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 Friday, August 31, 2007
September 07 Brings Change to For Better or for Worse
Posted by maggie
With April home from a summer in the world of veterinary medicine, the world of Lynn Johnston's For Better or For Worse newspaper strip will see changes in September. On Labor Day, Michael Patterson shows his 5-year-old daughter, Meredith, a family photo album. As they look at the pictures, the strip will take a look back at the 28-year-old strip in a blend of past and present art and scripts that will revisit the evolution of the family. When the photo-album arc ends at some point in 2008, the strip will evolve even further. "When that happens, time will stop for the extended Patterson family, but not their stories. The stories will be relived by a current generation of fans and introduced for the first time to a new generation."
8/31/2007 9:37:39 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) 
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Thursday, August 30, 2007
Revisiting the Heroes Pilot
Posted by maggie
Ahhhhh, the benefits of an occasional long lunch hour! I began with the first episode of Heroes last night; today, I decided that it might have been better to start with the unaired pilot. I was right. So here are my suggestions for viewing: If you haven't seen Heroes at all: Just watch the episodes as aired, in the original order. Then you can go back and watch the supplementary material and such.
If you've seen random episodes of Heroes: Just watch the episodes as aired, in the original order. Then you can go back and watch the supplementary material and such. If you saw Heroes as it aired: Begin with Disc One, go to the bonus features first, and watch the director's cut pilot with commentary off. Then watch the director's cut pilot with commentary on. Then watch the first episode as it aired and continue from there. My way of viewing was less satisfactory, starting (as I did) with the first episode as it aired, then cutting to the original pilot with commentary. That commentary does bring up fascinating details. (That's why we watch most commentaries, isn't it?) There's an entire plot thread that was dropped for a number of reasons, for example -- involving terrorists, which is why there was a trainwreck in which the cheerleader is seen by the fire fighters. It also affected the introduction of one of the major characters, thanks to droppping the plot thread that introduced him. As to filming details, I was surprised about Petrelli's dive off the building: It was actually a stunt person's fall from the building -- but he was on wires, whereas I'd assumed it was complete CGI work. On the other hand, the cheerleader's dive wasn't on wires and was an unusual face-down fall into the padded surface below. Ouch. It was also done in a continuous take (though done more than once), with the star ducking out of the shot and the stunt person taking over. If that sort of thing bores you, you may just want to skip the original pilot altogether; it's the sort of thing that fascinates me. A final note (well, not really final, since I'm sure I'll end up posting more about my Heroes marathon in days to come, but ...): One of my favorite websites is Television without Pity, and you might find it entertaining to follow up your viewing of each installment with a visit to its snarky discussion of that episode. But begin at the bottom of the page; since there's a quick summary of some events in the airing, you don't want to look at later descriptions unless you've already seen the full season.
8/30/2007 2:24:14 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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MythBusters' Super-Hero Analyses
Posted by maggie
Brent just groaned that he'd forgotten that the MythBusters' special on super-heroes was aired yesterday but cheered up when he learned that it was being repeated tonight. A look at the MythBusters' website revealed a brief video featuring a discussion of Spider-Man, The Hulk, and such characters as Namor. As for the Discovery Channel broadcast, yes, the one-hour special on Marvel's heroes is on again today at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Rev up the VCRs. (Or the DVDRs.)
8/30/2007 9:25:54 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Preparing for Heroes' Season Two
Posted by maggie
I happened to stroll through a Target store yesterday and was surprised to realize that the Heroes Season One DVD set was on sale. It's not that the release date hadn't been clearly announced; it's just that life had interfered with my paying much attention to the fact. There were two sets: the cheapo basic and the "Target Exclusive" version. My hand hovered between the two, and then I realized I had a couple of yet-unused Target gift cards. That did it, and so much for consumer-advice articles. I had the cards, I wanted the exclusive, and I went for the Super-Set. It has an extra disc of interviews and a four-pack of postcard-size prints of Tim Sale art (see sample below). Last night, I threw Disc One in the DVD player -- and it was back to the start of the adventure. Huzzah! This morning, I've come to the decision that it makes more sense (considering how much time I have at my disposal) to watch most of the story with commentaries on, when they're available. So it's back to Episode One today -- and then straight on till morning!
8/30/2007 8:28:41 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Happy Birthday to Maddy Gaiman!
Posted by maggie
Wow, 13 years old already -- and she's already an accomplished writer and artist, not to mention her skills at travel and simply being a wonderful person to be around! May I suggest that people check out the link at the left side of this page, link to Neil's blog, and wish her many happy returns of the day? I'll do it right now.
8/29/2007 2:12:28 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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And Now It's Tomorrow!
Posted by maggie
And the issue's in the midst of final preparation -- just as my new water heater conks out. But all is not lost. The fact that we've got a great little heating-and-cooling-installation storefront operation in town meant that I was able to get the water heater working again in much less than half an hour -- and my early rising meant that I'm ahead of the game in my contributions to the issue. (By the way, one of the contributions that hasn't come together in time for #1635 will be on display in #1636. It's a detective story about a major publisher's comic book that I bet isn't in your collection, even though it came out only a dozen years ago. What is it? Why don't you have it? What's it worth? Well, heck, if you care about back-issue pricing, I must say that it's difficult to price it, because so few people have it or, missing it, are unaware that they might want it. Stay tuned.) Labor Day Weekend is almost upon us -- and then it's the Baltimore con weekend, followed by Diamond's Retailer Summit. Not to mention the jaunt to the nearby Geppi's Entertainment Museum. I'm thinking once per day isn't too often to drop by that tourist attraction. Time to start packing?
8/29/2007 7:53:00 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Tuesday, August 28, 2007
How Can I Go a Day without Posting?
Posted by maggie
Well, it's more likely to happen, when I'm getting the final pages of CBG ready to go to the designer. Even when I'm mostly copping out on the magazine column this month by doing an article that basically boils down to: "Ooo! I'm blogging now!" — it still takes preparation time. The photos that work well online in color have to be reformatted for print. The markup has to be re-markedup. The size of the page suddenly becomes important. And so on. Not to mention that Brent and I are conspiring on color "scrapbook" pages of Comic-Con International: San Diego photos, now that I've finished collaborating with Ray on black-and-white "scrapbook" pages on Wizard World Chicago. All of which also means reformatting, not to mention page-size jigsaw puzzles. And in the midst of it all, I realize that I still haven't saved to DVD any of the camcorder footage shot at San Diego and Chicago. Nor have I transcribed the audiotape of my interviews with the Torchwood folks for a big online article. But, as noted, it's deadline time around here for the monthly magazine, so I hope you'll bear with me till, say, tomorrow. Sigh.
8/28/2007 4:48:16 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, August 27, 2007
A Complicated Monday
Posted by maggie
Start to the week began normally enough with a usual morning swim at the fitness center. Home to take a shower, only to have my suspicions confirmed: Water in the basement is definitely from the water heater, not from the rains that have drenched Wisconsin for the past week. Confirmed because there was No Hot Water for said shower. Brrrr! So (and this is one of the many charms around here) it was off to the little storefront office of the folks who repair furnaces, air conditioners, and -- yes! -- hot water tanks. (It opens at 7 a.m., praise be!) In the middle of the morning, then, I'm out of the office (where we're in the midst of wrapping up CBG #1635) and hanging around my house, wringing my hands as kindly workmen empty one tank somehow, disconnect it, and lug it upstairs -- and then install the new tank. What does this have to do with collecting? Well, the symptoms showed up as dampness on the basement floor, and I noticed that soon enough to haul most vulnerable stuff off the floor. (Yes, there are collectibles in my basement; there's Stuff all over the house, most of said Stuff being worthless.) But my warning continues to those with basements (and first floors under second-floor plumbing): Plastic bags are Good Things. I trust the remainder of the day will go more routinely.
8/27/2007 8:42:53 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Sunday, August 26, 2007
Adding Content to Earlier Posts
Posted by maggie
One of the challenges in maintaining this blog is fulfilling my desire to add images to the posts. In many cases, it involves scanning at home -- or similarly transferring my photos from camera to computer. And that occurs When I Can Get Around To It. So this morning, I've sprinkled a few more pictures into previous days -- even back to the initial posting. And I'm still not satisfied with the scan of that one; I need to check with the administrators here to see just how big I can make the image of the first Beautiful Balloons column (from The Buyer's Guide #19, Aug. 15, 1972). I'd like it to be legible. Those who yearn for more illumination can do a quick scan back through the two months. Nor are even these additions as much as I'd hoped (or hope) to do. For example, when I was hanging out with Carolyn Kelly and Mark Evanier in Los Angeles following the San Diego convention, Carolyn and I were strolling to Mark's house after a restaurant breakfast and we noticed a guy on the streetcorner surrounded by a small group of people, one with a clipboard. "Isn't that the Borat guy?" I whispered to Carolyn, pulling her around the corner and hauling out my camera. The man was standing with some sort of wrapped sandwich and posing as if to put it into a streetcorner Postal Service mailbox. I still don't know whether it was actually British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen or a lookalike posing for some sort of photo gag. But it's the sort of moment you can run into sometimes, not only at conventions but also in wandering around cities. I had a friend who always wore a camera clipped to his belt -- and that was in the early 1960s. Today, many of us profit from those camera-equipped cellphones -- but this was taken with a (heavy) digital camera. 
8/26/2007 10:53:09 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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NPR Salutes Sluggy Freelance
Posted by maggie
National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday has just paid tribute to the Web comic Sluggy Freelance by Pete Abrams on the occasion of the strip's 10th anniversary.
Abrams discusses his career after attending Joe Kubert's school of comics art, the strip's evolution, the potential of online comics, and his own ability to make a living from his online project. He even seemed on the verge of revealing the reason for the title Sluggy Freelance.
8/26/2007 9:10:43 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Saturday, August 25, 2007
If It's August 25, It Must Be ...
Posted by maggie
... the showing of the final episode in the too-short-lived series Masters of Science Fiction on ABC.
It's too-short-lived, for one thing, because there were six stories filmed and only four aired. It's too-short-lived, for another, because clearly the network has no interest in it or in a possible second series. It's too-short-lived, for another, because ...
Oh, never mind. Heck, why gripe? It's even shorter-lived for some (in Washington, D.C., and Phoenix, Ariz., for example) who won't get to see the episode at all during prime time. Phoenix will apparently get it at something like 4 a.m., if anybody is told about it in time to record it. But D.C.'s apparently out of luck, unless it can get a Baltimore feed.
Thing is tonight's show is an adaptation of Harlan Ellison's "The Discarded." It was originally published in 1959, and this adaptation is, at a guess, well worth watching. Hey, Harlan's got a guest appearance, sporting a revolting goiter. What can I say?
I'll say I'll be hitting "Record" on the VCR at 10 p.m. Eastern time: That's what I'll say.
8/25/2007 6:35:45 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Friday, August 24, 2007
And My Jaw Drops ...
Posted by maggie
Neil Gaiman, who is on the other side of the globe at the moment and has far better things to do than read my blog, responded to my post about buying from Amazon UK. He advises I can just log in on that site. "It uses all your Amazon.com information. You can also use amazons france germany and japan if you want. Even canada." Woo hoo! The world is mine -- mine, do you hear? Thanks, Neil!
8/24/2007 10:53:15 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Have You Bought Great Treats from the UK?
Posted by maggie
So Neil Gaiman recently pointed out to me that the incredible fantasy Old Harry's Game is available -- not from American sources, but from Amazon UK. I yearn to put cash in creator Andy Hamilton's pocket, so buying used copies available via the resale market in America is not the option I'm looking for. But how do you go about this sort of international purchase? (I know, I know, everyone else has been doing it for years -- but I'm new to this.) Old Harry's Game aired on BBC Radio between 1995 and 2005 and had a total of 30 half-hour episodes (four six-episode series, one four-episode series, and a two-episode Christmas-New Year's special). The concept is that two men are killed in a traffic accident caused by one of them, and both end up in Hell, to suffer eternal torment at the hands of Satan and his demons. One of the men (Thomas Quentin Crimp) is one of the most evil men who ever lived; the other (Professor Richard Whittingham) is one of the best. And the pair intrigue Satan, who tries to convince the professor that mankind is inherently evil, while the professor tries to convince Satan that mankind is inherently good. Deep? Well, writer Andy Hamilton (who also plays Satan) is not one to pass by a cheap joke, and little of the content is politically (or religiously) correct. But my first hearing found it to be both funny and thought-provoking, and I've sought ever since for commercial releases of the award-winning radio show. Now (thank you, Neil!) I find BBC CDs at Amazon UK: Volume One has half of the episodes of the first two seasons. Volume Two has half of the episodes of the second two seasons. Old Harry's Game Christmas Special is the two-parter. Series Five has the complete fifth season of four episodes (and a photo of Hamilton as Satan) And, hey! It says there's a Series Six that will be released Nov. 5. So has anyone out there bought items from Amazon UK? Is it just a matter of giving a U.S. credit card number? What sort of crippling shipping costs are involved in CD purchases? Radio drama and comedy still live in England, and I'm guessing this is the only way I can support them.
8/24/2007 9:26:21 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Thursday, August 23, 2007
Post #1,000!
Posted by maggie
I finally posted at the primary CBGXtra site, which brought my total there to 1,000. Woo (as they say) hoo! And it's with regard to the film biography of Harlan Ellison: Dreams with Sharp Teeth. Check it out (and, if you're in the Cleveland area Sept. 21, you should grab the opportunity to attend the event at the Cleveland Public Library).
8/23/2007 1:49:33 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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I'm Back from the Post Office!
Posted by maggie
OK, here's the deal. The United States Postal Service has two sizes of its "Flat Rate Box." Price is now $8.95, and the package goes Priority Mail regardless of weight or U.S. destination. One size is (pardon the clumsy fractions; fancy tiny figures could mess up the display) 11 x 8 1/2 x 5 1/2". The other is 11 7/8 x 3 3/8 x 13 5/8". Now to fill one and send it on its way.
8/23/2007 1:44:52 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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I'm Heading for the Post Office!
Posted by maggie
This letter just came in from Ralph Annan, and we'll be running it in CBG #1636. But I didn't want to wait to get the word out there, so I'm running it here, as well:
As a lifetime subscriber (25-plus years), I was not too happy with your change in format a few years ago. (I still have and treasure many copies of the newspaper format.) Your old format had a certain comic-booky ambiance about it that kept me in touch with my inner child, when as a youth I was smitten by the bug and never recovered my sense of reality. But you must be doing something right. Last year, I tossed a couple back issues into the flat-rate box that I send to my son, in Iraq. When he had finished reading 'em he passed 'em on, as I had suggested. He quickly asked for more, so I put half a dozen in the next box. I'll eventually exhaust my cache, in quick order, however, and I'm very sad about that. Apparently, a CBG bug is running rampant among the troops in my son's outfit, and there is no cure for it. What have I started? Curses upon me! I didn't even read #1634, but sent it post-haste to that far away land. I'm in dire straits. SOS! What to do? I know CBG has a heart as big as a battleship, as do its subscribers. So, if anyone is so inclined, go to the post office and get a flat rate box. (It costs only $8 to send to Iraq, no matter what the weight, one pound or 100!) Stick anything in it you want relating to comic books. The troops will thank you. The address is: 1st A. Annan
A Co. 3/509
40572
APO AE 09312-0572Thanks so much.
8/23/2007 10:43:57 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Russell T Davies Introduces Torchwood
Posted by maggie
In promotional material
(copyright 2007 BBC Worldwide)
for the new series Torchwood
,
creator, lead writer, and executive producer Russell T Davies provided this view
[reproduced here as provided]
of the series, which will begin Sept. 8 on BBC America:
The Torchwood team is a small group of cops and investigators who use alien technology in a very real world. All the bits of future technology that fall to Earth are captured, scavenged, plundered by the Government, and Torchwood finds ways to use them. A very British operation, away from the prying eyes of America and the UN. Everyone who works for Torchwood is young, under 35. Some say that's because it's a new science. Others say it's because they die young. It's bleak, brutally funny, full of all the sex and swearing that usually gets cut from sci-fi. And the sci-fi is very 'real'. Few alien creatures in themselves - though if they appear, they're not the Moxx of Balhoon, they're nightmarish and savage and profoundly strange. There's minimal CGI, with the occasional blow-out to take people by surprise. But it should feel different to the usual sci-fi stuff - this show doesn't need gorgeous spaceships, it needs to manipulate the texture of the picture, as Jacob's Ladder once did, to frighten in all sorts of new ways. The whole show picks up that feel - rough, wild, with a hefty dose of Shameless. And with that show's sense of humor! Reflected in the scripts as well - The X Files meets This Life. The series consists of one-off stories - using alien tech to investigate human crimes; to investigate alien happenings amongst ordinary people; and to research new alien devices in themselves. But stories about the central characters are continuous throughout - affairs between team members, traitors, sinister bosses, the misuse of their powers, and then even more affairs - so that the 13 episodes have a shape and an arc. The Torchwood team first appear in Doctor Who, and spin off into this series - though the link isn't too heavy, since this is for a very different audience. A dark, clever, wild, crime/sci-fi paranoid thriller cop-show. What else is television for?!
8/22/2007 12:02:09 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Happy Birthday, Ray Bradbury!
Posted by maggie
Ray Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Ill., Aug. 22 in 1920, and he became one of the earliest modern literary figures to pay tribute to comic books as a legitimate art form. When E.C. comics began to adapt his stories into comic-book form without acknowledging their source, he responded with a cheery letter of support as he reminded the publisher that he was owed royalties. There followed issues in which Bradbury's name was featured on the cover in a cross-promotion that led comics fans to magazine science fiction and science-fiction fans to comic books. A happy tip of the Thompson topper to Ray Bradbury -- with many thanks!
8/22/2007 11:04:48 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Tuesday, August 21, 2007
With Rain Predicted for the Next Few Days ...
Posted by maggie
... it occurs to me to recall that we're in a flood plain here. As I understand it, flood insurance (which you get through an insurance agent but which comes from the government) really doesn't cover much, if all you get is a couple feet of water in the basement. You're covered to the extent which you could be expected to have items (yes) in the basement. So your furnace is covered; your water heater is covered. But your comic books? No, you could have stored them somewhere else. I seem to recall that even your washer and dryer wouldn't be covered, if you were just talking about 24 inches of wet. Which is why we gave up on flood insurance after the first couple of years here. Furnaces and water heaters just aren't that expensive. And, though we had lots of items in the basement, it didn't seem likely that the loss of any of them would have been covered. Now, however, we're hearing stories about nasty floods in communities way to the south. And they're talking about houses being moved off their foundations. I've got to think flood insurance in those cases would cover more than what was in the basement. Maybe it's time to rethink things. (Mind you, different solutions to collection threats raise many questions. If there's a tornado, things are safer in the basement; if there's a flood (or a broken water pipe), things are safer on the first or second floor; if there's a fire, the most vital things should be in ... um, the freezer? By the back door for fast evacuation?) Moannn.
8/21/2007 4:51:33 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Torchwood Is Coming
Posted by maggie
Last night, I was finally able to grab a couple of hours to watch the first two on a DVD of the first four episodes of Torchwood. The nice public-relations person of BBC in America had handed it to me at San Diego, following my interviews with the folks who had just presided over a panel devoted to the show: a panel conducted while I was attending a business meeting in another room of the convention facilities. I'll post material I gathered from those interviews, once I've had a chance to transcribe them. In the meantime, I've enjoyed the first two episodes of the show itself. Episode One, "Everything Changes," was broadcast in England the same day as Episode Two, "Day One": Oct. 22, 2006. In a strange twist that has to do with which channel is running what, David Tennant's second season on Doctor Who began in England on March 31, 2007, following Torchwood, but is now showing in America [on Sci-Fi] preceding Torchwood [on BBC America starting Sept. 9]. While Doctor Who is still viewed in the U.K. as being designed for all-ages viewing and there are countless links between the two series, there's clearly a determination that Torchwood is for an adult crowd, with "Everything Changes" being mostly in the DW mode (albeit with a bar scene that's for an older audience and blood spurting in a monster attack) but "Day One" involving an alien whose menacing methods are not for kids. More later, folks.
8/21/2007 11:27:09 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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E.B. White Nailed It
Posted by maggie
E.B. White wrote more than Charlotte's Web and an updating of William Strunk's Elements of Style. He was a brilliant writer and was a vital part of the sparkling magazine that was The New Yorker. At the moment, I'm on the lookout for a cheap (read beat-up, since ordinary copies fetch $60 or more) copy of his Ho Hum, New Yorker fillers that displayed his keen eye for absurdity and the problems inherent in clumsy phrasing. In the meantime, I've been dipping into a copy of the Rebecca M. Dale-edited Writings from The New Yorker 1927-1976 by White and came across the following, published March 4, 1944, in response to a statement by George Seldes in Saturday Review that he "has never known of an editorial writer who wrote as he pleased." White said, "This makes us a kept man. We often wonder about our life in our bordello, whether such an existence erodes one's character or builds it."White said he'd evolved "a system for the smooth operation of a literary bordello." "The system is this: We write as we please, and the magazine publishes as it pleases. When the two pleasures coincide, something gets into print. When they don't, the reader draws a blank. It is a system we recommend -- the only one, in fact, under which we are willing to be kept."White did note that it depended on a publication's aims. "As far as we have been able to discover, the keepers of this house have two aims: the first is to make money, the second is to make sense. We have watched for other motives, but we have never turned up any. That makes for good working conditions, and we write this as a sort of small, delayed tribute to our house."What he said strikes me as providing insight into the business of much publishing in general. Fans should keep in mind that the first aim of publishers who want to stay in business is to make money. And making sense? Well, making no sense is seldom a good plan for an ongoing publisher. The point here is that it's my guess that the majority of comic-book publishers probably have these goals in mind -- and that it's a good idea to keep those aims in mind when evaluating what they produce.
8/21/2007 10:55:51 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, August 20, 2007
What Do You Mean, 998 Posts?
Posted by maggie
So I've been blogging my li'l heart out, logging in during conventions, while sitting in restaurants, before I eat breakfast, whenever -- but none of it counts as posts at the CBGXtra website? I'm stuck at 998 posts until I formally join in discussions elsewhere on the site? What is this? Dang! Oh, well, life is good. Gemstone's Two-Fisted Tales Vol. 2 in its The EC Archives set looks gorgeous, and a Day with Kurtzman is a Day of Artistic Delight. And a friend just called, having uncovered an Ella Cinders pinback involved with something about a Lucky Number and the New York Evening Journal. If the number on the pin was in the paper, there'd be delightful prizes. Couldn't find anything on it in the 5th edition of Hake's Price Guide to Character Toys, for starters. The strip ran from 1925 to 1961, and I remember reading it in The Pittsburgh Press in the 1950s -- though never involving pinbacks. Does anyone out there have information for my friend? My status as an expert may be in jeopardy. (Mind you, an expert is just a person who knows whom to ask. And I'm asking you.) And now it's time to fix dinner. Still stuck at 998 posts.
8/20/2007 5:11:53 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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One Down, One to Go ...
Posted by maggie
My Aug. 18 post regarding those Chicago Tribune tumblers said I'd need to be looking for glasses featuring Gasoline Alley and Broom Hilda.
Today, I find my bid for the Gasoline Alley design purchased the eBay lot that included it (with three others). Woo hoo! Just Broom Hilda left to go -- though I'm informed that that is the design that's most difficult to find. Life as a completist is challenging.
8/20/2007 5:03:04 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Saturday, August 18, 2007
Catching Up
Posted by maggie
Yesterday was spent in hours of catch-up, following weeks at conventions, trips, and the like.
Following a much-needed haircut, I continued my expedition with a shopping excursion with one of the goals being replacing broken hardware -- and another goal being to catch up on recent comics-associated projects: Stardust and The Simpsons Movie. The films were dissimilar, except for the fact that, come to think of it, both were satisfying action-adventure features with comedic moments. I'll certainly buy both when they land on DVD -- I hope in time for Christmas. The audience for each was relatively small; in fact, the guy at the ticket booth asked me if I needed open captioning for the Simpsons feature, and it was apparently some sort of catch-up for the hearing-impared. If anyone in the audience had requested open captioning, it would have been shown that way. In any case, the audience at both features was obviously pleased at what they saw; I was.
On the other hand, no other audience member in the Simpsons feature stayed through the credits -- which means they missed the closing gag. Moral: Always stay through the credits, folks.
Regarding the hardware: I was in the midst of trying to replace two items. A thunderstorm had taken out a bottom-of-the-line VCR, and it should have been simple enough to find a replacement. But I couldn't find what had been all over the place not long ago: a bottom-of-the-line VCR. I was already prepared for the fact that I might not be able to find one that had two of the most basic features I look for: LP speed and a control that manually adjusts the tracking. What I wasn't prepared for was that none of the bottom-of-the-line VCRs I could find had a built-in tuner. Who'd have thunk it?
And replacing a deceased printer for my Windows 98 computer? Not as easy as I'd hoped.
I ended up with a not-so-bottom-of-the-line Panasonic VCR-DVD-recorder DRM-EZ37V for the VCR. (I remember when a DVD recorder was a rarity in the universe.) And an HP Officejet 5610xi for the printer (with hopes Brent can help me figure out how to hook it up; it already warns that all its stupendous features may not be operational "for all operating systems").
Geez. People wonder why so many today are always buying the latest thing. Well, sometimes it's because you can't find some minor component of the older thing that worked just fine, thanks, until a bolt broke. What if you had to buy a new car because the tire on your old one blew out?
8/18/2007 11:33:29 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Hallows and Snape SPOILER
Posted by maggie
Please don't read this discussion of the Harry Potter series, unless you've finished the final book.
I postulate that Severus Snape, "probably the bravest man [Harry] ever knew," is one of the great characters of fiction: a development over seven volumes that inspires rereading. And the problem with that is that the discussion can only begin, if the people with whom it is discussed have read all umpty-bump pages. So Spoiler Warning.
I think that, beyond the plotting details, Rowling was concerned with establishing certain "lessons" in the course of the seven books. These include:
Death is a concern but not to be feared.
It's not whether you win or lose but how you play the game.
Every individual should be regarded as valuable.
Every individual, no matter how wise or good, can make mistakes.
When you make a mistake, you need to acknowledge it, feel remorse, and do what you can to correct it. If that is done, you need to be forgiven for the mistake.
You will always have to cope with the fact that others' opinions of you may be wrong. And that your opinion of others may also be wrong.
No matter whether you recognize the preceding six concepts, you will have to cope with living among people who do not recognize them.
That's off the top of my head.
I wept too much to continue reading at several points through the novel. Especially affecting (much to my surprise) was the death of Dobby – which hit me much harder than the death of Sirius Black. And I thought the death of Snape and the following chapter was incredible. I've already reread it multiple times.
And that took me to: Just how the hell much did Rowling plan in advance? I know she spoke at one point of having to rip up some material a few books back because the plotting didn't work. But did she really plan the snitch-in-the-mouth gambit as far back as Book One? Wow.
What happens next to the assorted Baddies, we don't know. Azkaban no longer has guards. The impact on the entire Wizarding World remains to be seen. Which is one of the forces that will keep this series a topic of conversation for years and years to come; Rowling is (big surprise) a smart lady.
Finally, I'm finding it interesting that readers are divided, when I ask the following question: In the ongoing story (as opposed to the flashback), what are Snape's last words? A few nod eagerly and say, "Yes!" Most pause and make an effort to recall. Which means the impact of the scene didn't strike them in retrospect, and they didn't go back to reread it.
First, of course, Snape tells Harry, "Take ... it. ... Take ... it. ..."
And that's what those who try to remember do remember. But that's not what Snape's last words are. After giving his memories to Harry (which has some impact, too, considering that removing the memories removes them from Snape's own mind, as he dies), the scene of Snape's last moments reads:
"Look ... at ... me. ..." he whispered.
The green eyes found the black, but after a second, something in the depths of the dark pair seemed to vanish, leaving them fixed, blank, and empty. The hand holding Harry thudded to the floor, and Snape moved no more.
And that's Snape's final reward.
The last thing Snape sees is: Lily's eyes.
8/18/2007 8:42:59 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Thursday, August 16, 2007
Charity Plans Are in Play for Geppi's Entertainment Museum
Posted by maggie
I talked today with Geppi's Entertainment Museum Executive Vice President Melissa Geppi-Bowersox, and she told me that the museum is working to benefit the Cool Kids Campaign. That's a charity to help pediatric oncology patients, and, among other events, there will be a Baltimore Celebrity Golf Classic Sept. 7-9 to bring in more funds to help the program. She added that the Cool Kids Campaign would be an ongoing focus of the museum in the upcoming year, with continuing events designed to reach out to families.
8/16/2007 5:19:40 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Yay! I'm Going to the Baltimore Con!
Posted by maggie
I can start making plans on things to see and do (and caution others that they must not miss the Geppi Museum at Camden Yards)! Will I see you there? Have you seen the museum yet? (I lost track of how many people told me they'd gone to the convention but didn't get around to seeing the museum. Let me just tell any comics fan reading this: Budget the time to go to the museum at some point during your stay in Baltimore. If you plan ahead, you won't be sorry -- and it's in easy walking distance from the convention hall.)
8/16/2007 4:15:52 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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In Any Case, Tomorrow Is Comics Movie Day
Posted by maggie
According to the movie theater's website, I can watch a double feature of Stardust and The Simpsons Movie tomorrow. Con-going has interfered with seeing either till now, and I've been yearning to see either. I note on Neil Gaiman's blog (See "More Links" on the left) that Stardust hasn't yet done huge box office in the U.S. but still looks to be doing OK on an international basis. Time to add my money to the only acclaim some business folks recognize. Besides, I don't want to wait for either until the DVD comes out.
8/16/2007 3:40:06 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Baltimore May Be in My Future
Posted by maggie
It's looking more and more likely, with me ending up at the convention on Sunday, the museum Sunday night, and the museum and retailer conference to follow. We shall see. You know, it's a fascinating aspect of our field that, no matter how many conventions and events we go to, each is a little bit different. Each has a different "feel." Each has an event that the others don't have. And it looks as though, by December, I'll have gone to a convention per month for ... how long? It seems like forever. That's not a bad thing. Not at all. But it gets a bit tricky after a while just keeping track of the last time I paid the utility bill or sat down to read a mini-series from beginning to end.
8/16/2007 3:33:09 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Wednesday, August 15, 2007
So Maybe I'm Going to Baltimore ...
Posted by maggie
Throughout the Chicago show, people asked if I was going to attend the Baltimore comics convention, and I really hadn't thought about it Until Then. Not that I was not planning to go, either. It was more along the lines of getting through San Diego and Chicago and then pausing to collect my thoughts before making further plans. Now? Now, I'm searching online for hotels and airplane possibilities. I think September 8-11 might see me in Maryland (that's the convention followed by Diamond's Retailer Summit, not to mention visits to Geppi's Entertainment Museum). Stay tuned.
8/15/2007 3:00:48 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Alan Light's Photos from the Past
Posted by maggie
I know I lead the Blog links with Mark Evanier's always-informative site -- but I don't always get a chance to check it myself. On the offchance that you find yourself in the same situation, let me post on my own that comics buffs who care about the people who actually make their entertainment will enjoy this site. Mark posted about it yesterday, but I didn't stumble over his recommendation till this morning. It's many, many photos from the files of Alan Light, who created Comics Buyer's Guide when he was in high school. Alan is a devoted photographer, takes clear shots of people and places, and has provided this great scrapbook of icons in our field. Look! Look! === Oh, and I just finished looking and discovered a photo of Hal Schuster and me at the very conclusion of them all! Now, that was a surprise. (Also of note: a lovely photo of Carol Kalish on one of the first "pages." She hated having her picture taken, though there are several routine shots later in the lot. But the first photo of her in this set is beautiful. The impact on the industry of her early death remains impossible to calculate.)
8/15/2007 9:31:25 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Dream of the Rarebit Fiend
Posted by maggie
Our original-art guru, George Hagenauer, showed me a keen book at the Chicago convention. It was a complete collection of Winsor McCay's Dream of the Rarebit Fiend (1904-1913). Quoting from the inimitable Ron Goulart in his The Encyclopedia of American Comics: " Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend dealt with dreams in a particularly frightening way, including such oneiric elements as deformity, cannibalism, dismemberment, and death. It was nonetheless popular enough to prompt Frederick A. Stokes to publish a collection in 1905 ... and Edwin S. Porter produced a live film of it in 1906." The Stokes book was far from complete, and the new 464-page hardcover George showed me was massive, with beautiful full-page reprints of the strip -- and a disc of the material as a bonus. It's about $115 and won't be available from most bookstores; I was only able to glance at it when George showed it to me, but I'll provide more information as soon as possible. In any case, that glance convinced me that the collection is incredible. 
8/14/2007 9:54:01 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Muggy-Doo and More
Posted by maggie
It was the sort of moment that makes conventions such a delight: Cartoonist Jim Engel and I grabbed 10 minutes to share comments on a vast variety of topics, from Old Time Radio to The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band to Muggy-Doo Boy Cat (a Stanhall comic-book series from 1953). The last-mentioned came up, because Don and I had always considered the title one of the most bizarre in comics: even stranger than Space Western. At any rate, Jim said that Muggy-Doo had a connection with Batfink Producer Hal Seeger in Seeger's earlier days and that there was actually an appearance of Muggy-Doo Boy Fox: I believe Jim said that was in a theatrical cartoon. So what the heck was the whole "Muggy-Doo" thing? Still no idea, but Jim's keeping an eye out. (Jim also recommended a book on the rise of irreverant comedy: Great Silly Grin; must check it out.) 
8/14/2007 9:38:13 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Marvel stamps
Posted by maggie
This was a bit strange for many visitors to the Chicago show. The first booth along the right wall invited attendees to buy Marvel stamps at that booth. But after the Friday morning event (unveiling stamps that had already been unveiled a couple weeks earlier in San Diego) and its follow-up at that booth, it was an empty site by the time I got there. Except for the sign and a few blow-up images of stamps. Postal Service, we love you -- but you could have sold a bunch more stuff, if you'd done more. 
8/14/2007 9:18:15 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Those Comic-Strip Glasses
Posted by maggie
OK, the Chicago Tribune glasses I mentioned yesterday are as follows: The ones I have: Brenda Starr (thanks to Steve Thompson, as noted), Little Orphan Annie, Moon Mullins, Smilin' Jack, and Terry and the PiratesThe ones I still need: Broom Hilda and Gasoline AlleyI gather those two are the tough ones, of course. And it's not as if I'm a desperately searching tumbler collector; they'd just be nice to have. (I recall when we announced those doggoned glasses at their initial release; I checked countless Libbey glasses outlets without ever locating any. It's a nice aspect of the world of collecting today: the ability to search sources all over the world in a hunt for whatever it is you're looking for.)
8/14/2007 9:09:47 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, August 13, 2007
I Spoke of the "Final Three Booths"
Posted by maggie
I just realized I never specified the third of the last three booths I bought from on Sunday at the show. It was the booth of Kindly Steve Thompson (no relation), from whom I bought the Brenda Starr tumbler of the several Chicago Tribune-licensed water glasses released a few decades ago. That leaves me with the Gasoline Alley and the Broom Hilda glasses to go. But, if so, it means the Tribune released seven designs; that would be odd in more ways than one. Nevertheless, Steve and I have never seen another design than the three I've mentioned plus Little Orphan Annie, Terry and the Pirates, and, um, two others. Um ... Well ... Smokey Stover? Barney Google? Guess who left her notes at home today.
8/13/2007 1:45:55 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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More Comics! I Must Have More!
Posted by maggie
Following my purchases from Comic City, I stumbled across Wes Hagen's
booth. We'd talked earlier in the show, he carries his comics to many
conventions, and it was a treat to visit a table packed with "$3 each!"
boxes. This is precisely the sort of thing I look for at shows: no
checking labels and computing discounts, just a basic price and rummage
through the boxes looking for weird stuff. (The price that seems to
work is $3; in that range, among the Silver Age and later items, I find
occasional oddball earlier items.) Air War Stories #7 (May 66, Dell) Black Fury #51 (Feb 65, Charlton) Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery #26 (Gold Key, Jun 69) Bugs Bunny #73 (Jun-Jul 60, Dell) Combat Kelly #8 (Aug 73, Marvel) Ensign O'Toole #1 (Aug-Oct 63, Dell) The Fightin' 5 Vol 2 #40 (Nov 66, Charlton) Ghost Stories #11 (Jul-Sep 65, Dell) Grimm's Ghost Stories #11 (Aug 73, Gold Key) The Horizontal Lieutenant 01-348-210 (1962, Dell) Jimmy Olsen (DC) #112 (Jul 68); #143 (Nov 71) Lassie (Dell) #4 (Jul-Sep 51); #10 (Jan-Mar 53); #13 (Oct-Dec
53); #14 (Jan-Feb 54); #15 (Mar-Apr 54); #16 (May-Jun 54); #17 (Jul-Aug
54); #20 (Jan-Feb 55); #22 (May-Jun 55); #24 (Sep-Oct 55); #27 (Mar-Apr
56); #32 (Jan-Feb 57); #39 (Mar-Apr 58); #41 (Jul-Aug 58); #44 (Jan-Mar
59); #47 (Oct-Dec 59) Lidsville #2 (Gold Key, 1972) Looney Tunes #193 (Dell, Nov 57) McKeever and the Colonel #3 (Aug-Oct 63, Dell) M.A.R.S. Patrol Total War (Gold Key) #4 (1967; #5 (May 68) The New Krofft Supershow #3 (Jun 78, Gold Key) Porky Pig #22 (Feb 69, Gold Key) Ripley's Believe It or Not! (Gold Key) #8 (Feb 68); #10 (Aug 68) Scamp #9 (Nov 72, Gold Key) Space Adventures #13 (Mar 79, Charlton) Space: 1999 #1 (Nov 75, Charlton) Strange Suspense Stories #70 (May 64) Sugar and Spike #76 (Apr-May 68) Tomahawk #96 (Jan-Feb 65, DC) Tom and Jerry Comics (Dell) #87 (Oct 51); #88 (Nov 51); #95 (Jun 52); #100 (Nov 52); #116 (Mar 54); #135 (Oct 55) Total War #1 (Gold Key, 1965) Treasure Chest Vol 20 #16 (Apr 8 65, George Pflaum) Underdog #19 (Jun 78, Gold Key) Unearthly Spectaculars #3 (Mar 67, Harvey) Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea #10 (Nov 67, Gold Key) Walt Disney's Comics and Stories (Dell) #110 (Vol 10 #2, Nov 49); #112 (Vol 10 #4, Jan 50); #117 (Vol 10 #9, Jun 50); #152 (Vol 13 #8, May 53) The World around Us #34 (Jun 61, Classics)
Just to elaborate slightly: I didn't bother to check my own list for duplicates; I think I probably have the M.A.R.S. Patrol issues, for example. But I was in a hurry and just pulled what looked interesting -- and I just handed Brent the Total War, since he didn't have a copy, I know I do, and the Wally Wood art is great. In some cases ( Combat Kelly, Jimmy Olsen), I know we had the issues at one point, but I think we sold them to make room for other items. So grab it and go at $3 each.
And I bought some for other purposes. I'm mentor to a grade-schooler
with Asperger's Syndrome (Get me started on the topic of Asperger's
some time, but what the heck? What it means is that a bright child with
a comics obsession gets support in the field.) who loves Tom and Jerry.
So I grabbed the Tom and Jerry issues as gifts. And I've got three grandchildren, so why not Bugs Bunny? The Walt Disney's Comics and Stories are beat-up, but great Barks for $3 each? Hey, grandkids!
Oddball fun. What did you find at the summer's shows?
8/13/2007 11:31:07 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Another Chicago Con Has Come and Gone
Posted by maggie
And, as is the case with so many others, I'm staggering from fatigue. It was odd, but, for the first time, I began to feel ill on the last day of the show. (It hit John Jackson Miller in a previous year.) Miller and I opted to head back before the end of the event, since it's a several-hour drive to Iola from Chicago, and it really hit me after an hour or so on the road. We'd pulled into a fast-food spot (food in which, I assure you, I had no interest), and several minutes of sitting at a table with air-conditioned air pouring down my back revived me considerably. A later stop brought saltines to even further rescue, and I'm only slightly shaky this morning. But it wasn't the flu, it wasn't food poisoning, and heaven knows I'm used to con adrenaline and pacing myself. So maybe just San Diego followed by Los Angeles trip, back on Monday, in the office Tuesday through Thursday, and then the lengthy drive to Chicago, outdoor heat, and indoor crowds? No doubt about it: I've got to toughen up. Which doesn't mean I didn't have a great time at the show. Even by the end, when I was feeling slightly staggering, I did well in hitting the final three booths for purchasing wrap-ups. First, there was the booth for www.comiccitytn.com. He had a board behind him and a hand-written sign announcing that each of the comics on the display would be $10 each -- and he added that buyers could get seven for $50. So I went for it, without even bothering to examine the items closely. (That's my current buying pattern: old, oddball reading copies that won't bother me, if they're in crummy condition.) So for a little over $7 apiece, I bought: Boy Comics #115 (Sep 55, Gleason) actually on my want list!Buster Brown Comic Book #35 (1946) actually on my want list!Complete Mystery #4 (Feb 49, Prime) Crime Detective Comics Vol 2 #6 (Jan-Feb 51, Hillman) Dick Cole #9 (Accepted Publications) Feature Films Magazine #2 (May-Jun 50, DC, adaptation of Riding High) Hit Comics #41 (Jul 46, Comic Magazines) Jet Powers #2 (A-1 #32, 1951, ME) Journey into Fear #19 (May 54, Superior, Canadian) New Heroic Comics #72 (May 52, Famous Funnies) Strange Worlds #9 (Jun 53, Avon) Tastee-Free Comics #6 (1957, Dick Tracy, produced by Harvey Comics) Young King Cole Vol 3 #10 (?, Premium, Canadian) Your United States (1946, Fred W. Danner, produced by Lloyd Jacquet Studios) By the way, don't be misled by the "actually on my want list!" note. It doesn't mean that I actually have all issues of New Heroic or Young King Cole, etc. It means I don't look for those titles, because I don't care enough about them to maintain a want list for them. And these are almost without exception in rough, rough condition: exactly the sort of shape of the comics I used to trade when I was a kid. Takes me right back ...
8/13/2007 9:15:41 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Sunday, August 12, 2007
Nazi Gorillas
Posted by maggie
Well, of course the topic came up at last night's CGC Forum dinner. The Centaur collector sitting next to me brought out a magnificent copy of Amazing-Man #22 (May 41), with a view of, not one, but two Nazi gorillas. (They had swastikas on their hats, in case you were wondring.) So do you know any other comics with Nazi gorillas on the cover? One other one was cited last night. Any ideas, folks?
8/12/2007 8:00:44 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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So I'm Sitting down to Breakfast and ...
Posted by maggie
NOOOOOoooooo! This will NOT descend to that level of bloggery! No breakfast menu blog! I talked with several people who asked if I'm going to the Baltimore show this year and, frankly, the summer has been so frantic, I hadn't thought about it. But the chance to combine a fun con with another view if Steve Geppi's museum? Man, that'd be fun. Are you going?
8/12/2007 7:50:34 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Saturday, August 11, 2007
An Exuberant End to Saturday's Chicago Con
Posted by maggie
Exuberant? Well, the people I saw were clearly having a good time. Many were sharing the excitement of the Dark Knight panel and trailer: both deemed worth all the fooferaw attendees had to endure prior to the event. And at the CGC Forum Dinner ... Well, it's not every day that collector Kenny Sanderson volunteers to eat an entire bowl of sour cream, if everyone in the room will kick in $5 to The Hero Initiative to have him do it. HI is now $270 better funded, and I have video of the eating challenge. Stay tuned.
8/11/2007 11:14:03 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Wizard World Chicago Seems to Be Morphing
Posted by maggie
If San Diego seems to be filled with media fans looking for freebies from movies and tv, Chicago's exhibit floor seems to be packed with comics collectors (yes, and toy collectors) looking to fill collection holes and booths featuring big discounts on boxes and boces of comics. Point is: What used to have a Big Exhibit tone is developing into a great comics-collecting venue. Me? I found a Better Little Book for Harlan Ellison, some military magazines for my son-in-law, and a battered collection of Foxy Grandpa for me. Back to the fray; it's hard getting through thr aisles, though they're wide.
8/11/2007 4:36:29 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Comics, Comics, Comics in Chicago
Posted by maggie
Wrestling with my phone (which has traumas on the exhibit floor) causes a delay in posting. Sorry! In any case, a fascinating series of discussions with long-time collector Jack Mallette, who pulled out Comic Book Magazine from 1941: a weekkly newspaper supplement from The Chicago Tribune. (When did it begin? How long did it last? We want to know. My bet is that World War II paper shortages brought it to an end.) Also, Fast Willie #6. (How's that for a title? Fitzgerald Periodicals 1977.) Anyway, the dealer floor seems packed with bargains, with many (most?) trade paperbacks at 50% off.
8/11/2007 4:28:08 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Back to the Show
Posted by maggie
In the quick gallop around the floor last night, I found many exhibitors expressing fatigue regarding this year's short time between the San Diego and Chicago shows. "Too close, too close!" said one.
8/11/2007 10:11:28 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Uh Oh, No Cameras! Now What?
Posted by maggie
As I was still getting breakfast, the intrepid Ray called to say he was 600th in line for the Dark Knight panel and had just been told he wasn't allowed to bring his camera in. Could I come get his camera? Well, no. What would help would be Press Sign-In information including such restrictions for any venues in which they'll be in force. My suggestion: Tell the folks in line that you'll be back, go to the Press Sign-In Booth, ask them to take care of the camera, and get back in line. I'll keep you posted. Geez.
8/11/2007 10:00:51 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Friday, August 10, 2007
End of Day Friday at Wizard World Chicago
Posted by maggie
Most of the day was spent in the drive from Iola, as Dark Horse Star Wars writer John Jackson Miller and I talked about countless topics, comics-related and otherwise. Once at the show, I rushed to catch Mr. Silver Age's quiz panel, coming in halfway through but enjoying (and videotaping) what I saw. (I also took photos of the panel, which pitted a fan team against -- another fan team.) Major topic of discussion was next year's show dates: in June! Friday-evening tradition continued, with Mark and Stephanie Heike (Stephanie appears below with her 21st Centurions comic book), Andrew Pepoy, and me going out to dinner followed by a silent movie. This year was the best yet: Harold Lloyd in Welcome Danger.
8/10/2007 11:33:23 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Thursday, August 09, 2007
Will I See You in Chicago?
Posted by maggie
As schedules turned out, I won't be heading for Wizard World Chicago until tomorrow morning -- and it'll take about five hours or more to drive there. So at the moment, it's back to packing and trying to remember what to take along. As was the case last year, Comics Buyer's Guide will be (as we say) walking the floor, rather than staking out a booth -- so I can't guarantee where I'll be when (though I'm hoping to contribute somehow to Mr. Silver Age's Friday panel at 3:30 p.m. in the Marshall Rogers Room). And Friday night I'm heading to a silent movie (thanks to the ongoing enthusiasms of Andrew Pepoy, who makes the arrangements in advance). And and and. You can see what I look like, if you check this blog's header, above. Say hi! You'll also spot me from the cameras I'll be toting. I don't know whether I'll ever be able to post it, but I've got video from the February Javits Center show and the San Diego show. Let's see what I can get in Chicago!
8/9/2007 2:44:21 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Wednesday, August 08, 2007
And Who WAS That Masked Man?
Posted by maggie
No, not The Lone Ranger. The other masked man. Photo taken Sunday at Comic-Con International: San Diego. The gear is authentic. So who is it? 
8/8/2007 4:15:00 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Other Eisner Awards Photos
Posted by maggie
I'm sure you've already seen lots of photos of Jonathan Ross kissing Neil Gaiman at the July 27, 2007, Eisner Awards. Heck, we posted some of my shots of The Snog at CBGXtra.com. But I thought you might enjoy a couple of other photos. Top one is Neil taken aback to be receiving the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award for the Many, Many Good Things He Does. (His comment on his website: "I said that the world of comics was a family, and you look after your family.") Second photo is of The Dynamic Duo of the Evening: Award Wrangler Jane Wiedlin (of The Go-Go's) and Master of Ceremonies Bill Morrison (of Bongo). One Eisner Award winner had been presented with a sort of World Wrestlers Belt and had left it onstage, which was just as well, because it looked great on her, don't you think?  
8/8/2007 4:11:08 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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I Have the Key to the Marvel Vault!
Posted by maggie
Wow! Running Press has just sent me a copy of The Marvel Vault by Roy Thomas and Peter Sanderson, a so-called "A Museum-in-a-Book" that looks to be a gem of considerable luster. The promotional material said it's scheduled for release in October, but Rory Root had copies at his Comic Relief booth at Comic-Con International: San Diego. (The only reasons I didn't buy a copy there were the combination of its being heavy and my concern that it'd get damaged in shipping. The copy I just received here, by the way, came through fine.) I'd drooled over it at the show, after a fast glance through its pages -- and I still haven't had the chance to do much more than gloat over it in the presence of other CBG staffers: "Nyah, nyah! I got a copy of this incredible volume! Weep with jealousy!" It's a spiral-bound volume, full-color, its 192 heavy pages packed with information. But wait! There's more! It's the sort of thing we always dreamed of: not only a history of Marvel from 1932 (with a photo of Publisher Martin Goodman) to 2007 (complete with promotional images from 2007) and beautiful reproductions of lots and lots and lots of art, but also ... Also plastic pockets containing stunning goodies in carefully designed formats. "Sketches" from 1941 and 1942, reproduced to look as if they were, indeed, pencilled on aged drawing paper that had been stored away ever since. Faithful (albeit reduced) reproductions of postcards Bill Everett sent to his daughter in 1956. A repro of Stan Lee's original synopsis for Fantastic Four #1. And more, more, more. And that's just from an initial glance through the first 70 pages. This is a must-buy for any Marvel fan. ISBN 0-7624-2844-9. $49.95. Wow.
8/8/2007 2:52:00 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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If You're Trying to Reach NYC People Today ...
Posted by maggie
... you may not be able to, because that area is suffering from nasty weather on 8/8. Daughter Valerie just called to say she was fine, though it took her three and a half extra hours to get to work at E. 57th and Second. A tree hit her train, etc., etc. Many offices, stores, and the like will either be short-staffed or unable to open. So, if you were planning that chatty conversation with someone at Marvel or DC, you might want to wait till tomorrow.
8/8/2007 10:54:35 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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A Picture Is Worth ...
Posted by maggie
... well, whatever. The point is that I've finally had a chance to save some of my con photos to disc and have gone back to embellish some earlier postings. (And discovered that I told the same anecdote twice. Sigh. The learning curve is loooooong.) So, even if you've been devotedly reading this blog right along, you might want to zip back through the archives to see what may have been illuminated since last you visited.
8/8/2007 8:21:04 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Media Views of History
Posted by maggie
We have a movie-watching group at the office. A number of staffers in different Krause Publications departments meet for lunch once a month with a goal of discussing a film (picked the month before from one member's list of three). This month's pick was Ivanhoe, starring Robert Taylor. I watched the DVD last night, and it brought to mind my favorite reference book regarding this sort of film: The Hollywood History of the World (1988, New York: Beech Tree Books) by George MacDonald Fraser (author of the Flashman series), who gets past the criticisms of this era of such films (too clean-looking, for example) to look at the accuracies of historical movies. Though he does have such remarks as:
To some extent, Hollywood has had to create the Middle Ages in its own image, and has not been helped by the fact that men in armour are difficult to take seriously. They not only look clumsy and overdressed, clanking about and inviting ribaldries about spanners and tin-openers, they seldom sound right either. This is largely the fault of Sir Walter Scott, who imposed his own style of 'Look-for-the-knight-of-the-Fetterlock-fair-Rebecca' dialogue on the Age of Chivalry, setting a pattern which survived well into talking pictures; in the 1950s they were still 'prithee-my-liege'-ing away because it was the traditional thing to do, and audiences were supposed to expect it.
(I note that the Ivanhoe screenwriter didn't do that. Good for him!)
Fraser comments on his suspicion that, "however faithful the research, costumes, weaponry, and the like, no representation of medieval combat can give us a wholly accurate impression of what it was really like ... I would still like to see two modern armies clad in plate and mail, the cavalry cap-a-pie on shire horses, and equipped with the best our museums could provide, and let them get on with it. I have a notion that within fifteen minutes they would all be prostrate, yet this, presumably, did not happen at Crecy or Bannockburn or Agincourt. We know that only a small proportion of medieval fighters wore full armour, but they are the ones I am concerned with, and I must suppose either that combat took place in slow motion or, more probably, that there was a technique to wearing and moving in armour that has been lost. I also suspect, in the face of scholarly opinion, that our ancestors, whatever their stature, were stronger than we are, and anyone who doubts this will oblige me by going to Glasgow's Kelvingrove Museum and lifting, let alone wielding, one of the two-handed claymores on display there."
Discussing Knights of the Round Table:
This, and other armoured epics, owed much to Robert Taylor, who was not an obvious costume player. As a clean-cut heart-throb of the late thirties he seemed to belong in slacks and sports jacket, but while he was no Flynn or Power or Fairbanks when it came to swashbuckling, he had something they lacked, an air of stern but good-natured gentlemanliness. It seemed to fit him exactly for the tales of Walter Scott, and it is pleasant to think that he brought something of the great enchanter's work to millions who would never have ploughed through the originals.
Going on to Ivanhoe in particular, he comments that the film holds to the Scott novel, "more or less."
... besides sundry jousts there is a most realistic duel between Ivanhoe and Bois-Gilbert ... Anyone interested in the technique of the medieval weapon known as the flail (a spiked ball and chain on a short handle) will find this scene illuminating.
Yes, ouch.
In any case, it's interesting that -- despite comics' focus on action adventure -- comic-book stories involving that era have always been minimal. My guess is that, not only is there a hesitation about doing historical adventures because of the problems of accurate portrayal of an era, simply drawing the doggoned armor (not to mention the horses) is too tricky for many artists of today.
Even more of a tip of the hat, then, to Eric Shanower for his Age of Bronze series, in which he not only tells the story of an even earlier era well but gets correct the scholarship of his images.
8/8/2007 6:51:13 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Just Read Black Adam #1 ...
Posted by maggie
Grim 'n' gritty (well, what did you expect with one of those patented rotting-body covers DC produces every so often?) Part One of Six, but I was intrigued by a plot direction I hadn't foreseen. The story by Peter J. Tomasi (drawn by Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy, and Norm Rapmund) involves the Fawcett characters still further with the DC universe. Nope, never saw it coming.
8/7/2007 4:45:47 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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I've Said It Before, and I'll Say It Again
Posted by maggie
There's something about blogging that brings out the "here's what I had for breakfast" streak in many of us. I bought SuperPhone so's to post during the San Diego show: planning that I could post each event as it happened, serving as a news feed and as a way to maintain my own notes. It would be packed with all sorts of gossip and wise perspective. Instead: Here's what I had for breakfast. And I kept lousy notes. Let's take a look: July 25: I chatted with (argh! " chatted"! speaking of the streak in many of us! I don't just talk with people; I chat with them) Milton Griepp, as we waited in the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport waiting to board the plane for San Diego. He was calling in fixes for his ICv2 magazine, and he said his cab driver told him he'd already taken a couple of other Madison residents to the airport for the trip to SDCC. Getting on the plane, I walked by (and said a quick Hi! to) Neil Gaiman, who had the first seat in First Class. Other con-attendees-to-be were seated elsewhere on the plane. Nice. Wrangled calls from Brent (coming the next day) and Karen Kraft (who used to be a Discovery Channel producer and planned to attend the SDCC briefly -- whch she did). I realized I still wasn't recognizing my new cell phone ring. I was That Annoying Person You Know So Well: Who's the jerk who's not answering the cell phone? Oh. Me. Oops. (Yeah, yeah, here's what I had for breakfast.) The flight attendant wrapped up the opening speech with, "Thank you for your tension." Later in the flight, one of the attendants near me opined that there wouldn't be another Harry Potter film because the actors would be too old. Har. (I have all sorts of commentary on Hallows, but this is probably even less of a place for that discussion than it is for breakfast details. I will say that the book demands a second reading to get all the juice out of it, and I've now [Aug. 7] begun listening to the great Jim Dale audiobook version.) July 26: Overheard one Comic-Con International: San Diego volunteer talking to a new recruit: "Floor Manager is a thankless job. You walk the entire floor for four days, telling exhibitors, 'You're breaking the rules.' " Comparing and contrasting the Marvel Postage Stamp Presentation (2007) to the DC Postage Stamp Presentation (2006): There was less of an "event" feel about it. The DC unveiling made a point of including the comics creators connected with the stamps in question; the Marvel unveiling didn't even pay tribute to the fact that Len Wein (co-creator of Wolverine) was in the audience. And the Postal Service booth? It was #5500, and I did try to find it, trudging along the wall from booth to booth, but with no success. People did assure me it was there, but the show is so vast that most displays get me to look for them once -- and only once. (I did try repeated visits to the booth at which Ron Goulart appeared, but he was never there as I drifted by, doggone it.) Let's post this so's not to take a chance on losing what I've written so far, OK?
8/7/2007 1:37:55 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, August 06, 2007
How Do The Big Guys Do It?
Posted by maggie
Home today, in the office for a while, then off to Wizard World Chicago. Not much time to breathe, much less do laundry.
8/6/2007 10:51:01 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Did the Airline Rules Change AGAIN?
Posted by maggie
So I'm in the airport early and hoping to leave on an earlier flight, as I've so often done with United. I'm traveling with carry-ons only, Northwest obviously has seats left, so can I get on the earlier flight?
Only if I fork over $25 more. Sure, I will. In your dreams. What sense does that make? Now, my fingers are crossed regarding United, hoping its policies haven't morphed this way. If they haven't, I'm thinking it's United for me from now on.
8/6/2007 10:46:50 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Sunday, August 05, 2007
Did I Mention ...
Posted by maggie
... that, between them, Peter David and Mark Evanier have lost ME since last year? That's no abstraction: The two have slimmed down to a staggering -- and inspirational -- extent. They mentioned something about eating less. Hmm ...
8/5/2007 4:02:42 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Saturday, August 04, 2007
Have You Read Antiques Roadkill?
Posted by maggie
The new series of mystery novels from Max Allan Collins and his wife, Barbara, is being released under the byline "Barbara Allan." Antiques Roadkill is the first in the "Trash 'n' Treasures" series: sort of send-ups of mystery series. Looks to be perfect travel reading.
8/4/2007 12:50:35 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Have You Been Watching Burn Notice?
Posted by maggie
Harlan and Susan have been showing me (in addition to the rough cut of the marvelous documentary Dreams with Sharp Teeth -- a bio on Harlan) the USA series Burn Notice. Thanks to their recorder, I'm catching it from the beginning, but the episodes pretty much stand on their own, too. Check it out; it's a favorite here.
8/4/2007 12:42:04 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Just Hanging Out
Posted by maggie
Sitting at Harlan Ellison's table and mulling the delights of the past week ... Right now. Harlan is chatting about the ABC mini-series Masters of Science Fiction. And when I say "chatting," well, it's Harlan, who never exactly chats.
At any rate, he's just compared me to an evil elf, as I crouch over my Pocket PC to post this. Back to the post: The week following San Diego has been wonderful. And yours?
8/4/2007 12:27:26 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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