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

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.

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DC’s Next Cryptic Image Unveiled

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!

‘The Walking Dead’ series has debut date and trailer

As a zombie fan, no other comic series has appealed to my apocalyptic sensibilities more than Robert Kirkman’s “The Walking Dead”.  After hearing the AMC would be making a television series of it (helmed by “Shawshank Redemption” director Frank Darabont) well, my little nerd heart exploded like a zombie headshot.  Now the series has a premiere date (fittingly set at 10pm on Halloween night) and a debut trailer.  if you were at the San Diego Comic Con, this is the same trailer you saw.  If not…well, salivate with brain-lust at the visuals and story herein.  Halloween can’t come fast enough.

no-ordinary-family-8968780

‘No Ordinary Family’ online preview for first 50,000 visitors

no-ordinary-family-8968780Kryptonsite reports that ABC has made the pilot of No Ordinary Family available online and legally over a month before its September 28 premiere… but only if you’re one of the first 50,000 people.

Visit NoOrdinaryScreening.com and put in the password “Extraordinary.” (Please note that this is case-sensitive.) There, ABC is screening the pilot with limited interruption.

This password/screening apparently has a tie-in to Best Buy stores, and was originally discovered by the Stitch Kingdom website.

Because this is apparently limited to 50,000 viewers, we cannot guarantee how long this password will work. Please remember that the Extraordinary password is case-sensitive.

Negative Zone costume added to ‘Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions’

Mere DAYS after showing you the Scarlet Spider costume vignette, Marvel and Activision have released the fourth alternate costume vignette for Spider-Man; Shattered Dimensions, out on September 7th for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.  So much Spidey action here…almost makes me forget “Brand New day” happened!

Almost.

The Point Radio: Jessica Alba Cuts It

Robert Rodriquez’ new film MACHETE brings a wealth of talent together, including JESSICA ALBA and MICHELLE RODRIQUEZ. The girls dish what it was like on set and how the latest action, blood fest really has a relevant message behind it. Plus the Silver Age X-Men head to the screen and Wolverine gets a director (almost)!

And be sure to stay on The Point via iTunes - ComicMix, RSS, MyPodcast.Comor Podbean!

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Don’t forget that you can now enjoy THE POINT 24 hours a Day – 7 Days a week!. Updates on all parts of pop culture, special programming by some of your favorite personalities and the biggest variety of contemporary music on the net – plus there is a great round of new programs on the air including classic radio each night at 12mid (Eastern) on RETRO RADIO COMICMIX’s Mark Wheatley hitting the FREQUENCY every Saturday at 9pm and even the Editor-In-Chief of COMICMIX, Mike Gold, with his daily WEIRD SCENES and two full hours of insanity every Sunday (7pm ET) with WEIRD SOUNDS!

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Dean Haspiel wins Emmy for ‘Bored To Death’ titles

The Beat caught this one: At Saturday’s Creative Arts Emmys, Dean Haspiel won the Outstanding Main Title Design Emmy for HBO’s Bored To Death, along with collaborators Tom Barham, Marci Ichimura and Anthony Santoro. Haspiel is shown here with series creator Jonathan Ames and their Emmy. The Zach Galifianakis character, graphic novelist Ray Hueston, may also be based on Dean.

If you don’t have HBO and have never seen the show, here’s the opening sequence:

Congrats to Dean, and here’s hoping that Galifianakis doesn’t make him look too goofy next season– which starts next month on HBO.

Evan Rachel Wood and Chris Evans Star in Frank Miller’s Gucci Commercial

We’ve all seen artsy and nonsensical commercials for designer products — commercials that leave you thinking, “what the hell does that have to do with perfume?” Well, Frank Miller may soon leave us with those exact thoughts. He’s directing a commercial for Gucci Guilty, a new fragrance for women. Miller hasn’t worked on a flick since production of The Spirit back in 2008, but Miller’s new project definitely has a cinematic punch to it. 

Evan Rachel Wood (The Wrestler, Across the Universe) plays what seems to be the typical Frank Miller female role — a femme fatale (though you can’t expect too much character development in a commercial). Chris Evans (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Captain America) plays her tall, dark, and handsome male counterpart. The monochrome look and noir theme are distinctly Miller’s style, similar to Sin City or The Spirit. The commercial will feature music by the Friendly Fires, and will premier during the MTV Video Music Awards on September 12.

Frank Miller would be one of my last choices to assign the task of pitching a product to women, since his perception of women seems a bit skewed. Still, news of the commercial has peaked nearly everyone’s curiosity, and it looks like an edgy and provocative short film. Miller has scored points in the advertising department for sure. Check out the teaser for this fragrance advertisement:

Wizard World Chicago: The Photos! (Day 2)

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.

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Review: ‘Ben 10: Alien Force Vol. 8’

I had missed out on the [[[Ben 10]]] phenomenon and wasn’t even sure what it was about despite colleagues of mine creating it and friends writing for it. Recently, someone described it to me as Dial H for Hero except he dials up alien lifeforms. Ah!

By sheer happenstance, Warner Home Video sent over Ben 10 Alien Force, Vol. 8, on sale Tuesday, for review. The six episodes contained within are from the latter half of the second season so by now, the show has become a rich, fully populated reality. Diving in, it took a little while to figure out the players and relationships but given the 22 minutes per episode, they couldn’t get overly complex anyway.

The series, which concluded in March to make way for the next generation, [[[Ben 10: Ultimate Alien]]], which debuted in April. I’m not sure how the characters and situations worked out when they were initially depicted as five years younger than the teenagers they are here, but suspect things play better now that the trio – Ben, his cousin Gwen, and their friend Kevin – now have greater experience to draw upon for their exploits.

The set includes “If all Else Fails”, “In Charm’s Way”, “Ghost Town”, Trade Off”, Busy Box’, and “Con of Rath” (this cleverly titled final one is oddly listed as a bonus). They show the comic book roots of the creators with a nice variety of new threats, old threats, character arcs, and differing tones. One was written by Peter David, who has previously visited this world with the DelRey graphic novel [[[Ben 10 Alien Force: Doom Dimension]]] and there’s a freshness to his dialogue that sparkles while Len Wein’s effort felt more predictable.

Other than Kevin trying to reverse his physical condition back to normal, there are few status quo changing elements here so for newbie’s like me, these episodes were engaging since they focused on the action. There’s a nice blend between the human antics of the teens, the growing closeness between Gwen and Kevin along with the role Grandpa Max plays. Charmcaster proved Gwen’s most interesting challenge and in this sextet of stories, she is probably the most underutilized character. Apparently the world is somewhat comfortable with aliens given their frequent comings and goings although you don’t get a real feel for that/ Nor do we understand if these kids go to school at all and if they have friends beyond one another, elements worthy of exploration.

The animation is strong and the alien designs are imaginative and don’t feel like they all came from the same shop, much as the Hanna-Barbera stuff began to exhibit a sameness after a while. The vocal cast is also well done so the entire package is eminently entertaining and therefore recommended.

The sole extra on this disc is an Alien Database that provides exceptionally brief details on the common alien races seen throughout the series.