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MicroCon III at Mermaid Center, Mounds View (08 April 2023)

Guests Hannah Boehme, Carl Borg, Cory Carani, Darla Ecklund, Aaron Grono, Bill Hauser, Jessica Hickman, Ryan Kelly, Jacqueline Murto, Tom Nguyen, Ben Pisek, Gordon Purcell, Chandra Reyer, Mark Stegbauer, Dave Wheeler, WhimsyGals, Brandon Wind, Kevin Wind Read More MCBA We attended the first Midwest Comic Book Fans show Spring Fling Comic Book Show at Mermaid Entertainment & Event Center, Mounds View, Minnesota, today, May 15th, 2021. ....

It’s an end of an era (and the beginning of another) for the Midwest Comic Book Fans, with its final show MicroCon III at the Mermaid Entertainment & Event Center in Mounds View, Minnesota.

As we noted in the very first MicroCon show in May 2021, we said the MCBF club spawned from the ashes of Midwest Comic Book Association (MCBA), who slowly disassociated over the years, starting with the passing of the main organizer Nick Post in 2014. They were directionless, re-branding their shows as MSP Comicon, but locally, everyone knows the shows as SpringCon or FallCon.

Anyway, last year, we got word from MCBF that “After 30 years we will not be holding anymore SpringCon or FallCon shows. Additionally, we are announcing our final event. Microcon III will be held at the Mermaid Event Center, in the Atlantis Ball Room, on April 8th, 2023. Microcon III will be a fan appreciation event and will be a free admission event. We hope that many of you stop by to say farewell and enjoy the show. Although the Microcon events have been smaller events compared to SpringCon and FallCon, everyone involved has been having a lot of fun. Lastly, we will be shutting down our website and twitter site at the end of 2023.”

Being the last show, we decided to pop into pay respect. We’ve been to the venue before, so we know it is smaller show… but it seemed even smaller due to how packed the room got with so many fans in attendance. It was a good sign for the comic book industry.

SpringCon (29 Apr 2023)

Before you get too depressed that there will no longer be another SpringCon or FallCon - apparently there is now a new Minnesota Comic Book Association (not to be confused with Midwest Comic Book Association), to stake claim in the MCBA acronym and will be holding their first show on April 29th. MCBF explains, “Volunteers who participated in the Midwest Comic Book Association’s shows at the state fairgrounds are starting a new business called the Minnesota Comic Book Association. This will be their first event… We wish the new Minnesota Comic Book Association the best of luck with their endeavor. And hope their events can bring the same excitement to the local community.”

Although I hate the fact that the new SpringCon show is in Bloomington (near the Mall of America), prices seemed decent at $6 with free grab bags for the first 150 attendees... so we’ll likely attend.

Minnesota Con (02-04 June 2023)

While we’re at it, there is also Minnesota Con, a three-day event, from June 2 to 4, 2023, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. It’s put together by Nerdin Out (we went to their Nerdin Out 2019 Show). Main guests are Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn, Rikishi, James O’Barr, Jae Lee, Dan Jurgens, etc. Check with their website, as more guests are announced closer to the June date.

So there you have it… while one organization is ending after 30 years, others will rise to take its place.

Personally speaking, I am excited about the new “MCBA”. Keep the prices low, offers those grab bags (we used to try and get a free grab bag in the early 2000 but have never ever gotten there early enough), bring it back to its roots.

With that said, we’ll see you at a future comic book convention.

MicroCon III

Wall Comics

Gordan Purcell

Tom Nguyen

MicroCon III at Mermaid Center, Mounds View (08 April 2023)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

We♥Comics!- Planet Comicon Kansas City PANELS 2023

Read More Planet Comicon Kansas City Planet ComiCon Kansas City (August 20, 21, 22), Bartle Hall, $35-210 The region’s largest comic book and pop culture event returns to downtown Kansas City with a three-day extravaganza that will please fans …

We return again to our weekend at Planet Comicon Kansas City, the region’s largest and longest-running comic and pop culture event held at downtown’s Bartle Hall, for a closer look at some of the most interesting Panels held during the three-day event.

Panels are among the best chances to hear what your favorite celebrity has on their mind, listen to behind-the-scenes humorous stories, potentially have a chance to ask your own question, and occasionally get to see or hear something completely unexpected. 

WILLIAM SHATNER

WILLIAM SHATNER

The legendary actor is known from everything from the original Star Trek to TJ Hooker, to Boston Legal, and so many more roles. Now in his early 90s, Shatner was still engaged in telling his Hollywood stories (most questions were Trek-based) and there was no short answer to what he thought of going into (near) space aboard Blue Origin last year, which left him even more introspective and with a profound feeling of brief following the ten-minute flight.

JONATHAN FRAKES

JONATHAN FRAKES

Frakes was among the most entertaining of panel guests (both with and without Brent Spiner) pitching show ideas, and answering questions (what he could reveal) on the latest season of Picard, a fascination with history, and his voice work on the animated Gargoyles.

FINAL FANTASY VOICE CAST

FINAL FANTASY CAST

Rachael Leigh Cook (Tifa Lockhart), George Newbern (Sephiroth), and Steve Burton (Cloud Strife) reunited on stage as the primary voices of the original Western version of the highly influential Final Fantasy VII game. They remarked how isolating most voice work can be, and often with long lead times, diplomatically compared the remake and later volumes to theirs, and spoke of the fun it is in being immortalized in this format.

ASTRONAUT NICOLE STOTT– Space for Art: Putting the human in Human Spaceflight

NICOLE STOTT

A veteran astronaut after two spaceflights and 104 crew member days logged, Stott is also an author with a first book out, and an accomplished artist, painting a watercolor in zero gravity and is co-founder of the Space for Art Foundation – whose mission is uniting a planetary community of children through the awe and wonder of space exploration and the healing power of art.

CASSANDRA PETERSON

CASSANDRA PETERSON

Everyone’s favorite horror hostess Elvira was a general delight for her hour, almost always smiling, exuding an energy like someone half her age, and happy to answer any and all questions (most being horror-related, of course), in support of her latest book, 2021’s “Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark” which dives into her personal life and stories for the first time. Peterson admitted liking psychological horror much more than the slasher-style films (House on Haunted Hill remains a favorite for her), told empowering stories of trying to break into the business first in comedy, and warding off unworthy casting directors, and dividing her on-screen persona, from the actress and person she is.

CHAINSAW MAN VOICE CAST

CHAINSAW MAN CAST

Lindsay Seidel, Sarah Wiedenheft, and Ryan Colt Levy of the English dub cast of the popular Anime came together on the ballroom couch as a bit of a reunion to themselves, as most voice work is done over months, by oneself in a sound booth, so the actors don’t often see each other. Most similar actors do other dub voice work and Levy and Seidel also voice the popular My Hero Academia, so questions came from fans asking about all the different shows.

HENRY THOMAS

HENRY THOMAS

In a panel dubbed “Hollywood’s That Guy”, Thomas of course, hearkened back to filming as a ten-year-old Elliott in 1982’s E.T., but he’s been in numerous other films, including Legends of the Fall, Suicide Kings, All the Pretty Horses, and Gangs of New York, though he did mention some struggles along the way about typecasting and finding work as he aged into adulthood. Thomas’ persona seemed reserved but friendly, still somewhat showing some of the scars associated with surviving being a child superstar and still successfully acting, today.

GIANCARLO ESPOSITO

GIANCARLO ESPOSITO

The ever-expressive actor is a fan favorite from a handful of memorable roles – from Gus in the Breaking Bad universe to The Mandolarian, he also announced he’s more than ready to join the Marvel Universe whenever they want to call, and though he wasn’t sure which character might be the most ideal for him. His stories and compelling nature made fans hang on his every word.

COMIC CREATOR PANELS- Gotham City and Beyond and Where Comic Characters Come From

COMIC CREATOR PANEL

Being a comic convention, of course, there were several comic-centric panels, and the ones we enjoyed most centered on current and former Batman creators discussing their particular take on the caped crusader and how the setting of Gotham City acts as an additional character in story lines.

Another group panel centered on the various inspirations in discovering and developing a character, imagining the general concept at first and then refining the details from their persona to costume specifics, and motivations that drive that character.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG VOICE CAST

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

Roger Craig Smith and Colleen O’Shaughnessey aka the iconic English voices of Sonic and Tails, brought their charm and stories to the ballroom couch to reveal some of the stories behind their voice work on Sonic Frontiers, with Smith almost quitting in 2021, and realizing the joy their work brings to fans of all ages.

TERRIFIER 2

TERRIFIER 2

David Howard Thornton and Damien Leone were two of the weekend’s most anticipated guests, also hosting a screening of the game-changing Terrifier 2 film. Both talked about the impact the new film has had, and the “New Horror” movement it is helping define, with Leone raising his game exponentially from the 2016 original film.

Art the Clown remains one of the most terrifying characters in recent memory and some scenes were asked about, including the infamous “bedroom scene” though the talk was tempered, due to an all-ages audience in the ballroom.

RICHARD DREYFUSS with JEFFREY KRAMER

RICHARD DREYFUSS

The legendary Oscar winner was joined onstage by his friend and Jaws co-star Kramer, who play Deputy Hendricks in the 1975 groundbreaking Spielberg film, and the 1978 sequel. It was a little surprising to see Dreyfuss entering on a motorized electric scooter, but once he was on the couch, lit up with joy and glee as he told stories of the filming and answered questions about his career. He did preface things with a warning about the very real potential of losing the democracy that helps define our country, but the mood quickly lightened up with memories of filming on Martha’s Vineyard almost fifty years ago.

===

Get out that 2024 calendar, as Planet Comicon Kansas City has set March 8, 9, 10, 2024 as their return dates, but is also debuting their inaugural Planet Anime Festival this Fall, on October 21 / 22.

(click any image to enlarge and to see in full)

WILLIAM SHATNER

WILLIAM SHATNER

AMANDA CONNER / JIMMY PALMIOTTI

PHIL HESTER / RICK BURCHETT /GARY WHITTA / PAT GLEASON

KEVIN MELLON

CASSANDRA PETERSON

JONATHAN FRAKES

MING CHEN / KEVIN EASTMAN

FRED VAN LENTE

MING CHEN / GARTH ENNIS

RICHARD DREYFUSS at Planet Comicon Kansas City, Bartle Hall (2023)

MEGAN LEVEN / DENNIS HOPELESS / DEXTER VINES

DAVID MACK / AMANDA CONNER /KYLE STRAHM / MATT HAWKINS

BILL MORRISON

RICHARD DREYFUSS

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

We♥Comics! - Planet Comicon Kansas City 2023 (March 17, 18, 19) recap

Read More Planet ComiCon Planet ComiCon Kansas City (August 20, 21, 22), Bartle Hall, $35-210 The region’s largest comic book and pop culture event returns to downtown Kansas City with a three-day extravaganza that will please fans …

On a chilly mid-March weekend, over 60,000 comic book and pop culture fans descended into downtown Kansas City’s Bartle Hall to attend the three-day Planet Comicon Kansas City, the region’s largest and longest-running comic and pop culture event that celebrates comic books, science fiction, superheroes and fantasy, and its creators.

The show celebrated its 24^th anniversary this year, first beginning in the south suburbs, to continue to grow exponentially to become the Midwest’s premier comics and pop culture gathering.

The show itself remains extremely well-run– with easy to find volunteers happy to answer questions and provide directions, generally orderly celebrity signing lines, and good overseeing of in-person panels in both the larger ballrooms and the smaller side rooms.

The dealer exhibit space covered over seven football fields worth of area and featured comic books, pop culture collectibles, anime, nostalgia and memorabilia, along with gaming, entertainment, and other retail options.

Several related outside evening events (dubbed Planet After Dark) attracted large crowds as well, with the fantasy-themed Fae Ball selling out very quickly, and cosplay remains as popular as ever, with a full house on-hand for the Saturday night Cosplay Contest. Pinball and vintage video games were available, and hands-on workshop presentations were held for would-be creators.

Crowds size stayed healthy all weekend, with Saturday especially busy and the ballroom panels were especially filled for William Shatner, Giancarlo Esposito, and several voice casts.

Notable guests for the 2023 show included:

• Ming Chen – Comic Book Men actor / Podcaster

• Chris Claremont – X-Men Writer

• Amanda Conner – Harley Quinn Comic Artist

• William Daniels - Actor

• Kevin Eastman – TMNT co-creator

• Giancarlo Esposito – Breaking Bad and Star Wars Actor

• Jonathan Frakes – Star Trek Actor

• David Mack – Comic Book artist / writer

• Bill Morrison – The Simpsons Artist / Writer

• Jimmy Palmiotti - Comic Book Writer / Inker

• Cassandra Peterson – Elvira actor

• Don Rosa – Donald Duck/Disney artist

• William Shatner – Star Trek / TJ Hooker Actor

• Roger Craig Smith – Sonic the Hedgehog Voice Actor

• Brent Spiner – Star Trek Actor

• Jim Steranko – Marvel Comics Pop Art creator / artist

• Roy Thomas – Marvel / DC writer and editor

Paid celebrity meet-and-greets and photo opportunities were available and one of the best ways to learn about these attendees or ask a particular question, was to attend their public Panel discussion/Q&A. We’ll be showcasing those closer, in an upcoming separate post.

Japanese animation and its associated culture aka Anime has become even more popular in recent years; so much so, that a companion show Planet Anime Kansas City will make its inaugural weekend, this October 21-22, to undoubtedly large crowds as well.

As for Planet Comicon Kansas City, plans are already in the works to top themselves with next year being their 25^th anniversary, and a show already confirmed for March 8-10, 2024.

(click any image to enlarge and see in full)

STAR WARS ROGUE ONE

COSPLAY

POKEMON COSPLAY

GI JOE COSPLAY

COMICS FOR SALE

COSPLAY	COSPLAY HOSTS	COSPLAY
COSPLAY	CHAINSAW MAN COSPLAY	KIDS PLAY AREA

STAR WARS COSPLAY

COSPLAY

COSPLAY

SHOWROOM FLOOR

COSPLAY WINNER

Planet Comicon Kansas City, MO Bartle Hall (2023)

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

We♥Comics!: Comic Conventions 2023

Planet Comicon Kansas City (March 17, 18,19) Read More Planet ComiCon Crowds in the thousands flocked to Bartle Hall in downtown Kansas City over the weekend to attend the three-day Planet Comicon Kansas City, the region’s largest and longest-running comic and pop …

As 2023 began, so did comic convention season, back in full effect, after the last several years of nothing, or scaled-back. At the end of January, the Angoulême International Comics Festival took place in France, the 2^nd biggest in Europe and third largest in the world, and stateside, Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle was very successful.

We’re sad that the long-running Spring and Fall Cons in Minnesota came to an end, but efforts are underway to resurrect them.

Some show schedules shifted as well, and the end of this month is the staring contest between MegaCon in Orlando and C2E2 in Chicago, both held on the same weekend. Two of the biggest shows in the country on the same weekend- unprecedented!

Here are a few of the major shows scheduled for 2023:

Planet Comicon Kansas City (March 17-19)

(tickets: Planet Comicon Kansas City 2023 :: GROWTix )

The Midwest’s first big show is this weekend’s gathering at Bartle Hall in downtown Kansas City. Celeb guests include William Shatner, Richard Dreyfuss, Cassandra “Elvira” Peterson, and Giancarlo Esposito, along with voice actors, authors, and wrestlers Kevin Nash and “Jungle Boy” Perry.

Comic creators attending include writers Garth Ennis, Roy Thomas and Chris Claremont, artists Patrick Gleason, Jim Steranko, Todd Nauck, TMNT’s Kevin Eastman, and many more. NASA astronaut Nicole Stott is among other special guests.

Megacon Orlando

Megacon Orlando (March 30-April 2)

(tickets: Buy Tickets | MEGACON Orlando (fanexpohq.com) )

Fan Expo runs this and many other shows around the country, including all the former WizardWorld conventions. Because Orlando is a large tourist destination, flights and lodging are plentiful, there’s plenty else to do and see, but this show is also very busy and large. We were there last year and were amazed at the size of the convention floor.

Celebs include Hayden Christensen, Rosario Dawson, James McAvoy, Chevy Chase, Christie Brinkley, John Cleese and Zachary Levi. Comic creator heavyweights include Frank Miller, Geoff Johns, Joe Quesada, Donny Cates, Frank Cho, Simone Bianchi, and Adam and Andy Kubert.

C2E2 Chicago

C2E2 Chicago (March 31-April 2)

(tickets: Ticket Information (c2e2.com)

Held in downtown Chicago at McCormick Place, this Reed Pop-run show immediately became a “must-go” on the convention scene and food, lodging, and entertainment, are all close by (though the trains still don’t run direct to the venue). We last hit the show several years ago and are overdue for another weekend in the Windy City.

Guests of honor are actors Chris Evans and Tenoch Huerta aka Namor.. Creators scheduled to attend include Arthur Adams, Gene Ha, Joe Staton, Kevin McGuire, Scott Snyder, Sean Murphy, Tony Daniel, and Kyle Higgins.

HeroesCon Charlotte

Heroes Con Charlotte (June 16-18)

(tickets: HEROESCON 2023 :: TICKETS | Eventbrite )

Founded in 1982, this large but small show remains one of the most comic-centric and fan-friendly shows in the country. Usually held over Fathers Day weekend, we loved being there over a decade ago, and can’t wait to return.

Celeb guests: none! This is a real old-school comic convention!

Creators attending include Alan Davis, Mike Grell, Ron Frenz, Lee Weeks, Bill Sienkiewicz, Michael Cho,Matt Kindt, Michael Golden, Rick Leonardi, and numerous others.

Comic Con International San Diego)

Comic Con International: San Diego (July 20-23)

(tickets: Badge Info | Comic-Con International: San Diego )

This is the show that defined the culture and brought the phrase “comic con” into general conversation. The country’s best-known entertainment and pop culture experience, hotels and tickets...err, badges are sold a year in advance through a very specific process, and of course, all is already sold out. World premiere screenings, A-list surprise appearances, and large-scale studio booths are just some of what’s in store.

Initial creator appearances have been announced (including Jim Lee, Jamie and Gilbert Hernandez, Frank Miller, Jock, and Dan Slott) with no schedule highlights yet announced, but anyone who is anyone, will likely be appearing.

Comiket Tokyo)

Comiket (mid-August / December)

(tickets: コミックマーケット100チケット販売について (comiket.co.jp)

Held at Big Sight in South Tokyo both in mid-August and again in December, The Comic Market (Comiket) is the largest comic-related gathering in the world.

Comiket primarily focuses on acting as a communal exchange place for self-published books, known as dojinshi. Japanese dictionaries define dojinshi as self-published material aimed toward like-minded individuals and they also invite any publication (books, music, films, software, etc.) published by individuals not available through standard commercial outlets.

Baltimore Comic Con)

Baltimore Comic Con (September 8-10)

(tickets: Baltimore Comic Con :: GrowTix )

Self-described as “America’s greatest comic book convention”, this like Heroes Con, is a true comic convention that focuses on the hobby, and is a perennial favorite among creators. The venue is in downtown Baltimore (close to the Ravens Stadium) with good infrastructure and plenty of amenities very near the venue.

Celeb /wrestling guests: none! Creators announced so far include Brian Bendis, Howard Chaykin, Frank Cho, Greg Hildebrandt, Al Milgrom, Louise and Walt Simonson, Steve Rude, and Mark Waid.

New York Comic Con)

New York Comic Con (October 12-15)

(tickets: Ticket Pricing and Info (newyorkcomiccon.com))

On paper, this is actually the biggest, most-attended show in the country (some say San Diego under reports their numbers to avoid fire marshall troubles). It takes over the huge Javits Center on Manhattan’s lower West Side and is another well-run Reed Pop show that often features many older classic comic creators as well as newer ones, and entertainment guests.

Guest lists have yet to be revealed but expect plenty of A-List names in all categories.

Lucca Comics and Games – Lucca, IT (November 1-5)

(tickets: Lucca Comics & Games - Molto più di un festival (luccacomicsandgames.com))

Europe’s biggest and the second largest in the world, last year’s show featured special guest Tim Burton and sold a record 320,000 tickets. This year’s show will be it’s 58^th annual, and will, as usual, present their highly regarded international awards of distinction (Yellow Kid Award, Gran Guinigi, etc).

Ticket prices are reasonable and creators appearing represent a wide selection of international artists as well as a few more familiar names, with the show’s gaming portion as or more popular, than the comic side. 

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Remembering comic book creators who died in 2022

Read More George Perez As you know, we’re big George Perez fans, so it’s with a sad note that I pass along George’s statement about his retirement. After this 2019 convention…

It’s been a tough year for comic book fans. We lost two of the world’s greatest artist within weeks of each other in 2022: Neal Adams and George Perez. The two artists were a generation apart, in fact, it was Neal Adams who gave George Perez his first criticism (and it was harsh!). Instead of taking it the wrong way, Perez worked harder and learned to draw better.

George recalls from the pages of Comics Interview #50:

The first criticism I can remember, that nearly devastated me, was from Neal Adams. ‘Cause Neal is blunt up front, very intimidating. A real pussycat deep down, he is a man that because of his reputation – and particularly at the time – is a little hard to know, but he really does want people to succeed. After I became pro, and I met Neal at a convention, there was no man I’ve ever met who was as happy to see me succeed as Neal was. Neal remembered me, remembered the criticism… But Neal remembered my work and was really happy that I succeeded. I took a lot of the stuff he told me – as a child, which I was – I took a lot of criticism harshly, and didn’t know what to do with it. A lot of technical terms he used, I didn’t know what the hell he meant. (Laughter). But a lot of the stuff, in hindsight, I utilized later, sometimes subconsciously. And Neal was the very first harsh professional criticism I ever received, and I was devastated.

Some of other famous artists who died in 2022 were Tim Sale, famous for his unique style on Batman: The Long Halloween, Carlos Pacheco, famous for Avengers Forever.

I’m also sadden to see the deaths of Kevin O'Neill and Garry Leach, both British artists who worked with the great Alan Moore for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Miracleman, respectively.

For the full list, head over to Comic Book Creators Who Died in 2022.

George Pérez and Carlos Pacheco Photo via @Deafhatter

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Fantasy TV (Sep 2022)

Read more Television and Fantasy TV.

Read More The Sandman The next big title to be given the Netflix treatment will be Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman… it’s currently in development. Everyone is excited about the adaption, and hopefully it will bring the story to a bigger audience. … Constantine The new episode of Constantine is probably the best show so far! The best ones are the ones that is based on the comic book, and this new episode, the whole setup is quite similar to Mike Carey's Hellblazer: All His Engines. .…

The Sandman
netflix.com

It breaks my heart, but I don’t love the Netflix adaption of The Sandman.

I realized that the television show wasn’t meant for me, but for a wider audience that is not all that familiar with the original comic books. You see, I own all the original comics, starting with #1 when it first launched in 1989, when Vertigo Comics was in its infancy. I own all the spinoffs titles (including Death: The High Cost of Living, and various Specials). I am a superfan, when it comes to the Sandman.

So, that’s the problem. I’m just too close to the source material, it is hard for me to accept the new changes… especially, when I think it brought absolutely nothing to the story.

They followed most of the story correctly, making some minor changes to give the Corinthian a bigger role, and overall, the story still follows the books.

What I had a problem with is all the gender and race swaps. I know, I know, most people aren’t bothered by this… but when you are used to a character to look a certain way, you just expect them to look the same on screen.

The biggest changes were Death is played by Kirby Howell-Baptiste, a black actress, and John Constantine is played by Jenna Coleman, a woman, Rose Walker is played by Kyo Ra, a black actress, and Lucien, an old male elf librarian is played by Vivienne Acheampong, a black woman.

I know a lot of people argued that it doesn’t matter, but to me, it just didn’t feel like the Sandman from the comic books. I just wondered why they made these changes? For example, if they changed Cyborg, a black character, into a white character, wouldn’t it upset you? Another example, when they decided to make Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe to Asian, I wasn’t happy about that either. I would be upset if they changed Storm Shadow, who is Asian, to another race or gender. Another example, I was really upset that they wouldn’t show Constantine smoking in the Constantine television show... and yes, I was upset that Constantine was not blonde and English in the Keanu Reeves movie. To me, I just don’t like it when they make changes to the characters.

What The Sandman got right, such as The Corinthian, or Desire (maybe they could have gotten both a male and female to play the part!), or all the serial killers… they got it right! I’ve no complaints if they get things right.... Cain and Abel, they look like they’re from the bible. Even Fiddler’s Green looked the part, complete with his costume and glasses. When the show gets a character right, I’m going to praise it.

I guess, when it comes down to it, for someone not familiar with The Sandman, you are going to have a good time. You’re going to love the story of the Sandman, which combines the first two Sandman arcs, Preludes and Nocturnes and The Doll’s House, into 10 episodes. I think the story still holds up.

Also, don’t miss the bonus episode, a two-parter Dream of a Thousand Cats and Calliope, which are both excellent adaptions. No complaints here, the cats looks like cats, the muse looks like a muse.

Read More Game Of Thrones The Seven Kingdoms come to life in a way like no other as the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience kicked off its all-arena twenty-four city North American tour at the Xcel Energy Center in St . Paul. .…

House of the Dragon
hbo.com

With bitterness of the last two seasons of Game of Thrones still fresh in my mind, I wasn’t looking forward to the prequel House of the Dragons… or as the kids are calling it, “Hot D”. Going into House of the Dragons, I realized how much I love the original Game of Thrones (Seasons 1 to 5). That’s because the story and writing is strong, as it’s based on George R.R. Martin’s Blood and Fire book.

The good news is that the book has a definitive ending, so if they are adapting this book, they won’t run out of material, unlike Game of Thrones, where the showrunners were just making it up as they go along (and it shows how poorly they understood the characters).

In many ways, House of the Dragons is making me fall back in love with the Westeros world. Since the story takes place over 150 years before Game of Thrones, there are no familiar characters.

We are introduced to the ruling House Targaryen. The king Viserys Targaryen is facing a problem of not having an heir to his kingdom. He chose to named his daughter, Rhaenyra, as sole heir to spurn his brother, Daemon. This sets up conflict within the Targaryen family.

I think the best part of the show is Matt Smith, who is straight up an evil man. To call him evil might be wrong, he’s more like a big jerk. Smith does such a wonderful job in portraying Daemon, that every time he’s on screen, he dominate. All the other characters are boring compared to Daemon.

I’m only three episodes in, and knowing that HBO has already green-lit a second season, I have a good feeling about this series. I haven’t read the book, so I’m very much looking forward to how the story unfolds, and who will live and who will die, playing the Game of Thrones?

PS, I don’t like how House of the Dragons re-used the theme song to Game of Thrones. I wish it was a different theme song, so that it stands on its own, rather than being related to GoT.

Read More Lord of the Rings The Banner Saga, a game by Stoic, released on Tuesday, January 14th, is one of the best games I've ever played. The graphics is hand drawn and reminds me of Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings and pre-CGI Disney animation. .…

Rings of Power
amazon.com

Yes, I do have Amazon Prime, and no, I haven’t wanted to watch The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power show from Amazon. The show is based on the The Lord of the Rings and its appendices by J. R. R. Tolkien.

One of the main reasons I am avoiding this show is that the diehard fans are ridiculing the show for its terrible writing and that the show is changing race and gender from the books. As someone who was not happy that they gender or race-swapped characters on The Sandman, I fully understand why these fans are upset that the Rings of Power show is getting their characters wrong.

I don’t know the whole story, but I think part of the problem is that Amazon only has rights to some books, so they can’t touch anything that appears in the Peter Jackson movies. They might have to make up characters or introduce a new race that was not mentioned in the books. For example, since the Hobbits didn’t exist in the time that Rings of Power takes place, the showrunners used a race called the Harfoots.

I haven’t read the books, so those kind of things probably wouldn’t bother me, but seeing as so many fans hate all the changes to the books, I am avoiding the fantasy series for now.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

State of Play: Super Powers Collection

Read More Toys I know it’s 2020, but if you’ve gone to the toy aisle, it certainly looks like the 80s: Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe, Ghost Busters, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Like Hollywood, the toy …

As a long time comic book fan and action figure collector, I was very excited to see that Todd McFarlane is producing modern Super Powers toys.

For those who aren’t aware, the original Kenner’s release of Super Powers Collection in 1984 is the stuff of legends. It was the first time that DC Comics had figures of their favorite characters. I started reading comics in 1985 and didn’t really started collecting toys until many years later (toys are expensive to a kid!) … so I had missed out on the original Kenner collection.

The good news is that these new McFarlane toys are in the same scale as the original Kenner figures… meaning that you can use your existing toys with the new vehicles and vice-versa.

Depending on your view, McFarlane kept everything the same, including the limited articulation, but not including “power punch” and “karate chop” gimmicks. The good news is that the figures are only $10 each. The bad news is that they’re exclusive to Walmart… meaning if you don’t live near a Wally or hate the giant retailer, it’s going to suck for you.

Don’t lose hope, perhaps it’s only a timed-exclusive. Remember Masters of the Universe: Origins? For the first year, it was a Walmart exclusive. By 2021, Mattel sold it to all stores that wanted to stock them.

photo: Lorand C

Anyway, so far, with the new Super Powers Collection, we only got Superman, Batman, Darkseid, and two vehicles, Batwing and Supermobile. I bought them all, except, of course, I can’t find the Batwing anywhere. I’ll continue to hunt for it… but, so far, I’m very happy with what I’ve got.

Update: Apparently Green Lantern (John Stewart) is the fourth figure in the new Super Powers Collection toy line. This photo to the left was taken at a Walmart in Gainesville, Florida. Hopefully, I can find the figure soon.

Super Powers (2022)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

MegaCon Orlando 2022 recap (part one)

Read More MegaCon It was with heavy heart but great admiration to be present for the George Pérez memorial service hosted at MegaCon Orlando inside the sprawling Orange County Convention Center. …

Though it only may be the unofficial start of Summer, it is definitely the official start of comic convention season and we packed up our Avengers Quinjet to fly down to Orlando, FL for the Southeast’s largest show, MegaCon Orlando 2022.

Comic book shows have been held in Central Florida since the 70s, and this particular show began in 1993, with now-defunct publisher CrossGen purchasing it in 1999, and its current UK owner, Informa, taking charge in 2015 under its Fan Expo banner.  Fan Expo more recently also assumed all of the former Wizard World conventions, to host numerous cons in major US/Canadian cities. 

Because of the global pandemic, this four-day show was its true return to form, and with anticipation very high, attendance over the Thursday-Sunday event completely exceeded previous attendance records, as 140,000+ went to the gigantic Orange County Convention Center, resulting in very busy aisles, local traffic congestion and full parking lots, and elbow-to-elbow crowds on its busiest day, Saturday. 

All variations of pop culture were represented, from comics to sci-fi, horror to anime, fantasy to traditional and online gaming, and so much more.  Being located close to the Space Coast, NASA even had a display and hosted several science panels. 

Cosplayers were predictably everywhere, though instead of one large competition to showcase costumes, there was a daily afternoon Cosplay Runway for those to show off their elaborate designs. 

Celebrity guests over the weekend included the casts of Cobra Kai, Clerks, the Hobbit films, numerous voice actors and wrestlers, Lorraine Bracco, LeVar Burton, Gina Carano, Giancarlo Esposito, Brendan Fraser, Nathan Fillion, Caity Lotz, Jes Macallan, James Marsters, and Brent Spiner. 

Comic book creators included several marquee names as well as more recent artists, many traveling in from Italy, Spain, Germany, UK, South Korea, and Singapore and included: Alvaro Martinez Bueno, Greg Capullo, Donny Cates, Tony Daniel, Werther Dell'Edera, Tom King, Adam Kubert, Stanley Artgerm Lau, Inhyuk Lee, Tula Lotay, Marco Mastrazzo, Francesco Mattina, Frank Miller, Ryan Stegman, Mico Suayan, Ivan Tao, James Tynion IV, Ram V, and Zeb Wells, among many others. 

Many of the highest profile events were monetized and involved additional admission, though it was fairly easy to see celebrities in separate panels rather than together (i.e. all four Hobbit stars had their own panels, but their group discussion was at a paid premium).

Artist creator panels often doubled as a fan Q+A along with a friendly sketch duel, involving two or more talents, and there were tribute remembrance panels for recently lost major comic artists, Neal Adams and George Pérez, for fans to share their feelings and stories. 

How-to panels were hosted for those interested in creation of their own costumes, models, games, or tournaments, meetups and speeding dating, and official afterparties were also part of the busy schedule. 

We’ll get into a little more detail in a follow-up column, but it looked to be an overall huge success and the show has already confirmed its next dates- MegaCon Orlando 2023 will occur March 30-April 2.

(click any image to enlarge and see in full)

Unknown Comics booth

Human Claw Machine

sketch duel Bill Morrison v Alex Saviuk

Sketch duel Ryan Stegman v Ryan Ottley

Thing v. Hulk display

Masters of the Universe

1960s Batmobile

Cosplay

Cosplay: My Hero Academia balloons

Cosplay: Ghostbusters

Cosplay: Rocky Horror Picture Show

Cosplay: Warhammer

Friday Crowd at MegaCon Orlando 2022

Marco Mastrazzo, Marco Turini

Jim Shooter

Bueno Dell' Edera Tynion comic panel

Lorraine Bracco

Clerks cast

Ralph Macchio and the Cobra Kai cast at MegaCon Orlando 2022

 

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Planet Comicon Kansas City 2022 - recap (The Panels)

Planet Comicon: Brandon Routh Read More Planet Comicon Crowds in the thousands flocked to Bartle Hall in downtown Kansas City over the weekend to attend the three-day Planet Comicon Kansas City, the region’s largest and longest-running comic and pop …

We’re back with our follow-up coverage of Planet Comicon Kansas City 2022, the Midwest’s largest and longest-running comic and pop culture event, held downtown at Bartle Hall, and this is a re-cap of some of the most interesting Panels held during the three-day event. 

Panels are among the best chances to hear what your favorite celebrity has on their mind, listen to behind-the-scenes humorous stories, potentially have a chance to ask your own question, and occasionally get to see or hear something completely unexpected. 

Bret Iwan / Ashley Eckstein – Voice Your Dreams

Both voice artists are hugely popular to Disney fans – Iwan is the current voice of Mickey Mouse, while Eckstein is best known for Star Wars character Ahsoka Tano and both had early dreams of being involved with Disney.  Iwan initially wanted to be an artist while Eckstein envisioned herself voicing one of the many Disney princesses. Fans’ questions were answered, and the hour-long panel had a true sense of positivity and encouraging following your passion.

Phil LaMarr

Phil LaMarr / Maria Canals-Barrera, Susan Eisenberg – Voicing the League

A couple of late cancellations meant we didn’t get to hear from the voices of Batman and Superman, but the remaining voice actors kept the fans very entertained.  All gave highest praise to voice  casting director Andrea Romano for her help in making so many DC animated series, the successes that they are. 

When asked about their most underrated job, Eisenberg mentioned voicing Viper in the animated Jackie Chan Adventures, LaMarr pointed to his four-season stint on The Weekenders which aired in the early 2000s, and Canals-Barrera brought up her role in the 2002 Dana Carvey film, The Master of Disguise. 

All mentioned that voices are recorded together as much as possible and were star-struck when actors like Mark Hamill and Ed Asner would come in for guest spots and LaMarr admitted being nervously in awe when he saw actor Dennis (24, Major League) Haysbert auditioning for the voice of Green Lantern, right before his turn. 

James Tynion IV – Comics Spotlight

One of comics’ hottest writers held court to talk about his breakthrough Batman run, and more rewarding creator-owned properties- Something Is Killing the Children, Department of Truth, Wynd, and Nice House on the Lake. 

Tynion said he was always very curious and would read a lot, meeting and studying under Scott Snyder while in college for creative writing.  He prefers creator-owned work as far as the most creatively satisfying, saying the near-autonomy allows his stories to unfold at the pace he wants and is the best incubator for unique ideas.  He admits to being very influenced by DC’s Vertigo line of books, especially with Department of Truth (TV optioned) which he purposely wanted a look similar to Vertigo artists Dave McKean and Bill Sienkiewicz. 

Brandon Routh / Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Courtney Ford / Jes Macallan – Legends of Tomorrow

Unfortunately, shortly after the Con weekend, the CW decided to cancel Legends of Tomorrow, but there was plenty of support in the Grand Ballroom to continue with the show. 

Batwoman stars Rachel Skarsten and Nicole Kang even snuck into the question line, to lobby for an episode crossover between the two series (unfortunately, Batwoman was also canceled as well). 

Routh enjoyed being on Chuck as Daniel Shaw, eventually embracing playing a bad guy even though it was against his true nature, and Macallan and Richardson-Sellers told stories about the LoT episodes they were able to direct. 

John Romita, Jr.

John Romita, Jr.- Comics Spotlight

The legendary artist recently returned to Marvel to re-launch (yet again) a new Spider-Man #1 and when asked about how he’d like to work with, he admitted to working with almost everyone, but wants to re-work with many (like writer Dan Slott who he likes being taller than).

Writers Romita feels the best communication with, are Frank Miller and Neil Gaiman, and he’s proud of his co-creations over the years, including Hobgoblin, Typhoid Mary (influenced by his ex-wife’s look), and Blackheart (inspired by Joan Jett and band).  He believes in trusting filmmakers that adapt his works and actually tried to cameo in the Ben Affleck Daredevil movie, but was told he didn’t look “New York” enough (though has spent his life in NYC).

Jason David Frank – The Mighty Morphin Life

The famous Green Ranger and former MMA fighter was excited to update fans on his new movie, Legend of the White Dragon, due out next year and emphasized his continued connection to the fans that support him.  He mentioned he still sends a Make-A-Wish kid he met, a short daily video to brighten his day, and had the audience all say hello to him as well. 

Booker T– Legend of Wrestling

The legendary Hall of Famer started by talking about his love of golf, not wrestling, a sport he picked up later in life and thought he might have a second career at, but wrestling training did not help his game and he found the disciplines are very different.  He continues to regularly train and maintain a routine, as he knew that he didn’t want the ongoing injuries that plague so many wrestlers in later life.  While he was ok with getting hurt in the ring, any actual injuries would be very different. 

Adam Savage

Adam Savage- An Hour With

The Mythbusters star’s presentation was among the most popular of the entire weekend and he admitted he was thinking of returning to TV, even asking the crowd (jokingly) if he should don a costume on “The Masked Singer”. A recent work-for-hire job was designing and building a full spacesuit for a Boeing display at Cape Canaveral, and when a young boy asked how many things had he blown up, he mentioned it was over 2500 items, using more than eight tons of explosives. 

James Murray – Impractically Joking

The comedian and member of the Tenderloins troupe is best known as a member of the popular Impractical Jokers TV show.  He had the crowd laughing early, revealing the translations and alternate names of the show in other countries, and admitted he’d always wanted to be a comedian (or maybe a scientist) since he was young. 

When asked about his favorite hero and villain, he admitted to still loving the 70s Christopher Reeve/ Gene Hackman Superman films and ended by re-iterating he wasn’t on TV until he was thirty-five and after eleven years in the business, so it was ok to keep dreaming and working toward your goals. 

James Arnold Taylor – Talking to Myself

In lieu of Cassandra (Elvira) Peterson’s late cancellation, the versatile voice actor stepped into her time slot with a well-done audio-visual presentation about his beginnings and influences, which included spot-on impressions and stories along the way. 

Joey Fatone

Joey Fatone – From Boy Band to TV Star

The former NSYNC singer and current reality TV celebrity talked about all the fun he’s had over the years, from touring the world, to commercial endorsements, to his many TV and stage appearances, saying he’s fortunate enough to be in this position and is determined to enjoy the ride.

Fatone continues to perform with a boy band hybrid super group that combines members of Backstreet Boys, Boys II Men and NSYNC and he is also out with his Joey and Friends incarnation, which plays Epcot Center in August.

He especially remembered having fun playing the Superbowl halftime show, the 2016 boy-band zombie western film Dead 7 and is apprehensively looking forward to his punishment on a Season10 episode of Impractical Jokers.

Jason Aaron / Dennis Hopeless / Phil Hester / Skottie Young- Mainstream Comics to Indie

In this panel, four of the best known area comic creators reflected on their careers and gave attendees tips on breaking into the business.  All said to create your own properties and self-publish if you can, as anything good will attract attention, but to prepare to be your own one-man show of marketing, editing, promoting and more, and that networking is also important.

Most liked having a mix of working with company-owned and their own creator-owned properties and that most creators start by creating stories they want to see told in the marketplace themself, and still create in those ways that are most self-satisfying. 

Mark-Paul Gosselaar – Bayside and Beyond

The Saved by the Bell and NYPD Blue star entertained the audience with stories and recollections, though admitted his memory is poor, as evidenced by a crowd member recalling  a night in the 90s Gosselaar spent at KC’s Worlds of Fun amusement park, something he had no memory of. 

Gosselaar did have good memories of the Saved by the Bell precursor, Good Morning Miss Bliss and always considered Zack Morris as a TV version of Ferris Bueller.  He also recalled being fired from an early toy commercial, only to be replaced by Paul (Fast and The Furious) Walker and remarked that Slater and Jessie had much more on-screen chemistry, than his Zack and Tiffany Amber-Theissen’s Kelly Kapowski, which seemed more like siblings.

Gates McFadden / John de Lancie – Star Trek:TNG and Beyond

Most fans didn’t realize that The Next Generation pair had worked together prior, in bit parts for Arthur Hiller’s 1990 film, Taking Care of Business.  McFadden expressed her excitement for the upcoming expanded Trek docuseries The Center Seat for the History Channel and an upcoming appearance on the Picard series.  Her earlier work as a choreographer for the Henson Company had her showing David Bowie how to waltz for Labyrinth, and meeting Kermit onscreen for Muppets Take Manhattan.

de Lancie copped to not really watching the popular series, assuming the fans will take the work with their own interpretations, but was himself amused when guesting on a recent Star Trek-themed cruise (an idea he’s still not sure about) and finding every channel on the on-board TVs, had some kind of Star Trek show on. 

===

Planet Comicon Kansas City was back in full form with large and generally happy crowds, and has already made plans to return less than a year from now, on March 17-19, 2023.

(note- no actual photos taken from the weekend are here, as the backpack with our photographer’s camera inside, was stolen in a car break-in, shortly after the show ended)

Planet Comicon - Star Trek The Next Generation stars

 

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Planet Comicon Kansas City 2022 - recap

Planet Comicon Kansas City (April 22-24) Read More Planet Comicon Kansas City Crowds in the thousands flocked to Bartle Hall in downtown Kansas City over the weekend to attend the three-day Planet Comicon Kansas City, the region’s largest and longest-running comic and pop …

Kansas City, all traveling to Bartle Hall to attend the three-day Planet Comicon Kansas City, the region’s largest and longest-running comic and pop culture event celebrating comic books, science fiction, superheroes and fantasy, and its creators. 

The show has been in existence since 1999, moving locations and growing exponentially along the way to become the Midwest’s premier comics and pop culture gathering.

 

The show itself is very well run – plenty of volunteers in bright green shirts to answer questions and direct you to locations, orderly celebrity and creator signings, and in-person panels in both larger rooms and small, that went off without a glitch. 

The dealer exhibit space covered over seven football fields worth of area featuring comics, pop culture collectibles, anime, nostalgia and memorabilia, along with gaming, entertainment, and retail spaces.

Beer was even served via Boulevard Brewing, free play pinball and video games were available, and workshop presentations were held for would-be creators. 

Crowds were brisk all weekend and many dealers were overheard saying it was their best sales show to date.  Panel rooms were especially filled for presentations from Mythbusters’ Adam Savage, actor Ralph Macchio, and voice actor Bryce Papenbrook.

Also unique to the convention and a first-of-its kind for any similar show, was the 1960 Liberty Bell 7 space capsule on display, on loan from its permanent home at the Kansas Cosmosphere.

Celebrity guests for the weekend included:

• Booker T – WWE wrestler
• Maria Canals-Barrera- voice actor
• John De Lancie – Star Trek: Next Generation
• Susan Eisenberg – voice actor
• Joey Fatone - *NSYNC, actor
• Jason David Frank – Power Rangers
• Mark-Paul Gosselaar – Saved by the Bell, NYPD Blue
• Nicole Kang – Batwoman actor
• Phil LaMarr – voice actor
• Jerry Lawler – WWE wrestler
• Ralph Macchio – Karate Kid, Cobra Kai actor
• Gates McFadden – Star Trek: Next Generation
• Bryce Papenbrook – voice actor
• Maisie Richardson-Sellers- Legends of Tomorrow actor
• Brandon Routh – Superman, Legends of Tomorrow
• Adam Savage - Mythbusters
• Rachel Skarsten- Batwoman, Birds of Prey actor

Comic creators appearing included writers James Tynion IV, Garth Ennis, Jason Aaron, and Cullen Bunn, artists John Romita, Jr., Pat Gleason, Scott Hanna, creators Howard Chaykin, Brian Pulido, Don Rosa, Skottie Young, and many from the local area and region. 

Celebrity meet-and-greets, and photo opportunities were available (a few with safety plexiglass between) and one of the best ways to learn about these attendees or ask a particular question, was to attend their public Panel discussion/Q&A.

We’ll be covering those more in depth, in an upcoming separate post.

Planet Comicon Kansas City 2023 is already less than a year away – confirmed for March 17, 18, and 19, so start making plans now to attend.

(note- no actual photos taken from the weekend are here, as the backpack with our photographer’s camera inside, was stolen in a car break-in, shortly after the show ended)  Click any image to enlarge and see in full.

Car Damage

Liberty Bell 7

Planet Comicon cosplay

Planet Comicon Pinballs

Planet Comicon Kansas City crowd (2019)

Planet Comicon Kansas City crowd (2019)

 

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com