Mortal Kombat

More additions to Crossing the streams, my photoset on Flickr. This time it's Spider-Man vs. Storm Shadow, and someone isn't walking away from this one.


The Last Son of Krypton goes up against the Devourer of Worlds.

The Hard Truth About Comic and Toy Geeks

Back in 2004, Chris Rock recorded his Grammy-winning Never Scared album and HBO special in Washington, D.C. He spent some time joking about relationships and women in particular, but when I listen to his jokes, I can't help hearing the whining voices of comic fans and toy collectors instead. And since it's Chris Rock in the video, it's probably not safe for your office.


Just substitute collectors or fans for women and tell me you don't hear a familiar tune. Any rational fan who takes time out of his/her day to talk toys on the interweb will soon begin to suspect that those of us who actually enjoy our hobby are in the minority. And forget about comic book fans, who so often come off more as detractors than fans. I'm not so sure that the guys and gals having fun really are a minority, but the people having anything but fun are certainly loud enough to drown out everyone else at times. The hard truth about comic and toy geeks is that many are more interested in collecting reasons to complain than collecting, you know, comics and toys.

Why did DC kill so-and-so? They're always killing my favorite characters! I hate this shit!

Why did Marvel bring so-and-so back to life? Why can't they leave dead characters dead? I hate this shit!

Why are there so many different covers that I don't even have to buy? They're so greedy. I hate this shit!

Why do I have to buy so many books just to keep up with the continuity? I can't afford all this. All they care about is money. I hate this shit!

Why do they release so many books that don't affect the larger continuity? I don't want to read anything that's not important. I hate this shit!

Why does Hasbro reuse so many parts and release so many repaints I'm in no way obligated to purchase? I hate this shit!

Why doesn't Mattel make more new characters with existing tooling? I hate this shit!

I went to the store and some scalper had already bought all the new figures. Why can't they leave some of what they want to buy and got to first for other people? I hate this shit!

Why doesn't my comic book store have more back issues? I don't want to look at toys and statues. I hate this shit!

Why does my comic book store waste so much space on back issues? I'll buy trades if I want to read old ass stories. I hate this shit!

Why is so-and-so writing Superman? He doesn't know how to write Superman! I hate this shit!

Why is this web site covering independent titles? I'm not interested in books that aren't about superheroes. I hate this shit!

Why doesn't my store always have what I want in stock when I walk into the toy aisles? Hasbro and/or Mattel suck! I hate this shit!

Why does Hasbro short-pack the army builders? I'm sick of never finding the twenty of one figure that I want at the first store I check. I hate this shit!

Why does Hasbro put so many army builders in one case? I'm sick of seeing them clogging up the pegs. I hate this shit!

Why do Mattel's figures have so little articulation? I can't put my toys in ballet poses if the toes aren't articulated. I hate this shit!

Why do Hasbro's figures have so much articulation? All these joints are confusing me. I hate this shit!

Why doesn't Mattel pack more accessories with their figures? Why can't we get a little value for our money? I hate this shit!

Why does Hasbro pack so many accessories with their figures? They come with more than they can hold or carry. I can't stand having display options or getting more value. I hate this shit!

Why is this artist drawing Batman? His style is too cartoony. I hate this shit!

Why is this artist drawing X-Men? Her style is too realistic. I hate this shit!

Why is what I want a convention exclusive? Why can't I get all the same things everyone else gets without so much as getting off my ass? I hate this shit!

Why does Hasbro charge so much for new vehicles? I'm waiting for these to go on clearance before I buy them. I hate this shit!

Why doesn't Mattel make more vehicles for the few of us who will actually pay full price for them? I hate this shit!

Why do toys cost so much now? Why should I have to pay for the rising cost of labor and materials? They should eat that and make less profit. I hate this shit!

Why aren't these toys painted and assembled perfectly every time? They should all be made in America without increasing prices. I hate this shit!

Why was my favorite comic that I illegally downloaded every month canceled? I hate this shit!

Why is my favorite action figure line ending five years after the final episode of its corresponding cartoon aired? I hate this shit!

And so on, and so on, and so on, ad nauseam.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Trailer

DC Universe Online Opening

Thanks to ENI for uploading the video.

Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths Trailer

Written by one of the best in the business, Dwayne McDuffie.

New Superman Cartoon In The Works?

Check out this Twitter update (yes, I call them "Twitter updates") from James Urbaniak, the voice actor behind Doctor Thaddeus Venture from The Venture Bros.

Quote: Have an audition for a Superman cartoon. Sadly not the title part.

Could this be a new series, or possibly another DTV release from Warner Premiere? We already know who's voicing the main characters in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (written by Dwayne McDuffie), which is scheduled for a spring release next year, so they're not auditioning for roles in that. One way or another, this means more new animation on the horizon for the Man of Steel, so stay tuned for more details.

HeroesCon 2009 In (Very Few) Pictures

Okay, so I know I said I was going to take more photos at HeroesCon this year. I really intended to do it, too. The best laid plans, and all that. Of course, I'm usually shopping for action figures, busts, statues, and various other collectibles at least as much as I'm shopping for books, but that wasn't the case this year. I only came home with seven or so action figures this time, which is less than I usually buy the first day. It wasn't for a lack of trying, either. The selection of stuff I didn't already have just wasn't there. No, I spent most of this year with my face buried in boxes of books, coming home with a dozen or so trade paperbacks and hardcovers and around 400 single issues. Sorting through all those books is a big part of why I haven't updated the blog yet. I did manage to snap a few photos, though, but I'll have many more pics of what I brought home than from the con itself. Anyway, here's what I managed to get:

This is the con floor from the seating area over near the concessions. That crowded booth in the background under the "Aisle 200" sign had just dropped from ½ price trades to $5 trades, so they were having a busy Sunday.


Here's the Sci-Fi Genre booth. I visited their store in Durham last year, and I've ordered from their online store several times. What a great, friendly group of people they are. Looking back, maybe I should have bought that $6 Supernova figure hanging there.


These next two photos are of The Outer Rim Collectibles' booth. He had a good selection of 25th Anniversary and "Modern Era" G.I. JOE figures available.




This guy was walking around in a Storm Shadow costume, so when he was standing next to me at the DC Comics booth, I decided to take a photo.


And here's a shot of Jennifer with a guy in a Cobra Commander costume. She's 5'6", by the way.


You can see larger HeroesCon 2009 photos on my Flickr, but that's pretty much it. As I mentioned, I'll have plenty of photos of stuff I brought home from the convention to post throughout the week, but those were the only photos of the actual con I managed to take. From what I've seen on the web, there were several attendees in recognizable costumes, but I didn't see many of them. I guess I was too busy digging through $1, fifty-cent, and even ten-cent comic boxes and wondering why no one had any recent DC Direct releases (or Marvel Universe, or JLU, or any of the pricey G.I. JOE variants). Where I failed, though, others succeeded. Here's the official Heroes Aren't Hard To Find convention set on Flickr. Seriously, I never even saw this Cobra Commander & Baroness or any of these guys. Here's some more HeroesCon costumers on ComicBook.com, too. While I did see the GL from a distance, I never caught so much as a glimpse of Wonder Woman, Cassie Hack, Renee Montoya, or that Batman. I've seen that Harley before, though, and I hope to never, ever see her again.

Seven Days in Sunny June

With just one week to go until HeroesCon 2009, the Event Schedule has been released, and here's a look at the DC Comics panels:

From the HeroesCon 2009 Event Schedule Friday, June 19 2:00 PM DC UNIVERSE | Room 213BCD Join DC's Senior Story Editor Ian Sattler, Editor Brian Cunningham and countless DCU talent for a panel that's not to be missed. With "Blackest Night" looming, what lies ahead for your favorite universe? Find out here! Saturday, June 20 1:00 PM DC NATION | Room 213BCD The NATION calls out once more to the DC Faithful! DC's Senior Story Editor Ian Sattler and Editor Brian Cunningham lead a list of A-list talent to talk all things DC. Come one, come all, the DC NATION welcomes you!

For anyone who may prefer an inferior universe, here's a look at the Marvel panels:

From the HeroesCon 2009 Event Schedule Friday, June 19 1:00 PM MARVEL COMICS :: PINT O' C.B. | Room 217BCD He’s one of the most recognized persons in the comic industry, at the center of many things Marvel. He’s C.B. Cebulski, Writer and Marvel Talent Liaison, and he’s joined by the top writers in the industry to take on all questions and drop a few surprise announcements! Join Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man), Matt Fraction (Invincible Iron Man), Ed Brubaker (Captain America), Mark Waid (Amazing Spider-Man) and more! Saturday, June 20 2:00 PM MARVEL: DARK REIGN | Room 217BCD He lost, they won. They are the new Masters of the Marvel Universe, and they are NOT nice people. The villains finally have their day, now hear from the folks pulling the strings what happens next. This panel will have the announcement of the next big chapter in Marvel history, so be there for it! Featuring Brian Michael Bendis (Dark Avengers, New Avengers), Matt Fraction (Dark Avengers/X-Men), Jonathan Hickman (Secret Warriors), and editor Jeanine Schaefer.

And on the G.I. JOE front, Herbe Trimpe was added to the guest list on Tuesday. Mr. Trimpe was the artist on issues #1, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 of the original Marvel series.

And while you're at the show, be sure to stop by booth #145 and check out the local Charlotte artists of the God City crew.

The Milestone Mission

Two weeks and counting until HeroesCon '09, and I'm going through books and making lists of what I need to complete titles, or even just stories in some cases. In addition to supplementing my Marvel and DDP G.I. JOE collections, a big priority this year will be trying to finish off runs of several Milestone Media titles. I'm specifically trying to pick up the few issues of Blood Syndicate, Hardware, Icon, and Static that I'm still missing. I'd like to pick up some Xombi and Shadow Cabinet books, too, but I'm very close to full sets of the other four, so they'll be the focus of my search efforts.


With Static and other characters from the Milestone Dakotaverse making their way into the DCU, I'd like to get reacquainted with them, so I'll be looking to fill out the holes in my collection when the convention starts on June 19. I've gone through all of my single issues, so now it's on to my hardcovers and trade paperbacks to see what else I'll be trying to acquire.

Sign Here, Please: Larry Hama

Having already been indoctrinated in the ways of the Force since just after my birth, I was introduced to something new at the age of five in 1982. That was the year I received my first G.I. JOE figures, Breaker and Snake-Eyes. Breaker was pretty cool, but not the most exciting toy in the world. Snake-Eyes, on the other hand, was more than just an ordinary soldier toy. He was dressed in all black, and he wore a mask. A soldier who wears a mask must be badass, right? I was intrigued, and it wasn't long before I realized there were monthly adventures to be followed in G.I. JOE from Marvel Comics. Issues #2-#10 held my attention (I didn't get a copy of #1 for a few years), but things really picked up in the teens. Characters like Destro, Dr. Venom, and Scar-Face were introduced. Betrayal occurs in the ranks of Cobra, and Baroness suffers for it. Something else happend when the series got to issue #21, though, a chapter without even a single word of dialogue. It had already been established that Snake-Eyes didn't speak, but this was a silent issue, and it introduced Storm Shadow, the Cobra ninja. Ninjas? Really? I was hooked.

I followed the series for years. Zartan and the Dreadnoks came next, and as the origins of Snake-Eyes, Storm Shadow, Zartan, and Cobra Commander were fleshed out, I grew increasingly eager for each month's new installment. When the animated series debuted in 1985, it was a tremendous disappointment. This cartoon was nothing like the comics I had been reading! '85 was also the year I really got into DC Comics. I had always loved Batman, and I already had several of the Super Powers figures, but the Super Friends and Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show cartoons were the media fueling my interest. Once I read Crisis On Infinite Earths, I knew there was more to superheroes than what those shows could offer.

But even as I read titles with Batman, Superman, Firestorm, and the Justice League, it was G.I. JOE I read religiously. I could not miss an issue of that book. The stories weren't talking down to me like the animation was, they provided me with history and character development, and people actually got hit by bullets (not lasers!) in combat. This meant something to me. I didn't want to see parachutes every time an aircraft was lost in battle; I wanted consequences. Larry Hama, who wrote an amazing 149 of the 155 issues (in addition to over two dozen issues of G.I. JOE: Special Missions and most of the file cards from Hasbro's line of action figures), provided them.

It was Mr. Hama's work that most inspired me as a youth to take English and creative writing seriously in school, his storytelling that made me want to be a writer. I've only had one piece of fiction published, but I have managed to earn a living in the past as a proofreader and as a copywriter, and that likely would not be the case if I hadn't been so greatly influenced by Mr. Hama. When it was announced that he would be a guest the 2007 G.I. JOE Collectors' Convention in Atlanta, there was no way I was going to pass up the opportunity to meet a creator who'd had such an impact on me. Sure, I wanted to see the new 25th Anniversary action figures that were being shown for the first time, and I wanted to experience the convention itself, but my primary motivation in making the trip was a chance to meet Mr. Hama. I no longer have the G.I. JOE #21 I had as a kid, but I had replaced my old copy of G.I. JOE Yearbook #3, which contains the second silent story. I took it with me to Atlanta to have it signed by Mr. Hama.



After so many years of admiring his writing, meeting Mr. Hama, who was both friendly and humble, is a memory I will always keep with me.

There are several writers and artists I hope to meet at some point, creators like Frank Miller, Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Jeph Loeb, Brad Meltzer, Tony Isabella, Grant Morrison, and Dennis O'Neil. I'm thinking of making the trip to NYCC next fall, so maybe I'll get a chance to scratch a couple of those guys off my list.

Sign Here, Please: Larry Hama

Sign Here, Please: Matt Wagner

One of my favorite artists to draw Batman in the last decade also happens to be one of my favorite writers to script his adventures. Matt Wagner's Batman and the Monster Men and Batman and the Mad Monk are modernizations of Golden Age Batman stories, reaching back to the Dark Knight's early career with two tales that occur during the timeline of Batman: Year One. The former depicts Batman's first confrontation with Hugo Strange, while the latter involves the Caped Crusader's first encounter with the supernatural. Both are equally fantastic, but perhaps even better is 2003's Trinity, which covers the first meeting of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. The story is terrific, and Mr. Wagner provides what is probably the most beautiful artwork in superhero comics today.

I am always impressed with the successful execution of a writer/director in movies, a filmmaker who crafts the story from start to finish. The same is true for a writer/artist in comics. Not that collaborative efforts don't result in great books, but one person handling both tasks ensures that there is no disconnect between the intent of the author and the interpretation of the artist. When I had a chance to meet Mr. Wagner at HeroesCon last year, I brought my Trinity hardcover to have signed. Like Ethan Van Sciver, he did more than simply sign the book. See for yourself:



The few extra seconds Mr. Wagner took to sketch out the Big Three put this book near the top of all my collectibles. I enjoyed meeting him, and it's always nice to find out someone so talented is also very down-to-earth and friendly.

One more installment left for tomorrow, and I've saved the most important for last.

Sign Here, Please: Matt Wagner

Sign Here, Please: Ethan Van Sciver

Next on my Superman/Batman list is Ethan Van Sciver, the man behind all the fantastic Green Lantern art of the last four years. After seeing what he did with Hal Jordan, my curiosity was obviously piqued when he was announced for a brief run on Superman/Batman. His work on the first three issues of the "Enemies Among Us" story is simply astounding. Not that Matthew Clark's pages in the second half the story were subpar, or anything, but Van Sciver's drawings just jump right off the page at you. He's definitely among my top ten favorites in the industry today, so I was happy for the chance to have him sign my "Enemies Among Us" hardcover at HeroesCon 2008. What really got me, though, was how he autographed the book:



What I found so impressive was how quickly and casually he sketched the Dark Knight. I realize it's something he does just about every day, but for someone without a shred of artistic ability like me, it's really fun to watch. Seriously, I can't even draw a stick figure. I also bought a wicked Black Lightning print from Mr. Van Sciver, but the guys who sell the top-loading print holders had sold out of the size it requires, so I have it put away for safe keeping until this year's con. Anyway, there's more to come from last year's HeroesCon, including another incredible sketch-o-graph.

Sign Here, Please: Ethan Van Sciver

Sign Here, Please: Ed McGuinness & Dexter Vines

Going back to what I said in the previous post about the significance of meeting creators, I'm not one to chase down an artist or writer's signature just for the sake of having it. I'm not one to set a stack of fifty comics in front of a guy and expect him to sign all of them, either, but I digress. There are plenty of names from comics I've truly enjoyed over the years, but never thought to have them sign anything, even when they were a guest at an event I attended. For me, it's my core favorites that motivate me to seek an autograph. Near the top of those favorites is Ed McGuinness; in fact, I have the cover art from Superman/Batman Secret Files & Origins 2003 permanently inked on my right arm.

Getting my Superman/Batman Volume 1 hardcover signed was a priority in 2006, when both Mr. McGuinness and inker Dexter Vines were appearing in Charlotte. Mr. Vines was first, as he was signing and doing sketches at Heroes Aren't Hard To Find on Free Comic Book Day in 2006. After being forced to cancel in '05, Mr. McGuinness was a guest at HeroesCon in 2006, giving me the opportunity to add his signature to the book and pick up a signed print, too. I love the exaggerated style he brings to superhero comics, and I'm a big fan of the Superman/Batman series in general, so this was a nice score. I can't say the pleasure was all mine, either, as Mr. McGuinness got a real kick out of seeing my tattoo, even pulling other artists away from their signing tables to gloat. At some point, I'm hoping to complete the hat-trick by adding Jeph Loeb's signature to the cover.



Warren Ellis was signing at HeroesCon that same year, but the line was unreal. I just didn't feel like spending a whole day of the con waiting around in it, but maybe I should have. I don't know that I'll ever get another chance to have Ellis sign something. Live and learn!

Sign Here, Please: Ed McGuinness & Dexter Vines

HeroesCon '08 In One Week

Heroes Aren't Hard To Find revealed the exclusive signed and numbered HeroesCon 2008 Advance Ticket Incentive Print on the HeroesOnline blog today. Darwyn Cooke provided the artwork for this year's print, based on his DC: The New Frontier. Cooke will be at the show this year, so in addition to the print, I'm hoping to get my copy of The New Frontier (both the TPB and the animated DVD based on his work) signed next weekend.