This is Entry 75: Continuity & Comic Books

Over at Marvel.com, there is an interesting blog posting about Continuity in Comics go check it out: On Continuity.

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Speaking of Comic Books: I have a massive back log. The first run Books have been built up over a month or two, the Back Issues have been built up since October of last year & the graphic novels have built up since last Christmas.

Marvel (42 books):
- 2 Issues of Captain Britain and MI13
- 3 Issues of Guardians of the Galaxy
- 3 Issues of Fantastic Four
- 3 Issues of Captain America
- A Captain America one-shot.
- 2 Issues of Avengers: The Initiative & a one-shot.
- 2 Issues of Dark Avengers
- 2 Issues of Mighty Avengers
- 1 Issue of New Avengers: The Reunion
- 3 Issues of Agents of Atlas
- 3 Issues of Secret Warriors
- 3 Issues of Invincible Iron Man
- 1 Issue of Amazing Spider-man
- 3 Issues of Runaways
- 1 Issues of New Warriors
- 1 Issues of Wolverine
- 1 Issue of New Exiles
- 1 Issue of X-Men First Class: Finals
- 2 Issues of Age of the Sentry
- 1 Issue of X-Men Noir
- 1 Issue of Marvel Assistant -Sized Spectacular.
- a What If? Secret Wars one-shot
- Hulk: Broken Worlds. Book One
- 2 Issues of Wonderful World of Oz
- a Marvel TV: Galactus, The True Story one-shot
- a Marvel Apes: Speedball one-shot.

Marvel Back Issues (29 Books):
- 1 Issue of Marvel Tales featuring Spider-Man
- 2 Issues of Spectacular Spider-Man
- 1 Issues of Peter Parker, Spider-Man
- 1 Issue of Untold Tales of Spider-Man
- 1 issue of Tangled Web
- 4 Issues of Marvel Two-In-One
- 1 Issue of Incredible Hulk
- 3 Issues of Avengers: United We Stand
- 1 Issue of Avengers
- 1 Uncanny X-Men annual
- 1 Issue of Uncanny X-Men
- 1 Issue of Dazzler
- a Heroes for Hope one-shot
- 1 Issue of Wolverine
- 1 issue of Daydreamers
- 1 Issue of Domino
- 2 Issues from the Heroes Reborn mini-series
- 1 Issue from the Marvels Comics Group mini-series
- 1 Issue of What If?
- a Powdered Toast Man Special
- 1 Issue of Captain America
- 1 Issue of Fantastic Four

Marvel Graphic Novels (2 Books):
- Civil War
- Secret Invasion

DC (25 books):
- 3 Issues of Superman
- 2 Issues of Action Comics
- 2 Issues of Supergirl
- 1 Issue of Adventure Comics
- 1 Issue of Superman: World of New Krypton
- 1 Issue of Batman
- 1 Issue of Batman: Battle for Cowl
- 1 Issue of Battle for the Cowl: Gotham Gazette
- 1 issue of Battle for The Cowl: Azrael
- 1 issue of Battle for The Cowl: Oracle
- 1 issue of Battle for the Cowl: Commissioner Gordon
- 2 Issues of Justice Society of America
- 2 Issues of Booster Gold
- 1 issue of Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds
- 1 issue of Tangent Comics: Superman's Reign
- 1 Issue of Top 10 & a one-shot.
- 2 Issues of Mysterius The Unfathomable

DC Back Issues (45 Books):
- 2 Issues of Detective Comics
- 1 issue of Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight
- 2 Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight Annuals
- a Azrael Annual
- a Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual
- a Batman Returns movie adaptation
- a Batman & Robin movie adaptation
- a Batman Forever movie adaptation
- 2 Issues of Brave and the Bold
- 5 issues of Superman
- 3 Issues of Actions Comics
- 3 Issues of Superman: The Man of Steel
- 1 Issue of Adventures of Superman
- a Superman Inc. Elseworlds one shot
- 2 Issues of First Issue Special
- 1 Issue of Space Ghost Coast to Coast
- a Lex 2000 one-shot
- a Darkseid one-shot
- 3 Issues of Hourman
- 1 Issue of Forever Maelstrom
- a Sugar and Spike one-shot
- The complete Zero Hour series & 2 supplements.

DC Graphic Novels (4 Books):
- Justice Society Returns!
- Superman/Batman: Vengeance
- All Star Superman volume 1
- Batman R.I.P. deluxe edition

Other Comics (9 Books)
- 3 Issues of Dark Horse Comics' Umbrella Academy
- 1 Issue of Dark Horse Comics' Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- IDW's Doctor Who: The Whispering Gallery one-shot
- 1 Issue of IDW's Doctor Who Classic: Series 2
- IDW's Star Trek Aliens Spotlight: Tribbles one-shot
- 1 Issue of 3 Finger Prints' 3 Geeks
- 1 Issue of Boom Studios' Muppet Show
- 1 Issue of Bongo Comics Group's Simpsons Super Spectacular
- Brain Scan Studios' Watchmench one-shot.

Other Back Issues (5 Books):
- Radio Shack Presents Archie and the History of Electronics
- 1 Issue of Dark Horses' The Mask
- American Mule Entertainment's Imagine special
- Walt Disney's Autumn Adventures
- Harvey Comics' Fruitman special

Other Comics Graphic Novels (1 Book):
- 3 Finger Prints' 3 Geeks: Going to the Con

When I will get to talking about these I don't know but maybe after the Con but then I'll also have those books I bought there to blog about.

Until next time: Stay Jazzy!

- Brian

This is Entry 74: Me at Emerald City 2009

Where you might find me during Emerald City ComiCon:

Before 10 am: Standing in line to get in.

10 - 11 am: Meet & Greet.
- B-18: Leonard Kirk, artist for the Agent of Atlas mini-series, Captain Britain and MI13 & other books.
- F-02: Jeff Parker, writer of Agents of Atlas, X-Men First Class, Marvel Adventures: The Avengers, Co-Writer of Age of the Sentry & other books.
- F-04: Colleen Coover & Paul Tobin. She's the artist for back-up stories in X-Men First Class & Age of the Sentry. He's the other co-writer of Age of the Sentry. He's also the writer of Marvel Adventures: The Avengers & other books.

If I'm brave & built up enough nerve & don't mind waiting in a line I might attempt to stop by G-03: Adam Hughes.

11 am - 1:45 pm: Buying comics, going by the freebie table, generally wondering around.

Panels:
2 pm, Panel Room 3B: Inside the writer's studio: Mark Waid.
3:15 pm, Panel Room 3AB: DC Nation.

After that's done, I may go back out to buy more comics or just leave feeling I've done all I want to do.

And always: Stay Jazzy!

-Brian.

This is Entry 73: A How-To Guide to Attending a Comic Con!

Ok.. So, I'm going to do it. I figured that If I didn't start it now I'd probably never get around to doing this thing before Emerald City ComiCon happened (April 4th & 5th). So, like many other things here on this here ol' Blog it will be mostly a quick hits version of what I had in mind. I even had a thought of making a.. uh.. what do I want to call it? An Icon, sure that works. It was going to be a visual way to tell the other posts from these "special" posts but alas I just haven't had time for it. Maybe next year or the year after that.

Originally I had thought of making this a multi-part epic of how to do a ComiCon right but as i went over my notes it went from a 5 parter to a 2 or 3 parter depending on how I break it all down. My main parts of thought are:
1. What do before it.
2. What to do while your there.
3. Buying Comics.

I've also lumped in my review of this years' Con into the mix but that won't happen until the later half of April 4th: I find that if I don't review it on the day I'll forget most of what happen. To read about what happened last year: See Entries 34-37 (under May 2008).

So, back in Entry 70 I said

[I have] Been to various Proto-Cons / "Swap Meets" over the years (Don't understand those terms, come back for Part 1 & I'll tell you).

So, the term "Proto-Con" & the use of "Swap Meet" is my own. I have a few ways of separating out which is which (Proto-Con vs. ComiCon):

- Time: Proto-Cons are normally held every few months where as ComiCons are annual, once a year, events.
- Length: Most Proto-Cons are held for a few hours & that's it. ComiCons are multi-day events.
- Location: I've been to Proto-Cons in school gyms, meeting centers, basically anywhere there is a large room. ComiCons are held at Convention centers. Many of the early ComiCons were held in the places Proto-Cons (hence the name).
- Events: Most Proto-Cons don't have any, they are just people gathered together to buy & sell comics (hence the "swap meet" name). ComiCons have multiple events like panels, costume contests, gaming, etc.
- Guests: Proto-Cons normally don't have any but I've been to a few that did have some. ComiCons have long lists of famous people attending them.

Now that is over with on to the Guide proper.

----Prepping for the Con!---

Tickets: Buy them early. Normally cheaper & you might be a special gift for doing so. I got a special edition of a comic book for doing so when I went to Wizard World.

Website: Check it frequently, especially as the Con you want to attending gets closer & closer. This should be your main source for info. On there look over:
- Location: see where it is, how big it is, where things are going to be (Panels, Bathrooms, ATM, People, etc.)
- Programming: To me this mainly means Panels, every year is about 2 or 3 panels that I think sound interesting. I find when they are & plan around them.
- Guests: Normally there are at least a hand full of people I'd like to see & meet.

Attire: most of the people who are going to be there will be dressed like they normally are. I do but make sure to have a comic book centric shirt on (not sure which I'll wear this year). You will see people in costumes milling about. Make you to wear comfortable socks & shoes: you will be standing & walking a lot. A jacket is nice given you can never be all that sure of the temperature of the location. If it's hot: you can take it off. If it's cold, you can but it back on. Temps some time vary from place to place. But the Con are a bit hotter in place since you have a whole bunch of people all together in one place.

Bag: Normally they will give you a free bag of goodies at registration but I've found that they don't hold all that much so have a bag to hold all your stuff. Also, if you are bringing items to have signs by people there you need somewhere to hold those items until that item. SPECIAL TIP: Bring a pen. A black Sharpe works for everything. Sometime people might not have everything out at the time you meet them so there could be the awkward few minutes to look for a pen & they might not have one in the end so no signature for you! :( So, if you have a pen: no awkwardness at least over the pens. :)

Camera: Bring one & take pictures of your experience. Most places around the Con's I've been to don't mind the present of still photography. Not sure about Video but you might need permission for that.

Money: Most everything there cost money. I bring all the money I've going to spend with me & once I'm out of dough I stop buying. I have an ATM card & mostly likely there will be an ATM machine there at the Con or somewhere close but the in Con ATM would mostly likely have a line & I don't want to wait in a line I don't have too.

----Going to/There at the Con!---

Be Early! I'd say be at the Con least a half hour to an hour before the doors open so that you can check in & get in line for entrance. SPECIAL TIP: Normally the pre-sale tickets check in line in a whole lot shorter then the "Buy your tickets now line" & it's basically you give them the ticket you get a snazzy badge to wear for the day or more (depends on how longer you be attending the Con).

Stand & Wait: This is what you'll be doing with a chunk of your time no matter wear you are at the Con.

Walk: This is what you'll be doing with another chunk of your time.

Schedule: Use the plan you set up before hand to know how to use your time. Know what time the Panel/Gaming/Event you want to go to is at & allow for travel time. If you are not at least 10-15 minute early you might not get in or have to stand. SPECIAL TIP: For panels, to make your you have a seat for a panel you can go to the one before to one before it & then just not get up. Sometime it works & sometimes it doesn't, depends on the line outside the door. For the meeting of people I try to do that first thing when you get in the door. Get the person before they wonder they decided to show up to this thing.

Sketchbook: I have a pad of 11 by 4 paper that I have yet to use but bring with me. It's what I'm calling a sketchpad, the page are easily tear out-able. Not because i want to tear them out but because you might have to since if you want your sketch by so & so you might be on a list & rather them leave the whole book there, just leave a page so that you can get other sketches in the mean time. Some artists charge money, some don't. Prices vary by person & what the sketch is (Larger the sketch, larger the cost). Some will just be simple pencil drawings, some will be inked & ready for being put in comic book. SPECIAL TIP: Now what you want. Don't say "whatever you want" since that might not mean anything. Also, bring references because they person might not know who your talking about. Bring multiple copies just in case.

Freebies: Every Proto-Con & ComiCon I've been to has a Free table or tables. 3/4th of the the stuff is not worth picking up but that 1/4th is awesome! Do not pass it up. Go by it before the later half of the day to get the good stuff.

Travel: know how you are going to get to here from there. Make sure it's reliable. Always save enough money to get home/hotel or at least enough money for a phone call.

Accommodations: If the Con is near to you then don't worry about this but if it's far away have a place to stay before hand & make sure it's close. Sometimes nearby hotels will make deals to offer up cheaper rooms to Con goers. The Con you want to attends' website would most likely have info on that.

Food: Food outside the Con will always be cheaper then in the Con. Eat before you go. Maybe bring something to munch while your there. Maybe brings some water to drink, walking/waiting/standing/talking/searching for that one book can take a lot out of a guy.

Hygene: Do so before you go. Small space, lots of people; you get my drift.

Consideration: This for you & your fellow Con goers. Also you & the guests of the Con. Don't be a hog. Don't ask for too Much. Don't ask for something inconsiderable. Don't be a Jerk. Don't smell. Fellow the Golden Rule.

----Buying Comics---

This is a big part of why I go to ComiCons & the main part of why I go to Proto-Cons.

The List: I keep a running list of comics & related things that I would like to add to my collection. I bring this list with me. Every year I cross a few more things off but then I always had more to it.

Set Limit & Price: My Limit is always the money I have on me. I have set limits on comics. The older a comic is I'll pay more for it but most of the time I won't go over 5 bucks for a book.

Talk to people: The people who run the booths will now what they have & what they don't have. This can save some time. But don't just write off a booth just because it doesn't have anything on your list. The people at the booth might look at your list & suggest something to you might of not known about.

Be open to the Search: most of my time is spent doing this. I've found a lot of cool stuff but doing this. I get turned to all sorts of stuff this way.

Move from Booth: Don't spend all your rime at one booth, The Con is a big place & there are booths from places you might not get access to otherwise. By the end of the day I have made at least one go around of the Con floor. I don't always have a set starting point, I just start in & move from there.

The What The? purchase: every ComiCon & Proto-Con I make one What The? purchase: that one book that is so odd, so strange, so out of left field, so bad it's good, you weren't looking for it but you know that you must have it. That is the What The? purchase. You don't plan what it is, it will just present it's self to you in the search.

Went to stop: There are 3 main factors for me of knowing when to stop: Time. The Con is over, you must now leave. Money. You out of money. You can continue to look but what's the point if you can not know buy? Weight. Your bag is now too heavy. The third reason most often wins out in the end. I've almost always left with a chunk of my money still on me & a few hours of the Con still to go.

Bargain Bins: Almost every booth has these, they are the discounted comics that the dealer is just trying to get rid off for what ever reason. I sometimes find things on my list in there & sometimes I find my What The? purchase in there. Sometimes you will have to wait to get a look at these. I sometimes skip these if the crowd around is too big.

Now I haven't down these but have seen this & think it's a good idea: The Group Search. The greater number of eyes searching for a book the greater chance that book will be found. Know what your friends & have them now what you want. Help each other out.

One more tip: Some venders will give you a discount on your books the more you buy from them.

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That's it. That what I had thought up for my guide to doing a ComiCon right. I probably left out a whole bunch of stuff. But it's now down on screen.

In one week it will be ComiCon Eve & then COMICON!!!!!!!

Until next time as always: Stay Jazzy!

- Brian

This is Entry 72: Con Prologue Part 3.5 part 2

Ok, This isn't the first part my Con how-to but it's sort of kind of about the Con. I was waiting for the bus last Wednesday & what do my eyes see while there? Besides lots of pigeons, there was an ad for Emerald City ComiCon on the side of a bus. Yeah, you read it. An ad on a bus. Last year a saw a commercial for it & now It's seen an ad on the side of a bus. I've also seen ad's in a nation wide comic book news publication.

So, yeah. That's what I got right now. I might be back with the first part of the how-to but I doubt it. Might just do it all the week before the con (March 29th-April 3rd. With the Con on the 4th).

Until next time: Stay Jazzy!

- Brian

This is Entry 71: Con Prologue Part 3.5

So.... I know I said that Part 1 of the multipart ComiCon how-to-guide was going to be up yesterday but it wasn't but it mostly likely will be up sometime this week. Hopefully.

As always: Stay Jazzy!

-Brian

This is Entry 70: Con Prologue part 3

In preparation for my multi-part posting of how do a ComiCon right I thought I'd tell my "qualifications" for doing such a thing.

- Started reading Comic Books since 1992.
- In 1998 got more into Comics. The obsession started here.
- Since 2007, am at least one Comic Book store a week.
- Been to 1 major Con (Wizard World: Chicago 2001).
- Been to 1 mid-sized Con 3 times in a row (Emerald City ComiCon 2006-2008).
- Been to various Proto-Cons / "Swap Meets" over the years (Don't understand those terms, come back for Part 1 & I'll tell you).

Come back for Part 1 which I'm calling: Prepping for The Con. Out most likely next Sunday (March 8th).

Until then: Stay Jazzy.

-Brian