OK. Message received. I will try and post more often.
I hope to have the sketch that Scott Kurtz did for me up sometime in the next week or so. But before I review some comics, I have a general thought I want to throw out. I observed at the Baltimore Comic-con last weekend some interesting things. What I would like to talk about is the dealers and some of the dealings going on. I don't know if we had a "rape me" sign hanging somewhere on our booth, but for some reason dealers kept coming over asking if there was some "deal" we could work. Now last year, Rusty (the owner) worked a deal with a big group and pretty much sold the booth out on Saturday. That's cool and all, he is the owner and it's his livelihood. But these guys sidling up to me and asking if there is something we can "work out", made me feel kinda oogy. These guys had been there all weekend and had to know that I wasn't the owner. Even said so on my badge: "staff". And there was no way I was going to do anything without Rusty's consent.
Now, to be fair, I did do some deals with people who were either fans or retailers coming for the show. We sold out the manga, which did really well with both. But these guys, who I'm guessing are pros on the convention circuit, were really interested in making deals. As opposed to some of the boothmates we had, who could not look more disinterested and bored to be there. But who can blame them? They had no real business, nothing but really older books, and looked for all the world like they couldn't get out of there fast enough. OK, that's enough on that. FUN TIME!
I want to try and give some quick reviews of the comics I read. I tend to stick to the mainstream stuff, and my budget has been really screwed with.
Countdown- This series started off with some promise but has really fallen apart. I'm not sure if it is the "52" curse or not, but I am finding it hard to stick with it.
Detective Comics- The best Batman book being done out there. This book has managed to reinvent the best rogue's gallery in comics to a new level. Paul Dini has done a terrific job.
Batman- Deserves a mention for Grant Morrison's run. His knack for taking obscure things (the league of Batmen?!?) and making them a viable story has paid off.
Green Lantern- I have always been a GL fan. But the "Sinestro Corps War" has been one of the best things done in the book in a long time. DC really dropped the ball by not promoting this more instead of Countdown.
Amazing Spider-Man- I now have to lump all the Spidey books into one since they are cancelling them to make Amazing the core book. This past week started the "One more day" arc. I am not sure where they are going with this, and really until they get there, I don't care. I will read this with some trepidation because I am expecting a major fake out from Marvel.
World War Hulk and Incredible Hulk- Now THIS has been a great read! The main Hulk title not so much. But WWH? WOW! I have enjoyed every issue so far. Why? Two words: HULK SMASH! No whiny exposition, no hidden agendas, just pure aggression. What any Hulk fan wants.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8- This book has apparently started a trend. A lot of books (Angel, Star Trek) which were TV shows have picked up on the sales trend of Buffy and tried to copy. The newest arc began this week, and I recommend it to both fans and non-fans alike. It's a great jumping on point and it will not disappoint.
Alright, that's enough for now. Maybe there will be more on comics, or something on the sad state that is my life in general. We'll see.
Showing posts with label comic-con. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comic-con. Show all posts
Monday, September 17, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Baltimore Comic-Con 2007
Well, I've managed to survive another Comic-con. I thought I would give you some thoughts and impressions from someone who was there as a fan and worker.
First off, they moved it into another part of the convention center and expanded it. A nice, spread out feeling with the artists and major sponsors having their part and dealers having another. You didn't have to worry about lines for artists (such as Jim Lee) interfering with your booth and lines of sight.
Secondly, the artists. On the whole, it seemed that the artists were genuinely happy to be there and were very friendly. I had an opportunity to talk with Scott Kurtz to thank him for coming and get a drawing (will post that later). He was very happy to be there and thanked me for the patronage of his book (PvP) and website. The convention was under somewhat of a sad note with the sudden death of Mike Weiringo last month, but the artists did a great job working with and contributing to the SPCA, one of his favorite charities. All the artists, both major stars and rising indy stars gave of their time to help out. Kudos to all of them.
On a minor complaint, I had several people come up and ask why Marvel did not have a presence at the show. Like I work for the show promoter or something. I do not know why they didn't. They had a panel there on Saturday, but in all honesty, it sounds like it was boring as hell. DC and Image have been major sponsors and brought big name talent to the show. Dark Horse had a small presence there and hopefully it will increase over time. Considering Marvel is based in New York, and in close proximity to Baltimore, maybe they will start to rethink coming with some major people. My hope, but just not sure.
On to the business side of things. I was running the Cosmic Comix booth on Sunday, and I have never seen it that busy. Not a mad rush, mind you, but a steady flow of people over the course of the day. The last few years it's died down so quick that you're checking your watch to see how early you can load out. Not this year. We were steady until almost 3:30, which is great on a Sunday. And considering how busy we were compared to some of our boothmates, it was a fun Sunday. I will have something to say about some of the dealers who come to the show in the next post as well.
Overall, a great show. The crew who work and develop the con deserve a round of applause for not only an enjoyable show, but for making the whole experience a smooth one, at least for me.
First off, they moved it into another part of the convention center and expanded it. A nice, spread out feeling with the artists and major sponsors having their part and dealers having another. You didn't have to worry about lines for artists (such as Jim Lee) interfering with your booth and lines of sight.
Secondly, the artists. On the whole, it seemed that the artists were genuinely happy to be there and were very friendly. I had an opportunity to talk with Scott Kurtz to thank him for coming and get a drawing (will post that later). He was very happy to be there and thanked me for the patronage of his book (PvP) and website. The convention was under somewhat of a sad note with the sudden death of Mike Weiringo last month, but the artists did a great job working with and contributing to the SPCA, one of his favorite charities. All the artists, both major stars and rising indy stars gave of their time to help out. Kudos to all of them.
On a minor complaint, I had several people come up and ask why Marvel did not have a presence at the show. Like I work for the show promoter or something. I do not know why they didn't. They had a panel there on Saturday, but in all honesty, it sounds like it was boring as hell. DC and Image have been major sponsors and brought big name talent to the show. Dark Horse had a small presence there and hopefully it will increase over time. Considering Marvel is based in New York, and in close proximity to Baltimore, maybe they will start to rethink coming with some major people. My hope, but just not sure.
On to the business side of things. I was running the Cosmic Comix booth on Sunday, and I have never seen it that busy. Not a mad rush, mind you, but a steady flow of people over the course of the day. The last few years it's died down so quick that you're checking your watch to see how early you can load out. Not this year. We were steady until almost 3:30, which is great on a Sunday. And considering how busy we were compared to some of our boothmates, it was a fun Sunday. I will have something to say about some of the dealers who come to the show in the next post as well.
Overall, a great show. The crew who work and develop the con deserve a round of applause for not only an enjoyable show, but for making the whole experience a smooth one, at least for me.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Some thoughts and feelings
Hey gang. I have a somewhat busy weekend ahead of me so I thought I would put some thoughts and general things down for you to discuss.
I once heard an old comedian say " did you ever get the feeling that the world was a black tie dinner and you were a pair of brown wing tips?" I know that most of you may not get the joke, but at the moment I am feeling that way. Out of place, unsure of why the hell I am here, and wondering where I fit in if at all. I know, I know. Bitching on a blog? Wow what a rarity. But as I said, it's how I'm feeling. I am a lucky man, I realize that. I have a tremendous wife that loves me so much it scares me at times. I have friends that seem to like me, or at least tolerate my ass. I have a caring family that still gets together once in a while. But right now I feel like a turd in a punch bowl. Disgusting and best forgotten by all who see it, if they see it at all. Not a happy way to start a posting, but hang in there. It gets better (at least I hope it does).
This weekend is the big Baltimore Comic-Con. If you're going down on Sunday, be sure to stop by the Cosmic Comix booth and say hi. I'll be the guy closely resembling the comic book guy from the Simpsons. I look forward to this every year, not so much for the work, but to check out what the rest of the comic world has going on. I must admit to being somewhat geeked (poor choice of words) at the fact that some of my favorite artists will be there. The Kubert brothers as well as their dad are supposed to be there. Scott Kurtz, creator of PvP, will also be there and I look forward to meeting he and his wife again. But the fanboy moment for me will be if I get the chance to meet John Romita, both Junior and Senior. I have long been a Spider-Man fan, and they have been the premier artists to help shape his look. To be able to JRJR sign the 9/11 issue of Spider-Man would be the ultimate in my collection. I can only hope I don't crap myself if the opportunity arises.
Lastly, FOOTBALL IS BACK!!!!! One of the bad things that usually happens is that I miss the opening Ravens game to work the show. Not this year. Monday night, baby! Those who know me well enough know that I live and die with the team. This year I hold no illusions about the upcoming season. The Ravens are in a tough division and a tougher conference. If they can make the playoffs, nice. Get to the conference championship, terrific. Super Bowl? Well then I would have to be dreaming, but it's a nice dream to have.
OK that's it for now. have to try and get my head into some sort of place where I can do what's expected of me for the weekend. Later!
I once heard an old comedian say " did you ever get the feeling that the world was a black tie dinner and you were a pair of brown wing tips?" I know that most of you may not get the joke, but at the moment I am feeling that way. Out of place, unsure of why the hell I am here, and wondering where I fit in if at all. I know, I know. Bitching on a blog? Wow what a rarity. But as I said, it's how I'm feeling. I am a lucky man, I realize that. I have a tremendous wife that loves me so much it scares me at times. I have friends that seem to like me, or at least tolerate my ass. I have a caring family that still gets together once in a while. But right now I feel like a turd in a punch bowl. Disgusting and best forgotten by all who see it, if they see it at all. Not a happy way to start a posting, but hang in there. It gets better (at least I hope it does).
This weekend is the big Baltimore Comic-Con. If you're going down on Sunday, be sure to stop by the Cosmic Comix booth and say hi. I'll be the guy closely resembling the comic book guy from the Simpsons. I look forward to this every year, not so much for the work, but to check out what the rest of the comic world has going on. I must admit to being somewhat geeked (poor choice of words) at the fact that some of my favorite artists will be there. The Kubert brothers as well as their dad are supposed to be there. Scott Kurtz, creator of PvP, will also be there and I look forward to meeting he and his wife again. But the fanboy moment for me will be if I get the chance to meet John Romita, both Junior and Senior. I have long been a Spider-Man fan, and they have been the premier artists to help shape his look. To be able to JRJR sign the 9/11 issue of Spider-Man would be the ultimate in my collection. I can only hope I don't crap myself if the opportunity arises.
Lastly, FOOTBALL IS BACK!!!!! One of the bad things that usually happens is that I miss the opening Ravens game to work the show. Not this year. Monday night, baby! Those who know me well enough know that I live and die with the team. This year I hold no illusions about the upcoming season. The Ravens are in a tough division and a tougher conference. If they can make the playoffs, nice. Get to the conference championship, terrific. Super Bowl? Well then I would have to be dreaming, but it's a nice dream to have.
OK that's it for now. have to try and get my head into some sort of place where I can do what's expected of me for the weekend. Later!
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