Comic-Con Founder Sheldon Dorf, RIP

11/12/09 -- San Diego Comic-Con founder passes away. Where would comics and sci-fi be today without this guy? Thankfully, we will never know.

Photo credit: NY Times

Piiigs innn Jerrrrrrz!

NewComicsDay (Wednesday), Nov. 11, 2009 -- I thank my brother-in-law Jared for alerting me to a comic shop of which I hadn't previously been aware - WildPig Comics II (the original store had been destroyed by a flash flood in '99, hence the "II"). They're about to begin a huge sale (11/14 & 11/15) down there in the wilds of Jerzee, so grab some snacks, some deodorant and your jet pack.

I'm laughing my ass off right now while scanning their web site. Here are some highlights as I smile ear-to-ear while nodding my head in agreement:

WILDPIG COMICS II will NEVER promote or tolerate the following:

* passing off socially dysfunctional, mutated half-humans as courteous, helpful employees and proprietor
* human body odor
* exposed, festering ass crack
* Pokemon, and every other witless trend that removes more comics from your local shop
* dirt, disorganization, and clutter
* crappy new book reservation systems that give you a free bag and board if you're lucky
* having to endure loud, obnoxious, role-playing fuckwits while shopping (sometimes only an expletive can tell it like it is)
* Muzac
* Self important oafs ranting about who makes a better Green Lantern, which Star Trek show is better, and other such weighty philosophical topics that should never take precedence over thinking about how one can find a girlfriend and a life.

I plan on visiting "the sty" very soon - if not for their mohawked pig mascot, then surely for their use of the term "Net" when referring to the Internet (I love slightly outdated geek-speak). Self-aware proprietor Chris is a true geek who has been through the proverbial ringer, and I'm always looking to support such real-life heroes. This guy seems to really get it.

"My Sh*tty Ex-Boyfriend's Rare Comic Books"

DBNCD (Day Before New Comics Day, Tuesday), Nov. 9, 2009 -- Often, breaking up with someone means losing your stuff! Not only that, the added, after-the-fact-responsibility placed on one ex-partner also drives an additional thorny wedge between the two separated sides (probably a good thing). This usually makes for some very entertaining mockery.

I've highlighted my favorite bits from this lovely post, found on Craig's List (of course).

My Shitty Ex-Boyfriend's Rare Comic Books - Best Offer

Seven years ago, I left my ex because he was being a douchebag. We had all this shit in storage, which I've been paying for, and he never even bothered to go and take a look at. Well, now I'm selling a bunch of his shit - including these comic books. I don't know how much they're worth, and I don't have time to find out. I can tell you that they're all in great condition but they're older, like from the 80s, and in these dorky plastic sleeves because god forbid someone gets cooties on them. Are you a comic book geek? Have at it.

Eclipse Comics Lost Planet no. 1 of 6
DC One Batman Too Many no. 403 Jan. 87
DC Superman The Man of Steel The Beast Within! sounds porno-y. no. 4, 5 & 6 oh! and no. 1!
DC Legends nos. 1 & 2
Upshot Flesh & Bones Featuring Dalgoda part 1
DC Demon Book 1 of 4
DC Batman the New Adventures no. 409, 416, 414, 411, 410
First John Sable Freelance no, 59 & 52

There's also a signed series of Star Wars: Episode 1 comic books that has a seal of authenticity, which is sure to make Star Wars nerds cream in your pants. And the first issue is signed and all holography.

I can't blame the girl for trying to sell her ex's old comics. But the irresponsible fanboy wouldn't have left the books behind if they were really worth anything.

Marvel Celebrates the Debut of the Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic

October 28th, 2009 - It's not quite animation, but it's more than a comic book. It's ... Motion Comics! DC did it with Watchmen, Marvel recently did it with Spider-Woman, and now you can take the comic book reading experience to the next level with Astonishing X-Men.

Will Cyclops' optic blast have a cool "SSHHRRAAAKK" sound effect? Will Emma Frost come off English and sexy, or butch and raspy like Dr. Girlfriend from The Venture Brothers? Will the motion comic itself be ... astonishing?

Celebrate with Marvel and enjoy costume contests (just in time for Halloweeeeen!), giveaways, and of course, the premiere of the Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic, today in Union Square, NYC, beginning at 4pm. At 7pm, "ASTONISHING X-MEN will be projected three stories high so that fans can experience the adventure like never before!"

Neal Adams, Chris Claremont, Dan Slott and other creators will be on hand to sign your fanboy man-boobs.

Visit http://marvel.com/fest09 for further info, true believers.

Chillin' with Chewie at Big Apple Comic Con

Here I am chillin' with Chewbacca at the 2009 Big Apple Comic Con.


The actor (Peter Mayhew) who wore the original costume was busy signing autographs 15 feet away. I'm not sure who was in the costume, but maybe that's for the best.

Marvel 70th Anniversary Celebration

Marvel 70th Anniversary Celebration with Joe Quesada, Chris Claremont, Greg Pak, Klaus Janson & Fred Van Lente
> at Barnes & Noble, Upper East Side, NYC, 08.11.09

Writers and artists are always at the comic shows, available for autographs and answers to our geeky questions, but it's rare that I can tear myself away from rifling through the comic bins to brave the lines. Fortunately, five Marvel men - Janson, Claremont, Pak, Van Lente and Quesada - set up shop at B&N for an hour to entertain our probing questions in the name of Marvel's 70th anniversary.


Mighty Marvel Men: Janson, Claremont, Pak, Van Lente (hidden), Quesada

After hearing questions about comic-based movies, Claremont's X-Men Forever, and the making of Magneto Testament, I decided to play a little hardball. "Everyone knows that time in the comic universe is different from that of our real universe," I began. "Lack of aging in characters such as Wolverine, Thor and Scarlet Witch can be explained away, but what about Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Scott Summers and others? How would you explain the slow aging or lack thereof in certain characters?"

"Well, we won't have a Marvel Crisis," Quesada deadpanned, referring to DC's mid-80s hero-housecleaning series Crisis on Infinite Earths. Writers and editors have had some issues with Peter Parker and Tony Stark, Quesada explained. But they find ways to keep the characters young. For example, a writer wanted to give Parker and MJ a kid. Now, the kid couldn't stay the same age forever, and in turn neither could Parker or MJ. By not having kids, Parker can stay in his 20's. As for Cap, well, he did fight in WWII and lay frozen for years, but was defrosted, um, yesterday!

And once again, I suspend my disbelief in the name of being a True Believer.

Quesada went on to explain his take on the differences between the Marvel and DC universes. Marvel's characters are easy to relate to because they are human first, super-powered beings second. Superman's alter ego is Clark Kent, and Batman's way to interact with normal people is through Bruce Wayne. It's the opposite with Spider-Man; he's Peter Parker first, and then Spidey when he dons his costume.

All in all, I'd say the panel went extremely well. A lot of fans purchased the Marvel 70th Anniversary trade paperback and stuck around for autographs. But I wondered how much the good people of B&N knew their audience. Seeing that most of the attendees were adults or at least teens, having dudes decked out in cheap-looking super-hero costumes to accost customers at the entrance seemed a little misguided.

Sure beats doing kids' birthday parties!

"Hey, lady," Spidey called out to a middle-aged lady entering the store, "you like comics? We're having ..."

"Maybe next year!" she replied, fleeing in the opposite direction. Spidey didn't even shrug.

Even I felt a little uncomfortable having to get through two costumed freaks in order to get to the panel. Iron Man and Spidey held court at the entrance to the store, and weren't going anywhere for the time being. The would-be heroes posed for camera-phone shots and kicks in general. Spidey even spoke in a voice remarkably similar to that of Dan Gilvezan (who voiced Spidey in 80s cartoon "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends").

Closer to the event room, though, lurked an even more frightful figure: The Incredible Hulk! Hobbling around in a busted-up, rubber costume less realistic than what you would have found in a dime-store thirty years ago, he looked scary, but not in a good way. Even Lou Ferrigno would have cringed. But I guess it all added a bit of nostalgic fun to the evening.


RRRAARRRGHH!! Hulk pee! Outdated costume ruined! (cue sad piano music from the 70s TV show)

Know what would be even more fun? If they published the books on time! Or kept the cover prices down! Ok, enough complaining! Back to obsessing ... : )

STAR TREK 2009 proves Roddenberry's genius timeless

It's been years since the last good Trek film, but this one makes it worth the wait.


The action and drama, injected with familiar bits of humor and the characters' famous lines, start right at the beginning and don't let up for the film's entire two hours. Even storytelling elements are much more fast-paced here than that of the original series and movies. Kirk's back-story, featuring his parents, brings to mind the familial themes explored in Battlestar Galactica and Star Wars.



The F/X get a stylistic work-over. Phasers look similar, but flip around when switching from stun to kill. Beaming gets a make-over. The transporter envelops transportees in a cocoon-like energy wrap, with a rushing sound instead of the high-pitched choral static hum of the original series, or the lower-pitched, expanding egg super sci-fi vibration of the earlier movies.

Unlike the more recent Star Wars movies, the CGI and visual aesthetic in STAR TREK are not greatly divorced from the originals, just slightly updated (despite having occurred chronologically earlier). The Enterprise looks more like a starship than a frisbee and two paper towel rolls glued together. The phasers, communicators and tricorders maintain their retro-futuristic look. And, most importantly, Uhura looks great in her red mini-skirt.


Director J.J. Abrams worked hard to pay tribute while updating Gene Roddenbury's vision. And, thankfully, the casting is nearly flawless. After watching Zachary "Sylar" Quinto play Spock, it's hard to imagine anyone else doing justice to Leonard Nimoy's legacy. Quinto does a brilliant job of portraying a young man torn between two species and two worlds - mixed race of Vulcan dad and human mom (played by Wynona Ryder) and serving in Starfleet or the Vulcan Academy of Science.

Chris Pine's maverick Kirk expands upon William Shatner's risk-taking leader of the Enterprise; we even get a deeper look into Kirk's early years as a young man. The more you watch, the more Pine takes on some of Shatner's mannerisms, to much delight.


Simon Pegg (actually half-Scottish) flawlessly delivers Scotty's lines while fusing his own eccentricities with that of the beloved engineer. John Cho adds some serious cojones to the Sulu character when he and Kirk (Pine) skydive down through Vulcan's atmosphere to subdue Nero's world-destroying device. Zoe Saldana plays a smart, fearless, sultry Uhura, while Karl Urban portrays Bones to the hilt. Out of the major protagonists, Anton Yelchin's Chekov is the most different - thicker accent, curly hair - but his excited, nerdy antics add to the tension when saving people via transporter at the last possible second.

Absent from this installment of STAR TREK, for better or worse, is the campiness of bad acting, poorly staged fights, and inadvertently comedic lines (click here for a clip of Kirk's "I... have had ENOUGH... of YOU!" to Kruge while kicking him off the cliff in ST III). Some new story elements in this film differ radically from past episodes and movies, including romance between Spock and Uhura, and the destruction of Vulcan and Romulus. And, apparently, Abrams could not find a way to work Shatner into the film beyond a cameo. Click here to learn why.


In one scene, future Spock explains the events which lead up to why Kirk and Scotty must leave the Starfleet outpost on the ice planet to beam onto the Enterprise en warp to Vulcan. Spock tells young Kirk about Kirk's father being proud of his joining Starfleet. I was hoping the characters would restore reality, and bring back Vulcan, Romulus, Spock's mother and Kirk's father, but maybe all the death is Abrams' set up for the next movie.

As a Trek fan going on 25 years now, I walked out of the theater feeling very happy and excited, overall. I'm sure you will, too.


Photo Credits: Industrial Light and Magic