Author: Marc Alan Fishman

Chicago Comicon: A Tale of Two Cons (Part Three)

  • News
  • August 25, 2010

Hello again, one and all. I’m back for this final day to wrap up my thoughts on the 2010 Chicago Comic Con, as presented by Wizard. See what they did there? Fooled you. Same way we all don’t know Xfiniity is actually Comcast, and Fox News is actually Satan’s News Network. When we last left off, I’d given a fairly positive review of the dealer floor. While it feels like the Swap-O-Rama had a child with that creepy guy who shows up at the comic store in sweatpants and an original 1978 Incredible Hulk shirt stained with brown mustard… the dealer floor offers a plethora of deals, steals, and hard-to-find collectibles that you’d just not find if not for the gaping square footage of a convention hall. With that said, it’s time we wrap up this little tour of the “Big-Con-That-Could… but didn’t.”

I want to start this final day’s wrap up with a little pull-quote from Wizard concerning former Illinois Governor Rod “1 count of fraud is better than 24” Blagojevich, and his attendance on Saturday.

“Wizard
World Chicago Comic Con is all about pop culture, and Rod Blagojevich is
as relevant to today’s news as it gets,” said Gareb Shamus, CEO of
Wizard Entertainment. “We think the court of public opinion will show
him to be a popular figure at the show.”

I couldn’t state it any better folks. Wizard World Chicago Comic Con is all about ‘pop culture’. Never mind that COMIC is in the title. Never mind that a SINGLE comic book publisher showed on the “exhibitor floor”. Never mind that the same floor was dominated by C, D, and Z level celebrities. Gareb Shamus has turned a show that once was the San Diego Comic Con of the Mid-West into a glorified flea market and three ring circus. I lamented earlier that for me, the meat and potatoes of a convention comes in it’s programming and exhibitors. At this con, the main floor boasted booths for everything BUT comics. In fact, aside from Avatar’s presence, a con goer walking into the show floor may not even reach an actual book until the dealer room. And with panels ranging from iPhone game demos to a “celebration of die-cast car collecting” … they might as well do themselves a favor and take COMIC out of the title. In all honesty, as a comic book fan, I resent that a casual con goer would think what they saw in that hall was a representation of what comic fans like.

(more…)

DC’s Next Cryptic Image Unveiled

  • News
  • August 25, 2010

Once again, the fine folks at the DC Source Blog have given us a sneak peak at yet another cryptic image. Well, not so much 1 image and a collection of White Lantern covers that have/are/will be gracing comic retailers shelves throughout the nation. As always, we here at Comicmix like to help you, our devoted fans, to deciphering the latest Dan DiDio “figgur’ it out” poster. Above you’ll find the piece (and for a larger version, click here) and below you’ll find our predictions. Let the snarking observing begin!

  • Take note that Jade sits in a row with Captain Boomerang, Reverse Flash, Osiris, and Max Lord. This proves she’s evil. Like all women.
  • Hawk and Deadman both sit perched ready to act. This is a signal both have to go to the bathroom. Or stone chairs wreck havok on one’s posterior.
  • Note that Firestorm has no mouth. This is a signal that Geoff Johns isn’t sure how to write dialogue for a half black intelligent Jason Rauch and half white douchebag Ronnie Raymond. When they combine, Firestorm is better off not saying anything at all… and looking cool.
  • Hawkman and Hawkgirl aren’t looking at each other. Looks like someone forgot the put the seat down… and someone should stop buying her makeup at retail. Museum curating isn’t a well paying gig, damnit!
  • Martian Manhunter and Maxwell Lord sit opposite each other, contemplating how long they have until people remember they don’t care about them. 
  • Aquaman sits aloof, casually presenting the 180th design of his trident.
  • Behind all these resurrected folks is a tableau of the captured avatars, Necron, and that creepy hooded midget. This actually isn’t a clue… it’s a piece painted by Bruce Wayne while he was bored in the past. Batman can do anything.
  • Within that tableau, did you catch the white hand of creation Krona saw? We didn’t either.
  • If you stare long enough and lose your focus, like a magic eye, you can see Darkseid, Necron, Superboy Prime and the Anti-Monitor giving you the finger.

We hope that helps you figure out what’s going on, in the continuing Brightest Day saga. If you spot anything too, let us know in the comments below!

Wizard World Chicago: The Photos! (Day 2)

  • News
  • August 22, 2010

Whilst walking the show floor today at the 2010 Chicago Comic Con, we Unshaven lads did our duty (once again) to bring you the shots you know you love to see. So, enjoy the continued cavalcade of comic enthusiasts who went that extra mile… and brought delight to all those on the floor who were looking around for DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, IDW, Boom! or Dynamite. While they weren’t there for this COMIC convention, at least these awesome cosplayers were. Kudos to them for being the bright spot in a continuing convention of letdowns.

(more…)

Chicago Comic Con: A Tale of Two Cons (Part Two)

  • News
  • August 22, 2010

When I last left you, gentile reader, my malaise for the Chicago Comic had permeated my very being. The deep sadness that seeped under my skin upon seeing my “home show” turn into a visceral flea market truly left me bitter after day one. But, I went to bed, telling myself “tomorrow is another day…”. I awoke with a rekindled spirit of optimism. I mean, yes, the major players of the comic book publishing industry weren’t gonna be there. The panels announced for Saturday were even less interesting than they were for Friday. And on top of all that, they’d announced at the end of Friday that former Illinois Governor, turned convicted fellon, Rod Blagojevich, would be on the show floor signed autographs for $50 a pop. But, I told myself… “It’s a new day. And you should be happy.” Thus, I slapped a smile on my face and I exited my car to boldly walk into the 2010 Chicago Comic Con once more.

Yup. That smile lasted until I took the escalator down to the main floor, with my group in tow. With us, both my wife and my Unshaven Cohort, Matt’s wife, Amy, joined us for our Saturday adventure. The girls, who needed passes, waited through a semi-long line in order to drop $30 on day passes. They were of course penalized for not purchasing their tickets online. For shame. Now, as we’d covered before, I’ve long been a goer to this show. In the past, with the purchase of a pass came a bag of schwag. Generally filled with a heroclix figure or two, a limited edition comic, advertisements and postcards of show vendors, and a few freebie books and posters. This year? Our wives returned to us with nothing more than alternatively colored cheap wristbands. Since we didn’t to leave our loves behind, we stood with them in a long snaked line, trying to get into the show. We were told “people were cutting” and apparently some skipped in without bands the day prior. In order to combat this, they simply slowed the line down to an inhuman crawl, and allowed us time to mill about like bank customers on payday… in an endless sea of costume cladded fans, and folks all confused at the speed at which the line was moving. “What are we all waiting for? Tickets to see Shatner?” (more…)

Wizard World Chicago: The Photos! (Day 1)

  • News
  • August 21, 2010

Whilst walking the show floor today at the 2010 Chicago Comic Con, we Unshaven lads did our duty to bring you the shots you know you love to see. So, enjoy the cavalcade of comic enthusiasts who went that extra mile… and brought delight to all those on the floor who were looking around for DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, IDW, or Dynamite. While they weren’t there for this COMIC convention, at least these awesome cosplayers were. Kudos to them for being the bright spot in an ever dimming convention.

(more…)

Chicago Comic Con: A Tale of Two Cons (Part One)

  • News
  • August 21, 2010

We, the true believers all have that “home show”. That convention we never miss because it’s in our backyard. We treasure the memories we build there. And for those of us who aspire to become creators (like me and my Unshaven Comics cohorts) the “home show” is also where we first took the plunge and moved to the other side of the aisle to become creators, not just conventioneers. For me, that home show has been the Chicago Comic Con. I, of course, knew it as “Wizard World Chicago” when I first walked in the doors a newly christened comic fan in 1999. Ever since, that show has been a stalwart in my calender. I’ve not missed it, now, for 11 years in a row. Suffice to say, I’ve had a ton of great memories over the years. From catching the first glimpse of The Dark Knight, sitting mere feet away from Christian Bale, Christopher Nolan, and David Goyer… to sitting in a jam packed ballroom, sharing a laugh over the secrets of Wonder Woman #219… to that first year I had to give up attending Wizard School panels, in order to sell my first graphic novel.

As the years have passed, my Unshaven family and I have noticed a rising trend. What started as just ribs and pokes from snottier fans who’d long proclaimed Wizard to be unhip and “mainstream”, changed to a general malaise from many of the fans we stood shoulder to shoulder with in lines for huge attractions like Kevin Smith Q and A’s to the aforementioned Dark Knight sneak preview. It seemed many Windy City con goers where feeling a slow and steady decline in attendance, in spirits, and most importantly in quality. As I touched on it in a previous article… it would seem that at last year’s Chicago Comic Con, a keystone had crumbled. Where once mighty booths manned by the biggest publishers stood greeting con-goers as they entered the center, were now gone, and replaced with questionable replacements. In 2009, where DC’s mighty banners once hung, and the DC Direct glass where my nose was pressed with palpable envy stood a Tonner Doll booth… where porcelain cherubic faced Harry Potters and Twilight Edwards now glared at me in monotone smiles. Where the Mighty Marvel erected it’s booth where cathartic creators sat and signed piles of books now sat a blacklight-rave music pumping-psuedo ninja weapon booth, manned by people who I can assure you couldn’t tell the difference between Deadpool and Deadshot. Thus, today it was with fearful steps that I entered that large hall once more… and hours later, I sit here, truly sad to type these words: My home show is a sorry shadow of it’s former self. (more…)

Star Wars’ Yoda is now a GPS Celebrity

  • News
  • August 18, 2010

Just in case your Darth Vader antenna topper, storm trooper air freshener, lightsaber gearshift, and Leia hairbun volume and tone knobs are lonely in your 1989 Plymouth Laser.. you can now download Yoda’s voice onto your Tom Tom GPS. As reported by ABC News, the company that helps you find your way around those terrestrial streets you have to use, now allows you to download the gentle rasp of that backwards talking sock puppet Jedi Master into your GPS Device. Far better than your ‘Burt Reynolds’ voice-prompts, the Yoda voice pack will turn your Tom Tom into that inner voice you wish you heard every time you get lost trying to find that new Italian place uptown.

Barking nearly-understandable prompts like “After 700 hundred yards hmm, keep to the right then take a sharp left. Control, control, if a Jedi you wish to be.”, the Yoda voice pack will no doubt help you find that inner peace, when that jerk in the Cutlass Supreme cuts you off before you attempt to merge onto the highway.

Yoda joins Darth Vader, C-3PO, and Han Solo in the GPS voice game. While Tom Tom assured us that “Users really want the Yoda voice”… we can’t help but ask where Ben Kenobi is in all of this. Frankly, we don’t trust Darth not to choke us if we miss a turn. C-3PO is a language droid, not a map droid. And Han Solo? He’s more likely to tell us to “punch it!” if we’re gonna be late… and that’s not safe driving. We trust Yoda will keep us on the Light Side… we’re just not sure we’ll understand what we means when he says “Fear is the path to your destination. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. And suffering is 300 yards to the left, then stay on your right.”

TomTom was even nice enough to provide video of the recording session:

Star Wars Celebration V: Speed Dating

  • News
  • August 18, 2010

sw-love-3485417As deftly reported by ABC News, fans in attendance at the Star Wars Celebration V convention had an opportunity to boldly go where they probably haven’t gone before… on a date*.

This year’s Celebration gave way to the Star Wars Speed Dating Service! 34 Jedi Knights and 34 Slave Leias sat opposite each other in a room. 3 space-minutes were added to a clock, and ding… off the date goes. While not allowing the initial sharing of personal information (where you live, how to contact you, and what inter-gender species you represent on the message boards) is barred… with the common ground of 3 amazing and 3 amazingly horrendous movies and a huge universe to discuss, there’s plenty to discuss. Then after a blazing 180 seconds, fire the ion cannons… time to move to the next lad or lass and commence socialization once more! But be mindful… Darth Vader is in attendance too, to ensure you don’t get all dark-sidey with each other.

After the musical chairs ends, those droid and droidettes you found most appealing are given your preferred method of contact (you know, e-mail, cell phone, or mind-force-talking). Then it’s just a matter of whether you’d like to actually talk after that. And if things move faster than the Millennium Falcon ran the Kessel Run… well, come back to Celebration VI, and head on down to the Imperial Chapel, and make things legal before the galactic empire! Makes us wonder… do you step on the glass and say “May the Force Be With You”?

We here at ComicMix hope those kids at the Celebration had a good time… and made themselves a love connection. Lest we forget that when nerds don’t get proper affection, they get intoxicated and molest D-list celebrity models… Face it, we geeks are a minority, and the only way we’ll ever defeat the jocks and cheerleaders is to out-number them with our nerdling daemon spawn. Here’s to love!

* Yes, we know we just mixed Star Wars and Star Trek references… like you don’t love both… And yes, we know some of you have dated, are of decent build and character, and it shouldn’t be insinuated otherwise. But hey, it was funny. 

DC Unveils White Lantern Batman

  • News
  • August 17, 2010

So, this afternoon, we decided to check in at DC’s blog, the Source, and what would we find? Why a few Brightest Day solicits for November. Given how much we love spoilers, we couldn’t click fast enough. And what were we greeted with? Why a David Finch painting of what appears to White Lantern Batman. We couldn’t help ourselves kids, so… here’s a few fleeting thoughts:

  • Gotham City’s criminal underbelly quivers with fear as Marvel’s Murdering Bat-Wannabe Moon Knight moves to town.
  • Upon returning to the Bat-Cave, Alfred will quip “I’ll go fetch more bleach from the store, Master Bruce.”
  • Well, Bruce has been a Green Lantern (for an Elseworlds tale, and like 3 panels in GL), a Yellow Lantern (for a panel), and a Black Lantern (for several panels!)… why not continue to try on another Lantern costumes for a minute or two?
  • The utility belt will now contain Mint Mentos, Peppermint Tic-Tacs, and another incredibly large gas powered zip line launcher than can’t possibly fit on the belt.
  • We’re pretty sure this is Bruce, cause last time we checked, Dick Grayson’s forearm veins weren’t thick enough to show through kevlar-lined gloves like Bruce’s do. Bruce uses shake weights.
  • After seeing this costume change, all Robins breathe a sigh of relief, because finally they won’t be the easy one to spot in the shadows.
  • In case you were wondering… White Lantern Batman can still beat Superman, if he so chooses.
  • Upon seeing the White Lantern Batman, the Joker will become confused, and cause a real faux-pas by robbing the 2nd National Bank of Gotham in blackface.
  • Given that we’re pretty good at deciphering solicit text now… it’s safe to assume White Lantern Batman will be seen in a single panel, and then we’ll have to move on to the next story in Brightest Day, which is subsequently also 1 panel. Hey, give DC a break, it’s not easy juggling 17 C-listers in a book that prints every other week.
  • Mark Millar is already filing a lawsuit on behalf of “Nemesis”… but don’t worry, no one reads it.
  • White Lantern Batman will have the power to make you forget most of the weird crap Grant Morrison has come up with for the character in the last few years.
  • Subsequently, Grant Morrison will have a really cool way to ret-con the White Lantern Batman story in his 2017 run on Batman, tentatively titled “Batman Sorta Dies Again, because we need to sell more Bat-books this month.”

Monday Mix-Up: Another X-Team? D’oh!

  • Uncategorized
  • August 16, 2010

Go ahead, name them all. X-Men. The Uncanny X-Men. The Astonishing X-Men. X-Force. X-Factor. X-Babies. X-Patriots. X-Gets the Square. Did I forget any? Probably. But guess what? Wolverine’s in all of them.

So, wouldn’t you know it, we found yet another Marvel reboot. I guess with all the Iron Man 2: Electric Underoo money they banked over the summer, and all the hype on the upcoming Thor, Captain America, and Avengers flicks… the ‘House of Ideas’ is starting to use ideas found in the crawl space. Enter this lil’ mashup. No Xeric Grant required.

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