Overview of Panels that immediately caught my interest for New York Comic Con 2011

Posted on 09/20/2011 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

While not all panels have been announced and press events can change everything here, I thought I’d take a moment just to overview the schedule and be slightly prepared.  One can never truly be prepared though.  You always think you’re ready, but it’s always a bit overwhelming.

FRIDAY, Oct. 14

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
It Gets Better (With Comics!)
LGBT panel with Abby Denson and Ivan Velez, Jr. I am a long supporter and reader of LGBT comics, movies, etc. while being what would be considered straight with a broken tip. The correct term is not bi-sexual or even bi-curious. I guess essentially it would be…”existing”.

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Meet Me At The Arcade
Panel about the current and former life of the arcade in New York City. I don’t know which of these two panels I’ll be attending if either.

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Locke & Key Fox Pilot Screening
I heard about this all over the net and by the time I got to it, it was pulled. It has been given rave reviews and while I’ve never read the comic I have read Joe Hill’s books and with a severe lack of horror TV shows these days, with only AMERICAN HORROR STORY, so it’ll be bitter sweet to watch this, but rather see it then not if I choose this panel.

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Panel to Pixel: The Walking Dead & FABLES, Video Games from Telltale Games
This company is making some of the best games out there and I really want to see them in person. From Sam & Max to Back the Future and now also Jurassic Park, they are truly masters of the concept and these two projects could be something amazing games.

12:15 pm – 1:15 pm
Batman: Arkham City
This of course is also one of the best games coming out in 2011. I’m on board 100% for it. I’m even replaying Batman: Arkham Asylum in anticipation. Kevin Conroy is going to be on panel and I’m betting Mark Hamill being on site anyways will show up too. Who knows what if any giveaways there might be as well. That sentence applies to any TV, videogame or movie promotion panel. There’s always the chance at exclusive con only shirts, posters, toys, whatever.

12:15 pm – 1:15 pm
Jane Espenson’s Husbands –A Marriage of Experience and New Media
This brand new webshow started last Tuesday and it is wonderful and by the time Con hits they’ll I believe finished showing all 12 episodes and really be ready to reflect on its success or failure and the entire experience. As much as I want to go to the Batman and Telltale panels, if they plan a special press only attachment to this panel I might to do this tract, as I highly support this show.

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Dark Horse Presents: 25 Years of Publishing and Beyond

This could be intriguing just as a retrospective and possible great announcements. One could probably skip this and get

2:45 pm – 3:45 pm
Food and Comics Panel with Wylie Dufresne
While I’m not going to do the $550 dinner attached to this panel, I wouldn’t mind seeing what this one could be. There’s a chance for an entirely entertaining panel here and maybe food sampling too!

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
DC Universe Animated Original Movies gives an early look at Batman: Year One, Catwoman & Justice League: Doom
Do I really need to go to this and see trailers and stuff that will soon be on blu-ray? Probably not, but I want the option to be in my scheduling.

3:45 pm – 4:45 pm
Joe Simon: My Life in Comics
98 years old! His birthday will just be passing. One of the truest legends of all comics. Of all panels this might be the most fascinating and passionate of all and I hope if I can’t be at it for any reason that someone else will make sure this one is captured properly on film.

5:15 pm – 6:15 pm
The Superheroes of J.J. Sedelmaier Productions!
Ex-Presidents and The Ambiguously Gay Duo are two of the coolest creations ever. I couldn’t tell from the description exactly what this presentation entails, but J.J. Will on hand to present the video, so if I can fit this in I will, but the next panel is actually one I’m quite interested in.

5:15 pm – 7:00 pm
Unicorn City
The trailer for this film is really good and I assume that based on the 1:45 time set for this means it will be just be a screening. If at this point of the day I still feel like I just want to sit down and relax and watch a movie, I might just have to go to this.

6:15 pm – 7:15 pm
Creator Connection
This panel sounds like a possible chance to maybe meet that artist I’ve been looking for my various projects I’ve come up with and don’t have someone to tackle them with. If there’s a really talented artist looking for the right writer, this would be the place to be.

6:15 pm – 8:30 pm
Comedy Central
They don’t even know what this panel will focus on. It’s their big Comedy Central panel though. Last year their panels filled so quickly and some of the crowd were people who just went to the panel beforehand and didn’t leave. I probably won’t even get into this thing!

7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
IGN, Free Sh*t
If this means they are handing out free shit… I’m there.

8:45 pm – 9:45 pm
Indie Toymaker Roundtable: Turning Characters Into Toys
This panel features some of my favorite artists and will have a very niche crowd of fans, so it might be a great place to finish off my Friday night.

8:45 pm – 10:00 pm
Pizza Man
On the Other hand, the Pizza Man panel will have DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE! BANG! Maybe Roddy will show too!

SATURDAY, Oct. 15

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
A Liar’s Autobiography
I don’t know if they plan to air the entire Graham Chapman cartoon here or a trailer or what, but it’s the first official Monty Python movie and any footage or news I can get I want!

2:00 pm – 3:45 pm
NYCC Exclusive! Smallville: The Complete Series Retrospective Premiere
I might skip this since it’s basically the same thing that will be seen on the Smallville boxset and I’m sure will hit the internet or Netflix in some fashion eventually. As the documentary piece is an hour and forty minutes I don’t expect any surprises here.

3:45 pm – 4:45 pm
JJ Sedelmaier Shorts
More Sedelmaier… I’m assuming this will include a lot of TV Funhouse from SNL, but the fact that Robert Smigel is not being mentioned makes me wonder if this is worth it.

3:45 pm – 4:45 pm
MARVEL Television Presents
This one could be where a major announcement could be made by Jeph Loeb about an as of yet unannounced live action series premiering on some cable channel that intentionally left it out of their upfronts is debuted. I’m going to try and squeeze this in.

5:15 pm – 6:15 pm
AMC’s The Walking Dead
Hopefully at this they will explain how the show is working now with losing their showrunner, what season 2 will be like and etc. I will be doing my best to go this for a friend more than for myself. She might kill me if I don’t.

5:30 pm – 6:15 pm
The Heart, She Holler
Which is a shame, as I wouldn’t mind hearing more about this tupcoming Adult Swim show with Patton Oswalt and Kristen Schall… but whatever… what happens, happens.

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Roddenberry Pizza Party Presents
I was thinking I might want free pizza, but I don’t know if I care enough about current Roddenberry productions for this.

7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Hasbro: Marvel Action Figures
I’m a toy nut, so I wouldn’t mind seeing these, but not if it means skipping the next panel!

7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
MTV Presents Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head
Mike Judge will be on hand for this and the show premieres AFTER the con, so it’ll be awesome to see some footage shown at San Diego along with some new stuff and maybe some giveaways?

9:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Drew: The Man Behind The Poster
Struzan is one of the greatest artists of all time and while it doesn’t seem he’ll be at this panel, they’ll show off some of the documentary and have a panel and giveaways.

SUNDAY, Oct. 16

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Adventure Time / Regular Show Panel and Q&A
Pendelton Ward and J.S. Quintel will be in attendance, what what? Boo Yeah! Ooooh! Being there being there! This just became a party because I brought it there.

11:00 am – 12:30 pm
IFC’S Portlandia and the Increadingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret
It’s so messed up that this panel is at the same damn time. David Cross and Fred Arminsen in one room with fellow crazy geniuses in another. IFC and CN should team this into one huge panel!

12:30 pm – 1:45 pm
Ben 10 / Generator Rex: Heroes United Screening and Q&A
When Cartoon Network does this full screenings with a panel attached they usually turn out to be not miss events. I love both these shows and I can’t wait to see how they merge them without it seeming like a waste of time. I’d like it to have consequences on the show like the Jimmy Neutron/Fairly Odd Parents crossovers have had.

2:15 pm – 3:45 pm
ESSENTIAL KILLING
Not sure if this is a screening of the Jerzy Skolinowski film starring Vincent Gallo or just a panel. I know that I am interested as it’s Jerzy’s first English speaking film in almost 20 years.

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BBF11: Comics Quick Draw!

Posted on 09/20/2011 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

The first panel I attended at the 2011 Brooklyn Book Festival was titled “Comics Quick Draw!”. It featured three of my favorite writer/artists as well as people. Dave Roman, co-creator of Jax Epoch and a writer of Avatar-The Last Airbender comic stories, he is currently best known for his Astronaut Academy series and is working on a colored and collection edition his Teen Boat series with John Green. Raina Tegelmeier did the very successful comics adaptations of Babyistter’s Club and the Eiser Ward winning autobiographic SMILE, she is currently developing her next original graphic novel, a story taking place in middle grade. Laura Lee Gulledge has been a gallery artist and her first semi-autobiographic graphic novel Page by Paige came out in 2011, she is currently at work on her second graphic novel about a young girl named Wilhimina and the living shadows that surround her.

The Draw Off gathered a collective crowd of children, parents and adult fans and was moderated by Publisher’s Weekly’s Calvin Reid. There ended up being seven rounds, with the final round being called a Switcheroo. The first round had the artists all doing a different drawing, the next five rounds they all did their version of the same idea. The concepts came from the kids in the audience and I must say, these kids were both strange and a little morbid.

Following is a description of the drawings done and photos of the finished works.

ROUND ONE

Monkey drinking coffee on the subway by Raina Tegelmeier


Elastic Man by Laura Lee Gulledge (basketball addition hers)


A Cat and Mouse by Dave Roman (he totally twisted this)

ROUND TWO
Mutant Dog eating a rabbit


Laura Lee Gulledge


Dave Roman


Raina Tegelmeier

ROUND THREE
Alien on Mars eating bagels


Dave Roman


Raina Tegelmeier


Laura Lee Gulledge

ROUND 4
Wizard on vacation at the beach


Laura Lee Gulledge


Dave Roman


Raina Tegelmeier

ROUND 5
Giant powdered donuts being pelted by sprinkles


Laura Lee Gulledge


Dave Roman


Raina Tegelmeier

ROUND 6
Cucumber jumping into lasagna


Raina Tegelmeier


Laura Lee Gulledge


Dave Roman

The Final round was called SWITCHEROO.  In one minute intervals for three minutes they would create three Jam drawings based on the same themes.  After much suggestions from the audiences and deliberation, the three things were Dragon, Hippo, Catwalk.

Here are the three pieces created by Dave, Laura and Raina together with some Photoshopping (like some other pieces in this article) from yours truly.

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Authors I Enjoy, and if there was more than one of me

Posted on 09/16/2011 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

I thought I’d take a better look at the schedule for Brooklyn Book Festival 2011 taking place Sunday, May 18th at Columbus Park in Brooklyn, New York. I will be focusing on the non comics selections this time. So please keep the previous post in mind if you head to this wonderful event.

LAWRENCE BLOCK and SUSAN ISAACS, two highly entertaining writers in the crime drama genre are part of a moderated panel at 5 PM in The Borough Hall Courtroom. While my familiarity with them is not as heavy as it should be, as I aware that their books are the kind of work I tend to truly enjoy. It amazes me that only one film has ever come from Block’s works as well, as I see the few Matthew Scudder books I’ve read to be perfect for film. Issac’s though has a little bit of film work, which she actually wrote but again not since the 90’s. This is no indication of the quality of their work, as both are best selling and highly respected writers and in the current trend of Crime Fiction, their views are invaluable.

DJ SPOOKY, whom I only know as a musician, seems to have written a few books and will joining a photographer for a speak on the environment and sustainable change on the Main Stage at 2 PM.

PETE HAMILL, one of the greatest journalists ever and with a slew of fictional works becoming one of the best traditional fiction writers will part of a talk at 3 PM on the Main Stage.

JULES FEIFFER, a living legend cartoonist will be joined by Norton Juster to talk the 5oth Anniversary of THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH at 12 PM in The St. Francis Auditorium.

At 1 in The St. Francis Auditorium two of the greatest living writers of all time in my opinion shall be reading. JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER and the truly compelling and captivating JOYCE CAROL OATES will be presenting and speaking.

The 12 o’clock session in the St. Francis Reading Room features three quality writers on subjects that are of high interest to me, so I shall just copy&paste the official description here:
Crashing Genres. Join authors whose work defies classification: crashing the genre borders of science fiction/ fantasy and the supernatural. CORY DOCTOROW (For The Win, Little Brother), KELLY LINK, author of cult favorite stories in Pretty Monsters and Magic for Beginners, and best-selling author JEWELL PARKER RHODES, winner of the American Book Award, uses magical realism to examine race and memory in her New Orleans vampire trilogy Seasons,Moon, and Hurricane. Moderated by Stephanie Anderson.

Controversial and very popular Critics J. HOBERMAN (The Village Voice) and JASON ZINOMAN (NY Times) will be joined by Foreign Film Expert and a professor at the United Nations, ROBERTA SERET in a discussion on film moderated by film historian and critic ED HALTER at 5 PM in the St. Francis Screening Room.

EOIN COLFER and WALTER MOSELY talk crime drama with Los Angeles Times book critic DAVID L. ULIN 3 PM at ST. ANN AND THE HOLY TRINITY CHURCH.

Right after that at 4 PM same location, actor, playwright and essayist WALLACE SHAWN will joined on stage by partner and fellow actor and essayist DEBORAH EISENBERG and colleague FRAN LIEBOWITZ in a discussion modern by the executive director of the National Book Association HAROLD AUGENBRAUM.

At 2 PM on the North Stage is a very exciting presentation based upon the television program JEOPARDY it features two big winners JUSTIN BERNBACH and celebrated author ARTHUR PHILLIPS and journalist and former Businessweek Editor STEPHEN BAKER who wrote a book abiout the development of IBM’s Jeopardy computer Watson. Moderated by SPIN Magazine’s Greg Milner.

I want to remind folks that there are planned signing schedules for many of these authors as well, so pay close close close attention to the free guidebook being handed out at Book Festival. It will be an invaluable device to have a full and fulfilling day!

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Trying to predict NYCC and reflecting

Posted on 09/13/2011 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

At last year’s Comic-Con Stan Lee made tons of announcements.

The beginning pre-promotion for one of 2011’s best films HANNA began (which just came out on Blu-Ray).

SEGA had very pre-release previews of their video game counterparts to CAPTAIN AMERICA and SHIELD. DISNEY was showing off EPIC MICKEY a month before release. ROCKSTAR was previewing RED DEAD REDEMPTION’s expansion Horror pack.

Of course there was tons more, but I’m trying to figure out what special secrets, early promotions might exist.

Most of the BIG games will be already out or coming out soon at that point (GEARS OF WAR, BATMAN, SPIDER-MAN, ASSASSIN’S CREED, UNCHARTED), so not sure which games will be featured this year.

Hard to predict the films situation too. I’m pretty positive JOHN CARTER and THE HUNGER GAMES will have a major presence since they open March 2012. I’d guess GHOST RIDER too.

I doubt, but would hope for some kind of GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, TINTIN and SHERLOCK HOLMES presence.

I’m assuming some of the newer genre shows like RINGER and TERRA NOVA, but who knows.

In terms of comics, I really can’t say. DC will be on it’s third month of the New 52 and probably still milking it with no new announcements. Marvel will be dealing with continuing fallout from FEAR ITSELF. Dark Horse just did major debuts. So it’ll be up to indies to make a blast… or maybe it’ll be status quo, which can still be fun.

I just know I plan to have as much fun as possible. I know myself better as a reporter now and as a media gatherer. After 5 years of this convention I THINK I have a hang of it. It gets bigger each year though.

No matter what though? FUN!

Oh I am hoping this year will have a better wrestling presence.

Maybe the stars of HULK HOGAN’s MICRO CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING will be there. That’d be freaking awesome!

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Three Things Early Extra Things to be aware of at the 2011 New York Comic Con

Posted on 09/12/2011 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Jane Espenson, one of Joss Whedon’s right hands and also the creator of WAREHOUSE 13 has developed and is debuting a sitcom web series called HUSBANDS on September 13.  I can only assume that part of her interaction at the con will be a panel about it or some kind of marketing.  At least I’m hoping so as the show is right up my alley being an LGBT themed comedy.  I also hope Cheeks will be there too.  Not the artist/designer Sean “Cheeks” Galloway (who I’m also a fan of), but the writer/actor/musician Brad Bell.

Chad Michael Murray, former teen heartthrob, famous for roles on Gilmore Girls and Dawson’s Creek before his six season stint on One Tree Hill and scheduled to return for the final season will be debuting a graphic novel he states is 8 years in the making.  It’s called EVERLAST and features artwork from popular  illustrator and painter J.K. Woodward.

The role-playing/LARP/I don’t know exactly but it looks awesome  indie film UNICORN CITY will be screening at NYCC.  I wish I had more details, but that’s what I can confirm.

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The Continuing Insurgence of Sequential Storytelling As Accepted Media

Posted on 09/11/2011 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

 

 

I am currently considering attending the Brooklyn Book Festival as media and barring that just another consumer.  As I look over the schedule of readings and panels I am excited and mesmerized by the amount of “comics” artists are involved in regular talks with “traditional” writers.  While it was apparent at this year’s Book Expo America that the graphic novel is becoming more and more accepted amongst the regular reader, it overjoys me to see that this fact is continuing at a consumer level with an event such as the festival.

 

 

While there are many panels dedicated simply to graphic novels and comics, which I will overview in a moment here, I am excited to see that Adrian Tomine will be on a panel about NY writers.    Also notable, Nick Bertozzi will be on a panel about re-imagining history with two award winning young adult authors.  Sarah Glidden will be on stage with Casey Scieszka and Steven Weinberg discussing Epic Adventures; while Casey and Steven’s book To Timbuktu has illustrations, it is not a graphic novel like Glidden’s How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less. Anders Nilson sits on a panel called Notes From The Underground with prose novelists Susan Choi and Jonathan Dee.  

Let me focus now on those comics panels, as well as a few ones that are of particular interest to me.  I expect overlap to exist, as is par for the course for conventions, expos and festivals.  In the case of description I shall be “borrowing” directly from the Festival page when needed.

Keep in mind the Brooklyn Book Festival is SEPTEMBER 18, 2011 in Downtown Brooklyn, New York City.

Starting at 11:00 P.M.
YOUTH STOOP
Borough Hall Plaza/Columbus Park

Comics Quick-Draw!: Three comic artists face off in this fast-paced contest. Drawing (literally!) from audience suggestions, NYT best-selling and ALA-notable book author/illustrator Raina Telgemeier (Smile), best-selling author/illustrator Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy), and rising star author/illustrator Laura Lee Gulledge (Page by Paige) will battle with pen and pad.  And, everybody wins: finished art will be gifted to some of the lucky young people in attendance! Moderated by Calvin Reid, editor of Publishers Weekly Comics World.

at 1:00 P.M.
ST. FRANCIS SCREENING ROOM
180 Remsen Street

Funny Ha-Ha-Comedy in Comics: Join and laugh with four artists of comics that are surreal, political, and hilarious: Eisner-nominated and cult-favorite Michael Kupperman (Mark Twain’s Autobiography: 1910-2010); Harvey, Glyph, and Inkpot Award-winning Keith Knight (The Knight Life: Chivalry Ain’t Dead); web-comics phenomenon Kate Beaton (Hark! A Vagrant); and newcomer Jennifer Hayden (Underwire). Moderated by Heidi MacDonald of The Beat and Publishers Weekly Comics World.

In the same building, but in the ST. FRANCIS AUDITORIUM and a
Ticket Required Event at
3:00 P.M.

Comics Writ Large and Small: Three of the most exciting artists working in the comics medium today—who work on canvases both epic and poetic—will discuss their craft and the artistry of long and short form graphic stories. Harvey, Ignatz, and Eisner-award winner Craig Thompson’s much-anticipated Habibi is a 672-page quest of spiritualism and love. Ignatz winner Anders Nilsen’s 658-page Big Questions weaves together surreal tales the artist released as shorter works over many years, and Harvey award-winner Adrian Tomine’s Optic Nerve series, with #12 newly released, typifies the concision of his storytelling—also loved by many in New Yorker covers and strips that offer a thousand words in a few quiet frames.  Moderated by Meg Lemke.

Back in the Screening Room at
4:00 P.M.

Drawing a Life: How do you draw someone else’s memories? Eisner-nominated Dean Haspiel (Cuba: My Revolution) illustrated the memoir of revolutionary turned refugee Inverna Lockpez.  Pulitzer nominee Lauren Redniss (Radioactive: A Tale of Love and Fallout) blends research and imagination in a haunting portrait of Marie Curie and rising star artist GB Tran (Vietnamerica: A Family’s Journey) turns to his own family’s history to portray a war-torn, transnational generation. Moderated by Hillary Chute, author of Graphic Women: Life Narrative and Contemporary Comics.

 

My one major conflict is at 3:00 P.M.

ST. ANN AND THE HOLY TRINITY CHURCH (157 Montague Street)

Brooklyn Book Festival Presents – Gumshoes: Award winning authors Eoin Colfer (Plugged) and Walter Mosley (When the Thrill Is Gone).   Moderated by David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times.

I missed the opportunity to meet Eoin at Book Expo America as the line was incredibly long and I’d of missed three other opportunities that were happening during the time I was on that line.  So unfortunately I left the line and then of course read PLUGGED which quickly became one my favorite books of 2011.   Sitting with the legendary Walter Mosely they should have a spirited conversation.

Other Panels of interest/note from PCS’ perspective:

2:00 P.M.
BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY MAIN HALL
128 Pierrepont Street
Politics and Poetry: Poets Timothy Donnelly (The Cloud Corporation), Nick Flynn (The Captain Asks for a Show of Hands), Thomas Sayers Ellis (Skin, Inc: Identity Repair Poems) and Evie Shockley (The New Black) explore poetry’s capacity for social change role and the role of poetry in public life. Moderated by Camille Rankine of Cave Canem Foundation.

5:00 P.M.
ST. FRANCIS SCREENING ROOM
180 Remsen Street

Moving Pictures. From B Movies to the Art House, film is possibly the most powerful broadcast medium of the past century—taking us on flights of fancy as often as it brings us face-to-face with the more unpleasant nature of the contemporary world. J. Hoberman (Army of Phantoms), Jason Zinoman (Shock Value), and Roberta Seret (World Affairs in Foreign Films) discuss the role of movies in understanding our world and ourselves. Moderated by film critic and Light Industry founder, Ed Halter.

Of course on top of panels there is the Festival itself which has signings, previews, and booths galore. The outdoor setting of Columbus Park/Borough Hall makes for a truly entertaining event. While I have not been capable to go every year, I always desire to, knowing it is truly one of the best events New York has for readers and book lovers.

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Some early Cool Things Coming Up at the 2011 New York Comic Con

Posted on 09/09/2011 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

First of note is the nine course dinner at wd-50 with food writer and SVP of Creative at Marvel C.B. Cebulski and former Vertigo editor turned Marve Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso. Oh and Joe Quesada will be there too. While I personally would rather spend $606 and have an even LARGER meal at wd-50 with some close friends, this event is the perfect opportunity for 10 folks who want to make their NYCC experience even more amazing. If I had $550, I’d probably go, but I don’t… so, there’s that!

Opening night for folks who can afford themselves 4 day tickets there will be a very special concert from DJ Z-Trip. Labeled as America’s favorite DJ these days and one of the original kings of mash-up, this could be an exciting addition to events. This one is free to 4 day ticket holders and while it may seem like there’s no pop-culture tie in, one would be wrong. On closer scrutiny one of the songs that first got Z-Trip noticed was his re-mix of the RUSH classic “Tom Sawyer” which got featured in the cult classic SMALL SOLDIERS starring  a teenage Kirsten Dunst, a teenage Greg Smith (famous now for the TV series Everwood and Rookie Blue and the film, Hobo With a Shotgun), some of the world’s greatest stand-ups (Dennis Leary, David Cross, Jay Mohr, Phil Hartman) and a who’s-who of classic Hollywood as the voices of the toys (including Ernest Borgnine and Frank Langella).   If you need some extra incentive to check the concert out, go to Z-Trip’s website where you can download almost all his albums for free.

Also notable is the Speed Dating event.  I really wanted to attend this at last year’s convention and scheduling of private press events, walking the floor and meeting certain folks preempted it.  This year I feel it is an experience I should have as both an attractive, eligible nerd bachelor and as a pop-culture journalist.

There are many comic book releases, debuts and toys at the show this year.  None of the panels have been announced other than the Jay & Silent Bob Get Old Live ticketed event.  As much as I enjoy them, I listen to Smodcast enough and have seen the Kevin live speaking DVDs, I don’t need to see them live, but it could be a great experience for someone else.

As time gets closer I’ll plan to try and break down the panels, IGN Theatre events, various booth happenings and possible exclusive press events I’ll be involved in.  I hope you  look forward to that.

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It’s All About Hair Transplants

Posted on 08/31/2011 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Novel: PLUGGED

Author: Eoin Colfer

Publication Date: September 1, 2011 in the US (already out in the UK)

Best known for the crazy and wild antics of boy genius ARTEMIS FOWL, as well as what is concidered the sixth book in Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Trilogy, …AND ANOTHER THING, Eoin Colfer’s first tackle at crime noir drama is painstakingly brutal, humorous and nail biting.

Before I approach my scattered, possibly altered thoughts on the awesome PLUGGED I want to address the concept of ...AND ANOTHER THING being titled the SIXTH book. In essence this is untrue and discounts Doug’s unfinished, but still published posthumously SALMON OF DOUBT. Originally constructed to be the third book in the Dirky Gently series and indeed pretty much published as such, it is fairly known that Adams intended for it to become the “final” chapter in Hitchhiker’s. While …AND ANOTHER THING is a cleverly written book in which Eoin proves his stellar writing abilities, it really should be titled NOT REALLY, BUT KIND THE SOXTH BOOK, NOT THAT ANYONE”S COUNTING PER SE (or something akin to that).

In PLUGGED, Eoin brings us into a very bleak, troubled world, one that is cloistered, hidden, almost like a darkened stranglehold. It’s a place few would venture and even fewer would even consider. Yet it is also bitingly funny. There is an intense amount of dark humour (sic) in this book. It is mozzenfocking crazy I’m telling you. It is also pure modern noir and while reading it I could not help but envision it as a film. Although my cast isn’t completely not locked down. While it seems a perfect vehicle for say Vinnie Jones or Jason Statham, I also envision it being something Colin Farrell could bite his teeth into. Possibly Stuart Townsend, or maybe even Cillian Murphy. If it was 10-15 years ago it would easily be something Gabriel Byrne, Pierce Brosnan and Liam Neeson would be fighting each other for. While all those actors are very different, they all have a few things in common. They’re Irish, they can pull off being creepy badasses, and they have the acting talent to be a leading man who is serious, cynical, slightly crazy and amazingly charming all in one breath.

That is exactly what lead character in PLUGGED is. In my Unrevised and Unppublished edition I have for the use of this review his name is Dan McEvoy, but marketing on Amazon.com suggests this was changed Linc, which is short for Lincoln. I’m really hoping this is wrong, as Daniel just works way better. At least in my opinion.

On top of Daniel, the book is filled with amazing characters, all of them also larger than life, full of grit, and feeling all like they’ve stepped out of a 1930’s Dashiell Hammett novel, read a primer on the last 70 years of history and jumped right back into modern times. You got a wacky unlicensed doctor, a slimy sleazeball lawyer with mafia ties, a smalltime gangster who’s the big fish in a little pond, the crazy broad upstairs, the dyke like cop with sex appeal. Plus you have all the plot twists one would expect, conspiracy, murder, betrayal, coverups, drugs, smuggling, etc.

Is this starting to sound more like hype than a book review? That tends to happen when I really enjoyed something. I start overselling it. Maybe I want it to be mine and no one elses, but that wouldn’t be fair. People who enjoy a good detective mystery crime drama noir with messed jokes and crazy surrealism shouldn’t miss this one.

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Imaginary Friends and Letting Go

Posted on 08/31/2011 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Got a late start to the day.  Had some food, then watch a movie and then put together a new thing for the bathroom, might paint later with the special art kit that was purchased for me as a gift to try and generate.

The movie was PAPER MAN.  The critics lambasted this one, but I enjoyed it a lot.

It stars Jeff Daniels, Emma Stone, Lisa Kudrow Kieran Culkin and Ryan Reynolds as Captain Excellent.

Daniels is a published but not completely successful, but admired enough author with extreme writer’s block.  His wife is a very rich and on top of her career doctor.  To break the writer’s block, Daniels is going to live in a small house in The Hamptons to clear up his mind and hopefully his life which is in shambles and break the writer’s block.  Kudrow is the wife, Emma is a girl he meets there and Reynolds is his imaginary best friend and superhero.

That’s all I’m going to tell you about the story as I think this is one you should actually seek out and might find inspiring and helpful in pushing one’s proverbial ass off the couch.  Yes, it means sitting on the couch to watch it, but sometimes one needs inspiration to be inspired.

The movie also has great music and I went and looked up all the singers and bands:
MARK McADAM
LITTLE JOY
THE INCREDIBLE CASUALS
ALL POINTZ WEST
EARLIMART
MOTHERBOARD
BEULAH

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An Assassin and an Adventurer walk into a bar

Posted on 08/31/2011 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Since I’ve started writing about video games, I thought I’d link to a few videos and discuss two of the games I am looking forward to most as 2011 comes to a close and discuss their history in some detail as well.

The first is Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. This will the fourth game in the series and the third game that is part of a story arc. In the game you play a young man named Desmond who is placed in a machine and can live out the memories of your ancestors. In the first game you met Altair, a Master Assassin from the Byzantine era of the Middle East, you travel around Syria, Jerusalem and more assassinating key figures in the Holy Wars, only to discover it was all a ploy of your mentor seeking power for himself in an item of much power, you defeat him, but what happens next in Altair’s legend remains unknown. In the second game you met Ezio, a young man learning the ways of becoming an Assassin during the Renaissance period of Italy. You face The Borgia, defeating The Pope and his sons through the second game and then a third called Brotherhood in which you start training Assassins yourself. You also become good friends with folks such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Copernicus and Machiavelli (so the game is really based on real history). In Revelations, you return to Ezio in his old age, in which Ezio is now seeking to find out what happened to Altair, before the first game and after. At the same time, Desmond is trapped in a special black world because of stuff that happened in Brotherhood. So you play as all three trying to piece together all the answers.

The first video just will show you how amazing the story telling, acting and animation is, especially in the upcoming game along with a commentary track from the developers.

Oh and the Game developers have so much love for the game and the series they even made a Live Action film called LINEAGE which is about Ezio’s father, who was also an Assassin.

They also put together an animated film called Ascendance.

And another animated film is coming out called EMBERS.

Oh and there have also been two books and a comic book, and these were not adaptations, but stories that take place in between the game or in the same world of the game, but in a different section!

Oh I forgot to mention that Desmond also has friends and partners in the games, helping him in the machine. There’s the hot blonde, voiced by Kirsten Bell (Veronica Mars, Heroes, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), the cute brunette tech girl and the British researcher.

Another game I am super excited about is UNCHARTED 3.  Uncharted are the adventures of Nathan Drake, a treasure hunter/former thief who believes he is the ancestor of Francis Drake. Following clues from ancient legends he finds the home of amazing treasures once thought real, but forever lost. In the first game he followed clues from Francis Drake to find the fabled El Dorado. In the second game, once again following clues from a diary by Francis Drake, Nathan goes in search of Shamballah. In the third game he will follow the lead of T.E. Lawrence in search of Iram of the Pillars. In the third game incluence will also be taken from the classic film “Lawrence of Arabia”. Drake has had various partners. His main one is Sully, an older dude who is really tough played classic character actor Richard McGonagle, Elena, a journalist played the lovely Emily Rose, Chloe a tough as nails Brit played by Farscape’s Claudia Black and Harry played Magician and Comedy actor Steve Valentine. The games have also featured Rene Auberjonois and Simon Templeman, the third game has very popular British actress Rosalind Ayres as the bad guy.
Nolan North plays Nathan Drake and he’s so good, he also plays Desmond in Assassin’s Creed and the voices are similiar but quite different, not a distraction as in going “Wait, he sounds just like Nathan Drake”.

Nolan is much more suited to play Nathan though, which you can see is this live action commercial for the third game starring Nolan North, it is very funny, Nolan is fantastic, sort of like David Boreanaz, Bruce Campbell and Nathan Fillion having a love child:
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/08/25/uncharted-3-drakes-deception-collectors-edition-unboxed/

The game has also had a Motion Comic prequel.

It also has a comic coming soon and a novel telling a story not in the games by Christopher Golden.

Video games when you really analyze them like this have come a long long long way. I know most of know this, but how frequently do you sit down and think about it?

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