active writing reviews and bagging interviews with some of the key movers and shakers in the comics industry today. I know I enjoyed his Ron Garney interview, and I hope you did too.
All that said, none of these things can excuse 4-week breaks between NMM columns. So, we’re planning to go bi-weekly with NMM for the remainder of the Summer and then back to our week schedule in the Fall. This is the plan and we hope that those that are used to tuning into NMM will continue to do so.
NMM is still a labour of love for Chris and I and we will do our best not to let our real world pressures keep us from our NMM lovemaking…. oh, wait…. that didn’t come our right…. but you get the point.
Summer Lov’n
Putting my hectic work schedule aside, the Summer of 2004 has started off quite well for me as a comics fan and pop culture aficionado – from comics conventions to my weekly comic reads to new DVD offerings to the silver screen and… some amazing weather. It also shows much promise as we march towards the Fall.
Conventions
For those of you that have followed my work at 411, particularly NMMs, you would know that I’m a big fan of writer Roy Thomas. His work in the early 1980s revitalizing DC’s “Earth 2†or “Golden Age†comics properties remain some of all-time favourite comics reads. His Infinity Inc. and the All-Star Squadron franchises are still solid reads by today’s standards – they stand the test of time from a story perspective. Jerry Ordway‘s pencils on Infinity Inc. also meet the time challenge – his work was and is just gorgeous. However, some of the work of the other artists who graced the pages of the two books look quite dated – even “new†(at the time) artist Todd McFarlane‘s 1980’s Infinity Inc. work is not recognizable. Its bereft of his trademark Spider-man / Spawn style and is quite (I have to be honest)… horrible. All that said, a reread of Thomas’ tales are still entertaining and captivating AND even better than some of the books on the shelves today.
So, as you can imagine, I was THRILLED to learn that Roy Thomas was coming to the first big convention of the season in Toronto – Paradise Comics’ Toronto Comicon in mid-June. I was able to speak with him briefly and had him sign three books – Infinity Inc. #1, All-Star Squadron #1, and Giant-Sized Invaders Annual #1. I know I probably should have conversed with him a bit more, but with a healthy line-up and other “fans†with stacks-upon-stacks of books for signing, I just didn’t want to monopolize the man’s time.
The line-up situation at conventions continues to annoy me. Not the line-ups themselves, but the people in them. I imagine that many (not all) of those in line-ups with their piles of books are eBay and CGC speculators. Many of the “hot†guys like artist Jim Lee or writer Geoff Johns and others probably sign hundreds or thousands of books every year that are destined for Internet commerce. Signing these mounds of books takes away from the few kids we actually have at conventions that want to get their one dog-eared copy of Lee’s Batman or Johns’ Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. signed from a creator they admire whose work they just simply like.
So here is my plea to all you attention-hogs and speculators out there, let the youngsters with a handful of books for signing in front of you in the line. Remember what it’s like to be a kid again. As I grow older, I’m starting to realize why some creators only sign a handful of copies or charge for their “autographs†on books numbering over a baker’s dozen.
Paradise Comics’ Toronto Comicon also had comics legend Will Eisner in attendance. His line-up was huge, but he seemed hearty and hale and in good… um… Spirit.
I was also particularly pleased to meet current artist-extraordinaire Greg Horn. He is so down-to-Earth and personable. Greg is tremendous talent and a great ambassador for comics. I’m eagerly awaiting his opus The Art of Greg Horn. I’m sure it will be as gorgeous as the work we’ve all seen… no, I should say… “experienced†over the last few years.
I also met home-grown indie comics talent Saul Colt. He’s the creative force behind a three-issue mini-series – Eclipse and Vega – from SSS Comics. In quite a coup, the soft-spoken Colt was able to bag Greg Horn (yes, the same one from a paragraph ago) for cover chores for the mini-series. I hope to bring you more on Colt and his creative offerings in the future.
Over the years I have met many of my comics heroes including writers John Ostrander and Peter David, and artists Mike Zeck and Luke McDonnell.
I’ll also be travelling to Wizardworld Chicago in August. Many 411 staffers will be there so it should prove to be a “memorable†experience. I also plan to make it to the big Baltimore con in September – hope to see you there too.
This will be the biggest convention season for me ever and I’m looking forward to it!
DVDs
This has been and will be an expensive Summer for me on the DVD front.
I picked up the Wonder Woman Season 1 boxed set from the 1970’s. I’m slowing watching the episodes in succession in most of my “free moments†like during dinner on weekdays and a few during the day on weekends. I still have to make out on Saturday nights for my weekly cavorting, frolicking, and all-around merriment (wink, wink) – no Lynda Wagner WW for me then. That WW tune is quite catchy though!
Once that’s over, I’ll probably pick up the Spiderman ’67 Classic Collection boxed set. I grew up in the 1970s and 80s watching reruns of those classics (of course at the time I didn’t fully realize how old those cartoons were – although the music should have given it away). I can still catch reruns on our cartoon station, but I understand that the episodes have been remastered somewhat, particularly the colouring. So a viewing of a more vibrantly coloured web-head will be in order! That Spider-Man tune is pretty catchy too!
I’m wavering on picking the Challenge of the Super Friends Season 1 boxed set. I did pick up only one of the discs solicited in the last years or so. It contained the four first episodes. I was disappointed for a few reasons: 1) the fact that I was shelling out money for only four episodes, 2) the packaging sucked, and 3) the cartoons seemed more campy then I remembered. The Super Friends cartoons really felt dated, unlike, to my surprise, the ’67 Spider-man episodes I can watch in reruns on TV now. So, I’m still not sure whether I’ll pick up the boxed set – the one disc I have may suffice. What you do 411 readers think? Is this worth the price of admission?
With boxed sets of Knight Rider and Columbo coming out before the end of 2004, I’m hoping that the 1970s and 80s DVD love-in continues. My wish list includes The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman boxed sets. Maybe a set of select episodes, instead of season compilation, like was done with the Bill Bixby’s Incredible Hulk, may be in order. My preferences? Well, all the TV movies that lead to the Six Million Dollar Man series in addition to the episode that introduced the Bionic Woman and all the episodes (of either series) where/when they both appear. Bonus material could be the “Big Foot†episodes from both series and the TV movies that followed the series after their respective ends. Now THAT would be one sweet boxed set.
I’ll likely be picking up the Punisher and Hellboy movie DVDs when they hit the street too! $$$!
Summer Silver Screenings
There are quite a few movies that intrigue me this Summer. What follows is a list of movies that I’ve seen or will be seeing this Summer.
Please note the format for below: Name of Movie (Date of Release).
JUNE:
· The Chronicles of Riddick (June 11)
· The Notebook (June 25)
· Spider-Man 2 (June 30)
JULY:
· Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. (July 7)
· King Arthur (July 7)
· I, Robot (July 16)
· Catwoman (July 23)
· The Bourne Supremacy (July 23)
· The Manchurian Candidate (July 30)
AUGUST:
· Collateral (August 6)
· Thunderbirds (August 6)
· Aliens vs. Predator (August 13)
SEPTEMBER:
· Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (September 17)
$$$ (again)!
Summer Read’n
Every year or so, I cull my weekly comics reading because it starts to grow unmanageable. Its like I turn around and “bamâ€â€¦ I’m now collecting 30 odd books a month. Case in point, this week alone I’m picking up eleven books and one magazine:
* Action Comics #817
* Aquaman #20
* Bloodhound #1
* Bite Club #4
* Challengers of the Unknown #2
* DC Comics Presents: Mystery In Space #1
* Green Arrow #40
* Identity Crisis #2
* JSA #63
* Superman Batman #11
* Teen Titans #13
* Alter Ego #38 (Julius Schwartz tribute magazine)
That’s just one week! I can only imagine what next week will look like! I’m used to a two to three books week…. not this! $$$ (yet again)!
Even though the financial burden of purchasing comic books is growing for me, the quality of many of the books I’m reading is quite good. I am sampling a few books that I’m not so sure about, but over all, I’ve had some satisfying reads.
John Romita Jr.‘s Gray Area is a great new book from Image Comics that I highly recommend. Brad Meltzer‘s Identity Crisis “event†from DC Comics is also another summer reading gem.
What are your fave comic reads this Summer? Drop me a line to let me know.
I will have to cull my weekly pull list, but maybe I’ll push that decision to the Fall considering many of the books I’m reading now are mini-series and many of the new books I’m sampling will be into their third or fourth issue by then. I’ll know be then if I want to continue with them.
So, October seems like it will be chopping-block time for me. Only the good books will survive! I’ll list my monthly pull list closer to October and I’ll ask you – the fine readers at 411 – to help me decide which books should stay and which should go.
Parting Thoughts
I hope you all have a great Summer this year. Get out and enjoy the sun, but don’t forget to get your weekly dose of comics and your daily dose of 411. Also, visit a convention or two and share your thoughts with us at 411. All the best, and till next time……. adieu.
