We love our local comics and games stores. We always have ever since we were kids. One of the things that keeps us going back is the community of people that we have the pleasure of hanging out with while we spend time there. About a year ago, now, the owner of Jetpack Comics, Ralph Dibernardo, pitched a pretty awesome idea to his clientele: a nerd SOCIAL club. Now think about that. Think about “nerd” in the classic sense, and think about the word “social.” The two terms don’t INHERENTLY go together. But throw in a way for nerds to show off, and they will come. In droves. Whether you want them to or not. Enter Zach Foote. Marvel fan. Host of the Earth-603 Podcast. Hilarious ad-lib comedian (though I’m not sure he actually WANTS that title). Zach hosts a regular trivia contest nearby us and was the perfect guy to host a nerd triva funfest. Jon and I have now participated in both trivia nights and done REALLY well both times. With that in mind, Coalition Films took to the road once again to bring you NERD TRIVIA NIGHT.

A few weeks ago, Jetpack Comics hosted the creators of the Image comic Hoax Hunters, Michael Morcei and Steve Seeley. The book focuses on a group of Cyrptid hunters who host a reality show called Hoax Hunters. The catch is that even though the show they host is trying to disprove the existence of Bigfoot, The Jersy Devil, and others, they actually cover up their existence so humans don’t know what’s out there.  After the signing, I asked Michael Morcei if he’d be willing to answer some questions, and, well, what you see here is the result!

First, how did Hoax Hunters come to be?

We lost a bet.

That’s a joke. I think.

Anyway, Tim offered us a backup story in Hack/Slash. Steve and I tossed around a few ideas before we finally decided on Hoax Hunters, which was really kind of an amalgamation of many of the ideas. The lynchpin, the thing that really sold us on the idea, was the reality TV show angle. The idea to make it a TV show seemed like a perfect way to combine the best of both of our interests and keep it open for limitless possibilities. They weren’t just monster hunters, they weren’t a superhero team; they could go anywhere and face any foe, from urban legends to cryptids to UFOs.

So far, you’ve covered a lot of well-known cryptids, from Sasquatch-esque monsters to the Jersey Devil. How do you narrow down which ones you want to focus on? Do you and Steve find a creature that interests you then base a story around them, or vice versa?

That’s a good question. I think where we’re going with the story and what monster we utilize work in concert with one another, or at least that’s our ambition. The legend of the Haunchyville gnomes, the subject of this current arc, was something Steve and I never heard of. When we did, we knew we had to use it. And, luckily, it worked perfectly with what we’re ultimately trying to achieve in this story. It wasn’t easy making those pieces fit, but we got there, and I’m glad we did because it’s a strong final product. But, the forthcoming arc features Moth Man, and we’re building part of the story specifically around him. If you’re familiar with Moth Man, you know his history, that he’s a harbinger of forthcoming disaster. We knew that was an essential component to have as we wrap up the first season of Hoax Hunters (and I discuss this season format below).

What’s it like working for Image Comics? How much control do you have over your creation?

Working at Image is a dream come true. They have an amazing, talented staff, and Eric Stephenson is guy who is out there fighting for every Image title, fighting for the survival of the industry, fighting for comics in general. We get complete creative control which enable to make our own successes and failures—the result has been a whole lot of learning, but in a satisfying way. Image lets creators be themselves, artistically, and that’s a hard commodity to come across in any entertainment industry.

What creators influenced you in the past?  Are there any characters or stories that have stuck with you?

There are so many, but off the top of my head: Brian K. Vaughn, Alan Moore, Jack Kirby, Mark Waid, Alex Toth…I can go on.
My influences…man, I’m all over the place. I range from Kurt Vonnegut to Kirby’s Fourth World to Breaking Bad to Raymond Chandler to the Fantastic Four. I’m a sponge for reading and absorbing, and there’s so much out there that I truly adore.

You’ve just been called by one of the big two publishers. They tell you can write any character. Who do you pick and why?

Great question! There are so many I’d love to write. Fantastic Four is my favorite, but I wouldn’t go anywhere near that book. Hickman set the bar so damn high—he basically told the FF story, the epic, amazing FF story that I’d pined for year after year. How do you follow that?

Given the choice, and complete freedom, I’d go with Mister Miracle. I think there are so many amazing stories waiting to be told with that character, in that universe. The whole idea of being an escape artists, someone bred for destruction who relies on deception and constantly putting his life at risk. There’s so much you can do there. And that’ the great challenge, for me: Taking a underutilized character and making him or her essential. Like Brubaker and Fraction’s Iron Fist, or Fraction’s Hawkeye. Just strip them down to their essentials and put them in a contemporary context. What a blast that would be.

What can we expect with future issues of Hoax Hunters?

A steady decline in quality, mainly. Then you’ll ultimately read about Steve and I turning to a life of petty crime.

Kidding (I hope). Right now, I’m putting all my focus into gearing up for writing the final arc of the first season. Since it’s a comic that incorporates a TV show, we found it convenient to compartmentalize things in seasons. It’s also a nice way for us to kind of reset things with the second season. Not a reboot or anything, but a way to start fresh by taking what’s happened and putting it on a new trajectory. Same as any TV show does. The new season of Homeland took what happened in the first put placed things in a new context. I like that as a storytelling tool.

So expect an epic final arc, starting in issue 10 and ending in issue 13. Questions will be answered and the overall mystery will become a little more clear. But, where we leave the characters will be in a place where they realize they’re in way over their heads—stay tuned to find out why.

The first Hoax Hunters volume is available now at your local shop, or online. New issues hit every month.

A few weeks ago, Jetpack Comics hosted the creators of the Image comic Hoax Hunters, Michael Morcei and Steve Seeley. The book focuses on a group of Cyrptid hunters who host a reality show called Hoax Hunters. The catch is that even though the show they host is trying to disprove the existence of Bigfoot, The Jersy Devil, and others, they actually cover up their existence so humans don’t know what’s out there.  After the signing, I asked Michael Morcei if he’d be willing to answer some questions, and, well, what you see here is the result!

First, how did Hoax Hunters come to be?

We lost a bet.

That’s a joke. I think.

Anyway, Tim offered us a backup story in Hack/Slash. Steve and I tossed around a few ideas before we finally decided on Hoax Hunters, which was really kind of an amalgamation of many of the ideas. The lynchpin, the thing that really sold us on the idea, was the reality TV show angle. The idea to make it a TV show seemed like a perfect way to combine the best of both of our interests and keep it open for limitless possibilities. They weren’t just monster hunters, they weren’t a superhero team; they could go anywhere and face any foe, from urban legends to cryptids to UFOs.

So far, you’ve covered a lot of well-known cryptids, from Sasquatch-esque monsters to the Jersey Devil. How do you narrow down which ones you want to focus on? Do you and Steve find a creature that interests you then base a story around them, or vice versa?

That’s a good question. I think where we’re going with the story and what monster we utilize work in concert with one another, or at least that’s our ambition. The legend of the Haunchyville gnomes, the subject of this current arc, was something Steve and I never heard of. When we did, we knew we had to use it. And, luckily, it worked perfectly with what we’re ultimately trying to achieve in this story. It wasn’t easy making those pieces fit, but we got there, and I’m glad we did because it’s a strong final product. But, the forthcoming arc features Moth Man, and we’re building part of the story specifically around him. If you’re familiar with Moth Man, you know his history, that he’s a harbinger of forthcoming disaster. We knew that was an essential component to have as we wrap up the first season of Hoax Hunters (and I discuss this season format below).

What’s it like working for Image Comics? How much control do you have over your creation?

Working at Image is a dream come true. They have an amazing, talented staff, and Eric Stephenson is guy who is out there fighting for every Image title, fighting for the survival of the industry, fighting for comics in general. We get complete creative control which enable to make our own successes and failures—the result has been a whole lot of learning, but in a satisfying way. Image lets creators be themselves, artistically, and that’s a hard commodity to come across in any entertainment industry.

What creators influenced you in the past?  Are there any characters or stories that have stuck with you?

There are so many, but off the top of my head: Brian K. Vaughn, Alan Moore, Jack Kirby, Mark Waid, Alex Toth…I can go on.
My influences…man, I’m all over the place. I range from Kurt Vonnegut to Kirby’s Fourth World to Breaking Bad to Raymond Chandler to the Fantastic Four. I’m a sponge for reading and absorbing, and there’s so much out there that I truly adore.

You’ve just been called by one of the big two publishers. They tell you can write any character. Who do you pick and why?

Great question! There are so many I’d love to write. Fantastic Four is my favorite, but I wouldn’t go anywhere near that book. Hickman set the bar so damn high—he basically told the FF story, the epic, amazing FF story that I’d pined for year after year. How do you follow that?

Given the choice, and complete freedom, I’d go with Mister Miracle. I think there are so many amazing stories waiting to be told with that character, in that universe. The whole idea of being an escape artists, someone bred for destruction who relies on deception and constantly putting his life at risk. There’s so much you can do there. And that’ the great challenge, for me: Taking a underutilized character and making him or her essential. Like Brubaker and Fraction’s Iron Fist, or Fraction’s Hawkeye. Just strip them down to their essentials and put them in a contemporary context. What a blast that would be.

What can we expect with future issues of Hoax Hunters?

A steady decline in quality, mainly. Then you’ll ultimately read about Steve and I turning to a life of petty crime.

Kidding (I hope). Right now, I’m putting all my focus into gearing up for writing the final arc of the first season. Since it’s a comic that incorporates a TV show, we found it convenient to compartmentalize things in seasons. It’s also a nice way for us to kind of reset things with the second season. Not a reboot or anything, but a way to start fresh by taking what’s happened and putting it on a new trajectory. Same as any TV show does. The new season of Homeland took what happened in the first put placed things in a new context. I like that as a storytelling tool.

So expect an epic final arc, starting in issue 10 and ending in issue 13. Questions will be answered and the overall mystery will become a little more clear. But, where we leave the characters will be in a place where they realize they’re in way over their heads—stay tuned to find out why.

The first Hoax Hunters volume is available now at your local shop, or online. New issues hit every month.

All right, so the “Best of 2012” and “Worst of 2012” are out of the way. You’ve all had time to digest my rants and raves of the year that’s gone by, and probably commented on how wrong I was. Regardless, it’s time to put all of that behind us and look ahead to 2013, and the awesome nerd things that will be coming our way!

Man Of Steel
Man Of Steel was a project I was very optimistic about, but it wasn’t until I saw the second trailer that I started to get really excited for it. Zack Snyder’s involvement will guarantee action, and Nolan’s producer tag will hopefully ensure a quality project. I’ve watched the trailer at least 7 times now, and every time I’m filled with hope for an awesome movie that will give us a Superman that we need.

But Man Of Steel isn’t just going to be hitting the theaters! This summer, to coincide with the
release of the film, DC will be launching Man Of Steel by Scott Snyder and Jim Lee. Now, I’ve never been one who could follow the adventures of the Last Son Of Krypton every month, but if there’s anyone who could get me to pick up a monthly Superman book, it’s Scott Snyder. Couple that with art from the always-awesome Jim Lee, and DC already has my money.
The Wake
Scott Snyder. Sean Murphy. That should be enough to pique your interest in this upcoming Vertigo mini. Not much is known about the story, but one can imagine from their previous collaboration (the American Vampire mini Lord of Nightmares) one can expect something that will keep you up at night. Snyder continues to dominate the racks with Batman and Swamp Thing, and Murphy is hot off his masterpiece Punk Rock Jesus. These are two creators at the top of the game, which can only mean one thing: this book has the potential to be the top release of the year.
Green Arrow
Green Arrow has been one of the worst books of the DC reboot. This is unfortunate, because I really want to read the adventures of Oliver Queen, thanks in large part to CW’s Arrow series. Hopefully this all changes in February, when Animal Man scribe Jeff Lemire takes over the title. Coupled with I, Vampire artist Andrea Sorrentino, Lemire has stated that he wants to make Green Arrow “a hunter again”, and bring a more street-level approach to the character, a take that should hopefully lift the title from the bottom of the New 52 barrel.

Iron Man 3
The first Marvel movie since The Avengers, Iron Man 3 will see the aftermath of Loki’s attack on New York, and finally introduce movie goers to the Mandarin. While it’s been stated that Tony Stark won’t have any help from his fellow Avengers in this film, I’d be very surprised if we don’t see at least one member show up for a quick cameo.

Superior Spider-Man
Yeah, I may not be entirely on board for Doc Ock in Spidey’s body, but I’d be lying if I said I’m not intrigued by it. While some of his more recent stories haven’t been sticking the landing, Dan Slott does seem to have something up his sleeve that I want to see, and Ryan Stegman’s art will make the book worth being on my pull list.

The Wolverine
Hugh Jackman will probably be shirtless at some point in this movie. That’s all that needs to be said.

This weekend, something happened that I never, ever thought would: I met Stan Lee.

Well, “met” may be too strong of a word. “Awkwardly attempted to talk to him and stand next to him for a picture” is probably a more apt description of the weekend, but still, it’s Stan Lee, the man who not only shaped a massive part of my childhood, but created Spider-Man,  the inspiration for the man I am today.

Stan was the guest of honor for Super MegaFest, the Framingham, MA convention  that’s most known for bringing hundreds of celebrities (and porn stars) in one place for people to meet (and pay a ton for their autographs). I left my apartment with a buddy of mine at 5:30 in the morning, which let me arrive promptly at 8. Of course, my preplanning was pretty much all for naught, as my friend Chris and I were the 30th and 31st people in line, respectively.
However, that didn’t change my resolve. I was going to meet Stan and thank him, no matter what. Luckily this bull-headedness paid off, and I ended up first in line for the autograph section of the day. Stan was only appearing on Saturday, and his schedule was locked: Autographs at 10, photo op at 12:40, Autographs again at 2, and another photo op at 4. After acquiring my tickets for autographs and the photo op, Chris and I were sent into a small conference room with a giant projector on the end of it, which was convieniently playing the Marvel movies to keep us anxious nerds docile and entertained. Within minutes, the room was packed. People of all ages, nationalities, and walks of life were in that one room, all to see one man.

The fact that I was not only going to the first autograph session, but also going to be the first person to walk through the doors to see him was mind blowing. Here was a man that I’ve literally seen on television or in comics since I was five years old, and now I was going to meet him. With my copy of Amazing Spider-Man annual #26 (the wedding of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson) and Spider-Man #23 (the first comic book I ever got) in hand, I was ready. I had it all planned out: I’d walk right up to him, shake his hand, and say “thank you sir. It’s an honor. You’ll never know how much Spider-Man has meant to me, and still continues to mean to me. Thank you”. He’d probably say “Thanks, True believer!” or even “Excelsior!” and sign my books. Hell, maybe he’d even tell me he preferred Andrew Garfield to Toby Maguire as Spider-Man.

Then, about an hour into Incredible Hulk, the call was made. Stan was ready. The kind people who came into the room after myself graciously allowed me to go in first, which they didn’t have to do since I had royally fucked up the line system that the convention runners had set up (in my defense, they didn’t come up with their system until after Chris and I had entered the waiting room). I walked up to the double doors containing one of my idols. I had the script in my brain, my two comics removed from their bags and boards (a perilous move since my palms were extremely sweaty), and a sense of anxiousness and calmness. The doors opened. And there he was, flanked by two of his assistants.  I’m sure the look on my face was one of either absolute joy or stunned awe, as he looked at me, RIGHT at me, smiled, and said in a voice I’ve heard millions of times growing up as a comic book fan:

“Hey, how ya doin’?”

And everything I’ve learned about responding to a greeting evaporated from my brain. What I meant to say was “hello, it’s an honor to meet you”, but what actually came out was something more along the lines of this:

“aaabughhhhhaaaaaaaahelllo”

He smiled though, and signed the books I handed to his assistant. Apparently the Megafest staff was very cautious of people getting too close to him (either because of his fame or the fact he’s 90), as they not only placed two tables on either side of him, but also one in between you and Stan, pretty much guaranteeing that I wouldn’t be able to try and hug him and find out what he smelled like (stetson, in case you’re wondering).

I did attempt to recover from my fan boy moment as he signed Spider-Man #23.  I awkwardly squeaked out “that’s the first comic book my Mom ever bought me”, to which he replied “that’s wonderful!”. But then at that point, some guy who was third in line butted in and asked him who his favorite character he created was, to which he responded “Spider-Man” (duh).  I was then handed my books back by another assistant and told to keep the line moving.  And that, was that.

Or was it? Remember the 12:40 photo op? I had a ticket for that too, and by some weird nerd luck, I was the third person in line. Chris and I were also somehow admitted into the VIP room, a fact that we were not alerted to until about an hour before the photos. Luckily no one working the show asked to check our passes, or else we would’ve had to wait in the 150+ person line outside the room. This time, I did get the chance to talk to Stan, if only for about 20 seconds. I also got as close to a living legend that I will probably ever be.

The photo op line, in an attempt to keep the massive line somewhat manageable, cycled people through at a rapid succession. Stan ambled in, and shook hands with nearly everyone who was working on the photo op lines, something that struck me as very cool. Here’s a guy who’s been around for decades, is known around the world, yet he stopped to shake the hands of people who are trying to do their jobs in an extremely high stress situation. Stan took a seat on a chair, and you were called up, asked to look at the camera, the picture is taken, then you had to immediately exit. Luckily after my photo with him was taken, I was able to get in a quick “thank you so much sir” before exiting (to which he replied “you’re very welcome”).

And that was it. An 3 hour round trip drive, 2 1/2 hours in line. All for maybe half a minute of dialogue with Stan Lee. And you know what? It was completely worth it.  This was something that I not only never thought I’d be able to do in my lifetime, but also something that will never happen again. I know that Stan was obviously getting paid an obscene amount of money to appear at Megafest (which was apparent from the price of the autographs and photo op), but meeting him, having this story to tell my children about later, is something that will stay with me forever. As corny as it sounds, I literally had a dream come true this past weekend, and all I can say is this:

“EXCELSIOR!”

There’s way too much awesome stuff that’s coming our way in the next few months. With the amount of movies, comic books, video games, and television available to us, how is one to know what exactly is worth our anticipation and what should be ignored?

Well fear not, cause I’m here to help you sort out the cool from the crap! Let’s start off with some moviefilms that are just around the corner:

MOVIES:

Skyfall

Sure, there’s a glutton of movies coming our way in the next few months, but none of them hold a candle to Skyfall. It’s been four years since Quantum Of Solace, which is far too long for Bond to be out of the spotlight. Yes, this is the 23^rd James Bond film, but there’s a strange sense of epic finality in all of the promotional material I’ve seen. Add the fact that the cast includes new comers Ralph Fiennes and Javier Bardem as the villain, and my expectations are sky-high for this installment of the Daniel Craig 007 films. Then again, I did have high expectations for Quantum as well, but early buzz has been saying that this is not only the best Bond of the Craig films, but also in the ENTIRE SERIES.

Django Unchained

Quentin Tarantino movies are an event, plain and simple. There’s no more unique figure in the world of cinema, and with Django Unchained, he’s setting his sights on the spaghetti western. Christoph Waltz is back (as a good guy this time), and Jamie Foxx looks like he could get a big career revive from this film. I’ve been salivating over the previews to this film, but there is one catch: how can I sneak away on Christmas day to go see it?

COMICS:

Batman: Death of the Family

Yes, it’s already technically started, but November and December will see the latest Batman mega-event kick into overdrive, as the Joker’s return to Gotham takes over nearly every Bat-related title.  While this is an obvious sales gimmick for the titles that don’t do Batman numbers, there are sure to be some awesome character moments within them. Especially when you consider the history Joker has with characters like Batgirl and Jason Todd, whom both have their own books that will be under the “Death Of the Family” banner. While it’s obvious that Joker won’t kill off Batman, my money is that someone will come out of this damaged or killed, and that person…Tim Drake.  He’s the only former Robin without his own solo title, and Teen Titans has enough cast members to survive without him.

Marvel NOW!

By and large, I think the Marvel NOW! event is really just an excuse to put new creators on books and slap #1’s on some titles to make a quick buck. However, there are a handful of NOW! titles that I am looking forward to, first and foremost being Deadpool. Written by comedians Brian Posehn and Gary Duggan, and featuring art by the awesome Tony Moore, the new Merc With A Mouth series will feature Deadpool going up against zombie presidents. If you need any more than that then there’s something wrong with you.  Rick Remender and John Romita, Jr. will be handling Captain America, which looks to bring Cap into the realm of sci-fi craziness, and Remender’s other title, Uncanny Avengers, has already gotten off to a promising start.

VIDEO GAMES:

Assassin’s Creed 3

Confession time: I’ve only played one and a half Assassin’s Creed games. I know, I know, but there are so many games and unfortunately very little time. However, I’m making it a point to pick this guy up for the setting. Taking place during the American Revolution, the game follows Desmond under the guise of his ancestor Connor Kenway, a half-English, half-Native American whose home is attacked by British soldiers. Along the way, Kenway will meet many historical figures from the era, but the real draw for me is the game play. I was intrigued by the game when it was first announced, but when I saw the footage rolling on G4 I knew this was a must play. Running on tree tops, engaging in naval battles, and walking through colonial Boston and New York City all look amazing, and already there’s talk of this game being the game of 2012.

Halo 4
The last “Halo” game I played was Halo 3. In fact, to be completely honest, I forgot this game was even coming out this year, let alone in November. This obvious sales juggernaut will be sweeping up your time, your friends’ time, and possibly even your significant other’s time. The plot sees Master Chief going up against an entirely new race of creatures, who span back to the creation of the Halo rings themselves.  It’ll be interesting to see if 343 Industries can live up to the juggernaut that Bungie created.

I’ve always been told that PAX is the gaming experience of a lifetime. What I have been told came nowhere NEAR preparing me for the true wonder that we beheld at Boston Convention and Expo Centre this past weekend. Between nigh incessant games of Magic, Cards Against Humanity, Dungeons and Dragons, and the opportunity to test all manner of new releases and a myriad of riveting panels, it took the three of us working together to see a FRACTION of what was offered. I will be honest, this year was a learning experience. For example, I am unlikely to pack my satchel quite as full next year and use some of the added space for snacks. The ALD crew sat down tonight to write a recap of the event but stay tuned in following weeks for more PAX coverage as we go into detail about what we saw while we were there!

Zach: So PAX was quite a blast. I think we all came away with a slightly different experience though. I, for one, spent the majority of my time networking and meeting people. I think it’s to that extent that PAX allows you to sort of play your strengths.
Chris: I think my experience was about improving my D&D games, working on painting free minis, and socializing
Paul: Well this was my first big convention. We used to have a small one back in college that just lumped games and anime and everything else under the sun together, but it was NOTHING like Pax. My only disappointment was that I expected the Swag to be a bit more prolific and I expected better vendors. Our convention had a whole hallway dedicated to vendors. You always knew exactly where to go to find them. At PAX, they threw the vendors in with the rest of the folk on the expo floor, so it was damn near impossible to find anything. I really wanted one of those minecraft swords
Zach: I agree. The other problem I had with the vendors is they were too focused on simply taking your money. The thing I like about comic book vendors is that they are willing to talk with you, adjust their prcies, and generally be GREAT customer servants. I tried to buy a few Magic cards from one guy who REFUSED to budge his price even after I pointed out some obvious flaws with the card AND indicated that I’ve been playing for years (possibly longer than he had) and really knew my stuff. Two things that, in the comic market at least, would have convinced almost anyone to reduce their prices a bit.
Chris: Yeah, I think they’re there to make a killing though and would rather hold the merch for N00bs since there’s enough people there they don’t necessarily have to be picky.
Zach: It’s the truth. From the game I played with Matt from Loading Ready Run, it was apparent to me that those of us who knew what we were doing weren’t really there to buy and indeed already HAD the cards they needed. Although I did run into one vendor who had an interesting dice game. For five dollars, you could roll 7D6 and win MtG product based on your roll. I won a pack and two foils. Granted, that’s what you’re guaranteed for the price but it’s a fun way to interact with the customers as opposed to just moving product the standard way. One kid apparently won four booster boxes.
Paul: I actually have to add one more disappointment to the list: Some of the pannels were little more than glorified advertisements. It was weird going to this con after GDC and expecting the same amount of information out of the panels- you aren’t at a professional development event, you’re at an expo. Everything is geared toward selling you something, INCLUDING most of the panels, some more shamelessly than others. But there was some really cool stuff in there amongst the commercialism. For example the one talk in question for a game called Novus Aeterno really got into some of the philosophy behind their core mechanics, which was neat. Not what the talk was supposed to be about, but neat considering the fact that I was eager to learn more about real time strategy design.

Continue Reading and Photo Gallery

It’s been a while since the Another Let Down crew has been to any events. That said, it’s that time of year. I’m calling the month of April (including the end of March and beginning of May) Travel Season. We started last weekend and we are loving every minute of it so far. We kicked off our season with a very special event at Jetpack Comics in Rochester, NH.

I’ve said it on many occasions, Ralph DiBernardo, the owner of the store is a WIZARD at rallying fans to promote Jetpack Comics. Last fall, we managed to band together and win a launch party for a new series from Dark Horse comics. The company sent us swag, pizza, and a great time straight up. So when we heard that there would be an opportunity to do it again with an even bigger reward, the fans were all over it. This time, we had to photograph ourselves and anyone we knew wearing a mask of the face of the President of Dark Horse, Mike Richardson. Not only did the patrons of Jetpack post photos of themselves but I saw animated GIFs of “Mike” robbing someone’s house (staged, of course), and even THE HYPNOTOAD on the wall in my classroom could be seen sporting a Mike mask. Long, very intense story short, we won this contest too.

So once again, it was pizza and swag night at Jetpack. Paul was lucky enough to be home as well so we tossed on our ALD shirts and made the drive. When we got there, we were shocked at the number of people who showed up. Last time, there were about twenty people or so and the party happened in the main store area. This time, we had to go into the game bunker to fit everyone! Things were looking up! And in more ways than one. The first thing that everyone was struck by was how TALL Mr. Richardson was. One of the great things about the comic market, though, is how accepting everyone is. People from all walks of life read comics and that’s what makes the comic hobby so great.

I’ve never been to a Q&A panel before but I enjoyed myself thoroughly from start to finish. Mr. Richardson started off by giving us some background information such as when Dark Horse got started and mixed in some anecdotes about how his comic book collection was stolen by his brother and a friend and sold right out from under his nose. He explained that the biggest peeve that plagued him prior to starting Dark Horse was that for the longest time, people who created comics (notably the likes of Jack Kirby) didn’t OWN their work. Their characters and plots were the exclusive property of their publisher and it wasn’t until the 1960′s that creators were even paid for the likenesses of their intellectual property. Dark Horse was founded on the premise of creator control. People like Frank Miller jumped at this opportunity and although many have tried, Dark Horse is one of only nine Indie publishers to last 26 years. That’s not to say that the conversation went without controversy, however. Many of Jetpack’s more vocal twitter followers were in attendance (as the promotion largely encompassed Twitter) and it is a popular opinion around the twitter comic market that digital download is killing sales of hard copies and in turn sinking local comic stores. It seems as though Mr. Richardson was well prepared for these questions, though, as he explained that iTunes plays a big role in setting the price of the digital comics and that Dark Horse has opted to take a hit on digital retail by setting the digital price higher than the print price. With a projected billion people using tablets by 2016, digital distribution does seem to be the logical way to go, however, Dark Horse seems to have a solid plan to keep local stores in business by framing digital distribution as a PATH to the store as opposed to an ALTERNATIVE as have DC and Marvel.

Following the general background spiel, Mike took a few questions from the assembled crowd, now so large it was spilling out the back of the gaming bunker with Paul and I crammed into a corner with the garbage cans. This discussion revealed some interesting facts including Mike’s vision for motion comics with a full voice cast and recently acquired rights to produce “Justified” and “Breaking Bad” as comics. Fans were treated to a story of how a Bruce Campbell film Mike was involved with drew more of a crowd than did the premiere of “Ocean’s Thirteen” with more stars assembled in one place than the Milky Way on a clear night. Many questions were asked that we expected such as “what is one piece of advice you would give someone attempting to break into comics” to which he suggested that the obstacles that existed once largely do not anymore thanks to the internet. Possibly the best question of the afternoon came from Jetpack employee, John. Dark Horse publishes a comic series based on internet TV phenomenon “The Guild.” John asked how well Mr. Richardson knew the star of the show Felicia Day and how, specifically, she smelled. Apparently Ms. Day “smells good, looks good, and has a great personality.” Clearly, John was on cloud nine hearing this much to the amusement of the assembled crowd.

The event concluded with a signing of two free issues Mike had written and anything fans chose to bring with them (I brought the first series of “The Umbrella Academy”). I’ll be honest, I HATE waiting in queues. More than I hate untied shoelaces, scuffs on the floor, and people who use words they don’t understand. The one exception to that is when I’m in line to meet a comic writer/illustrator. The reason for this exception is that I know that they are taking the time to interact on a personal level with their fans. When Paul and I got to the front of the line, it was clear that Mike Richardson really is in it for the fans. After a short exchange of pleasantries, I explained to him that the first comic I ever bought, a copy of Dark Horse’s “Star Wars: Infinities – A New Hope #1″ had somehow gotten lost, he handed me his business card and told me he would replace it for me. I’ve got to say, it was an amazing afternoon and I am so glad for having met such a nice, concerned individual as Mike Richardson. Thank you to Jetpack, Dark Horse, and all my fellow fans for making this happen.

“This is…this is…’WHAT?’ This is BOOORRINNNGG…Dele-eet!” -Scott Pilgrim. Okay, I know that’s a screenshot from the film “Rubber” but bear with me. Desert Bus is the SINGLE most boring game ever conceived by man. Part of an unreleased collection called Penn and Teller’s Smoke and Mirrors for SEGA CD, the object is to drive a bus at 45mph from Tuscon to Las Vegas and back in real time while constantly correcting a right list. Boring right? Wrong. Not when our friends over at Loading Ready Run are involved. The LRR crew for one week every year around US Thanksgiving becomes the Desert Bus for hope crew and enlists the help of gamers worldwide to raise money for Child’s Play charity. But who wants to watch people play the lamest video game ever for 24 hours six days in a row? Nobody. Therefore, the crew has a live chat, a wide-angle camera (this year several cameras) on a few dozen people in their basement and skits, dance numbers, songs, Dungeons and Dragons, Jenga, and all manner of other entertainment goes on while the person playing the game (the “driver”) tries not to crash the bus. The bus rolls on until the money stops rolling in. Eventually, certain things happen every year. Matt brings the crew and the chat to a “gay bar,” Jer summons Cthulhu, the feed goes down, and the whole adventure ends up as a giant game within a game. Challenges, auctions, raffles, laughter, sleep deprivation, Desert Bus for Hope has it all. I can’t say enough how amazing it is to come home every day for six days straight and see Paul, Kathleen, Morgan, and everyone else making complete fools of themselves for the world’s amusement while people donate money to see them do so. At regular intervals the livechat is treated to conversations with celebrities such as Felecia Day and Grant Imahara as well as internet personalities like “MovieBob” Chipman or Ben “Yahtzee” Crowshaw. I, myself, donated $26.66 this year to enter into raffles for cool stuff donated by companies like ThinkGeek, Wizards of the Coast, and The Escapist. “Desert bus is nothing if not a meem generator” says official Desert Bus emcee, Graham Stark, as high rollers like Notch (the creator of MineCraft) and bidders known only by net-handles like “Icepick” and “Octopimp” bid on higher end items (one of which, I intend to make next year). The chat backs their favorite bidder (or Bidbot, the automated auctioneer) and hilarity ensues. Meems such as “well dong” “AFRICAAA” and “SPACEBID” fill the chat and crash my mac every day.

So why is this event important? $378,000. Does that answer the question. That is how much money we helped raise over the last six days. Just by acting goofy and encouraging others to safely do the same. “It’s for the children” is probably the most common utterance amongst the people on screen and in the chat. And it is. Although 300,000 dollars is a TON of money, it doesn’t even begin to make a dent in the upkeep for childrens’ hospitals. This is why Desert Bus is so important and why we are so proud of what we do. I may not be particularly integral as a mere donor but I still feel, having watched proudly for two years, that I am just as much a part of something amazing as those who plan, setup, and drive the bus with as much enthusiasm as a kid on Christmas. Thank you so much, LRR. I’m so proud of all of you and I can’t wait until next year. Maybe I’ll be able to fly up to Victoria and participate in some capacity, even if I’m never seen on camera. As my eyes start to water with tears of joy on behalf of donors, recipients, participants, and fans alike, I leave you with this: Whale dong, everyone. Whale dong indeed.

So I had my first experience refereeing a VEX robotics event last weekend. In short, I LOVED IT. I really enjoyed being up close and personal with the action for the whole day. Sure my back is INTENSELY sore now but it was just such an awesome experience. It’s a great feeling to feel like you’re moving up in the world.

Following last year’s FRC season, I felt that I was losing touch with FIRST a bit. The team I work with and I are losing emotional touch with each other, FIRST itself is moving in a direction that I don’t see fitting with the standards we’ve operated under for so long, and I just felt that I wasn’t getting as much out of it as I was when I graduated. When team 134′s advisor, Dave, became the recipient of the Christa McAulliffe sabbatical for robotics research, I couldn’t have been more happy. I felt as though things were going, once again, in a direction I could follow. I introduced myself to him at a tech conference I was filming and a few days later, he invited me to be a referee. Not only have I always dreamed of donning the jail-stripes and hearing the oompa-loompa song (if only in my head; BONESAW FOREVER) when I took to the field, but I felt that I was making a difference. I only hope that the students who were there felt the same energy from me that I felt from them despite my having to “spock-out” and show no emotion all day.

Seriously, I challenge anyone who reads this to not take sides when so many AWESOME machines compete at an event like this. Despite the majority of the rounds being dominated by Pembroke Academy, Pinkerton, and Trinity students, a few teams, at least in my mind, shone somewhat more brightly than all the others. None more so, in my opinion than Nashua Christian. Religious views aside, they just kept coming back. I don’t know what it was but the stalwart efficiency of their machine was awe inspiring. They never drew a penalty (as far as I noticed) and just did their thing quietly in the isolation zone for however long it took. I don’t care how you look at it, that’s just the way the program SHOULD run and I can’t wait to do it all again.

Pictures: http://simplerobotics.org/astropics.htm

Videos: http://simplerobotics.org/astrovideo.htm