Comic Relief Podcast

I love how both of those photos turned out because of the lighting.

And I ran into Eric and Julia (well, I knew they were going to be there)…

Had them sign my X-Men Animated Series DVDs…

Also met R.A. Salvatore, but was stupid and forgot to take a picture… because I wasn’t aware he was there, and I think it was Chuck who spotted him and we went over and talked to him; would have brought The Crystal Shard or something for him to sign – so instead, picked up the third book in his current series (admittedly do not have the other two!) but didn’t want to miss out on his autograph and just supporting him.

I loved the above photoshop… because neither of us is actually wearing a gauntlet – I told Maico to send me a photo of him looking as if he is… and I did the same – then put them in front of a space background – and then if you look – neither of the gauntlets has a full set of gems, as if we’re fighting over them. And what’s cool – the artistic face in the upper right is done by my good friend, Lindsay Archer. She created full on images of myself as an Anxiety Lantern, and had not finished Maico’s – but I did some photoshoping and imposed his head on the body of mine, and it works. I should dig those up and post those too, somewhere.

As a side note – if you are listening and wondering what we’re talking about, when I am talking about pulling a guy out of a burning SUV… read about it here and see the video. You will notice that yellow XTERRA in the background has the Anxiety Lantern sticker on it… because it’s mine… and the … Well, just check it out.

For this one, I went at it alone… no partners in crime…

Ok, well, clearly not alone…

But what was cool – first time meeting Ben Edlund, and picked up a Complete Tick book he had and had him sign it. (I loved The Tick as a cartoon long before I was aware it was based on a comic; but began picking up the comic once this knowledge was revealed!)

And Marc Silvestri was there…

I miss these opportunities.

When the above photo was the highlight of the convention… and … I have no idea where we are or why we took this picture… But there’s literally six photos in my LA Comic Con 2018 folder…

Well, according to this news – it’s true!

Following July’s X-MEN: HELLFIRE GALA #1, mutantkind will enter a thrilling new era of uncertainty, danger, and mystery known as FALL OF X! In the ensuing chaos, a beloved Marvel Super Hero team rises once more! ALPHA FLIGHT will reassemble to navigate the dark times that have befallen mutantkind.

Alpha Flight’s new chapter will be written by Ed Brisson, known for his current work on PREDATOR and as one of the creators who helped launch the Krakoan era to incredible success with NEW MUTANTS. Brisson returns to the world of mutantkind alongside Marvel Comics newcomer, artist Scott Godlewski. Together, they’ll introduce two conflicting Alpha Flight squads that are formed in response to the shocking events of this year’s Hellfire Gala.

Mutantkind’s actions have put Canada on the offense and in addition to crafting a new line of sentinels, they’ll assign a government-sponsored team with de-escalating the mutant conflict by any means necessary! But a second Alpha Flight team joins the fight, striking from the shadow. More secrets and conspiracies are revealed as classic Alpha Flight members and new faces alike become major players on both sides of the war that will define mutantkind!

SAVING CANADA…FROM THE MUTANT MENACE?! Guardian, Puck, Snowbird, and Shaman return, as a terrestrial ALPHA FLIGHT bursts onto the scene! But what schism will pit these heroes against their former teammates Aurora, Northstar, and Nemesis, as well as Aurora’s beau, Fang? The FALL OF X has changed the game. Will Alpha Flight soar to new heights…or be crushed under the weight of an impossible mission?

“Like every Canadian kid who grew up reading comics, one of my biggest dreams was to write for Alpha Flight,” Brisson said. “Growing up, I was a huge fan of the original Byrne run and have followed the team over the years and through every series. The original team of Guardian, Puck, Northstar, Aurora, Shaman, Snowbird, and Sasquatch holds a special place in my heart.

“Unfortunately, Sasquatch is currently indisposed, but the opportunity to bring the rest of the team together, even if they’re split and fighting against one another, is an absolute dream come true. And for those of you wondering if I’ve forgotten anyone, rest assured, I haven’t. There are a few surprises for Alpha Flight fans in the mix, but I won’t spoil anything just yet.”

“As for returning for the Fall of X era, it feels like a perfect bookend for my work on X-Men,” Brisson continued. “Having been there for the launch of the new era, it’s an honor to come back and help close out this chapter of X-Men history.”

ALPHA FLIGHT #1 (OF 5)
Written by ED BRISSON
Art by SCOTT GODLEWSKI
Cover by LEONARD KIRK
On Sale 8/16

The cover is a reference to The Fantastic Four – it’s even the font that was used for the Fantastic Four back when Black Panther was first introduce into the Marvel Universe comics…

Black Panther was an incredible movie… and it’s a shame the world did not get to keep Chadwick Boseman longer… as he would pass, unexpectedly (to the world). Unfortunately, for myself, the “sequel” Wakanda Forever did not hold up – it was missing something. And I am not saying it was missing Chadwick – but there was something definitely missing in the movie – some … chemistry or something. But the original Black Panther movie was down right incredible…

I miss going to the Cons with these two….

Also got two more signatures for my He-Man book…

So I’d only ever had the good grace of seeing Fabian Nicieza once – and I mean, this way back in the 1990s, when he was writing New Warriors (just another site I run…). I was such a fan when I saw Fabian, at his booth, I was too star struck. I felt like, back then, I’d just fumble over my words. So I actually didn’t approach him.

Not the case when I saw him in 2017. As a matter of fact, when I heard he’d be at San Diego Comic Con – I loaded up my backpack with only New Warriors comics – and one other comic – X-Force Annual #2. And then I carried a poster in a holder around, until he was finally at his booth signing. I immediately approached him and told him to tell me if this was too much – as I broke out a pile of New Warriors, X-Force Annual #2, my New Warriors poster, and – the big surprise – original art from Captain Marvel that featured Adam-X. If you’ve listed to any of the podcasts on here you know my love of Adam-X.

He signed it all – and we talked the entire time – he was shocked that I had no Deadpool comics, for which he was truly getting to be known for due to the movie’s success. But I wasn’t there to get things signed that were “in” – I wanted books I cared about, a poster I cared about, and the original art from the Captain Marvel book. (Side Note – Captain Marvel back then was not Carol Danvers, but rather Genis Vell, the son of Mar Vell, the original Captain Marvel)

I didn’t know this – but because of attending this, I would eventually land in an episode of The Toys that Made Us – He-Man episode for a brief moment. Turns out, when I asked the folks to snap this picture…

Jack and Leslie Wadsworth were He-Man and She-Ra, respectively (obviously) in the live action, touring, Power Tour that was in arenas.

I was going around collecting anyone who had any significant role in He-Man (whether the cartoon, comics, Power Tour, etc)

PowerCon is where I used to always spend the most money. (Side note – Might be a good thing that they’ve relocated to Utah, I believe it is…)

Sometimes, you just can’t release your childhood…