Is DC Even Trying Anymore?

DC Comics. Home to powerhouses like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash...the list goes on and on. DC started in 1934 under the name of National Allied Publications. That is 88 years ago. I was in my late 20's when they started!

They are often referred to as one of the big two (along with chief rival, Marvel Comics, home to...well, you know if you are reading this). The problem nowadays, is that DC isn't a part of the big two. Outside of the Batman family of titles, it is on life support. And not even all of the Bat titles are doing well.

If you look at the top 100 sellers in the months of January through April, this is the high-level breakdown...

January DC had 26 titles in the top 100. 20 of those were Bat titles.
February DC had 26 yet again, with 17 being Bat titles.
March saw DC completely rebound (lmao) with 27 comics in the top 100. 18 of which belonged to ol' pointy ears.
April? 33 titles! WOW. Sit down. 21 were Bat titles.

Marvel is absolutely destroying DC. Outside of Batman, DC is not doing anything right. At all. They are writing comics for themselves, not for fans, clearly. Is there a wall at DC where they just throw crap and hope something sticks? This is a business that has a clear need for someone who can lead, not just manage. Huge difference, and DC is managing just fine. They are managing crap. They do not have the leadership required to rekindle the interest in even its core characters. Look at the Superman titles. Is there an excuse for what is happening there? Yes. Plenty. Is there a REASON? Nope.

Green Lantern? My favorite character/franchise. What in the hell? It's like watching Star Trek Discovery...there are a few cool parts, but largely no one gives a $#!+. It's entirely forgettable. 

While I enjoy Marvel, I have been a DC fan my entire life (well, for as long as I've been reading comics...probably not as an infant, where my prime focus was on food and not having a squishy diaper, I mean, come on).

It's hard to blame DC. Their parent is Warner, and they colossally interfere and place executive/creative ego over solid decision making. Marvel has actual cohesion, and Image has Spawn. And other Spawn titles. And other Spawns. This may look sarcastic as I type this, but they are legit fun books and are always visually incredible. 

So what is Marvel (and Image's Spawn) doing differently? It's less event-driven and they are absolutely more true to their characters. Marvel, for example, have created "woke" characters without fully overwriting their predecessors. That is great! Comics needs more diversity. 

Side note to Marvel...the best "F you" to the people appropriating the Punisher logo is just publishing nothing but stories where Frank Castle is laying waste to fringe right-wing groups. NOT that new, stupid logo. Stop.

Consistently well-written and drawn stories, fresh, NEW characters, and not alienating an older audience (who spends way more) are just a few ideas. Focus group a diverse reader selection, regularly. At this point I won't be surprised if the next big Bat event deals with alternate Earth Batmans who are warring with each other. Batman Right vs Batman Left. That way each political spectrum is covered.

Keep politics out of comics as much as possible. Readers do not want it, regardless of what a vocal minority of fans on Twitter may say.

Anyhoo, next blog will actually be why I love DC's Nightwing comic so much. Go figure.

Neal Adams and George Perez

There is not much I can say here that has not already been said about these two heavyweights in the comic industry. Both of these men broke into

comics, in their own way, as teenagers. In the mid-60's, Adams was looking to get out of comics, and we can all be glad he didn't. His work for DC started as the weirdness of the 60's were starting to wane in comics. His realistic, gritty art style helped usher in a new wave of art to match the new wave of stories coming in. His work in 1969 at both Marvel and DC (X-Men and Batman) were arguably his first projects that would lay out a path of success that would see him become one of the top creators ever. His work on Batman, and later Green Lantern/Green Arrow, catapulted him to comics fame. GL/GA would introduce the world to social relevance in a big way. As a kid, I remember these comics, and remember being blown away by the clean, realistic art style that really stood above other artists. Adams' greatest contribution, in my opinion, wasn't his art. It was his active crusading in the industry that helped creators like Siegel and Shuster receive both credit and money for their creation. Superman. Adams cared deeply about creator's rights, and not only was he a superior artist, he had superior ethics.

George Perez was born around 13 years after Mr. Adams and really came into prominence in the late 70's. His work at Marvel and DC landed him some very high profile projects...Avengers, New Teen Titans, Wonder Woman, Infinity Gauntlet, and Crisis on Infinite Earths. Like Adams, Perez had such a clean, beautiful art style that was copied by many. My personal favorite story that he illustrated was "A Lonely Place of Dying", which introduced Tim Drake to readers. Perez worked steadily until 2019, when he would retire due to health reasons. Both of these creators contributed so much to comics, and paved the way as influences to many talents. Rest in peace, gentlemen.

Nightwing #80-81

Anyone reading Nightwing? I'll wait for an answer. This is interactive, and without participation from you, I am concerned you just aren't engaged. While I wait, I'm going to take a drink of water while I look over at you as if I am expecting an answer. The water, albeit real water in a real cup, is more of a prop. If I am calmly taking a drink while I look expectantly at you, it shifts the focus on you to start speaking. The last thing you want is to be in a room full of people and someone expects you to speak then you don't. Especially when they are taking a drink of water. It's as if the mic has been passed to you. So don't F this up.

Well, I guess I'm alone here.

If you are reading Nightwing you already know what's up. If not, Nightwing recently went for a long stint having lost his memory after being shot in the head. He went by Ric Grayson, as opposed to Dick Grayson. Sometimes I wonder if DC has all this planned out or if they are just picking EVERY idea they throw against the wall.

Anywho, Dick Grayson is back, and I started reading again at issue 75. A good jump on point! Every issue has been a fun read until the last two issues...80 and 81. These were AWESOME reads. 

First of all, there's this...

Testify

 
TIM DRAKE. Yup. As a long time reader, you can actually objectively say that Drake is the best Robin. Is he your favorite Robin? That's a different question. Some people love Grayson. Other people who think they are edgy like Damien as their Robin. From a pure loyalty perspective, and an intelligence perspective, Drake wins. Case closed. I'm the judge.

So Tim is along for the ride in these issues. I will not give away the spoiler at the end of issue #81 but if it's true, I cannot wait to see where it goes.

Go pick up Nightwing at your local comic shop, or download it from Comixology. 5 out of 5 concussions.

Invincibles

I know. Invincibles has been around for a while. I have not paid any attention to it. Heard it was great, etc. I avoided it because of (insert reasons here. Truthfully I have no reasons. Like I have no reason to extend this parenthetic as far as I have. It's getting ludicrous. I suppose we can stop the madness and continue.)

So Amazon Prime has an animated version. Is it faithful to the comic? I DON'T KNOW! READ THE FIRST PARAGRAPH AGAIN!!! JEEZ!

Sorry, it's been a long weekend.

My wife and I watched the first episode. It was a cool story centered around a father (a Superman-like figure) whose son develops powers as he gets older. In his case, high school. It's actually a neat story with great writing, and conveys emotion quite well. We truly enjoyed this episode. The credits hit and I was ready to just exit, but some of the other heroes in this universe (introduced early in the show) started receiving a signal to go meet at their super secret headquarters. I said to my wife, in my infinite wisdom, "they are probably just fleshing out these other characters a bit".

Then THAT happened. 

No spoilers here. But WHAT. HAPPENED. 

I'm not going to watch the second episode. I don't know. Maybe I will. I probably will. But what the hell?

I give it 4 out of 5 popped out eyeballs.

Superman

Amazing.

I tried. Almost 2 years since my last post. The original plan was to wait for the 2 year anniversary and then continue to wait until probably forever. 

BUT HERE WE ARE.

Honestly, I just get tired of reading the negativity on the internet. The click-bait headlines, the articles that just make up stuff that is nothing but conjecture...it's all ridiculous. At least be honest about what you are doing. 

This is a blog. My blog. So it's nothing BUT my opinion. It's not disguised as news. You will not see articles like this:

GAL GADOT FIRED AS WONDER WOMAN

Fans on Twitter said it. Who knows, we will wait and see.

That's the gist of 90% of articles about pop-culture stuff. It's excruciating to read. So, as I attempt to exile myself from that garbage (for the 372nd time), I am coming back here to irritate all zero of you who read this.

The title says Superman, so let's roll.

Superman and Lois are two episodes in on the CW and I recommend it wholeheartedly. As a fan of all the live action Supermen (Shaq as Steel does NOT count), Tyler Hoechlin as Clark Kent/Superman absolutely embodies the spirit of the character. Like his predecessors, he has a rough road ahead in a world where Superman can be viewed as "too powerful", "hard to write because he is so good", or "he got stabbed in the butt by Kevin Spacey".

Spacey probably ad-libbed that. 

Anywho, we live in a world where Superman is needed more than ever. Our country is more divided than ever, people actually hate each other if you do not agree with their politics (on either side of the aisle), and there are still no Waffle Houses in Iowa. If that doesn't describe a "hell in a handbasket" environment to you, then you are no son of mine.

Superman is a hero who is supposed to be better than we are. It's someone we can strive to be more like. He is not without sin, he makes mistakes, but how many of us can truly say we try to do the right thing all the time? Not me. That's why I like Superman. It reminds me to try and be better. It doesn't guilt me into hating him and then saying how great The Punisher is because it's easier on my crappy moral code...no. Superman is supposed to inspire. He is supposed to set the example. In two episodes of CW's Superman and Lois, he has done that so far. 

See you in 2023!

Captain Marvel and Other Stuff

Captain Marvel is here and is taking the box office by storm. In case you are living off-planet, deep in a rain forest, or are dead, you’ve either seen it already or at least know about it. I’m not going to go into crazy detail, but I enjoyed it. Not as good as Wonder Woman, but also not an assault on the product in any way, shape, or form. Brie Larson plays Carol Danvers, or Captain Marvel for those not adept at catching the inference. Man, I’m grumpy. Misogynistic fanboys everywhere hate her worse than they hate it when their vape pens die. 

“But she said she hates white males!!!”

No. She didn’t. Is there anything MORE racist than white males getting pissed off about anything related to being white? LOL!

Ok, back to the movie. Very fun. My primary complaint is that Larson’s acting came off as stiff here and there, and another example of a Marvel movie trying to be a sitcom. I’m going to have one of the blog’s interns comb through every Marvel movie and see how many jokes are attempted. I think the key indicator should be jokes per minute, or JPM. The task is Herculean, to be sure, but interns, amirite?

Go see it. A lot of fun, and I’m excited to see her in the next Avengers movie. 

Other stuff! Comics. I’ve been on vacation all week and have read 30-some issues of Ms. Marvel on the Marvel Unlimited service. A more fun book might not be found. DC’s newest Young Justice series looks promising. Miles Morales...another incredibly great character. DC’s app, DC Universe, is still disappointing in regards to comic content. If Marvel and DC’s online services were actual stores, Marvel’s would be huge, bright, shiny, bursting with product while DC’s would be like walking into a Barnes and Noble getting ready to close permanently...80 percent of the shelves empty. Random paper blowing in some improbable wind. Anywhoo. Marvel Unlimited...I’ve talked about it before and it is an amazing service, I’m hoping it lasts forever. If that prior sentence jinxes it, YOU WILL NEVER FIND ME.

Ciao.

Why is This Character Cool? Hawkman Edition

Wait, Hawkman is cool?

Don't question me, fake person.

Now that we can put that unpleasantness behind us, we can move forward. Hawkman has been synonymous with confusion. I'm going to estimate here, but I think he has had approximately 73 different origins since his first appearance in 1940.

Robert Venditti handles the latest incarnation of Carter Hall and his winged alter ego. As hesitant as I was to read anything about a character who is more confusing than new math is to a 40 year old, I decided to give it a shot.

I have never said in my life that Hawkman is my favorite book currently. WELL, IT IS.

Superhero Landings

Carter Hall is having not only flashbacks of his past incarnations, but he is crossing time and meeting them, too. We also learn that he has not just been reincarnated on earth, but also Krypton, for example. I am not sure if he has been reincarnated in Missouri (I don't consider that to be part of earth...more like an active portal to hell).

Venditti has succeeded in weaving a tale that pisses you off when the issue is done. Now I have to wait another month. I wonder what the pitch looked like at DC. Did Mr. Venditti pitch this? Or did DC? I imagine if it was the latter, Venditti had to have some hesitation, even if only internally. This is a character who has never seen triple digits in any of the 475 series that he has had over the years.

I hope the quality of this book can be sustained, as I can't get enough. On Twitter I gave it 9 out of 5 stars.  Here on the blog I will give it 9 out of 5 pieces of Nth Metal.

Buy it.

Rant 2018

Any DC movie.
Any recent Star Wars movie.

There has been a growing trend in recent years to basically trash things before they are released. The newest Star Wars film Solo is a great example, as was Justice League. As was Batman vs. Superman. As was The Last Jedi.

Were any of these films perfect? Absolutely not. Is any film perfect? Arguable. Anyone who thought Thor Ragnarok was brilliant probably shouldn't be opening their mouths about movies being stupid. I liked Thor Ragnarok, but to allow it to be what it was but then complain about "Martha"...just stop, really.

"Steve, you're complaining about complaining!"

Here is why that is ridiculous. When someone is complaining about a movie they have not seen yet, and has not even been released, that is completely different than calling those types of people out on their abject stupidity. There is an "outrage culture" in almost all facets of life thanks to social media.

Just ask a vegan.

Whatever happened to judging something for ourselves? I can tell you: it takes too much work, and in an unreasonable need for acceptance, people will join bandwagons left and right. People are too lazy to think for themselves. Politics is a clear example of that.

Be objective. Take Infinity War, for example. I loved it and saw it multiple times. I can't wait to own it on Blu-ray. That doesn't change the fact that Thanos looks like he could be a spokesperson for Pepto Bismol. Still, Josh Brolin completely nailed it. Does it change the fact that the big Infinity War battle on earth was fairly ridiculous? No.

Why is property damage ok in Avengers but not Man of Steel?

I think you get the point.

Let's stop being whiny little bitches and maybe try and enjoy things a little more. When you say that the new Star Wars movies ruined your childhood, I am excited to see how you will do in corporate America. Of course, you could continue to work at a Gamestop the rest of your life, or a Burger King.

Anyways, the new Fantastic Four comic will be out in a couple months, and you just know it will be blisteringly stupid. (See? Makes no sense. How would I know that? I don't.) I'm quite looking forward to it, actually.

Stay positive. Enjoy life. Except for Spawn vs WildC.A.T.S. I give you a pass on that.

Marvel Unlimited Correction

Hi.

Let me start off by saying I’m an idiot.

I’m an idiot.

 In my last entry I wrote “My only complaint is that Comixology spoils a person with the guided view technology. Marvel does not have that, so a screen any smaller than an iPad could be an annoyance.”

I was wrong. They do! This is what happens when someone over the age of...um...40-something is thinking they are tech savvy. Well, I found it in the settings, and could not be happier.

Now if those damn kids would get off my lawn.

Mish Mash Quick Hits

Greetings fellow comic book fan(s)!

Marvel Unlimited

I know this has been around for quite some time, and I am very late in getting to the station on this one. There are a few pricing points, and in a nutshell, you can read 20,000+ issues of Marvel Comics. THERE IS TOO MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM! That's a great problem to have.

I love vintage Fantastic Four (beginning through the 80's). I CAN READ THEM ALL! Bruce Banner is not the Hulk? I can read that, too. Star Wars? Even from the Dark Horse era? Yup. Anything with The Thing? Pretty much! I've always been more of a DC guy, and the reason is because they tend to reboot like crazy since the 80's and it was easy to latch onto. It was never because I didn't like Marvel. Now I can catch up on anything. Captain America #1 punching Hitler on the cover? Yeah, that is there, too.

It looks great on an iPad, and has a smooth app. My only complaint is that Comixology spoils a person with the guided view technology. Marvel does not have that, so a screen any smaller than an iPad could be an annoyance. As long as you have that, this service is worth it. I wish DC would do the same. Not trying to influence (lol like I could do that), but I would pay 20-30 bucks a month for each, Marvel and DC. As it stands, I am paying 10 bucks a month for Marvel, and DC is not gaining any revenue.

I do hope this is a money-maker for Marvel. What an awesome service.

Youngblood

Remember Rob Liefeld's Youngblood? It was universally panned forever, and Liefeld is a polarizing figure, to be sure. I had Youngblood from way back in the day...Image launch and all that. I didn't like it. I thought it was bad, and Liefeld's art was both awesome and not awesome at the same time. On any cover, for example, I could point to things I thought looked amazing, and would look at ankles, etc...anywhoo...

Youngblood re-launched under a new creative team in 2017. naturally, I passed it up, as I was too busy reading stereo instructions and ingredients on shampoo bottles.

My mistake.

This series is excellent. Written by Chad Bowers and art provided by Jim Towe, I was very, very pleased with the results. How pleased? Well, I started issue 1 yesterday, and just wrapped up issue 11 today and am current. Set down any historical issues you may have had and enjoy this for what it is, fun super-hero comics with some excellent art. Vogue is the stand-out character for me thus far.

Action Comics 1000

JUST GO BY THIS. SERIOUSLY. STOP IT ALREADY. Brian Michael Bendis is at DC and is working on the one that started it all...Superman. Great anniversary issue with multiple creative teams. Lots of great covers spanning the decades. I bought 6. Thanks, Supes!

Domino

Who is Domino? If you know comics, you know she was in X-Force, among other teams. That was about all I knew. I never paid attention (see the stupid stereo instructions and shampoo ingredient joke above). I saw it in the comic shop and though "Cool cover." I kept browsing. I tend to browse like a person who has to have something but really has no idea what the hell is happening around him, and has no clue what he is looking for.

After looking at everything on the shelf 374 times, I noticed it was written by Gail Simone. Hmm. "She is an awesome writer", I thought to myself. If I said it out loud, I apologize to anyone who may have been around, wondering why that 48 year old weirdo was talking to himself. After buying it, it took me a few days to read it. GREAT first issue. I didn't feel like I needed to know 30 years (or whatever) of history.

MY WIFE LOVED IT. If that doesn't sell me, nothing does. She looks forward to comics like they are stereo intru...ah, forget it.

Issue 2 came out this week, and already has us roped in. Great book.

That's all that comes to mind. Remember to check out the Field of Geeks podcast...iTunes, Podbean, Stitcher Radio, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, probably other places.

See you in a few years!

The Flash Annual #1 (Spoiler Free)

Who Remembers Wally West?

I love annuals. Some of my favorite stories have been in the comic annuals of olden times. Well, in the last 30 years. The Elseworlds Annuals had some stories I still go back to.

In The Flash, we get a Wally West tale, and while I won't spoil, he is looking for his place in the current time and place he finds himself in. Barry Allen and Kid Flash are major players in this story, and the ending sets up the next big arc.

Joshua Williamson writes with Howard Porter and Christian Duce tackling the art. Williamson, in particular, does a nice job getting to the heart of Wally, making him as familiar and inviting  as he was when Mark Waid took him to the next level.

Highly recommended. 5 out of 5 lightning bolts.

Batman 1989

Netflix is quite possibly one of man's crowning achievements. It might not be as big of a deal as, say, the polio vaccine or mayonnaise, but it certainly has to rank higher than frostbite or American politics.

Recently Netflix has added several Bat films for your viewing pleasure. Or displeasure, as it were. I'm looking at you, Clooney.

As a 20 year old "man" in 1989, my biggest concerns centered around NBA basketball, but when I heard Batman was coming out, the not-so-hidden nerd inside me was ready to go. I wasn't alone. The film grossed hundreds of millions of dollars and was a pop-culture phenomenon.

In the cape and cowl is Michael Keaton. He is my favorite actor in the world. Bar none. Way higher than Clint Howard or that dude who played Balki. Keaton's casting was controversial in that fanboys everywhere couldn't believe that a comedian would be able to pull it off. Exhibit A: Clean and Sober. End of discussion.

His portrayal of Bruce Wayne is still the best we've seen in film. Keaton nailed it. Batman is not Bruce Wayne's alter ego, it's the other way around, and it was done exceptionally well.

Jack Nicholson played the villain (as he does so well). The Joker was truly insane, and who better than Nicholson? Heath Ledger's Joker, while brilliant, is a different kind of Joker. If you have the maturity to look beyond the ridiculous comparisons, you will see that both were completely mesmerizing.

There is a lot of praise to go around, from Burton's visionary approach, Danny Elfman's iconic score, or the unbelievable design work by the late Anton Furst. I could go on for hours.

Lucky for you I will not do that. There are a couple things in the film that could have been done differently, but hindsight is 20/20, especially for armchair quarterbacks.

On the Field of Geeks podcast, we recently did a commentary track for the film, and as much fun as it is to poke a little fun at movies, I still found myself loving the movie. Check it out at https://youtu.be/Okl4epVdibo and enjoy! It's Clooney-free!

Star Trek: Discovery

Hello. All-purpose nerd here. I know the title of this refers to Star Trek, but if you do not go out and buy the latest issue of Detective Comics, I am going to have to put you on "the list".

Anyhoo...Star Trek is back in the form of Discovery. It is in the non-JJ timeline, and takes place before Kirk starts to make out with every female in the alpha quadrant. I am just going to do some quick hits, and they might contain spoilers (or at least hint at them).

• Three episodes in...
• Episode 1, good. Looks incredible. What is the budget?? It looks better than most movies
• Episode 2, also good. Watching Yeoh go was not cool, bro
• Seriously with the Klingon language.
• Captain dark light...eh.
• Episode 3, AWESOME! Very good. I'm officially on board.
• BUT SERIOUSLY WITH THE KLINGON LANGUAGE
• Warp Dog was an interesting concept.

This show is on CBS' streaming service All Access. That's how you can watch it. Good or bad? Unknown at this point. My concern is that putting a show that is potentially expensive on a new platform that has a much smaller user-base than a Netflix or Hulu is a risk. If the numbers are not there, does the budget get cut? Does the show get cut? Does my hair need to be cut? All three are probabilities. Tune in. The show is very good thus far.

Check out the podcast discussing this show over at Field of Geeks! Podbean, iTunes, and a bunch of other cool ways to listen. I'm not sure if we are still on short wave radio...I will check it out.

Detective comics. Reminder. I'll be watching.

Game of Thrones

Not comics, but most of the planet watches this, so tough cookies!

Tonight is the finale of season 7. Spoilers in case you are not caught up.

S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S

Jon Snow, Danaerys, and company bring a Wight to King's Landing. Other interesting tidbit: I'm posting from my phone and it replaced King's with Kong's. That would certainly be a twist. Anyway, they go and see King Kong, and try to convince Cersei to put off the hostilities to combine forces and take on the White Walkers. AND THEIR DRAGON. Of course, none of our heroes know about that yet.

Anywhoo, I have not seen the leaked info for this episode. Tons of info exists on it, so I've been staying away from the interwebz so I don't go Drogo and pour melted gold on someone's head. I wonder if workplace productivity would increase know that is part of the performance management process.

My predictions:

*Littlefinger dies. Which Stark sister does it? Who cares, just do it.
*Arya is Arya. People are saying the other no faced girl killed her and took her place, but why would she go kill the Freys if it wasn't Arya?
*Cersei screws us over somehow...I mean, come on. Will someone die from the Snow Patrol? If anyone, my guess is Gendry.

Just a little time left. Can't wait!

Check out the Field of Geeks podcast on Podbead, Stitcher, YouTube, and iTunes.

Wizard World Thoughts

Hello, people of Earth.

May 19^th, 20^th, and 21^st, Des Moines was once again lucky enough to have the Wizard World Comic Con! For you young people, Wizard was THE voice in comics in the 90’s and into the 21^st century. They were there for the boom in the 90’s, and provided an inside look to your favorite artists, writers, and comic book companies. After Wizard stopped publishing their monthly magazine (and after years of grief counseling for me), they have still been putting on conventions all over the country.

This is the 3^rd year in a row for our friends at Wizard, and while I was unable to attend the last two years due to work/other terrible reasons, Josh, Zac, Claire, and I from the Field of Geeks podcast were there to cover as much as we could. 

First of all, this is the largest con I have been able to take in. Back in “the day” (for me, that is the Paleolithic Era), I had been to a few smaller cons that were still quite entertaining and allowed me to meet some cool creators, including Jae Lee, Joe Staton, and Mike Grell (who can do no wrong). As it was held in the Events Center downtown, it had enough space to cover everything that was presented in an organized layout, making it easy for people to move from area to area.

Me before I had food.

Greeting us as we walked in was a huge statue of some muscular green dude with a real nasty disposition (pictured). There was a stage where multiple programs took place, from a fun 80’s cover band to some pretty hilarious fashion shows. Past that on the left side of the room were the celebrity guests and on the right, tons of awesome vendors featuring everything you would want at a convention like this. Des Moines’ own Mayhem Comics were on-hand, and it was great to see their familiar faces.

Is alcohol your thing? It was my thing on Friday, as Zac, Josh, and I enjoyed a double whiskey and coke as we arrived. It was called the Daredevil. The name was dead on, as after it, I couldn’t see and needed assistance being led around. Not true, of course, I just stumbled about, taking in the sights.

In the next room, the creators were all lined up in multiple rows, providing art and autographs for lots of fans (myself included). This room also had some sweet cars! The little known vehicle from that small independent movie franchise “Back to the Future” was there. I’ve seen many DeLorean’s in my day, but never one decked out like the movies. It was quite a sight. The Speed Racer car was there, as was my personal favorite, the Impala from the Supernatural series. My daughter got her picture taken with it, and I just drooled at the condition of the vehicle.

Are you into the celebrity/comic panels? If so, the panels never stopped. There were a bunch, ranging from comic talk, to celebrity/TV show panels…Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, etc. Victor Dandridge, a self-publishing guru, hosted approximately 732 panels (very slight exaggeration), and I was lucky enough to sit through 4 of them, which included James Marsters from Buffy and Danny Fingeroth, one of the Marvel legends!

Stan Lee was in attendance. ‘Nuff said (I totally stole that).

The event for kids were numerous and just added to the family friendly environment.

I will be adding a couple “5 Questions with…” segments to the blog over the next week. Mikey Babinski (Spider-Man) and Ant Lucia (DC Bombshells) were gracious enough to put up with my nonsense. Both of these gentlemen do phenomenal work, and it was honor chatting with them.

These cons are important for a city like Des Moines, who, until recently, was lucky to get the remaining cast members of Hee Haw, let alone stars like John Cusack, Dean Cain, and Marina Sirtis. If we are fortunate enough to see Wizard World return, you can bet I will be there covering it.

Lastly, I’d like to thank Jerry Milani of Wizard for the press pass and assisting with access to some of my favorite creators. You’re the man, Jerry!
 

Next up, 5 Questions with Mike Babinski. Check it out!

Wizard World Comic Con 2017

Greetings, people of Earth. Specifically, people of Des Moines and surrounding communities!

Remember Wizard magazine? I do. It’s one of three things I would bring back from the “old days”. The other two being my hair, and my ability to stay in excellent shape.

Wizard, though no longer publishing a magazine covering comics every month, is still hosting conventions, and May 19^th, 20^th, and 21^st, we will be lucky enough to have another convention in Des Moines!

Click here for convention details!

The guest list includes Charlie Sheen, Dean Cain, Marina Sirtis, Denise Crosby, James Marsters, and more. Star Trek: TNG fans take note! You can get photos, too! Check the site to see how! I’m still waiting for a sequel to Men at Work from Charlie Sheen. Fingers crossed.

The Con will be at the Iowa Events Center at 730 3rd Street Des Moines, Iowa. Make sure you check it out! Des Moines is not San Diego, so when we get something fun like this, it’s important to support.

A few of us from Field of Geeks will be there covering all the fun! 

See you there!

Steve's "Mailbag"

When we last talked, I was taken away to Bangladesh to do things I am not allowed to talk about. No, not mind-in-the-gutter things.  Things like transferring the cold fusion formula to the highest bidder. But, again, I am not allowed to talk about that.

Let's get right into the mailbag.

This week, a fictional reader writes, "Steve, how do you read your comics? Online? Print? What's the deal, yo?"

Great question, person who does not exist! I have mixed it up in recent years. With the advent of Comixology, I have not only saved space in my home, but have undoubtedly saved my marriage in the process. There are times where I will still pick up things in print, but usually it is something like a trade paperback, or a "one-off" comic for a series I might like to try.

With Comixology, I was using an iPad mini, and that was great! If I was travelling for work, I could read comics in an airport, or in the cab on the way to a meeting. This helped because if you have had the joy of being in a cab, they take delight in telling doughy Midwesterners that they could die in a moment's notice. They do all this without actually saying a word. I'm looking at you, San Francisco cab drivers.

Anyways, I recently upgraded to a normal iPad like the rest of the world had done years before me, and reading comics on that is AWESOME. I highly recommend it to you, your friends, and whoever else.

There is an online comic service through Plume Snake Comics, at plumesnake.com that has a slick online interface, and a bunch of great titles to choose from for a low monthly fee. It's like Netflix meets comic books. I use my iPad, laptop, and even cooler, my TV through my browser on Xbox.

If you are a serious collector for print, then congrats to you. Space in my home eludes me, so I envy those that are able to collect physical copies.

If you will excuse me, I need to go read a bunch of people talk about how movies that have not been released yet will "suck". It's good therapy, in that it reminds me how not to act. Ever.

Life Isn't Always Comics and Rainbows

I have had countless requests (zero) to put up a blog with some site recommendations.  So for the throngs of people patiently waiting, here we go...

• Field of Geeks Star Trek 50th Anniversary podcast!  Join Josh and I as we discuss Star Trek. It was fun, and there's more on the way.  Listen directly at http://fieldofgeeks.podbean.com/e/field-of-geeks-trek-it-to-me/
• Who knows movies?  Jonesknowsmovies.com is a movie review site that gives a breath of fresh air to the medium.  If you are like me (if you are, I apologize to your friends, family, and co-workers), it gets old hearing the hype machine in regards to movies.  This holds especially true for DC movies.  You can find a million places on the internet that are already telling you how bad Justice League will be, even though not one person has seen it.  There is a good variety of films reviewed in great detail.  Check it out at the link above, or on Twitter and Instagram.
• If you are not watching Dark Matter (syfy network), then I can't launch enough shame your way.  Well, I don't have much shame to launch, but it's a great show.  Season 3 is still upcoming, but seasons 1 and 2 are on Netflix.  I've had a blast watching this show, and was very skeptical going in.  I mean, "syfy"?  I can't take a network seriously who gets cutesy with their name.  That said, this show is absolutely worth your time.  Check out the official site here! 

 There you have it.  I'm going to wrap this up because I have this thing to do and I will not be blogging more today because of it.

Field of Geeks, Blanky Bot #1, Social Justice

Earthlings!

Welp, I have my laptop up and running, so that's good.  That means more inane ramblings from me!

I have mentioned Plume Snake comics before.  We mention them every show over at Field of Geeks.  What's that, you ask?  A podcast.  It's a totally brand new medium, and pretty much no one on earth has a podcast.  I think we are the first!  Anyways, check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Podbean, YouTube, Sticher Radio, iTunes, and of course, fieldofgeeks.com for all sorts of stuff!

Since I was laptopless (making up words is fun), I couldn't get onto Plume Snake on my gankety (See? It's fun!) iPad.  It's old.  But it plays Solitaire pretty good.  Anyways, I have a lot of titles over there to catch up on.  The first one I read was Blanky Bot #1.  The 0 (zero/my retirement portfolio) issue was discussed here.

Blanky Bot #1 takes us five years into the past where we see a nice, quiet mountain-side town, and a toy shop where everything remains the same.  Like my crushing debt.

Anyways, change is afoot as we get a glimpse into the origin of Blanky Bot.

The good: The art is just fantastic.  I have a varied taste in art...19th century impressionism, Gothic art, abstract...of course comic art.  The art has a full time job in the Blanky Bot series.  It has no dialogue, except the dialogue you use to create the story shown to you.  This works very well in the format we are provided, and after taking in a comic where I've watched villains being punched in the face, this is an excellent way to look at something that is calm, entertaining, and just fun.

The bad: really, I have one complaint.  Too short.  Yes, I am selfish.  I know that, and now you do, too.  Alex Odom has brought something original to the table, and in a society that is keen on binge-behaviors (I'm looking at you, Netflix!  You, too Five Guys...wait, I should probably just look at myself there), I just can't wait for issue #2.

Social justice.  It's completely unavoidable these days if you watch/read/partake in any form of current media.  Most of the time, I see very valid reasoning and good intentions behind it, but seriously, enough.  Comics are a medium where the fan-base is very, very fickle.  I know that because I am very, very fickle.  My friends that read comics are the same way.  When you take the escapism and throw in a "The Joker is hurting Batgirl so all males hate women", then it's time to stop.

Marvel Comics looks like they will do just that.

It's no secret that Marvel hasn't felt Marvel-y (I'm on fire) in a while now, and they are looking to get back to the roots a little bit.  Good.  Personally, if I want to be told how to live my life, I will turn on the news, or read people's political ranting on Facebook (don't get me started).  Our society becomes more and more divisive all the time, and some of us are tired of it, and just want to be entertained.

Now if you will excuse me, I have to go protest the fact that there is no In-N-Out Burger in Iowa.  My congressman is going to get it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Death in 2016

The "in" thing was to blame 2016 for the deaths of some of our favorite celebrities.  I've read a variety of articles and thoughts as the year passed, and one thing I actually found amusing were the people who felt it necessary to educate people on the fact that a "year" was not responsible for taking the lives of celebrities.

SERIOUSLY??  I'm trying to convey extreme levels of sarcasm.  Maybe I should mix in some exclamation points.

SERIOUSLY?!?!?!!!

Hmm.  Looks good.

If you truly believe that the calendar year of 2016 was responsible, then please email me.  I have a need to have money moved from a Nigerian bank, and you are the one I've chosen!

There were a lot of big losses last year...Bowie, Prince, Fisher, Reynolds...the list goes on and on.  Instead of writing any sort of tribute posts (I had a long on one Carrie Fisher), I will instead get a little preachy.  Lame, I'm sure, but it won't last long, I promise.

None of us escape death.  Celebrities, CEO's, or average Joe's...we all meet an end.  What will YOU leave behind?  We live in an era where we have tons of data at our fingertips, with our heads down and our faces lit.  Some people have written nice tributes, others are critical.  Some of it legitimate, some of it vitriolic.

When time catches up to us, what will people say about you?  Us non-celebrities aren't worried about the masses.  What about those close to you?  Leave a positive mark.  It's important.

Be kind to each other!