Dallas Fan Days 2013 - Saturday, Part One

Alas, I was unable to procure the day off for the first day of Dallas Fan Days 2013.  This inspired me to arrive bright and early on the second day.  I was also inspired by the incoming weather - the first big cold front of the Fall was coming along with a rainstorm and I didn't fancy waiting to enter the convention outside.  Thankfully, the lines this time were kept within the parking garage next to the convention center and the rain held off until the convention was well and properly started.



I met this group of teens  while waiting in line to get in. It was their first time cosplaying and I think they did a fine job. That's The Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond and Clara Oswin Oswald for you non-Whovians out there.     
I don't know why the Dovahkiin is hanging out with the ladies from The Guild.
And I'm too wise to question The Dragonborn.


Reese of Reese's Pieces as The Goblin King from Labyrinth.


THE Taffeta Darling as Lo Pan from Big Trouble In Little China along with a dressed down Lhars.  Sadly, I missed their Disney Villains group the day before, when they were Captain Hook and Maleficent.


Looks like the wolf wasn't so big or bad after all.     
Michael Champion of Epic Studios - a great artist and a great man - hard at work.


Rhianna - Epic Studios' chief model and marketing specialist - as Poison Ivy.


Apparently I took this Wonder Woman's picture sometime last year when she was Batgirl.  I''m afraid I didn't remember her, but this is a nice costume, regardless.


Quite possibly the most elegant TARDIS I have ever seen.


I was one of the first to recognize Gozer the Gozarian as she stalked the floor of Dallas Fan Days.
And yes, I did tell her I was a god.

Green Lantern #24 - A Review

My fears that the Green Lantern titles were becoming increasingly interdependent on one another seem to have been invalidated as of Green Lantern #24.  This is ironic, given that this issue is the first part of yet another crossover storyline between all of the Green Lantern books.  Despite this, writer Robert Venditti takes care to establish the status quo for those readers completely unfamiliar with the series as well as readers like me who have only been reading one or two of the line.  Impressive, he does this in the span of one page!


Alas, I find myself with a whole new set of fears and worries regarding the future of my favorite franchise.  Ignoring the metaphorical implications that Hope as a force is literally dead within the new DC Universe in the wake of the Blue Lanterns' destruction, I find myself troubled by the accusation of new villain Relic that the various Lantern Corps have been hastening the destruction of the universe just by existing.  The idea that The Green Lanterns have been slowly destroying the universe for years is a troubling one and the suggestion our heroes would have been better off never becoming heroes spits in the face of the heroic spirit.

That being said, this issue is incredibly well-written and enjoyable.  Venditti sets up all this exposition without making it seem at like a lecture.  Most impressively, there's some actual signs of character growth in the usually lackluster Hal Jordan.   


The artwork by Billy Tan and Rob Hunter is as impressive as the writing.  Tan was born to pencil the Green Lantern series, having a real knack for depicting unusual aliens and amazing constructs.  Hunter offers just the right amount of defining shadow amidst the light that dominates the artwork. 

I'm uncertain what the future holds for Green Lantern but that may not be an enitrely bad thing.  The book may be heading into a depressing downward spiral but it is, I must admit, an engaging read in spite of that.  For now, I shall hope that Relic is mistaken or lying and remember that old saying, "It is always darkest before the dawn."

Earth 2 #16 - A Review

This issue is James Robinson's last and he elected to go out with a bang.  The battle between the World Army and our fledgling team of Wonders versus the Apokoliptian forces of Steppenwolf proves to be as epic as anything we could have expected.  And yet, Robinson concludes the issue with a shocking twist that I don't think anyone could have anticipated.  I regret only that we shall never see how Robinson might have built upon such magnificence. 


Thankfully, we'll still have the equally excellent artwork of Nicola Scott to look forward to in the months to come.  Scott is one of the most underrated artists working today, in my humble opinion.  Her work on Earth 2 thus far has been some of her best and this issue continues to build upon her already amazing oeuvre. 


The only flaw with this issue is that it's not easily accessible to new readers.  That's to be expected, given that it is the final chapter of a long arc.  Presumably Tom Taylor's first issue will prove a more friendly first issue for those who have yet to check out what's going on in DC Comics' other new universe.

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #5 - A Review

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #5 proves a welcome change of pace from last month's issue.  The fourth issue of this series, which I did not review last month, was a bit of a snoozer.  There was little action past Conan's rescuing a prophetic witch from some wicked mercenaries and a lot of talk meant to give Conan a direction to move in his quest to reclaim his usurped kingdom.  All of this was all well-written and well-depicted, yet I can't help but feel such exposition should have been condensed somewhat to allow for more action.


This issue, by contrast, is almost nothing but action.  Indeed, most of the issue is taken up by one long action sequence!  Our focus is on Conan as he seeks to rescue the Countess Albiona from the executioner's block - a fate decreed for her in the face of her refusal to wed the usurping lord Valerius.

Despite being based around the most cliched pulp-plot ever, Robert E. Howard turned a leaden concept into golden treasure.  So too does Tim Truman take Howard's prose and tweak it to better fit the graphic novel format.  The action of the issue is thrilling but also showcases how Conan has changed as a character over time.  We learn of Conan being a progressive liberal by the standards of Hyboria, allowing his subjects to worship whatever gods they wish, so long as their rites do no harm to others.  The crude chivalric code the barbarian adopted in his later life is also well in evidence, given his treatment of the beautiful young countess he has rescued.


It is the countess who represents the one fault I find in the artwork this time around.  Though it may be foolish to complain of cheesecake and fan-service in a Conan book, Albonia spins the entirety of the issue in a ragged dress that is more rag than dress.  It's particularly vexing given there is no reference to her being nearly naked in the original Howard text and because Albonia is otherwise presented as a strong-willed young woman who will stand for her convictions even in the face of torture and certain death.

You are better than this, Mr. Giorello.  Please remember that in the future.

Agents of SHIELD, Episode 2 - Live (But Not Really) Commentary

Due to my responsibilities at work keeping me late, I was not - as I'd planned - able to live tweet the latest episode of Agents of SHIELD as I'd planned. But since most of you would have read the summary of it once I was done anyway, I figured there's nothing to stop me from watching it a few hours later and THEN doing a "live blog".

DVR for the win!



1:48  -  Did Skye steal those boots from River Tam?

5:06 -  Yeah.  Coulson has become Captain Jack Harkness.  Which is not a bad thing to be. 

5:44 -  I know this is hardly an original comment but damn - for a secret organization, SHIELD slaps their logo on every thing. 

9:00 -  More hints about May's past and proof she is indeed a bad ass. 

14:20 -  What about the cellist, Phil?! 

18:23 -  You know what this scene needs?  John Williams music. 

19:53  - Professor!  Lava!  Hot!  Why does nobody ever listen to the scientist who says that touching the McGuffin is a bad idea? 

24:53 -  That may be the line of the episode - "Do you need anything else before I go check on the device fueled by evil that's sitting in our cargo hold?" 

27:01 -  I'm just going to call Fitz and Simmons Quirk 1 and Quirk 2.

33:29 -  Okay.  I take it back.  Coulson is NOT Captain Jack.  Jack would have slept with the enemy agent THEN revealed this his underlings had stopped her underlings.

38:23 -  The Calvary, eh?  Hope that explain that to the rest of us eventually...

43:00 -  Hmmm... 616 code.  Nice shout out to the comics there. 

50:35 -  This would be a much better action sequence if it weren't shot so close to everyone's faces.

54:59 - Drinking in the cargo bay.  Anyone else think they're pushing the Serenity angle a bit much?

55:51 - Annnnd... there's our twist for the next episode.

59:00 - Spoil the cameo after the credits.  I dare you!  I double dare you!



FINAL ANALYSIS: Still developing the core cast past a bunch of Whedonesque stereotypes but still an entertaining hour of TV.