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iBrave Closure

iBrave Closure Read More iBrave As of 2023, I think I found a new home the George Perez Website, using iBrave Web Hosting Service. They are offering a “lifetime subscription” and “unlimited” service. …

I purchased the “Lifetime Unlimited” plan from iBrave in January 2023. After a year and a half, they delivered what they promised, but I’ve always known it was too good to be true. I was right, of course, iBrave Web Hosting is closing on November 1st, 2024.

Their email mentioned that they’re working with 20i to transfer hosting and emails to prevent downtime, but they also don’t mention that this will come with a new monthly cost. I will have to wait if they are going to cut us a deal or if they are going to charge us their commercial rate. I honestly am not interested in paying more, which might mean that I’m also shutting down my George Perez website.

As for email services, there’s no way around this, I’ll be forced to pay. I was previously paying Google, but they are way too expensive. I am looking at Zoho to host my future emails.

Anyway, any suggestions for a new web host, please let me know. I'm looking at inexpensive or free options.

Message from iBrave:

We are writing to inform you of the forthcoming closure of iBrave on 1st November 2024 due to unforeseen personal circumstances. You may have noticed a decline in service levels recently, and we understand how concerning this can be.

As our infrastructure provider, 20i have agreed to continue to maintain hosted websites, domains and emails to prevent any downtime to your services. 20i offers the same control panel and platform as iBrave, ensuring a familiar experience for you. You will receive an email from 20i with details and further information soon.

Please note, iBrave has not been acquired by 20i, we've reached out to them to offer you a seamless and straightforward way to continue your web hosting services with us.

You can choose to migrate to any hosting provider of your choice and are under no obligation to remain with 20i.

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your understand and cooperation during this difficult time.

UPDATE 7/9/2024: The 20i Team has finally followed up. The message is clear, they will charge users and there will be no discounts, except for three months free. While I did not explore the pricing options, one commenter said it will cost $90 a month for his website host. Others have suggested I look at Ionis web hosting or Hosting Matters Inc., so over the next few months I will be exploring some options.

We are writing to inform you that iBrave Hosting has decided to close their business. You may have noticed a decline in service levels recently, and we understand how concerning this can be.

Due to this, iBrave Hosting’s services will cease on 1st November 2024.

As the infrastructure provider to iBrave Hosting, 20i is here to support you during this transition. While 20i and iBrave Hosting are not affiliated and 20i is not acquiring iBrave Hosting, we want to offer you a seamless and straightforward way to continue your web hosting services with us.

We use the same control panel, platform and infrastructure as iBrave Hosting, ensuring a familiar experience for you. By pressing the button below, you can initiate a quick and simple migration to 20i with no downtime or DNS amendments required. We are committed to ensuring a smooth transition for you and your websites, domains and emails.

Special Offer for iBrave Hosting Customers:

• Enjoy 3 months of FREE hosting with 20i.
• No obligation to continue services after the free period.

We understand that iBrave Hosting offered lifetime hosting, however, unfortunately this is not a model that we can sustainably provide at 20i. We instead operate a monthly or annual renewal-based model. We hope that you will choose to remain a customer of 20i for the long-term and take advantage of our industry leading hosting platform, but if after migrating to 20i you decide to move to another provider then you will have the freedom to do so with no contract commitments.

Ultimately, this is a rescue mission for customers currently stranded on the iBrave Hosting platform. Our goal is to ensure you have continuous, reliable hosting service with the support you need.

Additionally, you will have access to our 24/7 expert support team, renowned for their quick and efficient responses.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Read more Technology.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

iBrave Web Hosting

iBrave Hosting Read More iBrave As of 2023, I think I found a new home the George Perez Website, using iBrave Web Hosting Service. They are offering a “lifetime subscription” and “unlimited” service. …

When Google killed the classic Google Sites in 2022, I didn’t know what to do. I was using Google to host my George Perez website since 2008. For a while, I did look into hosting it on Wordpress but their plans can be as cheap as $4 a month, or as much as $25 a month… and there’s a limit to how much storage you can use. Plus, I believe you have to use their Wordpress console, which is limited to what you can or cannot do (for example, I know they don’t allow running your own custom scripts). I didn’t end up going with the platform in the end.

Then, in January 2023, I found iBrave Web Hosting. For $99, they will host your website, “for life”! It’s unlimited storage, unlimited pages, it sounded too good to be true. I took a chance on it, if they are not a good service… I’m only out a hundred.

After using iBrave for over one year, I can truly recommend this service. It’s not the easiest or user friendly, but if you know what you’re doing (or willing to learn), then you won’t have a problem. They were true to their words, I have not had to pay any additional fees, and it does seem to be truly unlimited.

To be absolutely honest, I don’t know how they are making money. I’ve looked at other hosts, they all want a monthly subscription fee. I don’t want iBrave to go bankrupt, so I’m promoting and proudly displaying their icon on my Perez website.

So, if you feel like you could build your own website, I will recommend using iBrave to host. If you rather not do the website thing, but would prefer to have a business/custom email address, this option is also available. This is useful if you have multiple users who contribute to the website or if you’re a business, you can create different roles in your organization. For example, [email protected] will direct to your sales person.

If you break down the cost for multiple users - let’s say three users, you’re going to spend too much money with Google or MicroSoft.

Compare	iBrave	Zoho Mail	Google	MicroSoft
1 Custom Email for 1 year	$0	$15	$72	$72
1 Custom Email for 5 years	$0	$75	$360	$360
10 Custom Emails for 1 year	$0	$150	$720	$720
10 Custom Emails for 5 years	$0	$750	$3,600	$3,600

iBrave also offers even more features, and I haven’t explored them all, but I’m quite content with the unlimited website hosting and unlimited email/users option… it’s well worth that initial $99 one-time fee. If you explore web hosting from Google or Microsoft, you’re looking to spend at least $300 for storage alone.

In addition to CDN, Web Tools (MySQL Databases, PHP Configuration), Email, Domain Name Management, Security, and Logs/Stats, iBrave also offers “One-Click Installs”. There are 80 to choose from, I do not know 99% of these options, but if you’re a web developer, I’m sure you know these names. To be honest, I only recognize Wordpress, as I’ve used them in the past.

One-Click Installs

Here are some options: AbanteCart, AgoraCart, b2evolution, Backdrop, BambooInvoice, Big Tree CMS, BuddyPress, Cachet, CakePHP, CMS Made Simple, ConcreteCMS, Coppermine, Craft CMS, CubeCart, Dolibarr, dotProject, Drupal, E107, Elgg, ExpressionEngine, Feng Office, Flarum, FormaLMS, FreeScout, FreshRSS, Geeklog, Gibbon, GNU social, Invoice Ninja, InvoicePlane, Joomla!, Kanboard, Laravel, LimeSurvey, Magento, MantisBT, Matomo, Mautic Community, MediaWiki, MODX, Moodle, MyBB, OpenCart, Open Web Analytics, osCommerce, osCommerce Phoenix Edition, osTicket, phpBB, PHP-Fusion, phpList, PHPMailer, phpMyFAQ, phpNuke, Phproject, Piwigo, PrestaShop, ProcessWire, Revive Adserver, roundcube, Sendportal, Serendipity, SilverStripeCMS, Simple Machines Forum, Slim, SquirrelMail, SuiteCRM, Tcexam, TeamPass, Textpattern, Trouble Ticket Express, Typo3, UNA, Vanilla Forums, Vtiger, WebCalendar, WinterCMS, WordPress, Xerte, Zen Cart, ZenphotoCMS

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

OneDrive

Read More MicroSoft That’s because I just bought the Microsoft Office Professional 2021 lifetime license for $30, after reading about it on C-Net. The article referenced Stack Social, which I’ve never heard of until today. …

Since Google forced me to abandon their Google Drive by pooling my storage with other users in my domain Workgroup, I’ve had to quickly jump ship and try out something new: OneDrive.

I don’t know why I’ve avoided using MicroSoft’s OneDrive for so long! Now that I’ve been using OneDrive for weeks now, I have realized what a mistake it was by staying with Google Drive for so long.

One of the cool things is that all Windows devices already have OneDrive integrated into Windows, so there are no issues accessing or updating my files across my various computers.

OneDrive Organized Photos

Previously, most of my storage usage is automatically backing up my photos to my Google Photos. This is because Google used to offer free unlimited storage. I was happy to see that OneDrive will automatically back up my photos… and they automatically organized it in folders! See example of photos organized by year in folders (and automatically tagged with what device the photos came from). This is amazing! Previously, I had to access my Google Photos through their website and it wasn’t organized.

Also, my workflow has improved with OneDrive. Example, if I want to read a PDF file on my iPad, I used to manually plug in my iPad into my PC and transfer the file through a USB cable. Now, all I do is drop the PDF in my OneDrive and it’ll automatically appear on my iPad, like magic.

So, if you pay for Personal, not only does it include 1TB of storage, but you have access to MicroSoft Office for free. If you don’t want to pay for Personal, you can still use Office for free if your device is 10 inches or less… So, basically you can use Office on your iPhone.

I like using OneDrive so much that I upgraded from Basic to Microsoft 365 Family. The $99 a year fee gives you 6TB of storage (1TB per person - up to six users). If you do the math, this is the best deal if you can find six people to share the account… it works out to be about $17 a year per person. Everyone in the Family will have access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, advanced Microsoft Defender, ad-free Outlook, Clipchamp video editor with premium filters and effects, and more.

Here are some highlights:

Pricing: OneDrive offers three reasonable pricing, Basic (100GB for $20 a year), Personal (1TB for $70 a year), and Family (6TB for $100 a year).

Access: If you have a Windows device, OneDrive is integrated into Windows, meaning easier access. OneDrive is also available on iOS and Android, and any computer that has secure web browsing.

Speed: It’s fast! I’ll work on a document and it’s automatically updated on another computer by syncing quickly. Previously with Google Drive, I would have to launch drive on that other computer and wait for that computer to load up the updated file.

Bedtime Backup: This is OneDrive’s turbo mode, basically you put this one before you go to bed and tomorrow, everything is uploaded. I was able to upload 20GB overnight with this feature.

Personal Vault: This is the “secure vault”, which cannot be viewed unless you put in your password and automatically locks after a certain amount of time. I accidentally turned it on, but quickly realized with all the security in place, it wasn’t worth having to put in my password every few hours… so I turned it off. You can only do this via their OneDrive website, you cannot turn off this feature on the app.

Right now, all my photos are backed up on OneDrive, it’s taking up a large chunk of storage. I also have a folder to share some television show so I can watch it on my iPad.

My entire George Perez website is also backed up on OneDrive. Previously, if I had to edit my website, I had to sit at my desktop PC. Now, the website is available to me on any computer that has OneDrive. I’m not worried about it taking up so much storage, as my 1TB is more than enough for my usage.

YouTube blocking adblocker

Based in the direction Google is heading, making users pay for everything, such as forcing small business to pay for custom domain, removing need-features (unless you pay), forcing you to remove Adblock on YouTube, etc… if you can’t see the writing on the wall, you need to open your eyes. This company wants people to pay (in my opinion, it won’t be long until you have to pay for Gmail).

I have to say that it’s just impossible to leave Google. Their search is much better than Bing. Bing isn’t timely, and they don’t index enough websites and what they serve up is not good. The silver lining is that I discovered I had built up so many Bing Points over the years that I had enough to get $10 in Amazon Gift Card! It was basically free money, and the more you use Bing, you can earn money!

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Happy Crisis on Infinite Earths day

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…

I’ve previously mentioned that the very first comic book that I purchased with my own money, a whole $1, was Crisis on Infinite Earths #1. I didn’t know it then, but this little comic book forever changed my life forever. As it turns out, January 3, 1985, was the date that the book came out (even though the newsstand date shows April 1985). Of course, I didn’t buy it in January… in fact, it was probably closer to March, as #3 was already on the stands.

If you didn’t know, Crisis #1 basically created a tradition of the annual crossover for DC Comics. The comic book event was probably one of the most important things that DC Comics had ever done. To this day, the DC Universe are still feeling its impact (with the recent Dark Crisis series).

A little trivia, but Crisis #1 was first to introduce the Charlton characters (Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, Peacemaker, etc.) to the DC Universe. This meant that the first time we saw these characters, they were drawn by George Perez.

The series would go on to kill off Supergirl in issue #7, followed by The Flash’s death in #8. Let me just tell you, these deaths shocked a ton of comic book fans.

Post-Crisis, we had Frank Miller re-invented Batman with his Dark Knight Returns and Year One. John Byrne re-invented Superman under his vision… and George Perez restarted Wonder Woman. This was such an exciting time for DC.

In Crisis news, there’s also a new DC Animated film coming out called Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part 1. Based on seeing the trailers… this is only loosely based on the original 1985 series. I’ll probably still buy the Bluray when it comes out January 23, 2024. It is available for streaming next week: January 9th.

Anyway, so Happy Birthday, Crisis #1. Enjoy some Crisis #1 homage below.

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #1 CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #1 (Apr 1985) DC Comics DARK CRISIS #1 (07 Jun 2022) DC Comics DARK CRISIS #3 (Oct 2022) DC Comics MIS-ADVENTURES OF ADAM WEST #10 (Apr 2022) TidalWave Comics NINJA HIGH SCHOOL INDIE WARS TP (02 Dec 2020) Antarctic Press BETTIE PAGE #2 (Variant Cover) (May 2019) Dynamite Comics AVENGERS: NO SURRENDER #1 (28 Jun 2018) Marvel Comics LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES: INFINITE TIMELINE (Oct 2013) art by Jason Metcalfe and Bob Almond SUPERMAN KLASSIK #4 (Germany) (1991) Ehapa Verlag

Vu's Crisis Collection (I have more, this is just a small sample).

Read more Comic Book.

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

George Perez Website: 25th Anniversary

Read More George Perez Today, December 9th, is the 20th anniversary of my little George Perez Website, a website dedicated to comic book artist George Perez. …

This Saturday, December 9th, 2023, is the 25th Anniversary of the George Perez Website.

I started this little webpage in 1998, as a means to keeping track of George Perez’s art for my own collection. It was (at the time) the first (at least that I’m aware of) website devoted to George Perez.

In 2000, George Perez had seen my webpage and contacted me through email. He loved the dedication, and through the years, made announcements exclusively on the website to keep fans informed of his latest projects.

Currently, the George Perez Website is in its fifth version, located at thegeorgeperez.com. It is being hosted on iBrave Web Hosting Service, a lifetime hosting for a one-time fee.

It’s funny, looking back, when the website just turned five years, I was incredibly proud of it, because I didn’t think it would last that long.

George Perez wrote, “I just want to congratulate Vu on the 5th Anniversary of this fan site. I have been enormously flattered by all his work and dedication and I hope that I continue to deserve such attention.”

Special thanks to George Perez, Ilke Hincer, Tony Lorenz, Marcus Mebes, Andy Mangels, Doug and Sheila, Eric S., OJ Flow, Spencer, and to all the fans I’ve met along the way.

Timeline:

12/09/1998 - Version 1 05/06/2000 - Version 2 10/27/2006 - Version 3 07/10/2007 - on break for one year 07/12/2008 - Version 4

12/09/2008 - 10th Anniversary 12/09/2018 - 20th Anniversary 08/25/2021 - Version 5 01/15/2023 - Version 6 12/09/2023 - 25th Anniversary

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

Pacesetter, the George Perez fanzine, is available again

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…

Comic book creator George Perez died last year, but his works are still being celebrated by fans and publishers. Yesterday (June 9), was Perez’s birthday, and the fanzine Pacesetter was resurrected with all of its back issues available for purchase now.

If you didn’t know, DC Comics’ legal team filed a copyright strike against the fanzine publisher Tony Lorenz in May 2021. So, for the first time in two years, the fanzine is available again.

Details from thegeorgeperez.com:

From Marcus Mebes

PACESETTER: THE GEORGE PEREZ MAGAZINE #4 (Jul 2004)
Tony Lorenz

In observance of George's birthday, the PACESETTER team will be making selected back issues of PACESETTER available through lulu.com. These will last for as long as they do, until the issues are taken down. They can only be ordered online at the link below:

lulu.com/spotlight/pacesetter

Issues are already being uploaded, and as long as Lulu doesn't get heavy-handed again and take down the account, the issues will be available. Grab 'em while you can. They're being priced as low as possible to make sure as many folks can get them as possible!

Please share this info!

Thanks everyone,
Marcus Mebes, Tony Lorenz, and David Pérez

--
details from lulu

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

R.I.P. Trugoy the Dove (De La Soul)

Read More De La Soul De La Soul Long Island hip-hop trio at least knew that a lot of younger people in the Walker audience had maybe never even heard of them. But, playing with a harder edge than on record, the group (MCs Posdnuos and Dave, and MC/DJ Maseo) …

Trugoy the Dove (real name David Jolicoeur), from De La Soul, has died at the age of 54. While no cause of death has been released (although Trugoy previously mentioned that he was battling congestive heart failure.)

90s hip-hop fans will know the group from the breakout single, “Me Myself and I”.

De La Soul was once again in the spotlight, in 2005, when they collaborated with Gorillaz for their hit single, “Feel Good Inc.”, which won them a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Collaboration (the first Grammy win in the group’s career) after being nominated three times previously.

De La Soul at Rock the Garden 2014

We caught the trio when they headlined Rock the Garden in 2014, and wrote, “Long Island hip-hop trio at least knew that a lot of younger people in the Walker audience had maybe never even heard of them. But, playing with a harder edge than on record, the group (MCs Posdnuos and Dave, and MC/DJ Maseo) made sure the audience remembered them after their night-closing performance. Even mentioning they’d released their entire catalog online for free (a pirated-sourced version, no less), the three were backed by the ever-seasoned Los Angeles nine-piece, The Rhythm Roots All-Stars, who has backed up almost every late 80’s/early ‘90s rap act, at some point… A slightly different version of best-known hit, ‘Me, Myself & I’ followed, somewhat lazily, but tempo ramped back up with Gorillaz hit, ‘Feel Good, inc.’, which was a crowd favorite, though could have benefited from a recorded Damon Albarn vocal, to fill out the song better…”

Teen Titans Go! meets De La Soul (2021)

Trivia: The legendary rap trio appeared on Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans Go! (the children cartoon is based on Marv Wolfman and George Perez’s New Teen Titans comics).

Read more Musicians who died in 2023

[13 Feb 2023] Guido Basso (Canadian jazz trumpeter), 85 Guido Basso, the masterful musician who for decades was a distinguished pillar of Canada’s jazz scene, has died. He was 85. … via jazz.fm

[12 Feb 2023] David Jude Jolicoeur (American rapper for De La Soul), 54 De La Soul legend Trugoy The Dove, also known as Dave or Dave Jolicoeur, has died his team confirmed to AllHipHop. He was 54. Details are scarce, but Trugoy has been struggling with his health over the past few years. In 2018, Trugoy opened up about his battle with congestive heart failure in an Instagram video and admitted he was struggling with being sidelined. … via allhiphop.com

[11 Feb 2023] Tito Fernández (Chilean singer-songwriter), 80 Tito Fernández -whose real name is Humberto Baeza Fernández- known as "El Temucano", died this Saturday, February 11, at the age of 80. … via biobiochile.cl

[10 Feb 2023] Ben Steinberg (Canadian composer, conductor and music educator), 93 We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Ben Steinberg Friday February 10 2023 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated. … via necrocanada.com

[10 Feb 2023] AKA (South African rapper), 35, shot Kiernan "AKA" Forbes was shot and killed - along with another man - in a shooting at a popular night spot on Durban’s Florida Road on Friday night. … via news24.com

[09 Feb 2023] Piero Montanari (Italian composer and bassist), 76 Montanari has played as bassist for many important artists, both in live concerts and for the recording of albums, making his debut in 1964 with: Gianni Davoli, Little Tony, La Nuova Cricca, I Vianella (Edoardo Vianello and Wilma Goich), Franco Califano … via globalist.it

[08 Feb 2023] Burt Bacharach (American Hall of Fame composer, six-time Grammy winner), 94 Singer and performer, who wrote Walk on By and What the World Needs Now Is Love, died at home in Los Angeles of natural causes … via theguardian.com

[08 Feb 2023] Dennis Lotis (South African-born British singer and actor), 97 BBC Radio Norfolk News mentions the death of South African-born pop singer and actor Dennis Lotis, best remembered for his tenure as a vocalist with the Ted Heath Orchestra, and for appearing in countless films and television programmes during a career spanning seven decades … via youtube.com

[07 Feb 2023] Mendelson Joe ( Canadian singer-songwriter), 78, assisted suicide Mendelson Joe — the Canadian singer-songwriter, visual artist, and activist who was a fixture of Toronto's arts community for over four decades — has died. News of the artist's passing was shared on Twitter by friend, poet and musician Robert Priest, who confirmed via Joe's partner and gallerist Karen Robinson that he chose a medically assisted death following a battle with Parkinson's disease. … via exclaim.ca

[07 Feb 2023] Richard Kell (Irish poet, composer, and teacher), 95 My father, Richard Kell, who has died aged 95, was a poet, composer, teacher and former Guardian reviewer – a lover of language, a wordsmith and self-described “inveterate scribbler”. … via theguardian.com

[07 Feb 2023] Steve Sostak (American rock musician for Sweep the Leg Johnny), 49 Steve Sostak, the saxophonist and vocalist for Chicago-based indie/experimental projects such as Sweep The Leg Johnny, Check Engine, and ZZZZ, has died, Stereogum can confirm. He was 49. … via stereogum.com

[06 Feb 2023] Phil Spalding (English bass player for GTR), 65 To say that Phil Spalding was a larger-than-life character would mean to underestimate a lifeforce this highly esteemed British bassist used to embody for decades – until now … via dmme.net

[05 Feb 2023] Lillian Walker (American singer for The Exciters), 78, angiosarcoma Tonight we are sad to report the passing of Lillian Walker-Moss, co-founder of the doo-wop group The Exciters, known for the 1963 smash hit “Tell Him.” Walker-Moss died after a battle with angiosarcoma. … via soultracks.com

[04 Feb 2023] Vani Jairam (Indian playback singer for Sankarabharanam), 77 National Award-winning legendary playback singer Vani Jairam, who was conferred with the Padma Bhushan award - the third-highest civilian award -- this year, was found dead at her Chennai home on Saturday. According to reports, she was found dead with an injury on her forehead … via indiatimes.com

[03 Feb 2023] Paul Janovitz (American musician for Cold Water Flat), 54 Paul R. Janovitz, age 54, passed away peacefully at his home in Bedford, Massachusetts on Friday, February 3, 2023, after a long illness. … via chapmanfuneral.com

[03 Feb 2023] Naďa Urbánková (Czech singer and actress), 83, cancer and COVID-19 Singer and actress Naďa Urbanková has died at the age of 83. She passed away on Friday evening of complications from cancer and a recent bout of Covid-19, her daughter, Jana Fabiánová, announced on Facebook on Saturday. … via radio.cz

[02 Feb 2023] Tim Quy (British musician for Cardiacs) Sad news today, the passing of Tim Quy, Cardiacs beloved percussionist and performer extraordinaire. The news has just been announced on the Cardiacs website via this posting.. … via organthing.com

[02 Feb 2023] Butch Miles (American jazz drummer), 78 Drummer-bandleader Butch Miles (1944-2023) has died. Butch and his drumming were loved and admired all over the world. Butch Miles was best known for his tenure in the Count Basie Orchestra from 1975 to 1979 and then making a ten-year return to the band from 1997 to 2007. … via moderndrummer.com

[02 Feb 2023] Larry Rivera aka Mr. Coco Palms (American singer and entertainer), 92 Larry Rivera, a legendary fixture of Kauai, Hawaii whose career spanned over seven decades and who worked alongside Elvis Presley in ‘Blue Hawaii’ has passed away at the age of 92. … via 2911.us

[02 Feb 2023] Caspar Richter (German conductor for Vereinigte Bühnen Wien), 78 The German Musical Community is grieving the loss of one of the VBW's founding fathers, Caspar Richter, who passed away last night. … via broadwayworld.com

[02 Feb 2023] Yung Trappa (Russian rapper), 27 On February 3, 27-year-old rapper Yung Trappa (real name Vladislav Shiryaev) died in St. Petersburg. This is reported by the Telegram channel "Caution, news" with reference to its own source. … via gazeta.ru

[01 Feb 2023] Lucy Quintero (Panamanian folk singer), 74, heart attack Panamanian typical music is in mourning, after the death of the singer Lucy Quintero, at the age of 74. The "Perla Negra de Monagrillo", as she is known, was a vocalist for 26 years in the ensemble "Plumas Negras" led by Victorio Vergara Batista. … via panamaamerica.com

[01 Feb 2023] Maria Mykolaychuk (Мария Миколайчук) (Ukrainian singer and actress), 81 Soviet and Ukrainian actress and singer, widow of the legendary Soviet actor and director Ivan Mykolaichuk, died at the age of 82 … via argumenti.ru

Read more Musicians who died in 2023.

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

Site Update: George Perez Website 6.0

George Perez Website 6.0 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…

As many of you know, my oldest website, the George Perez Website started in 1998 and eventually found its home on Google Sites in 2008. The website lived there for 13 years, until Google decided it wasn’t profitable for them to maintain... and decided to shut down the classic site service (they offered a new inferior product in its place).

For about two years, I was looking for a new home for the website, and even temporarily moved it to Typepad. While I like Typepad, it’s a very blogging centric service, so it was lacking in a lot of things.

As of 2023, I think I found a new home the George Perez Website, using iBrave Web Hosting Service. They are offering a “lifetime subscription” and “unlimited” service. Normally it’s very expensive, but I got a good deal/flash sale. Sure, I am worried that “lifetime” means the life of iBrave, which may be a year or two, if they end up going bankrupt. The company is very new, only existing since 2021.

For now, it’s working as expected. I’m re-learning everything and it’s going along very slowly. If you have time, head over to thegeorgeperez.com to see the progress so far.

vu ([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

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