New York Comic Con 2012 Preview: Saturday Panels Part I

Posted on 10/04/2012 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

My preview of NYCC continues with a look at Saturday panels going from 10:30 in the morning till 4 in the afternoon.  There is a lot of overlap here.  I’ll be making compromises, you’ll be making compromises.  A lot of these compromises for me come from Press offerings and stuff happening on the show floor as well as autographing.  Focusing solely on panels in these previews already make the show look huge, imagine if I talked about the show floor and the autographs and the giveaways?  I will be doing that though, it’ll be getting its own post and then if you already have a ticket you might go “Oh my god, that’s too much craziness and stay home… or you’ll show up and have a nervous breakdown or you’ll have an amazing time.  Just do me a favor?  Shower.  That’s it.  Smell good.

 

Haven
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
IGN Theater
Going into its third season, Haven is one of those SyFy shows that allows SyFy to not be a channel full of bad direct to cable movies and a Friday night wrestling program considered of secondary importance by the company that runs it. It’s not the only show that is quality, SyFy also has Warehouse 13 and Lost Girl. Spekaing of Lost Girl though, guess what’s on a panel directly during the Haven panel? That’s right, LOST GIRL. Based on the Entertainment guests page, Emily Rose and Eric Balfour will be in attendance.

Lost Girl
10:45-11:25 am
1A10
Ksenia Solo, Zoie Palmer and Rick Howland are all scheduled to appear for the Lost Girl panel. The panel and promotions are in conjunction with Funamation who are releasing the U.S. edition of Season One to DVD which is probably why the show which was actually a SyFy pickup and not a SyFy original is in direct “competition” time with Haven. Haven is in the IGN theater so, probably way more crowded.

Marvel Video Games
11:15 am – 12:15 pm
1E13
At this point the only Marvel game I’m interested in is Deadpool. If they have that on the floor and I can see it Thursday night or Friday I might not make this panel. Although they could have some surprise announcement or giveaway. That’s a chance at ANY panel though, special give aways. This is going to fall into scheduling, what else is happening, etc. I do relaly care about Deadpool.

Once More With Feeling: 15 Years of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
11:15 am – 12:15 pm
1A21
Scott Allie is hosting this and it will probably MOSTLY discuss the Buffy comic, but I am guessing Nicholas Brendon and Amber Benson will come into tell some stories as well on the anniversary of it all. Maybe Seth Green might sneak up in there too. Those chances are pretty worth it to sit down on this and take the chance, or just to reminisce on Buffy. Whatever.

Violet and Daisy
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
1A10
This film has been on the film festival circuit for so long I thought it’d never get an official release. Actually I think it’s only been shown at Toronto International Film Festival in terms of North America, while getting showings in China, and Germany at special Fanfests. Director/screenwriter will be at the panel as well, and this is Saorsie’s main film since 2011’s Hanna other than the Neil Jordan vampire flick and before her seriously huge film, in the adaptation of Stephanie Meyer’s The Host. Of the three films, Violet and Daisy is the most intriguing to me.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2!
12:15 pm – 1:15 pm
IGN Theater
I have yet to actually see the first part of the newest DC Animation adaptation, again from Bruce Timm of the Frank Miller “classic”. I put classic in quotations, because I’ve never been a big fan of the comic. An animated adaptation is cool and all and this panel itself is going to be fan service galore for hardcore Batman fans. I’m expecting the line down the block and by that I mean up the stairwells, and outside the actual Jacob Javits arena. Longer than lines for Robot Chicken and Venture Bros. combined. Longer than lines for um… Dark Knight Rises midnight showings. That long, long enough for the Joker to show up. The real Joker… Frank Miller. I know Kevin Conroy is going to be there. Is here for this? I don’t know… I bet he is.

Mad about MAD
12:15 pm – 1:15 pm
1A23
I always want to go to one of these MAD panels to see if the Regular Gang of Idiots are as funny, less funny or more funny in panel/person than in the pages of their magazine. This year the panel has John Ficarra, Sam Viviano, Al Jaffe, Peter Kuper and Drew Friedman. Jaffe and Friedman are big pulls right now.

Bill Paxton and John McLaughlin’s “Seven Holes For Air” Introduction
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
1E13
Seven Holes for Air was being mentioned as a vehicle that Paxton would direct starring Mickey Rourke, but that fell through and Paxton took an acting role. While that happened he helped turn the script into a graphic novel with art by Mick Reinman. I’m guessing this the official unveiling of the comic book and then the start of building fan interest to finally make the movie happen. He co-wrote with John McLaughlin, and I think it’s the one who wrote the upcoming Hitchcock and also Parker. Unless it’s the host of the political TV show or the famous rock musician. No, I bet it’s the Parker guy. In an interview Paxton stated he’d be trying to sell the property to Legendary. I don’t know if that already happened and that’s why the panel is happening, because Legendary Comics is publishing the comic and then going into production or not, but speculation is fun.

The Bay
2:15 pm – 2:45 pm
IGN Theater
Yes, Barry Levinson has made some of the greatest films of all time. Diner, Rain Man, Wag the Dog, TOYS (I love TOYS), and I even had the pleasure of working with the man myself on the set of Sleepers. Still, this is a found footage film and was produced by Jason Blum, the man behind such films as Paranormal Actvity 1-3 and the recent found footage horror film Sinister. The trailer also did not instill a lot of faith in me. Yet I am optimistic about The Bay because it’s Barry Levinson…

JUDGE DREDD, 2000 AD, IDW
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm
1A07
This is one of those kind of panels where the description actually explains what is compelling and worthwhile of the whole deal:
With the Dredd 3D movie in cinemas from September 21, 2012, the new Dredd monthly comic launching from IDW in November 2012 and 2000 AD continuing to release new and classic
material, along with celebrating 35 years of publishing and celebrating many other high-flying series, such as the climax of the Nikolai Dante saga, this panel must not be missed – with top talent such as Duane Swierczynski (IDW’s Judge Dredd), Andy Diggle (The Losers, Lenny Zero), Simon Fraser (Nikolai Dante), Ian Edginton (Leviathan, The New Deadwardians) and Al Ewing (Jennifer Blood, Zaucer of Zilk)!

King of the Nerds on TBS: Sneak Peek and Panel
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm
1A23
Turns out I was too old to even try out for this show had I heard about it. There’s something about the concept of this show that makes me think it’ll be Beauty & The Geek without the Beauty and with a much cooler host than Mike Richards in the way cooler than their Revenge of the Nerds characters, Robert Carradine and Curtis Armstrong. I am actually curious about the program and what kind of panel they’ll put together here.

From FIGHT CLUB To HELL and BACK

3:00 pm – 3:45 pm
Unbound Stage
This event is set up for Chuck Palahniuk to discuss his novel DAMNED and I assume also Invisible Monsters Remixed. Mostly DAMNED though as Random House will be giving away 350 free copies. 200 in a ticketed autograph event and 150 at this panel. I gave DAMNED a very critical review, but I still enjoyed it and look forward to any opportunity to listen to Chuck talk so I might have to skip King of the Nerds for this… but then there’s the next panel!

Chris Columbus & Ned Vizzini Discuss HOUSE OF SECRETS
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
1A21
As a writer Crhis Columbus gave us The Goonies, Gremlins and Young Sherlock Holmes. Ned Vizzini has written three excellently and weird novels which really capture a teenage voice. These two coming together to present a new teenage supernatural concept in a YA book is an awesome idea and one I wholeheartedly like and support. These 3 PM panels being up against each other is near torture for someone of my ilk. I’ve said in my intros about compromises, this is it in a true nutshell.

To be continued in Part II…

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New York Comic Con 2012 Preview: Friday Panels Part II

Posted on 10/03/2012 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Here it is Part 2 of my look at panels which catch my eye for this years’ New York Comic Con.  Once again as stated in prior articles, this is not MY schedule.  There’s too many panels, too many signings, too many booth events and then throw on top of that that I have Press hours and events and scheduled meetings and such, this is just a guideline and a way for me to promote things you shouldn’t miss at the convention if you’re there.  You also can’t do everything, so once again, a guide.  Go to what interests you most and realize you must compromise.  Sometimes compromising three things for one.

Food & Comics
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
1A23
I desperately wished I had $575 for the sitdown dinner prepared by Iron Chef and owner of The Lamb’s Club, Geoffrey Zarkanian in which I’d be sitting with fellow fans and hopefully foodies in discussion with Joe Quesada, Jonathan Hickman and C.B. Cebulski, in which I would assume the conversation doesn’t have to to be about Marvel. I can’t do that dinner so maybe I’ll attend this panel which won’t have food to eat (I’m guessing) but will at least discuss food. I’m surprised J.T. Yost who kickstarted an anthology about Food & Comics called Digestate isn’t involved, but C.B. does actually have an excellent food blog.

Husbands
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
1A14
Last year at NYCC I got a triple kiss photo with Brad Bell and Sean Hemeon because I absolutely loved season 1 of Husbands and found it just fabulous.

Season 2 has been even more excellent, adding amazing guest stars and longer episodes. I hope to make this panel, but if I don’t I am going out of my way to make it to one of the Husbands signings. Btw if you aren’t watching HUSBANDS, you should throw out your computer.

Crime Scenes, Horror Anthologies, and Steampunk Dracula: Genres leaping to Transmedia
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Location: 1E07
Fourth Wall Studios awesome and amazing concept RIDES is brand new to me, but has quickly become my favorite idea/concept yet. The best show in their line-up so far is the Emmy Award winning TV sitcom length DIRTY WORK about a team whose job it is to clean up after murder scenes. They’re an interesting trio portrayed by one of the funniest women ever Mary Lynn Rajskub, former child actor Hank Harris and the beautiful Jamie Clayton whom if this role didn’t make it part of her character I would’ve completely forgotten her transgender status. Fourth Wall has some other awesome stuff including a cartoon, short horror films and even a very interactive fun piece featuring the voices of Greg Proops and Ron Lynch over some real drama written by Fourth Wall co-founder, Canadian sci-fi writer and former member of 42 Entertainment, Sean Stewart. This panel will focus a lot on Dirty Work but also on the rest of RIDES and what will be coming up.

Open Road Films Presents: SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
IGN Theater
Since this is an IGN Theater event and up against a ton of other stuff there’s a high chance I’ll miss this panel, BUT I still want to state my excitement that this film exists and is coming out. Gans and Avary’s film was excellent and while I doubt Michael J Bassett’s sequel to that first film will be what Avary planned it will be combining elements from that first film with Silent Hill 3, the game. Grr… NYCC scheduling!

Legendary Comics
5:15 pm – 6:15 pm
1E07
Legendary is new to the comics arena. So far they’ve only actually published Frank Miller’s The Holy Terror and The Tower Chronicles created by Matt Wagner and Thomas Hull with art by Simon Bisley. This panel hosted by The Nerdist’s Chris Hardwick will feature Guillermo Del Toro who I bet will announce a comics adaptation of The Strain, as well some of folks on the Legendary banner, hopefully more of the Mark Waid book forthcoming.

The Venture Bros
5:15 pm – 6:15 pm
IGN Theater
Last year the Venture Bros. panel they had no new footage and basically acted like goofs for an hour. It was ridiculous. Funny, but ridiculous. A fan actually asked if Brock Samson could come to his birthday party. Not Patrick Warburton, the VOICE of Brock Samson, but Brock Samson himself. Like I said… ridiculous. This year they’re going to have footage of the upcoming Halloween special, so I expect a madhouse line down the block into that damn garage they used to bring in cars. I’d love to see some early footage, and if you’re a Venture Bros. fan… go to this, but be prepared to sacrifice a lot of time waiting.

Robot Chicken
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
IGN Theater
The same can be said for this. They might bring a special guest again this year even.I think it was last year that Macauley Culkin was on panel and the season hadn’t even started yet, so they had a lot of footage to show off. This year they have the DC special behind them and I think four episodes of the new season. Maybe they’ll announce a Bluray with the rest of the season on it coming out the week after Comic Con. I mean they did it with the LAST season!

There’s some alternative panels/programming to check out during the Adult Swim IGN insanity if you don’t want to wait.

Anne Rice Spotlight
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
1A10
Up until Merrick I loved Anne Rice. I just felt at that point I’d spent enough time with the Vampire Chronicle characters. I also enjoyed the Mayfair Witches and her books outside of the series, but since 2000 I haven’t really read her work. Especially when she started writing about Jesus Christ and then about a former government assassin involves in Christian concepts. Then in 2010 she renounced Church. She stayed a Christ follower, which I still go “Really?”, but I don’t hold it against her. Unfortunately her first book after that was a Werewolf take, which is not what she needs to do. I am hoping she’s here to announce her Zombie take or a return to Lestat. I want her to announce an embracing of everything she’s done. Maybe returning to erotica and sadism just to show people what Fifty Shades of Grey could be. Although she tackled that perfectly in the 80’s. No, I want to hear her announce something completely new. An original intellectual property all her own.

Hachette Author Spotlight
6:00 pm – 6:45 pm
Unbound Stage
Okay time for speculation!
Lemony Snicket for All The Wrong Questions
James Patterson for ZOO and Daniel X
Joe Hill for NOS4R2

Seriously Hachette encompasses a bunch of divisions and authors. This could be anyone! Well, except for Anne Rice whose with Random House.

Comedy Central
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
1E07
The Comedy Central panel is usually super crowded and instead of doing each show as separate things, they’re just doing three hours showing everything they have new and old. Which means Dinkleberry, Key & Peele, Tosh.O, Mash Up, South Park. Oh and the night after this there’s the fourth annual Autism fundraiser. So yeah, if you can’t get into Venture Bros./Robot Chicken and want a panel and want it to be adult humor TV based, this is the place to be. Or you can also try the next panel!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
6:45 pm – 7:45 pm
1E13
The new Nickelodeon cartoon just debuted on Saturday and it combines the nostalgia and antics of the 80’s toon with the style of the 2000’s CGI film. I haven’t been completely sold on this show, but it’s TMNT and it has a chance of success and I’m sure this panel will have fan service.

TRON: Uprising
6:45 pm – 7:45 pm
1A10
As will this because it’s much less a panel and more a screening without commercials of an airing after the con two part important episode. I’m guessing together the two episodes are 44 minutes long, allowing for an intro and a 5 minute Q& A. The show doesn’t actually start airing again till October 19 so this is a 1 week preview.

Scott C and The Great Showdowns, from Ripley vs the Alien Queen to Han vs the Green Fellow!
7:00 pm – 7:45 pm
Unbound Stage
Of all things with things scheduled at the same time and all the other things on my schedule, I’ll probably be going to this for sure. I really wanted to go to The Great Showdowns art opening/book debut in California that was last week, but I couldn’t… so this is the next best thing. I love Scott Campbell’s art and even though he told on Twitter that Double Fine isn’t sending him in for DFA, that doesn’t mean he’s telling the truth! DF have to know there’s fans in NYC who couldn’t come to PAX, I mean, yes, Scott’s book is important, and the game is really Bagel’s… but Scott did all the concepts on the girl in the game!

THE SCRIBBLER Movie!
7:45 pm – 8:45 pm
1A23
I don’t really know John Suits movies, but this is based on Dan Schaffer’s comic and is starring Katie Cassidy and Michele Trachtenberg so if anything I am definitely intrigued.

Titmouse
8:00 pm – 9:00 pm
1A10
Titmouse animates everything man. From Superjail to Black Dynamite to Motorcity to Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja. They’re a seriously awesome animation house. Next to Augenblick Studios, possibly one of my favorites. This panel which will have most of the staff on it is a big example of overlapping schedules being the death of me. This is going to all rely more on where I am mentally, where rooms are physically and all that.

Kaiju Big Battel
9:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Variant Stage
Dude holy shit! Live Kaiju Press Conference. This may be one of the best photo opportunities of insanity the whole show. I am not even going to try and explain Kaiju.

Kirk Hammett, Lead Guitarist for Metallica, Talks to Kevin Clement about His Passion for Collecting Monster Movie Memorabilia
9:00 pm – 10:00 pm
1A23
Of course Kaiju would be at the same time that a Master of Metal would be talking about his Monster Movie Memorabilia book, Too Much Horror Business. Yes, let us schedule a panel about monsters fighting each other to loud, brash heavy metal music against one of metal’s GODS talking about monsters fighting each other.

I love you New York Comic Con, but your coordination director totally did not take fans/genres, etc. into consideration or maybe he did and they’re trying to split them up. They know the same people who go to Kaiju will want to be at this and in an effort at crowd control, force them to choose!

Genius New York Comic Con… I take it all back. I just wish I could be two people. That’s my fault though, not yours.

I’ll be back with Saturday, Part I and II later today or tomorrow!

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New York Comic Con 2012 Preview: Friday Panels Part I

Posted on 10/01/2012 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Here in my second Preview article for NYCC 2012 I focus on the panels for Friday morning to early afternoon.  This is ONLY about the scheduled panels, not press hours, signings, booth events, etc.  These do not reflect my own possible schedule, especially with the overlap existing here.  It is is meant to help promote panels which I think are worth going to and if I could I would go to all of them, and do everything else too.  Understand Con is again all about making decisions and sacrificing and compromising to get the best possible experience due to circumstance and situation and if you’re anything like me, that gets harder… so here we go.

Setting the Score: Composing for Film & Television
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
1A01
One of two panels focusing on the music and composition of genre orchestral/instrumentals. This one focuses on Television and film with the following talented musicians:
Dino Meneghin (MTV’s Teen Wolf)
Frederik Wiedmann
Jay Vincent
Kevin Manthei
and Will Bates

Adam West and Burt Ward Spotlight
12:15 pm – 1:15 pm
1A23

When I was much much younger I entered a costume contest with a seriously ridiculous prize at a convention held in New Yorker Hotel. That place where the Big Apple Cons take place now and stuff. I was 14 years old and Batman Returns had just come out. I had heard that Adam West was going to be the judge and I came up with the idea of working up a Batman TV show costume. I used a Mask from the Batman films, but cut the mask up and stitched the bat emblem on it onto a gray sweater and I put together a cape and a batbelt even. I even built my own old school batarang. I won. I don’t know where I placed, but about 65% of my comics collection as it exists. Anyways, here’s a photo from that.

How to Get a Job in the Video Game Industry with Capcom
12:15 pm – 1:15 pm
1A14
This sounds like it might a really indepth panel with focuses all ALL elements of the industry. Not just the jobs that require a background in computer science, programming skills or artistic talent, but the jobs I’m qualified for but don’t completely now how to pursue such as Public Relations, Advertising, and Producing and there’s a chance after to meet with the panel and network. This will be a great opportunity for young programmers, concept artists, etc as well to do the same.

Maestros of Horror & Sci-Fi Music
12:15 pm – 1:15 pm
1A01
The second of two panels focusing on the music and composition of genre orchestral/instrumentals. This focusing on developing for video games in genre. It features the following talented award winning music writers:
Jason Graves
Kevin Riepl
Sam Hulick
Sascha Dikiciyan
Tom Salta
and
Cris Velasco
On top of that though, the disco king, electronic genius, master producer and living legend, Nile Rodgers, shall be in attendance, having done the lead production on Halo’s soundtracks.

Christopher Lloyd Q&A
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
1A10
“What are you supposed to when you are are asked a weird question at a panel?”
“Slow down”
“What…are… you… supposed… to…do… when… you… are… asked…

You get the point. Honestly I’m not sure what brings Christopher to NYCC. I mean he will always be Doc Brown, between 2011’s NIKE Mag promotion and the Telltale Game’s BTTF, the character is alive and well, but that isn’t enough is it? I mean maybe it is, but he does a horror film coming upand a children’s supernatual adventure called Mickey Matson so he has plenty to promote, but it doesn’t seem like he’s promoting anything specific… still, it’s Christopher Lloyd, I’m not complaining.

Debuting the Vision Machine iPad app!
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
1A21
Greg Pak’s Vision Machine is one of the coolest and best projects I’ve seen in forever. Drawn by RB Silva of DC Comic’s Jimmy Olsen and also The New 52 Superboy it’s a free comic that is excellent and NOW it’s an iPad motion/animated comic. Vocal actor Phil Lamarr is part of it and the comedy music genius Jonathan Coulton is as well and if you’ve missed your opportunity at a free copy of the Vision Machine GN, this is is another opportunity.

Sir Terry Pratchett introduces…DODGER
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
Unbound Stage
This probably will be one of the final times Pratchett will ever appear in public. It’s even possible that this Charles Dicken’s inspired Young Adult novel will be his last book. I am a huge Discworld fan, but have also loved Good Omens and his Johnny Maxell series.

As you can see the three above panels is where overlapping becomes a real issue. All three panels excite me for different reasons and I don’t know what to do… but for some fans, it’s the next overlapping that is truly insane!

Dark Horse Presents: Yoshitaka Amano
1:45 pm – 2:45 pm
1A21
The genius behind the artistic design of Final Fantasy who has also done his share of comics work and other films is in America, a real rare treat in promotion of his Dark Horse published art collection and his panel is booked against the following.

Grant Morrison Spotlight
1:45 pm – 2:45 pm
1E13
One of comics favorite writers, the man behind The Invisibles, Flex Mentallo, All Star Superman, Batman Incorporated, etc. etc. etc. and who just had his own comics convention has a one hour sitdown retrospective. I’m shocked this isn’t in the IGN theater!

Sean Astin Q&A
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
1A10
Sean Astin is at NYCC because his role in the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, but a recent episode of SyFy’s Treasure Hunters showed that Sean has a great affinity and love for all things Sean Astin, from Goonies to Rudy to Lord of The Rings, the guy is as big a “geek” as his LOTR co-star Elijah Wood, so a sitdown talk with him should be quite entertaining.

To be continued in Part II with 4 PM – 9 PM!

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New York Comic Con 2012 Preview: Thursday Panels

Posted on 09/29/2012 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

 

The 2012 New York Comic Con is about 2 weeks away and while tickets are sold out, that doesn’t mean people going are clear cut on what to do or what they should attend. The panel listing are a maze to explore. Finding out what’s cool and worthwhile. Figuring out what’s a miss event, exclusive, giveaway or signing on the floor is even harder. As a proud press member for the last four years of the convention (year 1 and 2 I went as a consumer, years 3 and 4 I was with an exhibitor, different one, while 5 and 6 and now 7 I’ve been as a journalist but no booth) I feel it is partially my job to not only cover the conevntion but promote specific things that excite me in my own language that explains it and might sell it even more than it’s press releases or write ups.

This is the first of these. I’ll be breaking things down into Panels and since Friday & Saturday are super long days breaking them into Part 1 & 2 for reading ease. Here we go with the special Thursday night Preview though, open to Press, Pros, Ultimate Access, Special Access, and 4 Day Ticket Holders. (All those sold out so there’s actually A LOT of them).

THURSDAY
Comics Studies Conference: The Origins of Leaping Tall Buildings: Finding New Ways to Document the Creators Behind the Comics
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
1A07
One of the smartest comics scholars I know, Hannah Means-Shannon, college professor and contributor to Sequart, The Beat, Trip City and other places will be moderating this discussion with writer/journalist Christopher Irving, photographer/journalist Seth Kushner and designer Eric Skillman to discuss the history and making of their comics profiles book, Leaping Tall Buildings, in probably one of the more in depth, intellectual conversations of the show. Especially since it’s on the “education” tract in the Thursday sessions during Preview Night. It should be compelling and exciting AND there’s a flyer!

Justice Is Served
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
1A14
Amber Benson and Thomas Sniegoski are both on this panel about novelists who write books which are essentially crime novels with some kind of supernatural twist. I’ve read a lot more of Tom than Amber and I kind of just like looking at Amber. Can you blame me? Look at her. But I have read her books and she’s a really good writer.

My Little Pony
6:15 pm – 7:15 pm
1A06
I’m not a Brony, but I do like Friendship is Magic. Hasbro’s toy line is part of this as well. I wish I knew who the guests/speakers were and a bit more about what this was about, but the fact that exists piques my interest.

The Image Revolution Documentary
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
1A04
Sequart were able to successfully fund this much larger project than their more singular focused productions through Kickstarter. I’ve been following its progress and I’m interested in seeing where they are at in production. I know they just finished new interviews, so it’s becoming a great documentary hopefully. Curious to see what special Image guest they have show up as well. Could be anyone from While to Larsen to even Jim Lee (doubtful).

NYCC Kick-Off Concert with Ben Folds Five
Thursday, October 11, 2012
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
IGN Theater
I am all about this concert. You have no freaking clue how much I am into this concert. I don’t even want to get into it. It’s an entire article. I just hope they find a way to have the Fraggles on stage or draw some dicks on the wall. That is if they do just the new album. I wouldn’t mind hearing “Magic” or “Where’s Summer B.?”… Seriously though, if Chris Hardwick and Rob Corrdry aren’t on stage for a performance of “Do It Anyway” since it IS New York Comic Con I might actually call fail!

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Brooklyn Book Festival 2012: The Sex Panel (and more)

Posted on 09/28/2012 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

On Sunday I attended the Brooklyn Book Festival as I have done in years previous, but this year I didn’t get to attend it as rigorously as before. Last year I attended many panels, taking copious notes and providing tons of articles.

This year I only made it to one panel, titled “The Sex Panel” it was a discussion in comics in sex and featured an amazing array of talent moderated by comics journalist Heidi McDonald.

On the panel were Bob Fingerman (writer of the most excellent horror inspired novels BottomFinger Bottomfeeder and Pariah, writer/artist of Minimum Wage, From The Ashes and a collection from Eros called Finger Filth, as well as Monkey Jank and Otis Goes Hollywood), Leela Corman (artist/writer of Unterzakhn as well as the illustrator of various books pertaining to sex and sexuality), Gilbert “Beto” Hernandez of Los Bros. Hernandez/Love & Rockets fame (who also wrote/drew the hardcore porn Birdland, the first ever collection from Eros) and Molly Crabapple, (the founder of Dr. Sketchy’s and artist of Scarlett Takes Manhattan).

The panel started with slides showing the work of the artists. During the slides much was discussed and explained, but truthfully there were just amazing soundbites and quotes and I feel it best to share those.

Leela Corman
“It’s always fun to draw hairy men.”
“My editor thinks there’s too many breasts, I’m really in it for the lingerie”

Bob Fingerman
“No matter how hard I try, I always end up swimming back into the sewer.”
“If there are any furries here and I’m offending you… Good.” (on a story about confurrences, where a real bear crashes and has sex with everyone while they think he’s just someone in costume)

Beto Hernandez
“I messed up that bottom panel, I made his dick too small.” (on a Birdland page)
“That’s my furry story but I’ll never be able to top Bob” in which Bob replied “Don’t try.”

“I do sex comics because I can”
“I do boy sex comics because I can”

Molly Crabapple
“Boobs are awesome”

She also told a hard to quote story about being majorly influenced by Toulouse-Lautrec and achieving his career of working in a nightclub as an artist was an aspiration which she achieved working for burlesque club “The Box”.

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After the slides came the first question “The first time you decided to work blue”

Leela Corman: “Sex is a commodity”

Bob Fingerman: “I was hardwired.”

Talked about how there was a neighborhood bully who would beat him up if he draw him a naked chick. He traced an image of a cave woman from a toy box and just took off her top. He also said he had a cigar box since he was six years old that was full of dirty drawings he would do.

Molly Crabapple: Her first commission was for Screw magazine, “if someone will let you do porn, then you can do whatever on the page”

Gilbert Hernandez: When Mario and he were kids (8 years old) they saw Playboy and started drawing naked ladies. Beto wanted to get them accurate, but he got caught and in trouble and stopped. Yet when they started doing Love & Rockets it just progressed till the point of Birdland. Beto sas he did no research for sex drawing, just pulling it out of his imagination. By issue #3 (Birdland was serilizaed as regular comics before being collected) he was bored with it.

Bob discusses working for a lot of men’s magazines and that he had a different experience than Molly in that they wanted porn and NOTHING but porn and any creative deviations were frowned upon.

Molly mentions that she also did work with Playgirl, but she went drinking with the editors and they liked her, so her history may be biased.

Heidi then presented the question “When do you go to far?”

Leela was told no penis because of international publication.

“Male Penis is the deal breaker”

Bob talked about cesnoring himself when he worked on Shugga which came from working for Cracked and made him need to do a huge purge, but he felt even on that book he went way too insane.

He proceeded to talk about toning down Minimum for the a new collection. He says a lot of readers only saw the book as a lot of sex and missed the actual story.

“Maximum Minimum Wage, now with less Naughty bits.”

“Violence & Sex is creepy, sex is a happy place, that’s why the tits are so big in my comics.” – Gilbert Hernandez

As this point in the panel there were many audience questions which intelligent and provided great insight but were both hard to quote or capture in context.

One of the final questions were to Molly Crabapple who had recently become a twitter trend through the efforts of major writers like Warren Ellis and Neil Gaiman after being arrested and detained for 11 hours as part of an Occupy Wallstreet march. She was asked about the connections between her world of burlesque and OWS.

She talked about loving the image of a sexy woman in crazy heels marching changing the image of an activist.
“a sisterhood of the odd”

Before the panel closed out so the creators could participate in a signing, Leela Corman had the quote of the evening talking about sex in books and popularity of it, in context to everything.

“At least they’re reading ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ and not ‘Left Behind’ “

After the sex panel, I joined Dean Haspiel on the steps of Borough Hall to listen to Jimmy “J.J.” Walker and BernNadette Stanis (of GOOD TIMES fame), which provided a great clip I’ll be showing sooner than later.

To end things, here’s a shot of Dean, dream chronologist Jesse Reklaw and myself.

(A special thanks goes to Hannah Means-Shannon and Josh Frankel as well)

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memoirs of an imaginary friend: book review

Posted on 09/25/2012 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

I have no memory of it unfortunately, but according to my mom I definitely had a clear cut imaginary friend when I was younger. There’s no way of knowing if he was a simple kind, the kind you’d see in Fosters for Imaginary Friends or maybe like the Family Circus. I am sure he was nothing like Budo in Matthew Dick‘s absolutely fascinating and captivating “memoirs of an imaginary friend” though.

If I had to guess at my imaginary friend I’d assume he was just as human as Budo though, probably taller than me and more athletic, someone to discuss cartoons with in the morning, because ya know… who wants to talk to themselves? Still I am sure he was nothing like Budo, but whose to know. There is a chance that Matthew Dicks has delved into something we’ll never be able to prove with this novel. Maybe they aren’t as imaginary as we think… maybe they just live in a different realm.

While Budo is the voice and perspective of “memoirs”, he is not the lead character , that would be Max, a very special boy, whose actual diagnosis is never completely disclosed. He shows signs of autism, and possibly Asperger’s. I am not fully aware of either disease. I have a friend who is a very low spectrum of the autistic bend and  my father used to work with special needs children, but my own real experience is minimal other than having an immense respect for any child or adult who doesn’t let it stop them achieving a regular life full of work, love, fun and friends.

We know Max doesn’t like to be touched, he doesn’t like people or at least most people, he is very stringent in his ways and he has trouble expressing emotions. When he faces something new or different he gets stuck, like an empty wall. I saw it in my mind sort of like Tommy staring at a pinball machine, the entire world shut out and focus almost seems non-existent and in Max’s case, it being actually completely non focus. He’s very smart when it comes to traditional learning, likes to read, playing with toys, military strategy, building things with LEGOs and of all things pop culture, Star Wars.

As Budo describes both his own life as an Imaginary friend who instead Imaginary as one would think and Max’s difficult life with his parents, teachers, school bullies and more the book grows and turns in very unexpected ways. We meet the teachers, fellow students, other imaginary friends and some of the local residents, all through Budo’s very interesting and eye opening viewpoint.

There are plot twists later into the book that take what was seeming like it a sweet and simple, but written with depth story about caring, love, understanding and growing up into a tense, suspenseful, adventure thriller. That may seem like a huge leap but in context it all comes together brilliantly and in the end you feel like you’ve truly walked away with a higher understanding of growing up as a whole. Dicks also doesn’t leave one hanging on certain conceptual threads, they aren’t clear cut final thesis into the reality (per se) of imagination, death, afterlife and more, but boy does he try and I commend him for it.

I must say I truly like the original ARC cover then the one used in the UK where the book is credited to Matthew Green or the final American cover. That is why it’s the image I chose for this review.

“memoirs of an imaginary friend” came out in the U.S. In August 2012, this review was based on a complimentary Advanced Reader’s Edition.

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New York Comic Con 2012 is coming! Aghhhhhhh!

Posted on 09/12/2012 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

It’s that time of the year again. In less than a month New York Comic Con hits Javits for the 7th year. I am not actually definitely going as of this time, that’s up in the air and won’t know till later in the month, but that can’t stop me from being excited nor can it stop me from anticipating and researching possible fun & excitement. Even if I don’t get to, people can look back on posts I make as a reference for possible things to check out and know about and knowing is half the battle. I don’t think the Joe’s ever revealed what to do after knowing though.

First and foremost is that opening night concert for VIPs and 4-Day Ticket Holders and well press & pros if we can fit in. Last year they set the bar high with the concert concept by having Tom Morello premiering his comic book series and performing as The Night Watchman. This year they raise the bar even higher as the finally completely really for reals reunited Ben Folds Five perform in the IGN on a special stop of their US tour for the soon to be released new album. The concert is at 8 PM on Thursday.

I have the word on a few panels popping up at the convention that may be of your interest.
My colleague in pop-culture media and information, Hannah Means-Shannon shall be moderating a talk with Seth Kushner, Christopher Irving and Eric Skillman on their book, LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS on Thursday at 4 PM.

Then at 6:30 also on that Thursday is a panel covering the Kickstarter funded documentary Comics in Focus: The Image Revolution that will feature the producers and filmmakers as well as unannounced guest. My guesses are Erik Larsen, Whilce Portacio or Robert Kirkman.

On Friday, October 12th there’s a panel titled “Maestros of Horror & Sci-Fi Music”, scheduled currently for 12:15 will feature the composers of video games such as Mass Effect, Dead Space, and Halo. It’s the extra addition of Living Legend, Nile Rodgers that really catches my attention here though.

Also on Friday at 12:30 will be a panel on Greg Pak’s Vision Machine, this time discussing the new iPad app with voice-over work from Phill Lamarr, who will also be on the panel.

On Saturday, there’ll be a Quick Draw/Improv Draw  at 5:15 on the Variant Stage featuring the talents of Laura Lee Gulledge, Raina Tegelmeier, Dave Roman, John Green, Zack Giallongo and Ryan Sias.  LLG, Raina and Dave were part of one of  these at last year’s Brooklyn Book Fest and it was awesome.

On Sunday at 4 PM there will be a panel titled “Getting Graphic with Girls: Empowering Girls and Addressing Issues through Paneled Pictures” featuring  Colleen Venable, Cecil Castellucci, Laura Lee Gulledge and Lucy Knisley that will be moderated by Sheila Keenan, Senior Editor at Scholastic books.

These are the panels I was able to learn about from the people in them and on websites other than the NYCC official site.

Here’s some other information from both the NYCC site and other places that caught my attention:

The official launch of the MacGyver comic by creator Lee Zlotoff and Tony Lee with art by Will Sliney will take place.

Young Adult author Tahereh Mafi will be signing copies and ARCs of her supernatural superhero series SHATTER ME.

Here’s a few not the usual guests who actually caught my eye (certain artists and various celebrities are expected at this point, like DC and Marvel artists and people like Seth Green, but I want to focus on the “Wait, really?”):

Professional wrestler/sports entertainer Booker T, who recently had written a book about his time in prison before his wrestling career.

Manga genius and creator of Urotsukidoji, Toshio Maeda shall be tabling.

Square Enix and Dark Horse are pulling out all the stops, bringing Yoshitaka Amano, art designer for the Final Fantasy games.

Longtime TSR/Dungeons & Dragons Painter and concept artist Brom, who has also done his own comics, and artwork  for film will be appearing.

The biggest shocker is that on Kid’s Day (Sunday), Elmo and the third and longest running Gordon of Sesame Street will be appearing.  I hope Elmo also means that Kevin Clash will be there as well.

As the convention comes closer I am sure there will be so much news and information overload I won’t be able to handle it.

There’s no knowing why Bill Paxton or Christopher Lloyd are there.  Who knows what films will be presented or shown or discussed in IGN theater or what video game companies will bring or what secrets or surprises could come forth.  The show will be bigger than ever and that’s both a good and bad thing.   Either way I’m excited, no matter what.

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A batch of AGS totally worth more than the price!

Posted on 09/10/2012 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Indie game bundles have been the craze for a short while. There’s been Humble Bundle, Indie Royle, Bundle-In-A-Box and the first AGS bundle last year AGS Bake Sale.

AGS Bake Sale offered a ton of amazing exclusive games built in Chris Jones AGS. Primamrily designed for making point and click games developers have branched out and for that bundle, a shooter and a platformer were designed. Not every game in that bundle was gold, but it gave one some excellent work in Nine Months In and Fragment while the rest were excellent examples of how versatile the engine software actually is and how in many times it all comes down to puzzles, art and story telling… not how the game is made.

Independent publisher Screen 7 out of the UK recently published a brand new AGS bundle titled Summerbatch which features 5 games. Four traditional point n click games with varying art styles and story telling techniques and one very different type of game and a new one to AGS I assume in stealth action ala Metal Gear Solid.

In Barely Floating we are introduced to the best animated/illustrated of the works, with some work that looks way beyond indie, while some of the game mechanics still definitely are hobbled by AGS being capable of what it is capable. Extremely funny with some serious mind buzzer of puzzles invoking old school point n click where one must truly pay attention to dialogue and sentences, it quickly became one of my favorite of the games and it feels like there could be a sequel featuring the protagonist. Or maybe a prequel? It felt a little weird that the only thing we really discover about the lead character is his name while everyone else gets way more fleshed out.

Jailbreak is the stealth game I mentioned above. Of the five games I must admit it was my least favorite. While I really respect and appreciate the work of the developers in trying something totally new and different with AGS, the graphics and gameplay really felt short. Others might actually state this was their favorite game of the bundle and I actually really happy it is in there to add variety to the whole thing. I personally would be happy with the four point n clicks, more than happy, so this game is a bonus.

Patchwork is also impressively in its graphics and feels epic in scope, but is actually the shortest of the games and the only one with a puzzle type that I personally always hate finding. Despite that, it’s writing in top notch and it like Barely Floating and PISS and even Nancy The Happy Whore feel like they could be larger games with prequels and sequels.

Nancy is the most crazy of the games, but I even almost feel like it could’ve gone over the edge. Sure pixelized boobies especially in pixel art aren’t exciting, but they would’ve added some humor and fun. Even without the nudity, despite the Happy Whore title, there’s some very interesting twists and intriguing turns to this adventure which starts small and ends up maybe more epic than PISS even since PISS feels huge and epic from the start simply because of its world.

So now we get to PISS, which has been considered the gem of the batch by some. It is a very impressive sci-fi spiritual adventure fantasy, with some incredible writing and with every character being completely and totally fleshed out. Except for the lead who we get more questions than answers in the end about. If any of the games NEEDS a sequel it’s PISS. The others could have sequels. PISS needs one, the story needs to continue. Be it as a game or a book or a comic.

As a whole, Summerbatch is actually a steal at its “Name Your Price” price. Of course it’s worth at least a minimum $15, especially since it went to charity and the games were developed without budgets from the publisher. The deal started in August and runs till November. That’s a lot of time left, but jump on it sooner than later, there’s going to be some long nights for some players indeed.

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Antoine Wilson’s Panorama City: Book Review

Posted on 08/16/2012 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

When one grows up insulated and with not much world experience, you would assume that the world will both be an oyster and possibly swallow that person whole at the same time.

I personally can’t say that is something I’ll ever get to experience. Seeing the world for the first time as an adult, since my parents starts making me my own man at a young age, I learned the appreciation at a young age as well. The not knowing what you have till it’s gone or once having it realizing it wasn’t what you wanted. That all came to me young, long before I ever had to consider it or worry about it. Not to say I faltered here or there, but luckily I’m also quite smart. Not to try and sound egotistical even, I have a good brain. I catch on quick, I know what’s happening, I’m aware of my surrounding.

Unlike some classic fictional characters who have been both locked in their own world and not very smart till the world hits them head on. The most notable of these of course would be Winston Groom’s Forrest Gump, but to completely use him as a reference to discuss Antoine Wilson‘s PANORAMA CITY would give its protagonist disservice.

Oppen Porter is definitely not the smartest guy in the world, he’s quite naive indeed and it takes him awhile to process things, but he’s not completely a lucky clueless fool. In a shirt time he experiences what to some would be years of experiences. Love, heartbreak, religious awakening, spirtual founding, job promotion, switching careers, oppression, new friends, old friends, losing friends, death. All in less than two months, two tumultuous exciting months that he relays to his unborn child through tapes.

This device of first person narrative through what could be conceived as transcripts is a clever way to get pulled into Oppen’s viewpoint while also feeling like a listener who knows that it is only one viewpoint. This is a theme of everything Oppen tells his future son though, varying viewpoints and how no one way is right or wrong, they just are.

Life in many ways always seems to work in circles, but not perfect circles. Circles with spikes and protraction. I was reminded of this throughout PANORAMA CITY and yet it also gave me a feeling of hope. Antoine Wilson’s wordplay and semblance of sentiment and wonderment through Oppen causes one to see the world with new, more open (slight pun intended) eyes and a desire to live life to its fullest whatever that means for ones self.

The book also really made me want a bicycle more than ever.

Here’s an original drawing of a bike by the author Antoine Wilson.

The preceding review was based off an advanced galley.
PANORAMA CITY by Antoine Wilson is scheduled to come out September 25, 2012 from Houghton Miflin Harcourt.

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Kickstarter Roundup for July 27th, 2012

Posted on 07/27/2012 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

It’s been awhile since I’ve done one of these and there’s no enough stuff that holds my interested to shoot it out to you. I am not pledging all of these, actually I’m probably only pledging what I can afford, but know these are ALL things I want to be a part of.

Cans Without Labels-A Cartoon by John K.: The creator of Ren & Stimpy and founder of Spumco Animation wants to make a very different, more personal cartoon than anything he’s previously done. Still drawn and designed in his undeniable style it’s the kind of work that once seen will probably be loved and enjoyed and if shown for two weeks in a real movie theater in L.A. be nominated for an academy award, but before any of that can happen he needs to be able to make the cartoon.

Detective Grimoire Adventure: The first Grimoire game was made for flash and wa sonly PC with no vocals and minimal music. This is going to be a full ledged production available on iOS, Android, PC and Mac with a hilarious story, great art and reasonably priced. There’s some awesome incentives at the higher pledge tiers too. Go play the demo to get a taste.


Boxer Story – Animated Film: I love traditional short animation that attempts to tell real stories. There isn’t enough of it usually so anything that comes by is good and this is exceptionally different.

I Am Big Bird: A full lentgh documentary detailing the life story of Caroll Spinney. While he recently published a memoir, a film piece fully supported by him is a different thing all together. For a man who lived most of his life on camera, it seems it’s the way his life story should be preserved for everyone.

Two Headed Cop- Animated Film: As much as I love traditional animation I love funny CGI with quirky characters and ideas as well, so here’s Two Headed Cop.

Sirius Black fanmade Prequel: The majority of these fanmade Harry Potter prequels, sequels, sidestories have all been high quality, their fans are truly some creative types. JK Rowling has to truly be credited for helping creative people who were stuck find their inner artist. This project is no different.

AR-K Adventure Game: Yeah two indie adventure games. You know me. I like my point n click and I like it best when its done well. While the first episode now free of this series has lpots of animation bugs, the story, characters, voice acting and puzzles are really good. Give it a go.

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